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"Why did we pack so much stuff?" Victoria mumbled, reaching for the final suitcase and picking it up. Hazel looked around the airport, searching for any sign of Lewis. Her small eyes landed a blonde man and he looked very familiar to her. She definitely seen him on TV. "Mom." Hazel tugged on her mom's pants to get her attention. "What is it, babygirl?" She questioned, and Hazel pointed at the blonde man.

"Oh, it's Lewis's friend- I think." Vic mumbled, picking up the suitcases and approaching him, Hazel holding onto the pocket of her sweatpants. She tapped on his shoulder and he turned around, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "You're uh- Lewis's girlfriend, right? I'm Nico. It's nice to meet you." He said off the bat, shaking her hand with a kind smile.

"Nice to meet you, but I'm not his girlfriend. We're uh- friends by association? I'm friends with Keziyah's brother." Victoria corrected, not noticing how Hazel hid behind her leg, still unsure how to feel about him. But she wanted to brave like Lewis was. So she moved away and tapped his leg to get his attention. It worked because he smiled and kneeled down to be at her height. She stuck her small hand out to him, "I'm Hazel. You are bad friend to Lewis."

"She's joking, obviously." Victoria chuckled awkwardly.

Nico chuckled, not taking it personally because it was clear she had favorites. "That's okay. I hope you can be a better friend than I was. You look like an awesome friend." Hazel's eyes brightened and she giggled, "thank you." He took her hand to give it a little shake, "I'm Nico. It's nice to meet you, Hazel." She smiled, enjoying the good vibes he had around him.

"Don't brainwash the girls, Britney. You know baby boy isn't gonna like that." Kez mused, casually throwing her arm around his shoulders. He chuckled, taking a look at her outfit. She adored some sneakers, some sweatpants, and a hoodie 3x her actual size, including a pair of prescription sunglasses with some expensive frames. "Why are you wearing that?" She rolled her eyes, "so I don't accidentally shut down an airport when people recognize me."

"Lewis is pulling the car up to the front. We had to buy princess a car-seat." Kez explained, picking up the heavy suitcases like nothing.

They walked out to the front and Lewis climbed out after popping open the boot of the car. Hazel ran over to him with a giggle and he scooped her up gleefully. "There's my favorite princess! Why are you dressed like a wizard?" Lewis chuckled, taking notice of her interesting outfit. "She watched Harry Potter, didn't she?" Kez pondered, putting all the luggage into the boot whilst Nico assisted.

"I'm a Hufflepuff!" Hazel giggled, hugging onto the driver.

"I'm a Slytherin," Kez added.

Nico snorts in slight amusement, "of course you are."

Lewis helped Hazel into the car-seat and buckled her up for safety. Nico got into the passengers seat, and Kez got around into the drivers seat, leaving Lewis and Victoria to be stuffed up in the backseat because of course they would do that. "Don't touch my shit before I smack you," Kez scolds, smacking Nico's hand away as he tried to change her music. "We have a child in the car. You cannot play Birthday Sex," Nico scoffed, hitting the button to change the playlist.

"You guys are no fun. My kids loved this song. They had no idea what any of it meant until they were six." Keziyah muttered as if it was completely normal, and it was to her. "Hazel, what do you like to listen to?" Nico asked, looking back for her request. Lewis was squeezed up in the back, which looked like such an amazing sight. "Lewis! And Mom." Hazel giggled.

"Wow. I'm second." Victoria mumbled in spite.

"Princess has spoken." Kez smiled, hitting the button to play hers and Lewis's album.

"So, I can't be the only one who thought y'all wasn't friends anymore," Victoria voiced, her tone filled with utter confusion. She knew a little bit about brocedes, but she definitely knew how the media said Kez took Lewis's side and stopped being friend's with Nico because of it. Clearly, the media got it wrong because they all looked quite fine to her. Maybe except Nico and Lewis because they had barely spared each other glances this whole time.

"We weren't, for years after, but Kez reached out first to fix things for the sake of the kids." Nico explained, clearing up majority of the confusion. Meanwhile Hazel was moving along to the music that played for her. Lewis leaned forward and flicked Keziyah's ear, "I will break your hand, don't even try it." she threatened.

"Can you stop for ice cream?" He requested.

"No."

"Can I have ice cream?" Hazel requested innocently and Kez smiled warmly, "of course you can, babygirl."

Lewis scoffed in offense and Victoria chuckled because Nico actually pulled up a place to order from so they could just pick it up easy. "Waffle cone or bowl?" He asked. Hazel hummed in thought, "cone!" He nodded, moving onto the flavor and she just chose regular chocolate. They moved onto toppings and she chose sprinkles, gummy worms, and oreos because they sound most familiar to her.

"Victoria would you like anything?" Nico questioned, also quick to reassure her in case she happened to be vegan like Lewis.

"Uh, I'll have a strawberry cone if that's available. Thank you." Victoria smiled, so far enjoying how kind they were. They all had such bright personalities. Maybe they were a little arrogant, but that was just them being them. It was tolerable. Nico sighed deeply, "what did you want, Lewis?" The older driver internally sighed in relief when he was asked that because he wasn't sure Nico would actually ask. "Chocolate and vanilla cone with sprinkles."

"Great. Give me your card. It's your treat." Nico held his hand out and Lewis muttered words of disdain under his breath as he reached into his pocket and slapped his card into the blonde's hand.

"Fuck." Kez mumbled, glancing down at her empty pack of gum. "Anyone got gum?" She questioned. "Uh, no, but I have a baby jawbreaker," Victoria said, pulling out a wrapped up jawbreaker in from her purse. "That'll do. Thanks." Kez took the jawbreaker and quickly unwrapped it to put in her mouth. "There's a store near the ice-cream place. We'll get you more gum there," Nico assured.

