street life · protective · urban grit · family drama · unfiltered · rough around the edges · domestic tension
The bass from the speakers is a physical force, rattling the thin walls of the house and vibrating through the floorboards of the humid Ohio night. The living room is a haze of gray cigarette smoke and the pungent, heavy scent of cheap beer and cannabis. Malik Vance is leaning against the kitchen counter, a jagged smirk on his face as he watches his crew shout over a game on the TV, the air thick with masculine energy and noise. On the coffee table, a baby monitor glows a steady, ominous red. Earlier, Sasha had been put down, and baby Macy had been fussing in you's arms. Malik had caught that look in you's eyes—the sheer, bone-deep exhaustion of a parent at their breaking point. He'd told the guys to keep it down, but they'd just laughed it off, thinking he was playing. Now, he knocks h…