#shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

the Elevator Bae - 13

Chapter Thirteen

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix) 

A/N: This series is almost to its end. I will be ending with Chapter 15. Thank You so much to everyone who has read and shared this story. I adore all of you soooooo much :)

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How did two months go by so fast? Tour was coming to an end and It was bittersweet for Phoenix. She was able to finally see just how many people enjoyed her music and travel alongside one of her greatest friends but she missed Luna. She missed Erik? That’s been the confusing part. She didn’t really miss him but seeing how he’s been with Luna has warmed her heart. He’s been sending her videos and pictures daily. His bright smile seems to light up her world when she FaceTimes him to see Luna.

The closer she’s been getting to the last performing date, the more her anxiety has been surfacing. Since Erik’s been back, it was dropping Luna off because she had rehearsals and meetings and then tour. (A week during tour, Erik flew in to Detroit for Phoenix to have Luna while she visited family and he was on his way back to LA.) Their only interactions have been for Luna and they were good with that. She was good with that. There wasn’t any time for anything else. But soon, the tour will be over and she’ll be taking some time from work. Will things change? Have they already started to change?

Phoenix knew she was sure that this is what she wanted. For them to only focus on their daughter. All of these thoughts were swimming through her pool of a mind. Currently sitting in her hotel room, reading the comments under Erik’s latest IG upload weren’t helping. He just posted a picture of him and Luna while they were out. He had taken her shopping with him and snapped a picture of them in the dressing room mirror. It was the cutest picture. Luna looked unbothered while looking at the phone through the mirror. This kid had so many moods to be new here. Phoenix’s mom joked that Luna’s been here before.

Phoenix found herself smiling at the caption.

‘Luna ain’t having it with you hoes today.’

Erik’s captions were always… very Erik. And the comments full of women that Phoenix assumed were from Erik’s past or women who dreamed of being a part of his future.

‘She’s beautiful Erik.’

‘I still can’t believe Erik Stevens is somebody’s daddy.’

‘Lol, she’s so cute. Does she need a brother?’

‘Damn E. You make beautiful babies.’

‘Call me, E. 😘’

Phoenix wasn’t jealous. He was single. This was her decision. But sometimes, she hoped he would post something about her. Well, you know, because she is Luna’s mother of course. Maybe a shoutout?

No, no. She caught herself. She didn’t actually need that. Everyone following Erik knew who Luna’s mother was. Phoenix was fine. She. Was. Fine. These feelings? These thoughts? They will pass. So, she exited the app. It was time for rest and rest is definitely what Phoenix needed.

—————

Everything was… okay! Phoenix had worked herself up and things between her and Erik were good. They had the perfect schedule since she’s been back home. Erik would have Luna every other weekend. He’d come over to spend time with her during his ‘off days.’ They’d joke like old times. Even Ava had warmed back up to Erik. Of course things could never be what they used to be but this was a good start to making their situation feel somewhat normal.

“So tell me Phoenix, how has your transition back home been?” Dr. McKee wasted no time. She was eager to hear how Phoenix had been managing on her own.

Phoenix didn’t go back to therapy right away when she came back home. She figured she would take some time to test the waters and see if she would handle things with the methods she’s learned.

Releasing a deep breath, “Everything is good.” Phoenix finally says. “I’m happy.”

A genuine smile grew onto Dr. McKee’s face. “That’s amazing Phoenix. I’m honestly so proud of you.”

“Thanks. I’m proud of myself too.”

“So,” Dr. McKee paused, “What made you want to come in today?”

“I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m supposed to be using this time off to relax but I can’t. I feel like I should be doing something. Too much down time makes me think and when I think, I overthink. When I overthink, I get antsy. Then I feel anxious. Which only leads to a panic attack. I just don’t know what to do with this energy.” Phoenix stops herself to take a deep, calculated breath.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Did I make the right choice— No! I know that I did but…” Phoenix trails off.

“But what?”

“Luna loves him so much. The way she lights up when she sees him. She deserves to be that happy every day. I want her to feel what I feel. I’m happy.”

“Sounds like you’re trying to convince someone of that.”

The way Phoenix rolled her neck, she felt offended. How dare her own therapist insult her like this? Phoenix was happy! She didn’t have to convince anyone. She rolled her eyes at the idea. The nerve of this highly educated woman.

“I’m not trying to upset you Phoenix. I’m just trying to understand.”

“So are you saying I don’t make any sense right now?” Phoenix snapped back.

Cool, calm and collected, Dr. McKee blinks, “I’m not saying that at all. You make perfect sense. I just want you to share as much as you can so we can get to the root of what brought you here today.”

Phoenix closed her eyes and chewed on her lip. She internally chastised herself for being snappy. “It’s just,” she slowly began, “the way he looks at me with those puppy dog eyes. Even when he’s laughing, his eyes are saying something else. Like… he’s trying to slowly drown me. When he looks at me, his eyes linger like they’re trying to get me to catch on to something.”

Phoenix opens her eyes and focuses on the floor. “I’m not changing my mind. He’s always been a smooth operator but unfortunately for him, I know that. He doesn’t get to come around and make me feel guilty for choosing what’s right for my baby.” Phoenix paused. “Our baby.” She whispered that last part.

Dr. McKee takes some notes. She opens her mouth to speak but Phoenix beats her to it.

“I understand. I really do. Erik wants to give Luna the family experience. I want that for her too. But the family we’ve all created for her is fine.”

“I agree, Phoenix. So many of us get caught up in the idea of a traditional family. But family is whoever loves you unconditionally. From what I know, you, Erik, Coby, Ava and the entire tribe you guys have around you love Luna beyond this world. That’s more than enough. You’re a great mom. Great moms make tough decisions every day, but great moms also know each decision is for the greater good of their family.”

Phoenix smiles. It feels good to hear that someone sees you and your hard work and the sacrifices for what they are. Dr. McKee was right. They may not be the traditional family, but Luna is still surrounded by a loving tribe that is unique to her.

“But,” Dr. McKee continues, “you can’t attach yourself to Erik and what he may be feeling about this. You’ve made yourself clear what you wanted. You’re happy and Luna’s happy. There’s no need to ruffle anymore feathers here.”

Dr. McKee turns to her laptop and begins typing away on her keyboard. After a few clicks, she turns to Phoenix again.

“I’ve emailed you a list of things that could help you during your free time. I want you relax and enjoy this time off as best as you can before it’s time to get back to work. You deserve it.”

“I’m going to my best.”

—————

Phoenix wasn’t in a rush to leave the parking lot of Dr. McKee’s office after her session. She sat in her car going over the list in her email.

Ways to Relax Your Brain:

-Workout.

-Take an art class.

-Plant a Garden.

-Read some good books.

-Get out in Nature.

Phoenix wasn’t gifted with a green thumb, so gardening was out of the question. She works out pretty consistently, but it hasn’t worked out with calming her thoughts so that one is scratched off. Art class felt like work and books? She’s read every book that resides in Coby’s house. She was tired of reading. Looks like getting out in Nature would be worth a shot.

She’s always loved the beach but she couldn’t remember the last time she’s been to a beach.

—————

Phoenix found herself in a very familiar spot. A picnic table on the beach, watching the beach goers enjoy themselves. The waves look beautiful as they rolled in onto the sand. The sounds of splashing seemed more soothing than Phoenix ever realized. Time seemed to be passing so slow. Everything in the world has come to a calming pause. Her mind wasn’t racing. Her heart wasn’t pounding. Tranquility was all Phoenix could come up with to describe this feeling. She had no worries, no fears, no anxiety.

The sounds of an ice cream truck moving through the parking lot near her, caught her ear. The thought of eating something sweet without her infant bullying her into sharing seemed like a great win. She stood from her seat and seemingly floated to the truck.

“Hello, what can I get you?” the older man inside the truck said with a contagious smile.

“Um,” she tapped her chin with her index finger, “I’ll go with chocolate on a waffle cone.”

“Coming up.”

Moments later, Phoenix exchanges her money for the ice cream cone and travels back to her spot at the picnic table. She picked up where she left off admiring all that surrounds her. She ate her ice cream with a pleased smile pinching at her cheeks.

The small vibration of her phone pulled her from her trance. Erik is facetiming her. She assumed he was calling to see Luna so she swiped to answer the call.

“Hey, E. I’m not with Luna right now.”

“That’s cool. I called to talk to you.”

“Oh, um, okay. What’s up?” This made her suspicious.

“The Outreach Center will be opening this Friday. We’re doing a whole big thing and uh, I wanted to invite you if you aren’t busy. Shuri told me that if I didn’t call you right now, she would never talk to me again.”

Phoenix was mid bite into her cone and almost dropped it from laughter. “Well, you know I have nothing to do. Tell Shuri that me and Luna will be there.”

“Alright.” Erik paused, eyeing Phoenix’s background through the phone. “Aye! You’re at the beach?”

“Yeah. I just needed a moment. Needed to get out of the house, I guess.”

“Everything’s alright?” His words were soft, genuine.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything is good.”

Erik didn’t believe her. He could tell something was bothering her but he didn’t want to push her. That wasn’t his place. Well not anymore at least.

“Well you know, no matter what, you can always come to me.”

“Yeah, E. I know.”

“Alright, I have some shit to get done before Friday. I’ll let you get back to your me time. I’ll text the details later.”

“K…”

“Kiss my baby for me when you get back home please.”

“I will.”

The call ends and Phoenix is frozen. Erik calls her while she’s sitting in the very spot he’d taken her when he needed to clear his mind. This use to be their spot. Her peace was broken then. Erik was everywhere. Even when he wasn’t there. She looked around and threw in the towel. Her time here was up. She finished her ice cream cone on her walk back to her car. She was ready to get back home to get her daughter.

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The week had flown by. Phoenix was just sitting on Dr. McKee’s couch. She was just at the beach. But now, it was opening day for the Outreach Center. Phoenix couldn’t understand why she was feeling so nervous. She had this gut feeling that something was off. Her and Erik were good. She loved T’Challa, Shuri and Queen Mother and they all adored her. She wrecked her brain trying to come up with an answer.

Phoenix called her mom. She would understand and maybe help her with her feelings.

“Something just doesn’t feel right, Ma.” Phoenix props the phone up on her dresser while she gets Luna dressed.

“That’s your intuition, baby. If you feel like something ain’t right, it’s because something ain’t right.”

“But I don't know what it is. It’s driving insane.”

“The only way to find out is to go and face whatever it is.”

Phoenix finishes dressing Luna. She places her in her bouncer in front of the phone so that Luna can see her grandmother on FaceTime.

“Hey baby girl.” Phoenix’s mom dotes on the bouncing baby. “You’re looking more and more like your grandma everyday.”

Phoenix cuts her eye at the phone. “She looks like her dad.”

Phoenix catches her mom rolling her eyes.

“You can’t hate him forever, Ma. He’s going to be around for a long time.”

“I don’t hate him. I just think he’s stupid. Maybe if he pays for a round trip for me to go to Wakanda, I’ll forgive him.”

“Mom!”

“Those are my terms Phoenix and I ain’t changing them. Ain’t that right Lulu? Tell your stupid ass daddy to send me to Wakanda.”

“Alright Luna,” Phoenix picks Luna up, “Your grandma is on all bullshit today.”

“Hey! What your mouth around my grandbaby.”

In disbelief, Phoenix looks at the camera, “But you just said a bad word.”

“Ass isn’t a bad word.”

“Okay, ma. Whatever you say. We have to go so I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Alright. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

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Phoenix was roaming the large, empty halls of the Outreach Center. She had been inside multiple times while dropping off Luna to Erik or picking her up. She had checked Erik’s office, looking for him but he was nowhere to be found. She was making her way back outside when she sees Shuri. 

“Shuri!” Phoenix stops her, “Have you seen Erik?”

“Philly! I’m so happy you’re here.” She pulls Phoenix into a tight hug. Phoenix embraces her back and their body’s rock. “I missed you. Hey Lulu.” Shuri adds pinching Luna’s chubby cheeks.

“I told you that you can over whenever.” Phoenix adjusts Luna on her hip. Luna was getting heavier every day.

Before Shuri could respond, she looks up and sees Erik walking straight toward them. “Oh there’s the little T-Rex.” She points in the direction of Erik.

When Phoenix turns around, Erik is walking with that famous dip. His dreads are back into a ponytail and he’s sporting a navy blue suit that’s tailored to perfection. He’s always had great style. The smile on Phoenix’s face slowly began to drop when she noticed the tall, curvy, well dressed woman walking alongside Erik. That uneasy feeling she felt when she was home crept up from her stomach and settled in her chest. She tried to control her breathing before it picked up. She wouldn’t allow herself to get worked up before knowing what was going on.

“There you are. Philly was looking for you.” Shuri says. She turns to Phoenix, “Come find me later. We have so much to catch up on.” Shuri walks off.

Phoenix isn’t sure what she’s supposed to do. She awkwardly stands there looking around to avoid looking at the woman standing next to Erik.

“Hey, Phoenix,” Erik grabs her attention and motions to the mystery woman. “This is Alicia. Alicia, this is Phoenix.”

Alicia sticks her hand out and shakes Phoenix’s hand. “Oh my goodness, you’re Phoenix? I’ve heard so much about you. Hey Lulu.” Alicia rubs her thumb on Luna’s arm.

Lulu? The only people who calls her Lulu are people who are close to her. It’s obvious that this woman has been around Luna a great deal.

“Oh…Hm. It’s nice to meet you.”

Her eyes bounce between Alicia and Erik a few times before they lock in with Erik’s. She can’t read him. These are not the same eyes he usually looks at her with. He licks his lips. This woman isn’t just a random woman that Erik decided to introduce to her. Something was up between the two of them.

Luna throws her body backwards trying to get to her dad. Erik scoops her up with one quick motion, taking her from Phoenix. He peppers kisses all over her cheeks before checking his watch. “We’re gonna miss the opening ceremony. We should get outside.”

“You guys go ahead.” Alicia says, “I have to use the lady’s room. I’ll catch up.”

“Okay. You know where to find me.” Erik says with a smirk. Alicia places a hand on his arm and walks off toward the restroom.

Erik and Phoenix began the journey outside to watch T’Challa give the opening ceremony speech. As they approached the big door that led out, Phoenix looked to Erik. “She seems nice.”

“She is.” Erik tries to bite back his smile.

“Good. You need someone nice.”

Erik stops walking. He was stunned by her words. How did she manage to put those pieces together? His words got caught and he struggled with a response. Phoenix picked up on his struggles.

“She called Luna, Lulu. That told me everything, Erik.”

He caught on. “I wanted to tell you before now, but I didn’t really know how.”

“It’s fine. As long as she makes you happy, there’s nothing to talk about. Things may not have worked out with us but I can see that you’re a better man. Someone should get to experience that.”

Phoenix doesn’t stick around to hear how he may react. She walks ahead leaving him and Luna and goes outside. Erik stood there processing her words. Alicia catches up to him. She could see that something had shaken him up.

“Erik, is everything okay?” her eyes searched him for any kind of answer. “Did something happen with Phoenix?”

He finally looks at her, “No, nothing happened. She just, uh, she thinks you’re nice.” A single dimple appearing.

A small smile forms on Alicia’s face. “So does this mean that I’m Phoenix approved?”

They laugh. He steps closer to her and plants a kiss on her lips. Alicia’s face goes red. “Not in front of Luna.” she plays.

Erik opens the door for them and they walk out just in time as T’Challa takes the stage.

As the day progressed, Erik was talking to so many people. He found himself explaining different parts of the Outreach Center over and over but he didn’t complain. Alicia stayed by his side, mingling while Luna bounced around between the two of them and Queen Mother. It wasn’t until T’Challa pulled Erik aside to ask where Phoenix was that Erik realized that he hadn’t seen her since their exchange. His eyes searched through the crowd hoping to see her somewhere. To his disappointment, she was nowhere to be found.

He texted her.

Erik: Hey, Philly. Where did you go?

Time passed and he never received a text back.

Phoenix’s thumbs hovered over her keyboard but she just couldn’t find it in her to say anything back. When Erik didn’t come outside for the ceremony right after her, she snuck out and left. Luna was in good hands and she just couldn’t stick around. She meant what she said. She really did see Erk for the better man that he had become. He was an amazing person and even more amazing father. It wouldn’t be fair for her to want him to not move on. Again, she reminded herself that this was best.

“Philly. Come get your glass.” Mica yelled from the kitchen.

When Phoenix got back home, she told Ava what had happened and Ava called Mica and Camren over for girl talk and wine. They were all between their third and fourth cups. Hours had gone by and Phoenix still couldn’t text Erik back. She just says “fuck it,” and tossed her phone on the couch and heads into the kitchen for her refill.

When Phoenix gets a hold of her assigned wine glass, she downs it in seconds. Her friends watch on in shock.

“Damn Philly, calm down.” Camren says.

“I’m grown, Camren. You don’t have to tell me how to drink some weak ass wine.”

Mica clutches her pearls. This isn’t like Phoenix at all.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ava asks. “Is this about Erik?”

Phoenix throws daggers at Ava with her heavy eyes. “Everything ain’t about Erik. I’m good.”

“You’re not acting good.” Mica adds.

Phoenix begins filling her glass up again. “Well since yall just know me so well, how am I acting if I’m not acting like I’m good?”

Ava snatches Phoenix’s glass. “You’re acting like you’re trying to drink your problems away.”

“I don’t have any problems to drink away. If I did, I’d be killing off something way stronger than wine.” she reaches for her glass but Ava pulls away.

“It’s obvious that this Erik shit is bothering you, sis.” Ava says.

Camren and Mica both nod in agreement.

Phoenix slams her hands down on the island counter. “Yo, fuck Erik. I don’t give a shit about what that man is doing. He’s moved on. He’s happy. I’m happy. Why are y’all holding on to this shit?”

“You’re holding on to it.” Ava yells. She’s fed up with Phoenix’s rudeness.

The gloss appearing over Phoenix’s eyes alerted her friends that she was struggling to hold back her tears. Ava reaches for her but Phoenix pulls away. She looks off at nothing when a few tears escape and flow down her cheeks. Her lips shake and she wraps her arms around herself.

“I don’t get why you’re torturing yourself. You clearly still love him.” Mica says.

“Yes!,” she aggressively wipes tears from her cheeks, “I still fucking love him, but this love ain’t mean shit. He doesn’t get to do this. He can’t just pop back up after all of this and have his life back like nothing happened.

“So,” Camren hesitates for a moment. “You’re punishing him?”

“I’m protecting myself.”

Ava steps closer to Phoenix in a nurturing way. “No, you are punishing him and yourself. Look at you. I hate what his stupid ass did just as much as you. But she’s right. We’re right. You're torturing yourself while trying to prove a point.”

“No I’m not!”

“You keep saying that he can’t do this.” Mica joins in again. “That he can’t just come back. But you can’t just pretend like you don’t care. It’s not fair to either of you.”

Phoenix doesn’t respond. She’s listening but she wishes that she wasn’t. They were right and she wishes they weren’t.

Camren breaks the silence. “We’re not trying to hurt your feelings Philly or piss you off in any way, but you can’t be hurt that he’s moving on when you’re the one that told him to.”

Mica interrupts, “So, either you can move on too or tell him how you really feel.”

The group of women notices Phoenix’s lack of responses. She’s in shut down mode. They didn’t want that but they couldn’t sit back and not tell their friend the truth about herself. Phoenix finally gets her hands on her abandoned glass of wine on the counter and downs it before silently walking away from her friends. She goes upstairs to her room. They give each other knowing looks. They would give her some time and they’ll go up to console her. Moments pass and they all suddenly hear the front door slam, scaring them. When the women rush to the door, they barely catch Phoenix just as she is nearing the end of the driveway.

Ava runs out toward the reversing car but Phoenix quickly shifts the car into drive and drives off.

“Fuck!” Ava yells. “We have to get Coby.”

#the elevator bae #erik killmonger x black oc #Erik Killmonger #Erik Stevens #erik x phoenix #erik x luna #shaebewriting

[dreamgirl4certain]

The Elevator Bae

SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix)

A/N: Just some cute shit here. | Song lyrics referenced are not my own. They are from a song by MILA J x Me and You. **I will be referencing lyrics from her music in the future. I picture her style of music when Phoenix’s is writing music. And I barely did any proofreading so my bad from the bottom of my heart.

Word Count: eh, idk. a lot.

***************************************

“I missed you so fucking much, baby girl.”

“I missed you too, E.” Phoenix huffed between words. Erik’s heavy figure above hers. His head rested in the crook of her neck as he placed wet kisses on her skin. She dug her fingertips into his back as he stroked her slow and deep. Her eyes stuck shut, moan trapped in her throat when she felt a vibration under her body. Where is this coming from?

Phoenix’s body jerked up and she looked around, realizing she was on her couch. It was dark out now and her tv screen paused with Netflix asking if she was still there. Her phone was ringing under her. That’s when it all hit her. She was dreaming. This was the third night in a row that dreamt of him. Three dreams, night after night of Erik doing all of the right things to her. Why is this happening to her?

Erik had been gone for ten days. The first few days, she poured herself into her work. She set up her equipment in her living room and did the best that could. remixing beats she already had and doing some writing. But has the days went on, she found herself thinking about Erik more and more. Thinking about how good he felt when she kissed him. Missing him, but she did everything but actually admit that to herself. She started watching Naruto because it was his favorite show, but she told herself it was because Netflix suggested it. She went out and bought two cases of Merinelli’s Apple Juice. But of course, not because he liked it, but because she ‘enjoyed the juice of apples.’ She told herself that he probably wasn’t even thinking about her. He’ll probably come back and not even bother talking to her again. Two weeks was more than enough time for him to realize that she wasn’t it and she should just prepare herself now, for that.

None of it worked, though she refused to accept the truth that she missed Erik. It ate her up inside that she couldn’t talk to him. He stayed in her mind constantly. She hated to like it.

“This is ridiculous.” She said to herself as she felt under her legs for her phone.

One missed call from Coby. She swiped the notification, selecting Call Back. When he answered, she could hear nothing but pure joy in his voice.

“PHILLY!” he yelled into the phone.

“Hey!” She pulled the phone away from her face and put it on speaker phone.

“My studio is done.”

Phoenix sat up, snatching the phone, bringing it closer to her face. “What! Say swear!”

“I swear. It’s finally done. You gotta come break it in.”

Coby had been working on building a studio in his home. Fully equipt. He promised that when it was done, she’d be the first person he called and she would be the first to record something in it. Before Phoenix could even express her excitement, Ava had taken over the phone call.

“Yeah, Philly. You might as well pack you a bag or three and come on.”

“A bag? Fuck she need a bag for?” Coby says.

“So she won’t have to leave. You know damn well y’all are about to be living in that damn room.”

“Bet!” Phoenix said. “I’m on my way.”

“Yay! We’re having a sleepover!” Ava yells into the phone. “See you when you get here.”

Phoenix ends the call. She rushes into her room to pack some clothes. She may or may not have packed enough to practically move in. She stuffed as much as she could in her giant Victoria Secret PINK duffle. Along with her face and hair products. She looked around to make sure she had everything. Her laptop was on the floor. She could NOT leave without that. She put it in her backpack with its charger and an extra phone charger and headed out the door. She texted Ava.

Phoenix: Be there in 20 minutes.

-------

Coby’s studio was her dream studio. It was huge. As soon as she walked in, purple lights glowed along the bottom of the soundproof glass that separated them from the recording booth. Coby turned on the lights that revealed all black decor and dark, hardwood floors. Phoenix walked in stroking her fingertips along the new equipment. Ava came in, sitting on the couch.

“You peep that?” Ava says, pointing to something inside of the recording booth. Phoenix goes inside to see. She looks up to see a huge black and white picture of her and Coby from when they were in the studio some time ago. One of Coby’s photographer friends had stopped by and took a few cool shots of them. Coby has the picture enlarged on a canvas and placed on the wall inside of the recording booth.

“Oh my gosh, Coby!” she grabbed his arms, shaking him.

Seeing her jump with joy, brought on the biggest smile that man has ever worn. “You like it?”

“I love it! What made you pick this one?”

“Well, we’re a team now, remember? I figured it was only right to put up a picture of me and my partner.”

“Aww… we haven’t come up with a cool name yet though.”

“We’ll figure that out in due time. But you like everything?”

“YES!”

Coby showed her around to look at everything that he had installed. Of course Phoenix’s favorite part was the fully stocked mini fridge and weed cabinet that held all of their smoking necessities. Phoenix wouldn’t be quiet about how proud of him she was. He had been working on this studio for months. He designed the entire thing himself.

They immediately got to work. Phoenix was so excited about the studio, and to be with her friends, she finally got her mind off of Erik… for now.  She was able to zone into her work. They created their first beat from scratch in the new space. Just as Ava had predicted, once Phoenix and Coby were in the studio, they were there for the rest of the night. After a few hours, Ava left them and went to bed. It was well into the next morning before the two of them had fallen asleep in the studio. They refused to leave.

--------

The next afternoon, Phoenix enjoyed a hot shower and co-washed her hair. She lotioned up with her favorite vanilla shea butter. She moisturized her hair and washed her face. She put on some sweatpants and a t-shirt. Just as she was applying some chapstick, Ava facetimes her.

“Morning!” Ava cheerfully says into the phone.

“Morning, love.”

“Get down here. I made food. I wanna see you before I leave out.”

“Where you goin’?” Phoenix says as she starts walking out of her chosen guest room to meet Ava and Coby down in the kitchen.

“I have a brand meeting.”

“Alright. I’m coming down the stairs.”

Ava ends the facetime call. Phoenix walks down the large staircase and through the hallway. She can see Coby sitting at the kitchen table. She joins him. They share a look before both breaking into smiles.

“You want eggs?” Ava asks Phoenix from the stove.

“Sure.”

Ava brings Phoenix a full plate of food. Phoenix pours herself some cranberry juice, mixing it with orange juice. Coby watches her mix the two drinks with furrowed brows. “Why do you that? That’s weird.”

“It’s delicious actually.” she takes a sip. “You should try it.”

“Nah, I’m good.”

The three of them sit and eat their food. Ava asked them about what they created in the studio and the way their faces lit up was enough to let her know they had a great session, breaking in the new studio. They played her the song they made. As the beat broke through the speaker, Phoenix’s voice rides the beat effortlessly. Ava squealed in excitement, hearing her friend singing.

Just me and you // nobody gon' break this up, this magic My nigga, my babe, nobody comes before me and you Numero uno, you know you my baby What had these bitches off of you lately?

“You sound so good!” Ava says. “You should drop this yourself.”

“I told her ass last night, that she should drop some music.” Coby adds.

Phoenix shakes her head. “Y’all crazy. Ain’t nobody trying to hear me sing.”

“You’re crazy! You telling me that you’ve never thought about releasing some of those songs you have locked away? You have a pretty voice, Philly. I think people would love you.”

“It’s crossed my mind, but I’m good.”

Ava rolled her eyes at her. Coby checks the time on his phone. “You better get out of here before you’re late. Traffic probably already crazy.” Ava takes one last sip of her drink. She gets up from the table, picking up her dishes and taking them to the sink.

“Don’t worry about those. I got it.” Coby says.

Ava leaves her dishes and starts out of the kitchen. “I’ll see y’all in a couple hours.”

Coby listened out to hear the front door open and close. As soon as he did, he looks at Phoenix. She’s so into her food, that she didn’t notice at first. When she did, she locked eyes with him and they stared at each other until one of them blinked first. Phoenix’s eyes couldn’t take it and she blinked. “Fuck!”

“I don’t know why you think you can beat me.”

“Nobody should be able to go that long without blinking. Something is wrong with you.”

Coby continues to stare at her as she eats. As he watches her, he notices that she checks her phone every few seconds. She’s not usually the type to be so caught up with her phone. She checks it again, this time, locking it and flipping it over.

“What’s up with you?” he asks.

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

“You keep checking your phone. You expecting a call or something?”

“No.” she says quickly.

Coby smirks. “You waiting on Erik to text you?”

Her face drops and she rolls her eyes, trying to avoid looking in his direction. “No. I was-- I was just checking the time.”

Coby notices the change in her demeanor and the protector in him activates. “What happened? That nigga do something?” His words came out slightly louder than how he was talking before. They were stern.

“No,” she waves him off. “Nothing happened. I haven’t even talked to him.”

“Why not?”

Phoenix looks at him in disbelief. She feels like she’s getting grilled by her Mom. “He’s away right now… for work.”

“And he can’t talk to you? What the fuck do he do?”

Phoenix isn’t getting out of this conversation so she surrenders and figures she’d just answer Coby’s questions. She sits her fork down and leaned back in her chair. “He’s in the Navy. He had to leave for two weeks.” she says, figuring it was the safest answer. She can’t be telling people he’s hired to take people out.

“Hm. When did he leave?”

“Last Tuesday.”

“You must have gave that nigga some good-bye pussy or something.”

“Wha-- No!”

‘Then why you actin’ weird?” Coby tries to catch Phoenix’s eye to see if she’s lying. She avoids him by looking off at nothing in the kitchen.

“I’m not acting weird. You are. Asking me all of these damn questions.” she snapped.

“You are acting weird. I’m just trying to make sure you good and I don’t have to kill that nigga. I bring his name up and you get all tense and shit.”

Phoenix doesn’t respond. She looks down and picks at her fingers. Coby patiently waits for her to give him something. When she doesn’t, he tries to push a little more. Phoenix is good for keeping things locked in. But not on his watch.

“Aye,” she looks at him. “Talk to me. What’s the problem?”

She takes a deep breath. “I’m just… I don’t know.”

“Phoenix.” his voice was stern.

“I think I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?” Coby leaned onto the table, all ears.

“I- I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this.” He motioned for her to go on. “I’ve only ever been with one person and that clearly didn’t end well, and--  I don’t really want to allow someone to hurt me again.”

“That’s not fair Phoenix.”

“What’s not fair?”

“Erik isn’t your ex. It’s not fair to hold what that lame ass nigga did against him. You have to let that shit go.”

Phoenix looked away at nothing again. She knew he was right.

“Aye…” Coby tapped the table. Phoenix looks at him. “I’ma tell you this, but keep it between me and you.” Phoenix agrees with a nod. “My ex, she wasn’t shit. Fucked around on me with half the niggas in the industry. We were supposed to get married and everything but I called off all that shit when I found out what she was out here doing. Everybody knew but me.”

“Wait!” Phoenix interjected with wide eyes. “You were gonna get married, Coby?”

He kissed his teeth. “Yeah man. That was a few years ago and it has nothing to do with my point.”

Phoenix through her hands up in surrender.

“Anyways… as I was saying. I was done dirty but I didn’t let that shit stop me from going after Ava. I still found it in me to care about somebody. I treat her crazy ass like the queen that she is because that hurt shit is the past. Ava is my fresh start and clearly Erik is yours.”

“What makes you think that?”

“It’s all in  the music, Phoenix. I’m not stupid. I can always tell what you’re feeling based off what you write. You like Erik. Just let the shit happen.”

Phoenix nods. “I cannot believe you didn’t tell me you were engaged.” she says, trying to steer the conversation away from her and her alleged feelings for Erik.

Coby stands up from the table, picking up their plates. “Happened before I met you. Don’t like talking about it.”

He washed their plates and pans on the stove. Phoenix got up and started walking out. “I’ll be in the studio.”

-----------

The next few days, anxiety filled up in Phoenix. She counted the days down until Erik came back. She continued her stay at Coby’s with him and Ava to distract herself as much as she could. Erik’s return day came and went with no sign of him. He hadn’t texted her. She figured he would. But maybe he was tired and just wanted to rest. She was so confused about how she should feel. But when two more days passed and still no text from him, she figured she would take this ‘L’ like a champ and move on. She didn’t want to talk about it with Coby or Ava and she had lost her desire to make music. It would all be about Erik anyway. She didn’t want to do that to herself. 

Phoenix stood over the bed in the guest room that she had rightfully deemed her room and packed up all of her stuff. Ava sat on the bed, watching her.

“You should just move in, Philly. Then we can all be together, all the time.” Ava says.

“You don’t even live here!” They hear Coby yell from his room, down the hall.

“Ain’t nobody even talking to you!” Ava yells back. Her and Phoenix share a look before laughing. “He be killing me, not minding his business.”

“But, speaking of you not living here. When was the last time you went home?” Phoenix asked.

Ava looked up to the ceiling in thought. “It’s been a couple weeks. I should probably go back though. I’m sure the food in my fridge is done for and I definitely need to wash some clothes.”

“Ew, A!” Phoenix laughs. She just shrugs. “Welp… I’m all packed up.”

Ava gives Phoenix a very dramatic sad face. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“Relax, love.” Phoenix places a petty hand on Ava’s shoulder. “A couple more weeks and we’ll be ass out on a beach.”

“Yes and then right after that… it’s your birthday.” Ava pokes her in her sides between words, tickling her.

“Stop! No need to be extra. It’s not that big of a deal.” Phoenix throws on her hoodie and slip her feet into her sneakers.

“You bet not say you don’t wanna do anything, because we’re doing something for your birthday.”

“Y’all can’t do it here!” Coby yells.

“SHUT UP!” “BE QUIET!” they yell back. Both rolling their eyes. Why was he listening so damn hard?

Phoenix goes down to Coby’s room where he’s playing 2k and she says her goodbyes to him. She tries to kiss him on the cheek and snaps back, away from her. “Gone with all that shit, Philly. Don’t you see I’m in a game?”

“This game can’t be that damn important if your ear hustling on what me and Ava talking about.”

“Nah, y’all niggas were just loud. Which is why y’all need to get out my house.”

Ava storms into the room. “Fuck you! I ain’t going nowhere.” She smacks him in the back of the head, making him pause the game.

“Don’t be putting your little ass hands on me. You can get ya’ shit and leave with your friend.”

Ava leans down to his ear and whispers something to him that makes his eyebrows raise up into his hairline. He clears his throat. “You know what… you can stay, bae.” He looks to Phoenix, “I love you, Phoenix, but you have to go now. This was fun. It really was, but Ava will show you to the door.”

Phoenix is disgusted. “Y’all are gross. I’m out.” She turns on her heels, heading back into the guest room for her bags. Ava follows her downstairs and walks her out.

“Let me know when you get home, okay?” Ava gives Phoenix one of those long, auntie hugs. Back rubs and all.

-----

Phoenix sat at a red light when her phone started ringing over the speakers. When she looked to see who it was, she almost choked on her spit. It was Erik. He was facetiming her. He’s never actually called her before, let alone facetime. They only talked in person or text. Her palms become sweaty at a new record speed. She wiped her hand on her hoodie and hit the green button to answer. The street lights lit her face up enough for him to see her. She looked down into the phone to see his face almost covered with a hoodie over his head.

“Hey.” his voice was deep and raspy.

“Hey.”

The light turns green and Phoenix drives off, quickly looking away from the phone on the mount. He just watched her for a moment as she focused on the road and traffic. “You going somewhere?” he finally asked.

“I’m on my way home. Just left Coby’s.”

“Oh.”

She could tell he wanted to say something more than just ‘Oh.’ As she came to a stop at another red light, she focused her attention back to the phone. “What’s up, Erik?” her tone came out frustrated. He’s been back for days now and he hadn’t texted her at all. He randomly facetimes her and barely has anything to say. She was definitely annoyed with how this was going right about now. 

“Can I see you?”

“Sure.”

“How far are you from here?”

She drives off once again. “Like ten minutes.”

“Alright.” There’s movement on his end of the phone. “I’ll wait for you in the garage. See you when you get here.”

“Um… okay.”

The call ends and Phoenix is every bit of confused as to how she should take this. He hasn’t talked to her and now he wants to see her. What the fuck was happening right now?

She arrived in the parking garage of her apartment and Erik is waiting, standing outside his car. She decided to leave her bags in her backseat and gets out to go to him. As she approaches him, he motions to the car, opening the passenger door. “Ride with me somewhere.” Phoenix very hesitantly gets into his car. He gets in and drives off. The ride was silent. He was distant. Not the Erik she had become use to. He was so closed off and she wanted to ask, but didn’t really know how. She didn’t know what to say. She just rode. She laid back into the seat and just looked out the window. The car ride wasn’t long. They pulled into a parking lot and as Phoenix searched around, looking out of the windows, she realized they were at the beach. There weren't many people out. Just a few bodies walking around. Erik turned the car off and opens his door to get out. Phoenix follows. He spares her a look and starts walking onto the sand, toward an empty picnic table. Phoenix doesn’t follow him immediately. She watches him walk and takes note of the slight dip when he takes a step. He turns looking for her and expecting her to be right behind him. When she’s not,  he stops to wait. She slowly begins her journey to him. When she approaches him, he takes her hand in his and guides her the rest of the way to the picnic table. Erik steps up onto the table, sitting on the top of it. He leaves just enough room between his legs for Phoenix to sit. He pulls her up on the reserved seat. As she settles into her place between his thighs, he wraps his arms around her torso and rests his face on her shoulder.

Silence.

Neither of them talk. They sit. The moon’s light sits on top of the water before them and faint sounds of the city in the distance. The few people roaming the beach had left, leaving just them with one another. Phoenix listened to Erik’s steady breath in her right ear and the sounds of small waves in the left. She felt calm. The slight irritation she had with Erik had subsided.

The late night breeze flowed right off of the water and a shiver crept up Phoenix’s spine. Erik felt her shake and wrapped his arms around her body completely, holding her tighter.

“Better?” his baritone voice spoke low in her ear.

“Mhmm.” she rested her head back on him.

“I missed you.” he whispered.

Without thinking, Phoenix’s words flew from her mouth. “Then why didn’t you text me?”

“I just needed some space… some time to decompress or whatever.”

“I get that. I just would like to know that you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry. Not really used to having to check in with anybody.”

Phoenix lifted her body from his and turns to look at him. “Well, you don’t have to check in with me then.” she snapped.

Erik sighs. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’ll let you know next time.”

“Nah, you don’t have to worry about it.” she faces forward but folds her body into her lap. Erik pulls her back to him. She resisted at first but eventually submitted. Resting her body against his chest again. She felt defeated. He wrapped his arms around her again, placing his face in her neck. He doesn’t do anything. He just lays there, lips barely grazing her skin. Phoenix silently prayed he’d move, though she wanted him to stay. 

“It won’t happen again. I’m sorry.” he said into her neck.

She took in a deep breath. Coby’s words popping up in her mind. ‘Let that shit go. Let Erik be your fresh start.’  

“I missed you too, Erik.”

His lips pressed firmly on her neck then. Her body melted more into his.

“Why are you so understanding?” he asked.

She shrugs. “It’s just who I am, I guess.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Why would you say that?”

He lifts his head, looking out at the water. Phoenix’s head falls back onto his chest. His grip around her loosens. “I’m no good for you. You’re too much of a good person for a nigga like me. I do terrible shit and you still find a way to be understanding about it.”

“Erik...”

“Everything I touch dies, Phoenix. I don’t wanna ruin your life.”

“Shut up, Erik.”

“Phoenix--” She cuts him off and turns to face him again. She pulls the strings on his hoodie and moves her face closer to his. They’re eye to eye.

“I’m a grown ass woman. I make my own decisions, so if you ruin my life, it’ll be because I let you. I’m not scared of none of that shit you’re talking. I had my chance to cut you off when you told me that you’re basically an assassin. You mark your body for every fucking kill Erik. I tried counting them damn scars on your arms and I lost count… three times,” She dramatically throws up three fingers. “I’m understanding because I know what it’s like to only have yourself. I’m understanding because somebody has to be. Somebody has to be a safe space for your dumbass.” She lets go of his hoodies strings. “Even though I couldn’t get a damn text letting me know you were still alive.” she says sarcastically. 

Her words hit him right in the chest. ‘Somebody has to be.’ Nobody had ever tried to be understanding of him. Nobody wanted to be and here this girl is, wanting to be that somebody. He felt a sense of safety with her that he couldn’t explain before and this confirmed everything he was feeling. This woman was special and the only explanation for how he got so lucky was that Bast herself, sent her to him. If that’s what Erik had to tell himself to accept what Phoenix was offering, he would. All Erik could do in this moment was smile. “I said I’m sorry.” He hadn’t smiled once in the weeks he’d been gone.

Phoenix clutched her pearls. “Erik Stevens without his gold caps? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Shut up.” He grabbed her face, squeezing her cheeks and connecting his lips with hers. He needed to do this. He wanted to since she met him in the parking garage. The kiss turned hot, very quickly. The smacking of their lips seem to quiet out the sounds of the waves hitting the shore. Phoenix gripped his hoodie, pulling him closer. Their awkward position making it hard to do so. She lifted her body from between his legs and straddled his lap. She didn’t miss a beat. Their lips never parted. Erik’s hands gripped her ass, holding her in place above him. Just as Phoenix sucked on his bottom lip, he pulled back.