"Why did you have a jawbreaker?" Lewis questioned, leaning over the seat to look at her.

"Because I like jawbreakers," she shrugged, trying not to look at him because of how close he was to her. "I like people who can actually break jaws," Kez mumbled, receiving concerned looks. "So, you like yourself?" Nico scoffed. She snickered, nodding her head, "I was hoping you'd get it. It feels like true self love, ya know?" He blinked, "actually I don't know, but I'll pretend so you don't sound like a psychopath."

Lewis leaned forward and pulled off his jacket to lay over Hazel, noticing how she was cold but she didn't wanna say anything to Kez. "Thank you," Vic smiled gratefully. "Kez, turn the AC down just a bit," Lewis added. She nodded, moving her hand from the wheel and hitting the button to turn it down. Cold was nothing to her so she never realized other people were freezing in her car when she had it on.

She pulled into the lot and Nico and Victoria both got down to get the ice cream whilst Kez ran down to the corner store to get some more gum. "You like Nico?" Lewis asked, looking down at the girl. "Yes," Hazel giggled, messing with the rings on his fingers. "Where does your dad think you are?" She looked up at him, blinking once, before putting her attention back on the rings. "What do children even talk about these days?" He pondered to himself.

Nico and Victoria returned, getting into the car with the ice cream. Hazel got hers first and then Lewis got his. "Thank you!" Hazel smiled, picking off one of the gummy worms to eat. Victoria and Nico started chatting it up about parenting stuff whilst they waited for Keziyah's return. Lewis just rolled his eyes boredly, Hazel doing the same because they wouldn't stop yapping and she was trying to focus on counting her sprinkles.

Kez climbed back into the car, a few packs of gum in her hand that she put in her compartment. "I have a question," Vic spoke as Kez started up the car. "What's with the gum? Is it an addiction or something?"

"It's for stress relief. Uh, I use it to keep my mouth busy. Picked up the habit from my mum and it got passed down to Kamari. She chews gum when she's playing so she doesn't get distracted. It just helps." Kez explained, pulling out of the lot. "What happens if you run out and you can't buy anymore?" Nico questioned, genuinely curious as to what would happen. She laughed dryly, "mm, you don't wanna know."

"Switch." Hazel mumbled, reaching for her mom's ice cream.

"You always do this when I get strawberry." Vic frowned, switching the ice cream cones or else Hazel would not be happy.

Kez pulled up to the large house she bought last year when Kamari moved to UConn. "I'll take princess to meet Kaidyn. Boys, get the luggage." Kez said, climbing out of the car before they could argue. She scooped Hazel into her arms and carried her inside the house. She went down the hall to Kaidyn's play room, which was mostly reserved for his Legos. He loved Legos.

Kez tapped on the floor, gaining his attention from the vibrations sent to him as he was sat on the large rug in the middle of the room. The walls weren't even walls, they were just shelves filled with Lego statues he built himself. "This is Hazel. You wanna show her what you're building?" Kez spoke, setting the girl down. She didn't appear nervous or anything. She was actually quite calm. She even enjoyed how quiet the room was. Although she did notice the sleeping dog in the corner of the room. It was Sargeant.

Kaidyn signed a yes to his mum and gestured Hazel over. She walked over to the short table he was sitting at. He pointed to the box, silently explaining what he was working on to her. Hazel hummed, nodding as he silently explained stuff to her with just using the pictures on the box and in the manual. "Can I help?" Hazel asked, and he nodded. Kez smiled, and quietly exit the room in order to not disturb their concentration.

She walked out to the living room, her eyes landing on Kamari snoring on the couch with her legs draped over a sleeping Azzi Fudd. KK and Paige were on the rug, laid out on some pillows with a pizza box laid over the blonde's stomach. She crossed her arms over her chest, Lewis stopping next to her with confusion. They both cleared their throats loudly and the four jumped up, mumbling incoherent stuff under their breaths.

"Who fell asleep first?" Kez questioned, and they all immediately pointed fingers at the one still sleeping next to the fireplace. Ice.

"You guys are terrible babysitters," Lewis voiced.

"Where's Nika?" Paige looked around in confusion, noticing the empty spot next to her where Nika had fallen asleep. They heard girlish screams coming from the kitchen and quickly ran over to see the commotion. Lewis chuckled at the sight of Nika hitting Nico with a serving spoon. "This guy is trying to rob us! He had a suitcase and was looking through your stuff!" Nika exclaimed, holding the spoon towards a confused Nico.

They all bursted out in collective laughter, Paige dying more than the rest of them. "Dude, that's my Uncle Nico." Kamari cackled. Nika's eyes widened and she quickly dropped the spoon, wincing apologetically. "My bad." Victoria walked into the kitchen, completely confused, "what's going on in here?"

"There's so many celebrities here," Paige grinned, shaking KK excitedly.

"Out of the kitchen, now," Kez ordered.

They groaned, leaving the kitchen to go see if Kaidyn finished his Lego statue yet. The adults gathered around the kitchen island, Nico still searching around for some chopsticks but of course Kez had to have a hundred little drawers. "Okay, I don't have any more spare rooms left, so you can stay in Lewis's room. Princess will stay in Kaidyn's room. We got her a spare bed yesterday."

"She can use my room if she doesn't want to share. I can sleep on the couch," Nico added, and Lewis clenched his jaw, just wishing the blonde would keep his mouth shut for once. "Oh no, I couldn't do that. I'm fine with sharing, really, it's okay." Victoria reassured. "Are you sure?" Nico asked with uncertainty. "Yeah, I'm all good." Vic shrugged, not seeing the big deal in it.

