First thing's first I should probably throw in a key (Need to stop forgetting to do that.)
"…" normal talk, '…' thoughts, "…" notes and texts, ("…") phone calls, ("…") television speech
Some revelations and a plot twist occur in this chapter with mild torment.
Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade. I do however own the plot (obviously) and the babies (to be named later).
Two
Sunday started like any other day. Spencer was the first to get up as usual. He tended to the babies then carried them downstairs to start making breakfast. The smell of fried bacon drew Tala out of hiding first. Bryan followed when he caught wind of perfectly fried eggs. Kai and Ian were the last to arrive, disturbed more by the noise than the smell of food. Plates laden with a full English breakfast were passed around and steaming mugs of coffee set before each member of the team. Once he'd woken up properly, Kai informed Spencer he would be expecting company later on. This made the quiet giant pale. Nobody could find out about the girls.
Some time after midday all was quiet in the house. So quiet you'd never believe two babies were temporarily staying there. Spencer kept said infants in his room to hopefully keep them quiet. Bryan and Tala were the only ones in the sitting room when Kai strode into the house, a girl trailing behind him. It wasn't just any girl. With Kai was Mariam of the Saint Shields. And it looked like she wasn't just here at random judging by how close Kai kept to her.
"Well now there's rude of you not to tell your brothers, Kai." Bryan sneered, taking in Mariam's figure with his sharp eyes. "Such a pretty little thing deserves better than a punk like you."
"Shut your mouth Bryan." Kai's tone was no louder than a low growl, his fingers locked with Mariam's. "My private life has nothing to do with you. Besides if the media catches wind of this I'll never hear the end of it from the old bastard."
Tala understood why Kai kept quiet about having a more intimate relationship with someone, shooting Bryan a warning glare as he stood up.
"You'll have to excuse our brother, ma'am. He's not the most tactful when faced with surprises. I trust Kai has treated you with the utmost respect?"
Mariam turned to said blader finding he'd gone beet red and was glaring at Tala. She'd been told to expect hostility and dark sarcasm. Tala was showing anything but.
"Well…umm. This is a bit awkward."
"Awkward how exactly?"
"I was told to expect the total opposite of what I'm seeing."
"Oh really?"
Tala's eyes developed a deadly allure that made Kai squirm. Now Mariam could see what he meant but before she could say anything, Ian came down the stairs. He was of course shocked to see a woman in the house, quickly catching on that Kai was dating said female.
"Oh my god. Kai actually has a girlfriend?!"
"Ian shut your mouth before I shut it for you!"
Ian paid no attention to Kai's threat as was expected…until a large cold shadow fell over him and he looked up cowering in fear. Mariam cringed when Spencer slammed Ian into the ground and dragged the bluenette off somewhere. Kai had clearly hoped the meeting would go better judging by how he sighed.
"And that concludes the family."
"What about your grandfather?"
"I'd rather not introduce you to him. It wouldn't end well for either of us. Come on, before these idiots rub off on you."
Kai tugged Mariam towards the stairs without caring to introduce her properly leaving Bryan to feel very offended. Tala simply shrugged and followed after his "brother" silently. Knowing he'd been pursued, Kai shut Mariam in his room to face Tala.
"Calm down small fry. I was only going to ask if you or your mistress wanted a drink. She's a pretty girl. Be sure you take good care of her Kai."
Said young man surprisingly softened, wrapping his arms around Tala's waist. This side to Kai was a very rare sight and only ever revealed to the people he trusted the most.
"I'm sorry Tal. I should've told you all sooner."
"It's fine little brother." Tala soothed, his thick fingers slicing through Kai's hair. "You had your reasons to keep us in the dark. Have you been together long?"
Kai nodded sheepishly, giving Tala a hard squeeze. "Three years this November. I don't want THEM to find out Tala. If they do I'm scared that Mariam will be stolen from me just like my parents were. I can't lose her Tala."
"I can understand that. Every now and then I fret about losing Spencer. Losing him would destroy me. How long will Mariam be staying?"
