I couldn't resist :x
Thank you guys so much:
ladyrere1985, King Kroniiclez, janiyah, byegonegirl, Katie, clockwork'sFinest, Cartoonlover187, Guest, Reezysgirl123, Guest(2), Guest(3), Guest(4), kingofmonsters1, KateyBee42, and Guest(5).
Sorry to those who wanted me to jump back and update the FWB story first, buttttt I had to get this out while the motivation struck. Y'all know how that can be.
Besides... big things are announced this chapter ;)
Without further ado...
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"You know… we could all be reading a book right now."
Huey Freeman; The Hateocracy
Week 18
Friday, October 12th
Riley's POV
Clink!
Riley painstakingly held his tongue, trying not to glare over at Cindy as she loudly (and dramatically) continued to put away dishes. Riley took an internal breath as he continued to soap up the last of the glassware. He was more than ready for them to be done and walk away from each other for the night.
...Yeah, they were still mad.
Cindy had barely spoke to Riley since yesterday, other than her initial yelling at him when they got home from the park. In her words, she was apparently mad over the fact that he and Huey had "embarrassed" her. But Riley thought that was a stretch. And it wasn't like he didn't have a right to be mad either. The girls lied and tried to be sneaky about their little meet-up with Trey and his dad. As far as Riley was concerned, it was a good thing they were there.
I see you, little nigga.
Riley's vision was locked on the little boy that was kneeling a little too close to his niece in the sandbox. The hell he think this was, play time?
"Blow dart or nunchucks?" Huey muttered to himself from his spot in the tree. His eyes were glued to the children as he spied from his binoculars. Riley rolled his eyes from his spot on the branch above him.
"Nigga, you tryna kill him?"
"...You're right, blow darts. The serum inside will only stun him and put him to sleep."
"...Forever?"
"I wish."
Riley rolled his eyes again. "Nigga, we can't do nothin' til he does shit first. Otherwise it looks pre-mediated. We do it after and it's self-defense."
"Trust me, I know." Huey scoffed. "That's why I wait." He said about as calmly as a psychopath. His eyes hadn't left his binoculars since they'd gotten up into the tree. Riley shook his head, slightly losing interest as he turned his attention to the adults' conversation beneath them. It was faint to hear, but he recognized an interested inflection in someone's voice, Cindy's to be exact.
"That's funny, my boy-excuse me, fiancé and I both have worked at the mall."
Damn straight you better correct his hulk-lookin' ass. Riley thought proudly. He couldn't get a visual of him at the moment, but he peeped homeboy when he and Trey first got there. He was high-key pissed at Jazmine, for more reasons than one. Why didn't she ever say nothin' about what he looked like? Why'd he have to sit sandwiched between their women like that?
Why in the FUCK did they go behind their backs to meet this nigga?!
"Oh yeah, where at?" He heard Ron or Twon or whatever the hell his name was respond.
"I work in the gym as a part-time trainer. My boyfriend used to work in the Wunce Inked tattoo parlor but he's in a different business now."
"Fiancé." Riley muttered to himself with a glare.
"Shh." Huey hissed, not looking away from his binoculars.
"That's cool. Yeah, Trey's mom works down there too. At the food court."
Riley paused at that, noticing the way Cindy paused as well. Dang, even when she didn't even know he was there, they were on the same wavelength of thought.
"Oh yeah...? Which spot?" He heard Cindy cautiously ask. By this point, Riley had practically forgotten about the kids, way too preoccupied with making out the conversation.
"She bounced around a little, but the one she's been at the longest is Chick-fil-A."
Fuck, fuck, fuck, no. PLEASE no. Riley literally felt his heart pounding in dread as he leaned down as much as he could on his branch.
"...What's her name?" Cindy asked almost inaudibly. Riley leaned down even further to hear, just enough to finally be able to see. Also just in time to notice Homeboy smile.
"Kelly Harris, you know her?"
It happened before he could see it coming, faster than he could stop it. His left hand holding the branch suddenly slipped and lost grip, shifting the weight of his body forward with no way to catch it.
Correction. The only thing he caught was his brother as he tumbled right into him, knocking him off balance due to his distraction and pulling him down with him.
Well, on top of.
"KELLY?!" Riley blurted out, echoing Cindy's sentiment after he fell. Her eyes were livid as soon as they landed on him. She screamed at him. Jazmine screamed at Huey. Huey screamed at Riley. Jamilah squealed when she saw them both. Homeboy was staring at Riley like he was stupid and Riley was about to get up and pop him one. But he was caught off guard by someone else suddenly screaming a name through the park.
