Hypocrite

Kai watches as he draws his fingers out of Tyson's spit-slicked lips, their tips coming out wet.

A deep heat simmers in the depths of his irises, chest rising and falling on a shallow breath as he touches his thumb to the corner of Tyson's mouth.

His touch buzzes. Tyson tilts his face towards his thumb involuntarily. His gaze flicking up and down Kai's face.

There's a warm liquidy sensation inside of Tyson's body, like something exploded in there.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" asks Kai, his voice raspy and guttural. It sends goosebumps down his skin. His heart thuds hard in his chest as he stares wide-eyed at Kai, surprised and a little nervous.

Kai drags his thumb softly across the sensitive curve of Tyson's bottom lip. "You make me crazy," he says slowly, each word carrying weight, the end of his murmur dipping into a low, yearning whisper. The tip of his finger reaches over the gap between his lips, over his teeth, to touch the cupid's bow on top. Tyson's breath hitches. "You make me want to do the worst things to you." Tyson's eyelashes flutter, heat pooling in his gut.

Kai moves his fingers down to his chin, holding it between his thumb and index. He gives him a gentle tug. Tyson scoots forward without thought, his bare thighs dragging over the coarse material of Kai's jeans, his hands still loosely clutching at the hem of his own shirt. Inches above where he's slowly beginning to grow hard in his shorts again.

Kai's lips graze his, his breath on his tongue. "I want to lay you on your back, sweetheart, and put my tongue on every inch of you." Tingles burst down his skin. All the way down to his toes. "Turn you over to your belly and make you remember what you said to me in that parking lot the first time we met. How wrong you were. I want your face in a pillow, tears in your eyes. I wish to fuck you till you're crying on my cock, Tyson." Tyson's heart sputters in his chest. A hot flash of desire wiping through him. Butterflies skitter in his tummy, heat coiling in his gut, drawing taut. "You can't," he blurts out in a sudden moment of panic.

Kai stops to look at him, surprise and confusion overlaying the desire in his eyes for a moment.

"I mean-" Tyson rushes to correct himself. "I mean, you can." Wait what? "Fuck, I don't-" He rakes a hand into his own hair, furrowing his brows in frustration. "I can't think," he admits at last.

Kai pulls him to him then, crashing their lips together with a growl.

Tyson closes his eyes, feeling the earth around him tilt.

Kai leaves for Tokyo a few hours later. Tyson returns home and stays there with his grandfather, dad and brother for a couple of days to keep the old man company and cheer him up.

When he finally arrives back on campus he notices a marked shift in the atmosphere.

The weather has certainly changed, winter at the doorstep. The sky is grey and cloudy even at the height of noon. Academic activities are back in full swing. Everyone busy and hurrying in different directions all the time, yet there's a stillness that's almost unnatural hanging over the entire campus.

A rubber band of tension stretched taut and threatening to snap any moment.

He feels it in stomach as he ties the laces of his boots sitting on a bench. Carr is breathing down his neck for having gained ten whole pounds while on his break. He's being made to run laps around the track till he's about ready to collapse in order to lose weight before the next meet.

Hilary's not talking to him. She has been blatantly ignoring Tyson since he got back to the dorms. His calls get thwarted, his attempts to make eye contact during classes get pointedly avoided. She doesn't even sit next to him in lecture halls. He left voice mails asking her - begging her - to talk to him. That he has no idea why he's getting the cold shoulder from her. He tried to visit her in her room, her roommate told him she wasn't in when he clearly heard her voice coming from the room before he knocked on the door.

Emily sends him glares across the cafeteria when she catches him staring at Hilary. She's wholeheartedly on Hilary's side, whatever this is about. She breezes past Tyson in the hallways with her witheringly strong expression of disapproval and disappointment on her face. When he attempted to approach her beside her locker once, she had shut the door in his face, turned to stare straight ahead and shook her head at him before marching off.

His American gang have been acting weird around him too. They don't quite meet his eyes, and while they still talk shit with him like they normally do, there are these awkward silences that keep popping up whenever he brings up his trip with Kai. They all kind of shut up and try to change the subject. The Americans don't want to talk with Tyson about his Dubai trip.

The ground flies past him in a blur as he runs at a steady pace. Wind in his hair. Sweat droplets slipping.