"I don't know. There's some turbulence with her family at the moment. They want Mariam to leave me and marry a man she doesn't love that way."
Mariam was kept out of sight until supper time. Spencer apologised for scaring her earlier and to the surprise of everyone, kissed Mariam's hand! This had made her blush bright red, hiding under Kai's arm. Kai would understand if his brothers didn't want a woman about for too long, saying her stay was only temporary but Spencer revoked and told Mariam to stay as long as she needed to. Tala was in agreement and Bryan indifferent. This did mean new rules would have to be put in place, especially for a certain red eyed prankster. All that mattered to Ian was that Kai had a few more sensitive spots now.
Mariam learned quickly that Ian enjoyed nothing more than tormenting his brothers. When he wasn't bludgeoning her with questions that is. Tala had told Ian numerous times to shut up and fuck off before he made Spencer really mad. And nobody liked the buff blonde when he was angry. When Mariam asked what the feared older male was doing, Tala told her he hadn't been sleeping well recently and needed to catch up on resting. Hoping it might help ease Spencer's workload, Mariam offered to help do some of the chores seeing as she would be staying rent free for a while. Just when it seemed like nothing could go wrong everything went to the dogs. Ian decided to be a prat and disturbed not only Spencer, but the babies as well. Mariam noticed how pale Tala and Bryan went, Kai sighing beside her.
"Kai what's going on?"
"Mariam, Friday night somebody left a basket on our doorstep. In that basket we found two baby girls. We don't want this getting out to the media."
"I see. And nobody has come looking for them?"
Kai shook his head, hoping Mariam wouldn't ask to see the infants. And she didn't have to. Spencer knew Mariam would've heard all the screaming so he carried the sisters downstairs, passing the copper eyed girl to Tala who reluctantly received her. All attempts to calm the pinkette failed and Spencer was fast running out of ideas. In fact, rocking her only seemed to make matters worse. It got so bad that Mariam went into override and outright snatched the baby girl from Spencer leaving everyone lost for words. Kai studied Mariam as she held the baby close, tenderly rubbing a quivering back while uttering soothing words. A loud burp followed shortly after. She smiled sweetly and looked at Spencer.
"She had trapped wind. Can I hold her for a bit?"
"S-Sure."
As Kai feared Mariam absolutely adored the sisters, dreading the day she would ask him when they'd have their first. Kai wasn't opposed to having children he just didn't like babies. Throughout the evening Mariam taught Spencer what she knew. Having grown up in a close-knit community she was well used to dealing with children. Slowly but surely Spencer felt less awkward where handling and feeding was concerned. Mariam even joked that the little pink haired girl looked perfect in Spencer's arms. Spencer had never thought himself to be father material before. No amount of training for war could override inbuilt parental instinct. Even Bryan was displaying brotherly tendencies towards the girls by keeping Ian away from them. Despite the front Kai and his team put up, Mariam knew that deep down; they were some of the most selfless, caring people she would ever meet.
In the dark of night Spencer sat watching the orphaned babies sleep in their basket. Tomorrow it would be time to part ways. Spencer honestly didn't know if he could let the girls go. He couldn't help but get attached to them. Tala was dead to the world so Spencer didn't dare rouse him to try and talk his redheaded lover into keeping the girls. He'd try in the morning. Hopefully Tala would be understanding of his reluctance to let these poor innocent souls go into the hands of strangers. Not when they seemed so content with the people who had taken them in. For hours Spencer tried to sleep but he suffered nightmares the second his eyes closed.
Spencer's shuffling disturbed Tala's slumber but not to the point where he woke up. Pushing Spencer onto his back, Tala snuggled close to his rugged chest, head resting on a broad shoulder. Being given affection helped to keep the night terrors at bay, even if it was given out of annoyance. Nothing else stirred for the rest of the night, giving the residents of the Blitzkrieg house the peace to sleep. Spencer found himself dreaming of a future where he and Tala adopted the twin sisters and a couple of boys. The girls were several years old and very pretty. Spencer would give anything to make that future a reality.
