the living room was bathed in the soft glow of floor lamps when the lock clicked. jermajesty entered without knocking, as he always did, his keys jangling in his pocket. "where jovonnie at?" he called out, kicking off his expensive sneakers by the door.

ethan, your new boyfriend, emerged from the hallway, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "he's already asleep," he said calmly, watching as jermajesty's expression shifted from casual to territorial. "i'm ethan, by the way."

jermajesty's eyes narrowed as he took in ethan's presence. "oh shit… you got another nigga watching my son?" he asked, stepping closer until their chests almost touched. "that's what we doing now, ma?"

you rushed out from the kitchen, heart racing. "jermajesty, what are you doing here?" you demanded, positioning yourself between the two men. "ethan, this is jovonnie's father. jermajesty, this is ethan."

"oh i know exactly who this is," jermajesty replied, his voice dropping dangerously low. "ain't that the same nigga you said was just a 'friend'?" he turned his attention back to ethan, sizing him up with dismissive eyes. "you feel big putting my son to bed? playing house?"

ethan stood his ground, refusing to be intimidated. "i'm here because y/n asked me to be," he stated evenly. "if you have a problem with that, we can discuss it like adults without getting in each other's faces."

"adults?" jermajesty laughed harshly. "don't talk to me about being an adult when you in my spot." he stepped back just enough to address you directly. "so this what it’s now? you move on that quick?"

"it's not like that," you insisted, grabbing his arm. "we were just… having dinner."

"just dinner?" jermajesty's voice grew louder, causing you to flinch. "where was this 'just dinner' two days ago when you were calling me over at 2am? when you had your legs wrapped around my neck?"

ethan's jaw tightened at the graphic description. "that's enough," he said firmly. "whatever happened between you two before doesn't give you the right to show up here causing a scene."

jermajesty turned slowly, a smirk playing on his lips. "ain't nobody causing a scene. just checking on my family." he reached out to touch your cheek, his thumb stroking your skin. "you still look beautiful, mama. been thinking about that night."

"stop," you whispered, pulling away. "you can't just show up here saying things like that."

"why not?" jermajesty challenged, his eyes flickering between you and ethan. "we still got something, y/n. you know we do." he moved closer again, his voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "remember how you were moaning my name? that wasn't pretend."

ethan stepped forward decisively. "i think you need to leave," he said, placing himself between you and jermajesty again. "now."

jermajesty's eyes flashed with anger. "you don't get to tell me when to leave my own son's house," he snarled. "or when i can talk to his mother."

"this is not your son's house," ethan corrected. "it's y/n's house. and you're making her uncomfortable."

"y/n?" jermajesty laughed, turning to you. "he calling you y/n like he knows you. like he knows how to when you when you're stressed. like he knows what makes you cry."

tears welled in your eyes as you felt trapped between your past and present. "please don't do this," you begged softly. "not tonight."

"don't do what?" jermajesty asked, his voice softening slightly as he focused on you. "just stating facts. we got history. we got a kid together." he reached for your hand. "we love love each other."

"the kind of love that involves showing up unannounced and threatening people?" ethan interjected dryly. "sounds unhealthy."

"oh, and you’re the expert on healthy relationships?" jermajesty shot back. "how long you known her? couple weeks? months?" he squeezed your hand gently. "i’ve known her since we were teenagers. i know every scar on her body. i know what she looks like when she's about to cum."

"uhm that's disgusting," ethan said, his face hardening. "you don't respect her at all."

"i respect her more than you ever could," jermajesty countered, finally releasing your hand to step toward ethan again. "i was there when she found out she was pregnant. i was there through the morning sickness. i was there when she was crying at 3am because the baby wouldn't stop crying."

"where were you last week when she was sick?" ethan challenged. "i was here making soup. i was here taking care of her."

jermajesty's expression faltered for a moment. "i was working," he said defensively. "providing for my family."

"providing emotionally or financially?" ethan pressed. "because she needs both."

you stepped between them again, tears now streaming down your face. "stop it," you cried. "both of you, just stop it."

jermajesty immediately softened at the sight of your tears. "hey, hey, don't cry, mama," he soothed, reaching to wipe your cheeks. "i'm sorry. i just... i miss you. i miss us."

"you can't keep doing this," you whispered, leaning into his touch despite yourself. "you can't keep saying you miss me when you're the one who left."

"i know," he admitted quietly. "i messed up. but i'm trying to fix it." he glanced over at ethan. "but i can't fix it if you moving on with... him."

"you had your chance," you said, pulling away again. "multiple chances."

"and i'll take more if you give them to me," jermajesty replied, his voice earnest. "you know i love you, y/n. you know i love jovonnie. we're family."

ethan watched the exchange with a pained expression. "y/n," he said gently, "maybe i should go."

you didn’t say anything.

jermajesty looked at ethan with a mocking glare, "maybe i should go." he said slight turning away.

you already knew he was joking but still couldn’t bare the thought of him leaving.

"no," you said quickly, turning to him. "please don't."

"see?" jermajesty pointed out. "she needs me. she still needs me."

"she needs someone who respects her boundaries," ethan countered. "someone who doesn't show up unannounced to intimidate her guests."

"intimidate?" jermajesty laughed. "this is how we communicate. passionate. real." he moved closer to you again. "not like whatever polite bullshit you two doing."

"polite bullshit is called respect," ethan replied. "something you clearly lack."

"and you clearly don't know the first thing about our relationship," jermajesty shot back. "about how we operate."

"and maybe it's time you learned a new way to operate," ethan suggested. "a healthier way."

jermajesty turned to you, his expression hurt. "you hear this shit? you gonna let him talk about us like that?"

"he's not wrong," you admitted quietly. "this isn't healthy, jermajesty. us fighting all the time. us breaking up and getting back together."

"but it's real," he insisted, grabbing your hands. "what you got with him is... what? comfortable? safe?" he shook his head. "that's not what we are. we're fire."

"fire burns everything it touches," ethan observed. "including the people closest to it."

jermajesty ignored him, focusing solely on you. "remember when we found out we were having jovonnie? how scared we were? how we promised we'd always be there for each other no matter what?" his voice cracked with emotion. "i'm trying to keep that promise, ma."

"by showing up here and starting fights?" you asked, though your resolve was weakening. "by trying to make me choose?"

"by showing you that i still care," he corrected. "that i still want you. that i'm not giving up on us."

ethan sighed softly. "y/n," he began, "i think you need to decide what you want. without either of us pressuring you."

"i know what i want," jermajesty said immediately. "i want my family back."

you looked between them, heart pounding. "i need time," you finally said. "i need to think."

"think about what?" jermajesty pressed. "how good it feels when we're together? how right it is?"

"about what's best for jovonnie," you replied. "and what's best for me."

"i'm what's best for you," jermajesty insisted, pulling you into his arms. "we're what's best for each other."

you didn't resist his embrace, melting against him despite knowing you shouldn't. "i hate when you do this," you whispered against his chest.

"do what?" he asked, stroking your hair. "love you? fight for you?"

"make it impossible to say no," you admitted, looking up at him.

"then don't say no," he whispered, lowering his head to kiss you.

ethan watched with a pained expression before quietly heading for the door. "i'll see myself out," he said, though neither of you seemed to notice.