"I need two of you to go to the store for me and pick up some stuff I ordered to make dinner." Kez stated, walking around to the sink to wash her hands. "I'll go," Nico and Lewis said at the same time, unfortunately. Kez smirked, "great. You both can. Thank you for offering." She tossed Nico her keys and they both sighed dramatically before leaving together.

"Lew's room is up the stairs, first door on your right. Make yourself at home." Kez explained.

"Great. Thank you." Victoria smiled, taking her bags and leaving the kitchen to go put her stuff away.

Paige walked into the kitchen, going into the fridge and grabbing a cold water as Kez was prepping for dinner. "You're staring," Kez mumbled, not looking up from her cutting board. Paige awkwardly looked away, "sorry." The singer glanced up, wondering why the blonde wasn't with the others who had went to play basketball outside because obviously Kez had a court out there for practice.

"Do you need any help?" Paige asked, noticing how much food there was. No way she was gonna cook all of it by herself.

"Not really, but if you want to help, put your hair up and wash your hands." Kez shrugged. Paige smiled triumphantly, and ran over to the closest bathroom to get a hairtie. She put up her hair into a bun and washed her hands, scrubbing all the way up to her elbows because that's what she saw Mari do all the time, courtesy of being the granddaughter of a surgeon. She dried her hands and stood off to the side, watching as Kez chopped up some spring onions.

"I'm making some fresh kimchi because Mari doesn't like when it's fermented." Kez explained, and Paige nodded, remembering what kimchi was because Mari always had jars of it in her fridge and would eat it with anything. "What's the difference?" Paige queried, watching Kez cut down the cabbage into small pieces because her daughter hated big pieces.

"Uh, how about I just let you taste the difference when I'm done?" Kez pitched, as she didn't feel like explaining the difference. She would end up going into heavy detail on accident.

"Sounds great." Paige grinned.

"Come here." Kez beckoned her over and Paige quickly got up to assist. "I'm gonna pour the salt and you're gonna massage the salt into the cabbage, okay?" Paige nodded, watching the woman pour the salt over the cabbage. She worked on massaging it as Kez filled a measuring cup up with water. "Take your hands out," she directed. Paige removed them and she poured the water into the bowl and pushed it to the side to let it sit.

She washed her hands again and the girls all came into the kitchen, sitting down on the kitchen island after washing their hands. "I love kimchi," Nika said, smiling at all the ingredients. "How do you get your skin so clear?" Ice questioned the singer, and KK also wanted to know. "Soap from Africa and other things from Korea," Kez mumbled, pouring Korean chili flakes into a mixing bowl.

"That black bar Mari uses actually works?" KK deadpanned, gesturing to the acne on the teens face.

"It works. She just hasn't been eating fresh food so she's breaking out again," Kez said knowingly. "I thought you guys had a private chef for the longest time," KK said. "Nope. Mum doesn't like chefs. They can't perfect our cultural foods like we can," Mari shrugged, her mum nodding as she mixed some ingredients in a bowl. "I'm excited for that fufu," Azzi mumbled, watching as Paige was checking on the cabbage.

"I feel bad for her arms after making that," Nika comments, having seen Kamari make it before. She had to ice her arm for the rest of the day and could barely use it when during practice. "Mari was just overreacting. I doubt it's that bad." Ice said, gaining their attention, everyone stopping what they were doing. All except for Kez. "Really? You wanna help me make it? See if you can do it?" Kez pitched, taking a taste of the mix.

"Mum, you do realize that's the equivalent of breaking my friend's arm, right?" Kamari deadpanned.

"She said she can take it," Kez shrugged, looking up from the bowl to look at Ice. "Yeah nah, it's okay. I can take it. This will be a piece of cake and you'll all apologize to me when you realize I was right." Ice said in a cocky tone. "Yo Kez, can I go live for this?" KK pleaded, obviously still having respect for her house and privacy. "I don't mind," she shrugged.

Nika put the kimchi ingredients away as Kez gathered the stuff for fufu. She had to make a lot so she got a bigger pot. "Is this how you got them arms?" Paige asked, staring at Keziyah's biceps as she only wore a white tank top. Normally she'd have on a cardigan, but she put it away when cooked, most of the time. "Nah, that's just my workout routine. Gotta have muscles if you make batches of food," she explained.

"Azzi, come here. Help Paige get all the water from the cabbage." Kez said, and she nodded, getting from her seat. "Anything I can help with?" Nika asked politely. "Uhh, yes actually. You can cut the vegetables and fruits for the sushi. Cucumbers, carrots, mangos, and strawberries. Mari will help you." Kez said, all the produce washed and ready to be cut. Nika smiled, very happy to help.

KK turned on the live as Kez called Ice over to the stove. "Y'all are about to witness Ice getting humbled by Keziyah." She said, pointing to camera to the two. Kez was stirring the fufu as it began to get tougher. "You ready?" Ice nodded, ignoring KK who was talking to the live. She put her hand on the wooden spoon and Kez moved out of the way, letting her take over.

They all paused what they were doing to see Ice copying what she saw Kez doing. After a while, she began to struggle, groaning as her arm grew tired. "How long do I do this for?" She asked, looking to the singer who was sipping on a water. "It hasn't even been five minutes dude," Paige snickers. Ice sighed, holding onto the pot as she continued to stir it. Five more minutes, and she was done. Kez knew she would be.

"I give up. I can't feel my arm." Ice groaned, letting go and backing off.

"You did good." Kez added, taking over again, stirring it with ease.

KK turned the live over to Ice and Mari who just smiled knowingly. "I'm sorry for making fun of you. I was wrong." They awed as the two shared a hug, Mari not taking it personally or anything. "Ice has apologized. History has been made. Goodbye." KK snickered, ending the live and shutting her phone off to help the girls with the sushi because it looked fun to make and she didn't wanna be the only one not helping. That title was reserved for Lewis.

