Requested by Kekegirl30 on Archiveofourown
Summary: After many requests from his sister and finding nothing better to do, Kai goes to the gym, and among the stench of bacteria, sweat, and body oils Kai picks up the stink of a filthy rat...
Kai barely managed to suppress a disgusted hiss as his nose was assaulted by the robust odors of the Best Body Studio as he entered the building. The only reason he was even in a place like this was that that brat he called a little sister had finally worn him down. Almost every letter he got from her was filled with pleas for him to send some pictures of the hot guys at his school. But he couldn't blame her. They grew up in a humongous castle in the middle of a giant valley filled with forests and mountains.
The nearest village was at least a two-hour bat flight.
That paired with two extremely over-protective parents and her emerging teenage hormones would probably drive Nya into madness. So, mainly to shut Nya up, Kai 'borrowed' a camera from Jay and headed for the Best Body Studio. This studio had a rather basic set-up, including essentials such as a bench, some dumbbells, and resistance bands that could still provide a great workout. Other equipments the gym had were training benches, dumbbell sets, barbell sets, kettlebell sets, pull-up frames and bars, treadmills, stationary bicycles, and rowing machines.
At the other side of the gym from the entrance Kai could see a set of double doors that led to a dance studio.
Like most forms of aerobic or cardio exercise, dancing had many health benefits, including weight loss. This gym offered seven forms of dance that would help people to lose weight. These dance forms were Zumba, hip hop, belly dancing, freestyle dancing, pole dancing, ballet, and ballroom dancing. Kai might have been tempted to sign up for a dance class if it wasn't for the foul smells. As you entered the gym, it was easy to be drawn further in by the scents that invigorated to get those juices flowing for weight lifting.
These included vibrant citrus notes of orange, lemon, lime, and peppermint.
That quickly changed, however, when you left the front lobby and entered the main exercise area. The primary culprits of this stink were bacteria, sweat, and body oils, which built up inside synthetic fabrics and caused a literal stink. In addition to the subjecting gym apparel to those large quantities, the fabric the athletic outfits were made from was another odor contributor. Choosing to breathe through his mouth, Kai walked through the gym, looking for the perfect subject for a secret photoshoot.
It wasn't a busy day at the gym, so there weren't a lot of options.
But Kai didn't mind the lack of people. He hated being in crowded places and these photos wouldn't be for him. Nya would have to accept and deal with whatever he sent her. All of a sudden, Kai found himself freezing when his amber eyes locked onto the very muscular body of Cole Brookstone. He hadn't seen Cole since their brief meeting at the pet store. The human had his back to him as he lightly jogged on a treadmill, with the manacles of the chains jingling loudly like Christmas bells.
Kai could hear some of the other people in the gym snickering at the manacles, but Kai didn't look at them.
His eyes were fully focused on the raven-haired human in front of him. Cole was in dark orange shorts with a water bottle clipped to the side, and a tight, black tank top. He had AirPods in with rock music blasting out so loud that Kai was certain the noirette was going to go deaf. The young vampire was almost drooling as he paid close attention to how Cole's tank top wrapped around and stuck to his sweaty, toned body. Had Cole's skin always been that shiny or was it because of the sweat?
Just then Cole pressed a button on the treadmill and his jogging slowly stopped.
As Cole took a big gulp of the bottle, Kai began to panic. He wasn't ready to see Cole again and he didn't want to have to explain why he was here to his one-night stand/possible crush. Within the blink of an eye, Kai dashed to what he thought was an exit. As soon as the doors closed behind him, Kai relaxed and took a deep breath. Only to gag loudly and grip his nose tightly. It was like someone had ripped his nose off, set a fire inside the cavity, and then poured acid into it.
It was the familiar smell of garlic.
After Kai got over the shock, he opened his amber eyes and frowned when he saw that he was in a large kitchen. Then he remembered that this gym also offered lessons to teach people how to cook healthy meals. There were a few people in the class and they were all staring at him. That was when Kai noticed one was approaching him with a concerned look. The first thing Kai noticed about this stranger was his eyes. His eyes were bright blue, and his hair looked to be white and stood up straight in something like a crew cut.
He was wearing white pants and light grey shoes with a long-sleeved, cyan blue shirt under a thick, navy blue knitted vest.
He was also wearing a small, very shiny gold pin with the red letters of T.S.G engraved into it. Although his clothing was mostly hidden behind a bright pink and flowery apron. He looked to be around Kai's age, if not slightly older. Kai's eyes narrowed when he saw the small, gold cross hanging from this person's neck, but said nothing as he approached.
"Are you alright?" He asked warily.
"Yes, what's it to you?" Kai snapped impatiently.
"I didn't mean to offend you, I just noticed that you seemed distressed." The teen replied calmly and extended his hand for Kai to shake. "My name is Zane, are you here for the cooking class?"
"I'm Kai, and no, I was trying to leave but got turned around." He half-admitted, blushing at the memory of Cole's giant frame, but his scowl towards Zane never left his face. For some reason, being near this human upset his stomach.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that; but if you are hungry you could try my dish; I could use an honest opinion and you seem like a person who speaks their mind." He smiled before heading to a counter and returning to a piping hot dish. Zane had made a perfect pan-roasted chicken with lemon-garlic green beans. He held it forward for Kai to take, but the vampire jumped back as if he had been burnt.
"NO! KEEP IT AWAY!" He all but screamed, startling everyone. Realizing this, Kai straightened up and cleared his throat. "S-Sorry, I'm allgeric to garlic." He added nervously. Something flashed in Zane's eyes, but it went unnoticed as he took a step back and put the dish down.
"I apologize, I didn't know that."
"It's alright, no harm done." He dismissed and started backing up towards the door. "Look, this has been fun, but I've gotten better places to be than this dump." He huffed, knowing that it was a lie, but any place would be better than being near that dish of death or this teen who was making Kai more and more uneasy.
"I understand, but if you happen to change your mind the front desk can pro-" Zane started, only to be cut off when the brunette suddenly bolted away and out of the gym. Zane sighed heavily and got to work cleaning up his workstation and packing up the meal he made for later. After gathering up his things and bidding his classmates goodbye, Zane began the walk home, taking time to enjoy the warmth from the setting sun and evening breeze.
Halfway through his commute, but pale teen pulled out his mobile and made a call.
The person picked up after the first ring and Zane spoke coldly and as emotionless like a robot.
"I have found him."...