"CINDY?!"
The whole group turned and looked, noticing a cherry red Mustang parked haphazardly along/on top of the sidewalk. A girl was about halfway out of the car beaming hard over at Cindy; Riley didn't know who in the hell she was at first, although she did look vaguely familiar. It wasn't until Cindy opened her mouth that Riley knew why.
"LORENA?!"
Momentarily distracted, Riley actually managed to crack a grin at the sight of Cindy's younger cousin bounding over, leaving both her car running and doors wide open. The first and last time he had seen Lorena wasn't too long after he and Cindy had originally became friends. The girl was a trip even then, pretty much a miniature version of Cindy. And by the looks of it, she hadn't changed much.
"CIN!" She shrieked again as she continued to make a straight beeline for her cousin. Other than the contrast in dark color, her hair was still strikingly similar to Cindy's as far as length and texture. It currently flowed behind her as she ran, down her back and wild aside from three side cornrows at the part. She was dressed in an oversized Miami Heat zip-up jersey with a red beater beneath, black track leggings, and gray flip-flops that slapped relentlessly down the sidewalk.
"REN!" Cindy exclaimed, moving past the others to meet her midway, her arms already extended out. Lorena looked as if she was about to catapult herself into her in a tackle hug, but practically skidded her feet when she really took in Cindy's figure, eyes landing at her belly.
"Oh my GOD, you're so beautiful!" Lorena cried, her voice cracking as she came in for a gentler embrace.
Cindy giggled and wrapped her arms around her tightly in a bear hug. "So are you!" Riley watched them quietly, slightly grateful for the disruption. Maybe it would divert some of Cindy's irritation away from—
"I said to get OFF me!"
Riley jolted forward at the force of Huey's hard shove, landing roughly onto the ground and scraping his chin in the process. "OW, bitch!"
"Aye man, we got kids here." Tyrone calmly spoke up, slightly hovering above him. Riley lifted his head up with a scowl, ready to snap back, but felt the heat of Cindy's glare before he could even open his mouth.
Damn.
"Am I interrupting something or…?" Lorena trailed off with a nervous smile, wiping underneath her eyes when she released Cindy.
"Hardly. It's fine." Cindy brushed off, turning to the others. "Guys, this is my baby cousin and my maid of honor, Lorena."
The group barely had a chance to wave, for as soon as Lorena got a look at them, specifically the men, her eyes practically dilated.
"Wow. I mean, hi." Lorena uttered with a loopy smile, eyes locked on Tyrone as she walked closer to the group. "You MUST be Riley. Dang, my cuz always knew how to pick 'em."
"Afraid not." Tyrone chuckled with the light shake of his head. "Tyrone."
The FUCK did he mean "afraid not"?!
"I'M Riley!" Riley snapped indignantly, still on the ground.
Lorena reluctantly tore her eyes from Tyrone's and glanced down at him. "…Oh right, I remember you! Still cute!" She replied bubbly, with a light smile. Riley fought the glare he wanted to give her as he started to get up. What did she mean "cute"?
"Ooh, but you must be related to him." Lorena's attention was distracted again as she stared longingly at Huey who had just made his way on his feet, rolling his shoulder with a grimace on his face. The grimace grew once he realized she was staring at him.
"Unfortunately." He muttered briefly.
"Wow." Lorena sighed again.
Huey glowered back before directing his gaze to Cindy. "Seriously?"
"Don't worry about Huey, girl." Cindy chuckled. "Somehow he got Jazmine to say yes to him and they're married with babies now."
"Hey." Jazmine grinned, waving at Lorena.
"Oh my God, I remember Jazz!" Lorena said, almost bouncing over to her. "And oh my GOD, you're beautiful too! Congratulations!" She exclaimed, hugging her right away.
"Thanks girl." Jazmine giggled, returning the hug.
"And oh. My. GOSH." Lorena jaw about dropped when her eyes landed on Jamilah and Trey standing side by side. "These are both your beautiful babies?" She asked, getting down on their level.
"NO." Huey and Riley answered for her, promptly receiving daggers from their significant others.
"One of them is ours." Jazmine clarified, now close enough to pinch him tightly on the shoulder that he landed on. She ignored his light protest in pain as she gestured to her baby. "This is our daughter, Jamilah, and her friend Trey."
"Hi!" Jamilah greeted with an easy smile while Trey gave a tiny grin.
"Trey would be mine." Tyrone added. "Speaking of Cindy, we're going to have to head out about now."
"So soon?"