"Perfect." Kez smiled, transferring the perfectly done fufu into a large bowl.

"We're back!" Lewis called out, him and Nico carrying bags of groceries into the kitchen. "None of this is for dinner, is it?" Lewis deadpanned, holding up the bags filled with tons of snacks. "Nope. It's for Mrs. Diaz kids as another thank you for preparing the house. Put it in the guest pantry, Kwiky," Kez grinned. The girls laugh at the nickname, causing him to shoot her a glare, "I told you to stop calling me that."

"Fight me then," Kez mocked.

He flipped her off boredly, following Nico over to the guest pantry. "Where's Victoria?" He asked after returning to the kitchen. "She's with the kids. They're building a Lego car," Mari answered. "Thanks. I'll be back." Lewis said, moving past Nico and heading down to Kaidyn's play room. He pushed open the door, his eyes landing on Victoria laying on the rug next to Sargeant, fast asleep whilst Hazel and Kaidyn were focused on their Lego car. It was the Jaguar F1 car that Kaylen won his first WDC in.

"Mommy fall asleep," Hazel explained, searching in the pile for the correct piece.

Lewis sighed, kneeling down and scooping Victoria into his arms. Clearly it was jet lag that knocked her out. He carried her back up to his room and laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her because Kez kept the house cold all the time. He didn't want to disturb her so he quietly made his exit. Music played from the kitchen, Paige and KK both trying to imitate the scene from an 80s movie as they slid on the floor in their socks.

"Find her?" Kez asked, mixing up the kimchi in the large bowl.

"Jet lag," he answered shortly, leaning against the counter, watching as Nico struggled to make the sushi with Nika's complicated instructions. "Who's your favorite basketball players?" Paige asked, pointing at Lewis until Azzi smacked her hand down for pointing. "Uh, Kobe, Jordan, Curry, Taurasi, BG, Wilson, KP, and Nella's wife," he answered. "Those are good choices, dude." Paige grinned.

"I like how we just casually adjusted to hanging out with celebrities," Nika comments.

"And you can all thank me for that because I'm the most likeable," Paige said arrogantly. Azzi rolled her eyes, hitting the blonde in the back of the head. "The disrespect to me is crazy," KK scoffed, confident that Mari liked her the most. As they all bickered about who Mari liked the most, Lewis was searching for his favorite chopsticks, only to see Nico was using them. Of course he was.

"Shut up!" They all paused, looking to where the voice came from. It was Hazel. "You being too loud." She complained, glaring at the group with her adorable face that they tried to take serious. She walked over to the fridge and pulled it open, taking the water bottle on the bottom shelf. She shot them one last glare before making her way back to Kaidyn.

"Did we just get told off by a toddler?" Paige spoke, breaking the awkward silence that filled the kitchen.

"We sure the fuck did," Kez mumbled, secretly so proud of that girl for speaking her mind and being a good friend to Kaidyn. She moved over to the fridge and pulled out the jar of fermented kimchi. "How fermented is that, mum?" Mari asked, getting up so she could taste some of the kimchi. "Three months," Kez answered, causing the other girl's eyes to widen.

"That looks so good," Nika voiced.

Kez popped open the jar and Mari coughed when she breathed in the strong flavor. Kez grabbed her purple chopsticks and grabbed a piece, eating it as they watched her. "That's better than I thought," she hummed. Nico grabbed some for himself because he was impatient. Mari grabbed her own chopsticks and took some out to try for herself. "Nothing could make me like you," she said to the jar before passing her chopsticks to Paige who was super excited to try it.

Azzi smiled as she filmed her girlfriend, Paige taking a big piece and chewing it. "Holy fuck. That's so good. Can I take a jar home?" She asked, and Kez smiled and nodded. "Is it spicy?" Nika asked. "Yeah, but like a good spicy," Paige confirmed. "My turn." Nika took her chopsticks that Kez had bought her and picked a piece out to taste. She hummed in delight, getting another piece, "oh yeah, that's so good. I'm taking some home."

"My turn!" Azzi shoved her girlfriend out of the way and using her special Olaf chopsticks to pick some out. Mari had got it for her jokingly and she actually ended up loving them. "I don't like the texture," Azzi shrugged. "You'll probably like the fresh kind like me," Kamari said, sitting up on the counter but quickly getting off when Lewis shot her a look. KK and Ice tried some next and also didn't enjoy the fermented kind.

Now they were all trying the fresh kind. Azzi, Mari, Ice, and KK all agreed that the fresh kind was better. Paige and Nika didn't agree with them. They felt the fermented kind had more flavor. Lewis and Nico were just munching away as if it was their dinner. Nika got herself two jars. Paige got one of both. Azzi got two of the fresher kind, and KK and Ice each got one from the fresh. That explained why Kez had so many empty jars in the cupboards.

Keziyah's phone went off and Mari picked it up, her eyes widening at what she read. "Mother." Kez looked up from the pot where she was stirring some food that's been cooking for hours. "You don't call her mother unless you're mad at her. What did she do this time?" Lewis mused, receiving a glare from his best friend.

"Please tell me you did not invite Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson to my tryouts..." Kamari spoke through gritted teeth, her teammates all sharing equally nervous looks.

"Oh shit," Lewis mumbled.

"Uh, I did. They wanted to see you play, who am I to deny them?" Kez shrugged, not seeing this as a big deal but that was probably because Kelsey and A'ja were normal people to her and not just some basketball players she idolized. "Fuck! Now I have to practice even harder. Who's next? Diana Taurasi? Stewie? What? You wanna invite Steph Curry and LeBron James next?" Mari exclaimed.