"Come on Spencer, you can't hide in there all day."
From the moment he'd woken up that morning Spencer refused to let the babies out of his sight. Tala hadn't reacted kindly when consulted about keeping the girls a little longer. Mariam sat in the living room not knowing what to do as she watched Kai, Bryan and Tala standing impatiently by the front door. They muttered amongst themselves in a language she couldn't understand, figuring it must be the native tongue. Then all three of them stormed upstairs and into the room where Spencer was hiding. Mariam's heart ached when she heard the babies screaming, no doubt ripped out of Spencer's arms where they'd felt safe. Kai was the first to return with Bryan hot on his heels carrying the basket. Tala took a moment to say something, probably directed at Spencer, before locking the blonde giant in their room, handing Mariam the key.
"Keep an eye on him for me would you?"
"Um…ok. Tala why are you putting him through this? You know how much Spencer cares for those children."
Tala paused by the front door, as if pondering on what to say in response. Instead he just strode outside and slammed the door shut. Mariam sat down defeated just as Ian came downstairs. He'd wisely kept away from his brothers.
"Mari, what happened?"
"Kai, Bryan and Tala have taken the girls to an orphanage against Spencer's will. I've been asked to keep an eye on him until Tala gets back."
"It's for Spencer's own good Mariam. He gets attached to things too easily, animals especially. The last thing he got attached to was a puppy. Some heartless bastard hit it with a car. Spencer took the puppy to a vet and brought him home. It…the puppy died several days later. While I'm not condoning how my brothers handled the situation I know they did what they felt was best for Spencer and his mental wellbeing. For the babies too."
Mariam might not have known any of the boys for long but she trusted Ian's judgement. They sat in nerve wracking silence for around an hour before Mariam couldn't take it anymore, half storming up the stairs before Ian could advise against her disturbing a possibly very distraught Spencer. He wasn't doing much, just sat curled up on the bed with red eyes. If one had seen Spencer four years ago they wouldn't be able to recognise him now.
Mariam cautiously inched closer to the bed, aware that bloodshot green eyes were fixed on her. She didn't care if Spencer wasn't in the mood for company, sitting beside him slowly. Mariam had barely reached an arm around Spencer's back when he turned into her embrace, his large arms dwarfing her waist.
"Hush now its okay." She soothed, rubbing a calming circle on Spencer's back. "You'll see them again one day I'm sure. You have to be strong now, for the girls. I know it's not easy, especially when you've already given them so much."
Mariam's soothing seemed to be working as Spencer stopped shaking. They sat in calming silence for what felt like hours before Mariam heard the front door swinging open accompanied by foreign cursing. She bravely left Spencer on his own to see what was wrong only to have Kai drag her into his room tightly by the wrist. Spencer on the other hand didn't bother looking when he heard heavy footsteps getting closer. Tala stood in the doorway still wearing a big outdoor coat. He was told bluntly to fuck off. To expect anything less right now was foolish. Tala hurriedly put something next to the bed and vacated the room before the nearest hard object could be lobbed at him.
For some time Spencer had his back turned away from the large basket Tala had left behind…until he heard the babbling of a baby. Looking over his shoulder he saw a note attached to the wicker basket, snatching it harshly to read what had been written.
"Spencer. The orphanage wouldn't take them due to being full. Kai has had words with his lawyer and they'll get back to us shortly. I'm sorry for how we acted this morning but Bryan, Kai and I didn't want to see you get hurt again. Not after what happened with the puppy last year. I'll make it up to you later, I promise. Love, Tala."
It was simply too good to be true and for a moment Spencer didn't believe it. Not until two bright faces were beaming up at him from under a pastel yellow blanket. Tala returned without his outdoor clothes, pulled immediately into the strongest hug known to man, Spencer weeping into his shirt. He would've hugged back but a large fist met his left eye.
