**** Aug, Trav and Smoke in the m/m ****

AMBER P.O.V.

All of sudden the room got quiet. August fiddled with my shirt. And Travis looked over at Smoke, then turned his attention to his phone.  Smoke didn’t come to the Sip’N’See because he still didn’t like me, but I could care less about him. My concern was August. My baby had been doing so good with his temper and I didn’t want him to flare up.

“Y’all can’t say shit to nobody?” Smoke growled as he closed the door.

“Smoke don’t come in here starting shit.” Travis shook his head.

“Ain’t nobody starting shit. I just came by my mama house. Can’t I come by my mama house?”

Travis looked over at me and Aug. Aug still didn’t look up, I looked at Travis and he returned his attention to his phone.

“How you doing Travis?” Smoke put extra emphasis on you and looked at Aug, making sure Aug knew he was excluding him.

“What I say man? We was coolin’. Gon with that drama.” Travis slightly pushed him away.

“So you acting different too huh?”

“Baby I’mma just go in the room.” I was about to get up, but Aug pulled me back on his lap.

“You my guest. You ain’t got to go nowhere.”

“Baby it’s okay.”

“What I say?” Aug looked at me, his nostrils flaring. “If any nigga need to leave it’s him. That mutha-fucka don’t scare me.”

 “Calm down.” I softly touched his face.

He had an angry scowl on his face. His hand cuffed his mouth as he had his arm leaning on the chair.

“I ain’t going no fucking where. If anybody should leave it should be yo Judas ass.” Smoke was referring to the disciple in the Bible that turned against Jesus.

I saw Aug poking his jaw with his tongue and staring straight ahead. His hand still cupping his mouth. By now, I came to realize this was what he did when he was trying to control his temper.

“Smoke gon somewhere with that bullshit. We know that ain’t true.” Travis defended August.

“Don’t defend this sissy nigga. Choose some pussy over his brother. The shit probably ain’t good.”

I felt August inching to get up, I pushed his chest back down and looked him in the eyes like baby please don’t.

“Just like a bitch. Down for you when it’s convenient. Then when a nigga die, they turn they back on you. Well unlike you bitch-ass niggas I ain’t turning my back on my fucking brother. See this tat right here.” He put his arm up to Aug and Trav, Trav smacked it away.

“Say Mel-Man. His blood still running through my veins. But I can’t expect yo high-yella ass to stand up for him no way. You ain’t our real brotha.  You ain’t a LaBranch. You an Alsina. Just like yo pussy ass crackhead of a daddy.”

“Get the fuck out.” Travis got up and pushed Smoke toward the door.

“Nigga don’t touch me.”

“I said get the fuck out!” Travis pushed him out the door, locked it and put the chain on the door.

Smoke kicked the door real hard and started cussing real loud.

August had now begun to breathe hard. His chest inflating and deflating at a rapid rate. His hand shaking with anger. He tapped me to get up.

“August.” I lovingly grabbed both sides of his face. He removed my hands and got up, slightly knocking me off of him.

He went into the bedroom and slammed the door. Me and Travis jumped from the loud scream and the sound of furniture being thrown.

“I apologize for Smoke ignorant ass.” Travis shook his head and headed for the basement to get his clothes that had stopped in the dryer.

I slowly walked to the bedroom and inched open the door. Amidst the broken lamp, sheets and toiletries on the floor, was August with his back up against the bed. His head on his knees that were up, and he was crying.

I knelt down in front of him and wrapped my arms around him. Kissing the top of head.

“Babe do not let him bring down your mood. Everybody knows how much you loved your brother. And still do. He’s just speaking out of hurt and has to take it out on somebody, because he misses him just as much as you do.

“I should’ve whooped his ass.” August sniffed, his head still down.

“No you shouldn’t have. You did the right thing.”

“But he disrespected you babe.” He lifted his head up.

“I don’t care about that.” I got some Kleenex off the dresser and wiped his running nose.

“You know I don’t allow that.” He wiped his eyes.

“August, I know that you will defend me at a moment’s notice. But sometimes it isn’t necessary. You don’t have to accept the invitation for every argument you’re invited to.”

“But what hurts is that he called me a Judas babe. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not disloyal. I’m not baby, I’m not.” He started back up crying again. “I loved Mel more than anything on this earth. I would never turn my back on my brother.”

I held his chin up and wiped his eyes. “Baby, you don’t have to justify anything to anybody. I know. Your mother knows. Trav knows. Cha knows. Kay, Chay and Noonie know. And Mel knows. Smoke ain’t take care of Cha when she needed help, you did. And it wasn’t like you were rich where you had the means to do that. You had barely nothing. But you took his children in. Cared for them. Clothed them. Fed then. Put a roof over they head. Got them whatever they needed on the little bit you did have. It don’t get no more loyal than th—that. See stop, now you making me cry.” Tears streamed down my cheeks, I fanned my face with my hands to stop.