"I understand." Cindy replied, brushing over Lorena's comment. "Hey, I really appreciate you taking the time to meet Jazmine and I today."
"Definitely. Thank you." Jazmine nodded.
"And we're also sorry about all of the disruptions." Cindy added, not looking at either Huey or Riley, but the ice in her eyes was evident.
Damn.
"Don't worry about it." Tyrone said with a light shrug. "I'm gonna talk to Kelly about everything and then I'll let you know about what we decide, alright?"
"Sure." Cindy responded, a fake grin on her face that Riley tried and failed not to scoff at.
"Yeah, good luck with that." He quipped, causing everyone else to go silent.
"What does that mean?" Tyrone asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Your girlfriend hates us."
"Ooh." Lorena let out, popping a hand over her mouth.
"Riley!" Cindy snapped, staring him down.
"Not my girlfriend, but why?" Tyrone asked suspiciously. Riley had been ready to give a very explicit answer, but thought better of it with the kids in earshot and Cindy looking like she was a minute away from strangling him.
"Long story. You can ask her about it." He eluded. "Point is, she's more than likely gonna say no because of her opinion about us."
"Are you sure it's an opinion about both or just an opinion about you?" Tyrone replied pointedly.
"Snap." Lorena whispered again.
Riley almost forgot where he was and who he was in front of. "I can promise you it's both, ni-"
"Enough, Riley." Cindy demanded, cutting him off. "Tyrone, I'm so sorry. Please excuse him. This isn't the time or place to talk about this, but I can definitely talk to you one-on-one about it later if you want." Cindy told him, ignoring Riley's angry glance her way.
Tyrone paused for a moment, glancing between her and Riley before nodding. "Alright. Let me know. It was nice meeting almost all of you." He said, finally addressing the rest of the group while Riley rolled his eyes. "Say goodbye, Trey."
"Bye Mila." His son only looked towards her with a smile.
"Bye Trey!" Jamilah gave him a sweet hug back.
"Aww." Cindy, Jazmine, and Lorena cooed. Huey and Riley sent daggers through the small boy as he walked past them to join his father and take his hand.
"One day." Huey muttered almost inaudibly as he glared after them.
"What was that?" Jazmine raised her voice, crossing her arms at him.
"I said Subway. For dinner. As in now." He said smoothly. "Say goodbye Jamilah." He said, scooping her up and starting to walk.
"Bye Unca Reezy, bye Aunt Cindy, bye…" She trailed off as she glanced to Cindy's cousin.
"Aunt Lorena?" She suggested.
"Not your aunt." Huey shot back.
"Bye Aunt Rena!" Jamilah shouted happily anyway, much to Huey's annoyance. Jazmine shook her head, watching him go ahead in front of her. She turned to Cindy with a look.
"I'll text you tonight."
"Same here." Cindy replied.
"Nice meeting you again, Lorena. I'll see you soon."
"Bye girl!" Lorena waved.
Jazmine smiled at them, but dropped it as she passed by Riley, giving him another shaming look as she said nothing to him. Riley tried not to feel some type of way about it, but felt it more as he noticed Cindy giving him the same look.
"I'll walk you back to your car, girl." She spoke to Lorena. "Actually, I'll ride with you to the house so you can see how to get there."
"Oh hell yeah!" She replied excitedly. "Meet ya back at the house, Riley!" Lorena chirped before linking arms with Cindy and practically skipping down the sidewalk. "So full recap please? And do you know literally all the finest men in Woodcrest or nah?"
Riley sighed, turning away from them as he glanced down at the ground. It was still littered with tools and gadgets that Huey didn't even bother taking before he left. And most of the stuff was his!
Riley sucked his teeth hard, grudgingly beginning to snatch up the items he'd have to load in his car. "This is some old BULLshit."
That bullshit all happened yesterday. And she was still mad.
Granted, Riley was still mad too. But he would have a lot easier time letting it go if she would. Instead, she continued to ignore him or slam shit in his presence. Which was getting on his last damn nerve.
Riley drained the water and waited as Cindy dried off the last of the dishes. He tried not to glance over at the furious way she was towel drying the stupid plate, but it was almost impossible. Unsurprisingly, she more or less tossed the plate into the cupboard before going to close the cabinet door.
You better not, you better not, you better not-
SLAM!
After the umpteenth time, Riley had had it.
"You need to stop slammin' doors." He muttered loudly before she could spin on her heel and stomp off. As expected, she whipped back around to face him.
"Excuse you? Who you talkin' to?" She demanded, hand on her hip.