It's only been three days. The first day back was noticeably bad. He went out of breath quickly. Terribly out of shape. He'd gotten back into his usual form pretty quickly however. The muscles in his legs burn, his lungs working overtime to compensate for the weakened core muscles. Tyson pushes himself, increasing his speed when the image of Hilary's red eyes from yesterday morning swim back to the front of his mind.

Kai has come to watch. He sits on one of the bleachers at the very top of the stadium, smoking a cigarette. Tyson catches his eyes as he makes his way around the bend in the track. He hasn't been on campus much lately, apparently working on his thesis. But there's a rumour going around about him and the Blitzkriegs. The real reason why Kai's not in classes.

Brooklyn goes out of his way to lock gazes with Tyson in the dorms and hallways. Sending conspiratorial smiles and furtive glances whenever he gets a chance. Tyson's curious enough - and also annoyed enough - to want to confront him tonight.

Julia's shoulders carry a weight yet stay tall as she stands beside Kai, her arms crossed over her chest, aviators on top of her head. Her eyes tracking Tala's movements on the edge of the track. He's stretching out his limbs, curving his spine and cracking his neck. He glances up the bleachers at Kai and Julia, before directing his gaze back to the track and shaking out his arms.

They are all tense. Most of them have been missing around campus. Ian and Sergei are sighted often in the Union building however. The last time the Blitzkriegs threw a party was before the break started. No one outside has been to their house since. Not even Tyson whose nights have been filled with homework and assignments he has to catch up on because he missed a few days of classes. He hasn't talked face to face with Kai either for almost a week. They did talk on the phone a couple of times, just to see how each other were doing.

He's also supposed to be Tyson's soulmate of the week. He's a missing soulmate. Same as Hilary's. Tala has reportedly been playing hide and seek with her, ducking out of sight whenever he happens to be in the same place as Hilary.

The coach blows the whistle at Tyson to signal him to stop. Tyson sighs as he slows to a jog and halts by Carr, bending at the waist immediately to catch his breath.

"What's- what's my time?" he pants.

Carr hands him a bottle of water and a towel, a stopwatch clutched in his other hand. "Twenty-five twenty, nowhere near good enough. Take five and go again."

Tyson groans.

The surface of the punching bag is smooth and cool under his palm. Tyson wraps his hands well before aiming a punch at the sack.

Air whooshes out of his mouth when his fist connects with the red weighted bag in the middle of the gym. His shoulder jarring from the impact.

"Hmm" he hums thoughtfully, pulling his hand back and shaking it out. It feels way better than he expected to hit something. No wonder Kai likes boxing so much. There's pent up aggression inside of him that he wasn't aware of.

Tyson goes a little crazy with the punching bag, striking it repeatedly till his knuckles begin to bruise and his skin starts to burn. He's panting, sweat dripping down his neck when Max and Rei join him in the gym.

"Yo" greets Max, massaging Tyson's shoulders as he takes a break for a minute. He actually manages to work out some knots in his back and Tyson relaxes against his fingers, his head tipping back.

"Whoa, what's got you all worked up, Ty?" Rei prompts as he sets his shoes by the door and makes his way towards the weights arranged in the corner.

Max chuckles as Tyson lets out a low moan. "People are acting weird," he says.

"Yeah?" Rei glances up from where he's doing some dynamic stretches on the mat before starting his weight training. "Who?"

"Don't wanna drop names," Tyson mutters, only half joking.

Max giggles again, pumping up Tyson's arms. "He's talking about Hilary," he tells Rei.

"Not just her. Emily too. And Michael and Rick and Eddie-"

"I think it's just Roppongo," says Max consolingly. And Tyson would have gladly believed that had it not been for the fact that they only acted like that when he brought up Kai.

"A lot of people are being weird around each other right now. It's always like that for a couple of weeks after Roppongo. People do drugs and do dumb shit there and then when they get back it's a shitshow. Friendships are broken. Relationships are ruined."

"I'm glad Kenny made it back unscathed," says Max, then he asks Rei, suddenly recalling something, "Did you know that Emily and Michael still haven't gotten back together?"

The news takes Tyson aback. "What?" He didn't know. Michael never brought that up.

"Yeah" Max meets Tyson's eyes sadly.

"No, I didn't. But I'm not surprised. That place kills couples all the time," says Rei, "even the ones that are born there."

"Okay but it's Michael and Emily," argues Tyson. "They're endgame, bro."

The other two agree simultaneously, hoping that they last along with Tyson.

