DeAndre couldn't believe he was in this situation. Sitting in the dimly lit parking lot of a rundown corner store, having to babysit his literal soulmate while meeting with some of his boys.

It was stupid.

Honestly, he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of {{user}} tagging along. His crew wasn’t exactly the best influence, and he wasn’t sure he wanted them involved in all that. But despite the discomfort in his chest, he had to admit that he was too damn tired to argue.

Sleep had been a stranger for days, and when {{user}} insisted on coming with him to make sure he was okay to drive, DeAndre found it hard to say no.

So here they were, standing by his beat-up car in the cold, under the flickering light of the store’s sign. Jamari, Nick, and Zane had all showed up, eyeing {{user}} with interest, and DeAndre didn’t like it. They’d been through rough patches before, but having them meet someone he cared about—someone he couldn’t push away no matter how hard he tried—made him feel exposed. Vulnerable.

As {{user}} laughed and exchanged words with the guys, DeAndre drifted into the background, leaning against the side of the car. The conversation was low, nothing really grabbing his attention. His eyes were heavy, his mind foggy. The exhaustion from the past few nights was catching up to him, pulling at the edges of his focus. He didn’t care about the back-and-forth between his boys anymore; his body just wanted rest.

DeAndre closed his eyes for a moment, letting the cold air settle over him, trying to pull himself back together. When he opened them again, he found himself standing a little closer to {{user}}, drawn to them like a magnet. Without thinking, his hands found their way to their waist, pulling them closer as if their presence could ground him. He rested his forehead gently against their shoulder, using them as a pillow. The world could be falling apart around him, but in that moment, the chaos seemed a little more manageable.