"Myself." Riley shot back dryly as he rinsed out the sink.
"You got somethin' to say, then say it." She said through her teeth.
"Yeah. Lose the attitude, thanks."
"Don't tell me what to do. Especially when you started shit."
"I started shit?" Riley echoed incredulously, turning to face her. "You started shit when you decided to go behind our backs!"
"Because alllll of this is exactly what I tried to avoid." She said while gesturing wildly to his body. "You can't act like a mature adult for five minutes."
"Girl please, I ain't even tryna hear that. You just mad because Kelly's that boy's mama and ain't nothin' we can do about it. He ain't gonna be in the wedding, period. You need to find somebody else."
"That's not your call to make, Riley." She snapped. "And what you did at the park was totally uncalled for."
"I ain't do nothin' other than to tell Tyrese what's what."
"It's Tyrone. You were rude to him and you know it."
"I don't care! I can't stand him and his little son too!" Riley shot back.
"What did either of them ever do to you?"
"He's involved with the woman from hell and his son is way too friendly with my niece!"
"For God sakes, he's only three-"
"HE CAN'T HAVE JAMILAH!" Riley shouted suddenly.
"SETTLE YOUR ASS DOWN!" Cindy yelled back at him, just as loud. Riley crossed his arms and seethed silently, but had to admit that he was slightly confused as to where that outburst came from.
"You are being RIDICULOUS!" Cindy continued loudly.
"I don't CARE!" Riley cut in over top of her. "This is fuckin' stupid-"
"All you had to do was act with the slightest amount of sense, but nooo-"
"You could find anybody, literally any-fuckin'-body to be a damn ringbearer-"
"I can't even trust you to do that much right!"
"But you just haaaddd to be deadset on having this one and his punk-ass daddy-"
"Embarrassin' me in front of everyone like that was so-"
"That hatin'-ass, no-neck-havin'-ass-"
"So-"
"Bougie-ass, rent-a-clown-lookin'-ass, class A nigga just like every other knockoff in this-"
"Can you SHUT UP and stop talking the FUCK over me?!" Cindy more or less screamed at him, her face red. "I can barely even think straight and you can't close your mouth for two fucking sec-oh..." Riley's eyes widened as Cindy suddenly dropped her head to look down as she placed both hands on her belly.
"What is it, what's wrong?" He asked immediately, closing the gap between them and placing his hands on her waist, looking her up and down anxiously.
Cindy's response was quick, as she silently grabbed one of his hands and brought it up to rest slightly beneath her belly button. Then she looked up at him, a grin already forming. "Do you feel that?"
Riley waited, pressing gently on her stomach as he squatted down to bring his head close. Before he could even rest it against her, he felt the movement. It was slightly faint, but in that brief moment he felt a very definitive poke.
"Whoa." Riley let out in awe, continuing to rest his hand in place. He felt it again.
"You feel that?" Cindy asked quietly.
"Yeah." He answered at the same volume. "What does it feel like to you?"
"Like... bubbles popping from inside my stomach, but in a slower motion almost. I think they're moving."
"Do you feel movement higher up?"
"I thought I did when I first felt the lower movement." Cindy said, taking Riley's other hand to move up higher above her belly button. "It seemed a little off-center though, kinda near my left side." She told him, guiding his hand to that area. Then she lightly gasped at the sudden sensation. "Did you-"
"Yeah." Riley couldn't keep the smile off his face as soon as he felt it. From both his babies. "Holy shit."
"They are definitely moving around." Cindy concluded, excitement in her voice.
"They're probably saying, 'Aye Mom and Dad, shut the fuck up and feed us!'" Riley cracked, earning a laugh from Cindy. He rose up to full height again and grinned at her as she giggled at him cutely. Gently taking her face into his hands, he leaned in and kissed her slowly. She sighed into it, leaning into him while she wrapped her arms around his waist. When their lips parted, he stayed in her vicinity and rested his forehead against hers.
"I'm sorry." He told her sincerely.
"I'm sorry too." She gave him a sad smile but he shook his head.
"You don't have anything to apologize for. I was the asshole."
"I should've told you what Jazz and I were planning. You weren't the only asshole." She replied, making Riley smirk. "No matter what though... even when we're both on asshole behavior... I still love you."
Riley grinned and stroked her cheek. "I love you too, babe." He told her before giving her another kiss. "And we're gonna work this out." He said as he pulled back.
"Tonight?" Cindy answered suggestively, a sultry gleam in her eyes that Riley found hard to resist.