“Fuck, girl.” he shakes his head, trying to come back to reality. Erik has kissed many, and I mean MANY of women. But none of them felt like this. She made him want her in every way possible. He wasn’t used to this feeling. But, Phoenix has a history of making him feel things he’s not used to feeling. Like, well… feelings in general. Erik never wanted to just be with someone just to be with them. With other women, if it wasn’t about sex, he didn’t care. But, Phoenix… he wanted to sit next to her, talk to her, hold her hand, watch tv with her. The simple things.  

“What I do?” she grinned.

“I want you so fucking bad.” the lust in his voice sent heat to her lady parts. She wanted him too. “But… if I’m gonna do this, I have to do it right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I would love to bend yo’ ass over this table right now and just…” He thrusted his body up into hers. Her mouth dropped in shock. He laughed at her reaction. “But, I wanna do right by you. I wanna take you out. I wanna show you a good time first.”

“You wanna court me, Stevens?” she smiles, linking her hands around his neck.

“Yeah. All that shit.”

“Damnn, okay. A bitch ain’t never had that before.” she says in her hoodrat voice.

“Me neither.” He laughed at her and pulled her back in for a few more pecks on the lips.

They continued to sit in this position. Phoenix laid on his shoulder and he rested his face in her neck, still gripping on to her thighs. She rubbed the back of his neck. They sat quietly with the sounds of the night traveled around them.

“E,” she whispered. He moaned in response. “Why the beach? What made you wanna come here?”

“I like to come here to clear my mind.”

“Hm, well, I’m enjoying this. I really am. But, I’m cold.”

His body bounced under hers as he laughed. “Well, I’m good now so we can go.”

Phoenix stands. Erik moves to stand up but pauses and sits back down. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

He drops his head in laughter. “Oh my God, man.”

“What!”

He slowly stands up and his erection is VERY visible through his light grey joggers. Phoenix’s mouth drops and she laughs. She knew he was big from when he chilled with her at her place and she breifly sat on his lap, but seeing this nigga print in these pants, let her know she slightly underestimated him. “And I Oop…” They both leaned over in laughter. Phoenix’s funny reaction was simply a way to steer her brain from the many questions she wanted to ask herself. Like: Was she able to handle that? Ya’ know… when the time came? How big was this nigga? Has he murdered anybody by dick in his past? 

But she’ll tackle that one later. They were okay. Things were normal.

Erik readjusted himself and they walked back to his car. The ride back to their apartment was different than the ride to the beach. Phoenix connected her phone to his car’s bluetooth and played her music. The air was lighter on their drive. Erik’s hand found its place on her thigh and they both sung along to the songs that played.

-----------

Phoenix and Erik picked up right where they left off. He texted her every morning and they’d text through the entire day, ending the day with a facetime call. The nights she’d be up and in the studio, they’d text until he fell asleep, only to facetime him when she made it in and they’d both sleep with the other on screen until their phones died. It was like they were teenagers again. The butterflies, the cute text. They enjoyed each other.

——-

Phoenix was currently standing in her hallway, locking her door. Before making her way to the elevator she texted Erik.

Phoenix: What’s your elevator code?

She was feeling bits of nervousness. This would be her first time going up to Erik’s apartment. The couple of weeks that Erik had been back seem to have flown by and  her vacation with her girls was coming up quick, Erik told Phoenix he wanted to see her before she left. They haven’t seen much of each other since he’s been back with her schedule being hectic. Phoenix had a lot of work and meetings to get through before her trip. She wanted to enjoy her vacation without any work related distractions. Her and Coby had been working tirelessly so the only time she could really see Erik was on their nightly FaceTime calls. He’d always miss her on the elevators.

Erik: 8176.

She pressed the elevator call button.

Phoenix: Great. My goons will be up in a minute to rob your ass.

Erik: Play with me if you want to. I’ll drop you and them niggas.

Phoenix: you wouldn’t do that to me. You would miss me too much.

Erik: maybe I would. Maybe I wouldn’t.

DING! 

The elevator doors opened and Phoenix stepped on. She typed in his code to enter the Penthouse floors. 8..1..7..6. The twelfth floor light lit up and the doors began to close. She texted Erik back.

Phoenix: I’m not coming up then.

Erik: stop playing baby girl. You know I would miss you.

Erik: I miss you right now.

Phoenix sticks her tongue out, blushing. She locks her screen. The closer she got to his floor, the tighter the knot in her stomach. She could feel her hands getting hot. She tried taking some deep breaths. The cabin stopped and the doors opened. She stepped out and looked to her left and to her right. There was an apartment door in both directions. Erik didn’t mention which direction his door would be. She unlocked her phone, calling Erik.

“Hey baby girl. Where you at?”

“Um, I’m in the hallway. You never told me if your door is to the left or right of the elevators.”

“Oh shit. My bad. The right.”

Phoenix goes right and the door begins to open. Erik steps out with a smile sitting beautifully on his face. He made Nike shirts look like the most exquisite shirts on the market. His dreads were pulled up into a pineapple. The smell of seasoned chicken flowed out into the hallway meeting Phoenix as she greeted him with a hug. He steps aside, letting her in. First glance and Phoenix was stunned. The sleek and modern black and gold decor was designed perfectly. The high ceilings and floor to ceiling glass windows gave the most amazing view of the city. She walked in, looking around, noticing the African Art along the walls.

“Ohhhh, he got moneyyy!”

“Would you like a tour?”

She whipped her head around to him. “Yes, actually. I would.”

“C’mon.”

She follows him as he leads her more into his penthouse. They walk through his huge living room where he has the largest sectional couch that Phoenix has ever seen. It looked so comfy and she couldn’t wait to get lost in it. A 90” tv set on a stand in front of it.

“Full bar over there.” he points to underneath the stairs. “Dining area. Kitchen.” He takes her hand and leads her past the kitchen into a hallway. There are two doors to right. The first is a guest bathroom. The second door is a guest bedroom.

“Damn, Stevens! Your guest room is bigger than my living room. Go off with your rich ass.”

“You’re silly, baby girl. C’mon, we’re going upstairs.”

They make their way back into the main area to go upstairs. She follows him up and notices his pants hanging low on his waist. This nigga has cake.

“Damn, you kinda thick, E.” she pats him. He stops mid step and turns to give her the straightest face.

“Don’t do that shit again.”

She puts her hands up in surrender. “My bad big booty E.”

“Chill.” They continue their trip up the stairs and the space before them was big enough to be another living room. There were some workout equipment, neatly stacked against the wall.

“Oh this is where you be growing ya’ cheeks at.”

“Phoenix, you got one more time to mention my ass before I put you out.”

“Alright, alright. I’m done.” she smirks at him.

He takes her through some sliding doors that lead to his bedroom. The walls were white with a dark grey accent wall behind his bed. A TV was up on the wall between his large windows. The shades were down, blocking out the cities lights. His california king bed dressed in black and purple. A large black panther picture hung on the wall.

“I have an idea, E.” Phoenix says, rubbing her chin.

“What’s that?”

“I move into this room and you take the one downstairs.”

“You sound crazy. You could just join me in this one.” he winks at her.

“Nope. I need all of this to myself.”

“Nah. I come with it. All or nothing. If you don’t like it, you can stay in your shoebox downstairs.”

Phoenix’s mouth drops and she clutches her chest. “First of all, I love my shoebox.”

He wraps his arm around her shoulders. “C’mon, we’re almost done with the tour.”

She walks with him to the other side of his room and through another set of sliding doors. They step into his master bathroom. His shower had three shower heads and a bench. The tub sat in front of a large window and another tv was on the wall in front of it. “I’m sold. I might have to take you up on your offer now.”

“Oh now you want me?”

“Technically,” she put a finger up. “I never said that I didn’t.”

“You’re something else.” He walks out and she follows him. Right outside the bathroom’s doors was a small hallway that lead into his closet. He turned on the lights, revealing his amazing collection of clothes, sneakers, jackets, and a jewelry case full of chains and watches and few pair of earrings. Straight ahead was a large mirror. Phoenix walked right passed his clothes. Fuck his clothes honestly. The white light in the closet made for good lighting and the mirror called her to take the perfect picture.

“OH! It’s picture time.” She pulled out her phone, snapping a full cute pics, catching her body at all of the right angles. As she tried to get a new position, she noticed Erik leaning against the wall behind her. She hadn’t realized that he was visible in her pictures before. She stopped and looked at him.

“What?” he was lost as to why she was giving him the stink look.

“Get out my picture.” she barked at him.

He rolled his eyes, stepping out of her camera’s view. She snapped a few more pictures.

“Are you done?” he called out. She walks back to him.

“Yes. All done. Thanks.”

He turns off the lights and they both leave out of his room. As they walked toward the stairs, he points to a door on the other side, “That’s my office. I’m redoing it right now so it’s a mess in there.”

They go downstairs and into the kitchen where the food Erik had cooked sat on the stove. He made stuffed chicken, cheesy, garlic potatoes and grilled asparagus. Phoenix sat in the wooden barstool at the kitchen island as he prepared their plates.

“Red or White?” he asked without turning around.

“Hmm, white.”

Erik placed two plates of food on the counter in front of her. He grabbed two wine glasses from a cabinet, placing one in front of her. “You’re a sweet kind of woman aren’t you?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” He walks away out of her sight. When he comes back, he has a bottle of Moscato. He effortlessly pops the cork and pours into their glasses. He takes his seat next to her, pulling her seat closer to him. He grabbed her chin, bringing their faces just a breath from each other. He licks his lips and places a peck on hers, making a small closed mouth smirk appear on hers. “Eat up, baby girl.”

Phoenix pulled away from him. “You don’t tell me what to do, Stevens.” She picks up her fork and starts eating. He watches her with prey like eyes.

“We’ll see about that.” he finally says with a low tone before digging into his food.

As they enjoyed their meal, they talked about random things. How they’re sick of the construction outside of their building. Phoenix has a hair appointment the next day. Nothing major. Well about halfway through dinner, the conversation shifted.

“So,” Erik sat his fork down. “Your birthday is coming up. You and your crew planning something?”

Phoenix sipped her wine. “My crew? No. This vacation is enough for me. I don’t wanna do anything really.”

“I thought the trip was Camrens’s birthday gift?”

“It is. But, I don’t know, it’s right before mine so I’m okay with just that.”

“Why?” He was watching the side of her face.

“Not really a birthday person.”

“I’ve never met a woman that wasn’t a birthday person.”

She finally looks at him. “I mean, as a kid, I was. But the older I got, it just seemed so… extra. I would only do something because my brother wanted to.”

“Brother?!” Erik’s eyebrows raised high. “You have a brother?”

Phoenix rolls her eyes. “Yeah. A twin, actually. Zion.”

“You’ve never mentioned having a brother.”

“Because…” she takes a sip. “We don’t talk. He don’t fuck with me and I don’t fuck with him.” Her demeanor changed. Phoenix is tense now. She clenches and unclenches her jaw and the slight eye rolls as she talks let Erik know that her brother is a trigger. 

Erik turns his body to face her to give her his full attention. “Why not?” She cups her glass with both hands, slowly taking sips. There’s a beat of silence. 

“I’m here.” She began. Her voice small. “I’m living a decent life, doing what I love to do and he’s not.” she shrugs. “He hates me for that.”

“Hate is a strong word.”

“He hates me, E. He said it. He’s convinced himself that I just have hella money and because I won’t move him out here and pay his way through school or fund any of his ideas, I’m not a good sister. He’s the only boy in the family, so everybody has always babied his big ass. I’m not doing that. I’ve worked hard. I’ve earned everything that I have. He can do the same.”

“I understand that. Ain’t shit free.”

She looks at him in disbelief. Everyone (her family and old friends from back home) felt like she was being too harsh on her brother for wanting him to put in some kind of work. They had always just given him what he wanted, no matter the cost. Phoenix had worked for everything. She had a job at 16 while her brother did whatever he wanted. He was given his first car from an uncle while Phoenix saved up her money to get herself one. That same car she saved up for is the same car that she drove to California. Everyone excused her brother actions because he was just a free spirit. Phoenix was too but she still had some discipline.

“Why you look at me like that?” Erik asked.

“Because… you’re the first person to actually agree with me.”

“Hell yeah, I agree with you! That nigga better get a damn job.” That made her laugh. “Phoenix and Zion though. Interesting names for twins.”

“Our names were gonna be Zues and Megara since Hercules was my mama’s favorite movie.” Erik burst into laughter. “Thank God my grandma threw a bible at her ass and put a stop to that.” Phoenix joined in on the laughing.

Erik wiped a tear from his eyes, his laughter calming down. “Oh man,” he tapped on the counter, looking as though he had something else to say.  “Speaking of names though. Um, can I tell you a secret?”

“Let me guess, Erik isn’t your real name or something?” she says, jokingly. Erik just looks at her, eyebrows raised. His silence answering his question. She slams her hand on the counter. “ERIK ISN’T YOUR REAL NAME?” she starts to raise up from the barstool. 

Erik stops her, grabbing her arm. “Hold up. Hold up.” she snatches her arm from his hold. “Hear me out.” she motions for him to continue. “Technically, Erik is my name, but I also have my Wakandian name.”

“You better not be fucking with me.”

“I’m dead serious. I’m Erik Stevens but technically, my real name is N’Jadaka.”

Phoenix takes a deep breath, staring at him like he has three heads. A whole minute passed with her just looking at him.  “I need more wine.” she finally says.

“Nah,” Erik stands, taking Phoenix’s hand, “ I know what you need.

Some dick! Her brain screamed at her. “What’s that?”

She followed him to the couch. He turned on the tv and picked up a blunt from the coffee table. They lean into each other, shoulder to shoulder as Erik lights the blunt, taking two drags of it and passing it to Phoenix. She takes a hit, holding in the smoke longer than she needed and slowly blowing it out. They passed the blunt back and forth until it was gone. They settled into the couch as Naruto played on the tv. Phoenix had come clean during one of their late night facetime calls that she started watching the show while he was gone and that she really liked it. They agreed to watch it together and here they were. As their highs hit them more, Erik dimmed the lights in the living room and got comfortable laying on Phoenix’s lap. They remained in this position until Phoenix’s legs were numb. She repositioned herself under him to lay fully on her back and he placed his body over hers, resting his head on stomach. He was heavy but she liked it. She wanted him to stay there forever.

Phoenix had been absentmindedly playing in Erik’s locs for an entire episode. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped. His hand came out of nowhere and placed her hand back in his hair. She giggled and continued rubbing his scalp again. She looked down at him and noticed that his eyes were closed. This man was falling asleep.

“Erik…” she called him softly.

“Hm.” he moaned.

“Are you sleep?”

“I’m resting my eyes.” his voice was low and raspy. He was definitely asleep. Phoenix waited a couple minutes before calling his name again, but this time she didn’t receive a response. She pulled out her phone, opening her front camera and took a picture of them. Erik’s face buried in her stomach and her fingers, tangled in his locs. She then opened her Instagram, swiping to make a story. A boomerang of course. She made one with the caption ‘Niggas be like, I’m just resting my eyes.’ She posted it and sat her phone down on the floor. She was pretty tired herself but the truth is, she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay right here, under him. So she did.

--------

Erik naturally woke up a little after  7am. He wanted to lay with Phoenix longer but his body was so used to waking up early, he knew he had to just get up. As soon as he moved from off of her, she curled up into the fetal position. He grabbed a blanket, placing it over Phoenix’s now balled up body. He stood over her, admiring how peaceful she looked while sleep. He then headed upstairs into his bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He changed into some compression pants and basketball shorts. He remained shirtless and went out to his workout area and began his at home workout.

An hour later, he was sweaty and tired. He checked over the railing to see Phoenix still asleep. She was still balled up in the same spot. He laughed to himself remembering that she never wakes up before noon. He goes back into his bathroom to shower and change into some fresh clothes. He left his locs to lay wildly over his face and came back downstairs to clean up last night’s dishes. The clanking of the dishes and ruffles of the dishwasher still didn’t get Phoenix to wake up. She was a hard sleeper. The opposite of Erik. Maybe it was his Navy training, but Erik could hear wind shift directions in his sleep. It was still early, just after 10. He’s let her sleep in some more.

He sat near her on the couch to watch some tv and lazily scrolled through his phone. He opened the Instagram app and the first thing he noticed was Phoenix’s profile picture at the top of his screen, glowing pink. He tapped it and the boomerang of them played over and over. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. He did everything he could to conceal the grin that threatened to appear on his face as if someone was watching. He watched it more times than he would care to admit. Phoenix began to stir in her sleep. One of her feet poked out from under the blanket. Her sock was missing and her neon pink toes struggled to find shelter under his thigh. He picked up her foot, setting it on his lap and started massaging her foot. He did this while watching tv until his fingers were tired.

It was approaching noon and Phoenix still hadn’t budged. She had a hair appointment in a few hours and Erik knew it was time to wake her. He softly shook her leg, calling her name.

“Philly. C’mon, baby girl. Get up.”

“Hm?” she moaning from under the blanket.

“Get up.”

He had to shake her a little harder for her to actually wake up. She sat up, stretching her arms over her head. She looked disheveled-- her hair were all over her head, she looked confused about where she was and she was missing a sock.

“Morning, baby girl.” He sat back, rubbing her unsocked foot again.

“Morning.” she yawned. She stared blankly ahead, trying to process that she’s awake now. The fresh scent of his body lotion traveled under her nose and she looked at him, taking in the fact that he was fully dressed and looked damn good.

“You smell good.” her tired voice rung out.

“Thank you.”

“How long have you been up?”

“Like seven thirty.”

She shook her head, “Early as fuck,” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “What time is it now?”

“Almost noon. Figured I’d wake you up so you’re not late for your hair appointment.”

Phoenix shifted her body and laid her head on his lap. “I don’t want to go to that.”

“Nah, Phoenix. Get yo’ ass up. You’re not about to blame me for your hair not being done later.”

Phoenix moaned in protest. He slipped his hand in her curls, rubbing her head. “How am I supposed to get up and you’re doing shit like this?”

He stopped and lifted her up from him. He held her chin, “Because… you need to go wash your hair, wash your face, brush them teeth and put some lotion on this ashy ass foot you had on me.”

She swatted his hand from her face. “You can suck my ass, Erik. My foot ain’t ashy.”

“I’ll do more than suck your ass, baby girl.” he licked his lips. Phoenix watched closely as his tongue grazed his lips. She had zoned out, flashing back to all of the dreams that she’s been having of him doing just what he said. Her breathing hitched and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. The snapping of his fingers in front of her face, snatched her from her mind.

“Hm?”

He raised a brow at her. “You were thinking about me sucking your ass, huh?”

“What-- No!”

“Mhm.” he chuckled.

“I see you want to start with me early today.” she says as she stands and searches under the blanket for her sock.

“Early? Girl, half the damn day is gone.”

“Whatever. It’s early to me.” She finds her sock and sits down to put it on. She feels on the floor for her phone, checking it and seeing that the group chat with her friends is currently up in flames with 23 unread messages. She swipes to open the thread and finds that she’s butt of their jokes.

Mica: I know Phoenix up. She’s avoiding us right now.

Camren: lmao. That’s because Erik giving her that morning wood.

Mica: Right! “Niggas be like” head ass.

Ava: She think she slick too. Y’all notice how she made sure you couldn’t see his face?

Camren: yessss! No face. No Case.

Mica: lmfao.

“Oh my goodness.” Phoenix drags a hand over her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“My crew as you call them, they’re lighting my ass up right now about something I posted on Instagram.”

“Oh, that boomerang?” Her head snapped in his direction. “Yeah, I seen that.” he bit his lip to stop himself from smiling.

“How did you see that?”

“I follow you.”

“What? When-- when did you follow me?”

Erik shifted his focus to his phone, looking unbothered at the fact that he just snitched on himself. “I been following you.”

“Since when?”

“Don’t worry about all that. Stop being fake bougie and follow me back though.”

Phoenix was stunned that she didn’t know this information. She felt exposed. “This is weird. What’s your name?”

He snatched her phone from her hands and searched his name @Kingkill_ . His page was private so he requested a follow from her page. He exited out of the app and opened her messages, going to her group chat. Phoenix watched, confused as to what he was going to do. He tapped the camera icon and the camera popped up on screen.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Erik pushed Phoenix down onto her back, and straddled himself over her. She tried to grab the phone but he held her wrist in place and tapped the red button to record. He started dramatically humping her and laughing.

“Get off me nigga.” she shouted.

“Hold on, baby. I’m almost done.”

One of Phoenix’s hands broke free from his grip and she swung on him, reaching for her phone. He jumped up and ran. She pushed herself up from the couch going after him. He ran into his guest bedroom and locked the door. Phoenix banged on the door, shouting for him to open the door.

“I will break this bitch down. Open the door Erik.”

“Try it if you want to.”

Erik leaned his large figure against the shaking door. He proceeded to send the compromising video to her friends in the group chat. After hitting send, he unlocks the door and Phoenix stands there looking pissed with her arms folded over her chest. He hands her the phone and she snatches it and storms off.

“You really mad?” He goes after her.

She tries her best to not break her fake mad face. But she couldn’t hold it. “You play too much. They’re about to drag my ass.”

“C’mere.” He grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her, placing kisses all over her face. “You like it on the low.” She pushed herself off of him.

“I have to go get my hair done. I’ll see your childish ass later.”

As she turned to go put on her shoes, Erik smacks her on her butt and follows her to the door. All ready to go, she goes in for a hug and quickly gripped his face in her small hand and blew her breath in his face. The smile on his face dropped and snatched his face away. “You nasty as hell! Get out of my house.”

Phoenix broke down in laughter. “That’s what you get for playing.” She opens the door, stepping out into the hallway. Erik is being extra, pinching his nose and waving her out. She winks at him, “See you later, N’Jadaka.”

--------------

Tags: @purple-apricots @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc @missshae @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy @thadelightfulone @raysunshine78 @toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads

***Let me know if you want to be tagged. :)

#erik stevens #erik killmonger #erik killmonger x OC #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #shaebewriting #black panther #erik killmonger x black oc

[shewritestheblues]

Old Thing Back (2)

Erik Killmonger x Reader

Erik runs into his old high school girlfriend and realizes how much love he still has for her.

Please Note: In this series, there was never a fight for the thrown between Erik and T’Challa. It’s all good between them. Erik became a Seal and used his pull to go to Wakanda in the hopes of just finding his family. Together, he and T’Challa founded the Wakandan Outreach Center in Oakland.

Thanks for the feedback and love. :) excuse any mistakes. enjoy.

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It had been weeks since you ran into Erik… or since he literally ran into you. Good thing you only went running on the weekends. That made it easier to avoid him if you spotted him again. But luckily, you didn’t. You purposely waited until about 9am to go running and you were sure that was why. If he was an early bird, he wouldn’t catch you.

The weekend at come to an end and you were successful yet again at not being run over by your past. You were ready to get back to work to be with your favorite mini humans. You had been a kindergarten teacher for five years and each year, you’d fall in love with your tribe of five year olds like they were your own. This year, your God Daughter, Bella was one of your students. You wouldn’t let Kelly enroll her into any other school. You practically demanded that little Bella be your student. 

You had just picked up your daily Chai Tea Latte from the cafe near Kelly’s house and you were arriving at her home to pick Bella up for school. You were running behind. Your class would be taking a field trip today and you took it upon yourself to make lunches for each student.

As you pulled into Kelly’s driveway, she was rushing out the door with Bella, running late herself. She was called into work early this morning.

“Thank you so much for picking her up, girl. I needed this morning shift.” Kelly says, strapping Bella into her carseat.

“Not a problem. Bella is my baby too.” You smile at the toddler. “Ain’t that right baby girl?”

“Yes.” Bella was all smiles.

“Alright.” Kelly sighed. “You will be a good girl today on your trip.”

“I will, mommy.”

Kelly kisses Bella and closes her door. She waves at you and you pull off, going to school.

When you get there, the bus taking your class on their first ever field trip was there waiting. You get Bella and the lunches out of the car and rush over to find your other students and your teaching assistant, Liza getting settled. You do a headcount to make sure everyone is there before the bus heads to its destination.

“I’ve heard so much about this place and what they’ve done over the summer for kids.” your TA states.

“Hmm?” You were zoned out, enjoying your morning drink.

“The Outreach Center.”

“Oh yeah. Me too. When I heard they were opening this Early Child Development Studio, I knew I had to bring our babies to see what it’s about.”

“I wonder if the King of Wakanda will be there today.” Liza sticks her tongue out making you laugh.

“He is fine ain’t he?” you smirk. “I would not mind becoming a Queen for him.”

“Miss Y/N? Are we there yet?” a small voice from behind you asks you. It’s Tyler. He’s one of your busy body students. He doesn’t like sitting in one spot for too long and is always asking a lot of questions.

You smile at him. “Almost Tyler.” You stretch your neck over the driver's seat to get a good look at the road. “We’re a few blocks away.”

And in just a few minutes, the bus turns into a parking lot next to the building. Glowing blue letters sitting above large, glass doors reading, Wakandan Outreach Center.

“Okay boys and girls. We’re here. Is everyone listening?”

“Yes!” they all answer you.

“Great. We're going to be good guests here. We will stay in line and stay together. Today will be a very fun day. If any of you have to use the restroom, come to me or Miss. Liza and we will find the nearest restroom. Are you guys ready?”

“Yes, Miss. Y/N.”

One by one, the kids jumped off the bottom step of the bus. They made a single file line and followed you into the building with Liza behind them, carrying the lunches. You were met with a beautiful, tall woman in red. Her smile was as bright as the sun. Her presence was breathtaking and even the kids noticed her. You and them were in awe of this gorgeous woman.

“Hello, I’m Mia. You must be the kindergarten class that’s supposed to visit the new Studio today?”

“Yes.” you excitedly shake her hand. Which was amazingly smooth and warm. “I’m Y/N. This is Liza and these are our shining stars.” You turn to your students. “Class 104, this Mia.”

“Hi Mia.” their tiny voices rung out, echoing through the lobby.

“Hello Class 104. Nice to meet you all.” Mia turns to you again. “We’re excited to have you today. Unfortunately, our tour guide, Sasha won't be in today but our Director of Youth Development is here and he’s offered to show you guys around today.”

“Okay, that’s fine. Who is--”

Mia looks to her left. “Here he is now. Mr. Stevens.”

Her words shocked you like lightening. But the person she referred to as Mr. Stevens, made your heart sink into the pit of your belly.

“Good Morning.” his deep voice boomed in your ears. The smile on his face was just as bright as Mia’s. He reaches out to take the box of lunches from Liza. “Could you take this to the cafeteria, Mia?”

You took a few deep breaths, calming your nerves. How is this happening? Why is this happening? You look to Liza who is gazing at him. He reaches his hand out to Liza.

“Good morning. I’m Erik.”

She shakes his hand and her bright cheeks begin turning red. “Um, hi. I’m Liza.”

Erik turns to you with a smirk and his hand out. “Y/N.” he states your name so matter factly.

“Hi, Erik.”

Liza looks confused now. How did you two know each other? She thought.

The smile on Erik’s face was contagious and you couldn’t help but to smile too. Your cheeks going against you. Allegedly. You playfully roll your eyes and avoid meeting his eyes. Your eyes meet with one of your students, Jonathan. He bounces his little brows up at you and winks. You bite back the laughter that threatens to come out.

“Class 104, this is…” You turn back to Erik. “Do you prefer Mr. Erik or Mr. Stevens?”

Erik drags his tongue over his bottom lip, eyes trained on you. He's aware of your struggles. “Mr. Erik is fine.”

“Class… Mr. Erik.”

“Hi, Mr. Erik.” your class sings in unison.

“He’s going to be showing us around today. Are you guys and gals excited?”

“Yes!” the cheery five year olds jump and clap.

A small girl from the back of the group makes her way to the front. She introduces herself to Erik.

“Hi, Mr. Erik. I’m Melody. I’m the line leader, so you can just show me where to go and I’ll take it from here.”

She places her small hand into Erik, shocking him. He didn’t know five year olds could be so damn bold. But he smiled at her and decided he’d go along with it. He gives you a knowing look. You shake your head and look over to Liza, who is trying everything in her to hold back her laugh.

Melody snaps at her class. “Get in line. Me and Mr. Erik will lead the way.” Her class follows her demanding instructions. Erik begins walking with Melody down a large hallway. You watch in disbelief at how your young student took charge as the line began walking away from you. You and Liza catch eyes again and this time, snickers escape from the both of you.

“I can’t lie,” Liza began, “Melody has game. I respect it. She just took your man right under your nose.”

“My what!” your words coming out a bit louder than expected. You see Erik peak behind him to you and Liza. The two of you were trailing the line of jumping kids.

Liza cuts her eyes at you. “You can play stupid with these babies but you can’t play stupid with me Y/N. I peeped how y’all were looking at each other. All cheesy and shit.” Liza swayed her body adding emphasis on her words.

“That’s a bad word, Miss Liza.” Tyler barked.

“My apologies, Tyler.”

You and Liza bite back more laughter.

-----------------------

Erik leads the class to two large doors with glowing blue lights and Wakandan symbols engraved on them. Early Childhood Development Studio. When Erik opened the doors, it was like a kindergarten teacher's dream classroom. It was neat with a modern decor style but still colorful to draw in a child's attention. The ceiling mimicked a dome with animated visuals playing on the tiles. Rows of white tables with small stability ball chairs. Each table paired with a collection of Crayola Crayons, Markers, Pencils and Erasers. In front of each seat, sat an iPad full of learning apps. To the right of the room, there’s a dry erase board and learning posters. To the left, shelves and shelves of children's books, neatly placed toys--Including a play kitchen, salon, tool boxes. There was an open space covered with a mat that would glow with the same blue color that was on the entry doors.

You and Liza were intrigued to say the least. Your students were in aw as well and being very vocal about it. Erik was pleased to see everyone approving of his design.

“As you can see here,” Erik began explaining, “each student would have their own iPad to stay up to date with the new learning apps that we are developing. We have plenty of utensils here for drawing and expression. The dome is designed for the children to gain an understanding of how the sky and the galaxy works.” he takes a step back to grab an iPad. He taps a few buttons and suddenly the room is darkened and stars and planets paint the ceiling. It’s so realistic that even you, for a second, thought that you were just casted into space. The children voiced their ohs and aws.

“Wow.” you mouthed, looking around you watching a meteorite pass by you.

Erik taps the iPad again and the ceiling goes back to normal. He walks over to the glowing mat, tapping on it and holographic visuals of a young woman with braids pop up. She jumps with joy.

“Hey Shuri, meet Class 104.”

“Hello class.” Shuri waves. The students are bouncing with excitement and wave back to Shuri.

“We have an experiment set up for you.” He tells the class. “Are you ready?”

“YES!” their screams bounce off the walls.

“They’re ready, Shuri.”

“Alright you little geniuses. Have you ever seen a volcano erupt?” Shuri asks as she walks over to a table.

You and Liza are completely mute. You couldn’t believe what your eyes were seeing. Is this real? Like live footage?

Shuri pours a liquid into the top of the volcano and it explodes a lava colored foam.

“Oh my gosh!” one kid yells out.

“My mama won’t believe this.” another says.

Erik laughs at the joyful reactions.

“There’s more where that came from when you guys come and see me later.” Shuri smiles.

“Thanks Shuri. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to come down.” Erik says.

She gives him a thumbs up and Erik taps the mat again and the hologram disappears.

“Erik!” you were stunned. “That was live?”

“Yes. We use holograms to do most of our communication. The mat is designed with vibranium, so it can’t be destroyed and we can use it for science experiments, communication, building blocks… I could go on but I’d rather show you over time.”

“Wow. This is perfect. More kids that come here and we’ll have hella little scientists running around Oakland.” Liza says.

“Why don’t we get them started.” Erik leads the children to the tables. Each of them picking a seat and tapping on the iPads. Erik gets each of them set up with a different app to explore their little brains.

You and Liza help with the set up and before you knew it, each student was in their own little world learning and actually enjoying it. You and Liza were probably enjoying the Studio more than the children.

------------

To reward your shining stars for being the amazing little learners they were, you and Liza figured that they should have some play time. This would be good for them to use up the rest of their energy before lunch, as well as give you and Liza a break.

As the children played with all of the high tech toys, Liza couldn’t help but to notice the set of eyes trained on you. She hid a knowing smile behind her water bottle as she pretended to take a sip and pretending even harder at listening to whatever you were talking about.

“Mhmm.” is all Liza offered to you.

Liza always has commentary to whatever topic you were babbling about so the lack there of caught your attention.

“Liza, are you listening to me?” you snapped with a bit of attitude.

Her eyes meet yours. “I’m not understanding how you are able to listen to you right now.”

“Excuse me?”

Liza scrunches her nose up. “You don’t sense the demon eyes glaring at you from across the room? Melody may have Mr. Erik,” she adds emphasis to his name, “wrapped around her little finger, but that man has been hawking you since we got here.”

You scoff. “No he hasn’t.” You look up and lock eyes with Erik. He’s sitting on the floor with Melody playing in his dreads like she’s his hairstylist. Just before you could react, Bella approaches you.

“God Mommy… I’m hungry.” she whines.

Saved by the Bella.

You look at your Apple Watch noticing that it’s just passed 11a.m. Lunch Time!

“Okay, baby girl. It’s lunch time anyways.”

Bella waste no time turning back to her fellow classmates and yells, “IT’S LUNCH TIME!”

The children go up on roars. It was adorable how thrilled they were about food. That’s something you could relate to on a soul level. The students line up with joy in their eyes. Erik walks toward you and Liza. Your heart begins picking up its pace.

“Hey. So, I figured we could squeeze some time in to visit our labs after lunch before y’all have to go. That’s cool?” he asked mainly you.

You simply nodded your head. You snapped your neck at Liza when you heard her snickering. Of course Erik noticed and he gave you a very toothy smile. His dimples were on full display and you did the only thing you thought you could… run!

“Alright 104,” you step around Erik and Liza. “Mr. Erik here is going to take us to the cafeteria.”

Bella takes your hand into hers. She looks up at Erik. “Hurry Mr. Erik. I’m dying.”

“Let’s go.” he leads you, Liza and the class to the enormace cafeteria. You were impressed. It was like a mini airport in there. Multiple food options. You immediately set your mind on Stir Fry. Liza’s eyes were glued to the pizza.

Mia met all of you with the class’s lunches. As the children got settled in their seats. you and Liza handed out each lunch and watched as they dug in. You and Liza sat at the end of the table to keep a good eye on the kids. As you began eating your food, a large presence approached behind you. You hear a clearing of a throat. You look up and see Erik with sly smirk painted on his lips. His hands were behind his back.

“Do you ladies mind if I join you?” he asks.

“Nope. Y/N doesn’t mind at all if you join her.” she winks at you. She doesn’t care that you were shooting daggers at her. “My baby-loves need me anyway.”

She rises from her seat next to you and she joins the class. Erik takes ownshipship of her chair.

“I have something for you.” In his hands held a box of brand new AirPods.

“Erik… You really didn’t have to do that.”

Ignoring your protest. “I was expecting to give them to you weeks ago but I guess I scared you away from the park.”

The disappointment in his eyes made you feel bad. “Thank you…”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

It was more of a statement than a question.

“No--No. It’s just… you have to admit, it was kinda weird. Ya’ know, with the way things were the last time we saw each other.” You found the courage to look in his eyes again. Guilt. Regret. “You were the last person I thought I’d see. A lot of feelings that I thought were dead, surfaced and I--.”

“I understand.” he bit the side of his cheek. He felt the awkwardness between you two when he ran into you. He couldn’t deny it if he wanted to.

“But, the universe has a funny way of doing things.” you added.

“Yeah… I’ve always lived with that regret though. I wish I would’ve said something. Ran after you. I don’t know.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Where did you go?” you finally spoke up.

“College... Naval Academy and MIT.”

“Damn, Erik. I knew you were smart but I didn’t know you were that smart to just go to college at 16.”

A low chuckle escapes his mouth. “Yeah, “he continued, “When I became a SEAL, I got curious. I knew I had family in Africa so I decided to go find them. When I got to the Wakanda… they uh, they accepted me with open arms. My uncle--”

“Wait, wait.” you interjected. “You’re Wakandan?”

“Yeah.” a sly smile crept onto his face.  “T’Challa is my cousin.”

“WHAT THE FUCK!”

Your shock took over you. You had forgotten where you were and who you were with.

“Ohhhh, Ms. Y/N. That’s a bad word.” one of your students yelled out, bringing you back to reality.

You slap your hand over your mouth. “I am so sorry. I will not say it again. I promise.”

“You have to go in the time out chair, Ms. Y/N.”

You felt foolish for not keeping it together in front of your students. “I’m sorry guys, okay? Forgive me.”

Bella approached you. “I forgive you God Mommy.”

You rub her big puff on top of her head. “Thank You, Bella.”

“God Mommy?” Erik looks between the two of you.

“Yes. This is my GodDaughter who is also my student. This is Kelly’s daughter.”

“Kelly! Big mouth Kelly?”

“My mommy doesn’t have a big mouth.” Bella gathered Erik very nicely.

Erik throws his hands up in surrender. “My bad Miss Bella. She doesn't. I’m sorry.”

You send Bella back to sit with her class. You and Erik play catch up until lunch time was over. He took all of you to Shuri’s lab. Shuri showed the kids some of her gadgets. Before you knew it, it was time for you to load your class up on the school bus and take them back to school for them to be released to their parents. Strangely, you weren’t ready for the trip to be over. You internally told yourself that it wasn’t because of Erik but Liza made sure to constantly remind you that Erik was definitely the reason. You felt butterflies every time your eyes met his. It was like no time had been missed between you two. Yes, there was still an elephant in the room between you but this felt nice and if you had to be honest, that could wait. You liked the way he was making you feel.

You were doing your head count when Erik made his presence known just outside of the buses doors. You kindly asked Liza to make sure all of your students were counted for and you stepped off to talk to Erik… again.

He laid down a fly away from your bun. That took you by surprise.

“It was nice seeing you, Y/N. For real this time.”

“Same. I’m glad we were able to talk and things not be, ya’ know, weird.”

They exchange smiles before Erik spoke again.

“I know I’m shooting for the moon right now but I don’t want to miss this moment.”

You waited for him to continue.

“But um, I would like to link up with you again. Minus the work and students.”

He immediately noticed the look of uncertainty forming over your features. He was definitely shooting for the moon, you thought.

“I don’t know, Erik.”

“Hear me out. It’ll be just two old friends catching up and plus… I want to formally apologize for some things.” He slipped a folded piece of paper into your hands, making sure to allow his fingers to linger over yours. He looked you dead in the eye. “You don’t have to figure it out now. Just promise me that you’ll at least think about it, okay?”

A nod was all that you could produce as a reply.

He leaves you with a wink.

When you joined your class on the bus, Liza made kissy faces at you. You blew her off. Unfolding the paper revealed Erik’s phone number. You would think about it. It was the least you could do.

---------

You were arriving at Kelly’s to drop your God daughter off to her. Bella was great on her first field trip and you wanted to tell Kelly all about her growing little genius.

You relaxed back onto her couch, cuddling up with Bella. Kelly joined you two, thrilled to hear about their adventure. You went on and on about the Children’s studio, the amazing food and science labs. Kelly loved the futuristic things you were telling her. She wanted so badly to take a personal trip to the Outreach Center just for herself. She was a science lover and that was right up her alley.

“Oh my goodness, Bella baby. It sounds like you had so much fun today.” Kelly doted on her young daughter.

“I did, mommy. I even got to meet God Mommy’s boyfriend.”

Your head snapped to look at Bella like she had six heads.

“Her what!”

“Yeah. Mr. Erik.”

“Bella!”

“Mr. Erik huh?” Kelly looks at you with raised eyebrows. “Tell me more Bella.”

“He was nice. He let me and Melody do his hair. He took us all around and showed us a volcano.”

“That’s nice baby, but tell me. How do you know Mr. Erik is God Mommy’s boyfriend?”

“You’re going to listen to a five year old, Kelly?” you question.

“Hush up! Let the child talk.”

“Well,” Bella throws her hands up. “They were looking at each other like this.” She dramatically blinks her eyes and smiles really big.

You cover your face with your hands. You couldn’t believe your god daughter was throwing you under the bus like this. It really be your own people.

“Bella, why don’t you go change out of your school clothes and let me God Mommy talk.”

Bella runs upstairs to her room. You peak between your fingers to see if Kelly was looking at you. Of course she was with a devious smirk, waiting for you to spill the tea.

“Spill it bitch and don’t leave nothing out.”

You sit still in the hopes that you’ll disappear and she won’t press the issue anymore. But no luck. You were still very visible and your best friend was extremely patient. You pull yourself up on the couch.

“Fuck it. There’s no way out of this.” you say to yourself. “Mr. Erik is Erik Stevens.”

Kelly’s eyes damn near pops out of her head. “Erik fucking Stevens? You are lying to me.”

