So we can admit, we're all a bit of a sucker for our favourite male characters being a bit protective of their girls. However, what I've noticed with some Kailex writers is they tend to do it a bit inaccurately (ie. creepily possessive Kaiden and whiny Bella-Swan Alex). So ... I've tried my own approach at this.

And according to the person who read this over for me, it's a good smack in the face for those of us who think Aveylia is actually a decent ship (like, honey no).

Disclaimer: I am not Lynette Noni

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Alex hated guys hitting on her.

The ones who couldn't take a hint were definitely irritating, but the sort of guys who felt like they were entitled to her were the ones that completely infuriated Alex. They were both reminiscent of past-Aven (who Alex had actually quite liked as a person, up until he couldn't take a hint and, ultimately, rejection), as well as the so called 'nice-guys' that once again, thought they had an immediate right to any poor girl they ever approached.

Usually Alex could wriggle herself out of the rare occasion that a guy had approached her to ask her out, but this guy could not take a walk. Even worse, she'd somehow wedged herself in an isolated part of the academy campus with the guy - no chance of coming up with an excuse that she needed to talk to another student.

"I mean, just think of how popular we'd both be if we started dating," said Logan Zabala, a kid in the year above Alex's with a long, upturned nose, oily dark hair and eyes that kept glancing down her profile in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Popularity's never been something that interested me," Alex replied flatly. She pointedly took another step back. "My answer remains as 'no', Logan."

"Aw, come on, Alex. Don't be a tease - I'm a nice guy."

Alex felt her nostrils flare. "Your personal judgement of yourself makes you even more off-putting then what you already are."

"Hey, watch what you say. I've been nothing but polite to you, and yet you say that to me?" Suddenly Logan's hand was clamping down on her wrist, tugging her closer, and Alex was seriously contemplating delivering a hard kick to his groin. She wondered why she hadn't done so earlier - but then again, she typically didn't send attacks at the male sensitive spot, especially during actual training, on account of a deal with the Combat boys that they wouldn't use her long hair to their advantage, as long as she never went for their groins.

Alex wrenched her wrist free, hopping out of his range. She was now contemplating just knocking him out cold. "I've given my answer. You're not going to able to change it. At all."

She turned her back on him, but it was a stupid mistake on her part - because just like every 'nice guy' that couldn't accept rejection, Logan had resorted to the physical restrainment option. Asshole, was all she had time to think as he yanked her back to face him, his hands now clamping down on her shoulders.

He had the most stale breath.

Trying to keep her gagging to a minimum, Alex once again yanked herself free. "Get your filthy hands off me."

Logan opened his mouth to say something, and she braced herself for whatever vulgar words were about to fall from his mouth. But before he could, Alex finally, finally heard the sounds of somebody else coming. Wilting with relief, she cautiously tore her gaze from Logan -

- to meet the eyes of Kaiden James, slightly narrowed in suspicion.

How convenient. Alex thought, squashing her grumbles about not being his damsel in distress. But she was also hugely grateful for his interruption, as it gave her the opportunity to gain some distance between her and Logan.

"Hey, Alex," he greeted coolly, offering her a warm, curling smile. "We've got detention with Karter, remember?"

Evidently, one of his gifts had indicated her current predicament.

Falling in perfectly with his deceit, Alex walked up towards him - ignoring Logan's glare she felt branding her with every step - and stopped at a friendly, close distance from him. "I don't get why we have to do it as well," she said, more than willing to lie through her teeth. "I mean, Sebastian and Nick were the ones being idiots."

"Oy, James, we were having a conversation here," came Logan's angry voice.

In the blink of the eye that it took for Kaiden to redirect his gaze, his expression turned from that friendly warmth into a harder, cooller mask as he addressed Logan. "Didn't look like much of a fun conversation to me."

"Of course it was. I was asking her out. And you were going to say yes, weren't you, Alex?"

His sheer audacity elicited the already growing pressure of disgust and annoyance building in her chest, to become even heavier. Knowing that both herself and Kaiden were now glaring at him, she chose her next words carefully.

"I have the feeling you don't know the very simple, very clear difference between 'yes' and 'no'."

Logan's eyes narrowed, his face finally contorting with his anger. "You ugly bi -"

"You heard her," Kaiden interrupted sharply, reaching out to press his hand to Alex's back in a protective gesture. He was holding Logan's glare with one of his own, his jaw clenching: the little voice in the back of her mind sang about how hot he looked when he was mad. She wanted to shove that little voice between a stapler. "She's made up her mind, Zabala. Now you can leave her the hell alone."

Logan spluttered. "I was actually getting somewhere with her!"

"You certainly have." Alex caught his eyes, before finishing coolly. "I never want you in a two-metre radius of me again. Otherwise," she jabbed a thumb at Kaiden, who in response shot her a small smile. "I'll let him at you. After I've kicked your ass myself."

Then, she properly turned her back on the jackass, striding from the scene with Kaiden at her heels. Once out of earshot, and at a safe distance, did she finally jab him lightly in the ribs. "You'd better be joking about detention, Kaid."

He replied with a smile, but there was a seriousness in his eyes. "What did he want?"

Alex sighed, threading her fingers through her hair in irritation. "Well, I suspect you've worked out most of it yourself. He asked me out, and after I rejected him ... he wouldn't exactly leave me alone."

She watched him clench and unclench his jaw, his eyes becoming stormy. "How long was he harrassing you?"

"Not long." Alex said hastily. As much as she wanted to spit at the thought of Logan Zabala, she certainly didn't want to inflict the wrath of one angry, overprotective Epsilon-Combat-grade kid on anyone - let alone all five of them, which was probably going to happen no matter what happened. She was half tempted to give Kaiden all the details, just so that he and the others would all go after Logan. It'd certainly be entertaining.

"Alex ..."

"I'm not sure. Maybe fifteen minutes?"

"Fifteen minutes?!" he exclaimed indignantly, his hand dropping from the small of her back as he wheeled back around. Alex quickly moved to hop in front of him, placing a hand on his chest. He stopped immediately, his eyes flickering questioningly down to her.

"Kaid," she said quietly. "As much as I appreciate it ... just know that in all honesty, compared to what happens to plenty of other girls ... I really got out of it easy."

He closed his eyes slowly. "I'd say 'I know', except ... I really don't."

Alex couldn't help it. She grinned up at him. "Thank you."

Kaiden's eyes flashed open again, his features quirking quizzically. "For what?"

"For ... I don't know. For not being an asshole. Or not having a drop of toxic masculinity in you."

He grinned cheekily back at her, as they fell back into pace towards the main campus. "Can you really expect me to be like that, after my upbringing?"

"Hmm. No."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Kaiden said, before proceeding to engage her in some lighthearted banter, finally easing the remaining tension, that had been there since Logan, from her shoulders.

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Hmmm. What did you guys think?