"I mean yeah, I am going to work you out tonight," He winked, pressing himself against her and sliding his hand to cup her behind. "But what I meant was... we're going to work this ringbearer shit out."
"What do you mean?" Cindy asked in confusion. "As much as I can't stand it, you're right. Kelly hates us. There's no way she's gonna say yes for Trey to be in our wedding."
"Maybe not right away, but we can still work on it. And... as much as I don't wanna do it... I'll even apologize to Tyrese for you."
"Tyrone." Cindy giggled, stretching up to peck his lips. "And you'd do that for me?"
"Is it important to you?" Riley asked smartly.
"Yes." Cindy kissed his lips again.
"Then yeah." Riley pecked her back. "I will." Then again.
"Can we just," Cindy breathed, speaking in between his kisses. "Table this... for now...?"
"I'd like to table you right now."
Cindy laughed as he nibbled on her ear and down her neck. "How bout you just get me in bed?"
"Deal."
Cindy's POV
From Caesar: Ayyyy what's the word?
From Jazmine: Are you there yet?
From Lorena: OMG DO YOU KNOW YET?
"You popular." Riley smirked from beside her, glancing over at the sound of multiple notifications going off.
Cindy just grinned and shook her head. "Everyone's dying to know."
"Including us." Riley snorted. "Like damn, can we have our moment first?"
"Any minute now." Cindy replied, giving his hand an anxious squeeze. They currently sat in one of the patient rooms at their doctor's office, waiting for Dr. Emerson to arrive. And to finally... finally give them the news.
Two girls or two boys.
"Is Lorena comin' over later?" Riley asked while Cindy responded back to her friends.
"Not tonight, but she'll stop by tomorrow. The friend that she's staying with up in Baltimore is having a birthday party tonight, otherwise she would. She's mad as hell."
"Why though? It ain't like we're doin' anything wild. Just basic dinner."
"Still. Everyone's finding out at the same time and she wants to be there too." Cindy explained, glancing down at her newest text. "...And maybe not so basic."
"Why?" Riley asked suspicously. When he saw the look she gave, he groaned. "What'd Jazmine do now?"
"So she apparently bought a pack of confetti cannons at the party store just now?"
"What?!"
"She's requesting that we stop by on the way home and grab a pack in our designated color." Cindy smirked.
"What the hell, Jazz." Riley muttered with an eyeroll. "She so extra with it."
"Oh come on." Cindy chided. "It's not like we're doing a full-out 'gender reveal' party or some shit."
"Oh heeelllll no. That's doin' way too much."
"Exactly. This is just something quick. We'll have dinner at the house, just us and the crew, and then we'll do the show and tell after." Cindy shrugged.
Riley nodded in response and contemplation. "So you have no idea what Jazmine's having? She didn't give you any type of hint?"
"A hint would pretty much give it away, don't you think?" Cindy joked. "And no, she hasn't said anything surprisingly. Did Huey say anything to you...? So that's a no, I take it." She giggled when Riley gave her a deadpan stare in return. Jazmine and Huey had their doctor's appointment the day before on Tuesday, but it had been Jazmine's idea not to tell the results until she and Cindy (and everyone else) were face to face. Because Cindy had scheduled hers for the following day, they decided to do the annoucement that night at dinner.
"I'm shocked she's managed to keep quiet about it this long though."
"It's only been a day."
"Exactly."
Cindy shook her head with a giggle. "What do you think they'll have?"
"Well they've been tryna claim a boy this whole time, so I'mma play devil's advocate and say girl."
"To double Huey's already way too high level of crazy? No thank you. They need a boy to balance his ass out."
"That's impossible."
"...True." Cindy agreed with a nod. Then she glanced back at him and nudged his arm with her shoulder. "What are you hoping for?"
"I'm good either way. Just want them to be healthy."
"Yeah-yeah-yeah, you and everybody else who says that." Cindy smirked. "We all want them to be healthy. But what's your preference? If you had a say?"
Riley paused to think about it for a moment. "Honestly, I want both." He shrugged.
"That's not an option for identical twins, Reez."
"I know. But whether we get two boys or two girls, we'd just get busy and try again for other." He shrugged again as if it were simple.
"And what if we get the same on the next try?"
"We'd just keep trying until we didn't."
"And just how many times do you expect to try and continue to get pregnant?" Cindy challenged with a grin.
"As many as it takes." Riley smirked. "Shit, we could make our football team. That'd be dope."
"That'd be 11 kids, Riley!" Cindy laughed.
"Aiight fine, a basketball team." He pretended to concede.