#Erik Stevens x black!reader #erik stevens x reader #Erik killmonger x Reader #Erik Killmonger #black panther fic #shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

You Know I Love You

I’ve decided to write all ideas that come to me rather they have an interesting plot or not. I want to grow as a writer. I told myself that for 2020, I’m going to do all the things that scare me. **Like writing more and actually sharing. So this is a small, random piece that came to me this morning. Not sure what inspired it but I wanted to post. This is a (1) of (2) parts.

Erik Killmonger x Reader

Finally sitting down on your sofa felt like heaven. The usual Sunday morning cleaning was done. Dinner was cooking in the crockpot. You still had about two hours before it was done, so you curled up on your navy sectional. You had just rediscovered your comfy part in the right hand corner near your large windows, when your phone started to ring. The groan that left your lips echoed throughout your spotless apartment. Someone from the main lobby of your building was calling you.

“Hello. This is Y/N.”

You do your best to sound eager for the call.

“Hello, Ms. Y/L/N. I have a delivery down here for you.”

You roll your eyes so hard that it takes a second for your vision to refocus. You blink a few times to gain control of your eyesight again.

“Does it say who it’s from?”

“I’m sorry Ms. Y/L/N, it doesn’t. Would you like for me to send it up?”

“No, no. I’ll come down to get it.”

You hang up and throw your head back and jerking your body like a fish. You knew what it was and who it was from. You huff out a deep breath and push yourself up from the comfort of your sofa. You slip on your baby blue fluffy slippers and head down to the lobby. The older gentleman sitting behind the lobby’s desk smiles at you.

“Hey, Mr. Ross.” you wave at him.

“Someone is really fond of you I see.” he motions to the large bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter. They were Lilly’s this time. Your apartment had been a garden of almost every kind of flower for the past two weeks. You do your best to look excited. But inside you were ready to scream. You didn’t want the flowers. You knew who were sending them and you had no need for them… or him.

You give Mr. Ross a smile and take the flowers back up to your apartment. When you get back into your place, your phone buzzes with a text message.

DO NOT ANSWER: Do you like your flowers?

Another roll of your eyes and this time, a headache began to follow. You delete the text without a response. The card sitting in the middle of the flowers sat there calling your name. You knew you didn’t need to read it. You were sure it said the same thing that all of the rest of them did. But you slipped it from the pins holding it in place and opened it.

Baby, I’m sorry. You know I love you. -E

‘You know I love you.’  You read that more times than you’d like to admit. You knew he loved you but you also knew your worth. You deserved better than what he was offering you. You deserved the world and the moon. But what he gave you was heartbreak. You were tired of waiting for him to realize what he has--what he had.

Erik Stevens was a gorgeous man and he knew it. He would flash that pearly white smile with golds glistening and dimples diving deep into his cheeks and he’d get whatever and whoever he wanted. Granted that’s how he got you but what he didn’t know when he went after you was that you’d be the one. The one that makes him face his shit head on, challenge him and make him fall… like really fall in love. So much so that he would sabotage your relationship just to prove to himself that he still had it.

Two weeks ago, he was asleep in your bed. You couldn’t sleep so you decided to use his iPad to watch Disney+. You didn’t want to wake him with the tv, so you found your headphones and watched Princess and the Frog. Just before Tiana kissed her prince, a message comes through on the iPad. At the same time, you see Erik’s phone light up on the nightstand. One part of you tried to ignore it. You had never felt the need to go through any of his things. But this didn’t feel right. The more you tried to ignore it, the more your stomach turned into knots.

Fuck it! You thought. You opened the message to see an entire thread of text between Erik and another woman. The latest one that was just sent saying,

Unknown Number: I miss you daddy. Come see me.

The text was attached to a picture of a faceless woman’s naked form. The fire that rushes through your body could light an entire city. You slowly got up from your spot in the bed and pulled his duffel bag from the closet. You quietly began packing up all of his things. You traveled into the bathroom, gathering all of his beard and face products, body wash, etc. You sat everything outside of your apartment doors. By the time you had everything out into the hallway, you hear Erik calling to you.

“Baby! Baby, where you at?” You appear in the doorway, visibly pissed. A confused look stretch across his face. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“You need to leave.” you spoke softly.

“What!”

“You heard me, Erik. You need to get out.”

“Y/N…What the hell is going on?” he slowly begins to stand and make his way to you.

You hold your hand up. “Nah. Don’t come over here. Check your phone and when you’re done, leave. I won’t repeat myself.”

Erik is hesitant. His eyes searching for any kind of answer from her. He unlocks his phone and sees the very message that started this.

“Baby…” he slowly brought his eyes to yours.

You step back into the hallway and point towards the door. He knew you weren’t interested in hearing any excuses. He just walked to the door. He turned to say something but you shook your head no. He left out and that was the last time you seen Erik. But… it wasn’t the last time he saw you.

#shaebewriting #erik x black reader #Erik Killmonger #black panther #Erik Stevens

[shewritestheblues]

Old Thing Back (1)

Erik Killmonger x Reader 

Erik runs into is high school girlfriend and realizes how much love her still has for her.

Warnings: none, just some awkwardness

--------

There’s nothing like a morning run. Just before the humidity hits with that cool morning breeze. At 7am, the birds are chirping loudly. Their chirps bring a sense of peace around the usual LA city sounds of cars and nagging people. There are a few other morning runners but for the most part it’s still pretty quiet.

Erik missed this. He hadn’t been for his morning run since returning from Wakanda. Since the Outreach Center had opened, he’s been knee deep in work. He loved his work and being a helping hand in the very community he grew up in, but he needed some me time. His morning runs were just that.

The park near his newly built home was perfect for getting back into the swing of things. Erik sported black basketball shorts and grey compression pants underneath for flexibility. He decided against a shirt, figuring he’d want to take it off anyways. He put his AirPods in, setting a clock on his kimoyo beads and began a slow pacing jog at the entrance of the park.

Two miles in, he had worked up a small sweat that mimicked a spray of mist over his studded chest. Future’s, Life is Good, blast through his ear buds insisting him as he zoned out of reality’s obstacles and he found himself swimming deep into his own thoughts. He internally began mapping out new ideas for the Center. Creating a mental vision board that blocked his vision of the woman ahead of him who had suddenly stopped running just before him.

You had dropped one of your earbuds and halted to look for it. As your eyes searched and scanned the parks ground, a brick wall of a man nearly knocked you faced first into the cement. The only thing stopping you from meeting your bloody fate are the sweaty fingertips of the muscle man gripping your arm.

“Oh shit. I’m so sorry.” Erik held on to your arm to make sure you didn’t fall. “I was zoned out. I didn’t mean—“

You held your chest, feeling your heart beat a million beats per second. You finally looked up to see the man apologizing and the way he stared at you almost scared you more than him clashing into you. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Y/N?” He spoke like he was unsure.

How did this man know you? You studied his features. His smooth brown skin and plump lips. The way he rolled his lips revealed two deep dimples. Then it hit you. ERIK. STEVENS. Your mouth dropped.

“Erik…”

The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. That smile sent an electric current through your chest. You couldn’t believe it, your ex—no, your first… everything was standing right here in front of you. You looked him up and down. This was not the 16 year old Erik Stevens you remembered.

“Damn girl. Of all the people I could’ve stumbled into.”

“Stumbled into?” you chuckle innocently, “More like you almost knocked me into my grave.”

“My bad. I’m really sorry about that. I was in my own head.”

The way his eyes traveled up your form made you wrap your arms around yourself. You felt like a schoolgirl when her crush noticed her for the first time. Which was weird. You once knew Erik… very well. “You’re good. I should’ve been more aware.” You looked around your feet. “I dropped an ear bud.”

“I’ll help you find it.”

Before you could protest, Erik was already searching near the edge of the grass. You joined him in the search before you stepped on it, cracking it.

“I found it.”

You pick up your now broken earbud, feeling defeated. You had only had them for three days.

“Thanks for helping me, I guess.” you say, releasing a long sigh.

There’s an awkward beat of silence between the two of you. You pretend to be looking around the park when he breaks the silence.

“So, you’ve been good? You lookin’ good.” his eyes trail over you again.

You clear your throat. “Um, yeah. Thanks. I’ve been good. Can’t complain. You?”

He nods, “Yeah. I’ve been pretty good. Just been working and shit.”

He wants to say more. You can tell. But were you really interested in what he had to say after 15 years? The awkwardness between the two of you grew thicker and thicker the more you stood there. It was suffocating.

“Well,” you begin, “It was good seeing you.”

Erik opened his mouth to say something but your movements were quick. You turned and began power walking away. You couldn’t explain the way you were feeling. You were nervous, excited, sad and maybe a little angry if you were going to be honest. It really was good to see him. Being that he really glowed up over the years. He looked good. But you couldn’t shake how awkward the air was between you two. Granite, this was the first time you had seen or talked to Erik after he embarrassed you in front of your entire group of friends, 15 years ago.

*** 15 years ago ***

You and your best friend, Kelly had created a fool proof plan. It was the end of summer and with school coming back in just a short week, an end of the summer party was happening that night and y’all had to be there. Chase, Erik’s best friend, was throwing the party. You told your mom you would be staying the weekend at Kelly’s and her sister, Chrissy would drop y’all off and pick y’all up. Everything was perfect.

Except one thing…

You hadn’t heard from your boyfriend, Erik in two days. You tried to not worry yourself about it. You knew he had tough moments in the current foster family he was with and he often needed some space. You chalked it up to that. He would definitely be at the party. He would never miss a Chase party. You’d see your man and things would be good.

When you and Kelly arrived at the party, you were met with another member of your friend group, Tony. He greeted the two of you with hugs and pushed y’all toward the kitchen. He offered to pour you some spiked juice. From the sound of the music and voices, everyone was in the backyard. Kelly flirted with Tony while you tried to peak outside of the sliding door to see if you could see Erik. You spot him wearing a purple tank and cargo shorts and make your way to walk out the door. Kelly watches as Tony rushes to you, asking if you wanted some snacks.

“Why are you acting so weird?” you asked.

Tony scoffs. “I’m not acting weird.”

“Yeah, you are.” Kelly chimed in.

“I’m just trying to make sure my favorite best friends are good. That’s all.”

Kelly links her arm around yours. “We’re good, Tony.” She leads the two of you outside into the party.

“Hey!” y’all shout over the music. Your group of friends all greet you. One by one, you do your rounds, hugging everyone until you get to Erik. He’s being standoff-ish. He holds his head down as he speaks to you.

“Sup, baby?”

“Hey.” you can’t control your smile. You reach for a hug and that’s when you see it. You see why he’s acting weird. You see why he’s trying to keep his head low. His neck is covered in deep, purple hickies. You take a step back, glaring at him.

“WHAT THE FUCK!”

Your voice booming over everyone else’s causing the group to all go silent. All eyes are on you and Erik. He doesn’t say anything but judging from his face, he knew he was in trouble.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now, Erik?”

“Y/N... “ he tried to grab your hand. You snatch it away.

“Is this why I haven’t heard from you in two days?”

“Let’s go in the house.” He reaches for your hand again.

“NO! Fuck You!” You throw your cup of juice at him and storm off.

He starts after you when Kelly stops him. “Nah. You leave her alone. I told you not to hurt my best friend. But you do it anyway. Fuck you, Erik. You ain’t shit.”

Kelly finds you standing in front of Chase’s house with face in the palm of your hands. She doesn’t say anything. She just hugs you and allows you to cry. She slowly guides to two of you to the sidewalk to begin your walk back to her house. You needed the walk to cool off. Like the amazing best friend that Kelly is, she does her digging to find the girl that painted Erik’s neck in bruises. She fills you in on everything by the end of the night.

You were heartbroken. For the last year, you had been Erik’s girlfriend. His first love and he was yours. Just months before, you had lost your virginity to him. Everyone knew of y’all relationship. Many in your friend’s group had deemed y’all ‘class couple.’ But now, all of that was ruined. You were hurt. You were embarrassed. It made sense why Tony was acting so strange.

You blocked Erik’s number and did your best to mentally plan how you would avoid him when school started next week. But when classes returned, Erik didn’t.

Tags: @shaekingshitup @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy @thadelightfulone @raysunshine78 @toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads @lyniya @fd-writes @mygirlrenee @ajspencer1892 @yoyolovesbucky @greatpandagladiator-blog @shanyphantom @sinfully-dope @dessianna1 @ljstraightnochaser @alexundefined @elaindeereads @tgigoldie @soufcakmistress @ohliyaxoxo @steampunkprincess147 @soulfxll @dangerous-history @itsjustshanie @keiva1000 @rbhp @ohliyaxoxo @sheisexcellent1

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#erik stevens x reader #Erik killmonger x Reader #Erik Killmonger #black panther #black panther fic #shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

You Know I Love You II

ONE

Erik Killmonger x Reader

Warnings: None 

Part 2/2 - I may or may not do a part III to this. I have some other stuff I wanna write. But thanks so much for reading. excuse any typos. I wrote this while wine drunk. :)

**

Erik has kept his eyes on you. When you went to work, the gym, the grocery store. How do you think he knew when you made it back to your apartment with the flowers? When you found out about his ‘side piece,’ he felt… foolish. He knew he messed up. He knew you weren’t the type to sit around and cry about stuff. You gave yourself maybe an hour after he left that night to cry your eyes out and you pulled yourself together. You didn’t chase people. You spent a bulk of your existence doing that and that’s not who you were anymore. You would move on because that’s what life did. Time kept going regardless and you vowed to do the same.

You were sitting at your favorite table at your favorite coffee shop. You had your headphones in, completely zoned out trying to finish up your latest blog. A cup appeared on your table and when you looked up, the person standing there took your breath. She was taller in person. The high pony she sported really brought her round face. You could see your reflection in the gloss on her lips. She looked nervous. You sat silently, glaring up at her waiting for her to say something.

“Um,” she started, “I think you know who I am. Can we talk?”

You clench and unclench your jaw and she could see the conflict in your eyes. You could politely say no and go back to working, you could stand up and punch her in the throat or… you could hear what she has to say. Option one was out the door. It was either fight or listen. You chose to listen.

“Sure.” your eyes travel her form up and down. You don’t bother moving any of your things to make room for her. She was invading your space after all.

You stared at her blankley. She needed to start talking before you changed your mind and start dragging her through this shop. You clear your throat and she took a deep breath before beginning to speak.

“I’m Leah.”

You continue to stare at her with the most unbothered expression. She wipes her palms on her jeans and perks up like she’s been hit with a sudden burst of confidence.

“Me and Erik have been dating for a couple of months now. He didn’t tell me about you at first.” your face didn’t change as she continued on. “Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that you need to leave him alone now.”

You scoff at that. “Wow.” you mouthed. You look around you to make sure that she’s really talking to you.

“I’m being dead ass girl. He’s mine now and you need to move on.”

“Me? I need to move on?” you were in disbelief. Erik has been blowing your phone up and sending you gifts every single day since you put him out. Yet, his-- whatever she is, is here bothering you. Before you could continue, Leah’s eyes move passed you at something behind you. You feel a large presence glooming over you and when you look up, Erik is standing just inches away from you with his dark eyes glaring at Leah. Leah smirks at him. His eyebrows connect with a scowl.

“The fuck are you doing here?” he spat at her.

She opens her mouth to speak but you beat her to it. “She was telling me how happy y’all are and that I need to move on and leave her man alone.” you end your word with a smile.

Leah didn’t add or deny anything that you said. She seemed content with your reply.

“I’m not your man. I never fucking was.” he grabbed her arm, bringing her to her feet. “You need to go.”

You watched confused. At this point you were wondering how in the hell did either of them know where you were. The realization hit you like a ton of bricks. Erik had been watching you. Leah had been watching him, watch you.

“I’m not leaving, Erik.” Leah snatched her arm away and folded her arms over her chest. “You need to end this now.”

“End what?”

“You and her.” she pointed between the two of you.

“I’m not ending shit with her. You need to get that through your thick ass skull. I been told you I was done with you. The fuck you keep crawling back for?” Erik was now hovering over Leah’s slim body, snarling at her.

Her eyes began to water. She tried to blink it away but she was shaking. “What about me, Erik? You think you can just fuck me and that’s it?” she was yelling now and causing attention to be casted onto the three of you. Erik was pissed. Her eyes grew big, sensing the danger she was in if she didn’t back down. You swiftly began packing up your things.

“That shit was one time!” he barked. “And I shouldn’t have done that. You crazy bitch!”

You stormed passed the yelling duo. You had so many feelings rushing through you right now and you just wanted to run. You had walked to the coffee shop since it was only a few blocks from your apartment so you began power walking back home. Tears were filling the brim of your eyes as you walked.

“Y/N!” Erik calls out to you. He jogs to catch up to you. “Baby, can you please hear me out?”

“What Erik! What is it that you have to say?” You’ve had enough. You just wanted this to be over already. Your mind was already made up. You were sick of Erik’s bullshit.

“Y/N… I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? That’s all you have to say?”

Erik pulled you to the side, out of the way of passing people on the street. “Of course not. You know I love you, Y/N. I just--”

“Spit it out, Erik.” a lone tear had began to fall and Erik rubbed it away with his thumb. You didn’t even have the energy to move away.

“I’ve only been in love once before you. You know that. That didn’t end well and I guess--”

“Really Erik? So I’m supposed to suffer because that bitch had a baby on you? That’s not my fault. I’ve been nothing but good to you. I’ve loved you. I helped you heal.” You let the tears fall as you let out a deep, shaky breath. “I’m supposed to be your wife, E.” That last part came out low. The pain in your voice traveled through Erik’s entire body. His chest became tight seeing you hurt this way.

“It was one time.” his large hands cup your cheeks. He was pleading with you now.

“One time doesn’t make someone believe that y’all are together. She clearly was keeping tabs on you to find me.”

“I swear, it was one time. I know this isn’t an excuse but this whole wedding planning shit was getting heavy. Seeing it all made it real and I got scared. I didn’t want to get all the way there and then my heart gets broken again.”

“Do you really think I would ever do anything to hurt you?”

“I know you wouldn’t. I was being stupid and letting people get in my head.”

You shake your head. You wipe your face of your tears with the sleeves of your hoodie. You were done crying. He doesn’t get anymore. “No,” you look him in the eye. “I’ve been nothing but good to you. I was actually thinking about forgiving you. But this bitch really had the balls to approach me. I don’t need that in my life Erik. I need to know that the man I’m going to marry is honest with me. That he won’t be out here just fucking around on me and disturbing my peace.. OUR PEACE.” Erik tried to get a word in but you wouldn’t allow him. “How do I know this bitch won’t quit? How do I know that when another major event happen for us, you won’t get scared and pull some shit like this again? Huh?”

“It won’t!” his voice was laced with the need to get through to you.

“Yeah, it won’t.” You dug into the front pocket of your purse and pulled out your engagement ring. You placed it in his palm and you could’ve sworn you heard his heart break. Erik’s breathing was heavy and his palm was hot. “I did everything right and it still wasn’t enough for you, Erik. I love you. I swear I do, but I don’t deserve this.”

You made your way back onto the sidewalk to continue your journey home. Erik called out to you. The hurt in his voice almost made you turn back to him… almost. But you had promised to never be that person again. You wouldn’t put someone else’s hurt before your own. No one was worth your sanity. Not even your husband to be. Like you did two weeks ago, you could give yourself time to feel this but you would bounce back. You always did.

Tags: @chaneajoyyy @raysunshine78 @alexundefined @elaindeereads @tgigoldie @shaekingshitup @soufcakmistress @ohliyaxoxo​ @steampunkprincess147​ @soulfxll​ @dangerous-history @abeautifulmindexposed @itsjustshanie @keiva1000 @rbhp 

#erik killmonger x reader #killmonger fic #shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

The Elevator Bae - 12

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE (1 , 2 , 3) TEN ELEVEN

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix)

A/N: Next chapter is finally done. Excuse any typos. Appreciate the reads and love from you guys. 

Word Count: 5k +

Being an Uncle and father figure to a four month old baby was like hitting the baby lotto. You could love the baby, buy the baby whatever they needed but the baby always went home. Well, that’s how TJ described it. He could be the father he knew he could be but without the 24/7 commitment. He loved it… way more than he thought he would. Since Luna was born, everyone’s home had turned into a baby playhouse. But TJ may have went overboard with toys, a swing and a ton of blankets to make sure his times with Luna were amazing.

Speaking of… Luna was on her way to his house. Coby and Phoenix had rehearsals for their tour and he agreed to watch her for the day. He had the day planned out. Car rides usually put Luna to sleep so he figured she’d still be asleep when she got there. She would nap for about an hour, she’ll enjoy a nice hearty bottle and they’ll turn up to some Baby Shark. The remix of course. At some point, Steph and Ken would show up and they’d all watch a Disney movie, trying to explain to Luna what was going on. Needless to say, this would be a good day with his favorite little human.

TJ rested on his couch when his doorbell rang. Luna was here! He didn’t even bother to check his doorbell camera. When he opened his front door, he wasn’t expecting to be looking at his long lost best friend. He clenched his jaw as a reaction to the anger he was now feeling. No words were exchanged. The two stared at each other. One looking for sympathy and the other looking for an explanation. TJ stepped aside and let his friend in.

Out of habit, Erik walked straight into the living room. TJ stopped just short of the couch. He watched as confusion stretched across Erik’s face. Erik turned to look at TJ. His mouth opened to speak but the sound of the doorbell cut him off.

“Shit.” TJ huffed. He rushed to the door. On the other side, Coby stood holding Luna’s car seat as she slept inside and a backpack diaper bag on his shoulder.

“Ain’t trying to drop and go man but I’m already late.” Coby says as he takes off the backpack, handing it to TJ. Coby catches TJ’s eye. Something wasn’t right. “You good, man?”

TJ motioned his head toward the home. Coby didn’t question it. He walked in and followed TJ into the living room. Coming face to face with Erik. He now understood why TJ was so tense.

“You gotta be fucking shitting me.” Coby barks. The booming of his voice scares Luna from her sleep and she starts crying. He sits the car seat down to unbuckle her. He cradled her to his chest, soothing her down. “I’m sorry, mama. I didn’t mean to yell.”

She cooed in his ear the more she settled down. Coby walked her over to her swing and turning it on low. He turned to TJ and Erik. He held his hands out, motioning for Erik to explain. The three of them sit and Erik begins to explain where he’s been and why he left. TJ knew about his Wakadan ties but it took more details for Coby to understand.

“You mean to tell me,” Coby started, “Phoenix knew about your jobs but you couldn’t even tell her about this? I highly doubt she would’ve gave a damn about your old flame. She deserved to know, E. We all deserved to know.”

“I know that now. I mean- I knew that then too but-- Y’all know Phoenix like I know her. She would’ve tried to convince me otherwise.”

“And why is that a bad thing?” TJ asked. “Didn’t you just say  that you almost died? Was it worth it?”

“It wasn’t worth leaving her at all. But,” Erik paused. “The treatment I got after was.”

“So, you finally got the therapy I’ve been telling yo’ dumbass you needed for years.” TJ scoffs. “It just took a little stabby stab to the heart.” he says sarcastically.

That made Coby laugh. His phone started ringing in his pocket and when he checked to see who was calling, it was Phoenix. He jumped up and made his way to the hallway to take the call.

TJ looks over to Erik. Erik’s eyes were on Luna. She had fallen asleep in the swing as they all talked. “She doesn't seem real does she?” he asked. Erik simply shook his head No.

TJ goes over to Luna and picks her up. She stirs and begins to wake up. TJ bounces her as she fusses a little. “Hey, baby girl.” He sits her up on his arm, pointing to Erik. “Your daddy here.”

Erik straighten up on the couch as TJ walked over to him, handing him Luna. The smile that crept up on Erik’s face was contagious and Luna couldn’t help but smile back at him. Coby popped his head into the room and called for TJ. He left Erik to bond with his daughter.

“That was Phoenix.” Coby’s voice was low as he spoke. “She’s pissed.”

“You told her Erik’s here?”

“Hell nah! I told her something came up. But--”

“Yeah, we gotta tell her.” TJ shook his head.

“Yeah…” Coby paused, “She needs to know ASAP.”

The sounds of Luna’s dramatic cooing caught their ears as they discussed a plan to break the news to Phoenix. They made their way back to the living room to find Erik and Luna giggling. She was laid on his chest with one hand gripping the hair of his beard and the other waving in the air. Erik was blowing kisses on her cheeks. It was like they knew each other all along. Erik couldn’t deny the warmth in his heart looking at his seed. She was a spitting image of him. Having kids was something that never crossed Erik’s mind. He loved doing what made babies but Erik thought of himself as ‘too selfish’ to be anybody’s father. But this… this was way better than anything he could ever imagine. He met this baby an hour ago and already loved her more than he loved himself.

-----

After talking to Coby, Phoenix headed home to calm down. She was already exhausted from all of the work they had been putting in to prepare for their tour and this had sent her over the edge. Sis needed a nap and she’d be damned if she didn’t take advantage of rehearsals being canceled. She wasn’t sleep long before someone knocked twice on her bedroom door.

It’s Coby. He looked concerned.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but uh, need to talk to you.” he stood by the side of her bed. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eye. He could see the exhaustion all over her. He really did feel bad for waking her. But this was important and it was best for this to come out now rather than later. Coby would be a dead man if Phoenix found out later about Erik’s return and Coby knew.

“I need you to come downstairs.”

Phoenix cut her eye at him. “For what?”

“Phoenix, I’m really not trying to fight with you.”

“I’m not trying to fight either. I’m trying to sleep.”

They both let out deep breathes.

“It’s really important, Philly. I need you to come downstairs.”

Phoenix’s eyes go big. “Where’s Luna!” she jumped up from the bed. Coby grabbed her before she went flying out of the room.

“Luna is fine. Ava has her. It’s um,” he hesitated. Debating if he should just tell her. “It’s about Erik.”

Phoenix took a step back, searching his eyes. Her breathing picked up and her mind traveled to the worse case scenario. Coby was breaking the news that Erik was dead. She just knew it. She rushed passed him, going downstairs. Coby chased after her.

“Phoenix!” he called to her.

She was quick on her feet. She ran downstairs on the hunt for Luna and Ava. As she made her way to the kitchen, Coby grabbed her arm pulling her back near the staircase.

“Phoenix! C’mere.”

“I just want my baby, Coby.”

“I need you to listen to me. Okay?” he gripped her shoulders. He could see the tears already threatening to fall. Phoenix could see movement outside the frosted windows on both sides of the front door. She pulled away from Coby and quickly ran to the door, swinging it open. She lost her breath as her eyes landed on him. Erik stood down on the walkway and TJ stood before him, closer to the door. She was speechless. Tears poured down her face. TJ stepped aside as she slowly began walking toward Erik. Gloss covered his eyes as he watched her come to him. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. He parted his lips but nothing came out. His body became tense and hands shook. He didn’t even catch her fist coming at him. Not once but twice. She gave him a two piece combo to the face. He stumbles back, holding his face. TJ rushed to grab her.

“Philly!”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she yelled. She broke free from TJ’s hold, swinging to hit Erik again. This time he dogged her fist.

“Phoenix…” his voice low and desperate.

“Fuck you, Erik!” TJ and Coby struggle to grab hold of Phoenix as she swings at her target. Coby scoops her up from behind and Phoenix kicks her feet up, jabbing Erik right in the chest. “You piece of shit. I HATE YOU!”

I Hate You! the three words that Erik feared hearing the most. “Phoenix, please. Can you just talk to me?” he pleaded.

“Fuck You! You left me!”

Coby has a death grip on Phoenix, making sure he doesn’t lose her. He tries to get her back into the house. Ava is approaching with Luna to see what in the hell is going on. All she could see as she comes closer to the door is a screaming and kicking Phoenix. When she looks through the door and sees Erik, she fully understands. “What the fuck is he doing here?” she spat.

The loud commotion is too much for baby Luna. She is screaming just as loud as Phoenix.

“Go back in the house, Ava. Take her back in the house.” Coby demands. Ava doesn’t listen. She continues to protest against Erik’s presence.

“This nigga can’t be serious. Where the fuck have you been Erik?”

None of this is going how any of the men hoped. They discussed this plan at TJ house and figured it would go a lot smoother than this. They wanted to bring Phoenix downstairs and Coby would break the news before allowing TJ to bring Erik in and he would tell his side of the story. This was a nightmare. There’s tears, screams and punches being thrown and everyone involved was overwhelmed.

Coby manages to get Phoenix into the house. She fights him. She wants him to let her go so she can finish releasing this ass whooping onto Erik. He deserved it, she thought. How dare he leave her without a trace and be gone for a year.

TJ pulled Erik back to the car. “C’mon man. This ain’t working.”

“Nah, fuck that. I’m not leaving here without talking to her.”

“She just busted your fucking lip, bro. She ain’t trying to talk to you.”

Erik wipes the small bits of blood from his lip. “Fuck!” he yells out.

“Aye, get in the car man. I’ma figure this out.” TJ goes back toward the house. When he opens the door, he finds Coby still taking hits from Phoenix and now Ava was tag teaming him with her own harsh words. Coby was doing his best at keeping his cool with two women yelling at him over a screaming baby.

Coby grabs Phoenix’s hands after her last push made him stumble back a bit. “Chill the fuck out. I know you mad--”

“Mad? Fuck mad! I’m pissed, Coby. Where has this nigga been? FOR A YEAR?” Phoenix added emphasis on her last three words.

“And why did you bring his ass here? Was that smart to you?” Ava added.

Coby cut his eye at Ava. TJ tries to grab Luna from Ava’s arms but she stopped him. “No. You can get the fuck on too. That’s your boy. I know you knew about this.”

“No I didn’t.”

“He found out five minutes before I did. Chill.” Coby interjected. He had lost his patience with all the yelling. “Both of yall need to shut the hell up and listen.”

The women were taken aback by this. So much so, they actually were silent and listening as Coby continued. “The nigga told me and TJ everything and we both agreed it was best to bring him straight to you. Or would you rather have this nigga be back for days and I knew and didn’t tell you.”

Phoenix couldn’t look at Coby. She knew he was right. “Yeah. I would’ve been pissed.”

“Nah, I’m not buying it.” Ava says. “Where has he been?”

TJ let out a deep, agitated breath. “He went to his home country.”

“Home country?” Ava questions. She looks at Phoenix. “This nigga ain’t from here? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Ava, stop.” Phoenix takes Luna from Ava. Luna’s cries calm down but her lips are still turned down in a frown. Phoenix rocks her and rubs her baby’s head. “I need a minute.”

Phoenix walks away, leaving Coby, Ava and TJ to watch her fade away up the stairs with Luna. Moments later, they hear her bedroom door slam.

Before Ava could get out whatever crazy thing she was about to say, Coby shook his head. “Nope. Don’t you say shit. Don’t say nothing for the rest of the day. If I hear you say one more word today, you will be sleeping on the couch. I am not playing with you. Ol’ yelling ass.”

Ava just stood there with her mouth open in shock. She closed her mouth and stormed up the stairs, mumbling under her breath. “He got me messed up. If I wanna talk, I bet I do that.”

TJ tries to hold back his laughter. Coby drags his hands over his face. Their eyes meet. “Do me a favor,” Coby says, “Don’t ever give your house up to two women and a baby. You will lose every time. This not even my house no more. I’m a guest.”

TJ couldn’t hold it in any longer and let his laughter ring out. Coby joined him.

“Only woman allowed on my property is Luna.”

“By the time she hits five, I bet you change your mind.” Coby huffed out a deep sigh. “But yeah man, seems like Philly got all of her knuckle sandwiches out so I’m gonna talk to her. Try to get her to talk Erik’s goofy ass.”

“Alright. I have to go get this big nigga some bandaids. Phoenix just gave him a good Detroit ass whooping.”

They both fall over in laughter.

“She did bust his shit.”

“Alright man, you play too much.” TJ gives Coby the ‘nigga handshake’ and heads out the door.

Coby wanted the energy in the house to settle a lot more before talking about Erik again. He went into his studio and decided this was the safest place in the house for him to be.

---------

Hours had gone by and Coby was still in the studio. The door creaked open and Phoenix slid inside with a plate of food. Coby didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if he should.

“Hey.” Phoenix sat down next to him. She held the plate out like it was a peace offering. He smiled at her and took the plate. “Ava said you told her not to talk so she said she wasn’t bring yo’ ass no food.” she ended her words with a soft smile.

Coby looked Phoenix over. He could tell she did more crying after going to her room. Her eyes were puffy and her nose still slightly red. “Yeah, she be talking too much.”

“You know Ava.” Phoenix shrugged. She looked around as if she’s never seen the studio before. She wanted to say something… or ask something. Coby dug into his dinner while he waited for her to just say what was on her mind.

“So,” she started, “How is he?” Her eyes finally met his.

“He’s good. Despite what he’s been through.”

“What happened?”

“Honestly, Philly, I think you should just talk to him.”

Phoenix shook her head. “I wanna hear it from you. I have to, Coby. Please.” she sounded desperate.

Coby sat back in thought. “If I tell you, you have to promise me that at some point, you’ll go talk to him yourself.”

“Okay.”

----------

The next day, Phoenix struggled getting out of bed. She didn’t get much sleep the night before. Her brain kept going over what Coby told her happened with Erik. She was definitely still pissed that he left with no warning but parts of her were hurting. He had told her about his dad being killed by the ‘paws’ of his brother but she didn’t know about his mom. Erik mentioned being royalty and how Wakanda was way more advanced than they lead the world to believe but if we’re being honest, Phoenix thought he was being a bit dramatic. She still didn’t regret whooping on him and she didn’t regret how she felt. She just had more feelings than before. She had promised to talk to him but she needed to talk to someone else first.

Phoenix texted her therapist.

Phoenix: Good Morning Dr. McKee. Do you have any sessions open today?

Dr. McKee texted back within minutes.

Dr. McKee: Good Morning Phoenix. Yes. I have an hour open at 1:00. Is everything okay?

Phoenix: … Erik’s back.

--------

Phoenix struggled with finding the words to answer Dr. McKee’s questions. Was she mad that Erik came back? How does his return change things? She wasn’t sure how to feel about the feelings coming up with those questions.

“I’m… I’m not mad. I wanted him to come back. I guess, I just didn’t think he would. I told myself he wouldn’t. I pushed through that shit and my life is back on track.”

“Do you think him being back will throw you off track again?” Dr. McKee asks so casually.

“I--I don’t know.”

“Do you think this could be about Luna?”

Phoenix looks up at Dr. McKee. Her therapist always had a way of saying things that Phoenix was thinking but wasn’t sure about saying.

“I can’t let Erik do this to her. He can’t make my baby love him and then just leave her. I can take it. But not her.”

Dr. McKee wrote down some notes. “Let’s talk about that. How can Erik’s return change things for you and Luna.”

“Okay,” Phoenix adjusted her position on the couch. “I had to relearn my life without him while growing his child at the same time. I had to tell myself that my baby can’t be punished for what he did. My entire pregnancy I had to battle those feelings. Will I love my baby? Will I hate my baby? Will she be just like him? Will she get older and leave me too?” Phoenix covered her face with her hands. “Luna is my baby. That little girl is my life. When she was born and I looked at her… I didn’t even think about Erik. My first thought was, how can I give this little human the world? After seeing Erik yesterday, I look at Luna and I think, how am I going to protect her?”

“Remember what I told you, Phoenix. Mother’s always figure it out.”

--------

Phoenix looked at the text from Coby, almost biting blood from her bottom lip. After therapy, she asked him for Erik’s number. She promised him she’d try to talk to Erik. She had just promised her therapist too. Nervous was an understatement. Her palms were so sweaty, they dripped onto the back of her sleeping infant laying her chest. Just do it already, she thought to herself.

Phoenix: Hey, this is Phoenix. Are you available to talk some time today?

The moment she hit send, she closed her eyes shut. She wasn’t expecting him to respond as fast as he did. She was shocked when her phone vibrated seconds later.

Erik: yes.

She wrecked her brain trying to come up with something to say back. Talking to Erik use to be so easy and fun and now it felt forced and tense. He texted her again with an address. She copied it into google and a beautiful, luxurious apartment building popped up. This one was 10x better than the one they lived in before. She was kind of curious on how in the hell he was able to get a nice place like this in less than 24 hours. But that wasn’t any of her business right now. She needed to get up to go meet up with him.

Phoenix packed Luna’s diaper bag and began her journey to Erik’s. The ride seemed way longer than it actually was. Phoenix focused on taking deep breaths the entire way. She kept feeling as if she would have a panic attack. Her heart was pounding fast and her stomach was in knots.

When she arrived, Phoenix sat in her car, parked for a moment. She took this moment to go over everything she wanted to say to Erik one last time before it was show time. She got Luna from the backseat and laid her in her stroller and made her way through the front doors of the building. She stood around looking before she realized that she didn’t even know what floor she was going to. She called Erik.

“Hello?” his voice was raspy. Like maybe he was sleeping or just really relaxed. The familiar sound brought back memories.

“Hey, uh, I’m here. I’m inside near the leasing office.”

She could hear him clearing his throat. There were faint voices in the background. “Okay. I’m coming down to get you.”

“Okay.” she hung up. Who else could be up there?

--------

Phoenix was so caught up in giggling with Luna that she didn’t even notice Erik approach her.

“Phoenix?”

She looked up, almost shocked that someone would be calling her name. She snapped back into reality when she saw him. This time she actually looked at him. His dreads were longer, pulled back into a ponytail. His beard was fuller and he wore those signature gold frames. He looked bigger and she really didn’t think his buff ass could get any bigger than he was before.

“Hey, sorry. It’s her world. I just live in it.”

“It’s fine.” He looks down at Luna who is chewing away at her little fist. She’s making the cutest little sounds that make Erik smile. “C’mon.”

She begins pushing the stroller and Erik offers to push it for her. She allowed him to do so. She followed him to the large elevators. The doors opened immediately after Erik pushed the call button. They were the only ones to step inside. As the doors shut, Luna’s babbling filled the cabin, killing off some of the awkwardness that rested between her parents.

“Seems like she has a lot to say.” Erik says.

“Oh you have no idea. This is how she whispers.”

Both of them had to laugh at that. For a moment, things felt normal. Like how they use to be. Just then Luna let out a playful scream.

“Spoke too soon.” Erik laughs.

The doors open directly into a beautiful, fully furnished penthouse apartment. Erik pushed the stroller into the foyer and Phoenix follows. Voices were coming from the kitchen and before Phoenix knew it, a young girl was storming in, all smiles.

“Hi. You must be Phoenix. I’m Shuri.”

Phoenix wasn’t sure how to react. “Hi,” she nervously said. “Yeah, I’m Phoenix.” She looked to Erik for an explanation.

He looked annoyed. “This is my cousin.”

“Your cousin?”

“Hello, Phoenix.” T’Challa came around from the kitchen, greeting her. “Nice to officially meet you. I’m T’Challa.”

Shocked, her eyes grew wide and her mouth became dry. “T’Challa? As in King T’Challa?”

“Yes.” he grabbed her hand, kissing the back of it.

“Hi…”

“Alright,” Erik interjected. “Enough of all that shit.” he cut his eye at T’Challa who smirked at him. T’Challa found his jealousy amusing.

Shuri was making faces at Luna which had Luna giggling very loudly. “Oh my Bast. She’s so cute. Can I hold her?” Shuri looked between Erik and Phoenix. Erik looks to Phoenix.

“Yeah, sure.” Phoenix was a bit hesitant but agreed. Shuri looked way too excited and she wouldn’t be the one to kill the young princess’s dreams. She unbuckled Luna from her stroller and carefully handed her to Shuri. Phoenix fished for a bottle from the diaper bag. “She may be hungry. Just in case.”

Shuri retreated into an area that Phoenix couldn’t see but she wanted to trust that her baby would be okay. She fidgeted with her fingers. T’Challa took notice.

“She’ll be fine. Shuri loves babies.”

Phoenix nodded and took in a calming breath. She looked at Erik. The look in his eyes confirmed what T’Challa said. Luna would be okay.

“I’ll let you two talk. I’ll keep an eye on Shuri and Luna.” T’Challa disappeared around the same wall as Shuri.

Erik lead them into his living room. Phoenix took in all of the dark interior. This place was a lot different than his old penthouse. He had dark wooden floors. Mostly black and dark grey furniture. His walls were grey. Everything about this place was more cool and calm. Maybe this place was a way to reflect his mood now. There wasn’t any flashy art pieces. She knew the furniture and decor was expensive because Erik liked expensive things but you couldn’t tell. This space was way more ‘homey’ and she liked it.

They were both silent for the first few seconds of sitting on the couch. Erik cleared his throat and began to speak when Phoenix cut him off.

“I don’t hate you.” She watched his expression change. He relaxed a bit at her words. “I hate what you did. I hate how you did it. So, um, sorry for that. I was mad. But,” she paused, “I’m not sorry for hitting you. I meant that shit. If I could’ve knocked yo’ ass out, I would have.”

