Beyond the Bro Code [BL]

[I] Anomalous Desire - 1

1

THE SHARP PRICKLY smell of Autumn air lingered in Cain's nose. His gaze focused on the ground, taking note of the vast range of fiery hues decorating the sidewalk, so overwhelmingly that almost the entire span of the ground was blanketed under several layers of leaf padding.

New Steigthe's curved-bowl broadness of clear sky was now invisible; clouded by fog and mist, and the formerly green grass of summer now has a distinct frosty blue tint, and the humid cold felt purer than any other time of the year.

He liked the summer, truly. But that was only because his friends preferred it over the other seasons, that was when he found that his friends planned the most social outings and events. But Autumn was different, it felt more peaceful, less wild, especially moments like this: when the odd, yet familiar feeling of dead, dry leaves crunch beneath his shoes, when the bustling commotion of other humans daily commute seemed to fade further into the background.--a feeling he had missed.

It was the season he found to be the most neutral, or as he said, the in-between of all of the four. "Not too cold, not too hot, not too plain." He once listed when someone asked.

Last week, he had asked his best friend, Macky --which in fact, was not short for anything, that was just his name, or so he thought. As well as most everyone else Macky had known.-- to a casual outing at a local cafe downtown, to which Macky had accepted with the wide, beaming smile that he always did when he was looking forward to something, which always seemed to make Cain smile, although subtle, like a sealed envelope.

Cain wasn't the type of guy to make plans, he always waited for someone else to make them. But no one ever called him out for it, he was just like that, so when Cain asked Macky to the cafe, Macky, although he didn't show it, was surprised.

And so today, the two made their way to Cuppa Joy. "So is it really a cup of joy?" Macky joked with him when Cain pulled into a parking space.

He had chuckled, before quickly rushing around the front of the gray honda civic to open the passenger side's door for Macky.

Now, they made their way inside the cafe, immediately welcomed by the blend of various pleasant smells, that of vanilla, caramel and milk.

The friends took their seats at a two-person table made of hardwood, which looked like it had been cleaned just recently. The tabletop's laminate finishes shimmering with moisture, damp to the touch when Cain rested his arms on it.

They began skimming through the menus, and once they were ready to order, as if on cue, a waitress with a familiar face reached their table.

"Valencia?" Macky and Cain both said in synchronization. Valencia was Macky's cousin, but the two of them were so close that they were practically siblings attached at the hip. Valencia was a mere couple months older than Macky, she was eighteen and Macky seventeen. Valencia's work uniform was mundane, consisting of the same color of green and black, a visor and a classic apron with a long-sleeve undershirt.

Cain never saw her in something so boring, since she always came to school with the most superfluous, glamorous outfits that he had seen any girl dress for highschool. It made perfect sense to him that she was related to Macky. Cain had gone to school with Valencia and Macky ever since elementary school, but he had only ever talked to Valencia when he was with Macky, and every once-in-a-blue-moon when Valencia would congratulate him after a drama performance that he performed in with Macky. --he had joined the theater troupe only because of him.

Valencia's eyes widened in delightful surprise when she saw the both of them. "Hey you two!" She exclaimed, looking between Macky and Cain as she adjusted her visor higher on her forehead, which was noticeably too big for her.