Ian wasn't sure how to feel when he found out the sisters had returned. At the very least he was glad to see Spencer smiling again. And of course he teased Tala about his pretty black eye. Mariam didn't know if she should laugh or be worried that Tala chased Ian around the house with a sharp knife. It fell on Bryan's shoulders to calm his redheaded brother down before Ian needed a coffin preparing. Kai's lawyer arrived somewhere around 4pm with some documents for Spencer and Tala to fill out. Of course the tall blonde was a little suspicious of the paperwork, making sure he read every detail before signing. His suspicion wasn't without reason and Tala couldn't blame Spencer for being cautious.
The documents Kai's lawyer had presented were adoption forms! It had been decided ages ago that Spencer would take Tala's name when they eventually tied the knot. Looking to the sleeping infants in Mariam's arms Spencer remembered the dream he'd had last night, eagerly jotting down two names that seemed to echo endlessly in the depths of his mind. With the forms signed, Kai's lawyer took them away, telling the couple they'd hear from him soon. Mariam gladly handed the babies back to Spencer, happy to see them back in safe, loving arms.
"So then big daddy." Mariam teased. "What've you called your two precious bundles of joy?"
Spencer would've pinched Mariam's cheek for her sass but his hands were full.
"Little Ms Pinky is Alkanet Ivanov. And her copper eyed sister, Yasha Ivanov."
"Two beautiful names for two very gorgeous girls. I'm sure their uncles will spoil them rotten. Won't you baby?"
Kai paled at the sudden menacing tone to Mariam's voice, making himself scarce very quickly. Bryan had never seen Kai intimidated by anything before. Tala and Spencer were just as shocked. If Kai ran from Mariam she was a force to be reckoned with when angry.
"Bloody hell I can't remember the last time I saw Kai hightail it out of a room that fast. What exactly have you done to make him scared of you Mariam?"
"Honestly Bryan." Mariam huffed. "Any good man knows not to get on the bad side of his woman. Kai's been on mine once or twice for being late to dates. One time wasn't his fault so I let him off."
"So um. Where and how exactly did you two meet?"
"It was, oh I don't know, about five years ago. Back then we were sworn enemies."
Hours soon turned into days after Spencer and Tala adopted the little girls left on their doorstep. Ian had become a doting uncle and often bought odd little things home for his nieces. Bryan was indifferent at best but he held Yasha if given no other choice. Alkanet absolutely hated him for some reason and screamed blue murder if Spencer so much as considered handing her to Bryan for even a minute. Tala became more relaxed about being a dad years before planned. When he wasn't at work, Yasha was babbling away in his lap. And Kai. Well he rarely interacted with Yasha and Alkanet but Mariam could tell he felt for the sisters. He knew their pain of losing one's birth parents.
Mariam had settled well with her could be brothers-in-law and loved the sisters like they were her own offspring. She often helped Spencer to better look after his daughters as they spent a lot of time together in the house. It turned out that Spencer worked from home doing odd things for the BBA. Alkanet and Yasha occupied themselves by playing with various toys if they weren't being coddled by Spencer. Yasha preferred being on her tummy and at first Spencer had worried but Mariam convinced him that by spending time on her stomach, Yasha would learn to crawl. Alkanet was more of a roller and loved tripping her uncle Ian up. Mariam suspected Alkanet would skip the crawling stage and go straight to walking.
Both girls were forming slightly more recognisable sounds as weeks went by. The closer they got to six months of age, the nearer the horror of teething got. Mariam assured the boys it really wasn't that bad as long as the teeth didn't come out in large numbers. If Spencer's past experiences with horrible luck were anything to go by, he knew that nothing was ever that simple or easy.
Ian returned home unexpectedly one afternoon and caught Spencer pinning Tala to the kitchen side, trousers dropped around their ankles. He wisely backed out of the room before his brothers caught him watching. Tala and Spencer returned to baby watching duty none the wiser that they'd been caught red handed for a second time.