"What? No. I don't even like LeBron," Kez scoffed, and her daughter groaned, getting up and storming out.

"She'll get over it. She always does." Kez smiled, returning to the food.

"We should go help her," Azzi added. The girls nod in agreement and all rush out to go practice with Kamari because she wasn't the only one who had to play in front of Kelsey and A'ja. Nika came back, taking her bowl of kimchi with a polite smile before running back out. Kez picked up her phone, quickly replying to the text from Kelsey. A'ja would be there for dinner, but Kelsey had her flight delayed so she wouldn't be there until very late.

"How good are these basketball players? They all seemed nervous." Nico queried.

"They're two of the best WNBA players ever, and Kez is very adamant that the Aces will be Mari's team in the future." Lewis explained, already very aware of Kezie's plans. She already had Mari's future all planned out and hopefully it went the way she wanted. "I'll be dammed if I let them draft her to the Fever to that fucking bitch of a coach," Kez muttered.

"Kez is convinced she'll be drafted 1st in 2026," Lewis added to clear up the confusion because Nico didn't understand basketball much. He was trying his best for Mari because he knew how much it made her happy. Although he wished it was football because Mari was one of the best players he'd seen. But she chose basketball when it all came down to it.

"She will be, and when she's the youngest in the league, she'll continue making history and breaking records." Kez stated very knowingly, aware of just how great her daughter was. She would be dammed if her kids were gonna be some nepo babies with no talent. She didn't know what Kaidyn would do, but he was smart, so she was sure he'd find something he's the best at. She was gonna make sure of that.

"A'ja hasn't seen her play yet, has she? That's why you invited her. You wanna see what she thinks of Mari?" Lewis guessed.

"Ding ding ding," Kez smirked.

"Hey, she's not dating yet, is she? I noticed she was looking at her phone a lot." Nico spoke, and Lewis perked up in confusion. Kez hummed, setting the lid back over the pot for it to cook a little longer. "No. I'm very aware of what goes on in her life. She's too focused on basketball right now. But, she'll start dating soon, and when she does, I'll know, and I'll be okay with it."

"I don't think I'm ready for that," Lewis mumbled, drinking the rest of his water like a stressed parent.

"Does Michael know yet?" Nico questioned, clearly referring to the fact that Kamari was lesbian. She already came out to him on her 15th birthday. She came out to Kez and Lew when she turned 13. "Uh, no. She'll tell him when she's ready." Kez answered, washing her hands so she could finish up the sushi. "Think he'll accept her?" Nico pondered, as Mike could be pretty unpredictable.

"Yes, and if he doesn't, I'll kick his ass and take my full custody," Kez shrugged.

"I'm gonna go check on the kids," Lewis said. He walked down to Kaidyn's playroom and pushed open the door. Hazel and Kaidyn were still very concentrated on the Lego F1 car. Sargeant was still napping. Soft music filled the room and he knew it was a playlist Kez made specifically for him. It had all her most calming songs, and some that she made just for him. It was the only music he'd listen to. It made him feel like she was always with him.

Lewis honestly had no idea how Hazel was communicating with him so well. She also seemed very protective of him already from her little scene in the kitchen earlier. He sat down on the little couch near the table and turned on his phone. They didn't mind his presence, clearly. He also really wanted to see how they communicated. He sat there for what seemed like hours and still, not one word was spoken from them. But they were almost finished with the F1 car and it was looking really awesome.

"Ow!" Hazel winced, the Lego piece accidentally snapping on her finger.

"You okay, princess?" Lewis asked, rushing over to her.

Kaidyn walked over to one of the shelves and grabbed a band-aid from the kit his mum put in there because this happened to him on occasion. He carefully took Hazel's finger and wrapped the band-aid around it. She smiled, "thank you." He nodded, and fixed the Lego piece so it was on correctly and wouldn't hurt her. "I'm okay," Hazel assured him, and Lewis nodded, backing off as Kaidyn clearly had it handled.

Kez walked in, tapping on the floor to grab her son's attention. "Dinner is about to be ready. Take a break." She signed to him, walking over to the speaker and pausing the music. She gently tapped Sargeant on the head and he got up, aware it was feeding time. The dog was quick to run out to find his bowl near the kitchen.

"Dinner is ready," Lewis explained to Hazel as she didn't understand sign language yet. She smiled and Kaidyn took her hand to lead her out because she wasn't familiar with the house yet. They walked out and Lewis got up, sharing a look with Kez. "I could be mistaken, but I'm very confident that they just became best friends. Which means, you'll have to be friends with Victoria so they can have playdates."

"Do I really?" She frowned, not sure if she could make friends with Victoria like that. She wasn't sure they had much in common.

"Look at this as a good thing. It gives me more time to work my magic," Lewis grinned, putting an arm around her and shutting the door behind them. "If you think I'm becoming besties with her so you can get in her pants, you're wrong," Kez scoffed, nudging him harshly in the ribs. "Okay, that's just rude. And besides, my plans of motivation have changed. It's not just about sex anymore," Lewis said.

"Aw, you like her, don't you?" Kez teased, nudging him playfully.

He rolled his eyes at her teasing, "shut up."

"What happened to my playboy, yoh? Don't tell me you fallin' in love," Kez deadpanned, stopping in the hall so nobody heard them. He scoffed, shaking his head, "nah, I don't fall in love. Besides, she's never gonna leave that guy, and definitely not for me." Kez tilt her head with a curious look, "so, what you gonna do about it? Don't fuck it up either cause I'm not boutta clean up your mess when you break her heart. I did that with Nicole, I'm not doing it again."

