⍟ Broken Strings {A Chaos Theory x Male Reader Story - Ben}

𝟹. 𝙵𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝙵𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜

"Hey..." Kenji suddenly speaks up, placing Smoothie in the backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, "So, we've kind of just been... meandering..."

"Is that another one from your Word of the Day calendar?" Y/N teases.

"Yes, actually." Kenji pauses, "But still-- I-- I think we passed that one tree back there, like, five times."

"What? No..." Sammy chuckles awkwardly, "It's just that every other tree looks like every other tree."

"Hmm, you sure?" Kenji tilts his head suspiciously, "Because Captain Kenji's a pro at reading maps. I can help figure out where the Hyper Loop is--"

"Uh, rude!" Sammy turns away, "What? You think that just because I'm not some big climbing man like you, I don't know how to read a map?"

"What!?" Kenji backtracks, "No! I'm just trying to--"

"Don't worry about it, Kenj." Y/N cuts in, "Sam-a-lam's got it all under control." He pats the man on the shoulder, internally cursing himself for the dumb nickname he's just made up.

"Okay, you two are acting weird." Kenji huffs.

"No we're not." Sammy denies almost instantly.

"You are..." Kenji sighs, "And... I... think I know why..."

"You do...?" Y/N mutters nervously.

"It's... cause of how I was with Dodgson." Kenji looks down at his feet, "I hate that I had to put on that ruthless businessman act. Even if it was for a good reason. I never want to be like my dad, and I'd hate if you guys think less of me because--"

"Never, Kenj!" Sammy cuts in, serious, "You did what you had to do for Smoothie. Don't beat yourself up about that."

"Sammy's right, Kenj." Y/N leans in, trying to catch Kenji's eyes as he stares down with a detached expression, "You're nothing like Daniel. Nothing."

"Okay." Kenji manages a small smile, adjusting the backpack strap, "Thanks, guys. But, if that's not it, then why are you acting so strange?"

"Uh..." Sammy searches for an excuse, her eyes drifting down to the device in her had.

"What's up with the tablet?" Kenji accuses, reaching for it.

"Nothing!" Sammy pulls away.

"Just let me-- You know, I--" Kenji tries to snatch it from her, but she twirls around, evading him.

"I've got this, Kenjamin!" Sammy insists.

"You know guys, if we'd just--" Y/N steps in, trying to separate them.

The three of them begin to bicker like children, swatting at and fussing over each other, but they all freeze when they hear a dinosaur chirping in the wind, each of them with two hands on the tablet.

The chirp comes again and Kenji relents, letting go, "Okay, fine, you win! Just point us towards the Hyper Loop and away from the murderous venom-spitters!" He requests in a hushed voice.

Sammy just sighs and pouts, realizing she really can't get out of this.

Y/N groans, turning to Kenji, "The tablet's broken."

"What!? Why didn't you tell me!?" Kenji's eyes go wide.

"You seemed stressed and were so worried about Smoothie..." Sammy explains, "And with the whole dad thing..."

"We didn't want to upset you." Y/N skips to the point.

"You know what's upsetting?" Kenji grumbles, "This!"