"They'll get back together eventually," Tyson tightens his wraps, glancing at the punching bag again. Ready for round two.

Max steps back from Tyson, done massaging. "What's up with Hilary though?"

"Fuck if I know," mutters Tyson, about to hit.

"Tyson" Rei calls his name right before he does. He looks over at him and sees him staring at something over his shoulder.

Tyson and Max turn around at the same time. Hilary's standing there.

"Alright, Granger, let's have that talk," she says as soon as he reaches her, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "You said you had something to say to me when you got back from your trip. Spill it."

"Why have you been ignoring me?" Tyson asks her instead, backing her out into the hallway so the other two can't eavesdrop.

"Why have I been ignoring you? You haven't talked to me since you left for Roppongo. You blew me off for an entire week and a half and now you're coming back and asking me why I've been ignoring you-"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

"-like I'm being crazy?"

"No, no, no," he says, "You're not crazy."

"Didn't think so." Hilary leans her shoulder against the wall, staring at him expectantly. Right. The conversation. She wants to have it now.

"Can-" Tyson begins. "Can we go somewhere else more private?"

She holds his eyes sternly for a minute, then she straightens with a sigh. "Sure"

The moon's behind Tyson when he finally tells Hilary about everything that happened between him and Kai all the way to where things are now. She listens with increasing outrage as he goes over the story with as much detail as he can. He sees tears threaten at the corners of her eyes at certain points, about to fill up and stream down her cheeks like a fountain, but she manages to hold them in at the last moment.

When he's done she stares at him with betrayal shining in her eyes for a long and painful amount of time. Then she simply shakes her head at him. "I don't care that you like Kai, Tyson. I don't give a fuck about that. I'm upset that you lied to me about it," she says, her voice shaking, "and kept it a secret from me."

Her lip wobbles and those tears finally fall. They're on the roof of the dorm. Tyson leaning against a wall that comes up to his waist. Hilary standing before him. His heart breaks as she cries. All of his fears staring him right in the face. He wonders if she hates him now. If she'll never talk to him again. He wants to hold her but he knows she wouldn't want him to touch her. She probably thinks he's gross and disgusting. A despicable human being. Dirt on her shoe.

"You kept it from me for months, Tyson! Months! Say something!"

"I have nothing to say," he whispers, on the verge of tears himself. "I was afraid you were gonna hate me and that you wouldn't want to talk to me ever again."

"I hate you now!" she shouts, startling him. "I knew you were dating him, Tyson. I saw you kissing him on that bridge at that Turkish bitch's party."

"What?" he asks, feeling the bottom drop from his stomach. "You- you saw?" he stutters, wide-eyed, unable to believe what she was saying.

"I saw you from a balcony in that house. Anybody could have seen you! God, Tyson, you were so stupid. You and him. Like fucking idiots. Tala could have seen you! He came out to that balcony right after me and if it weren't for me blocking his ass he would have found out too and god knows what he would have done to you for making his friend gay."

Tyson feels like he swallowed a lot of air. His head swimming. He doesn't correct her about Tala or tell her he already knows because he and Kai are thick as thieves. He doesn't because he doesn't have the strength to form words right now. He spent countless nights worrying about telling Hilary about him and Kai when she knew about them all along. It feels like such a waste now. It explains why she was acting strange around him before. The day after that debutante ball. Her eyes were red because she was crying. Not because she had allergies. God. He rakes his fingers through his hair. Cold sweat beading on his upper lip.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted you to come to me. I waited every day for you, Tyson. I waited every single day for you to come to me. Hell, I never liked gay people, but I like you, and I couldn't hate you for kissing a guy. Or kissing Kai even, because you were you, and I love you." Tyson breaks into tears then. "You told Max. You told Kenny. I know because I've seen them talking about you and him. But you! You never came to me and I am your best friend. Do you have any idea how much that hurt, Tyson? I was crying over you every night. Not Kai. I didn't care you were dating Kai, but I cared that you were lying to me about it. That you went behind my back and kissed a guy you warned me away from! You told me not to fall in love with him and then you went and did the exact same thing! Like a fucking hypocrite."

Tyson gasps in a breath, his head hanging, unable to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispers.

"Sorry doesn't fucking cut it, Tyson," Hilary says, her voice choked and nasally because she's crying just as hard as he is. "Y-y-you-" she stumbles, speechless for a moment. "You used to tell me everything. I don't know why you couldn't trust me enough to tell me you were going out with Kai."

