Justice and Her Boys

Chapter Fourteen

"Hey! What was that for?" Pavel exclaimed indignantly, surprised to see Mew a little genuinely angry.

"We haven't done that, okay? Not that it's any of your business. We're taking things slow," Mew muttered while moving to the table, giving Pavel a light shove as he passed him.

"Huh, you're very respectful of Gulf. I like it."

"Me too," Boun added, sitting down next to Prem.

"Alright, enough boys. Leave Mew and Gulf alone for a bit so we can have a nice, calm breakfast," Justice ordered with a smile.

Justice knew that Gulf was shy, especially about Mew, and though he was used to the teasing he would probably appreciate some peace and quiet since he was now having an experience that was completely new to him: a relationship. Luckily, the boys seemed to get the message and moved on to safer topics as Gulf came back downstairs. The conversation and banter flowed easily with Mew and Prem slipping into the group as if they had always been there.

Pavel glanced at the door and Justice knew who he was looking for. Dome was late. With a little concern churning in her stomach, Justice texted Dome.

Justice: "Hey, Dome! Are you still coming for breakfast?"

Dome: "Um, I can come towards the end. Say in like 40 minutes?"

Justice: "Is everything okay?"

Dome: "Poppy wanted to come too and I didn't think that was a good idea so we're going for breakfast first, just the two of us. Then we'll come to say hi."

Justice: "Did you talk to her about what happened?"

Dome: "Not yet. I will. I want to talk to Pavel first."

Justice: "Today?"

Dome: "I was planning to, but Poppy wants to hang out with me today."

Justice: "Do you want me to distract her when you two come over?"

Dome: "Please. I want to do this as quickly as possible. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Justice: "Okay, don't worry about Poppy. I will take care of her."

Dome: "Thanks. See you soon."

Before putting her phone down again, Justice messaged Pavel to let him know what was going on.

Justice: "Dome is having breakfast with Poppy then they're coming here. He wants to talk to you."

Pavel: "Poppy is coming here too?"

Justice: "I'll hang out with her and leave you two to talk."

Pavel: "She doesn't know?"

Justice: "Dome wants to talk to you first."

Pavel swallowed, no longer hungry; he didn't like this. He was full of apprehension, definitely doubting that this situation would work out in his favour. Even if, on the off chance, Dome did want more with him, then Poppy would get hurt. Pavel was not particularly close with her but he knew she was sweet and genuinely cared about Dome. She loved him, and from how many times Dome had asked for advice about how to make her happy, he loved her too. Damn it. Pavel didn't want to be a homewrecker.

"Woah, what's with the scary frown?" Boun asked, nudging Pavel with his elbow.

"It's nothing."

Boun gave him a look that clearly said he didn't believe him but Boun also knew that during breakfast with all their friends around them was not a good time to push Pavel. If there was something on his mind, he probably didn't want to discuss it with everyone.

"Dome and Poppy are coming in a bit and I think I'm going to invite her to the amusement park. Does anyone else want to come?"

Pavel glanced up to see Justice giving him a gentle and reassuring smile as she waited for the others to answer her.

"Ooh, an amusement park?" Prem exclaimed, bouncing a little in his seat as he continued to eat, not even looking up from his plate.

"Do you want to go, cutie?" Boun murmured, turning to Prem with an indulgent grin as he slung an arm around his waist, "With me?"

"As long as you get me to work on time this afternoon."

"Deal."

Boun leaned in to give Prem's lips a quick peck before turning back to the table, and just like that the world returned. It was no longer just him and Prem in a quiet bubble. His friends were there teasing and laughing. Loud. But Boun was not disappointed. While he enjoyed those times when it felt like it was just him and Prem, and he definitely wanted more of those, it was nice to savor the moment with his friends, his makeshift family. The chaos and noise washed over Boun, calming him. To him, it was love. Not the kind of love he was sure to feel for Prem, but just as good. Boun felt insanely lucky to have it, to have them.

"You alright?"

Boun looked down to see Prem's brows furrowing in worry, his hand linking with Boun's on the table.

"Yeah, I'm just... taking a minute to experience everything."

"Oh, sounds like you're meditating."

"Sort of. It's a mindfulness exercise."

"Mmm, so I just have to focus on the moment?"

"Focus on things you wouldn't normally. Try to take everything in that your brain would normally filter out as background noise."

Prem cuddled closer and followed Boun's directions. It was a little disconcerting for him at the beginning; Prem was not used to not talking or actively thinking. His brain always ran a mile a minute, usually with nonsense, and he had thought that meditation was not for him but if Boun liked it, Prem was willing to try. It was surprisingly relaxing for Prem, focusing on random objects, and he understood why Boun enjoyed it. However, he didn't think he could do it for long; he was already getting bored.

"Did it! It was cool. Do you like rollercoasters?"

Boun chuckled, pulling himself back, "Yeah, I do."

"Good! We're going to go on so many."