“Aww I wanna cry too.” Travis came over to us. Group hugged us and started fake crying. “ I love y’all. Y’all my relationship goals.”

“Nigga get off of me.” August pushed him.

“Ey don’t push me.” Travis pushed his head. “But I’mma leave you two love birds alone. Amb can I take the rest of that food?”

“Yes Travis.” I sighed and shook my head. He was getting irritating.

“Thank you. And clean this shit up before Mama get home Baby Hulk.” Travis patted August’s head like a little kid, August slapped it away.

Travis left out the room.

“Go take your shower I’ll clean this up.” I kissed his lips then stood up. “Your mama going to get you about her lamp tho.”

“I’ll get her another one.” He stood up, wiped his eyes, then took off his shirt.

I started cleaning up, and Aug went in the washroom and ran the shower.

Fully naked, he threw his pants on the bed then got in the shower.

About twenty-minutes later, he got out the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

I was done cleaning up by then, so I went in the bathroom. He was brushing his teeth. I sat on the counter.

“Let me shave you.”

“Shave me?” He said with a mouth full of toothpaste.

“Yeah.” I swung my legs back and forth like a little kid, looking at him.

“So you can fuck up my face? No.” He looked at me crazy.

“I’m not going to mess up your face. Rell used to let me do it all the time when I was little. He’s the one who taught me.”

He spit the toothpaste out and rinsed his mouth with water.

“I love you, but not that much.” He poured some mouth wash and gargled with it.

“Please baby. I promise I won’t mess you up.” I jumped down.

He rolled his eyes, then sat on the counter.

“You fuck up my face, Amb I swear.” He warned.

I took his shaving brush and applied shaving cream to his face. He flinched.

“Would you stop, I haven’t even did it yet.”

When I was finished, I got his razor and was about to put it to his face but he grabbed my hand in fear.

“You want me to trust you, but you can’t trust me?” I put my hands on my hips.

“This shit different. This my face.”

“August just trust me, please.” I tried to put it to his face again, but he grabbed my hand.

“You sure you did this shit before?”

“Yes!” I screamed really loud.

“Aight. Why you screaming?” He let my hand go.

“Cause you getting on my damn nerve.”

I started shaving downward, with light strokes on sideburns. Making sure I didn’t press too hard into the skin. He closed his eyes still afraid. I then moved to his cheeks, and then his neck. I skipped the mouth and chin. I knew he wanted to keep that. He kept his eyes closed the entire time.

“I’m done. You can open your eyes.”

He opened his eyes and looked in the mirror touching his face. It was as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

“So?” I said waiting for feedback.

“It was aight.” He smirked applying some moisturizer.

“You are so ungrateful.” I rinsed off the razor.

“Let me shave your beard now.”

I shook the water from the razor in his face. He cracked up.

I sat it down and headed for the bedroom, he grabbed my waist from behind.

“Thank you for everything baby. I really appreciate you.”

“I appreciate you too babe.” I turned around and kissed him.

Our kiss led to the bed, where I got on it. Aug dropped his towel, never breaking our kiss, and I wrapped my legs around his bare waist.

“Hey Aug we...”

We jumped up.

Travis was at the door. He covered his eyes.

“What the hell!” He yelled.

“Travis I thought you was gone. Get the fuck out man!” August yelled at the door, trying to cover himself with the one sheet that was left on the bed.

“How about you niggas close the door. Fuck! I’m scarred for life.” He slammed the door.

Aug tried to start up again, but I wanted us to wait just a little while longer.

“Babe, just wait.” I grabbed his face and kissed his forehead.

“Why?” He was on top of me kissing and sucking on my neck.

“Cause it’s your mother’s house and it’s a little disrespectful.”

“She ain’t here babe.” He was trying to pull up my shirt.

“Still just wait love. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

 He put his head in my chest and sighed, shaking it. I know he was a little upset, but I was going to make sure when we did do it, it was worth his while.

 “Aight. Aight.” He laid his head on my breast.

“Ok, that means get up.”

“Can’t I just lay right here for a minute?”

“Boy get up.” I pushed him off of me, laughing.

He got up and got dressed.

“I swear Amb when we do it, you ain’t getting no sleep. So buy you some Redbull.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” I made up the bed.

“And get back on the pill or get the shot.”

“Why?”

“I need to feel you without the condom. Unless you want to have another baby.”

“That's a negative and you better get the extra-sensitive.”

“Nah it ain’t the same babe. I’m not saying we gon do it like that every time, but since it’s been so long give me a break.”

“Well you definitely need to come with me so we can get tested and stuff.”

“Of course.”

“Sevyn might’ve gave you Ebola.”

“Ha-ha-ha.” He jumped on the bed and started tickling me. 

"Get off." I said between laugther and hitting him with the pillow. 

We did that for a while, until we were both out of breath. My head on chest. . Listening to his heartbeat. He ran his hands through my hair. Yes y'all. This is what love feels like.