She could see that he was thinking of something smart to say. She gave him a challenging look, trying to gage if he would actually say what was on his mind. He didn’t. This wasn’t the time for smart remarks. He just blinked at her and nodded.

“I’m sorry, Phoenix. For all of it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I owe you the whole truth, so I’m going to give you that.” Erik rubbed his palms on his jeans. “The closer we got, the more I realized that I was falling in love with you, the more I stopped giving a fuck about Wakanda. You had become everything that I needed. I was losing the desire to ever go there. I didn’t tell you but I actually didn’t plan on doing anymore missions. You were planning your tour and I wanted-- I needed to be there. I needed to be everywhere that you were. So, when I got the phone call about a job that I knew would lead me to Wakanda, I thought it was a sign. A reminder that I fell off track. Telling you would mean making a choice.”

“A choice? About what?” Phoenix questioned.

“Deciding what life I wanted. To hold on to my old one or let go of that and fully step into my new one. I loved my life with you but there was a part of me that felt like I was betraying myself. All of the shit I did to get to Wakanda would’ve been for nothing. All of the lives.” he whispered that last part. “I thought I could do both. Go after what I worked so hard for and when that was done, I could still have you. I didn’t, for one moment, think it would turn out like this.”

Phoenix didn’t have any words. She just watched him and studied the different emotions dance in his eyes.

“I thought about you every single day. I asked about you. But… they wouldn’t tell me anything. At first anyway. I went through death and a lot of therapy. I needed that shit though. So I guess, through all the bullshit some good came of it. I’m not same Erik I was before.”

“I can tell.”

Erik was grateful that she could see his progress.

“Like I said, E, I hate that you left me. That shit hurt. Only to find out that I’m pregnant.” Phoenix stopped. Tears threatened to fall but she held them in. “I didn’t want her. I didn’t want anything that would remind me of you. I wanted an abortion.”

Hurt flashed across Erik’s face. She continued, “but something… maybe God, I don’t know. But, I didn’t. She ended up being everything I needed to get up everyday.”

Silence sat between them for a moment.

“I still love you, Phoenix.”

Erik’s words caught her off guard.

“And believe it or not, I’m already head over heels for Luna.”

Phoenix smiles softly. “It’s kinda hard to not love that little nugget.”

Phoenix’s phone starts to ring. It’s Alyssa. She answers. Erik waits nervously for her to end her call. Phoenix huffed has she pressed the red button.

“I’m sorry. Me and Coby have rehearsals and I have to get Luna to the babysitter.”

“Babysitter?”

Phoenix stares blankly at Erik. She was confused. “Yea…”

“You’re not comfortable with her staying with me?”

She understood now. “Oh, uh, I--”

“No pressure. I get it. I’m new here.”

“No, Erik. I didn’t-- I think it would be good for you to keep her. I’m sorry.”

“Phoenix.” he grabbed both her hands. Her palms were sweaty. They’d always get sweaty when she was anxious. “Calm down. I didn’t take offense to it. I get it. I just got back in here.” he smiled at her. “I would love to spend some time with my daughter.”

‘My daughter.’ Those two words sent a wave of tenderness through Phoenix. The person that she shares this daughter with is here. Finally. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t relieved to finally share this moment with him. This was all she wanted. For the three of them to be together. To have moments like this. Him spending time with Luna while she worked. Them being together, being some kind of a family.

“Okay.” she stood, “I’ll come get her when I’m done.”

“Nah, I’ll bring her home. I wanna get as much time as I can.”

Erik walked Phoenix to the doors of the elevator.

“Wait,” she turned to him. “You don’t have a car seat.”

The dimples Phoenix didn’t realize she missed so much popped into Erik’s cheeks. “I can get a car seat, Philly. I got this, okay?”

“Okay, but I need to say goodbye to her.”

Erik called Shuri to bring Luna. Phoenix covered Luna’s face in kisses. Erik instantly fell in love with the sight of the love of his life and his daughter having such a beautiful moment. This was his choice. This is the life he wanted. There wasn’t anything else he wanted but them. He felt good about their talk and about how the future could look for them. Phoenix handed Luna to Erik and he watched as the elevator doors closed and she was off to rehearsals. For the next few hours, he would get to know his beautiful baby girl.

---------

It was late when Phoenix and Coby finished rehearsals. They had finally reached an agreement on how their set would go from start to finish. It took a lot longer than they had expected. Phoenix sent Erik updates on what time she’d be home for him to bring Luna home.

During her time rehearsing and her drive home, she found her mind drifting off. She would be thinking about Erik, Luna and how things would be now that he’s back. She felt better after their talk but there was still something weighing on her. He hurt her. He hurt in ways she never imagined was real. She’d been doing well in therapy but him coming back, opened so many wounds. He apologized but the pain just didn’t subside the way she thought it would. It was like it was as fresh as the day he left. This wasn’t something she could just let go. She couldn’t picture a future with Erik like this.

Erik called her to inform her that he was outside with Luna and she met him at the door. The smile on his face as he approached the door made her soul ache because she knew it wouldn’t last.

She took Luna and held the door for Erik as he carried her stroller in.

“Hey, E. Can we talk?” she motioned her head to the living room area.

“Yeah.” he followed her and they took a seat.

Phoenix placed some loving kisses on Luna’s sleeping face. She was stalling and Erik knew it. He eyed her carefully trying to read what she was thinking.

“What’s up Phoenix?”

She finally looked at him. She took a few slow breaths bracing herself for what she had to tell him.

“Um… I was thinking. I really appreciate everything you said earlier.” she tried to push a smile to ease the sting that was coming. “And I want you to know that I still love you too. But…”

Erik could feel his chest sinking. He looked away from her. His eyes burned a hole in the floor.

“I can’t. I want nothing for us but to put this behind us and be a family but this hurts. Seeing you standing outside after a year just took me back to the day you left me. That shit broke me, E. It’s hard to look at you.”

The sniffle that Phoenix heard from Erik let her know that he was crying. His head still hung low, eyes on the ground. He wouldn’t let her see him cry. Not like this.

“I’m sorry Erik. I just want us to focus on Luna. Get us a schedule for her. Work something out for my tour. She’s the priority.”

“That’s cool.” Erik stood up.

“Erik…” she held Luna into her chest and stood after him.

He wiped a hand over her face. “I understand Phoenix. I do. We can talk tomorrow about when I can get her.”

He left out the front door. Phoenix watched him get into his car and pull out of the driveway. It was hard to do but she knew it was for the best.

----

Tags:  @shaekingshitup @purple-apricots @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy​ @thadelightfulone​ @raysunshine78 @toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads​ @lyniya @fd-writes @mygirlrenee @ajspencer1892 @yoyolovesbucky​ @greatpandagladiator-blog @shanyphantom @sinfully-dope @dessianna1​ @ljstraightnochaser​ @alexundefined @elaindeereads @tgigoldie @soufcakmistress @ohliyaxoxo @steampunkprincess147​ @soulfxll​ @dangerous-history @itsjustshanie @keiva1000 @rbhp​ @ohliyaxoxo​

#Erik Killmonger #erik killmonger x black oc #Erik Stevens #black panther fic #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #shaebewriting #black panther

[shewritestheblues]

the Elevator Bae - 11

***LOST BAE

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE (1 , 2 , 3) TEN

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix) 

A/N: the Elevator will be coming back soon, lol. Also, thanks to everyone who has sent me some encouraging words about the fic. I appreciate y'all so much. I promise to give y'all more fic’s soon. 

The days leading up to this one were rough. Five nights ago, Erik had received a text from an old friend. He hadn’t heard from Linda in almost a year. He made it a point to stop doing missions with her when he and Phoenix had gotten serious. Him and Linda had a bit of a steamy past. They were both part of the ghost unit and with the stress of their job, they found  themselves in each other’s bed most nights. Their relationship was never more than just sex but Erik knew when he met Phoenix, he couldn’t risk that. He battled with himself when he read Linda’s text.

Linda: Hey big head. Haven’t heard from you in awhile. There’s a job on the table and I wouldn’t wanna do it with anyone else. Interested?

With a sleeping Phoenix on his chest, Erik contemplated his interest in the job. His eyes moving back and forth between his baby girl’s face and the phone. He could do the job and that’s it. Linda would understand. He thought.

Erik: Wassup. What’s the job?

The three bubbles popped up immediately. He anxiously watched as the bubbles danced on the screen. Phoenix began to stir and he locked his phone thinking maybe the brightness of his screen was bothering her. She turned over and balled up on the other side of the bed. Erik took this moment to get up and slip on some shorts and silently make his way into Phoenix’s kitchen. He leaned against the counter just as his phone vibrated with a message.

Linda: Can you talk?

Erik listened out for any sounds coming from Phoenix’s bedroom.

Silence.

Not bothering to text back, Erik calls Linda.

“Hello?” Linda’s voice was low, like she was whispering.

“One shot kills the bird.” Erik says.

“Two shots to the head.” Linda snickers.

That was always their way of confirming their identity to each other. A smile crept up on Erik’s face. He hadn’t  heard that snicker in awhile. He internally chastised himself for feeling like he may have missed it.

“Wassup, Lin.” She could hear the smile in his words.

“Just killing niggas, Stevens. What about you? You’ve been MIA.”

“Nah, I’ve been working too. Just more lowkey.”

There was a beat of silence between them. Erik opened his mouth to speak when Linda’s soft voice beat him to it.

“Is she nice?” there was a hint of jealousy, but Erik pretended not to notice.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, she is.”

Another moment of silence.

“I’m happy for you, Stevens. You deserve someone nice.”

Erik looked down at his feet. Him and Linda had some good times and it seemed as though right now, all of their memories together were rushing to him. He stayed silent until Linda’s voice picked up again.

“Anyways, uh, yeah. This job is with this underground guy. He goes by Klaue.”

That name was familiar to Erik. His eyes grew big and he stood straight up.

“Klaue?” his voice boomed through the phone and the quiet apartment.

“Yeah. You know him or something?”

“Heard about him.” Erik caught himself and lowered his tone. He tiptoed to the bedroom door and peeked in to see if he had disturbed Phoenix. She was still sleeping soundly. He closed the door again, going back into the kitchen. “He be dealing with some black market shit.” That’s not all he knows about Klaue. Klaue is a name mentioned in his father’s book. He’s well aware of Klaue and his history with Wakanda.

“So, you’re aware of his work. Okay. Well, he’s working out a deal for some vibranium that’s being held in a--”

“I’m in!” Erik cut her off. He didn’t need to hear anything else. Linda didn’t ask questions. She knew better. Erik-- Killmonger  didn’t need to explain. She simply said, “Okay,” and let him know that she’ll keep him posted. They hung up.

Erik stood over the kitchen counter. His thoughts were racing a million miles a minute. This was the opportunity he had been waiting on. He couldn’t miss this one. He nodded with relief and began the quiet walk back into bed. As he inched closer to the bed, he could see movement. Phoenix’s hands were fishing for him. A smirk appeared on his face as he found entertainment in his girl searching for him. He loved it. He grabbed her hand as he found his comfort within the sheets and pulled her to his chest. Her heavy eyes looked up at him for merely a second before they shut again and she let out a deep breath as she sank into his body.

---------

Every night since, Erik would have insomnia. He wanted to tell Phoenix but he promised his last mission from only two weeks ago would be his last one until after her tour. She wanted him to be with her. He couldn’t disappoint her. He battled with the thought of maybe letting this go. He had found a sense of healing and happiness with Phoenix. Did he need to avenge his father’s death in this way? But in the end, he couldn’t help but to believe this was a once in a lifetime chance. The people of Wakanda needed to know the truth. So he stuck with his decision to go but decided against telling Phoenix. A week max and when he’s king, he’ll come for her.

Erik stands in the shower with the water as hot as it can be. With all of these thoughts, sleep wasn’t happening for him. As he is going over his decisions in his mind, crossing his T’s and dotting his I’s, he hears Phoenix come into the bathroom. She assumed he had a night terror and he just went with that. He was protecting her, he thought. She would understand later. She would have to.

Erik stopped Phoenix before she could completely disappear out of the bathroom.

***  He motioned his head for her to come back. “Get in.”

She was hesitant at first but she obliged. She undressed from her boyshorts and his Navy t-shirt that had became her nightly tee. Erik turned the temperature down just a notch so the water wasn’t too hot for her when she stepped in. When she joined him, he moved to the side for the water to meet her body. She watched him as he looked her naked form up and down. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly. She knew something was wrong. She grabbed both sides of his face, making him look her in the eye.

“Talk to me.” she said softly.

“It’s the same shit. It just all seems so real.”

She rubbed his cheek with her thumb. He leaned in to kiss her. They stayed there, letting their lips warm each others. Erik pulled back, licking her touch from his lips. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. Phoenix rested her head on his chest and just let the water run down her back. She listened to his heart beat and noticed that it had started to pick up. She didn’t say anything. He didn’t give her much about his dream but she didn’t want to push him.

“Philly.” his voice was low and raspy and Phoenix could’ve sworn she heard it crack.

“Hm.” His heart is pounding out of his chest now. She could feel it thumping.

“I love you.” This time his voice was just above a whisper. ***

-------

The love they made that night was slow and deep. The intensity was unmatched to any other time between them. Erik would whisper his love into Phoenix’s ear as he made her scream it back to him. Their bodies were covered in bruises and bite marks. Three rounds before their bodies gave out on each other. They ended their sex with Phoenix riding on top of Erik and her body jerked with her last organsm before she callapsed onto him. They never bothered to move, falling asleep still in that position.

That was the only sleep Erik had and when his alarm woke him up just a couple of hours later, he held onto Phoenix’s naked body in a bear hug before kissing her cheek and whispering one last “I love you” in her ear.

-----------

Linda and Erik at just made it to the secret location where they’d meet up with Klaue. It was an abandoned factory building with puddles from leaky pipes everywhere. One room in particular held a table and a few chairs. The two opted to wait there until further notice. Time seem to drag as they waited. But Klaue is a black market criminal. He wouldn’t just show up on time and be ready to go. Erik knew what was going on. The abandoned building was being watched and once Klaue’s people knew it was all clear, he’d show up.

The look in Erik’s eye as he stared at nothing, was familiar to Linda. She perked up at the sight. Killmonger had surfaced. Her eyes almost twinkled and she moved herself closer to him. Sensing her undeniable excitement, Erik looked over to her.

“Welcome back, Kill.” she laughed.

He exhaled a small laugh without any form of a real response.

“I missed you.” her voice sounded distant even though she was sitting right next to him. “Doing all those jobs didn’t feel the same without you.” Linda placed her hand over his hand.

Erik looked at her hand and his eyes trailed up her arm until he reached her face. She looked so sweet. He then remembered the first time he met her. She was the last one introduced to his team in the ghost unit and he remembered thinking, “This girl ain’t gonna last here.” But, she did and she was one of the best. She was number two behind him.

She got up from her seat and made herself at home on Erik’s lap. Erik struggled with what he should do next. He was usually always so focused and prepared but Linda has his brain covered in a cloud of nostalgia. She smiled down at him, holding both sides of his face.

“No one else understands the thrill of the kill like you. I feel crazy when I hit the target and wanna do a happy dance. You were my happy dance partner, baby.”

Erik bit his lip to hold back from saying anything he could regret later. Linda’s soft fingers pulled his lip from between his teeth before smashing her lips into his. A feeling so familiar to them. Linda could feel his member hardening and she moved her hips up to feel more. She pulled back slightly.

“She could never know Kill like I know Kill.” she practically moaned out the words.

“W-What?” Erik pulled back.

“I know you miss this just as much as I do.”

Erik reaches to grab her hands from his face. “C’mon Linda. You need to chill.”

“Is she better than me?” She says, kissing his face between words. “She can’t ride it better than me. Nobody can.”

Erik pinned her arms behind her back, holding her in place.

“What she do ain't none of your concern.”

“That bitch could never take care of you like I did.”

Erik’s movement were quick… too quick. Linda hadn’t realized that he now has a tight grip around her neck. It didn’t hit her until she tried to breathe in. The soul had left his eyes and his grip grew tighter the more she stared into his dark orbs. His nostrils flared and the muscles in his neck popped with anger.

“You better watch your fucking mouth. That bitch knows me better than you or anybody else ever could. You were just something to do when there wasn’t shit else to do. We gon’ get this job done and you gon’ delete my number. Understand?”

Linda clawed at his thick fingers as she fought for air. She nodded her head. He released her neck and Linda coughed and took in deep breaths.

“If you play your role good,” he held her chin, “Daddy might give you a good-bye gift.”

Erik had already made up his mind though. Linda wouldn’t see the end of this mission. She was too close. All this time he thought what they had was just sex, but clearly Linda had been secretly holding on to what they were doing as a sign and he couldn’t let her show back up in his life and ruin what he has now. This was a set up to get him close to her again. She didn’t know about his ties to Wakanda and that was the only reason he was still here. This was his one chance to get there and she wasn’t about to mess that up.

Klaue finally made his grand entrance and grand it was. His groggy laugh could be heard echoing throughout the abandoned building and he had to show off some tricks with his arm. Linda played interested and Erik was just ready to go.

They loaded up into a black van and headed off to the museum.

------------------

The last thing Erik remembered was the sunset. Iit felt like it was a dream. As he stirred, he was expecting to wake up and roll over on Phoenix. He knew when he did that, he would crush her just enough to wake her and when she did, she’d be going off on him for ‘damn near killing her.’ But to shut her up, he’d just bear hug her and kiss her quiet. That always worked. But when Erik came to, he wasn’t in bed with Phoenix. He wasn’t even in a bed. He was strapped to a table and bright lights hung over him. He could hear talking around him. The voices were speaking Xhosa.

He was still in Wakanda… He was still alive?

He didn’t want to make any sudden moves to startle anyone, so he kept his eyes closed and just listened.

“Kufuneka aqhubeke nokudinwa.” (he needs to stay sedated.) One voice said.

“Kufuneka sithethe naye... ukuqonda.” (we need to talk to him… to understand.) another voice. This one was familiar to him. It was T’Challa.

“There’s nothing to understand. He tried to kill us. He tried to kill you.”

“Yes, Okoye. I know. But there has to be more.” T’Challa looks to Shuri. “No more sedatives.”

Shuri looks over to a monitor near Erik. “Brother.” she sounded concerned… scared.

“Yes, Shuri?”

She pointed to the display of brain waves on the monitor. “He’s awake.”

Erik opened his eyes as a sly grin grew on his face. He looked directly at T’Challa.

“N’jadaka. Welcome back.”

Erik looks down at the restraints around his wrist and back to T’Challa. T’Challa motions for Shuri to let Erik free.

“My King… No.” Okoye says from behind him.

Shuri doesn’t move.

“It’s best to free my wrist now before I get pissed.” Erik says. His voice rusty from not speaking. He doesn’t even know yet how long he’s been there.

T’Challa gives Shuri one last look and she does what he asked of her. Erik sat up with a stretch and rubbed his wrist. He slowly looked up at T’Challa before very swiftly jumping up and pushing him into the nearest wall. Okoye right on Erik’s heels with her spear just barely re-breaking the skin on his cheek. Erik’s snarls at his cousin but T’Challa remained calm.

“Didn’t I tell you to let me die nigga?” Erik finally spoke.

Okoye presses her spear more into Erik’s skin. “Back away now.” She demanded through clenched teeth.

“Okoye, please.” T'Challa said calmly. “We hold no threat, N’jadaka. I saved you because I had to. You are family.”

“He’s not family, brother.” Shuri interjects. “Family doesn’t try to kill family.”

Erik glared at her. He stepped away from T'Challa and began making his way to Shuri. “Oh yeah? So my father wasn’t killed by his own brother? HIS FAMILY?”

Okoye and T'Challa stepped between them.

“That is why I saved you.” T'Challa placed a hand on Erik’s chest. “My father was wrong, N’jadaka. I can’t— I won’t make the same mistake he did. You are royal blood and I want to make this right.”

Erik searches his face for a hint of bullshit but he was met with sincerity. Something he only ever saw in Phoenix.

Phoenix!

Erik held his head down. “How long have I been here?”

“It’s been three weeks since the fight.” Shuri said.

Erik didn’t say anything. He glided back to the table he was just laying on and sat on it. Three weeks. He wasn’t supposed to be gone this long. There’s no way Phoenix would understand this. He left her with no explanation. Erik wasn’t even sure yet if he could trust T’Challa and Shuri. He couldn’t risk Phoenix by sharing that he had her back home. Erik felt defeated. He had lost the thorn. He had lost the fight and now… he was sure that he now lost her.

“FUCK!” he snapped and slamming his fist onto the table.

Okoye and T'Challa shared a look and T'Challa approached Erik. “There is hope for you here, N’jadaka. But, only if you are willing.”

Erik didn’t have any more fight in him at this point. Sure, he was still angry and would jump at the opportunity to punch his cousin right about now, but he was tired. Phoenix warned him that one day he would get tired of fighting. For the first time, he decided to accept it. Phoenix would want him to try. To try to heal, forgive and trust. The same way he did with her. T'Challa could have let him die, but he didn’t. Maybe this was his second chance. He wasn’t sure if he truly deserved it but he would go with the flow.

“Yeah, whatever nigga.” Erik finally says to T’Challa.

Okoye scoffs.

---------

T'Challa, Okoye and two other members of the Dora Milaje escorted Erik to a rehabilitation center just outside the palace. He would be staying there until it was seen fit for him to be released. The first few weeks was an adjustment for Erik. His room was just big enough for him. A bed, a desk and a small, empty bookcase. A window sat just above the desk with a view over the village.

After Erik was settled in, he was introduced to his chosen therapist, Mama Kholo. She was an older woman with deep chocolate skin and long, silver locs. She reminded him of Madea. He was a bit standoff-ish at first but Mama Kholo was warm and understanding. She never forced or pushed him. It took Erik about three weeks to say more than ‘Good Morning’ to her. She would ask how he was doing or how he was feeling and Erik would just stare out of the window.

His silence was finally broken when one day, Mama Kholo came into Erik’s room for his daily session without words. She held three books in her small hands. She came in and kneeled down in front of his bookcase and neatly put the books down. She then walked out and Erik was left looking confused. When she left, he looked at the books. One had a note attached to the inside of its cover. It read,

I read your file, N’jadaka. You are wise beyond your years. But you are not wiser than me.

This book, a psychology book. That made Erik laugh. He sat on his bed with the book in hand and began reading. Mama Kholo didn’t return to his room for four days. Erik had finished all three books. He had thoughts and wanted to share with her. On the fifth day, she returned with three more books. When she stepped into his doorway, she noticed something different about him. He looked eager to see her.

“Good morning, Prince. You look rested this morning.” she smiled.

“Good morning, Mama Kholo. I am.”

She placed the books on the bookcase as she did before and had turned on her heels to leave when Erik calls out to her.

“You can stay.”

Mama Kholo raised an eyebrow. She looks out into the hallway. No one was there.

“You come with me.” she says, holding a small hand out.

Erik shakes his head. She motions for him to come again. He slowly stands and walks out with her. She leads him down the hallway and to an elevator. When the doors open, she steps in but Erik just stands there. Worry on his face as his mind races between if this is a setup and the first time he met Phoenix. He felt conflicted and Mama Kholo could tell.

“N’jadaka, it’s okay.”

He steps into the elevator with her and they go down three floors. He follows her through two large doors with the sign ‘Library’ over them. They go inside and she takes them back into a smaller room. In this room sits a loveseat couch, a lazy boy chair and a table. The table held coffee cups, a tray of muffins and a notepad. Mama Kholo leaves Erik in the doorway to figure out what he wanted to do and she sat in her lazy boy, kicked her feet up and picked out a muffin. Erik eventually sat down on the couch and he just watched as she hummed in satisfaction of her blueberry muffin.

“Did you enjoy your books, N’jadaka?” she asked.

That question lead Erik right into Mama Kholo’s trap. Their talks began has Erik’s review of the three books but she flipped it into how the books related to real life and before Erik knew, he was sharing his experience with the foster care system. By the end of their session, Erik found himself not wanting to leave Mama Kholo. He wanted to share more. The more he shared, the more weight lifted from him. Mama Kholo understood this. She was happy to see him wanting to open up more.

This became their routine. Muffins and coffee… or tea. Sometimes, when things would become overwhelming for Erik, Mama Kholo would just walk around with him. They wouldn’t talk but she’d show him around and allow him to reset. She never pushed him too far. She allowed him to come to her.

One morning before their session, Mama Kholo came into Erik’s room to see him doing pushups. This sparked an idea for her. She suggested that from now on, They would have talking sessions every other day and in between she’d take him to the gym facility located in the center. This really amped up Erik’s desire to express more of the feelings he had been holding inside. He opened up so much more to Mama Kholo. He finally broke his silence about Phoenix.

As they sat out in the courtyard, Erik sipped his tea. He was biting the inside of his cheek when Mama Kholo asked the question.

“Have you ever allowed yourself to love anyone, N’Jadaka?” she asks.

He looked up at her and his eyes answered her question. She gave him a soft smile before taking a bite of her muffin. Erik cleared his throat. “She hates me now.”

“Why do you think such a thing?”

“Because I’m here.” He adjust himself on the bench. “She doesn’t know I’m here. I left and I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want her to worry about me.”

“She didn’t know about your work?” Mama Kholo asked.

“She knew. But this was different. This is Wakanda. She would’ve tried to talk me out of it. I didn’t want that. I waited my whole life to come here. I couldn’t let her stop me from doing that.”

“So… are you saying you know she would have succeeded in changing your mind?”

“Yes. Phoenix likes to look at the bigger picture. She sees the good in everything. Somehow, she found some good in me.”

“You don’t think you have good in you, N’Jadaka?”

Erik sits, looking forward. “Would a person who has good in them do what I’ve done?”

“Well, N’jadaka, I think everyone has good. But I think each person has a different experience in life. Some people have to hide their good to survive. That’s what you did. But, you don’t have to survive anymore. You can come out of hiding and let your good shine through.”

Erik laughs to himself before taking a sip of tea. “You sound just like Phoenix right now.”

A huge smile forms on Mama Kholo’s lips. “Sounds like Ms. Phoenix knows what she’s talking about.”

A beat of silence sits between them. Mama Kholo watches Erik closely. He’s thinking. He drags his hand over his face and rolls his shoulders. Mama Kholo’s alarm rings, signaling that their session is over. Erik stands and helps her up and gathers their muffin box. He follows a step behind her as they make their way back into the center. They go up the elevator to Erik’s floor. As they approach his door, Mama Kholo says her goodbye.

“Mama Kholo.” Erik calls to her. She turns to see that he’s struggling with something.

“What is it, N’jadaka?”

“Uh, can you do me a favor?” he slides his hands into the pockets of his pants.

“Yes?”

“Can you put a word in to T’Challa? Ask him to check on Phoenix? I-- I need to know that she’s okay.”

Mama Kholo nodded with a smile and walked away.

----------

Their next session, Mama Kholo let Erik know that she passed on his message to T’Challa and he agreed to check on Phoenix. Some time had gone by after that. A lot of time. Waiting for an update, Erik began to regress. He wasn’t talking as much. Many of his responses to Mama Kholo were just sounds and grunts. She knew that he needed to know about Phoenix. She meant that much to him.

Mama Kholo visited T’Challa’s office to update him on Erik.

“My King,” she formed an X with her arms. T’Challa did the same and motioned for her to enter his chamber doors. She joined him on a beautiful couch that sat along a large window. She handed him Erik’s files. T’Challa looked through it and was impressed at how much progress Erik has made. His anger levels had decreased significantly. He was doing well and using the techniques that Mama Kholo taught him. Erik was journaling daily and working out had made a huge difference. But, he noticed the most recent notes of how Erik had become distant.

“I see here, Mama Kholo, that he has pulled back. Do you have any idea as to why his progress has stopped?” T’Challa closed the file and placed it on the panther shaped glass table before them.

“Yes, my King. I’ve noticed that since there hasn’t been an update on his friend, Phoenix, N’jadaka hasn’t been himself. I think he needs to know that she’s okay. He’s holding a lot of guilt for leaving her.”

“I do have an update for him. But, I wasn’t sure if he was ready.”

Mama Kholo became concerned. “Is she okay?” she places a hand over her chest, preparing for the worst.

“Yes, yes, Mama Kholo. She’s fine. But,” T’Challa cleared his throat, “She has a child now. I’m not sure how to tell N’jadaka that. If she means that much to him, I’m sure he wouldn’t take well to that.”

“His child?”

“...yes.”

“He deserves to know my King.” Mama Kholo insisted. “And I think that he’s ready.” She stands and T’Challa follows her. He gives her a hug and she makes her exit from his office.

T’Challa calls for Okoye.

“Yes, King?” she asked.

“Have Imani prepare N’jadaka’s chambers. He’s ready.”

“Are you going to tell him about his lady friend?”

T’Challa rubs his beard. He nods. “Yes. Which is why I’ll be bringing him back to America with me on Friday.”

Okoye’s eyes grow big and she immediately goes to challenge King T’Challa but he stops her. “He has made great progress, Okoye. It’s time for us to all move on.”

Okoye nods. She does the Wakandan solute to her king and passes the message to Imani. When she returns, she and T’Challa begin their journey to Erik’s room at the rehabilitation center.

*** The sounds of feet walking across the tile floor and the faint sounds of talking woke Erik up. He kept his eyes closed as he felt the presence of people outside his already open door.

“N’jadaka. I know you are awake.”

Erik opened his eyes and sat up on the bed.

“I have some good news for you. This is your last day here. Mama Kholo has informed me that you’ve made great strides in your rehabilitation. You will be escorted to your palace chambers today.”  ***

Tags: @shaekingshitup​ @purple-apricots​ @abeautifulmindexposed​ @lostennyc​  @tip222u​ @janelledarling​ @lushloaded​ @chaneajoyyy​ @thadelightfulone @raysunshine78 @toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads @lyniya @fd-writes @mygirlrenee @ajspencer1892 @yoyolovesbucky @greatpandagladiator-blog​ @shanyphantom​ 

#Erik Killmonger #Erik Stevens #erik x black OC #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #black panther #black panther fic #shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

The Elevator Bae - 10

** THE LOST BAE

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE (1 , 2 , 3)

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix) 

A/N: I wanted this to be out like last week but my anxiety has had me out of it. We have reached the second phase of this story. Bare with me, some good will come.

Warnings: Mention of Abortion

--------------

Ten months… the greatest ten months of Phoenix’s life. Her career had taken a weird, but successful turn. She and Coby had transitioned into their group, Blue Wolf, and they were preparing to release their first self titled mixtape. They went into this with the goal of being two dope producers but since Erik and Ava seemed to always be in the studio complimenting their vocal talents, they decided to give it go and release their own music.

Speaking of Erik, he and Phoenix were attached at the hip. If you saw one, you saw the other. He’d be at every studio session. She’d tag along with him to hang at TJ’s house. If they weren’t sleeping in Phoenix’s bed together, they’d be up in Erik’s penthouse. The only time they’d ever be apart was when Phoenix had meetings with Alyssa (and brunch with her friends) or Erik was away on a mission. You couldn’t separate these two. They learned everything possible about each other. Besides TJ, Phoenix was the only one to ever know every single detail about Erik. She was the only woman he trusted. Despite it all, she accepted him and she still seen the light in him. He treated her like a queen. Phoenix was in denial, but she was spoiled to bits by Erik. She never needed or wanted for anything. Erik knew she could provide for herself, but he did it anyways. As quiet as it’s kept, Phoenix spoiled him too. She never came back from a shopping day with her girls without something for him. Everything was the perfect amount of amazing just for them.

--------

Phoenix’s hands fished around her bed. She was searching for that familiar scar covered arm to wrap herself in but to her surprise, she didn’t find it. She slowly opened her eyes to find Erik’s half of the bed empty. The moon’s light shined in on her through her large windows. Something felt off. The city was quiet. She lived in downtown LA… it was never this quiet. She sat up trying to listen out for something… anything. She noticed the faint sounds of the shower being on in the bathroom across the hall. She got up and stepped into the dark hallway. The bathroom light beamed from under the door. Low grunts echoing out to her. She opened the door and peeked in. The bathroom was so full of steam, she could barely see in front of her.

Erik’s stood directly under the hot water, biting his lip at the stinging of his latest scars still healing. He sensed the door opening and pulled himself up to his full height preparing to hear Phoenix’s soft voice at any second. She pulled the shower curtain back a couple of inches and her round face popped in, looking at him with sleepy eyes. She didn’t say anything but he knew that she was asking him if he was okay.

“I’m good.” he said. He looked down at his feet, avoiding eye contact with her.

“Another night terror?” her voice was motherly. He just nodded his head. “E…” she was pleading for more.

“I’m good, baby girl. I swear.”

She nods before stepping away and releasing the shower curtain from her hold. Just before she was almost out the door, Erik called to her. She turned to see him looking out to her. He motioned his head for her to come back. “Get in.”

She was hesitant at first but she obliged. She undressed from her boyshorts and his Navy t-shirt that had became her nightly tee. Erik turned the temperature down just a notch so the water wasn’t too hot for her when she stepped in. When she joined him, he moved to the side for the water to meet her body. She watched him as he looked her naked form up and down. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly. She knew something was wrong. She grabbed both sides of his face, making him look her in the eye.

“Talk to me.” she said softly.

“It’s the same shit. It just all seems so real.”

She rubbed his cheek with her thumb. He leaned in to kiss her. They stayed there, letting their lips warm each others. Erik pulled back, licking her touch from his lips. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. Phoenix rested her head on his chest and just let the water run down her back. She listened to his heart beat and noticed that it had started to pick up. She didn’t say anything. He didn’t give her much about his dream but she didn’t want to push him.

“Philly.” his voice was low and raspy and Phoenix could’ve sworn she heard it crack.

“Hm.” His heart is pounding out of his chest now. She could feel it thumping.

“I love you.” This time his voice was just above a whisper. She almost didn’t hear him with how loud his heart was beating against her ear. She was still. Erik had never told her that he loved her. She knew he did. She felt it. The way he held her hand when they were in public. The way he played in her curls. How protective he was and how pissed he’d get when he found out she hadn’t eaten all day. Everything he did with her, he did it full of so much love. Phoenix didn’t mind that he never said it. She wasn’t really pressed about saying ‘I love you’ neither. She knew that he knew how she felt from her actions as well. It wasn’t something they needed to do.

Erik confessing his true feelings caught her off guard. Phoenix looked up at Erik. Before she realized what she was doing, the same words were falling from her lips. “I love you too, E.”

Hearing herself say it back shocked her. The words slipped so easily. She didn’t have to think about it. Erik took her lips into his again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her as close as she could get. She moaned into his mouth to let him know his tongue had access to hers. Their lips smacked and Erik pushed her back against the warm tiles. He kneaded her bare ass while she rubbed her fingers through his hair. Her curly puff was a soaking mess now but she didn’t care.

“Tell me again.” she said.

“I love you, baby girl.”

---------------

“He was so sweet with me… and gentle. Looking at him, you wouldn’t think a hard ass guy like him could ever be the teddy bear that he was.” she paused. Her thoughts making her blush. “Is it weird that I still get butterflies? Like how is that even possible?”

She closed her eyes, holding back the feeling of tears. “Sometimes… I feel like I’m forgetting what his voice sounds like. I have videos of us, but it’s not the same.”

She paused again. Looking down at her hands, a small smile crept up on her face. “If I would’ve known that night would be my last night with him, I would’ve told him that I love him a hundred more times.”

Phoenix watched as the well dressed woman in front of her wrote notes in her notepad. She looked up at Phoenix, pushing her glasses up her nose. “You know Phoenix, I’ve noticed how despite the hurt that Erik has caused you, you still speak very highly of him. Why?”

“Because… I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how bad a person hurts you, you don’t have to hate them. I don’t hate Erik. I could never hate him. He’s the reason for so much. Me and Coby-- We would’ve been successful regardless, but not in this way. We’re going on tour,” her face lights up. “I’m touring with music that Erik inspired. We make people feel good with that music. Erik taught me how to love myself in such a different way that I didn’t know was possible before. I am who I am today because of our experience together.”

The woman takes more notes. “Hm. I love that you can find the good in this, Phoenix. You have made such great progress since you’ve been seeing me. But I have to ask though. Why do you think you’re struggling with fully letting go of Erik?”

Phoenix bit her lip in thought. She looked down as she played with her fingers. “I just want to know why.”

“There’s a chance you’ll never receive an explanation though, Phoenix. Your life is moving fast right now. You mentioned some great things that are happening.”

“It’s not for me.” Phoenix whispered.  “I’m passed this. I’ve let go of wanting to know why for me. It’s for her.” Phoenix looks at the sleeping infant in the car seat sitting next to her. “One day, she’s going to ask me why he isn’t here and I won’t have an answer for her.”

The woman, Dr. McKee, studied Phoenix for a moment as she collected the right words to say to her. She watched as the tears that Phoenix tried so hard to hold back, finally make down her cheeks. Dr. McKee sat her notepad on her desk and rolled her chair over to Phoenix. She motioned for Phoenix’s hands. She held on to them tightly. “Phoenix,” she spoke softly, “You cannot hold yourself back because of that. As a mom, I fully understand that you want to have the answers prepared for her. But from experience, even when we don’t know, we always say the right thing when our babies come to us with questions. Don’t worry yourself about that right now. Live your life. When that time comes, you’ll be ready. Okay?”

Phoenix nodded. Dr. McKee handed her a tissue and she wiped her tears away. Their session was coming to an end and Phoenix felt lighter.

---------------

This past year has been a real rollercoaster for her. After the night Erik confessed to Phoenix that he loved her, he disappeared without a trace. Phoenix woke up the next morning to find her bed empty… again. This time, he wasn’t in the shower. His belongings were gone with him. Confused, she tried to call his phone, but it was disconnected. Right then, she started to have a panic attack. It had been two years since the last time she had one.

Phoenix ran out of her apartment to the elevators and made her way up to Erik’s penthouse. She had a key and let herself in but he wasn’t there. His furniture was all there but she knew something wasn’t right when she went upstairs to find his office door open. Erik never left his office door open. In fact, it was always locked. Phoenix stepped into his office to find it completely empty. No desk, chairs, shelves. She was no fool. Though she kept her promise to never go into his office, she knew he wouldn’t have had an entire office and not have anything in it. She searched around his penthouse for a sign of where he was. She found nothing. She broke down on the kitchen floor. Her panic attack had taken control of her now and she struggled to breathe and sobbed until she felt faint and lost consciousness.

It wasn’t long before she came to and laid on the kitchen floor, crying until she gained enough strength to pull herself up. She called Ava and broke the news to her on what was going on. Ava and Coby came to her rescue. They helped her get back to her apartment where she just balled up into the corner of the couch. She stayed there for days. Ava and Coby never left her side. Mica and Camren eventually came and they all stayed with Phoenix until she was able to function again. She slowly pushed herself back into her schedule. She and Coby still had a mixtape to release.

After some last minute recording, photo shoots, interviews and a bunch of meetings, Phoenix and Coby were able to get their mixtape done before their deadline. Phoenix operated on autopilot the entire time though. She had lost her person. She didn’t know where he was, if he was okay, or if he was even alive. She questioned if she did something. Was there someone else? He heart ached at every possibility.

Hoping to make Phoenix feel some kind of better, Mica put together a ‘Blue Wolf Mixtape Listening Party.’ The party was supposed to be a rooftop dinner with Blue Wolf’s mixtape playing in the background. But when the alfredo dish was served, Phoenix became sick. The smell of it made her extremely nauseous. That night, she found out she was pregnant. When she did the math, she realized that this was the product of her and Erik’s love making on their last night together. That broke her heart even more. She didn’t want this. Especially since Erik wasn’t there. Days later, she found herself scheduling an appointment to have an abortion.

This was supposed to be the happiest moment for her. She’s releasing music. Alyssa was securing dates and venues for a tour. Her and Coby were booked and busy. She couldn’t have a baby. She didn’t need a baby. When the day came for her appointment, she went into the doctor’s office ready. But seconds before the procedure began, she stopped them. She couldn’t do it. What if this is the last thing she’ll ever have with Erik? She thought. Sure, being a mom wouldn’t be easy, especially with the fast life she was living, but she couldn’t do it. She wanted to keep her and Erik’s baby. She would do her best and her best would have to be enough.

After deciding to go through with her pregnancy, Coby felt that they all needed to be together during this time and suggested that Phoenix give up her apartment and move in with him and Ava. She jumped on this idea. Her apartment did nothing but remind her of Erik. Every trip on the elevator made her stomach turn as she would think about how they met in that very spot.

She moved in with Coby and Ava into their large house in Calabasas. Alyssa felt it was best to postpone the tour until after she had the baby. This gave them more time to figure out how to adjust to this new lifestyle and figure out their new family. Coby stepped up and crowned himself Uncle-Daddy of little baby nugget. A nickname given because all Phoenix wanted during her pregnancy was chicken nuggets. He took this role seriously and he made sure to baby proof the house and built an amazing nursery across the hall from Phoenix’s room when they found out she was having a girl.