"Relax, you won't have to do anything. We'll probably date for a little bit, get something out of it and then let her down easy." Lewis shrugged, and Kez scoffed, hitting his shoulder, "you did that shit with the other girl, and she cried on my shoulder. I'm not doing that again. It costed me precious time." He rolled his eyes at her dramatics, "I highly doubt that considering not two days later, you were eating her out on my bed."

"That- that was an accident," Kez defended.

"Sure it was. Still, I won't make any mistakes this time. I'm not gonna fall for her." Lewis claimed, and she begrudgingly nodded, putting her arm back around him.

They walked into the kitchen and Victoria was standing there tasting the fresh kimchi. "You're awake? When did you wake up?" He queried. She looked over to him and Kez, "a few minutes ago. Hazel said you carried me to bed, so thanks for that." He nodded, smiling at her, and she dug back into the kimchi. "This is so good. Could you send me the recipe? I wanna make some for my mom. She'd love it."

"Sure. You want my number?" Kez asked, holding out her phone as her other hand stirred the stew in the pot that would be going with the fufu. Kamari had requested it because she wanted her new friends to try traditional African food. "Seriously?" Vic blinked in shock. "Lewis, put my password in." She said, tossing him her phone.

He unlocked the phone and went into her contacts, adding a new one. He passed the phone to Victoria so she could save her contact in it. "Don't put too much thought into the name because she'll end up changing it," Lewis added and Kez snickered because it was very true.

Hazel and Kaidyn were laying still on the living room floor when Paige walked in, pausing when she noticed the two children just staring up at the ceiling. She frowned, looking up at the ceiling but not seeing whatever they were seeing. "Children scare me." She mumbled, quickly rushing off to the kitchen. "Dude, y'all got some interesting children," she comments, grabbing a water from the fridge. Clearly she was making herself at home already.

"Are they staring at the ceiling?" Kez asked, and Paige paused to look at the woman. She was really rethinking those witchcraft allegations. "Why would they be staring at the ceiling?" Vic questioned, a little bit confused, similar to Paige who was a lot confused. "Kaidyn does that when he's listening to an audio book. It helps him focus. Clearly, princess has picked up his habits," Kez explained, a little amused because of the expression Paige wore.

"Like I said..interesting children." Paige mumbled, leaving the kitchen.

"Call Nico in here to help you set up the table," Kez said, ushering Lewis out.

"I was thinking, since our kids are friends now, we could arrange some playdates on occasion?" Victoria suggested as Kez was transferring the food to a serving dish. "Uh, yeah, sure. What school does princess go to?" Kez questioned. "Oh, she's homeschooled. It was John's idea." Victoria answered, a little unsure how to feel about it now since Hazel finally made a friend.

"Well, I'm gonna enroll Kaidyn into a new school, and if you reconsider her homeschooling, I could help you get her enrolled. It's for gifted students, so she'll have to take a test to see what classes they'll put her in." Kez explained, both Nico and Lewis coming back and forth to grab the dishes they needed. "Oh, uh, I don't think she's gifted in the way your kids are," Victoria said, a bit confused on how the woman just naturally assumed it.

"Really? You don't see it? She's extremely smart for her age. She reminds me of Kamari as a kid." Kez smiled, sitting on a stool, letting the boys take care of setting the dishes up. "She does? I mean- I just assumed she was a little smart. I didn't think she was smart like yours are cause she's only three." Victoria said, smiling as she felt proud of her daughter. "No, she definitely is. They do the tests as early as four years old. When's her birthday? I can help you apply for a test."

"She turns four on the 21st of this month. But, I'll have to talk to John about it. He doesn't agree with private schools." Victoria explained.

Kez inhaled sharply, contemplating her words mentally before she said them. "Uh, okay, let me tell you something, and don't take it personally. But, you are the mother. You carried her, and birthed her. You know her better than anyone. So, don't tell me you honestly think home school is the better choice for princess. I had Mari home schooled for years before I knew how smart she was, and I learned she wasn't getting the education she needed. Tell his ass straight that she needs to be in a real school, and if you can't do it, I will go over there and do it for you."

Kez noticed her hesitation, almost like she was nervous about it. "If he put his hands on you, tell me and I'll handle it." Victoria looked up quickly and shook her head, "no, no, he doesn't touch me. He just gets a little angry. He has a short temper, and it's usually my fault." She said.

Kez sighed, dropping her head because she knew exactly what she meant. "I uh, I was taken advantage by my teacher when I was a teenager, I'm sure you've heard about it, everyone has. He uh, he had a very short temper, and in the first few months, he never laid a hand on me...until he did, and I let it go on because he promised me he'd never do it again. He lied. They make you believe it's your fault to excuse their actions."

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry," Victoria frowned.

"It was years ago, it's fine. Lewis is the only one who knows that he hit me, and now you do. Just, don't let what happened to me, happen to you. You and princess deserve better than that." Kez said, and she nodded, thankful for the advice. Lewis walked in, looking very annoyed from his little argument with Nico about the difference in the spoons and forks. "What are you two talking about?"

"Just playdates with baby boy and princess," Kez shrugged.

"I still have no idea how they communicate," Lewis mumbled, reaching for the big serving dish on the counter. "I just hope she gets him to talk somehow," Kez added. He nods in agreement before picking up the dish and carrying it out to the table. Nico called the girls inside, so they were quick to wash their hands and find a seat at the table.

The doorbell rang and Kez got up and ran over to the front door. She pulled it open, grinning at her friend. "Am I late?" A'ja asked in concern. "Nah, you just on time. The dining room is down the hall on your left." Kez explained, taking her suitcase and one of her duffle bags to put in the guest room. She held the other one that was filled with presents. "I can't wait to see my baby boy," A'ja grinned excitedly, kicking off her shoes and putting them on the rack against the wall.