Alkanet and Yasha had officially been at the house for a full month. Mariam was also still with the boys and honestly had no desire to leave any time soon. Both tots had begun to get their first teeth and all hell broke loose. Anyone who dared to try putting teething gel onto tormented gums got chomped on. Yasha was also getting the hang of crawling, meaning an eye had to be constantly kept on her so she didn't waddle off and break something, or worse, hurt herself.
Alkanet on the other hand did as Mariam predicted, using the legs of whoever was closest to pull herself up into a standing position. Usually on weekends Kai was the victim and weekdays it was either Spencer or Mariam. The latter two didn't mind. Tala coped decently well having the girls around but couldn't for the life of him stand the smell of their dirty diapers, often standing outside the bedroom at night while Spencer changed them. Kai had caught him standing by the stairs on more than one occasion when on his way to get a glass of water. If the redhead ever tried being sassy Kai now had something to hold over his head. It was a miracle anybody in the house got any sleep with how Alkanet would wail at night. It wasn't uncommon to see Spencer with dark circles under his eyes from staying up with her. Yasha gave everyone grief during the day.
Bryan wouldn't be surprised if a neighbour complained about all the noise, knowing that there were some truly spiteful people in the world. Mariam did what she could to help the little girls during daylight hours so that Spencer could catch up on missed sleep. God only knew the caring giant needed to rest. Despite the current turbulence of teething, the boys seemed closer than ever. Bryan made coffee every morning, Ian risked his sense of smell to change diapers and Kai…he simply made sure everyone was at their best mentally. If his brothers needed peace and quiet all he had to do was give the sisters his famous death glare and they shut right up…for about five minutes then they started screaming again. How anyone coped with even one screaming baby was beyond him. If he wasn't distracted by crying infants, Kai found himself wondering how his old teammates were doing. He hadn't seen any of them for just about three years. Reaching out was currently the last thing on his mind with everything else going on.
Spencer was in the living room alone with the babies in the early afternoon of April 7th pondering if he should risk leaving the girls on their own for a cup of tea. Both of them were out for the count currently and had a knack for waking up at just the right moments. The only other person in the house was Kai who typically hid in his room. In truth he just didn't want the girls getting their chubby hands on his coursework. Tala was also upstairs having a nap. Ian had buggered off to who knows where and Bryan had been tasked with showing Mariam the town.
Just as Spencer stood up a yell of "Hallefuckinglujah!" came from upstairs, Kai's room to be more specific. Out of curiosity the green eyed giant turned on the television. A news report was on currently, telling of how Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov were dead. It wasn't known how or why both criminals had been found shot dead and Spencer found himself in disbelief. One of his biggest fears had been Boris escaping from prison and doing something horrible to Alkanet and Yasha. Kai no doubt feared similar for Mariam but also due to Voltaire. Not twenty minutes later Kai zoomed down the stairs and out the door. A groggy Tala followed soon after, almost hanging off the balcony rail.
"The hell got his balls in a knot?"
"The psychos are dead, Tala. They were found fatally shot this morning."
Tala's eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be true. Surely the media had made a mistake or been paid to make a false report? There was no way Boris and Voltaire would be taken out by a gunshot of all things. Spencer added that both bodies had been found burnt nearly to a crisp. Neither of them would be coming back from that. Bryan came home about half an hour after Kai left, Ian close behind. Spencer immediately told them what he'd seen on the news.
They were of course sceptical at first. But Spencer wouldn't lie to them. If he thought Boris and Voltaire were still alive he wouldn't have said anything. When asked if he'd seen Kai, Bryan mentioned that Mariam had been picked up by said sibling and whisked off somewhere. With Voltaire gone, Kai had likely decided it was time to go public with his relationship.
Some half an hour later the boys were all sat together just hanging out with the television on low when the programme airing was interrupted by a sudden news report, grabbing everyone's undivided attention. It appeared that a camera crew was at a high end restaurant and Spencer could just about see Kai and Mariam inside.
("We bring you this urgent news report live from one of Moscow's top restaurants. Mere hours after learning of Voltaire Hiwatari's unfortunate demise, Kai Hiwatari appeared with Mariam of the Saint Shields. We're certain that this isn't a casual dinner between the former rivals given how smart they're both dressed.")