"He was your crush, Hilary," he defends himself. "You lost your virginity to him. I felt- I felt like a terrible person."

"You should because you are a terrible person," she shouts vehemently. "You are a fucking hypocrite."

Tyson rubs his hands over his face, to wipe the tears away.

"Not because he was my crush or that you stole him from me," Hilary continues in a much more softer and calmer tone. "He was never mine. He wasn't anyone's. I don't think he's yours either to tell you the truth." He finally glances up at her at those words and she speaks the next while looking straight into his eyes. "You are a terrible person because you told me to stay away from him but you didn't do the same."

He stares at her, frozen. His heart bleeding.

"Do you really hate me?" he asks her then, his voice whisper soft.

Hilary blinks her warm brown eyes, their colour so alike to his they could have been siblings. He's known those eyes for almost all his life. He couldn't bear to part with them. It just might be the thing that kills him. There is no hardness in her eyes even now. They simply look at him wide and unforgiving. In the end, they soften the slightest bit further, and she says, "No. I don't hate you."

Tyson feels a relief so high and heady it almost throws him off balance. He sags against the edge of the wall. The tension leaking out of his shoulders. If she doesn't hate him yet, then he can ultimately win her back. He won't lose her permanently. "Are- are we...still friends?"

Hilary's mouth hardens as she looks at him. "No" she says firmly. That's okay. That's okay. Even if it hurts for now. He'll win her back. "God, Tyson, you're so fucking stupid. You think I'll break up with you over something like that? What kind of-" Tyson glances up at her just as she almost tears her hair out in frustration. "God! Do you think I'm that shallow?"

"No!" he yells at her, his heart soaring giddily and chaotically. "I don't think that."

"Then stop asking me if we're still friends," Hilary shakes him hard by his shoulders, shouting into his face.

They calm down after a second. A small silence falling between them. Then Hilary asks tentatively, shifting her feet, "Are you...gay?"

Tyson braces his hands on the wall behind him, staring at her, trying to gauge her expression. "No"

"No?" she breathes doubtfully. "Tyson, you don't have to lie to me. I do not give a fuck-"

"I'm not! I'm being serious," he insists. Gaze as honest as if he was just born. "I uh" He swallows thickly. "I think I like both."

"Huh" Hilary lifts her chin, observing him, her gaze bouncing up and down his frame once. "Yeah, I couldn't quite believe it either. Because you never- I don't know- you never showed an interest in painting your nails or whatever. I wouldn't mind it if you were though," she adds just in case.

Tyson nods understandingly. He pulls in a deep, shaky breath through his mouth.

"I'm-" Hilary starts and breaks off. Then she tries again, not meeting his eyes properly. "I'm not going to be talking to you for a while, even though we're still friends. I need a few days to cool off my anger because I'm still really mad at you, and I will stay mad at you for a while. Don't try to talk to me in hallways, or come to my room. I will not talk to you."

"I- I won't," he promises quickly.

"Okay" Hilary nods, as if she's done shouting at him. He thinks she'll leave but she steps toward him then, her arms stretching out like she's coming in for a hug. Tyson rears back, a little confused. His expression constipated as he looks at her.

Hilary bugs her eyes at him, in a scolding manner, and he loops his arms around the middle of her back. Stunned to be hugging her even though they are fighting right now.

She embraces him warmly for a minute. "Thanks for coming out to me," she whispers into his ear, before stepping back. Tyson's lips quiver as he holds her gaze. Wanting to break into a smile. Hilary's mouth almost curves into one too, quirking up the slightest bit, but she turns around before he can fully see it. "Goodnight" she calls over her shoulder as she walks away. "Don't try to talk to me."

"Okay!" he shouts after her, watching her retreating back. "Goodnight to you too!" He smiling softly to himself, finally relieved of his worries about his best friend after months.

A/N: A'ight, this is the last chapter before I go on a hiatus. Yes, that same hiatus I told you about. This is kinda sad. I will miss writing, but it's just for a while. I will be back quicker than you know it. I will miss you. Everyone please take care of yourselves. I hope you enjoyed reading. I will come back with more chapters after a few months. They will be filled with action and adrenaline and drama and emotions. And funny moments too. So, look forward to that. Stay here. Don't go anywhere.

I will see you soon. Stay safe. Lots of love. Leave a review. Bye.