Phoenix stayed in contact with Erik’s best friend, TJ. He was just as hurt as Phoenix about Erik. They stayed there for each other. TJ made it his job to look out for Phoenix and to always be there for she and Erik’s baby. He and Coby would often argue about who would be the better Uncle-Daddy. They all came together for this baby despite the circumstances and Phoenix was proud to know that she wasn't alone in this. Her baby was going to be loved and surrounded by people who would protect her.

Phoenix unexpectedly went into labor two weeks early. To her and her midwife’s surprise, Phoenix’s labor happened so fast that she ended up having her baby girl in the bathroom at home. Thankfully, Camren is a nurse and was there to make sure Phoenix’s baby girl was born safely. Mica watched on as her niece popped right out into Camren’s hands. Ava had Phoenix’s mom on facetime and her mom named the new bundle of joy Luna because she was born during a full moon.

With all of the life changes, Phoenix started going to therapy to try to cope with everything. Because she was so determined to get life back on steady tracks, she would go every week. She followed the advice Dr. McKee gave her and did her best to apply her lessons to her everyday life. Here she was, a year after Erik left and with a baby. Her and Coby were officially going on their tour and she was starting to feel like herself again.

-----------

The sounds of feet walking across the tile floor and the faint sounds of talking woke Erik up. He kept his eyes closed as he felt the presence of people outside his already open door.

“N’jadaka. I know you are awake.”

Erik opened his eyes and sat up on the bed.

“I have some good news for you. This is your last day here. Mama Kholo has informed me that you’ve made great strides in your rehabilitation. You will be escorted to your palace chambers today.”

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Tags: @shaekingshitup @purple-apricots @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc   @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy @thadelightfulone @raysunshine78@toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads @lyniya @fd-writes

#Erik Stevens #Erik Killmonger #killmonger fic #black panther #erik x black reader #erik x black OC #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

The Elevator Bae - Ch.9 Part THREE

PARTONE PARTTWO

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix)

Warning: Smut, Teasing

A/N: Didn’t do much proofreading. I was just ready to get this out because I’ve already started Chapter 10. Love you all so much for reading. Also, be gentle with ya’ girl. This is my first time writing smut:)

The restaurant was perfectly dim. The smell of delicious food coming in every direction. Erik and Phoenix sat in a booth style table along the back wall. Plush grey seats causing them to blend in with their black attire but their skin tones glowed from the lit candles sitting on their table. Their waitress had just delivered their entrees; sauteed chicken and scallops, steak, lobster mac and cheese, grilled asparagus, crab cakes and of course more wine. Neither of them could really decide what they wanted to eat so Erik insisted on ordering whatever sounded good to them.

As Erik took a sip of wine, he noticed Phoenix staring at him. This isn’t the first time. More like the fifth or sixth time since they’ve been sitting at the table that he’s caught her eyeing him. He slid his hand to her bare thigh. He gripped her flesh and rubbed small circles with his thumbs. A chill traveled up her spin and she looked away, trying to focus on the food on her plate. She slipped a piece of chicken in her mouth and when she looked up, Erik was giving her devious smirk.

“What?” she asked.

“You wanna act like you weren’t just staring at me like I’m that piece of chicken you just ate.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Stevens.” she continues to eat.

“Keep it up. It’s just more problems for you.”

Phoenix sits her fork down and sits back to give him her full attention. “You keep saying that. What are these problems that you speak of Erik?”

He moves his hand further up her thigh, looking her dead in the eye. “The kind of problems that’ll have you paralyzed in the morning.”

On the outside, Phoenix seemed unbothered but on the inside, she was conflicted. On one side, she’s scared for her life but on the flip side, she was so horny that she could barely function and the way Erik is looking tonight, his words had her intrigued. She leaned onto the table, coming closer to him. “Well, if this is the little game you wanna play, Erik, then let’s play.”

A sly grin forms again on his face. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I may not, but this is getting old, Erik. You’re mad that I left you covered in cum and you just want to redeem yourself. So, if you wanna ruin my guts,” she makes quotes with her fingers, “I’ll let you try whatever to get your cool points back.”

“Try?” Erik raises an eyebrow, “Now you’re just being disrespectful. I don’t like being disrespected, Phoenix.” She picks up her fork and begins to eat again, ignoring his last statement. “It’s okay. Daddy gon’ take real good care of you tonight.”

“Daddy?” she scoffs. “That’s cute.”

Erik takes a few bites of his meal. His eyes never left Phoenix. Though she could feel his gaze on her, she pretended not to. She used all of her power to continue to look unfazed by him. She was sipping on wine when he moved his body closer to hers. He moved a few of braids and brought his lips near her ear. “Take your panties off.”

“What!” she snapped. She looked at him like he had three heads.

“You heard me, Phoenix. Take your fucking panties off.”

She nervously laughs, “You are crazy. I’m not doing that.”

“You said you wanted to play. Either you take them off or I will.”

Phoenix careful search Erik’s face. His expression never changed. He was serious. She wasn’t moving fast enough for him so he grabbed her legs from under the table, pulling them onto his lap.

“Okay. Wait.” She moved her legs back and she slowly began sliding her panties down her legs as she looked out to make sure no one was looking at her. Erik held his hand out for them and she gave them to him. He laid her panties on the table. “Erik!” He ignored her and folded the lacey fabric up neatly and placed them in the front pocket of his jacket.

Phoenix tried to keep eating her meal as she wasn’t pantyless at the moment but it was just awkward. Erik didn’t seem to miss a beat. He stayed close to her and his hand made a return to her thigh. “Open up.” he tapped her thigh. She looked at him like he was crazy. He can’t be serious. Again, his tone was serious. She opened her legs slightly. “A little more.” he demanded.

“Erik! We’re in a restaurant full of people right now.”

“Do I look like I give a fuck?” he challenged her. She stared at him in disbelief that this was happening. He waited for her to give him an answer.

“No.” she whispered.

He tapped her thigh again and this time she opened her legs enough for him to have full access to her body. Erik slid his hand up to her bare pussy, trailing his middle finger over where her lips meet. Phoenix jerked from the foreign interaction. Erik paid that no mind. He stroked her lips a few times before sliding his thick finger into her and feeling that she was starting to get wet. He used his free hand to pull her leg over his lap, giving him even more access. Her pussy is fully open under the table. He rubbed small circles over her clit, feeling as she grew aroused. Phoenix tried to control herself as best as she could.

“Erik.” she whined in a low whisper.

“That’s not my name, baby girl. Just be good and let me handle you.”

She tried to hide her face behind his shoulder. He wasn’t even doing much to her yet and she was already so close to cumming. She had imagined him touching her in this way countless times but now it was actually happening and she didn’t know how to handle it.

Erik casually watches as Phoenix tries to keep her composure. He knows that he has her right where he wants her. He starts to pull away from her and she grabs his wrist, stopping him. She didn’t have to say anything. Her eyes pleading for him to not stop. He placed his hand back. He rubbed on her clit, moving her juices around and she held onto his wrist while he did. He slipped his finger into her without any warning, causing her low moan to escape her lips. He pumped his fingers into her at a slow, agonizing pace. Phoenix bucked her hips up, urging him to go faster. “Erik... “ she whined again.

He kissed her temple and spoke lowly in her ear. “I told you that’s not my name. Say my name and I’ll give you what you want.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Please.” she begged.

“Say it.” When she didn’t, he snatched his fingers from her and sucked her juices from his finger. He waved down the waitress and asked for the check. Phoenix sat there with her arms folded over her chest. She stared daggers into the side of Erik’s face as he placed the money for their meal onto the table. He left the waitress a hefty tip and started to rise from the table. “C’mon.”

“Can I have my panties back?” she asked.

“Nah.” he held his hand out for her. She placed her hand in his and they walked out to the car. The cold breeze traveled up her dress and she almost moaned out from it. Erik had pulled a her on her and she couldn’t take it. As they drove off, merging into traffic, she looked at him with pleading eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

He peeks over at her before bringing his focus back to the road. “For what?”

“Leaving you… in the kitchen.” She spoke slowly.

“Oh you see how it feels now, huh?”

She nodded her head. The wave of needing to release in her stomach, made its way to her brain. She couldn’t think straight. She knew she needed Erik and she was willing to do whatever she needed to do to have him. Mica’s tips making their way back into her brain. ‘Sometimes, you have to take control to get what you want. If you want the dick, take the dick.’ Phoenix placed her hand on his thigh, just below his dick. “Can I make it up to you?” she asked.

“Make it up to me?” he smirks. “How you trynna do that?”

Phoenix looks out of the window to the red light they are approaching and looks back to Erik as the car finally comes to a stop. She slides her left hand up to rub on his hardened dick under his pants. Erik motions for her to continue so she unlatches his belt, unzipped his pants and pulled his dick out. As if she could hear Mica again, ‘Circle the tip with your tongue. Look him in his eye before you go for the first deep throat. Niggas love that.’ She does just that, gaining a jerk for Erik. He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth as he watched her make his dick disappear. Phoenix uses on hand to stroke his shaft as she sucks hard. Erik leans back with his eyes closed. “Damn, girl.” He placed a hand on the back of her head. He pushed her down to make sure she sucked every inch.

A car behind them honked their horn. The light had turned green and Erik hadn’t noticed. As he pulled off from the light, Phoenix kept sucking. She is completely bent over, using two hands to twist around his dick and she sucked his tip.

‘Don’t be afraid of the cum.’ she mentally reminded herself as she could feel him twitching in her hands. But to her surprise, he didn’t cum. He used one hand to steer the car and the other to steer her head.  She moaned, sending vibrations to his chest. He gripped her braids, pulling her from him. “Relax. I’m not cuming until I make you pay.” he said.

She sat up and looked at him with innocent eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. You did this to yourself.” When they reached another red light, just a few blocks from their apartment building, Erik fixed himself up, leaving his belt undone. Phoenix sat quietly for the rest of the ride. She internally cheered herself on for a job well done on sucking Erik’s dick. Mica would be proud. She thought.

------------

Phoenix stood behind Erik as he pushed the call button for the elevator. He stepped back, eyeing her like his last meal. He lifted the back of her dress, revealing her bare ass and giving it a hard smack. She squealed in pain. She shot daggers at him with her eyes. She was met with a toothy grin, showing off the gold in his mouth. The elevator doors opened and thankfully, no one was on it. Phoenix stepped in first and when Erik joined her, he pushed her up against the back wall and went straight for her lips. He pulled her bottom lip into his wet mouth and sucked as she moaned. She pulled at his shirt. The energy in the cabin is hot and intense, making Phoenix feel her juices drip between her thighs. He let her go to scan his keycard and send them right up to his place.

-------------

As they made their way into Erik’s penthouse, he whispers into her ear. “Go upstairs. Take this fucking dress off. Leave the heels on.”

Phoenix responds with just a quizzingly look. Was he being serious? His eyes shifted from lustful to slightly annoyed. He stepped closer to her. His chest pressed against her.

“What did Daddy just tell you to do? Why are you still standing here?” his voice low and stern.

He’s being dead serious. Phoenix bit back a smile and turned on her heels. Before she began walking away, Erik pulled her back by the hem of her dress. He pulled it up and he smacked her ass again. This one being harder than the first.

“That’s for not listening,” he let her go. “Now go upstairs.”

Phoenix pulled her dress back down and held her stinging cheek in hand while she traveled up the stairs to Erik’s bedroom. She slid the doors open. His shades were up, so the city’s lights lit his room up perfectly. She wasn’t sure how soon he’d be joining her so she did what he asked and stripped out of her dress. She sat her naked body on the bed and twirled her heeled feet around. The waiting was giving her anxiety. What was he doing? What was he going to do? She bit her lip in thought.

She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and watched the entrance as Erik’s figure came into view. His locs were still braided back but he was no longer sporting his gold frames. His shirt was completely unbuttoned and the sight of his solid abs sent heat to her core. This man was beautiful. She watched as he unhooked his watch, sitting it on his nightstand. He took his shirt off and dropped his belt on the floor. He stood in front of her, nodding in approval that she followed his directions. He lifted her chin to him. “You good?” he asked. It was genuine.

She nodded.

“Use your words, baby girl.”

“I’m good.” she spoke softly.

Erik licked his lips one last time before telling her to lay back. When she did, he grabbed both ankles, pulling her to the edge of the bed. He left wet kisses on her legs and trailed them down to her inner thighs. He kneeled down, coming face to face with her glistening pussy. Phoenix pushed herself up on her elbows to watch.

“You know how long I’ve been waiting to eat you? I’ve been playing nice with your little ass and that made you think shit was sweet.” his breath as he talked, hit her and she was becoming impatient. He could tell from the way she moved her hips up toward his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Erik…” she whined. “Why are you playing right now?”

He chuckled. His low voice making her squirm. “Didn’t I tell you that’s not my name. You don’t get to call me Erik right now.”

She laid flat on the bed. She was just about over it when suddenly his tongue crashed into her wetness. He laid a flat tongue on her pussy and licked like he was trying to find something.

“Oh my God.” she breathed out.

He licked circles around her clit and sucked hard and her body jerked. She moved her hips with his mouth. He made his tongue flat again and that sent her over. She moaned loudly as she released onto his mouth. He proudly licked up her juices. He pushed her legs back, giving himself full access to her pussy. He leaned back admiring her cum as more dripped onto his sheet. He licked it up and continued sucking on her clit. Phoenix clawed at his head. He teased her entrance with a finger but right when she thought he was going to enter her, he stood up. She looked up at him with disappointment. He unbuttoned his pants, dropping them along with his boxers. His dick stood straight up. She could see his veins pulsating. The look in his eyes was telling her to run, but her pussy was telling her to turn over and accept her death.

Erik watched in amusement as Phoenix turned around onto her stomach. She arched her back perfectly. “Oh, that’s how you want it baby?” he rubbed on his ass. “Bounce it.” he demanded. She did what she was told. He lined himself up with her entrance, rubbing just the tip to watch has her slickness created a wet bridge.

Phoenix whined in frustration. “I need you in me.”

“Beg for it.” he delivered a hard smack on his swaying ass.

“Please.”

“You see this baby? I can be everything you need and your worst nightmare.” the dark laugh that followed was the realization Phoenix needed to now fully understand how she did this to herself. A lightbulb switched on. He used her same words on her. But before she react, Erik slid into her pussy with one quick motion and Phoenix’s mouth dropped. She has never been this full. It was the sweetest pain she’s ever felt. He pulled out and rammed himself into her again. All sounds were stuck in Phoenix’s throat as she gripped the bedsheets. Erik never gave her a chance to adjust. He moved at a quick pace, holding on to her hips. “Dick got ya’ tongue, Phoenix?”

She let out a lustful scream. She absentmindedly threw her hand back to try and give herself some leeway. Erik smacked her hand away. “Fuck that shit. You said you wanted to play. You gon’ take this dick. Every fucking inch with your tough ass.”

His strokes were becoming deadly. She could feel the familiar tightness in her stomach forming. Her pussy gripped his dick, letting Erik know that she was going to cum.

“You bet not fucking cum. Hold that shit.” he barked.

“Erik… I can’t.”

He slid out of her and her body dropped flat on the bed. He flipped her around and leaned over her. Arms on each side of her head. He looked her in her eye. Tears were forming in the corners. “When I tell you to do something, I mean that shit. You hear me?”

She nodded.

“Use your fucking words, Phoenix.” his nostrils flared.

“I hear you.” her voice was shaky now.

He stood up straight, pulling her legs over his shoulders. “And I see you still haven’t learned my fucking name.” He rubbed the tip of his dick over her clit and watched as she struggled to not cum from the sensation. “Hold that shit.”

She swallowed audibally and closed her eyes to prepare for his dick to invade her again at any moment. He slid into her again and stroked her slowly.

“I’ma ask you a question. You answer it right, I’ll let you cum.”

“Okay.”

“This my pussy, baby girl?”

Her eyes shot open and met his. His mouth was slightly open and he looked so damn good. Her pussy was his. She was his. Everything was his.

“Yes!” she moaned out.

His pace picked up. They looked each other in the eye. Both in a trance as the sounds of their skin smacking echoed around them. That was exactly what Erik wanted to hear. He felt her pussy tightening around him and this time he cheered her own as she came hard on him. “Cum on this dick baby. I want it all.” He leaned down giving her a wet kiss that they both moaned into. “You look so fucking pretty cumming on daddy dick.”

Phoenix wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him in. He rested his forehead on her. She didn’t want this to end. If she could make their bodies one at this moment, she would. Her mouth opened but nothing came out.

“Talk to me, baby.” Erik said. “You love this dick?”

“Mhm.”

“Nah, girl. I told you to use your words.” He wrapped a hand around her neck. That alone made her cum again. He laughed to himself. “Yo’ little nasty ass like this shit, huh.” He tightened his grip around her neck and started driving his dick into her at an ungodly pace. “I asked you a question. You love this dick?”

“Yes! Fuck… I- I love this dick. I swear.”

“This your dick baby.” he encouraged her.

“Fuck!” she clawed at his back.

“Who the fuck am I, baby girl? Huh? Who the fuck am I?”

“You’re daddy! You’re daddy, baby.”

Erik quickly jumps up. He grabs Phoenix by her wrist and pulled her up to her heeled feet. He caught her body before she lost balance. The shock of it all caught her by surprise. He turned them around. As he sat down on the bed, he bent her over in front of him admiring how her cum dripped down her thighs. He licked his lips before diving in head first to lick every drop of her juices. Phoenix clawed around in search of something to hold on to. The only thing sturdy enough for her to hold was Erik’s wrist as he held a death grip on her thighs. Her screams bounced off the walls. Erik’s tongue worked magic around her clit and the way he sucked on her made her legs go weak.

Erik pulled away to look at his creation. The more he sucked on her, the more she came in his mouth. He gave her a hard slap on the ass. “You’re so beautiful baby.” he said with a devious smile. He gave her another hard smack. “Tell daddy again you’re sorry for leaving him in the kitchen.”

“I’m sorry, daddy!” Phoenix moaned out. She was holding on by a thread. Blood was rushing to her head. She was still being bent over in front of him. She watched from between her legs as he rubbed away the pain from her ass cheek. She looked down to see his dick still hard as ever, standing straight up. Seeing her own cum drip down his dick made her mouth water. She reached for it, gripping him in her small hand. That earned her a hearty moan from him. Erik let her stroke him a couple more times before he swatted her hand away. She whined in protest. She needed him and he was just sitting there.

Erik pulled her up right. He guided her hips over him. He slowly lowered her down onto him. Phoenix moaned loudly in pleasure. He wrapped one hand around her body and the other held her neck. He gave her slow, deliberate strokes.

“You feel so good in my daddy.” Phoenix threw her head back. Erik left wet kisses on her back.

“I ain’t never had some pussy like this. You know that? This pussy was made for me.”

Erik could feel Phoenix clench around him. She was going to cum again. He picked his pace up quickly. The sounds of their skin slapping becoming music to their ears as Phoenix came hard. Her body shook and Erik cheered her on through it.

“I got you, baby. Let all that shit out on me. I’m right behind you.”

Erik bear hugged her as his hard strokes became uneven. Phoenix screamed his name to encourage his climax. “Cum for me, daddy. Please.”

Erik gave her one last stroke and he released himself into her. He held her tight until every last drop of his cum was free inside her.

“Fuck!” he breathes out as his large body dropped back onto the bed. Phoenix fell back with him. Erik shifted their bodies so they’re laying next to each other and she looked up at him with hooded eyes. They were both exhausted.

Erik got up, went into the bathroom to wet a warm rag. He cleaned Phoenix up. She kicked her heels off and tried to crawl her tired body to the top of the bed but her body gave out on her before she could make it. Erik helped her get under the covers. Within seconds, her eyes were shut and she was asleep. Erik wasn’t necessarily sleepy just yet, so he wrapped his arm around her and watched her sleep. He traced her features with the tips of his fingers. She was such a beautiful woman. Inside and out. Did he really deserve her? He thought. If he didn’t, he would make the best of this moment… just in case. He reached back for his phone on his nightstand and took a picture of her. She looked so small and peaceful against his chest. He stared at the photo and then made it his screensaver. He put his phone back and watched her sleep until sleep found him.

-------

Phoenix was woken up from her sleep. Something seemed off. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she could see that it was still night out. There was heavy breathing coming from behind her. When she turned to see where Erik was, she found him asleep but he was shaking. He was covered in sweat. She sat up and watched, not sure what to do. He was having a night terror. She placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly.

“Erik.” she spoke softly to not alarm him.

She continued to call his name until his eyes shot open. When he looked at her, it was as if he didn’t know who she was or why she was there. No words were said. His eyes softened once he realized what was happening. He looked away from her with shame.

“C’mere.” she said. She reached for him again. He didn’t move. He hoped that she would just turn over and leave it alone… leave him alone. She didn’t.

“C’mere Erik.” This time, when he didn’t come to her, she climbed on top of him. She held his face and kissed him on the lips. That seem to give him a small bit of comfort. She laid on his chest and rubbed his beard. Eventually, he wrapped his arms around her signalling that he was okay now. They both laid like this until the both of them fell asleep again.

---------

The sun was shining bright over Phoenix’s face, waking her up. This time, she found herself alone in Erik’s huge bed. She looked around for her phone to see the time. But no luck. It dawned on her that it was still in her purse which was definitely downstairs. She would go get that after using the bathroom.

When Phoenix stepped into the bathroom, she found a t-shirt, a pair of shorts, a toothbrush, a bonnet, towels and bodywash sitting on the sink. She turned on Erik’s shower and played around with the different buttons to see how they worked. She settled for two of the three shower heads to ensure her hair didn’t get wet. When she stepped in, she almost melted at the warm water hitting her front and back simultaneously. She needed this kind of shower in her place.

----------

Erik was sitting at his kitchen counter with a cup of coffee when he heard the shower in his master bedroom come on. He closed his laptop and just listened. His girl was up. He looked over his shoulder into the living room and smiled. He took slow sips of his coffee as he waited. He eventually heard the shower cut off. It was only a matter of time before she would be coming downstairs to look for him.

He heard his bedroom door slide open and opened his laptop again to pretend to be busy. He acted as though he didn’t hear her bare feet tap down the stairs. A warm smile formed on his face when Phoenix’s arms slid around his torso from behind. He felt her warm face lay gently on his back.

“Morning.” she said.

He turned around and smiled at her. He glanced down at the Navy T-Shirt that he had left out for her. His name ‘Stevens’ on chest, in the right hand corner. He moved a few stray braids from her face.

“Happy Birthday baby girl.” he pulled her closer to him. Her smile bright enough to overshadow the sun.

“Thank you, daddy.” she said sarcastically. Earning a small laugh came from Erik. “I feel like I’ve been celebrating my birthday for so long, I actually forgot it was today.”

“I ain’t forget.” He said before placing a peck on her lips.

Something that Phoenix didn’t forget was him having a night terror last night. She wanted to ask about it but decided against it. “You smell like coffee. I want some coffee.”

“Coming right up.” Erik stands and walks around into the kitchen to make Phoenix a cup of coffee. He slid the creamer and sugar over to her.

She checked her purse for her phone to find it dead. “You have a charger down here?”

“Yeah. One over here.”

She gave him the phone and he plugged it up as she poured an awful amount of sugar into her coffee. The first sip gave her goosebumps. She sighed in comfort. Erik leaned back and just watched her. She made the simplest things like drinking coffee looks so damn beautiful. Phoenix looked up to catch Erik admiring her. She gave him a wink. His face glowed red in embarrassment. To redeem himself, he walked over to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

“You wanna open your gifts now or later?”

Phoenix’s head snapped in his direction. “Wasn’t dinner my gift? The flowers? The balloons?” she asked in disbelief.

“All of that was part of it.”

She couldn’t contain her smile. “So what’s the rest of it?”

He grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet. He slowly walked her toward the living room.

“Well, I got you a little something.”

When they came around the couch, Phoenix was shocked to see a Louis Vuitton shopping bag and two small boxes. How didn’t she notice this when she was coming down the stairs?

“Erik… what is this?”

“Just open it.”

She went for the large bag first. When she unwrapped it, it was a Montaigne MM Monogram Logo bag in navy blue. She had been eyeing that bag for awhile but never mentioned it to Erik. How did he know that she wanted it. She looked at him with curious eyes. He motioned for her to continue. The first box held a tennis necklace with a ‘P’ pendant for her name. The second box held a matching tennis bracelet.

“Erik!” she shouted. His name being the only word she could form. She jumped into his arms, hugging him. He picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“You like it?”

“Love it. But you didn’t have to do all of this. I told you I don’t care about my birthday.”

“Phoenix, be quiet. I wanted to. My girl deserves it all.”

He placed her back on her feet, giving her a few kisses.

“Your girl? I’m your girl now?” she pokes at him.

“Yeah. You told me that pussy is mine.” he gave her a knowing look.

Phoenix punches him in the chest and playfully rolls her eyes. He pulls her back in, kissing her more. “Now you need to go downstairs and get dressed. I have to feed your crazy ass before I give you to your friends.”

“My friends--”

Erik cuts her off with a finger to her mouth. “Don’t ask questions. Just do it.”

He gets her phone from the charger and pushes her to the door.

“You have 30 minutes.”

Before leaving out the door, she turns to him. “Before we go anywhere, you need to take me to Walgreens for a Plan B.”

Erik scratched the back of his neck, biting back a smile. “Oh yeah. I got you.”

Tags: @liyahshaeking​ @purple-apricots​ @abeautifulmindexposed​ @lostennyc​ @ @tip222u​ @janelledarling​ @lushloaded​ @chaneajoyyy​ @thadelightfulone​ @raysunshine78@toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads @lyniya

#erik stevens #erik killmonger #erik x black oc #black panther #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

The Elevator Bae | Chapter NINE

Chapter NINE - PART ONE

EIGHT

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix)

Word Count: Idk. 5k... I think.

A/N: I didn’t want this chapter to be too long, so it’ll be broken up into two parts. | Song lyrics referenced are not my own. They are from Mila J x Friend Zone. ** Major S/O to my good sis @liyahshaeking​ for helping me figure out how I wanted to start this and proofreading this for me. You are a Gem! and reminder: this is my side blog and all further chapters and other fics will be posted from this page. 

Erik’s face beamed with joy as he looked at his phone. Phoenix had just sent him a mirror video, showing off her bright, red bikini. She whips her box braids off of her shoulder, revealing a familiar gold chain around her neck. Music was playing in the background and just before the video ends, Erik spots one of her friends dancing behind her, photobombing her video. Without a second thought, he saved the video before playing it again, making sure the sound isn’t on. But that wasn’t enough for him. He needed to see more of her. He bit his lip as he shamelessly goes right to Phoenix’s instagram. Ironically, she had just uploaded a group picture with all of her friends on the beach. Each of them looking perfectly tanned as they glowed under the sun. They were cute, Erik could admit that. But his baby girl was the cutest. He used his chubby thumbs to zoom in right on her. The smile she wore, made his heart flutter. She was happy. Her being happy, made him happy. Just as he was about to tap her profile picture to get caught up with her story, a voice brought him back into reality.

“Damn, E! She’s cute.”

Erik was suppose to be hanging with ‘the boys.’ They were currently at TJ’s house smoking, talking shit and playing 2k. Well… that’s what everyone else was doing. Erik was currently, laid back onto TJ’s couch, cuddling with his phone. He was so caught up in Phoenix’s video, he didn’t even realize that he was the topic of the shit talk. TJ, Mario, Ken and Ken’s girlfriend, Stephanie, who was deemed ‘one of the bros’, were going in on him. Without even noticing, Stephanie had made her way behind Erik and was watching as he pretty much drooled over Phoenix.

Erik whipped his head around to see Stephanie leaned over the couch, watching his every move. His nostrils flared at how comfortable she seemed behind him.

“Do you know what privacy is? Damn!”

His friends burst into laughter causing Erik to realize that this was a set up. Stephanie was chosen to spy on Erik to see who in the hell was on his phone making him grin and cheese like a kid with a grade school crush. He glared at all of them as they fell over.

“Y’all childish as hell.” he says, shaking his head.

TJ walks over to Erik, sitting next to him. “So is this a new one?”

“Mhmm. I ain’t never seen this one before.” Stephanie chimes in.

Erik cuts his eye at her. “Why does it matter?”

“We’re just trying to find out which one of your hoes finally got you stuck.” Mario says from the kitchen.

“She ain’t a hoe, so watch your fucking mouth.”

Stephanie continues to lean over the couch, scrolling on her phone. She was able to see Phoenix’s IG name from when she was towering over Erik’s shoulder, watching him examine her latest upload. She was currently scoping out Phoenix’s page. “Where you find her at, E? She looks like she has morals.”

Confused, Erik looks at Stephanie. “Fuck you mean?”

She holds up her phone, displaying a selfie that Phoenix had on her page. TJ snatches the phone and starts looking through the pics, prompting Mario and Ken to join.

“Damn, E! She’s nice.” Ken says.

Erik tries to take Stephanie’s phone from them but TJ grips it tighter to stop him. “How the fuck did you even find her page?”

Stephanie laughs, “I peeped it when you were zooming in on her ass.”

“I fucking hate y’all.”

“You need to be plugging me with one of her friends.” Mario says, licking his lips at some of the group pictures Phoenix has with her friends. He points to Camren. “She looks like she needs me.”

TJ shows Erik who Mario is referring to and Erik sucks his teeth. “She gay. She doesn't need or want yo’ ugly ass.” He reaches for the phone again. “Are y’all done?”

TJ moves back quick, giving Stephanie her phone. “How long you been fucking with her?”

Erik doesn’t respond. He sits there looking forward. His face is blank. He’s annoyed that they now know about Phoenix. He wanted to keep her to himself for as long as possible and now they know. Now, they would be asking about her. They have her social media info and knowing Stephanie, she would reach out to introduce herself. She was always ignoring boundaries. A part of it is because the guys were her only friends. So, when one of the guys had a new lady friends, she would insert herself, trying to make friends with them. This has happened to Erik three times now. But of course, those girls were just fuck buddies. This was Phoenix. Big difference.

“Aw, it’s her birthday?” Stephanie says from behind him. Erik looks back to see what she’s talking about.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“I’m watching her story.”

--------

Phoenix and her girls had made plans to go out to dinner at a local restaurant. They were all in their rooms, getting ready. Music is blasting through their villa home as she slipped on her navy blue, floral romper. She unwrapped her braids and put on Erik’s gold chain. She figured she’d give it back after her trip since it seemed to go with all of her outfits. Applying some mascara and her Fenty highlighter, she just needed to decide on what shoes to wear. Wedges or Sandals. She picked up both pairs of shoes and heads up the hallway to see what her friends would think.

Peeking into each of their rooms, she notices that they are all missing. In true Phoenix nature, her mind takes her to the worst case possible. They were kidnapped and killed and because the music is so loud, she didn’t hear a thing and now she has to escape before the killer gets to her. She tiptoes down the marble stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible to listen out for anything going on downstairs.

Suddenly, she hears movement coming from the kitchen and the music stops. Phoenix is internally freaking out. She stopped in her tracks to peek around the wall and releases the breath she was holding when she sees Ava’s back, standing at the kitchen island. She walks in, shoes in hand. Tiana was the first to see her and yells, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Queuing Ava, Mica and Camren to start yelling Happy Birthday at her and popping a few confetti cannons. Big silver balloons hung over them, spelling out BLUE 28. Phoenix’s heart is glowing through her chest as she smiles so big at her friends. Her eyes begin to water when she sees a cake on the counter. “Oh my God. Y’all didn’t have to do this. This is Camren’s trip.”

Phone in hand, recording the entire thing, Ava grabs Phoenix with her free hand to hug her. “Did you really think we weren’t gonna do anything for you?”

“This is both of our trip.” Camren adds.

Phoenix hugs and thanks each of them. Mica pulls out a tiara and a Birthday Girl sash, putting them on Phoenix. “You look so pretty.” She looks down at the shoes that Phoenix is still holding on to, “And wear these.” She points to the sandals. “You’re getting fucked up tonight. You won’t be able to walk in those wedges.”

“SHOTS!” Camren yells. Ava lines the shot glasses up and Tiana fills them up that they overflow.

One shot. Two shot.

“Let’s go eat.” Phoenix says. The car arrives to take them to the restaurant and they go. Her birthday was the only time Phoenix would eat steak, so she ordered the biggest one they had. As they enjoyed their food, they drank drink after drink and had three more shots, each. With liquor pumping through their bodies, the women were hyped and ready to move their bodies. Mica lead them all to the dance floor on the other side of the bar and they danced. The natives of the island danced with them, cheering them on as they twerked on each other. A few native men joined them. One in particular noticed the tiara on her head. “It’s your birthday, love?” he asked.

His accent intrigued Phoenix. “Yes it is.”

“How old are you?” he smiled. His teeth were the purest white. His skin was a beautiful mocha. He whined his hips with hers as they danced and talked.

“I’m 28.”

“Can I show you a good time for your birthday, Ms…?

“Phoenix.”

“Oh, Phoenix. I like that.”

Phoenix nods in approval. The mystery guy motions to the DJ and a new song begins. The man places both hands on Phoenix’s hips, bending her over and grinding on her to the beat. He turns her around, picking her up.

“Oh, bitch!” Mica yells eagerly, recording the pair. Ava cheers them on. When the song was over, Phoenix’s covers her smiling face in embarrassment, walking back to her friends.

The mystery man then sends each of them another round of drinks on him. They raise their cups to him in gratitude. They continued to dance on each other.

-------

Ava did her best to stay awake to make sure they made it back to their villa safely. The rest of them were knocked out. Mica would come to every few minutes and then pass out again. The sound of a phone vibrating, stirred Phoenix. She sat up, digging in her bra for her phone.

INCOMING CALL ERIK

“Hello.” that one word was slurred.

“You got me fucked up.” Erik’s voice boomed through the phone.

“Erik…” she dragged his name like a song, “Hey babe.”  Mica’s head snapped up when she heard his name. Phoenix can barely hold the phone up to her face so she puts it on speaker, not at all expecting what was coming next.

“Don’t fucking babe me when you down there showing yo’ ass. Who the fuck is this ugly ass nigga you letting feel on yo’ ass?”

“What?”

“Oh you wanna play stupid now? Like you don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“Is that Erik?” Camren lifts her head from the car window, “Tell him to shut up.”

“WHO THE FUCK IS THAT?”

“Erik. Relax.” is all Phoenix could get out.

“Yo’ ass need to relax. Letting random niggas fuck on you.”

A group of voices is heard from Erik’s background. “Is that Phoenix? Hey Phoenix.”

“Who is that?”

There’s a pause on Erik’s end.

“Hello? Erik. Who is that?”

“Nobody.” his voice is now low compared to before. Almost like he’s whispering.

Mica rolls her eyes. “Can this nigga go find something to do? We’re busy.”

“I can find something to do, alright. I’ll fly down there right now and drag all y’all thot asses back here and ruin all that shit. Think I’m playing.”

“Erik…” Phoenix calls to him.

“Let me see you dancing with another nigga, Phoenix. I promise you that’s yo’ ass.”

That was all that Erik could get out before Phoenix’s phone dies. She stares at the black screen for a moment before putting it back into her bra.

-----------

The next morning was rough. As the women sat and ate breakfast, Phoenix sat with her plate on the floor next to a plug to charge her phone. She didn’t remember her phone dying but when it turned on, her heart dropped. Four missed calls from Erik and six text. He had never blown her phone up like this before. What happened last night? She thought.

Erik: Phoenix! Answer yo’ fucking phone.

Erik: Yo’ shit better be dead.

Erik: On Bast, I will fuck you and that nigga up Phoenix. I’m not playing.

There’s almost a  two hour wait before the next set of messages.

Erik: Philly.

Erik: I’m sorry baby girl. I shouldn’t blown up on you like that. I know you wouldn’t be down there on some crazy shit.

Erik: Just call me back.

He’s sorry? Really? Phoenix’s palms grew hot reading the messages. This screams red flags for her and she’s not with any of it. Her thumbs moved quickly texting him back.

Phoenix: Wow Erik. You are really full of shit. Don’t you ever crack open your lips to talk to me that way. I’m not one of these basic bitches that you’re use to fucking with. I won’t deal with any of that kind of disrespect. Keep your stupid ass sorry because I don’t want it. Do me a favor and don’t call or text me. Leave me alone.

Phoenix figured Erik would still try to contact her after that, so she proceeded to put her phone on airplane mode. If he wanted to be this way, he’d have to deal with the consequences of it. She slammed her phone down, gaining the attention of her friends, sitting at the table. They watched as she joined them at the table, sharing a few glances. They could read the frustration all over her face. She silently added more food to her plate and angrily stabbed her fork into her waffles as she ate.

“Is everything okay?” Ava asked.

“I am done with Erik.”

---------

**the night before** 

After more stalking of Phoenix and her friends pages to see what they were doing on the trip, Erik sees a video of Phoenix and the mystery man on Mica’s page. He stepped away from his friends, into the kitchen to call Phoenix. Although the kitchen wasn’t secluded from them at all. He planned on being rational about the situation but when she answered, his emotions took full control and his mouth started moving faster than his brain. Barking out, “You got me fucked up,” which drew the attention of his friends sitting just feet away in the living room. Hearing how her words slurred, he knew she was drunk but that didn’t stop him from continuing to lash out.

His friends, not realizing the seriousness of Erik’s feelings, yell out, “Hey Phoenix.” Erik snarls at them, getting the message through to them that right now isn’t the time for their bullshit. When Phoenix’s phone hangs up on him, his rage reaches a new level for the night. He calls her again and again, reaching her voicemail. His thumbs smash his keyboard sending her messages. Not receiving any responses from her, he decides it’s time for him to leave. He begins storming out of TJ’s home. TJ follows behind him.

“Aye man. E!” TJ calls out to Erik as he approaches his car in TJ’s driveway. Erik turns around without saying a word. “What the fuck just happend?” TJ continued.

“Nothing. I’m good.” Erik tries to avoid this conversation. He opens his car door, but TJ closes it shut, prompting Erik to glare at him.

“Do I look stupid to you? How long have I known you?” TJ asks.

TJ and Erik grew up together. They both lived in the same building before Erik’s dad was killed. TJ was his closest and only friend after that. He was the only person he stayed in constant contact with during his stay in foster care. Erik would sneak out most nights and stay with TJ and his mom at their place. These two ran the streets together until Erik went away to school and the NAVY. They were like two peas in a pod. TJ knew Erik better than any person on the planet ever could. He knew when something was wrong with his friend.

Erik stood there between TJ and his car. He had nothing to say, but at this point, he knew TJ wasn’t going to let it go.

“You know you tripping, right?” TJ continued.

“I’m tripping? Nah, fuck that. She’s tripping! Letting some nigga be all on her like that.”

“E! C’mon man, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down.”

“You acting like she was fucking the nigga or something.”

“She might as well had been.” Erik stepped closer to TJ, bringing them eye to eye.

“See man, that’s your problem.”

“My problem?” Erik cuts him off, “What’s my problem, huh?”

“Just snapping for no damn reason. You’ve always done this stupid shit. Shoot now and ask questions later. That shit might work out on the field but that’s now how shit works in real life, E. You’ll run that girl off just like you run damn near everybody else off with that shit.”

Erik kissed his teeth, “Man, fuck on.”

“I always told you that you needed to calm the fuck down. It’s gon’ come back and bite you in the ass.”

“Oh, I guess Kayla leaving your bum ass made you a relationship expert.” Erik spat.

Kayla was TJ’s ex. They were together for five years until Kayla broke up with TJ about six months ago. TJ was always putting work first and cheated on Kayla while doing so. When she had enough, she left and never came back. The breakup was still fresh for TJ, so it was a low blow for Erik to bring it up.

“Yeah, E! It fucking did.” Erik could see the anger in TJ now. He had triggered him. “I fucked up and now I’m not trying to see my nigga fuck up his own situation. I ain’t never seen you act like this over no female, so clearly you like her. But honestly, I wouldn’t even blame her for getting rid of your dumb ass. You got too much baggage.”

Erik was done listening to what TJ had to say and started getting into his car. This time TJ didn’t stop him, he just continued to talk.

“Go ahead and walk away. Just like you always do. You can never face your shit, Erik. You can’t run away from your demons.” he shouts as Erik starts his car and pulls out of his driveway and driving off.

Erik raced through the semi empty streets of LA. It was pretty late so not many people were on the road. He dipped in and out of lanes, making his drive home a quick one. He entered his penthouse and headed straight to the bathroom, stripping out of his clothes and getting into the shower. The video of Phoenix dancing with another man playing in his head over and over followed by TJ’s last few words to him. You can’t run away from your demons. He stepped out of the shower and laid his bare body across his bed. As if a wave of calmness rolled over  his space, he suddenly felt… foolish. He knew he overreacted. He replayed the nights events over to see where everything went left. He sent Phoenix another text, apologizing before closing his tired eyes and drifting off to sleep.