"Five is still way too many, boy." Cindy grinned, shaking her head.
"You don't wanna have our own roster?" Riley teased, pulling her in close to kiss her cheek.
"You good." Cindy snorted. "I'd say three or four at the very most, and even four is pushing it for me."
"What are you hoping for? If you could have it your way?" Riley asked, keeping his arm wrapped around her.
"Honestly... I don't know." Cindy let out a sigh, anxiously rubbing her belly. "Because for real for real, we're either gonna get two of me... or two of you..." She trailed off, looking over to meet his expression.
"...Shit." They both let out at the same time.
"Sorry for the wait, you two." Dr. Emerson surprised them as she briskly strided into the room. "It's been a madhouse all day."
"No worries." Cindy smiled.
"We live in a madhouse so you're good." Riley added.
Dr. Emerson grinned, glancing down at her clipboard before meeting their eyes again. "Big day for you guys, isn't it?"
"Just a little." Riley smirked.
"Only one of the most highly anticipated appointments." Dr. Emerson chuckled. "Are you both ready to find out what you'll be having?"
"As ready as we'll ever be." Cindy admitted honestly.
"Alright then. Let's get you prepped."
Contrary to getting ready for her first ultrasound, the prepping for this one seemed to go extremely quickly. Cindy barely had time to think as both she and Riley made small talk with the doctor. She felt nervous, but she didn't know why. The babies weren't coming anytime soon, but still. Things were starting to feel real. And once she knew the results, then holy shit. It would be.
"Alright Cindy, just like last time." Dr. Emerson said, getting the transducer ready with gel. Cindy rolled up her shirt and braced herself for the cold sensation. "Have you felt the babies moving at all?" She asked while she put the cap back on the tube.
"We both felt them really move for the first time this past weekend. And since then I've continued to feel them on and off. Lightly but noticeable." Cindy smiled. She took in a breath at the feeling of the chilly gel, but smiled even wider when she felt something else.
"Like now I take it." Dr. Emerson grinned, no doubt noticing the faint movement of the twins.
"They're probably saying, 'Get off me, woman.'" Riley snickered, beaming wildly.
"Riley." Cindy scolded with a smile, grabbing onto his hand. He gave the back of it a kiss before squeezing it lightly.
Dr. Emerson chuckled while turning the screen more so they could see, even though the picture was very distorted. "Well, I'm going to need them to settle so we can get a good look at the two of them."
It took several seconds, but the picture did slowly start to clear up. Cindy bit her lip and tried not to let the tears escape while she stared at the view of her significantly bigger babies. She felt Riley squeeze her hand tighter and lean in a little closer towards her while he gripped the rail of the bed. Dr. Emerson's eyes were steady on the monitor as she stilled the transducer, clearly able to make better sense of the picture than they could.
"Can you tell anything?" Cindy asked finally, hearing her own voice crack.
Dr. Emerson was silent for a moment as she tapped a few buttons, then let out a smile as she continued to stare at the screen. "Oh yes."
"What are they, doc?" Riley asked, his voice surprisingly soft while his eyes never left the monitor.
Dr. Emerson finally turned to them, the smile still on her face. "Congratulations..."
Riley's POV
He looked around at the table in amusement as he chewed his dinner. On normal occassions, it seemed as though meals dragged out forever due to talking, going back for seconds, and more than usually, getting off topic and messing around. However tonight's dinner was very different. For one, there was very little conversation. Probably due to the fact that everyone seemed to be wolfing down their food in silence. Barely anyone was talking, including Caesar, which was a rarity.
Riley had a small hunch as to why.
"Food was good, Mr. Freeman." Caesar announced, letting out a small burp as he pushed his empty plate away in front of him.
"If you gettin' seconds, you better get it now boy." Granddad told him, talking with food in his mouth while he continued to shovel more in.
"Nah I'm good."
Riley raised an eyebrow and Cindy lifted her head with a grin. "You're not getting seconds?"
"So?"
"You always get seconds." Jazmine added with a grin.
"I got enough this time." He shrugged.
"You eat like a black hole, my dude." Hiro grinned before gulping down his water.
"Is that a black joke?"
"You're a black joke." Riley smirked, earning laughter from everyone else.
"Aiight. If we're done takin' shots at me, pretty much everyone's finished." Caesar replied while glancing around.
"I'm not done yet." Tom spoke up, still working on his salad.
"Oh hurry up, Tom." Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Yeah Tom, speed it up!" Granddad added grumpily.
"I'm going as fast as I can!"
