Frayed Ends (BxB)

𝔁𝔁𝓿𝓲𝓲

↳ 𝓕𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓭 𝓔𝓷𝓭𝓼

Glass walls wrapped around Kenji. Potted plants with soil almost spilling through the cracks hung above him, and kaleidoscopic sunlight filtered through the stained-glass ceiling. Kenji sweeps the soil-tainted wood with a cheap, straw brush, while honey warms his skin.

The warm breath of the wind tousled his finger-combed strands through the flimsy screen door, echoing the chorus of Dead to Me from his Melanie Martinez playlist. The sweep of the broom mimicked the acoustic beat, as his lips shaped the words.

The landlord let him renovate the abandoned greenhouse on the roof of his building in his free time. Kenji thought that all of the tenants should be able to bask in the beauty Mother Nature offered, and the wilting shrubs framing the parking lot wouldn't cut it. Since he didn't have any summer plans, he figured he might as well clean it up.

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❝Yes, Beau?❞ Kenji answers, his free hand tapping the silver button for the third floor.

❝Are you and Riku free for dinner tonight? We have a surprise for you. Kyoko and Raven already said they can make it at seven. They're waiting until Raesah gets off work, so he can babysit Aimi.❞

As the elevator doors parted, Kenji switched his phone to his other hand to dig his keys out of the pocket of his jeans. ❝Riku?!❞

❝Yeah?❞ Riku leans against the doorway of the living room, a stack of boxes on either side of the paint-chipped frame in the shape of a staircase.

❝You free for dinner? Beau invited us to eat somewhere.❞

Beau stays silent on the line, apart from muffled replies to Athena along the lines of, ❝Just wear something nice. The person waiting on us won't comment on what you wear.❞

❝Uh, yeah. I can spare an hour or two.❞

❝Cool. We're leaving at 6:45.❞

Riku nodded briefly, the air between he and Kenji still tense. Instead of brothers, the pair behaved like roommates, but with their small payout from their formerly-indebted parents, they signed a combined lease and paid for the first two months upfront.

Kenji popped a cold slice of pizza in the microwave, carrying on a conversation with Beau with one hand still. Antonio's signature scribbled on russet cardboard was discernible, and their latest special of bacon and pineapples shrouded the thick layer of melted cheese.

He had stopped at the restaurant a town over in hopes of seeing Meena before he started cleaning out the greenhouse.

Meena spotted him at the counter while he passing back orders at the drive-thru, but in order to maintain professionalism, lifted his head in acknowledgement, then called him after his shift. The deflation Kenji had felt at Meena's dismissive reaction evaporated, and was replaced by a change in the shape of his lips a few hours later when Meena's flexed arm on the wheel, the wisteria above his pulse in view, popped onto his screen. Kenji admired Meena's side profile selfishly. The subtle fade of his sharp cheekbones was at an arch, and the curve of his jaw seemed relaxed.

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Raven nurses a strawberry martini that the waiter has refilled twice, and Riku sits opposite from him with a glass of diet coke for Kenji's sake. Kyoko's fingers pinch the tails of the cold, cocktail shrimp from the platter she ordered as an appetizer.

The restaurant, near the coast, has souvenirs of the sea adorning the salmon-pink walls with an anchor — paint chipping down the arm — was nailed to the wall behind Kenji.

❝So how have you been, Riku?❞ Beau presses, noticing his far-off gaze.

Riku peered up from the bubbly, dark liquid from over the rim of his glass. ❝Tired,❞ he admitted.

The fading bags under his eyes backed up his claim. Beau frowns at the observation.

Avery absently stirs his straw in his cup before saying, ❝Night classes aren't a picnic, that's for sure.❞

Kyoko drops another shrimp between her lips. ❝Nope. When I was studying for my Vetinary Science degree, I was exhausted all the time because the only spare time I had was after Raven got off, so I was running on four hours of sleep and half a pot of coffee. My biology degree is easier, though, because Aimi goes to preschool twice a week.❞

Because of Raven's solid career as a financial advisor when he wasn't overseeing the pack, they could afford to send her back to college with minimum loans. While Kenji honestly envied the amount of disposable income the couple had, he knew neither of them saw themselves as superior because of it.

❝Well, I guess we should elaborate on the original point of inviting everyone out,❞ Athena prompts, his hands steepled on the table. Kenji picks up on how Avery rests his own hand on the crease of Athena's elbow, a reassuring smile on his face. The sudden gesture lifts Kenji's eyebrows. ❝Okay, well, we're adopting a baby. We're working with a social worker to line a baby, or even more if they're siblings, up with us.❞

Kyoko dropped the shrimp inches away from her wine-stained mouth onto her plate. Kenji blinked in shock. Riku and Raven didn't have a reaction expect for blank stares. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence on their end, Kyoko pipes up with, ❝I'm so happy for you guys! I'll plan a baby shower if you want one. I know you're not really participating in the birth of the baby, but it still deserves a celebration.❞

Kenji snaps back to reality when Kyoko kicks him under the table, expecting him to respond since he was closer to them than Riku and Raven were. She knew Avery, especially, was expecting him to have a reaction. ❝I think you three will give him or her a great home, and will raise this baby, or babies, with love and support.❞

Hey loves! This chapter was difficult to write for some reason because I didn't want to have too many random scenes, but I didn't want to drag out the scenes I have now, either, so it took me a while to be sastified with it. I think it was worth it, though.

I don't think I've really shown much of Raven's personality, so I wanted to be in this chapter. It was originally just gonna be Riku and Kenji having dinner with Beau, Avery, and Athena, but I thought it would be interesting to include Kyoko and Raven, too.

See y'all next chapter!