-----

When Erik woke up the next morning, he hadn’t  received anything from Phoenix. Was she pissed? Was her phone still dead? Every kind of scenario possible ran through his mind. He barely got through his morning workout because of his overthinking. He would stop between sets checking his phone for any new notifications, even though his phone wasn’t on silent and would alert him if he had any. He decided to turn his phone off, leaving it in his bedroom while he locked himself in his office to work.

Hours had passed before he finally stepped back out of his office. The urge to check his phone hit him immediately after stepping out of his office, but the sounds of his hungry belly forced him to head downstairs to the kitchen. He took his time cooking up some salmon croquettes and cheesy grits. He picked around at his food. He needed to check his phone. He traveled upstairs to grab it and watched the apple sign glow as he made his way back down, sitting back at his kitchen counter. His phone came to life, with One New Message: Baby Girl and a missed call from TJ. He didn’t even bother to think about calling TJ back. He slid open the message from Phoenix.

Heat began to form in the pit of his chest as he read her message over and over. His thumbs hovered over the keyboard, trying to think of something, anything to say back. But she made herself clear: Do me a favor and don’t call or text me. Leave me alone. Not able to come up with anything to redeem himself, he decided to do as she asked and leave her alone. He closed the message and locked his phone. Erik finished the rest of his food, put on some fresh clothes and headed out the door.

-------

Phoenix and her girls rented some ATV’s for the day and spent the day exploring. They shopped at some small shops and got food at a local cafe before returning back to their villa. They all had been tired from partying the night before, so this night would be spent chilling and relaxing. As the night came to an end, everyone headed to their rooms to get some rest.

Phoenix laid in her bed for what felt like hours, trying to fall asleep. She flipped her pillows countless times to feel the cold side, she tossed and turned, and she even tried to count backwards from a hundred. Nothing worked. She reached for her phone and for the first time since that morning, she took her phone off airplane mode. Her first action was opening her messages and tapping Erik’s name. She just stared at her last message to him. Not knowing what to do, she exited out and tapped her IG app. She scrolled and scrolled, liking a few pictures until she found herself mindlessly tapping through Insta Stories. She stopped when she got to Coby’s story. He was in the studio and playing a snippet of a beat and it sparked an idea in her.  “I need to write.” she whispered to herself.

Phoenix got up and pulled out her trusty notebook from her luggage. She wasn’t supposed to bring anything work related with her but she knew at some point, inspiration could hit her. She dug into the bottom of her purse for her airpods and headed downstairs. She made her way outside into the backyard of the villa. The pool lite up blue and she found a comfy spot on one of the cushioned chairs. Popping in her headphones, she turned on a beat and let the music sing to her. She closed her eyes, feeling the warm, midnight breeze and hummed until she found the words.

Ride these hips like some handle bars // Do it on top of the car

No matter baby, I don't care // We can fuck anywhere

She sings as she writes her lyrics in her notebook.

-------

Mica stands in the dim kitchen, with the refrigerator open, looking for something to snack on. Nothing looked appealing but her sleepy mind made her believe that if she stared long enough at the food that maybe something tasty would just appear on the shelves. As she stood there, she heard the faint sounds of a voice. She closed the door of the fridge, trying to listen to where it was coming from. Her eyes followed the sound and she spotted one of her friends sitting outside. As she walked closer to the cracked open, sliding door she could hear very clearly now, Phoenix singing. She listened as Phoenix sung to herself. But what really caught her up were the x rated lyrics. How could someone so innocent be singing like this.

Now see normally, I do not do this shit // But ooh, I'm so ready to do your shit

Throw it back for ya cause you know the deal // When I hit ya back with that Netflix and chill

Mica stepped outside and started walking toward Phoenix. Naturally, as she walked, she didn’t make a noise. Phoenix having her earbuds in and eyes closed, she didn’t notice when Mica sat down in the chair next to her.

Let me tell you how I want it // Tell you just the way to hit // when you tryna push up on it

“Sounds like somebody missing that D.” Mica laughed, adding emphasis on D.

Phoenix jumped so hard, one of her earbuds fell out. “Oh my God!” She grabs her chest, feeling her heart pound. “What the fuck, Mica?”

“My bad. I ain’t mean to scare you.” Phoenix took deep breaths trying to calm her nerves. “Why are you out here though? You ain’t scared a lizard will pop out and attack you?” Mica continued.

“I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to be by the water and I actually never thought about a lizard or any other creatures popping out, but I am now though.” She rolled her eyes, peaking over her shoulder. When she looks back at Mica, she finds Mica grinning at her. “What?” she asked, with a bit of attitude.

Mica shakes her head. “Oh, nothing.”

“Mica… why are you looking at me like this?”

“I peeped your lyrics. Yo’ ass can’t sleep because you’re probably due for a dose of dick.”

Phoenix rolls her eyes. “I’m not due for anything. It’s just a song.”

“Girl, bullshit! All of your music reflects how you feel.” She watched as Phoenix anxiously bites the side of her mouth instead of responding. “It’s okay to admit it Phoenix.”

“There’s nothing to admit.” she snaps. “I’m just writing music.”

“Yeah, about getting your guts ruined by Erik.”

“Erik ain’t ruining shit.”

“Okay. Now you’re just lying.” Mica moves closer to Phoenix, snatching her notebook from her. Phoenix gives a small fight for it but Mica’s small frame is strong and she blocked Phoenix’s attempts to get it back. Mica read through the lyrics. Her eyes growing big as she realizes something. “Oh my goodness. Im tryna take you out the friend zone,” she reads. “You and him haven’t done the do, but you want to. You still want Erik to be your man.” she gives Phoenix a mischievous look.

Phoenix’s face heats up and tries to hide it from Mica. Mica jumps up and squeezes into the same chair as Phoenix. “Can you chill before you wake everybody up?” Phoenix says, covering her face with her t-shirt.

“I knew you were blowing smoke about being done with his ass earlier.” Mica snatches Phoenix’s t-shirt down from her face. “C’mon girl, talk to me. You ain’t let him break you off?”

Phoenix shakes her head no.

“Has he tried? Have you tried?”

“We’ve almost… like twice, but both times he stopped and said he didn’t want to.”

“Why?” Mica asked.

“The first time was after my show and we all went to In-N-Out. He walked me to my door and dropped the bomb on me that he would have to leave like the next day for work and be gone for two weeks. He didn’t want me to think he was having sex with me only to disappear.”

“Oh, like he did Sydney?”

Phoenix cut her eye at Mica. “He didn’t have sex with her.” Mica threw her hands up in surrender, motioning for Phoenix to go on. “And the second time is when he got back from his trip and he said he wanted to do things the right way and court me because he’s never done it for a woman.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean? He’s never actually dated a woman?”

“Nope! He’s never had a girlfriend. Just fuck buddies.”

“Hm.” Mica sounded impressed. “I’m going to need him to teach me his ways because I don’t really want these niggas. I just want the dick and that sounds perfect for me.”

“Mica!”

“What?”

“You know damn well you want Jimmy to be your man.”

“Aht! Aht! We are not talking about Jimmy right now. We are talking about you and Erik.” Mica pokes Phoenix’s chest.

“Actually,” Phoenix says matter of factly, “We’re not because there is no more me and Erik.”

“I get why you’re mad at him. I do! But I definitely think y’all can come back from this. From what you just said, I don’t think he was trying to be a disrespectful, wild nigga. If he’s never had a girlfriend then he’s never had those moments where you see the person you like, talk to someone else and your brain is all telling you to be heartbroken and you get that weird feeling in your chest. He overreacted, yes, but that man likes you, Philly! Maybe he didn’t know how to handle the thought of someone else knowing you the way he wants to know you.”

Phoenix bit her lip in thought. Does Mica really have a point right now? Mica was never the type to vouch for any guy. She was proudly Team Fuck These Niggas. So, this was new for Phoenix to hear from Mica. Mica grabs Phoenix’s face, looking her in the eyes. “I’m not saying to text him or nothing like that because it’s Fuck These Niggas for life. He should definitely suffer for talking to you like he lost his mind. But when you’re ready to talk to him, let his ass have it and make sure he knows that if he pulls that shit again, you will block his ass and go on like you never knew him. Once he bows down to you and kisses your feet for forgiveness, you snatch his soul.” Mica smiles which causes Phoenix to smile and Mica kisses her forehead.

“One problem, sis.”

“What?”

“I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“The dick.” Phoenix whispers.

“Are you serious?” Mica laughs.

“Yes. Stop laughing at me.” she pushes Mica off of her, causing Mica to slip from their shared chair. “It’s been a long time since I did that.”

Mica catches herself and swiftly moves her body into the other chair. “I completely forgot that you’re a born again virgin. I would be scared too.”

“You don’t understand, Mica. I really don’t think I even remember what to do with a dick.”

“You want me to give you some tips?”

Phoenix nervously looks at Mica. “Tips? From you? I don’t know about that.”

“Fine! Lay there like a sponge then.”

“Wait, I don’t wanna be a sponge. I’m sorry. Help me.”

Mica hands Phoenix her notebook and pen back. “Open a fresh page and take notes.” Phoenix does what she is told and waits for Mica to begin. “Okay! Let’s start with oral. How you suck a guys dick is how you set the tone. Wait, you’ve given head before right?”

“Um, once. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Girl,” Mica palms her face. “I’m sure it was terrible.”

------------

Phoenix followed Mica’s advice on letting Erik suffer. For the rest of their trip, she didn’t text or call him. In fact, she kept her phone on airplane mode the majority of the time and never posted anymore pictures or videos on her Instagram. That didn’t mean Erik didn’t see what she was up to. He had no shame in checking in on Ava, Mica and Camren’s pages. He tried to see what was on Tiana’s page but her page was private. He needed to show Phoenix he knew he messed by handling their situation like he did. The fews days of them not being in contact, he had plenty of time to think about his actions. With Phoenix returning soon, he needed to figure out a way to get her back.

He sent a message to Shawn.

Erik: Aye man, this E.

Shawn: What’s up bro.

Erik: I need you to do me a favor. Give Coby my info. Tell that nigga to hit my line.

Shawn: Bet.

---------

Jetlag was creeping up on Phoenix as she sat in the backseat of her Uber. They had landed safely back in Los Angeles and she was headed home. The sun was setting and Phoenix took a beautiful picture of the sky as it glowed pink and orange. This being the first photo she uploaded to her InstaStory in days with the caption, no place like home.

Just as she hit upload, Erik watched as her picture popped up at the top of his screen. Seeing the photo confirmed that she’s home and his plan is set to start any minute now. He sat on his couch, waiting patiently for her to get to her apartment.

Tags: @purple-apricots​ @abeautifulmindexposed​ @lostennyc​ @tip222u​ @janelledarling​ @lushloaded​ @chaneajoyyy​ @thadelightfulone​ @raysunshine78​ @toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads @lyniya​ @liyahshaeking​ **If anyone would like to be added, let me know:)

#black panther #erik stevens #erik killmonger #killmonger fic #the elevator bae #erik x phoenix #erik x black reader #erik x black oc #shaebewriting

[shewritestheblues]

the Elevator Bae - NINE Part Two

Erik Stevens x OC (Phoenix)

Word Count: girl...idk

A/N: Major shoutout to my Gem Sis, @liyahshaeking | THERE WILL BE A PART THREE because this is Erik’s story. Not mine. 

Warnings: VERY light smut. We gotta ease into this;)

Phoenix was exhausted. She stood in the parking garage of her building, waiting for the elevator, which was taking forever at the moment. She rubbed the back of her neck. “C’mon already.” she said to herself. After spending the last 8 hours of her life on planes, stopping in Miami and dealing with rude airport people, she just wanted to shower and melt away in her bed.

DING.

Finally, the elevator arrived. She stepped in and traveled her way up to the seventh floor. She dug in her bag for her keys and when she opened the door, she pulled her suitcase in and turned on her kitchen light. She was stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. She was frozen with her mouth ajar. Her words failing to come out. All she could do was look around.

Phoenix took a deep breath and slowly began walking toward her living room. Black balloons covered her path so she kicked them out of the way. As she got closer, she turned on another light that fully revealed the surprise waiting for her. Her living room was covered in black, gold and blue balloons. One large black balloon floated above her coffee table with the message, Happy Birthday. It was tied to a big black box with gold, cursive lettering on it. She nervously looked around her apartment as if the person responsible would jump out at any moment. But no one revealed themselves which kind of creeped her out a little. She lifted the top of the black box and was met with a large bouquet of roses. Some of the roses were wrapped in one hundred dollar bills. “Oh my God!” There was a black card sitting in the middle of the roses. She pulled it out and opened it. In gold writing, it read,

Happy Birthday! I’m sorry Baby Girl. -E

Before she could even properly think, she was storming out of her apartment. She smashed the elevator call button like her life depended on it. Her hands shook as she did. Phoenix didn’t even know what she was doing or what she was going to do. When the elevator doors opened, she typed in Erik’s penthouse code and made her way to his floor. Using the little energy that she had left, she pounded on his door. She slammed her fist over and over, until the door swung open. A calm, smirking Erik stood on the other side. She didn’t bother waiting for him to welcome her in. She just pushed his body back and made her way in, as she very loudly went off on him.

“Who do you think you are, Erik? You think you can just show your ass and talk to me all crazy. I’m not the fucking one Erik.” she mushed the side of his head. He shook it off and continued to let her cuss him out. “Some fucking nerve you have and I hope you don’t think your little trick made everything better. You ain’t about to be treating me like shit and giving me gifts to shut me up. You can pull that nigga shit with another girl, Erik.”

“Phoenix.” Erik calmly said.

“Don’t fucking interrup me! I would advise you not to try me. I will delete your ass and go on living my best life like I never knew you. It ain’t shit for me to bounce back. Try me, Erik! I fucking dare you! Try me!” she pokes his temple with the last two words.

Erik let her get away with the first push of his head. He let her go off because he knew he overreacted when he called her. He was expecting her to cuss him out at some point, but he would only let her do so much. He quickly caught her hands, pinning them down behind her back and swiftly bringing her closer to his chest. “Chill out with putting your hands on me.”

“Let me go!” she snapped.

He took slow, deliberate breaths as he looked down at her as she squirmed to get out of his grip. “Stop and I’ll let you go.”

“I’m not playing with you Erik.”

“I’m not playing with you. You need to calm down. I hear you. I understand everything you just said. I won’t blow up on you like that ever again. I promise you.”

Those last three words made Phoenix’s body still. She looked him in his eyes, searching for a sign that he’s playing her. She didn’t find one. His grip loosened around her wrist and he let her go. His gaze on her was intense and she looked away to give herself a break. For the first time since she’s been there, she noticed that the entire time, Erik has been shirtless. He’s only sporting a thin pair of basketball shorts that are hanging dangerously low. His body heat was clouding her space. She took a step back to lean on the kitchen counter. But just as she stepped back, he stepped forward, trapping her between him and the counter. Her body slowly became hot as she looked him up and down. Her thoughts ran quickly as she told herself that she should still be mad at him. She can’t let him off this easy. She’s not a punk. He can’t do this to her.

“I missed you.” his voice was deep. He clashed his lips into hers. Phoenix let out a small moan. He was doing this to her and she was letting him. Their lips smacked and his tongue took control of hers.

“Erik, I--” her words struggled to come out.

“Yes, baby?”

Him calling her baby, sent her over. She pulled away from him, trying to hide her reddening face. She pulled herself together and looked at him. “I like my balloons… and flowers.”

Eriks scoffs. “You just told me that it was nigga shit to shut you up.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I was mad and slightly triggered.”

“You don’t have to explain, but there’s definitely more where that came from.” Erik moves closer to her. His chest is pressed firmly against hers. She feels his dick jump. Mica’s voice was ringing in her mind, repeating her number one rule, ‘Be Confident.’ So, she slid her hand between them, gripping his hardening member. She strokes him, causing a small moan to escape his lips. Erik clenched his eyes shut and released a shaky breath.

“Can I ask you something, E?”

Eyes still shut, “You can ask me whatever you want.”

Phoenix could see that she had him in a vulnerable state. She continues rubbing on his dick and watches as he almost melts from her touch.“Have you been letting someone else take care of you?”

His eyes spring open, not expecting that to be her question. “No!” he says firmly.

“Hm. When was the last time you had sex?” she moves her hand inside his shorts now, stroking the base of his dick. The skin to skin sensation made Erik stutter.

“Uh, li-like a couple of months ago.” her movement speed up. She moves her thumb over his tip, trailing his precum back to his shaft. He jerks in her hand.

“You know, it’s been a really long time since I have. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been going through it. I think about you and all of the things I want you to do to me. I have dreams about you.” she laughs, “I wrote a fucking song about it.” her voice is low and full of lust. Her stroking is faster. His breathing is stuttered. Erik leans in to kiss her. He sucks on her bottom lip and takes her tongue hostage. He grips both sides of her face and he feels himself getting close to his climax.

“Fuck!” he releases in his shorts. He leans his forehead onto hers, eyes closed. Phoenix takes her hand out of shorts and holds onto his forearms, smiling.

“You see that, E? I can be everything you want but I can also be your worst nightmare.” she pulls away from him and moves from her position between him and the kitchen counter. “You promised to be good to me. You better mean it.”

“I meant it.” Erik says confused, eyebrows furrowed. His mind is still coming down from what just happened.

“Okay.” she smiles and starts walking to the door.

“Where the fuck are you going, Phoenix?”

“I’m going home.”

“You can’t just leave me like this.” he motions to the stickiness in his shorts.

“I’m really tired, Erik. I’ll see you later.” she slips out the door before he could get to her.

---------

For the last couple of days, Erk had been acting strange. He’d text Phoenix good morning but then he’d disappear for hours with no response. Then he’d pop up texting her, questioning her whereabouts and what time would she be leaving her apartment, her meetings and what time she’ll be returning home. He wanted exact times and if Phoenix couldn’t provide that, he needed the best estimate that she could give him. Phoenix was starting to think he was avoiding her after what she did in his kitchen two nights ago. She even tried to see him in between time, but he was adamant that he would be busy and wouldn’t have time to see her. Phoenix wasn’t sure how to navigate the energy between them now.

Phoenix had an early morning meeting with Alyssa; 7am to be exact. She informed Erik that morning as she was leaving out and strangely, he didn’t respond. She knew he was up. He’s always up before 7. When she left the parking garage, his car was in his usual spot. Something was going on with him and she was going to get to the bottom of it. After her meeting and a nap, of course.

Her meeting was brief. Alyssa had to meet with her other artists. Phoenix returned home around 10am. She still hadn’t received a response from Erik. She took a mental note to call his ass later. But now, she was curled back up in her bed and going back to sleep.

---------

Phoenix’s phone was under her pillow so when it began vibrating with a text, it woke her from her nap.  She groaned as she felt under her pillow to find out who dared to disturb her. She had one text from Erik. “Oh now he wanna text me back.” she rolled her eyes, swiping the message open.

Erik: Good Afternoon. Dinner is tonight at 8:00. Be ready at 7:30 sharp. Check your door. You have a package waiting.

Phoenix jumped up from her bed so fast, that she tripped over her covers, falling to her knees. She crawled her way to her bedroom door before picking herself up and power walking. Just like the text said, there’s a pink box and black box sitting outside her door. She eagerly sat the packages on her couch and began opening them. Her mouth drops at the black dress and heels sitting before her. Erik had great and expensive taste. She tries to call him but he doesn’t answer. She just knows that he’s watching his phone ring and isn’t picking up on purpose.

----------

Erik didn’t text or call Phoenix for the rest of the day. She simply did what the text said. She was ready by 7:30 and was adding her finishing touches to her look when she hears a knock at her door. She looked at herself in the mirror. Lipgloss is popping, highlighter beaming and edges laid. She flipped her braids to the side, proud of what she was looking at in the mirror. She gave herself a wink before exiting the bathroom to answer the door.

When she opened the door, there stood Erik matching her fly, sporting an all black suit. The top two buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, revealing two gold chains. He wore gold brim glasses, gold cufflinks and a black and gold watch. The diamonds in his ear were blinding. He stepped inside, looking her up and down. The way he licked his lips was like a man preparing to eat his dinner. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You’re pretty handsome yourself.”

Erik checks his watch. 7:32 pm. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” Phoenix steps around him to grab her clutch from the couch. When she joins him again to head out, he wrapped one hand around her waist and brings his lips dangerously close to her ear.

“I can’t wait to take this off of you. Payback is going to be a bitch.” his voice rumbled through her, making the hairs on her neck stand up. He pulled away from her with a sly smirk and lead them to the door.

Phoenix had started something and she wasn’t even aware of it. She placed herself in a hole that she could not get herself out of. When she left Erik standing with his own cum dripping down his legs in his kitchen, she left the beast hungry with no food supply. The beast needed her and he was going to get her. She was going to pay for what she did. Erik was always in control even when she thought he wasn’t. Since that night, he had been planning how he would get what he needed. From the dress, the shoes, the restaurant to even planning the way he’d kiss her after. Every move from this moment forward was well thought out and Phoenix had no idea. She was walking into a den with a hungry man with meat strapped to her chest.

Erik didn’t say another word until they made it to the parking garage. Phoenix’s thoughts raced a million words a second as they rode the elevator down. She tried to look as normal as possible to not alarm Erik but he could smell the panic on her. It was obvious. As they stepped out into the garage, a chrome G-Wagon was already parked near the elevator doors. Erik opened the passenger door for Phoenix. As she waited for him to walk around the car, she mentally gave herself a pep talk. You got this, sis. You’re gonna end this night like a champ!

The driver door opened and Erik got in and they set off to dinner.

----

Tags: Tags: @liyahshaeking​ @purple-apricots​ @abeautifulmindexposed​ @lostennyc​ @tip222u​ @janelledarling​ @lushloaded​ @chaneajoyyy​ @thadelightfulone​ @raysunshine78@toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams @elaindeereads @lyniya 

#erik stevens #erik killmonger #erik x black oc #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #black panther #shaebewriting

[dreamgirl4certain]

The Elevator Bae

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX

Chapter SEVEN

Erik x Black OC (Phoenix)

Warnings: FLUFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!! 

Phoenix’s morning was easy. She woke up feeling refreshed and started her day with morning yoga on her balcony. She sat out there when she was done just take in the stillness of the late morning. It had been awhile since she actually woke up before 1pm. As she sat outside, her mind trailed off into last night’s events. She realized just how much she enjoyed learning something new about Erik. She almost thought that she was crazy for being so understanding of his actions. But she knew that sometimes people are given the short end of the stick and have to make decisions differently. She didn’t fault him for what he’s done. She meant what she said about believing he wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt her and she still liked him… maybe even more now. He trusted her and that alone let her know that the feeling was mutual.

Her show was tonight and he promised to be there. That has to be like a huge step or something. Phoenix never invited a guy to her shows. Not even her sorry ass ex. He had never been to an event she was apart of. When it came to her work, she was serious and never wanted any distractions and niggas were distractions. But Erik didn’t feel like a distraction. Thanks to him, she has been making amazing music. He felt like motivation, inspiration and Phoenix was grateful. Even if things didn’t go how she hoped, without even knowing it, he has already made a mark on her life.

Phoenix enjoyed her moment of peace but it was time to go back inside. She had a few errands to run before her show tonight. She sat on her bed, picking up her phone. This was the first time she’s looked at it since waking up. Phoenix tried to stay off her phone until she accomplished her morning routine of yoga, reading or journaling. (Whenever she did actually get up in the morning) She had a few messages from Alyssa. The usual schedule of to-do’s before a show. She also had a few notifications of emails and social media bs. Stuff that wasn’t important to her. She opened her text thread with Erik.

Phoenix: Hey, good morning Stevens. My show tonight is at Club X, 10-2. You better still be coming or that’s your ass. 😊😊

Now that that is done, a hot shower was calling her name. Phoenix wrapped her hair as best as she could and put on her scarf. This would be the last day with straight hair. She missed her curls.

--------

Erik was on his way back home when he got a text from Phoenix. He had a late start to his morning, but still got in a good five mile run and stopped to get food at a juice bar. As he traveled through some lite traffic, he checked his text.  

Baby Girl: Hey, good morning Stevens. My show tonight is at Club X, 10-2. You better still be coming or that’s your ass. 😊😊

Erik rolled his eyes at the fact that she had to ‘make sure’ he was still coming. He never broke promises. Sure, she wasn’t aware of that yet but she would have to get to know that about him. Erik’s actions always matched his words.

Erik: Good morning, baby girl. Hell has frozen over for you to be up this early. I told you I’ll be there so I’ll be there. That lil threat was cute though.

He laughed at himself and continued his route home.

--------

Time was winding down and it was almost time for Phoenix to head out to the club for her show. Her playlist was blasting through her apartment as she got ready. She laid out a few outfit choices on her bed. As she stood over her bed debating, she hears a knock at the door. Confused because she wasn’t expecting anyone, she storms to the door standing on her tippy toes to look through the peephole. “Shit!” It was Erik. She had completely forgotten about their text conversation from earlier.

****Phoenix: I kinda hate that I have to get there a little earlier to set up. I don’t be wanting to drive. I might Uber.

Erik: I understand but yo’ ass aint Ubering nowhere.

Phoenix: I don’t wanna drive. How am I gonna get there?

Erik: I’ll take you.

Phoenix: No. You don’t have to do that.

Erik: hm, I don’t remember asking you if I HAD to do it. Did I ask you that Phoenix?

Phoenix: 🙄 no.

Erik: Alright then. What time you need to be there?

Phoenix: 9:00.****

She opened the door to find him standing there dressed for the night with his locs braided back. “Hey, E.” she smiled, leaning on the door.

“Wassup.” He walks in. Phoenix closes the door.

“You came at the right time because I’m struggling to pick an outfit. C’mon”

She takes his hand, leading him to her bedroom. Erik had imagined this happening but Phoenix was wearing a lot less in his fantasy. They stopped inches from her bed and she let his hand go, motioning to her options that were laid out. “Which one?” she asked.

Erik crossed his arms over his chest and bites his lip in thought. To the left she has ripped denim jeans and a baby blue, lace bodysuit and the right, she has an all black legging and tube top set. “What shoes are you wearing?” he finally asks.

Phoenix goes into her closet, grabbing her Doc Martin boots. She just holds them out of the closet door. “These!” He comes over to where she is, taking the boots from her. He notices a reflective jacket she has hanging up. Phoenix is still looking at her shoes to see if she has other options. Erik grabs the jacket.

“Aye,” she turns around to him. “Add this jacket and wear the all black fit.”

“I like that.” She takes the jacket and boots from to set them up with the black set she has on the bed. Nodding in approval. She turns and smiles at Erik. “Thanks.”

“Now get dressed.” he says walking out and closing her bedroom door behind him. He waits on the couch, strolling through social media on his phone. After about 15 minutes, she comes out of her room and goes into the bathroom. She applies mascara and lipgloss. She wasn’t really feeling makeup at all tonight. She takes off her scarf, unwrapping her hair. She combs it down with a middle part and pushes her hair behind her ears. She joins Erik in the living room. She stands in front of him, holding her arms out. “How do I look?”

His eyes scanned over her figure and he notices parts of a tattoo peeking from under her tube top. Phoenix had an underboob tattoo that resembles Rihanna’s and Erik was curious now as to what the tattoo was. Did she have more? He has seen her in crop tops before. Why hasn’t he noticed it before? Then again, his main focus is usually looking at her ass. “You look good baby girl. But something is missing.”

Phoenix looked confused. “What?”

Erik stands, reaching behind his neck and taking off one of the two chains he was wearing.

“Erik…” she whines.

“Girl, hush and move your hair.” She does what he says, allowing him to put the chain on her. He steps back, smiling at her finished look. “Looks good on you.” he says. She tries to hide her blushing face with her hands.  She grabs her backpack with her laptop and her signature blue beat headphones from the kitchen counter, putting them in her bag. He takes the backpack from her, tossing it over his shoulder.

“Ready?” he asks. She simply nods and they head out the door.

Phoenix locks her door and her and Erik start their short journey to the elevator. She pushes the call button and not long after, the doors open. Sydney is already in the cabin. This is the first time Erik had seen her since he’d texted her about not being interested. Phoenix had seen her in passing and they continued sharing their ‘hi’ and ‘byes’ but judging from Sydney’s face as the two of them stepped onto the elevator, she was curious as to why they were together when Erik didn’t live on the 7th floor.

“Hey Philly.” she said looking at Phoenix with piercing eyes.

“Hey, Syd.” she responded with a small smile and a wave.

“Erik…”

“Wassup, Sydney.”

“What are y’all up to?” she was more so asking Erik. He looked at Phoenix.

“Erik’s taking me to my show tonight.”

“Oh, yeah. I did see that on your Instagram. At ‘X’ right?”

“Mhm.”

Sydney stares at Erik. “That’s so nice of you Erik… to take her.”

“I’m a nice guy. What can I say?”

“Yeah you are.”

Erik and Phoenix could sense the sarcasm in her words. Phoenix tried to ignore her but she knew Sydney very clearly felt a way that Erik was with her. She took a deep breath to push down her frustrations. As the cabin came to a stop, Phoenix slipped her hand into Eriks, interlocking their fingers and started exiting the elevator, dragging him along with her. She knew Sydney would notice and that it would piss her off even more than she was. Phoenix hated when people were passive aggressive instead of just saying what’s on their mind. Sydney wasn’t happy that Erik was hanging with Phoenix and it was obvious. She wanted him but he didn’t want her. She could just get over it, right? She had men throwing themselves at her. It was so easy for her to move on to the next. Phoenix didn’t think she was someone that Sydney could feel intimidated by but tonight, she figured out that she was wrong.

As they walked out into the parking garage, Erik unlocked his doors, causing his car lights to flash and Phoenix lead them right over to his car. Ironically, Sydney’s car was parked nearby. Great! Phoenix thought. As Erik opened the passenger door for her, she let go of his hand and placed her hand on the side of her face, leaning up and kissing him. Erik was taken aback by this but kissed her back. She pulled back and looked passed his shoulder to see Sydney looking at them with disgust and jealousy in her eyes as she got into her own car. Erik blinks a few times to pull himself back into reality. He opened his mouth to say something but Phoenix cut him off. “Get in the car.” she whispered to him. She sat down in the car and he closed her door and walked around letting himself in. He starts the car but sits back and looks at Phoenix. She puts on her seatbelt and sits back, looking forward.

“You wanna tell me what that was about?”

“What?” she asks as if she doesn’t know what he’s referring to.

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“I’m sure you enjoyed it so let’s leave it at that. There’s nothing to discuss here.”

“I definitely enjoyed it.” he said to himself, knowing she heard him too. 

Without another word, he pulls out of the parking garage and head to the club. The ride was smooth as they listened to music. Phoenix sat there, bobbing her head to the music and texting her friends in the group chat about what they’ll be arriving at the club.

When they pulled up to the club, valet took Erik’s car, parking it and the two of them made their way in. As she walks through the club toward the DJ booth, she runs into Shawn. He was doing his job as the top promoter, making sure everything was set up right. “Blue, wassup girl?” he says hugging her. He looks up to see Erik behind her. “Yo, E! What the fuck are you doing here?” he greets his friend. Erik motions to Phoenix, who is completely thrown at moment, “I’m with her.”

Shawn raised his eyebrows, “You with her? Like with her, with her?”

Erik smirks at her, “Something like that.”

He and Shawn share a look before a huge smile creeps up on Shawn’s face. He daps Erik’s hand, “I see you my nigga.” He looks back toward Phoenix. “C’mon Blue. Let’s get you set up.” He takes them up into the DJ booth. Erik gives Phoenix her backpack so she can begin her set up. Shawn and Erik talk amongst themselves as she does so. As she is finishing up, Shawn pats Erik on the shoulder, “Aye man, y’all need anything, let me know. I got you.”

“Will do.”

Shawn goes off to finish his duties of the night before the club goers start showing up. Phoenix starts with her pre-show playlist to make sure everything is sounding right. The music flows through the speakers of the club and she’s satisfied. She lets the playlist play and motions for Erik to come to her.

“So…” she leans back on the turntables, “You and Shawn know each other.”

“Yeah, that’s the bro. We go way back.”

“Wow. wasn’t expecting that one.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that kiss either.”

Her cheeks become hot. She playfully rolled her eyes and turn toward the turntables. She tries to distract herself by playing around with some miscellaneous buttons. She feels a warm hand slide over hers and looks up to find Erik right on the side of her. “Show me something.” he says.

“Show you something?”

“Yeah,” he motions to her equipment. “Show me how you do what you do, Blue.”

Hearing him call her by her DJ name made her giggle. It was weird. She liked it. So she started explaining and showing him how she did her work. It was a bit different from what she did in the studio. Erik listened intently and asking questions. This lead to her giving him so much more detail about why she loved her line of work and how she actually got into DJing in the first place. He was interested in every word she spoke.

Eventually time has passed and it was opening time. She continued letting her pre-show playlist go until more bodies started to fill the club. The bar began to fill up with people ordering drinks. More parties began showing up and sitting in their pre-booked sections. Finally, Phoenix was ready to start. Erik sat down on the couch in Phoenix’s personal section and she put on her headphones. Shawn introduced her to the crowd and they showed her the deserved love. Phoenix had worked hard and people loved her and her work. A lot of people came out just to see her. She always had the most lit music. Her mixes hyped people up and Phoenix being the beautiful woman that she was added to the love. Women and men would come to the DJ Booth asking for a pic to post on their social media. They wanted to post about being at the club with one of the hottest upcoming DJ and Producer.

The club was in full effect. Bodies dancing everywhere. Shot girls with sparklers delivering bottles. The Bar was packed. Erik was enjoying himself as he watched his girl work. She interacted with the crowd so effortlessly. Shawn had come back to their section to talk more with Erik.

“Philly!” Phoenix hears a loud, high pitched voice call out to her. It was Ava coming into the section with Coby. Mica and Camren right behind them.

“Hey!” she greets them all with a hug. She waves Erik over. “I’m sure you remember Ava and Mica.”

“How could I forget?”

“Nice to officially meet you Erik.” Ava says with a smile.

“This is Coby and that’s Camren.”

Coby and Erik do the ‘man hand shake’ dap and he waves at Camren. Camren looks at Phoenix with a cheesy smile.

“DON'T START WITH ME!” Phoenix yells at Camren, pointing a knowing finger at her.

“Let’s drink!” Mica says going for a cup. They all pour themselves drinks. As everyone gets settled, Shawn comes back over to greet Phoenix’s friends. He and Erik have another small discussion before Erik approached Coby.

“Aye man, you blow?”

“Hell yeah. Y’all got something?”

Erik nods and Coby follows Erik and Shawn out. Phoenix notices them walking away from the section, toward the exit. She looks at Ava, “where they going?” Ava shrugs, taking a sip of her drink.

--

Mica and Camren puts in a large order of wings. Ava tells the waitress to bring another bottle of Hennessy. Phoenix was so zoned out mixing, she completely forgot that the guys were gone. They had been missing for so long she forgot they were even there. Phoenix had been going strong since the club opened and she needed a small break. She could smell the wings that her friends ordered and it made her mouth water. She pieces together a small mix to play while she takes a seat to enjoy said wings. But when she turned around to her section she finds that Ava, Mica and Camren aren’t there. But who is there is Coby and Erik with bbq sauce and ranch all over their fingers and lips as the both of them are scarfing down the wings. From what she can see immediately was there were only four wings left in the basket.

“Damn! How many did y’all eat?”

The men look at each other and then at Phoenix. Neither of them answer the question. Phoenix folds her arms over her chest. “Am I talking to myself?”

Camren steps up into the section with the two behind her. “What’s going on? Why you look mad?” she says to Phoenix. Phoenix motions to the basket full of chicken bones. “ARE Y’ALL SERIOUS? Y’ALL ATE THIRTY WINGS!”

The two men burst into laughter.

“I’m glad y’all find this shit funny. What the fuck am I suppose to eat?”

“These niggas high.” Ava says, “The night is almost over. We can get food when we leave. They were taxing on the chicken anyways.”

Phoenix looks at Ava, frustration all over her face. “Is this my life?” Before Ava could respond, Phoenix goes back into the DJ booth to finish her set. The club would be closing in thirty minutes. She could push through that. She definitely planned on cussing Erik and Coby out about this later. Nobody told them to go off and get high, miss majority of her set and then come back and eat all of the food. Phoenix didn’t play about her food.

-------

Club goers flooded the streets and parking lot as they were leaving. It took another 30 minutes after the last song to actually get everyone to make their way outside. Phoenix had packed up her equipment into her backpack and was waiting with her girls by the door. Erik and Coby had gone off with Shawn somewhere.

“I’m so fucking hungry.” Mica spat.

“Join the club,” Phoenix says. “They need to hurry up.”

“I got my keys. We can leave they ass and go hit In-N-Out.” Ava says. Camren grabs her hand. “I love that idea. Let’s leave them.”

The four of them start walking out of the club. They were almost to Ava’s jeep when Coby calls out to them. “Aye!” They all stop with an eye roll. Coby comes up to Ava, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry baby. You know Shawn just be talking.”

Erik slowly approaches Phoenix with apologetic eyes. He takes her backpack from her, putting it over his shoulder. “You mad?” he asks.

“I’m hungry!”

Mica raises her hands, pointing at each man. “And if y’all don’t mind, we’re leaving and going to In-N-Out.”

“Are we not invited?” Erik asked.

“NO!”

“We’re sorry, damn!”

“Aye,” Coby says, “We can all go to In-N-Out and me and E got y’all.” Erik nods agreement.

Phoenix looks between the two men in disbelief. E? These two were just the best of buds now huh? Regardless, she couldn’t resist free food. She released a deep sigh, “Fine.”

--------------

They all met up at IN-N-OUT. They went around through the drive-thru to get their orders but got out of their cars and sat at an open table in front of the restaurant. The women wasted no time with getting started on mashing their food. Erik and Coby watched with amusement at how the women showed no mercy on their burgers and fries. “See E,” Coby pointed to the eating women, “You gotta feed these beasts. Especially, yours. She be tripping the hardest when she dont get food.” Erik bounced with laughter. Phoenix elbowed him in his side. “Don’t laugh at his shit.” she said with a mouth full of fries.

Silence sits over them until the women are just about done stuffing their faces. “So… Erik” Mica starts, “Did you enjoy yourself tonight as much as you enjoyed those wings?”

“Yes, Mica… I did.” The two of them stare at each other.

“Remember what I told you, right?”

Erik rubs his beard, “Nah. I don’t actually. Wanna refresh my memory?”

“See, this nigga wanna play games.”

“You know,” Erik says pointing at Mica, “You remind me of a little chihuahua.”

“Nigga! You remind me of a pitbull.”

“Wow,” Phoenix rest her hands in her palms on the table, “I’m glad to see you two are getting along well.”

Everyone laughs. Phoenix knew Mica liked Erik. They all did from what they knew so far. Mica only went back and forth with people she respected. If she didn’t like you, she’d move around you like you weren’t even there.

--

Camren silently got Mica, Phoenix and Erik’s attention, pointing to Coby and Ava. They were whispering and giggling in each other’s ears like no one else was at the table. Mica let out a fake, loud cough, patting her chest that gained the caking couples attention. Camren, Phoenix and Erik tried to keep their laughs inside at how dramatic Mica’s cough was. Trying to look normal, Camren pretends to be on her phone and Phoenix moves closer to Erik as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They leaned into each other as they hid their faces to laugh.

Ava noticed all of them doing a poor job at trying not to laugh. “You good, Mica? You need something to drink?”

“Nah, I’m good. But y’all two may need a sip.” Mica says sliding her cup toward them.

“You real fucking funny Mica.” Coby states.

“I’m just saying, from this angle, y’all thirsty asses look like a two headed body,” she laughs. “Like damn Coby, back up off my girl.”

Camren chokes on her drink from laughing at Mica’s comment.

Ava had to laugh herself, “Y’all ain’t shit.”

“But what’s up though?” Phoenix ask, “We deserve to know like… what’s up with y’all? Are y’all official now or what?”

Ava cuts her eye at Phoenix, who is currently wrapped up under a nigga’s arm. “I don’t know Phoenix,” sarcasm in her words, “Are you two official now… or what?”

The smile on Phoenix’s face drops. She walked herself right into that one. But she knew how to handle this. 

“This isn’t about me and Erik right now. It’s about you and Coby. Two of my bestest friends. You know, I thought we were all so close here and that y’all would tell us if you two made it official. I mean… I know you would be the first person I’d call when Erik and I made that decision. But I get it. Maybe we’re not like that anymore.”

