Three Days After the Party
They were back at the crib, exhausted.
Netflix producers had been following them around for two straight days, cameras all in their face, mics up their shirts, trying to catch every lil moment.
Marcus hated it.
Devonte LOVED it.
Devonte was lowkey a ham.
Always making jokes. Always acting stupid for the cameras.
"Nigga swear he auditioning for Wild'N Out," Marcus texted Tamia during lunch.
Tamia responded:
> "Devonte got main character energy. U background character #12."
Marcus threw his damn phone across the couch.
---
Meanwhile, Their IG Followers Blew Up Crazy
Marcus: 285K followers
Devonte: 412K followers
Tamia: 43 followers (half of them bots)
Tamia posted on her IG story:
> "When y'all blow up don't forget who let y'all sleep on my couch!!"
(They never did.)
Marcus spent most days answering DMs from random girls.
And — lately — dudes too.
Fine ass dudes.
Athletes. Rappers. TikTokers.
One dude — a YouTube gamer named ChrisTooCold — even slid in:
> "Ayo u cute. Don't be scared to hmu lil bro."
Marcus sat there staring at the DM like a deer in headlights.
Devonte saw over his shoulder.
"Damn, they tryna snatch you up already?"
Marcus shrugged, tryna act cool.
"Ion know...might just be fans."
Devonte side-eyed him.
"Mmhmm. Fans who wanna see you naked, nigga."
Marcus snorted, tossing a throw pillow at him.
---
Later That Night — Watching TV
They crashed in Marcus's room, door cracked, the shitty fan blowing loud in the corner.
Watching reruns of P-Valley and BMF back-to-back.
Laughing, roasting everybody on screen.
"Damn why every nigga in BMF gotta have 47 gold chains like they allergic to shirt collars," Devonte said, stuffing chips in his mouth.
Marcus cackled.
"Ayo look at this nigga shoes!! Them shits heavy as hell. Bro got the Timberlands that can kickstart a tractor."
They fell out laughing.
---
And Then...the Vibe Shifted.
Not on purpose.
It just...happened.
Somewhere between laughing too hard and shoulders touching too long.
Marcus noticed Devonte looking at him...
Longer.
Softer.
And for once, Devonte ain't say some wild goofy shit to ruin the moment.
He just...sat there.
Quiet.
Eyes dark.
Like he was thinking hella things at once.
Marcus's heart tripped over itself.
He felt the whole air change.
Heavy. Warm.
Electric.
Devonte licked his bottom lip without realizing it.
Marcus watched it like slow motion.
Then Devonte leaned closer.
Marcus felt his whole damn brain short-circuit.
---
Right Then — BAM! Knock on the Door
"Y'all better not be in there kissin!!" Tamia screamed through the door.
Both of them jumped five feet in the air.
"GO AWAY, DAMN!" Marcus yelled, voice cracking.
He heard Tamia laughing all the way down the hallway.
Devonte rubbed his face.
"This girl gon' die a painful death, I swear."
Marcus laughed, but his hands were shaking a lil.
Because for one second...he almost leaned forward too.
Almost kissed his best friend.
Almost ruined — or saved — everything.
---
Social Media Started Acting Up Again
Tamia, the messy demon she is, tweeted:
> "Caught Marcus and Devonte cuddlin on the couch... I'm tellin y'all, BlkSoul love story coming soon. #JustSaying"
Twitter went NUTS.
BlkTwitter Comments:
"Y'ALL BEEN SEEIN THE TENSION, RIGHT???"
"I been shipping them since the second hoodie drop lol"
"Marcus be lookin at Devonte like he invented oxygen"
"If they don't kiss by episode 4 imma riot"
---
Netflix Producers Picked Up On It Too
Next shoot, the director whispered:
"If anything happens between y'all...you know...romantically...it'd be beautiful to show."
Marcus damn near choked on his Sprite.
Devonte just smirked.
"Y'all messy as hell."
The director winked.
"Messy makes money."
---
Meanwhile — New Celebrity Fans Flooded In
Lil Nas X reposted a BlkSoul video with heart emojis.
SZA tweeted:
> "Protect these boys at all costs. I love them so much omg."
Chlöe Bailey commented under Marcus's post:
> "You glowing baby."
Marcus screamed into a pillow after seeing it.
Devonte clowned him for three hours.
"You really bouta leave me for Chlöe, huh? Say less. I'm tellin Netflix you abandoned me for titties."
Marcus tackled him onto the couch, both laughing their asses off.