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welcome to blackplanct!

rules • muses • opens • wanted plots • wanted opposites • memes

“that’s the thing — she don’t. somethin’ about it bein’ the only thing she can eat after a late shoot, but whatever.” it’s not her fault that she got into a drunk fight one time at a denny’s & subsequently got banned from the entire establishment for a period of ten years. “that’s what i’m sayin’, i gotta bribe her. usin’ just the kids don’t work like it used to.” maybe a couple of years ago, when sola was barely out of daycare & needy kept bumping into walls learning how to walk. now? their daughters were in school, so they could plan their day dates accordingly. no need for babysitting. no need for baby monitoring. for zephyr, this was a problem.

“me shut up? you shut up.” she pinches at the arm keeping her still in his lap, all the while continuing to multitask by peppering kisses all over his face and contribute to a brainstorming conversation. “‘cause you gotta album due, like i said! and it ain’t like before where you could record it whenever, you gotta time it…and tour it…then world tour it…and festivals…” she stops her onslaught of kissing only to pout. zephyr tried not to meddle in his industry affairs too often — but the general populous did want to see more of them beyond story posts & IG lives. it’d make him a household name, just a little more. and she kind of wants to get pregnant again, and this would give her something to do aside from sitting on her ass all day getting into twitter beefs. “mmm…we are still kissing, yes…” zephyr confirms, focusing a little extra smooches to his jaw & neck area. “make you a deal. gimme another baby, we’ll do the podcast…then your album.”

maliq knew better than to question the brigham sisters’ methods.  he couldn’t help the look of confusion his face held, but he nodded as if he understood anyway.  “you used our children to bribe your sister?  to do what, exactly?”  he laughed in advance, already knowing the hijinks that ensued when he wasn’t around.  he was glad her sister was around to keep zephyr company, to have someone around that didn’t need their diaper changed or their food cut up into equal parts.  sola could always tell, but it wasn’t much of a probably as of late.  they girls were off to school, and maliq was home from tour.

and they said marriage would get boring. apparently that rule doesn’t apply to zephyr, who is choosing to die on a hill in front of her husband about a mcdonald’s mascot she forgot even existed until a goddamn promotional shake came out. “it’s like we don’t even know each other sometimes.” she sighs wistfully, fully immersed in the dramatics of her ranting now. “yea, i gotta bribe her. she’s still not over the fact she can’t go to a denny’s nowhere in new york. shoulda’ stayed her ass in chicago!” completely besides the point — being that she was absolutely planning on bribing her twin sister with food to direct her hypothetical podcast. but maliq showcasing jealousy over her first choice for a co-host was…oddly hot. was she ovulating? probably. either way, she goes from cooing to straddling his lap to better hold his face in her hands for kissing. “you’re like a dumb little baby.” she insults between kisses. “and that name is stupid. but i can’t believe you wanna do a show with me! would it just be random bullshit ranting, or what?”

“she likes denny’s that much? i didn’t know that,” maliq found the tidbit about his sister-in-law adorable. “no, we love auntie zena...she needs to be here...and go down to papi -- get her the greasiest bacon-egg-n-cheese and she’ll be cure.”  maliq was nothing if not a resourceful, solution-based thinker.  having her sister around was an absolute pleasure except when he was on the receiving end of zephyr and zena’s hi-jinks.  even then, it kept things fun in the brigham-azad house, and he wanted to be apart of it too.  the pitiful pout left his face when zeph threw her leg over his, settling on his lap. 

“he literally has a family! parents! an uncle! a goddamn great-grandma! do you even care?” she feels like he should care. why, considering maliq doesn’t even eat mcdonald’s anymore, zephyr refuses to answer. “why are you sayin’ it all weird? like um, she’s not my first choice actually. she wouldn’t get it. — i was tryin’ to bribe her into being my camerawoman for free, actually.” eventually, zephyr stops her rambling long enough to figure out why he said it like that. then, zephyr starts cooing like he’s her baby or something. “oh my god, baby, you want to do a podcast with me? but you got an album due!”

“that’s literally a lie. last time i tried talking to you about how grimace from mcdonald’s has a whole fuckin’ family with lore, you did not want to engage with me.” which, to be fair, zephyr was pretty drunk during that discussion. her husband likely dodged a bullet. — but that wasn’t the point! “and like, i hear you ‘bout flavor of love, but i don’t wanna talk about spit gate all by my damn self, and zena is too bougie for that!”

there were many a night spent contemplating just showing up to ashanti’s place, leaving all of his feelings in a puddle of words unsaid at her front door. pride conquered all other emotion on those occasions - why chase someone who’s clearly pulling away? he figured if she really gave a fuck, she’d come back sometime. and just when knowledge was beginning to give up on the idea of that even being a possibility, here she was. he wasn’t sure how she expected him to react - of course he missed her. she had to have known that. it was evident in the way his eyes never left her from the moment she first entered the room. but was he gonna pretend like nothing ever happened? no. and she had to have known that, too. though he couldn’t deny that he still appreciated her showing up for him like she said she would. her glossy eyes catching his prompts a quick clench of his jaw, biting back the twinge in his chest. “thank you.” k.j. murmured, adding, “i ain’t think you would come.” 

if anyone knew how hard he’d worked to bring all of this into fruition, it was her. it meant a lot to hear those words of acclamation coming from someone who was once a constant in his life, there for every moment along the way. she was here, but for how long? he keeps the thought just that - a thought - for now. with a curt nod, he pulls away to show her around the gallery. “look familiar?” he says of a piece they’d worked on together when he was showing her how he did his artwork. they ended up naked and covered in paint by the end of that night, but that was the spontaneity of their situationship. what drove her to run away from something as one of a kind as what they had created was beyond him. “why now, ‘shanti?” he asks once they’re out of earshot of the other attendants, stepping out onto the balcony to light a cuban. he stares out at the night, avoiding meeting her gaze again.

a wave of relief washed over ashanti once he began to show her some of his work.  there more than a few pieces she’d never seen before, denoting how long she’d been away from him.  a guilty pang in her chest distracted her, but his voice, clear and low, brought her back to reality.  she smiled at him, locking eyes, “of course…so does that one.”  she pointed at another wall, graced with his painting.  “i was drunk as hell, but i remember you showing it to me – making me feel all special and stuff,” she scrunched her nose at the thought of how lovey-dovey they were sometimes.  moments like that excited her and scared her at the same time.  they created emotions she couldn’t handle.