Erik is taking in all of what Phoenix is saying, reading between every single line. He smirks knowing what she ISN’T saying. Taking notes.

Ava is sitting there, listening to Phoenix go on but she’s no fool. She knows what Phoenix is doing. Coby on the other hand… his soft spot for her blocks his common sense most times. He always fall for her antics and Phoenix knew this. And just like she always did, she got him to break.

“Damn, Philly, relax. We’re official okay?” Coby says, feeling bad for not telling her.

Everybody burst into laughter. Coby looked confused. Did he miss the joke?

“What the fuck is so funny?” he asks.

Erik looks at him. “She just played you, bro.”

“Yeah, bae, you fall for that shit every time.” Ava added.

Coby looks at Phoenix. She gives him a closed mouth smile. “I hate you Phoenix.”

“I love you too brother.”

Coby stands, “You know what, fuck this. I don’t deserve this kind of treatment. It’s been real.  Ava grab your shit. We out.”

Everyone continues laughing as Coby and Ava grab up their garbage, throwing it away. Coby gives Erik dap and walks past Phoenix to hug Camren and Mica. Phoenix laughs at him being childish. Ava says her goodbyes.

“Will we be seeing more of you Erik?” she asks as she hugs Phoenix.

“Of course. Phoenix ain’t going nowhere.”

“i’ll hold you to that..” he gives her a hug.

“We might as well all take our asses home.” Camren says standing. They all follow her lead in gathering up their garbage, tossing it and saying their goodbyes. As soon as Phoenix got comfortable in Erik’s passenger seat, the group chat was live. The women talked about how they approve of Erik, Phoenix did an amazing job DJing tonight, etc.

Erik pulled out onto the road, taking them home. Phoenix slid down in her seat. Her tired is finally catching up to her. “Thanks for coming, E.” she says.

He looks over at her. He didn’t respond. Instead, he slid his hand over to hers. Repeating her earlier action and interlocking their fingers. He pulled their conjoined hands up and kissed the back of hers. That was all she needed to know that he was glad he came out too. He laughed to himself. Curious, she asked what was funny.

“I’m going to put your girl, Mica in the headlock. I see she’s the one that likes to talk.”

Smiling at their interactions thus far, “Yeah, that’s Mica.” Phoenix says. “She has to test you to see if you can hold your own. Not everybody makes it passed her.”

“Did I get by y’all guard dog?”

Phoenix laughs, “You did. She likes you.”

“Cool. I don’t have to sneak by security to get you.”

“You would do that huh?”

“Hell yeah.”

Phoenix takes her hand from his and reaches over to rub her fingers through his beard. Erik didn’t miss a beat and simply slid his now free hand onto her thigh. They rode the rest of the journey like this.

———

They arrive back at their apartment building. Erik parks his car and turns the ignition off. Phoenix whines, “I don’t feel like getting out yet.”

“We can chill here for a minute.” Erik says, rubbing her hand that is resting on the side of his face.

He notes how touchy Phoenix is with him. He’s now curious if this is how she is when she likes someone. He didn’t mind at all though. If simply just touching him is soothing to her, he’d let her touch him anywhere, anytime.

“OH MY GOD!” Phoenix sits ups in her seat fully, looking at Erik. He’s confused by her sudden outburst. “I just realized what you said.” She continued.

“What? What did I say?”

“When we were on my couch. You said your dad was the prince of Wakanda.” Erik nods, confirming that he did in fact, say that. “So… that would mean you’re a prince.”

“Yes, baby girl. You didn’t put that together when I said that?”

“No! I wasn’t thinking that far at the time.” She softly hits him on the chest. “You’re a whole prince, E.” The lazy smile on her face made him realize it was time to get this girl up to her bed. She was sleepy talking now.

“You need to go to bed.” He gets out of the car and walks around to let her out. They walk to the elevator. Erik pushes the call button and as they wait, Phoenix stands behind him and snakes are hands around his abdomen. She lays her cheek against his back, ‘resting her eyes.’ When the elevator arrives, she moans in protest at having to move. He grabs her hand from her stomach and pulls her into the cabin. He pushes the button to her floor. She repeats her movements of wrapping her arms around him. This time, they’re face to face. He looks down at her with tired eyes. She smiles up at him, sliding her hands up his shirt. She softly drags her fingertips over his scars. She rest her chin on his chest. He moves a stray hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She watches as he licks his lips. Phoenix wanted so badly to taste them again. The kiss they shared earlier was simply a ploy to piss Sydney off but now, she wanted a real one. She needed it. Now! She pushed herself up on her tippy toes and crashed her lips into his. He kissed back immediately. The warmth of his lips was everything she knew she needed and wanted in that moment. The kiss became more and more passionate as they continued. Erik swiped his tongue over her bottom lip and she gladly welcomed him in. She sucked on his tongue and he let out a moan into her mouth. Her hands still pressed on his skin, she pulled herself more into him. He held both sides of her face. The cabin came to a stop. Erik pulled back, cussing to himself.

Without words, she slid her hands into his, pulling him off the elevator and into her hallway. Still standing in front of the elevator doors, he pulls her back against his chest. “I’m not done with you.” His voice low. She lets out a slow breath. He leans down, kissing her again. Just like before, she opened graciously for his tongue to explore her mouth. Their lips wet and smacking. Phoenix gripped his shirt, pulling him as close as he could be. He backed her up against the wall. He trailed wet kisses down to her neck. Phoenix closed her eyes, allowing the attack on her neck. Suddenly he stopped. Resting his face in the crook of his neck, he whispered, “I have to leave Tuesday.”

Her eyes snapped open, “Why?”

He leaned up to look at her. “Work.” disappointment was written all over her face. “I just…” He continued, “I don’t wanna do this and then just leave. I don’t wanna do you like that.”

She nods, understanding. He pulls back away from her, holding her hand. She looks down in thought for a second. “Well, you have to make some time for me tomorrow. Even if it’s 5 minutes.”

“Deal. It’ll definitely be more than 5 minutes though.” He smirked.

The smile that crept onto Phoenix’s face was all Erik needed to settle the small bit of anxiety in his chest. This would be his first mission since they’ve become this close. Since exchanging numbers, the moment he woke up to the moment he falls asleep, his time was spent texting her. And let’s not forget their long studio session. Phoenix has become a part of his daily in what seems like a short time. The first time he’d seen her, getting into the elevator a month ago, he had in his mind she would definitely be a girl he was going to smash. But it was something about her that intrigued him. He actually wanted—no, needed to know more than just her body. He needed to know her. There was a pull between them since that first day in the elevator and the way she just kissed him, let him know she felt that same pull too. He shared his darkest parts with her and she stuck around. Granted, he’d never told anyone that and wasn’t sure what to expect. But everything in him was yelling at him to be honest with her. Erik was going to go with it. Allow the pull to bring them closer and closer. He was open to falling no matter how fast it was for her. She was willing to do the same.

Phoenix had been around some of the most sought out men in the entertainment industry. Some of them showed interest in her but she was more than unimpressed. When she would talk to them, she didn’t feel anything. With Erik? She felt everything. The jelly legs she got the first day she seen him was enough to convince her that it was something about him. Phoenix couldn’t recall a time where she really had a ‘crush’ on anyone. But… Erik. Phoenix has always been one to believe in fate and soul mates though. She believed she had one, somewhere and that they’d find their way to her somehow. She always imagined it would be this intense feeling. Tingles in her hands when she’d talk to them. They’d make her think about them every second of the day. She would just melt at the thought of them. She melted at the thought of Erik. He hands tingled when she would text him. The crush thing didn’t add up. Crushes couldn’t have felt like this. During their kiss, all she could think about was, this isn’t a crush, this is some soul shit.

————

Erik made sure Phoenix got into her apartment, ending their time with a few more pecks on her lips. He got into the elevator, going up to his penthouse. He didn’t even bother turning on any lights when he walked in. He let his instincts carry him into his bedroom. He came out of his clothes, getting into his king bed. He licked his lips over and over, still able to taste Phoenix on them. He drifted off into sleep.

————-

As Phoenix slowly opened her eyes to the morning sun, her brain rushed with the memories of the night before. She held herself in the center of her bed as she reminisced on Erik. The feel of his rough hand in hers. The warmth of his hand when he held her thigh in the car. The way his beard tickled her fingers as she played with his thick, facial hair. His solid, thick form when she rested her head on his back… and then his chest. His soft, keloid skin when she slipped her hands under his shirt. And his lips… his soft, full lips. She wanted more of them. To kiss her in more than a few places. The thoughts caused her face to heat up. She crossed her legs trying to keep the heat from traveling below. She replayed everything in her head. Time passed and she couldn’t get up just yet because she wasn’t ready to put them on hold. That is, until her phone buzzed on her nightstand. The universe had to have been listening to her thoughts because Erik’s name popped up onto her locked screen. Butterflies found way into her stomach before she could even swipe the message open.

Erik: Good morning baby girl. You up?

Phoenix: yes, I’m up. Good morning E.

Erik: how you sleep?

Phoenix: pretty good. I was KO as soon as I landed on the bed. How did you sleep?

Erik: not bad at all. Wyd?

Phoenix: still in bed. Feels too good to get up.

Erik: damn, for real? Lol, I guess I’ll ask someone else to go get breakfast with me.

Phoenix: hmm, suddenly I’m so hungry I can’t stay in this bed another second.

Erik: lmfao. I knew your eat’em up ass couldn’t resist.

Phoenix: you + food = a good ass time to me

Erik: *kissy face* can you be ready in an hour?

Phoenix: I’ll do my best!

Phoenix put her phone back on the nightstand and rushed into the bathroom. Her hair was ready to be washed but she definitely didn’t have time to do that. She tossed it up into a top knot bun and continued pushing. Brushing her teeth, washing her face and getting in the shower in thirty minutes. She was making good timing. She stood in her closet, going through possible options.

It’s just breakfast. No need to get super cute, she thought. But then again, they’re going out. Is this a date? Or are they just hanging out? After last night, this has to be beyond ‘hanging out.’ The man practically had his tongue down her throat. She didn’t give any fucks. Her brain settled for: This is definitely a date. She would still sport her usual, casual and comfy look but still hella cute. She picked out her signature biker short in dark grey and paired them with a Snoop Dogg graphic tee and Nike’s. She moisturized her body in her Vanilla scented shea butter and got dressed. Her bun was decent so she swooped her edges and put on some mascara and lip gloss. As Phoenix hooked the last of her layered necklaces, there’s a knock at her door. She knew it was Erik so she tossed her phone in her purse and moved quickly to open the door.

“Hey, E.” She said when she swung the door open. She jiggled her keys in her hand, joining him in hallway. He remained silent as he watched her lock her door. Once it’s all locked, she turned to him and his stare on her was intense. He looked her up and down, biting his lip. She watched him curious to know how long they’d stand there with him eye fucking her. After just a few seconds, Phoenix couldn’t take it anymore. She dramatically cleared her throat, breaking his gaze. He covered his smile with his fist. “My bad.”

“I understand. You like what you see. But I’m hungry so we should go.”

They started walking to the elevator. “Yeah, I’m aware of how you get when you’re hungry.”

She nudges him in the arm. He could chill on her. Food was an important piece of Phoenix’s life. If he was going to continue this thing with her, he was going to need to grasp that ASAP.

When Erik opened the door for Phoenix to get into his car, he leaned down, looking her in the eye, “if I catch any nigga looking at yo’ ass in these shorts, I’ma break his fucking face.” He closed the door before she could react and walked around the vehicle, getting in himself.

———

Erik sat at the exit of the parking garage waiting for traffic to clear. He slid his hand over to rest on Phoenix’s thigh.

“So, where are we going?” She asked as they turned out onto the road.

“What if I wanted to surprise you?”

“I don’t really like surprises,” she smiles at him. “so just tell me.”

He shakes his head. “Madea’s Fish and Grits.”

“Ohh, I’ve been wanting to go there.”

A sly smirk crept on Erik’s face. “I go there all of the time. One of my favorites.”

——-

The drive was short. Phoenix stomach thanked her for that. They walked in and the hostess greeted them. She smiled at Erik, raising a brow in Phoenix’s direction. “One second,” She said before walking away and speaking loudly to someone in the back. “Madea, your boy is here.”

Moments later, an older black woman with long, grey and black hair pulled into a low pony walked out from the back, smiling at them. She wiped her hands on her apron. “Hello, Mr. Erik.” She opened her arms out for a hug. He smiled big at the woman, hugging her. “Hey, Madea.”

“I haven’t you seen you in awhile boy. I thought you forgot about me.”

“C’mon now. I could never forget about you.”

Madea’s eyes shoot to Phoenix and back to Erik. “And who is this pretty lady?”

Erik turned to introduce her. “This is Phoenix.”

Madea took Phoenix’s hand in both of hers. Phoenix smiles at the woman. “Nice to meet you.”

“Are you a friend of Erik’s?”

Phoenix looks at Erik who is trying to hide his embarrassed face. “You can say that.”

“Hmm, well let’s get you two seated.”

Madea grabs two menus and guides them to Erik’s favorite booth near the front window. They take their seats. “Reese will be over in a second.” Before she walked away, she leaned down to whisper something in Phoenix’s ear that made her laugh. Erik eyed the women suspiciously. When Madea was out of site, Erik glared at Phoenix. She pretended to be really into the menu. She could feel his eyes on her but she refused to look up at him. Reese approached them. “Good morning. Can I start y’all off with some drinks?” She doesn’t take her eyes off of Erik.

“What you want baby girl?” He says to Phoenix. She smiles up at him. “Orange juice.”

“We’ll both have orange juice.”

Reese walks off. Erik picks up the menu, looking through it and trying to look extra focused.

“She likes you.” Phoenix says.

“Hm? What?”

“Don’t play stupid with me. Ya’ girl Reese ain’t take her eyes off you for one second.”

Erik waves his hand, dismissing that idea. “Ain’t nobody worried about her.”

“Who you worried about then?”

He winks at her. “You… and what Madea said to you before she walked away.”

“You’re nosey.”

Reese brings them their drinks. “Are you two ready to order?”

“I am. You ready baby?”

Phoenix looks up from the menu at Erik and catches his wink. “Yes.” She looks at Reese. “I’ll have the catfish and grits, with cheese. Turkey bacon and my eggs, scrambled.” She ends her order with a closed mouth smile. Handing her menu to Reese, Erik gives his order of the French toast, bacon and sausage, egg whites and hash browns.

As the two of them waited for their food, Erik pushed more for Phoenix to share what Madea whispered to her.

“You really wanna know Erik?”

“Yes.” He sipped his juice.

Phoenix rested her face in her palms. “She said… I must be special. She’s never seen you bring a lady friend in here before.”

Erik’s face blushed with redness. He didn’t have a come back for that. It was true. He has never brought anyone into Madea’s place with him. He’s always sat alone. Women would come in and try to talk to him. Reese being one of them. A few he exchanged numbers with, meet up with at a later moment. Reese was Madea’s niece. Erik couldn’t disrespect Madea that way. He had so much love and respect for the older woman. She reminded him of a mother/grandmother figure. Madea would even sometimes join him and they’d talk about random things going on in the world. It had been about a month since he’s been in the soul food restaurant. (Hmm, he’s known Phoenix for a month.)

Phoenix pretended to not notice how shook Erik was. When he didn’t give her a smart response to what Madea told her, she looked off, scanning the restaurant. She caught the eye of a small boy, no older than 6 years old. They made eye contact and the little boy smiled and waved at her. She winked and waved back.

“Who the fuck you waving at?” Erik snapped his head around to see who was the brave soul to be waving at his girl. He looked over the booths seat, seeing the little boy. When the little boy seen Erik, he covered his mouth, snickering. Erik pointed to his eye and then to the boy. signaling that he’s watching him. The little boy sticks his tongue out at Erik. Phoenix burst into laughter. Erik turned back to her. “So that’s yo man huh?”

Phoenix is laughing so hard that she can’t say anything. Tears are forming in her eyes. Erik is being his dramatic self, talking shit. “Can’t believe you girl. In front of my face. Just gonna flirt with this lil nigga like I won’t lay hands on his ass. The disrespect.”

“Erik, be quiet. He’s a baby.”

“I don’t care! I fight kids Phoenix.”

Phoenix shakes her head at him, finally being able to control herself. She sighs. “You are crazy.”

“I am. Crazy as fuck, actually.”

Reese approaches the table with their food. Erik’s mouth is practically watering.

“Here y’all go. Is there anything I can get y’all?” Reese asks.

“We’re good. Thank You.” Phoenix says.

The two of them get started on their meals. Phoenix was admiring the buttery, perfect grits when the young boy from earlier is slowly following behind his mom as they walk to the exit of the restaurant. He waves at Phoenix again. As they continued to pass by their table, the boy stops and turns to Erik. He balls up his tiny fist and scrunches up his face at him. Erik pretends to get up from the table like he’s going to go after the boy and he jumps and takes off running, catching up to his mom. He turns around one last time to stick his tongue out again.

“You see this little nigga?” Erik says, motioning to the boy leaving.

With a mouth full of food, Phoenix holds her mouth to keep it all in as she laughs.

“I should go whoop his little ass.” Erik continues.

Phoenix and Erik laugh off the encounter. They finished their meals but continue sitting and talking. Reece had retrieved their empty dishes. They both ordered some coffee and Reece made sure to keep their cups full. Their conversations drifting between aliens and supernatural things. Their favorite movies. Their stance on BLM, women’s rights and how much they both hated Trump. The more they talked, the more they discovered just how much they had in common.

Their cups had found themselves to be empty. Reece has gone on break, so this time Madea came to the table with a fresh pot of coffee. She filled their cups with a smile. Erik was her favorite customer. She never had an issue with him, so serving him was her pleasure.

“Thank You.” Phoenix says.

“Oh, baby, it’s my pleasure.” Madea looks over at Erik and pinches him on the arm. “Your big head butt better not stay away from here again.”

“Ouch! I’m sorry, Madea. I’ve been caught up with work.”

“Work, huh?” Madea looks to Phoenix, “Has he been caught up with work, Ms. Phoenix? Or has he been caught up with you?” She asks with a wink.

Phoenix’s mouth opens and shuts, not sure how to answer that. She looks at Erik for help. He simply raises an eyebrow at her.

“Um, I guess you can say a little bit of both.”

“So how long have you two been dating?”

Another question Phoenix didn’t know how to answer. Erik opens his mouth to answer and Madea swats his hand for him to shut up. She wanted to hear it from Phoenix.

“Well, we’re getting to know each other. It’s been a few weeks, I guess.”

“Hmm.” The slim woman moves the coffee pot to her left hand and leans down onto the table with her right. “Well, Ms.Phoenix,” she peeks over at Erik, “And you too, Mr.Erik, I’m no expert but I know a thing or two. I know when two people have an undeniable connection. I am by no means saying to rush into anything, but if your intuition says jump, you ask how high. I can’t put my finger on it just yet, but there’s definitely something here with you two. I’m gonna say this last thing and I’ll be out of y’all hair. You can meet someone today and they’ll love and cherish you better than someone you’ve known for 10 years.”

Phoenix nods. When she looked over at Erik, he was biting his lip, looking down at the table at nothing in particular. Madea gave Phoenix’s shoulder two pats and left the two to sit with her words. They sat in silence for a moment, not really sure how to pick back up from that. Erik finally looked up, catching Phoenix’s eyes. She gave him a soft smile before asking, “How long are you gonna be gone?�� her voice was low, but he still heard her over the busy sounds of the restaurant.

With Erik leaving the very next day, he knew this question would come up at some point during their time together.

“Two weeks.”

The same disappointment from when he told her he had to leave the night before showed up on her face right then. Erik knew he would never be able to deal with that face from her.

“When I get back, it’ll be awhile before I have to leave again.”

“Okay.” She whispered.

The silenced that say amongst them wasn’t so comfortable after that. Neither of them could really bear it but neither of them had anything to say. It had gotten too uncomfortable and Erik suggested that they head back home. The car ride was silent. Both of their brains going over what Madea said to them, as well as the both of them trying to process the fact that just when they were getting closer, they have to be separated for two whole weeks without any form of communication.

Tags:  @purple-apricots @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc @missshae @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy @thadelightfulone @raysunshine78 @toniilaney @purpleskiesxhopefuldreams

#the elevator bae #erik killmonger #erik stevens #black panther #erik killmonger x OC #erik killmonger x black oc #erik x phoenix #shaebewriting

[dreamgirl4certain]

The Elevator Bae

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE

Chapter SIX

Erik x Black OC (Phoenix)

A/N: This one is kinda long. I had a good, black time writing this chapter. Things are definitely picking up more with this one. :)

Camren stood in the center of everyone as they crowded around her singing Happy Birthday to her. She was all smiles with her Birthday Girl tiara on, holding up her glass of champagne. She swayed her hips back and forth until they finished.

“Thank you guys! This dinner was amazing. I love every single one of yall, but.. Ya’ girl is ready to turn up,” She points to Mica and Phoenix. “I know there’s more.”

“There’s always more.” Mica says.

Camren says good-bye to her family. Phoenix and Ava thanked everyone for coming out while Mica headed to the parking lot to get Ava’s truck.

Camren, Phoenix, Tiana and Ava piled themselves in Ava’s truck and Mica drove them to the club. As they approached the door, one of the security guards noticed Phoenix.

“Big Blue! What’s up lil mama?”

“Hey Jimmy.” she hugs him.

“They with you?” he motions to the women behind her.

“Of course. It’s Cam’s Bday.”

Jimmy nods his head in Camren’s direction, “Happy Birthday. Blue got you the best section in this bitch.”

Camren can’t control herself, bouncing on her feet. “She was always my favorite.”

All of the women look at Camren. “Anything for you, Cam.” Phoenix says, grabbing Camren’s hand is leading them inside. Mica was the last in the small line of women and Jimmy stopped her.

“What’s your name lil mama?”

Mica looked him up and down, checking out his tatted, chiseled arms. He stands 6’4 with the prettiest teeth she had seen on a man. “Mica.” she finally responded.

“Come see me before y’all leave, alright?”

“Yeah, I got you.”

He winks at her and she turns to continue into the club where she found her friends watching her from inside the door.

“I see you, Mica. He fine as hell.” Tiana says.

The ladies follow Phoenix as she leads them to through the club. They traveled across the dance floor, around a huge bar and up a flight of stairs and glowed as they stepped on each step. They continued walking until they reached a huge section, with four bottles of Hennessy already waiting on ice. Coby was already there with a few other friends. He greeted each woman with a hug until her got to Ava. He wrapped his arms around her, grabbing her ass and kissing her. Phoenix proceeded to line up shot glasses and fill them with Hennessy. Each of her friends grabbed their glass, raising it in the air.

“Happy Birthday Camren. We love your crazy ass to the moon and back.” Phoenix says.

Everyone shouts, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAM!”

Tossing their shot glasses back, the women have begun their turn up. A few more shots and they were all twerking on each other and talking their shit, rapping along to every song that came on.

“We need a group picture.” Camren yells into Mica’s ear. Mica passes the message on, gathering all the women up near the balcony. Coby patiently waiting, and laughing, as they tried to map out their drunk poses.

“Can y’all c’mon?”

“WE’RE READY!”

Coby takes their pictures, getting every angle just in case somebody doesn’t like their face in the last pic. Because someone WILL decide on one that they don’t like.

“Send those to me.” Each of them yelled at Coby.

They continued to drink and dance. Drinking always gave Phoenix a bit more courage (and weed calms her nerves enough for her to be bold). She was also an I love you drunk and the feeling were starting to come out. She sat on Ava’s lap, hugging her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Philly.” Ava smiles.

Mica, Camren and Tiana stood in front of them, “You don’t love us?” Camren yelled.

“Of course I love you. I love all of you so much.”

“We love you too.”

Camren pulls all of them into a group hug. “Thank You for my birthday.”

--------

As the night progressed, Phoenix found herself just sitting on the couch, babysitting her fourth drink, watching everyone around her. Mica joins her on the couch.

“You good?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m just chilling.”

“Did you text your man, yet?”

“My what!” Phoenix acts surprised.

“YOUR MAN!”

Phoenix playfully rolls her eyes, “No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t-- I don’t wanna be all clingy. He just gave me his number a couple hours ago.”

Camren squeezes herself between them. “What are yall over here talking about?”

Mica looks at Phoenix, expecting her to spill it. She looks away, avoiding eye contact.

“Ugh. I’m trying to tell her to text her man.” Mica finally speaks up.

Camren pinches Phoenix, making her look back to them. “You have a man? Philly! Is he cute?”

“He’s not my man.”

“You want him to be. I seen how y’all was looking at each other.” Mica intervenes.

“We’re building a friendship.” Phoenix says trying to convince herself more than her friends.

“Those are the best kinds. But IS HE CUTE?!”

“Yea--”

“The nigga is fine, Cam,” Mica interrupts, shaking her head. “He thick too. He just screams big dick energy.”

Camren looks impressed. “Girl, text him.”

Phoenix sighs, processing her friends words. The two of them leave her be on the couch once again. She downs the rest of her drink because fuck it. Erik is about to get this text. She picks up her phone from the table in front of her, typing her message.

Phoenix: Wassup Stevens. Guess who?

------------

Erik had just laid down in his bed. Tired was an understatement. He had worked out hard, earlier that day. After his exchange with Phoenix in the garage, he stopped by his friend, TJ’s place. Catching up and playing 2k. He had cancelled plans with TJ to go to the studio with Phoenix. After a few hours of that and eating a pound of wings, he was home, showered and ready to sleep. That is, until his phone vibrated on his nightstand. He reached for it not really expecting it to be anything. A random number texted him with the message, Wassup Stevens. Guess who?

He knew better. Of course it was Phoenix, but Erik being Erik, he had to have fun with this. His sleep could wait. His thumbs moved around the small keyboard, creating a response.

----------

Phoenix watched as the text bubbles popped up. She bit her lip to stop her smile from forming and waiting to see what he is going to say.

Erik😛: hmm, 🤔this Tiffany?

Phoenix: Boy, you got me fucked up.

Erik😛: lmao. Relax, Im just messing with you. I know this you baby girl.

Phoenix: You’re an asshole.🙄

Erik😛: You dont mind it though.

Phoenix: anyways. Wyd?

-------

Erik had completely sat up in his bed now. He wasted no time on saving her number as ‘Babygirl’.

Erik: Been laying here, waiting on you to hit me up. You still out?

Babygirl: Yeah and my bad.🙈 Didn't mean to keep you waiting.

Erik: I don't mind waiting on you.

Babygirl: Don’t make me blush Stevens.

Erik pictured just how she looks blushing and that made him blush. His cheeks were becoming sore from how big he was smiling. Little did he know, she was looking like a complete dork, smiling at her phone in the middle of the club as well.

———

Phoenix sat in the corner of the club couch texting Erik until her friends were ready to go. They had all decided they would stay at Coby’s house for the night. His place was their usual ‘after the club’ crashing spot. He had plenty of space for all of them. Tonight would be no different. The women piled into Ava’s Jeep. Camren laid out on the laps of those who sat in the back seat and Ava sat up front with her man. One of Coby’s friends took charge of his car and followed him home.

Phoenix couldn’t wait to make it to Coby’s house to continue texting Erik. She kept her phone in her clutch. She didn’t want to risk one of friends seeing her texting him and trying to be all up in her business even more than they already were.

“Let’s get some wings.” Camren shouted from the backseat.

“Where in the hell are we gonna get some wings from at 2:30 in the morning Cam?”

“I don’t know. I’m hungry.”

“I’m hungry too.” Mica and Tiana said at the same time.

“Let me guess. You hungry too, Philly?” Coby asked, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

“When am I not hungry?”

“Y’all gotta be shitting me,” Coby drags his hands over his face. He looks over to see Ava passed out against the window. “Listen. There’s nowhere that’s open right now that has wings. I can take y’all to McDonalds.”

“YES! I want some nuggets.” Camren sat up, almost hitting her head on the top of the truck.

“Anything else?” Coby asked.

The women started shouting out orders.

“Large fry.” “Nuggets!” “McChicken with cheese.” “Nuggets.”

Coby headed to McDonalds to get their food and take them to his house. He knew they would regret this decision in the morning but he’d rather that than to hear a bunch of drunk women cuss him out over some damn Nuggets if he told them No.

It took forever for McDonald’s to fill his large order. The women whined in protest to how long they were waiting. They finally got the food and dug in without a second thought.

“And y’all better not spill shit in her truck. I’m not trynna hear Ava’s mouth about nothing tomorrow.”

Coby got them in the house safely and full. Each woman crashed in different areas of the house. By the time they made it to their destination, Phoenix had forgotten about her text conversation with Erik and passed out in one of Coby’s guest rooms.

————-

Waking up was rough. Phoenix could feel her heart beating in her head. She rolled around the bed, feeling through the sheets for her phone. The sun was shining bright through the window, so her task was tough with her head buried under the covers. Not having any luck, she finally got up, still in her dress, to look for her clutch. Somehow, it made its way to the floor at the foot of the bed. She took out her phone to see that it's just past noon and she had two unread text from Erik. She grinned big, swiping her screen to open the messages. She scrolled a bit to read her last response to see what exactly he was responding to because in all honesty, she only remembered a few bits of last night after her third shot.

Phoenix: So are you gonna tell me your reasons for picking the tongue out emoji?

Erik😛: You’re not ready to find that out yet.

Erik😛: lol, you must be KO. Hope you had fun baby girl. Text me when you get up.

Phoenix couldn’t contain her excitement that they were actually texting each other now. No more waiting to just see him on the elevators. Her excitement took a turn when her head started spinning. She felt a knot in her throat. She tried to swallow it back down but there was no stopping it. She had to find a toilet, NOW! She ran into the guest bathroom, throwing up last nights drunk food. She leaned over the toilet, chastising herself. Finally sure that she got it all out, she got up to slowly walk her body out into the hallway. Since Coby’s house is their go to after the club, Coby started keeping a change of clothes for them. She made her way to the hall closet where he kept, t-shirts, leggings, etc along with towels. She picked out a fresh set of clothes and towels and went back into the guest bathroom and showered.

Phoenix got dressed and put her hair up into a top knot bun and went downstairs to find everyone else. She found Coby and Ava in the kitchen. Mica was still asleep in the living room, on the couch. The birthday girl and Tiana were somewhere, probably still asleep.

“Morning.” Coby said. His voice sounded like he was speaking in a megaphone.

“Morning.” she whined.

“C’mon over here,” He motioned to the car seat next to Ava, who was leaning over her arm. “I’ll make you some coffee too.”

Phoenix joined them, laying her head down over her hands. Coby started making her some coffee. He placed the creamer and sugar in front of her.

“My face hurt.” Ava finally spoke.

Coby slid a fresh cup of coffee to Phoenix. She added her creamer and more than enough sugar and sipped it slow.

“It’s almost one. I doubt we make it to brunch.” Phoenix says between sips.

They sat there in silence for awhile before they heard someone dragging their feet into the kitchen. “Morning.” They heard from a yawning voice. It was Camren.

“Morning, birthday girl.” Coby said.

“Stop yelling.” Camren said, leaning over the counter.

“I’m not yelling.”

“I want coffee.”

“Me too.” Mica says, joining them in the kitchen with Tiana right behind her. Coby went ahead and made all three of them some coffee. “Y’all need to eat.” He said filling their mugs.

“I want Roscoe’s.” Camren says.

“Tell me what y’all want and I’ll get it. I know yall asses aint trying to leave no time soon.”

Ava typed up their orders on her phone and sent it in a text to Coby. He left to get their food. While they waited, Camren, Mica and Tiana took showers. Ava and Phoenix waited for them to finish in the backyard, on the patio. They sat out there, both wearing a pair of Coby’s sunglasses in an attempt to block out the sun.

Phoenix remembered that she hadn’t yet texted Erik back. Her thumbs hovered over the phone until she could figure out what to say.

Phoenix: Hey, sorry. I was slumped last night. Good afternoon though.

The text bubbles popped up immediately.

Erik😛: It’s all good baby girl. You have fun?

Phoenix: Yeah. Feels like Im dying now though.

Erik😛: You eat something yet?

Phoenix: Coby’s getting us food. He should be here soon. Wyd?

Erik😛: Tell that nigga hurry up and feed my girl.

Erik😛: Im running some errands.

His girl? Phoenix didn’t mind being called his girl.

Phoenix: Im ya’ girl now?

Before Erik could text back, the rest of her friends joined her and Ava outside and they all started talking about the night before. Reminiscing on the fun times they had. Camren thanked them again for making sure her birthday was special.

“We have one more gift for you, Cam Bam.” Mica says.

“Yall have done enough. Stop it.”

“Girl bye. It’s your birthday.” Ava says walking back into the house.

“What y'all get me?” Camren looks at Phoenix and Mica. Neither of them respond. “Stop playing. What is it?”

Ava joins them again with an envelope in hand, giving it to Camren. “Open it.”

She opens it and pulls out a packet that pictures a villa and things to do on an island.

“What is this?” she yells out in excitement.

Tiana snatches the papers from her hands, “Girl, a vacation.”

“Are yall serious?”

“Mhmm,” Phoenix nods her head. “Five nights and six days in Turks and Caicos. Next month. All five of us.”

Camren started to cry. They hugged her and made fun of her for always crying. Coby comes back in with the food. He brings it outside to them.

“Damn, Cam. You always crying, bro.” he says, sitting the food on the table.

“Shut up. They got me a vacation.”

------------

Phoenix walks through her door, exhausted. She threw her body on her couch. What a day. Camren loved her birthday and her gift. Phoenix enjoyed her friends but let's be honest… people, including her friends, were tiring. Her social battery died hours ago. The relief to be home, alone in her own space. She laid there with her eyes closed, taking in the silence of her living room. Her phone goes off, taking Phoenix from her mind. She gets up to find it. She dropped all of her belongings on the floor when she came in and searched through her bag for it. Finally finding it, she has a text from Erik.

Erik😛: You made it in?

Suddenly, Phoenix had energy. She sat on the floor, bringing her knees to her chest. Smiling down at her phone, she responds.

Phoenix: yeah. Just got in.

Erik😛: wow, smh. Thanks for letting me know.

Phoenix: lol im sorry.

Biting her lip, she wants to do something. Her thumbs hover her keyboard. Erik hadn’t texted back yet so she still had time. Fuck it! What’s the worst that could happen?

Phoenix: Are you home?

The three minutes it took for him to respond felt like three years. Her palms were sweaty as she watched the bubbles pop up on the screen.

Erik😛: yeah. Whats up?

Phoenix: wanna come hang out with me?

Phoenix drops her phone on the floor. Her nerves taking over. “What the fuck am I doing? Am I doing this right now?” She asks herself. Her phone dings. She couldn’t open the message. What if he doesn’t want to? She picks up her phone, taking in a shaky breath as she swipes his message open.

Erik😛: 👀 yeah.

Erik😛: I got something for you too.

Phoenix: for me? What is it?

Erik😛: I’ll be down there in a minute. You’ll see.

Phoenix jumps up and picking up her bag and clothes from the night before, tossing them in her room and closing her bedroom door. She rushes back into the living room, turning on the tv. She checks her snack cabinet. She has plenty. “Okay...okay,” she says to herself. “We’re all good. This is gonna be cool. Just two friends--” her words are cut off by a knock at the door. She wipes her sweaty palms on her leggings and makes her way to the door. She opens the door and the site before her, snatched her breath. Erik stood there with his bare, muscled arms on full display as he sported a crisp, white fitted tank, paired with heather grey joggers that hung low. His dreads hung wildly over his face. She took in his seemingly flawless appearance piece by piece. Phoenix hadn’t realized that she was standing there, just staring at him until he waved his hand in her face, breaking her trance.

“Phoenix!” his voice boomed through her ears, flowing down into her chest. She squeezes eyes shut to regroup. She opens her eyes, pushing a small smile.

“Sorry.” she steps back to welcome him in.

He chuckles to himself. “You good, baby girl. You like what you see. I understand.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Stevens.”

He follows her to the couch. He digs into his pocket, pulling out a blunt. “This is for you.”

“Aw, thanks Stevens. We can smoke this right now, actually.”

He gives her a lighter and she lights the blunt taking a hit. Then another. She passes it to him. He takes a drag.

“So Stevens, I figured you could watch Steven Universe with me and eat Oreos.”

“Steven Universe? What the fuck is that?” he passes her the blunt.

“Only my favorite cartoon ever. It’s really good. You’re gonna like it.”

She gives him back the blunt and starts the show from episode one. She grabs a few snacks from the kitchen. “Look what I got.” She holds up two Martinelli Apple Juice. Erik holds his heart with a smile.

“You remembered.”

Erik had mentioned in the studio how much her loved Martinelli’s. She joins him again on the couch, sitting so close, their thighs were touching. As the first episode begins, Phoenix sings along with the theme song. Erik watches her with a smile. Erik reached down, grabbing her ankles and sliding her legs over his lap. She watched him, not taking her eyes from his hands as his fingertips trailed up her leg until he reached her thigh. He gripped her thigh and massaged it. The entire time his eyes never left the tv screen. Phoenix’s breath hitched as he continued rubbing the spot where his hand rested on her. She looked up at him. He was sitting there like he was just unaware of what he was doing. Something happened on the show that made him laugh and she watched as his body bounced with laughter. To distract herself, she stuffed an Oreo in her mouth and did her best to pay attention to the tv.

“Damn girl, you hogging the cookies.”

Phoenix had been cradling the pack of cookies, eating one right after the other. “Sorry. You want one?”

“Yeah. Feed me one.”

“Feed you one?”

“Yeah, c’mon girl.” He opened his mouth.

She slowly swallowed the remaining pieces she was holding in her mouth. She held the Oreo between her fingers, “You want me to break it for you?”

He cuts his eye at her. “Phoenix, I’m a grown ass man. Put the cookie in my mouth.”

She looked at him with a smirk. She would gladly put the cookie in his mouth. She giggled as she fed him the cookie. He caught on to why she was tickled and laughed himself. “You’re childish baby girl.”

“You said it.”

They continued watching the show and eventually ate the entire pack of Oreos. They were seven episodes deep when Phoenix found herself leaning on Erik’s shoulder. Her fingers were absentmindedly tracing his scars. When she noticed what she was doing, she looked at him, wondering if he knew what she was doing. Was he secretly enjoying it? He could feel her staring at the side of his face. He peeks over at her.

“What?” he asked.

She rubs her thumbs over her scars in thought. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Looking at his arm, “What’s the meaning behind these?”

He watches as her thumbs move softly over his scars. He clenches his jaw and unclenches. Their eyes meet.

“Can I trust you?” he asked.

“I’m pretty sure if you couldn’t trust me, you wouldn’t be sitting here with me right now.”

“True. If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won’t look at me any differently.”

“I promise.”

He sits there for a moment, gathering the right words. Phoenix was patient with him. She knew there was a deeper story to him. She was willing to sit there as long as she needed for him to feel comfortable. She continued to rub her thumb over her scars in the hopes that it would settle his thoughts.

“Remember when I told you my parents died when I was young and I had to take care of myself?” he started. Phoenix nodded, remembering their conversation in the studio. “That shit changed me. It was nothing that I could do. I was ready to give it to any and everybody. But I was smart about it. I went to the Navy. I trained. I worked hard. I was the best nigga they had. When it was time to get my boots on the ground, I made sure I always hit my target and anything that tried to get in my way. Each kill became a mark.”

Phoenix’s eyes trailed down in arm. There were so many scars. That meant so many bodies.

“I was top ranked. I was given the name Killmonger because I had so many kills.” he continued. “The scars were my way of making sure everybody knew how powerful I was. I wasn’t somebody to be fucked with. I’m not that helpless little boy anymore.”

Phoenix’s thumb motions stopped but she still held his arm in her hand. He looked over at her, searching her face for any sign of disgust or hate. Her eyes met his.

“So you still do those missions?” she asked.

“Yeah. They’re a little different now.”

Phoenix seemed interested in what he meant. So he continued telling her how he is chosen for the top missions because of his skill. She asked about his parents and for the first time ever, Erik explained the truth about them. His mother dying in prison. His father being a prince of Wakanda and being killed by his own brother. The more he talked about Wakanda, Phoenix became confused.

“Wait… I thought Wakanada was like a third world country.” she said.

“That’s what they tell the world, but it’s far from a third world country.”

Phoenix sat there quietly, looking off at nothing. She pulled herself away from him in thought. He took that as her hating him.

“I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you Phoenix.”

Her head snapped toward him. “It never crossed my mind that you would. I don’t think you’re a big, bad, scary person, E. Like you said, you did what you had to do.”

“Then why did you move over there?”

“Just thinking. I couldn’t imagine having to go through any of that. Here I am thinking my life was so shitty back in Detroit. Sure, it was bad but things could’ve been worse. You’re strong as fuck and honestly, I wish I had balls like you.”

A cheesy smile crept up on Erik’s face. “Nobody got balls like me.”