Caesar groaned loudly, putting his head facedown on the table dramatically. Anthia giggled beside him and poked him in the ribs.
"Table manners, baby."
"Do we wanna start getting things together while we wait?" Jazmine asked Cindy from across the table.
"Sure." Cindy nodded while she started to rise from the table.
"Do we get to know now, Mommy?" Jamilah asked from her high-chair excitedly.
"In just a few minutes, sweetie." Jazmine smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she passed.
"So we takin' bets on this or nah?" Caesar asked, glancing around the table.
"No." Huey rolled his eyes.
"Killin' my vibe." Caesar muttered at him.
"Look, I just need someone to get a few pictures. I'm gonna do an art piece on this probably." Riley told them.
"Screw a picture, I'm Facebook-livin' this ish." Caesar replied proudly.
"Nice." Hiro cosigned.
"Are you DONE, Tom?" Granddad demanded, staring him down.
"Well, I guess." He huffed, grudgingly putting his fork down.
"Finally." Sarah mumbled, starting to stand from her chair.
"We're all set, guys!" Jazmine announced, appearing in the doorway. "Come on outside."
"Yay!" Jamilah cheered, eagerly reaching her arms up for Huey to take her. Everyone followed suit and quickly made their way out of the dining room and to the backyard. When they got there, Cindy stood in the middle of the yard towards the back of end of it, five white confetti cannons on each side of her in the grass.
"Alright y'all, pick a side!" She called out. "The left side is Team Jazmine. The right side is Team Cindy. We each got the cannons and are going to stand opposite of each other to let 'em go at the same time."
"That's what's up." Caesar nodded in appreciation. "Toss me a cannon girl, you know I'm on your team."
"Duh." Cindy grinned, picking up one to give to him.
"I'mma record for y'all, so give me a sec." He said, heading back a few paces as he pulled out his phone.
"Cool. Thanks."
"Guess I'll be on your team too." Hiro said as he came towards Cindy's side.
"You guess?" Riley pretended to be offended.
"I'm here for Cindy, not you." Hiro chuckled.
"I can't wait until you meet my younger cousin. She's gonna love you." Cindy told him while handing him a cannon.
"The one I'm walking down the aisle with?"
"Yep. I'm sure your girl's gonna get a kick outta that." Riley smirked as he referred to Ming, making Hiro glare at him slightly. He hadn't gotten around to telling Cindy about them being together, and Riley knew for a fact that Hiro planned to bring her as his date.
"Oooh, you're brining a plus-one? Who is it?" Cindy asked excitedly.
"Tell you later." Hiro faked a grin.
"Are these gonna make a mess, boy?" Granddad asked, finally making his way towards their side.
"I don't think so." Riley lied easily, picking one up and handing it to him.
"What's up y'all? It's ya boy Ceez on ya mic comin' to live outchea!"
The group got quiet as they noticed Caesar talking to his camera loudly from a little further back.
"Right now we've got a very special segment comin' to your screens today featuring two of the baddest mamas I know out in these streets."
"What streets?" Huey and Jazmine both asked audibly from the opposite side.
"Please give it up for my girl and her team, Jazmine Freeman!" He declared, turning the camera around to get a shot of their side. Tom, Sarah, and Anthia lightly cheered while Jazmine smiled bashfully. Huey didn't react as he stood holding Jamilah and helping her hold the cannon.
"Bringing in next year with her second baby, y'all!" Caesar continued. "And shout out to Big Huey for making things happen, y'know. Putting it down for ya girl one time-"
"I'll kill you live." Huey told him dryly.
"Moving on!" Caesar cleared his throat and moving the camera. "You know her, you love her, and you fear her all in one, make some noise for my girl and her team, Cindy Soon-To-Be-Freeman McPhearson!" He announced, causing them all to give a few whoops. "Not only is she about to be a wife and a mama in just a few short months, but she's comin' out swingin' next year with two babies on her arm. That's right y'all, ya girl's havin' twins. Shoutout to young buck Young Reezy for makin' that happen on round one!"
"Can we keep this rated-G please?" Jazmine called from the other side.
"But it's the moment we've all been waiting for," Caesar was talking to the camera again, backing up more as he did so to get a better view of everyone. "And it's the start of it all. Clothes. Gifts. Names. Everything. It all begins with this. Boy? Or girl? On my count we're gonna literally set it off and find out what it'll be. Y'all ready?" He called loudly to them.
"Yeah!" Everyone answered, readying their cannons to pull.
"One!" Caesar yelled.