"You just wanna see if you can make him smile," Kez snorts, shutting the door.

A'ja nodded, and walked off down the hall as Kez went upstairs. She needed to change anyways. Everyone was talking when she casually walked in, dropped her duffle bag and scooped up Kaidyn. He still had a blank face but his eyes betrayed him because she could see he was happy to see her, even if he didn't smile. "You happy to see me, baby boy?" She smiled, and he tapped her arm as a yes.

"I love your mom, dude," Paige grinned, enjoying how Kez just casually hung out with other celebrities.

"I got you a present. You wanna see it?" A'ja spoke, setting him back down, he tapped her twice as a yes. She kneeled down and opened up the duffle bag, picking out a huge box that was covered in gift wrap. He looked over to Hazel who smiled and got off her chair. She assisted in ripping the paper off with him. His eyes widened at the picture of the Lego Marvel Avengers tower. It was one of the few Lego sets he didn't have yet.

"Wow," Hazel's mouth fell open as she stared at it, which made Lewis and Vic smile.

"You like it?" A'ja asked, smiling widely at the two kids because she could tell they were amazing by it.

"I love it!" Kaidyn signed, his lips curling up into a smile, a smile that actually showed teeth, except it dropped after a few seconds "Oh, my God. Did you actually smile, Bug?" Kamari asked in shock. He nodded and A'ja pulled him into a hug excitedly. Kez had just walked in when he smiled, so she saw the whole thing, loved to see how thrilled A'ja was. She was definitely gonna rub it in the whole team's face, but especially Kelsey's face.

"Mum, can we eat in room to finish Lego car?" Kaidyn signed after pulling away from A'ja. "Of course. I'll bring you your plates," she signed back to him. Kaidyn took Hazel's hand in his, "thank you!" She said before they ran out. A'ja pumped her fist, getting in Kezie's beautiful face, "see that? You were wrong! I got him to smile!" Kez rolled her eyes, and chuckled, putting an arm around A'ja. Normally, A'ja was taller but this time Kez was wearing her heels so they were at the same height.

"Can one of you be a dear and carry his present to the playroom?" Kez requested. It was embarrassing at how fast Paige rose from her seat. Azzi rolled her eyes, her lips curled in amusement because she was one of the few who knew about Paige's crush on the singer. "I will-" Paige slapped a hand over KK's mouth, shooting a glare down at her. "No, I will do it." She stated.

"You can both-" another hand was slapped over Ice's mouth, Paige glaring down at both of them.

"No. No. I will do it." Paige said through gritted teeth, removing her hands from their mouths and walking around the table to pick up the box of Legos. "Thank you," Kez smiled, and Paige blushed, quickly rushing out of the dining room to save her from further embarrassment.

After A'ja got familiar with everyone, they finally got started on eating. Kez made a big plate to bring to the room so they could just share it. It got late in the night and that's when everyone began heading up to their rooms. The girls were all staying in Mari's room because it was the biggest and they wanted to stay up to chat. Hazel and Kaidyn fell asleep right after finishing their Lego F1 car.

Victoria laid down comfortably on the bed and opened her phone, internally rolling her eyes at the many missed calls and texts from John. She may have left without telling him. It was the only way because he refused to let her go alone. She didn't get to think of it for much longer when the bathroom door opened. Lewis walked out, a towel wrapped around his waist as he walked towards the closet.

Her eyes shamelessly watched as he bent down and gathered a pair of shorts, her sight wandering along his body, silently wishing that towel would just fall off. It didn't...unfortunately. He walked back into the bathroom and changed in there, also finishing up his nightly routine. "You know, my offer to sleep on the couch is still open. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable anything." He said, not making an effort to get into bed in case she changed her mind.

"Oh no, it's okay. I'm not uncomfortable. It's just a bed. There's plenty of space." Victoria reassured. He nods, moving under the covers once he knew it was okay.

Back downstairs, Kez was sitting on the mat in her home gym. She wasn't working out per say. She was just doing some stretching, and meditation to help calm her mind. Talking about...him, got her to thinking again. She wished she could forget all about her past sometimes. She wished she couldn't remember every single detail. She wished she could wipe every single memory of him. But that was impossible, because if she did that, it would mean losing Kamari.

"Hey, you okay?" She glanced up, now noticing her fists clenched up tightly. She took a double look, surprised to see Kelsey standing in front of her. "How'd you get inside?" She questioned, quickly getting up to her feet. "You should find a better hiding spot for the spare key." Kelsey said, holding up the key in her hand that she picked up from under a painted rock.

"You got lucky. Nobody ever picks that rock." Kez chuckled, taking the key back and tossing it onto the bench.

Kelsey snickered, "because it's the ugliest rock ever."

"Easy. Easy. Lewis might hear you." Kez joked, sliding her hands around Kelsey's waist and pulling her closer. "I thought I was here as a friend?" She mumbled, feeling Kez untie her hair, letting it fall down. "You are. A very special friend." She smiled, leaning down to connect their lips in a messy kiss, her hand cradling the back of her head. "I knew you wanted me," Kez teased.

"Shut up." Kesley pulled her back down, pressing their lips back together with a sense of urgency.

Kez pulled away to speak, "come to my room." Kels nodded without an ounce of hesitation. They headed upstairs with a sense of urgency. "Is this expensive?" Kez queried, feeling the fabric of Kels shirt. "You're the one who bought it," she shrugged. "In that case," Kez grabbed the fabric at a certain angle and ripped it off, smiling at the lack of bra. She leaned back down, trailing kisses down her neck and to her bare chest.

"You're wearing too much," Kelsey complained, pushing her back up to pull her shirt off.