The camera zoomed in on Kai's table as he got down on one knee and produced a blue satin box from his pocket. No doubt hearts around the world were racing in anticipation. The news crew weren't close enough to get any audio but Spencer was able to read every word from Kai's lips.
"Mariam, will you marry me?"
As expected she went fluorescent red in the face, tears stinging her gorgeous green eyes. After a few moments of nerve shattering silence Mariam nodded, allowing Kai to slip a stunning sapphire/silver engagement ring onto her hand before they kissed. The restaurant erupted in applause and cheering.
("It is simply unbelievable! We just witnessed an act of absolute disrespect displayed here today. Never before have I seen such blatant insensitivity!")
The sound of someone clearing their throat made the reporter jump half a mile, turning around to find Kai had managed to sneak up on the crew. The Blitzkrieg Boys couldn't help but snigger.
("I'm sorry but I couldn't help but overhear what you said. Why should I be grieving over the death of somebody who made my life a living hell? Voltaire Hiwatari was my grandfather in name only. Fool yourselves all you want imagining him as a doting and supportive grandparent but there are those of us who know how he really was. You call my proposal disrespectful, I call it restoring what little honour my family has left. Now if you'll pardon me, my fiancé is waiting to resume our lunch.")
With that said, Kai turned on his heel and returned to Mariam's side. The reporter said nothing further after being dressed down in such a humiliating way. Looking at his brothers, Spencer knew what they were thinking and Ian confirmed his thoughts.
"Woohoo! Stag party baby!"
Kai and Mariam returned to the house shortly after their date, immediately met with congratulations and well wishes. Whatever joy Spencer felt was short lived. He knew that with Voltaire dead and gone, Kai would move out soon so he and Mariam could have their privacy. And it was his right to. Everything Voltaire owned belonged to Kai now. That didn't mean Spencer couldn't be sad about his little brother finally spreading their wings and flying from the nest. Mariam assured her soon to be brother-in-law that Kai would be fine and she'd make sure he kept in touch. Spencer meant no disrespect to Mariam at all, he couldn't help fearing for the boys he'd grown up with and now saw as family. They were all he had left in the world.
Mariam couldn't say she didn't understand Spencer's fears. She constantly worried about Joseph while away from him. Thinking of her brother made Mariam wonder if her tribe had seen the news. Bryan told Mariam that nobody would get in the way of her and Kai's wedding, that he'd see to it that everything went to plan personally. Tala, Ian and Spencer all made similar vows. To protect Kai and those he cared about, they'd go to the ends of the Earth. Having the full support of his patchwork family nearly brought Kai to tears and he promptly vanished upstairs to avoid making a fool of himself in front of everyone. In the best mood he'd been in all year, Spencer busied himself baking in the kitchen and Mariam offered to lend a hand. Tala, Bryan and Ian kept a close eye on the now wide awake babies.
Ian made the mistake of trying to catch a quick nap on the sofa, one of his hands dangling over the arm. Alkanet somehow managed to get over to said location without drawing any attention until the last few moments. Thinking something hilarious was about to happen, Bryan pulled out a mini camcorder. Ian grumbled to his hand being tugged on but he didn't wake up. Alkanet stood shakily on her chubby legs, eyes gleaming with mischief as she popped one of Ian's fingers into her mouth. At first the digit was innocently sucked on before gums bit down hard.
Spencer and Mariam bolted out of the kitchen when they heard Ian shrieking in agony while Tala and Bryan were almost howling hysterically. The cheeky grin on Alkanet's face told Spencer all he needed to know as he strode over and picked the trouble maker up off the floor. Again the television was on quietly in the background as it seemed to send Yasha to sleep easily. Nothing else happened for the next hour until Kai came downstairs. Before he could say anything, his phone started to ring. Despite not recognising the number, Kai answered it anyway.
"Hello?"