Riley glanced down at Cindy, already knowing what they were having and couldn't be prouder to let everyone know.
"Two!"
Cindy looked up at him the same way, her eyes already looking misty. He quickly pecked her cheek and brought his cannon up, ready to release it. He also had to admit that he was curious to see what his brother and Jazz had in store for them.
"THREE!"
It happened quickly, everyone shooting off their cannons at once in two large explosions. But everyone seemed slightly shocked by the fact that there was only one prime color that rained down.
"It's BLUE!" Jamilah cheered audibly, throwing her hands up to play in heavy confetti that continued to fall.
"It's ALL blue, y'all!" Caesar exclaimed, still filming as everyone cheered happily in the lawn in excitement.
"Oh my God, you're having twin boys!" Jazmine cried, dropping her cannon to run over and hug Cindy.
"And you're having a son!" Cindy replied, squeezing her tightly.
"That's wild Reez, congrats!" Hiro smiled, clapping Riley on the back.
"Thanks man." He grinned, giving him dap.
"I'm finally gonna have a grandson!" Tom bawled tears of happiness as he hugged Sarah.
"Congratulations you both!" Anthia beamed to Cindy and Jazmine.
"Thank you." They said in unison as they parted. Jazmine noticed Riley approach closer and hurried over to him, surprising him with a hug.
"Congrats, dad! On your sons!" She squealed.
"Same to you, J." He grinned, letting her go. He saw that Cindy was trying to inch closer and closer to Huey.
"Don't even think about it."
"Can I have a hug, Jamilah?" Cindy asked smartly, making him glare.
"Yeah!" Jamilah nodded, holding an arm out. Cindy took that opportunity to lean in close and wrap her arms around both her and Huey.
"Congratulations on your son, bro!" She told him, squeezing tightly before she let go.
"I'm not your bro." He replied, setting Jamilah down to play before dusting himself off.
"Yet." She answered cheekily with a wink.
"What, we can't get a congratulations back from you man? That's jank." Riley crossed his arms, waiting expectedly. But he didn't get what he expected... at all.
By watching his brother's face, though it was obvious he was trying to repress it, he noticed that the corners of Huey's lips were slightly turning up. And by the way he was setting his jaw and pulling his lips inwards, it looked as though he was attempting to hold in... laughter?
"Yo, are you trying not to laugh?" Riley asked seriously, staring him down.
"No." Huey played off a cough, covering his mouth his free hand and turning his head to the side. But the look on his face remained.
"You're trying not to laugh!" Riley repeated. "What's so funny?"
"Really though?" Cindy questioned, now watching him with interest as well.
"Nothing." Huey cleared his throat again, his face almost back to a stoic expression again. And maybe it would've lasted and stayed there if not for Granddad.
Because he started laughing too. And not just laughing. But cracking up.
"AHHHHHHAHAHAHA!" Granddad laughed boisterously. "You're about... you're about... you're about to-" He trailed off due to an obnxious coughing fit in between, making Riley grow agitated, especially when he noticed that smirking smile that Huey was trying to hold back and hide.
"What is so funny?!" Riley demanded, looking between the two.
"Do... do you realize you're about to get everything back you ever gave to me?" Granddad asked in between his laughter. "You get that right? All the shit your badasses pulled with me, you're gonna get it back ten-fold! Oohwee, I prayed for this day, thank you JESUS! My prayers have finally been answered! Two boys… two boys… two boy-oy-oy-ooyyyss!" He ended by singing to his favorite tune again. Right before he went back to laughing hysterically.
Jazmine and Cindy joined in with his contagious laughter as well, making Riley glare lightly at them both before turning back to his brother. He was fighting hard again to repress the laughter, his lips pulled all the way in as he placed a fist over his mouth. The smug and telling look he had in his eyes had Riley wanting to slug him.
"...Good luck." Huey told him, his voice slightly cracking in response.
"All the luck in the world." Granddad added, patting him on the back while he still was giggling. But his laughter faded as he glanced around the yard, his brow furrowing as he took it all in. Then he looked back at Riley with an apathetic expression.
"Aiight, that's enough. Rake this shit up."
BOOM Y'ALL! How'd you like it? What are your thoughts? What'd you think about the genders? Love it, hate it, let me know!
Disclaimers: You should know by now that I don't own ish.
Thank you guys soooo much for the continued support. It's been a really busy few months, so I'm sorry that I've been overdue for an update. Better late than never...? No...? Okay :x
Again, I really appreciate everything. Next update WILL be from Friends First, Benefits Second I promise!
Thanks for reading!
~Schweetie