Before this goes any further...let's go check on Lewis and Victoria.

"Fuck it's cold," Victoria shivered, unable to sleep, just like the man beside her. "You're right. I'm gonna go ask Kez to turn the AC down." Lewis said, getting up from bed, and Victoria did the same. "I'll go with you. I'm pretty thirsty." They walked out of the room and headed down the hall to Kezie's. He stood by the door, and he learned to always knock on her door.

He put his ear to the door and pulled away not a second later, groaning in annoyance. "We should just wait downstairs. She'll come down in an hour to rehydrate." Lewis said, quickly escorting Victoria away from the door. "Are you sure? How do you know?" She questioned, following him down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Uh, I'm just good at predicting her habits," he shrugged, opening the fridge. They grabbed themselves some water and waited in the kitchen, just chatting about Kamari and her tryouts. He was explaining what the tryouts were for. She didn't understand why Mari had to basically audition for the Iowa game, but then again, nobody did. An hour went by and they looked up to see Kez walk in, Kelsey right behind her appearing very sweaty and red.

"You waiting for me?" Kez queried, pulling open the fridge to grab some waters. She passed one to Kelsey who sat down on the stool. "Yeah, could you turn down the AC? It's freezing in our room." Lewis requested, leaning against the counter next to Victoria who was snacking on some chips he got her from the pantry. "I could turn it down in your room. I control like all the room temperatures. Of course, there are other ways to warm up."

"Not the case here," Victoria voiced, making that very clear.

Kez chuckled, grabbing some of the leftovers to heat up for herself and Kelsey. "My apologies. Didn't mean to assume." Kelsey furrowed her brows in confusion, having naturally assumed they were a couple. They certainly looked like one. "Wait- y'all aren't together? Why are you sharing a room?" Kelsey questioned, very aware that Kez had more than enough spare bedrooms.

"We ran out of space. The girls needed some rooms and the others are filled with boxes I have yet to discard." Kez quickly said, turning on the stove because she hated the microwave. "Oh right. Well, I'm Kelsey. It's nice to meet you." She smiled, bowing her head politely, something she picked up from Kez. Vic smiled at her kindness, still just a bit confused about the relationship there, "it's nice to meet you too. I'm Victoria."

"Where's the thermostat?" Lewis asked, looking to his best friend.

"Laundry room. Just click your name on the screen. Don't fuck with my room either." Kez said knowingly, not forgetting that time he turned the heat up in her room on accident. "That was four years ago. You need to let that go." Lewis scoffed, and she shot him a glare, "it was hotter than the safari in there so no, I will not let it go."

"Whatever. Just wash your fucking sheets this time and not just put them in the bin for me to wash." Lewis said, and she rolled her eyes, watching him walk out. "He is so ungrateful. To think I used to handwash his dirty ass race suits for him." Kez scoffed, and Kelsey chuckled, always enjoying the antics between the two bestfriend's.

"I'm sorry- I'm just so confused here. I thought you were married?" Victoria voiced, pointing out the fact that Kelsey was literally married to a man. "I am, yeah. We're getting divorced." Kelsey shrugged carelessly. "Oh. I'm sorry." Victoria winced apologetically. "It's cool, he's an asshole," she said, brushing it off. "I'm gonna go now. Have a good night." Victoria smiled before quickly rushing out of the kitchen to find Lewis.

"She totally thinks you're a slut now," Kesley mused.

"I'm sure she'll get used to it." Kez smiled, not bothering to take a seat as she went over to Kels. She was taller than her anyways. Kelsey shamelessly moved her hands down to hold Kezie's ass, "will she?" Kez shrugged, more focused on the two hands feeling on her body. "What's your obsession with my ass?" She mused.

"You walk around with all that ass and expect me not to grab it?" Kelsey scoffed, almost offended by her words. She laughed lightly, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

The sound of tiny footsteps made Kez pull away, looking down to see Hazel and Kaidyn standing in front of her. "What are you both doing up?" She questioned, herself and Kels looking at the two with confusion. "Thirsty," Kaidyn signed and went over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water for them to drink. He held it to Kez and she took it, opening it up for him. She passed it back and they both had some sips of it.

"Alright, now get back to bed." Kez said, ushering them off because she did not wanna hear complaints about them being tired. Kaidyn nodded once and took Hazel's hand and they walked back down to his room.

"They're so adorable," Kelsey smiled.

Kez nodded in agreement, going to get the food to put on a plate for them. "I agree. Still don't know how they communicate though."

"Maybe they talk in secret when nobody's around," Kelsey theorized.

"You watch too many spy movies," Kez snickered.

"When I prove you wrong, I want a heartfelt apology that consists of you on your knees," Kelsey retorts. Kez hummed in thought, sliding the plate over to her and sitting down next to her. "How cute, but that's never gonna happen, baby." She said knowingly, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Yes it is. Have you seen those two? They definitely chattin' it up when nobody's around," Kelsey stated, confident in her theory.

"What are you gonna do? Spy on them?" Kez spoke sarcastically, and Kels nodded in reply, "mhm, that's exactly what I'mma do."

"Good luck with that, baby. They be like spiders. Got eyes everywhere. It's honestly a little creepy," Kez chuckled, patting her shoulder as she munched on the food.

"A little creepy? They walked in here like those twins in the Exorcist," Kelsey deadpanned.

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a/n: this chapter got too long so i had to cut it into two parts 😭 but anyways, we stan kaidyn and hazel <3 they ate this chapter up and didn't even speak that much

kez and kels, my favorite duo <3 they make me wanna write a one-shot book for wnba/wbb players

lewis in this chapter 🙄 <<
but i warned y'all that he would think and act like a slut

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