("And here I thought you wouldn't answer buddy.")
Kai forced back a groan of irritance. Of course Tyson somehow got a hold of his number.
"What do you want, Tyson? I'm kind of busy right now."
("Yeah I'm doing great thanks for asking. You seem to be doing well yourself.")
"I'm going to guess you saw the news then Tyson?"
("Hell yeah we saw it dude! Should've known you'd find a girl eventually. I'm not sure if Max saw it. He's been busy in America just recently.")
Kai wanted badly to hang up on Tyson, distracted not only by the rattling of pans in the kitchen, but by another news broadcast. He and the others generally didn't pay much attention to the news but today it couldn't stop grabbing their attention.
("The Chinese authorities have reached out worldwide to try and find the whereabouts of Mariah Wong from the White Tigers team.")
A picture of said blader showed up on the screen. It looked to have been taken two years ago judging by the timestamp. Spencer had impeccable timing, coming out of the kitchen with a tray of freshly baked buns in hand as the news presenter continued.
("Ms. Wong has been missing since April last year. She was last seen in Beijing on what seemed to be a shopping trip. Circumstances that led to her going missing are currently unknown. Anybody who might know where Mariah is now is urged to contact the Beijing police force immediately.")
An almighty clatter filled the room, Spencer stood frozen looking at the screen. Nobody could believe their ears. How did they never find out sooner that Mariah was missing?! Mariam came out of the kitchen wondering what all the noise was about, briefly catching sight of the report on screen as it faded. She turned to Kai who looked like he'd seen a ghost.
The room was so quiet you could hear Tyson screaming through Kai's phone trying to elicit a response from the former captain. Kai came back to his sense but the shock still showed on his face and when he spoke.
"Tyson…is Ray there with you right now?"
("Yeah he's here. Why what's wrong?")
"We…just saw the news about Mariah going missing. Why didn't Kenny reach out sooner?"
("Oh. I dunno if you should really bring that up. Ray's been in a bad way ever since he got the news from Lee last year. As for Kenny…he's been trying to hunt your number down for years seeing as you kept changing it. Then when we all heard about Mariah, Ray's mental health became our top priority.")
"Put Ray on for a minute. I want to hear for myself that he's okay."
While he waited, Kai glanced around the room, seeing his brothers all still in a state of shock. Mariam and the dropped tray were missing so she was likely cleaning up to distract herself from going mad. When somebody else could be heard on the other side of the line, Kai returned his attention to the ongoing call.
"Ray?"
("Try again.")
Kai's brow furrowed into a frown. The voice was female and sounded vaguely familiar to him but he couldn't place it to any of the women he knew.
"I'm sorry who is this?"
("Wow Kai. Just wow. It's Mathilda.")
"And you're talking to me because?"
("I just wanted to warn you that Ray hasn't exactly been sound in the head this past year. You'll have to be patient with him and for goodness sake don't apologise about you know who. The last thing I need is my boyfriend sinking back into the depths of depression.")
Kai blinked. Ray and Mathilda were dating? When had that happened? If Ray had seen the news he would no doubt be upset. The last Kai knew, Ray was supposed to go home and get engaged to Mariah. Something must've happened to stop the wedding from going ahead.
Kai felt like he'd be walking on eggshells talking to Ray, the others watching and listening as he tried not to sound concerned. Spencer returned to the kitchen when Mariam signalled for him. They still had stuff to bake after all. With what they'd all learned, things were going to get difficult.
It wouldn't be a story of mine without some darkness thrown in for good measure. And Ian, you should know better than to drop your guard with two teething babies around.
Ian: Oh shut up! You're not the one who can't get a good night's sleep!
Sucks to be you I guess. More baby milestones to come (I went and looked them up so I don't make a prat of myself like I usually do with these things.) And the next chapter will see a character from the Beyblade Rising manga making an appearance. I don't know much about the manga so I'm only using this one character who I know has a connection to a character we know and love.
Until next time folks, be brave, stay interested, and I'll see you in the next chapter!