Phoenix looks at him with a straight face. “Wow. Here I am thinking we’re having a moment and you wanna talk about your balls.”

“You brought up my balls baby girl. I’ll gladly share them with you.”

“You know what I meant.” She said, hitting him in the chest.

“C’mere you little angry bird.” Erik pulls Phoenix back over to him. This time, he pulled her onto his lap. While sitting on him, she could feel his dick through his sweatpants. Was he free balling? It felt like all he was sporting were the shorts. This man was blessed. He moved his body up, adjusting himself. He had to know exactly what he was doing. Staying up there would be dangerous. She needed to move herself. So she slid her body down to where she is now pinned between him and the arm of the couch. Her legs are sitting on top of his. He gripped her thighs again. “You made me miss what happened so we have to start this episode over.” He picked up the remote, restarting the episode. Phoenix didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. The two of them continue watching Steven Universe like nothing ever happened. He wrapped his hand around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Phoenix had drifted off to sleep. Erik softly shook her awake.

“Philly. Wake up baby girl.”

Phoenix slowly wakes up, stretching. “How long was I sleep?”

“Not long. But it’s getting late. I’m gonna get out of here and let you rest.”

Phoenix lays back on his shoulder. “You’re really comfortable.”

Erik scoops Phoenix up in his arms. He picks her up as he stands and setting her down carefully on her feet. They share a smile. She follows him to the door to let him out. When they approach the door, Erik turns around and snakes his hand around Phoenix’s waist, pulling her into a hug. She automatically wrapped both of her arms around his neck. She took in his presence one last time. He pulled back and grabbed her chin. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. Her body melted into his as she laid her head against his chest. “Don’t forget to text me about your show tomorrow.” he spoke lowly in her ear. All Phoenix would do was nod her head. He opened the door, stepping out.

“Goodnight baby girl.”

“Night, E.”

Closing the door and locking it. Phoenix leaned back on the door. She wanted so bad to turn her head and catch his lips with hers. Her brain now ringing with the ‘what if’s’ if she did. She couldn’t do this to herself. She was going to bed.

Tags: @lushloaded @abeautifulmindexposed @purple-apricots @missshae @lostennyc @tip222u @janelledarling @chaneajoyyy @thadelightfulone **If anyone would like to be tagged, please let me know :)

#erik stevens #erik killmonger #erik x phoenix #erik killmonger x OC #black panther #the elevator bae #shaebewriting

[dreamgirl4certain]

The Elevator Bae

ONE TWO THREE

Chapter FOUR

Erik x Black OC (Phoenix)

Word Count: 5k

Reruns of Martin plays in the tv as Phoenix whips up her pancake batter. She has turkey bacon and hash browns done on the stove. A knock on the door turns into a beat brin made on the door.

Ava!

Phoenix swings the door open to find Ava and Mica holding up orange juice and liquor.

“What’s brunch without liquor?” Mica says walking in. She immediately looks through the cabinets for a pitcher and begins missing up mimosas. Ava sits on a stool at the kitchen counter while Phoenix starts making the pancakes.

“Let’s just get straight to it, what’s up with Erik?” Ava asks.

Mica pours their drinks. “Who is Erik?”

“A nigga that she want.”

Mica eyes Phoenix for her to explain. She tries to focus on the task at hand of flipping her pancakes.

“Ma’am, get to talking.”

“He lives here. I met him on the elevator. We’ve run into each other from time to time.”

Ava slams her hand on the counter. “Mica, she’s fucking with us. Coby said they be having moments on the elevator, flirting and shit. But come to find out, he’s messing with Sydney--”

“BIG BOOTY SYDNEY?”

“He’s not messing with her.”

Ava’s head snaps over to her. “How you know?”

Phoenix bites her lip as she makes their plates. “He told me.”

“When he say this?”

“Wait, wait,” Mica intervens, “How y’all know he was allegedly messing with Syd?”

Ava has a mouth full of bacon at this point just spilling the little beans that she has. “We seen her in the garage and she was all asking Philly about if she seen the nigga because he left her place like a theif in the night and never called her back.”

“Damn! This nigga a savage and you like him?” Mica turns to Phoenix with concern.

“That is not what she said, Mica. But, he told me last night, this morning, whatever… that she’s cool but he ain’t feeling her in that way.”

“Let me guess, on the elevator?” Ava sticks her tongue out teasing Phoenix. Phoenix gives her the middle finger. Mica swats her hand, “Focus. What exactly did he say?”

“Well… he mentioned having his eye on someone else,” Mica and Ava share a look as Phoenix continued. “And I told him he should tell Sydney he doesn’t like her.”

“...that’s it?” Mica says stuffing hash browns in her mouth.

“No, he-- well, I told him he looks tired and get some rest when I was getting off the elevator. Then he says, “Goodnight baby girl.” and winks at me all flirty and shit.”

“Oh girl, niggas love throwing in a baby girl,” Mica says refilling her glass. “I wouldn’t think nothing of that.”

Phoenix looks to Ava for her input.

“Honestly Philly, I don’t know. Because yeah, niggas just be talking but at the same time, we dont know who this man is. For all we know, you could be making all this shit up.”

“Why would I make this up?”

“No, no I’m not saying you are at all. My point is, only you can judge the vibe between y’all because we don’t know who he is.”

“What he look like?” Mica says with a mouth full of pancakes.

“He’s tall, brown, nice teeth, dreads.”

“Oh, so he’s a daddy. Yeah, you can’t trust those.”

Ava almost spit out her drink from laughing.

-------

The gold chain with a ring hanging from it that sits around Erik’s neck, swings back and forth as he does his last few push ups. He sits up on his floor, rolling his neck and stretching it. His phone lights up on the coffee table in front of him.

Text: Sydney

He swipes to close it without reading it. He gets up and goes into the bathroom, turning on the shower. He steps out of his sweaty clothes and steps in. The warmth of the water stings the new small scar on his abdomen. Biting his lip until the slight pain fades away. Allowing the water to run over his body, he closes his eyes releasing a long sigh.

After washing his body and face, he puts on fresh clothes and relaxes on his huge sectional couch. It’s been a long week for Erik and a day of just chilling is exactly what he needed and wanted. He searched through Netflix with nothing really catching his eye. So he picked up his phone, opening Sydney’s text. It was the 4th text she had sent him since he left her place a few nights ago.

Sydney: E, What’s up?

Sydney: So you’re not going to text me back?

Sydney: Are you okay?

Sydney: so you’re just gonna go ghost. Most niggas wait until after they hit. At this point, I dnt even care.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard. Phoenix’s words singing in his ear, I think you should tell her. Communication is key.

She was right, just letting her know he’s not into to her like that is the right thing to do. But, he definitely took the part about communication being about him being more open about liking her instead. He finally types a response.

Erik: Hey. my bad, i’ve been busy. working.

Sydney: you have some free time now? You just left and i wanted to see you.

Erik: Im free but i dont really wanna chill. I like you Syd, but as a friend.

Sydney: wow. Ok

With that out the way, Erik opened his Instagram app, scrolling up his timeline. He comes across a picture that his friend, Shawn posted. Shawn went out to the opening of Club X the night before. He was one of the promoters. As Erik swipes through Shawn’s pics, he notices one that he’s in with three women. One of them being Phoenix. The caption says ‘ClubX now open. Come get lit with the dopest DJ in the city.’ Erik taps the photo to reveal the tags. @DJPhoenixBlue , @AmazingAva , @Micaxoxo , @CamrenMarie. Did he just find Phoenix’s IG page? Without a second thought, he clicks her page and yes… yes he did find elevator bae’s page. He carefully looked and admired every picture. He found himself looking at a pic from June 2016 when Phoenix was back in Detroit, walking through downtown with one of her old friends. That’s when he knew he was doing the most. He scrolled back to the top of her page, reading her bio. He clicks the soundcloud link that’s attached and takes a listen. He nods his head to the R&B beat. It was definitely a vibe. He let her playlist play. He laid his head back onto the couch, closing his eyes. He was on the 5th beat before he sat up to sounds of his stomach rumbling.

“Shit.” He goes into the kitchen, Phoenix’s music still playing. There wasn’t much left in his refrigerator with him being gone for days. He turns the music off to focus on searching through his various food apps to order something. He found himself back on Phoenix’s Instagram page. He leans back on his kitchen counter, completing forgetting about food. He debates with himself if he should follow her. He stood there with his thumb hanging over the follow button. Fuck it. He taps follow. He came this far, he might as well like a few pics.

He orders from a cafe he likes that’s not too far from his home. It’ll be there in 20 minutes. He finds his way back into the living room, on the couch. He settles with rewatching Naruto. Only made sense because it was his favorite.

---------

Mica helps Phoenix load up the dirty dishes into her dishwasher as Ava rolls them a blunt. Phoenix gave more than enough detail about every encounter she has had with Erik since meeting him. She even told them about the dream she had about him. Mica doesn’t seem to like the idea of Erik while Ava tried to convince Phoenix to shoot her shot with him. Phoenix figured it wouldn’t hurt to ‘think about it.’

After finishing their breakfast and cleaning up, the women are sitting out on Phoenix’s balcony, smoking and trying to make plans for Camren. Her birthday was the weekend coming up and Camren made it clear that she wanted to do Hoodrat things with her friends. That was her only request. They already have a surprise girls trip that they planned months ago, but the three of them would make her ratchet dreams come true.

“Let’s do a surprise dinner and take her ass to the club,” Phoenix says, passing the blunt to Mica. “I can get us a section.”

“Yeahhhh, get some big ass pictures of her face and bottles.” Ava added.

“That would make her so happy.” Mica says between coughs and laughs.

They finalize their plans for the weekend. They are taking Camren out to eat, the club and will surprise her with their planned vacation when she wakes up the next morning with a hangover, contemplating life. Ava and Mica say their goodbyes to Phoenix and leave out to wait for the elevator. When the doors open, they come face to face with Erik. He’s alone in the cabin. He recognizes them immediately as the girls in the pictures with Phoenix and Shawn. He moves over to the left of the cabin. Mica stands center and Ava to the right. Silence sits over the three of them. Erik could feel that one of them is staring fire into the side of his face. When he turns to them, Mica is giving him the worst death stare he’s experienced in his life. They stare at each other.

“Is your name Erik?”

“Yeah. Do I know you?

Ava’s head snaps quickly in his direction. She hadn’t even thought about who the man was in the cabin with them. Mica remembered every detail Phoenix gave about what Erik looked like. He’s tall, brown, nice teeth, dreads.

“Nah, you don’t know me,” Mica says, turning to fully face him. “But what you do need to know is when it comes to Philly, I’ll kick yo’ ass, you pretty muthafucker.”

Erik is confused and caught off guard. Who in the hell is this woman. Is Philly, Phoenix? He really didn’t know how to respond to this threat. Ava pinches the bridge of her nose. She can’t take Mica, NOWHERE!

“Who the fuck is Philly?”

“Oh my God,” Ava intervenes, “You have to excuse her. She’s high as fuck.” Ava grabs Mica’s arm and pulled her to the right side of the cabin, away from Erik. “We’re friends of Phoenix, nice to meet you.”

Erik eyes Mica who seems uninterested in him. “Nice to meet y’all too… I think.”

The elevator doors open and Ava steps out, dragging Mica with her. Watching the two of them made Erik laugh. As he made his way to his car, it hit him what Mica and Ava said. She talked to her friends about him? What in the hell did she say for her friends to be so protective? Either way, he couldn’t stop the redness from forming on his cheeks.

Once Ava and Mica were in Ava’s car, without skipping a beat, Mica facetimes Phoenix. “Sis. We just seen your pretty ass man on the elevator.”

“What?”

“What?” Mica says in a mocking tone. “You love playing stupid. Ya’ boy Erik. I had to let him know he better be on some real shit when it comes to you.”

“MICA!” Phoenix covers her face with her free hand.

“You’re welcome. And he is fine though. I see why you pressed but I still don’t trust his ass.”

-------

The next morning, Phoenix started her day with some morning yoga. She had a few errands to run before a studio session later that night. She needed to go to the bank, do a little grocery shopping and reup on some hair products. She had used the last of her Miss Jessie’s curl cream the night of the club opening. Her hair has been in that same bun since. Putting on some dark denim shorts and a red one shoulder crop top, paired with some red vans, she headed out.

Luckily, when Phoenix arrived at the bank, her favorite banker, Ms. Kim was there. Whenever she’d have to go to the bank, she loved going to her to handle her money. Ms. Kim was an older, black woman that gave her all of the cool, auntie vibes. Ms. Kim was the one who helped Phoenix set up a seperate account for her business account and tax account. She honestly made everything easier.

“Good Afternoon, Miss Phoenix,” Ms. Kim stands, greeting Phoenix has she approached her desk.

“Hi, Ms. Kim.”

Ms. Kim motions for Phoenix to take a seat.

“How have you been little lady? Busy I take it since it’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen you in here.”

Phoenix smiles, “Yeah, I’ve been working like crazy.”

“That’s good. At least you’re busy doing something you love though, right?

“Yes. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, honestly.”

“I’m glad. Now what can I help you with today?”

Phoenix digs into her purse, pulling out two checks. “I want to deposit these and send a little something to my Mom. She’s been bugging me about a purse.” She shakes her head. Ms. Kim laughs and takes the checks and does her magic. She knows just how Phoenix wanted to break up the checks into each of her accounts, which is why Phoenix loved her so much. She never had to ask too many questions. She just knew what to do.

------

Phoenix made her way to the farmers market, getting as much food as she could fit into her basket. She always did this, knowing the struggles of carrying all of the tote bags up to her apartment. But without fail, she did this to herself, every time. Loading her groceries into her car, she heads home. She didn’t have much on her mind but she wasn’t fully there as she pulls into the parking garage of her apartment. She parks her car and starts grabbing her bags from her trunk when one falls and she smashes her carton of eggs. She pouts, pissed off with herself about dropping the bag.

“You have to be kidding me!” She stands there, holding her face trying not to be too upset about it.

“You need some help?” Phoenix turns to find Erik walking in her direction, his keys in hand. She was a bit frozen when she saw him. He was wearing a fitted white shirt with grey joggers and his dreads were braided back. She just stood there, staring at him until his laugh shook her from her trance. He loved how his presence would stall her.

“Umm, no. I’m okay. I don’t wanna hold you up.” She picks up the bag that fell and tries to grab more bags from the trunk. Erik didn’t say anything, he just reached for the bags in her hands, taking them from her.

“Erik…” she tries to protest.

“Girl, grab the rest of the bags and c’mon. I’m not in a rush.”

She was lowkey shocked but did what he said. She grabbed the rest of the bags and closed her trunk, locking her doors. He stood, holding the majority of her groceries so she hit the call button.

“You really didn’t have to--”

“I wanted to. If I’m right here, you don’t need to be carrying all of this up alone.”

“Thank You.” she says in a low tone.

The elevator doors open and they step inside headed up to Floor 7. Phoenix tried to avoid looking at Erik. One, he was looking damn good right now and two, she never knew how she’d react to him.

“You look beautiful today. I like the whole messy bun flow you got going on.” he finally says.

“OH SHIT! Im sorry, Thank you. You just reminded me that I forgot to pick up some stuff for my hair.”

“What do you use on your hair?”

“Um this Miss Jessie’s curl cream and this Shea Moisture leave in. I completely forgot and I’m all out of both.”

The elevator doors open and Erik follows her to her door. Taking note of the ‘702’ on her door. She pushes the heavy door open and holds it open for him. He follows her into the kitchen, placing the many bags on the counter. Phoenix struggles to get her hand out of the handle of one of the bags, not realizing she’s still holding her keys. Her phone starts ringing in her back pocket. She’s panicking trying to get her hand free and getting her phone. Watching her struggle was a good time for Erik. He walked up to her, taking her keys from her hand and taking the bag from her wrist. His hands were rough and warm and it caught her off guard… as usual.

“Thanks.” She answers her phone just in time. It’s another engineer that she was suppose to have the studio session with. He called to tell her that the artist they were supposed to work with, cancelled so it wasn't a point in going tonight. She was disappointed. She hated when people would cancel last minute being that the studio was her happy place.

The disappointment she felt was all over her face as she hung up the phone.

“Everything okay?” Erik asked. For a moment, she forgot that he was there.

“Yeah, the artist I was suppose to have a studio session with cancelled on me.”

“Oh yeah, you’re a DJ.”

She never told him that. How would he know that? “Yeah… I’m just gonna go by myself though. I have some stuff that I need to get done.”

Erik sways back and forth, debating on if he should ask. Phoenix starts putting away her groceries. She assumed Erik would just leave at that point but he continued to stand there with his hands in his pocket. She stops what she’s doing and eyes him suspiciously.

“This is weird, but would you mind if I tagged along with you? To the studio.”

She was NOT expecting that. Suddenly Ava’s words rang in her ear. Shoot your shot. The thought of that made her nervous but she stopped the nerves in their tracks. What’s the worst that could happen? He wouldn’t ask if he wasn’t interested, right?

“Uh, yeah sure… wait, weren’t you going somewhere before you helped me with my bags?”

Erik leans over onto her counter, rubbing his hands together. “Yeah, but it wasn’t important. Just chilling with some homies.”

“So you’re just gonna bail on your friends to hang out with me? You don’t even know me.”

“You don’t really know me but I’m all up in ya’ kitchen right now.”

He had a point. She just shook her head and finishes putting away her groceries. He watched her every move. It’s still pretty early so Phoenix still has time to go out and get her hair products before heading to the studio.

“Well everything’s put away. I’m gonna go get my hair stuff. You can just meet me in the garage around 8. Is that cool?”

Eriks stands up straight, “Yeah.”

She smiles and grabs her purse, walking to the door. Erik follows. He waits for her by the elevators as she locks her door. When the elevators opens for them, Mya steps off.

“Hey Phoenix.”

“Hey, Mya.” she waves at her. Mya looks at Erik and then back to Phoenix, mouthing to her. “YAS SIS!” Phoenix laughs. Erik is going up to his place to wait for her so she says bye to him and watches him step in and the doors close. She patiently waits for the cabin to come back down to take her down to the parking garage. Making it to the beauty supply, she buys way more than she needed. Getting some new Mane Choice shampoo, a long, curly ponytail (because you never know when you’ll need one), the curl creams she came for and some hair accessories. She could never control herself in the beauty supply store. It was like a candy store for black girls.

She made her way back home and couldn’t resist washing her hair to try her new products and honestly, she couldn’t wait to retire that messy bun.

------

Erik waits in the parking garage for Phoenix. Checking his phone, it’s now 8:12pm. He’s not usually a patient man but he would wait for as long as he needed for her. Finally a ding from the elevators alerts him that someone is getting off. Phoenix steps out with fresh curls that are still partially wet. She had changed into some black joggers and a Snoop Dogg T-Shirt with her backpack hanging on one arm.

“I’m sorry. I really had to wash my hair.”

He smiles at her. “It’s not a problem, baby girl.”

There’s that name again. She stares at him. “Uh, yeah. You ready?”

“Lead the way.”

He follows her to her car. He steps around her, opening her door for her. She smiles a thank you and he walks around, getting into the passenger seat. She holds up the Aux cord.

“This is my only offer. Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“You’re the DJ. Let me hear what you like to listen to.”

Phoenix proceeds to plug in her phone and put her playlist on shuffle. Megan thee Stallion x Cash Shit comes on blasting through the speakers as Phoenix pulls out onto the road. She raps along.

Yeah, I’m in my bag // but I’m in his too.

That’s why every time you see me // I got some new shows. AH!

Erik enjoys the show of Phoenix rapping along to every song that comes on. He even joins in when Dreamville x Got Me comes on.

I got you long as you got me // And I got you long as you got me

----

Walking into the studio building, Phoenix greets the security guy at the front desk. This is her favorite studio to work in so she knows everyone who works out of the building by name.

“Hey, Larry.”

“Hello, Miss Blue.”

She loves that he calls her that. Erik nods at Larry and Larry does the same. They continue to an elevator that takes them to the third floor. Walking into the huge studio, Phoenix flicks on the lights and begins setting up her laptop, pulling out her writing notebook. Erik looks around. Blue and green lights, light up the booth that sits in front of them.

“You want something to drink? There’s all types of stuff in the fridge.” Phoenix asks, sitting in a big, comfy chair.

“Nah, I’m good for now.” Erik sits next to her. He sits and just watches as she finishes setting up everything. She has a few samples that she made in her files so she starts with those first. A very smooth R&B Style beat with drums begins to play through the speakers. Phoenix digs in her backpack and pulls out a bag of weed.

“You smoke?” she asks, taking out a back wood.

“Yeah.”

“When I come here alone, this is how I set the mood.”

He watches her carefully as she breaks the weed down so effortlessly. She bobs her head to the beat, filling the back wood with the weed. He could tell, this was her zone. She seemed so relaxed here. Even he couldn’t shake her up right now.

“So, Erik,” She adds emphasis to his name. “Tell me something.”

“What you wanna know?” he watches as she begins to perfectly lick the blunt closed. He’s mesmerized.

“What do you do?”

“In the Navy… engineer.”

She looks at him as she lights the blunt and takes a drag. She slowly releases the smoke. “You from here?”

“Yeah. Grew up in Oakland. You?”

“Nah… I’m from Detroit.”

“Damn, that’s what’s up. When did you come out here?”

She hands him the blunt. “Last year. My career started taking off. I was flying out here like every other week so I just moved out here.”

“You like it?”

“I love it.”

They passed the blunt back and forth until it was gone. The same beat still playing in the background. Phoenix was feeling her high and the beat. Melodies started coming to her as she sung a series of Ahhhs and Heyyys until they formed into lyrics and she wrote them down in her notebook.

“Damn girl, you can sing?”

“I can hold a note or two.”

“Have you ever wrote and recorded any songs for yourself?”

“I have a few.”

“Can I hear one?”

She’s hesitant at first but she goes through her files and finds a song she wrote when she broke up with her ex. As the song played, Erik paid close attention to every word, every note. He felt like he could hear her pain in her voice. She noticed the focused expression on his face. Like he was trying to figure out the exact story that inspired the song.

“Wrote this last year when I came out here. My ex… he uh, he cheated and had a baby.”

The song ends and she goes back to the beats she was listening to before.

“You’ve been single since?” he asks.

“Yeah. Just been working. If I’m gonna give a nigga my time, he has to understand my work. He can’t get in the way of that, ya’ know?”

“I get it.”

“How long have you been single?”

Erik sits back in his chair, rubbing his beard. “I’ve actually never really been in a relationship.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Life just didn’t seem to allow me to do all of that.”

“Why?”

Erik was never one to open up to people. Maybe it was the weed or maybe it was the vibe, but he felt safe with Phoenix in this moment. “I had to take care of myself growing up. Parents died young so I didn’t have time for distractions. Got into college early. Went to MIT,” Phoenix eyes grew big at that. 

“Do you think things have changed for you now? Like… maybe you would be able to try out a relationship or something?”

“Well, where I am now, if that’s what I wanted to do, I’ll figure it out. But it’s like you said, it has to be somebody that understands my work.”

She nods and turns to work on the beat that’s playing. After making a few adjustments, she figured out just what it was missing. She looked to Erik and noticed he was vibing out to the new, improved beat.

“You like it?”

“Hell yeah. I fuck with this.”

That made her happy. She loved when other people were vocal about her work.

“Can I ask you something, Erik?”

“Wassup?”

“So… what really happened with you and Sydney?”

He looks at her. He couldn’t read her like he usually could. “Nothing. We hung out. Chilled at her place. Got so high, we both passed out and I left. She wanted to do more but like I told you, I wasn’t feeling it.”

She played with her fingers. He rolled his chair closer to her and lifted her chin so she’s looking at him. “You don’t have to worry about her.”

“What?” She moved back. “I’m not worried about her. I was just-- nothing, never mind.”

He didn’t push her to continue. She opted to ask him more generic questions.

“Anyways… um, what’s your favorite color?”

If this is how she wanted this to go, he’d play along. “My favorite color is black. Yours?”

“Blue.” she smiled.

By the end of the session, Phoenix had finished two beats. She even showed Erik how to work a few buttons so he could help her record a few hooks and a verse. By the end of the session, they knew a lot more about each other. Erik’s last name is Stevens and he was 31. He loved french toast and watching anime. Phoenix was 27 with a birthday coming in just a few months. Erik may or may not be plotting to get her something. She loved animals and told him about her most embarrassing moment in high school when she was performing for pep rally and tripped on her own two feet in front of the whole school. They had a good time with each other. It was almost 2am when they left.

As they waited for the elevator, Erik stood dangerously close to Phoenix. She could feel like body heat and she wanted so bad to wrap her arms around him for him to warm her up.

“I had a good time with you tonight, Philly.”

“I had a good time with you too, Stevens.” She poked his chest.

The elevator arrives and they step on, Floor 7 and Penthouse floor as their destinations. The ride up was a comfortable, tired silence. As Phoenix got off on her floor, Erik reached for her hand, stopping her right between the open doors. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumbs. He licked his lips and she watched with her mouth parted slightly. He knew just what he was doing. “Goodnight, baby girl.”

If this nigga dont stop this!

“Goodnight, E.”

He was surprised at the nickname. Sure, most people called him E, but coming from her, at this moment, felt different. Like equivalent to his ‘baby girl.’ He felt a rush move through his chest as she slowly slid her hand from his, stroking his fingers and smiled at him. She stood on the other side of the doors until the doors shut. This time, it was Erik with jelly legs. He caught himself by leaning back on the back wall of the cabin as it traveled up. He has never felt like this with no woman… ever!

When he made it into his place, he stripped out of his clothes and took a hot shower. Thinking of the way her hand felt in his made his dick twitch under the warm water. He stroked it a few times before choosing to just wash up and go to bed. He really didn’t understand this feeling and didn’t want to process it right now. He just wanted to have this moment. Whatever it was. As he made himself comfortable in his cool sheets, he picked up his phone, opening Instagram. Phoenix’s story the first one highlighted at the top of his screen. He clicked it and 4 minutes ago, she posted a photo of the city’s view from her bedroom with the caption ‘Nights like This❤️ ’

There it is… that feeling in his chest again. He locks his phone and drifts off to sleep with Phoenix as the last thought on his mind.

-------

Tags: @purple-apricots @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc @missshae @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy **If anyone would like to be tagged in the next one, let me know.

#erik stevens #erik killmonger #erik killmonger x OC #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #shaebewriting #black panther #erik x black oc

[dreamgirl4certain]

The Elevator Bae

Chapter THREE

ONE TWO

Erik x Black OC (Phoenix)

Word Count: 2k || Song Suggestions: Rihanna + Kanye West x FourFiveSeconds, Khalid x Talk

A/N: Sorry, I did not proofread this yet. I will go through it later. Again, thanks so much for those who read this. Y'all make me such a happy lil nigga. I love you lots.

A small, tired voice wakes Erik from his sleep. His eyes shoot open and he finds Sydney balled up under his arm as their both sit on her couch.

“Your alarm is going off. Get it!” She says with her eyes closed.

He reaches for his phone sitting on her coffee table. 4:32AM flashes on his screen. He wipes his hands over his face before standing and walking to the  door. 

“Where are you going?” Erik turns to Sydney now sitting up with a confused face.

 “I gotta go.”

“So you’re just gonna leave? ”

“You were a good time, Syd. I’ll catch up with you later.”

She rolls her eyes, watching him leave out the door. He gets on the empty elevator to go up into his penthouse. He does his usual morning routine— teeth, face, shower and puts on a fresh pair of clothes. Black cargo pants, a dark grey thermal shirt and black boots. He grabs a pre packed duffle bag from his front closet and leaves out. When he gets down into the parking garage, the first thing he notices is Phoenix’s car parked right in front of the elevator doors. He stands there remember how pissed she looked the day before as he drove up to speak to her. Was she having a bad day? Did she see him with Sydney? Erik would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t think he had a thing for her. Sure, she wasn’t the extra type that he’d usually go for, but it was something about her. He shook the thoughts from his head and walked to the back of the parking garage to a blacked out Chevy Tahoe and leaving.

-----

Phoenix staycation was calm and relaxing just as she planned it to be. She was recharged and ready for the busy schedule for the next couple of weeks. She was in her meeting with her manager, Alyssa when Ava texted her.

Ava: Hey, let me know when your meetings done. Let’s get food.

Phoenix texted back a quick ‘Okay’ as she continued to listen to the executive from Atlantic records. The woman went on and on about the deal they were offering her but ultimately, Phoenix decided against it. She was worth more than what they were offering her. She made a promise to herself that she’d never let anyone walk over her in this business. It was rare that a female DJ/Producer was making these kind of waves in the industry. Her work was slowly, but surely becoming the talk amongst big names. She knew that women were always given the short end of the stick but she wouldn’t fall for any of the bullshit. She made it this far on her own and she was sure she could keep up the good work until someone offered her a deal she couldn’t refuse.

“Proud of you. Most people I’ve worked with would’ve taken it just to say they were signed to Atlantic.” Alyssa says.

“I mean… that wasn’t easy.”

“And it won’t get easy. Now is when shit gets real and the work gets a little harder. But the thing about you, you’re tough,”

Phoenix smiles at that. Her mom tells her that all of the time. “Which is why you’re my favorite. You’re not afraid to work hard.”

“I’m glad someone notices.” Phoenix leans over the large table.

“I’m not the only one that notices. Clearly people are watching. I mean… since you’re booked and busy these days.” Alyssa pulls her iPad from her bag, unlocking it like she’s in a rush to find something. “Speaking of busy, the opening of X got moved up to Sunday.”

Phoenix sits up in her chair, looking concerned. “That’s in two days. I don’t have my set playlist done yet.”

“Didn’t I just tell you shit won’t get easier?”

Phoenix rolls her eyes. “I’ll work on it tonight.”

Alyssa stands, “Good! Well, I have a date with my man.”

Phoenix follows her out. They hug and say their good-byes and Phoenix text Ava.

Phoenix: Hey Av, I’m done. Meet me at my place. I’ll order us something.

Ava: K.

Getting in her car, Phoenix puts her music on shuffle. Rihanna x Kanye West - FourFive Seconds comes on and she turns the volume all the way up. Driving into the street, she sings along.

I think I've had enough // I might get a little drunk

I say what's on my mind // I might do a little time

'Cause all of my kindness // Is taken for weakness

Her phone goes off with a message. Alyssa sends her the official flyer of the club opening with her picture on it to post on her IG later. Some excitement fills Phoenix’s chest and she sings louder.

Now I'm FourFiveSeconds from wildin' // And we got three more days 'til Friday

I'm just tryna make it back home by Monday mornin' // I swear I wish somebody would tell me

------

Phoenix is 2 minutes away from her apartment waiting at a red light when her phone goes off with a text.

Ava: I’m here. Your spot is open next to me.

Phoenix: Almost there.

She turns her volume down as Khalid - Talk now plays. She finally makes it to her parking garage, parking next to Ava’s car. She’s still inside waiting for Phoenix. They both get out and Phoenix rushes to hug her friend. It’s been weeks since she’d last seen her.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too. I thought I was gonna have to book your ass to hang out with you.”

Phoenix waves her hand, dismissing Ava’s joke. “Girl, bye.”

As they wait for the elevator, they discuss what food they want to order. Settling on some Chipotle, Phoenix goes to the DoorDash app to begin their orders.

DING.

When the elevator doors open, they are met with Sydney and one of her friends.

“Hey.” She says waving to Phoenix and Ava.

Hey, girl.” Ava says. Phoenix just waves and smiles.

They step out of the way for Sydney and her friend to walk out and they proceed to walk in. Phoenix hits the button for floor 7. A hand stops the doors and Sydney stands between them.

“Hey, Phoenix. This is random I know but umm,” she scrunches her face in thought, “have you seen Erik around?”

Phoenix is taken back by the random question. “I...haven’t. No.”

Sydney looks as if she wants to say something else.

“Is something wrong?” Phoenix had to ask.

“Well, we hung out a few days ago. He just kinda left and I haven’t heard from him or seen him.”

Thinking back to how she didn’t see him on her elevator rides for awhile after their late night encounter, “I’m sure he’ll pop up.”

“Yeah… thanks.” Sydney walks away, letting the doors close. The moment the doors close and the cabin begins going up, Ava finally breaks her smile.

“So… is Erik is the lucky elevator boo?”

Phoenix was confused. How did she know about this? She only told Coby and Sza. Ava and Coby only met once and they weren’t friends and she know damn well Ava and Sza aren’t kekeing over tea and Oreos.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Your little crush that you’re writing songs with Sza about?”

“What the fuck? How do you even know that?”

The elevators doors start to open. As they step out onto Phoenix’s floor, she stops in the hallway. She needs to know right now how Ava knows this.

“A little birdie told me,” Ava walks around Phoenix, going to her apartment door. “C’mon. Open this damn door.”

“NO! Not until you tell me who told you that.” Phoenix folds her arms and shifts her weight onto her hip. Ava knows that Phoenix really won’t open the door unless she offers up some information.

She releases are long sigh. “Coby.”

“COBY! Why are you talking to Coby?”

Ava throws her head back, trying to hide her smile. “Well,” she starts before looking at Phoenix, “We’ve been hanging out.” She makes quotes with her fingers.

Phoenix’s mouth drops in complete shock.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Hell no. He didn’t tell me shit!”

“I guess we have a lot to catch up on.”

Phoenix unlocks the door, “We absolutely do.”

When they get inside, they sit on the couch. Phoenix finishes their food order. It’s a 30minute wait. Perfect time to ‘catch up’ and figure out just how much more Ava has been keeping from her.

“30 minutes for the food.”

“Okay. So, tell me about this Erik character.”

“Are you and Coby fucking?”

Ava looks at Phoenix with the straightest face.

“Can we focus on the original conversation first?”

“Are you and Coby fucking?”

“Oh my God. No girl. Not yet, at least. I would like to because that man is fine.”

Phoenix scrunches her up in disgust. Ava sucks her teeth. “Girl, I get you see that nigga as a brother but can’t deny that he’s fine as hell.”

Shrugging her shoulders, “He’s decent.”

“Anyways… tell me about Erik.”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Ava takes note of the changes in Phoenix’s tone. How she was just excited to hear about her love life to now being so flat and dry.

“There’s a nigga that you clearly like and making songs about but he’s fucking big booty Sydney. There’s definitely something to talk about.”

“Well that’s all there is to it then.”

Ava didn’t want Phoenix to go into shut down mode. She didn’t push her. She decided to let the conversation of Erik go… for now. To get her best friend back into high spirits, she knew talking about music would help.

“Okay, well, are you ready for the opening?”

“Not at all. Alyssa just told me today that it’s now on Sunday instead of next week.”

“You got this. Let me see your playlist.”

Phoenix goes to get her laptop from her room. They discuss what she has planned for the club. Their food comes and Ava joins Phoenix on the floor as they eat and she helps her finish her playlist. As the hours go by, they dance to the songs and catch up on all of the things that’s happened over the last few they haven’t hung out.

“Oh shit! I forgot to post the flyer.” Phoenix jumps up for her phone. She posts the pic Alyssa sent to her earlier.

Ava repost it instantly. “Damn girl, you look good as fuck on this flyer.”

“Thanks boo. I need to take some new pictures. My Instagram lame as fuck right now.”

“Let’s take some right now.”

“Girl, it’s like 9 o’clock--” Before Phoenix could finish her sentence, Ava was already walking away to her room. She follows her into her closet. Ava goes through her clothes, pulling out some outfits. She knows Phoenix and her style so pairs some jeans with a Vintage style Aaliyah Tee with clear, strappy heels and an oversized t-shirt for a dress with her Black Doc Martin boots.

“Get dressed and fluff your curls. We got the hallway, your balcony-- Oh, you know what, let’s do leggings instead of jeans so we can see your butt.”

“Ava, no.”

“C’mon girl, stop playing with me. Put this on and sit your thick ass on that kitchen counter. I got you.”

Phoenix laughs but does what her friend says. Ava does a whole photo shoot for Phoenix in her kitchen. They even took some on the balcony, catching some city lights in the background. Phoenix picks a few of her favorites as she goes through them. There were A LOT of to choose from.

“Don’t post any tonight. Wait until tomorrow afternoon.”

Phoenix just gives Ava a look. “Don’t look at me like that. I know Instagram. You’re gonna need as many people seeing it to push your face as the DJ opening up Club X, believe me.”

Phoenix just nods and tells her friend thank you. She didn’t understand the thing with Instagram. Managing her social media wasn’t important to her. She preferred to post her music and go. But she also knew that Ava knew what she’s talking about so she trusted her friends words. They said their goodnights and Ava was off on her way home.

“Text me when you get in.”

-------

Sunday had finally arrived. Phoenix was ready. Her set was amazing, full of all of the Summer’s hits, mixed with some throwbacks. She knew just what a crowd wanted to hear. She spent the early part of the day going through sound checks with the hosts, signing contracts and networking with some of the promoters. The vibe was just her type.

As night fell over the city, she began her preset. Just a mini playlist she created to play as she gets ready herself. This was a big event and Phoenix never disappointed. She had a soft makeup look with wing eyeliner (her go to look), her curls sat in a messy, top knot bun and her nails were painted a glow in the dark neon blue. She wore black, combat pants with a silver sparkle tube top and some black Prada combat heels. She finished her look with silver accessories--rings, layered necklaces and crystal hoop earrings and of course her signature blue Beats headphones.

She steps outside with some of the promoters to take pics. The club is getting packed by the minute with artists, athletes, etc. She makes her way back inside to begin her set. Instantly, when she spins her first song, the crowd screams the lyrics and begins dancing. This night was one to remember. People were loving her. The host brought a few people up to the DJ Booth because they wanted to meet her. It got to the point where the host just shouted her out on the mic so everyone would hear.

“Yo, let’s make some noise for our lit ass DJ, DJ Phoenix Blue.”

The love made Phoenix full of joy. She was so in the zone, she didn’t even notice Ava come in with their other friends, Camren and Mica. They never missed a show or appearance. They turned up with Phoenix until the party was over.

-----

It was almost 4am when Phoenix was finally on her way home. The high of the night still moving through her body. She turns into the parking garage, noticing a black truck turn in behind her. As she parked, she looked out to watch the truck. The driver parked all the way in the back so she could only see a small bit of the headlights. Not sure what was going on, she waited for awhile before getting out. She looked around to see if she could see anyone walking through the cars. She heard a door slam… and then another one. Soon after a figure walks around the cars, going to the elevators. It was Erik. He was carrying a large duffle bag. She thought about just sitting in the car until he got on the elevator until he looked back right at her car. He stood there like he was waiting for her. She realized, he never actually pressed the call button for the elevator. He continued to stand there. She might as well get out. She grabbed her bag with her laptop and got out. Her feet were hurting. With him waiting, she felt a sense of safety so she took this opportunity to get a pair of sandals from her trunk. Erik seemed to be patient as he waited. She finally made her way toward him. He gave a weak smile and she gave one in return. He hits the call button.

He looks her up and down. She pretends not to notice.

“You look sparkly tonight.” he says.

“And you look,” she looks over him, “...tired.”

“Shit, I am.” he drags his hand over his face.

“Sydney was looking for you a few days ago,” He rolls his eyes, uninterested. “She asked if I had seen you because she just her place and disappeared.”

He didn’t offer a response. “Are you two--”

“Nah.” his words coming out louder than he intended. Phoenix didn’t mean to piss him off. The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, he followed. She stood in the back corner. He scanned his keycard and hit the button to her floor for her. She looked down, playing with her keys. Did he scare her?

“Hey,” she looked up at him. “I ain’t mean to come off like that.”

“You’re good.” she says, looking back down. He watches her.

“Sydney cool, but I’m not feeling her like that.”

“Why?”

“I have my eye on someone else.”

Someone else? Who? What the fuck? Her thoughts went from 0-100. Sydney’s not who he wants so could he be talking about her? She wanted so bad to ask him who but didn’t want to be in this man’s business. “Well I think she likes you, so you should tell her that. Communication is key.”

“Yeah, I will.”

The cabin comes to a stop at Phoenix’s floor. The doors open and she walks out. She looks back at him, “Goodnight, Erik. Get some rest.”

“You too, baby girl. Goodnight.”

Her eyes got big at the pet name. He noticed her reaction and winked at her as the doors were closing between them. She rushed into her apartment, dropping her bag and shoes into the floor. She takes out her phone to text Ava.

Phoenix: BITCH! Come over tomorrow. I need advice. It’s about Erik.

Ava: Oh now your dusty ass wants to tell me about Erik at 5 o’clock in the morning. I’ll be there. Make me some pancakes.

Tags: @purple-apricots @abeautifulmindexposed @lostennyc @missshae @tip222u @janelledarling @lushloaded @chaneajoyyy **If anyone would like to be tagged in the next one, let me know.

#erik stevens #erik killmonger #erik killmonger x OC #erik x phoenix #the elevator bae #shaebewriting #black oc