Drabble 17: All The Insults
"Your boyfriend is way too smart for you."
"I don't understand why someone of Kai's caliber would willingly spend time with a guy like that, let alone date him."
"It must be the sex. That's what relationships like this always come down to. Its sole foundation is lust."
"He's bound to get bored sooner or later. He's not all that good-looking for him to keep him for more than a month."
"They've been dating three years. Astonishing."
"He was never going to get anywhere. Obsessed with spinning tops. Hiwatari gave him a future."
"Cool watch there, Granger. Must be nice to have a rich boyfriend, eh? How do you pay him back?"
"Jeez, you must be phenomenal at sucking cock."
Kai's social circle is cruel and unforgiving towards him.
He doesn't let the insults get to him usually. But on some days, he can't ignore them.
And he starts to believe the things they say about him.
Parties like this make him feel absolutely worthless. Like he's good for nothing.
Nothing
He adjusts his tie at the refreshments table, trying to blink the tears back. Kai's at one of those private meetings again. Behind a closed door down the hallway at the side. He's fighting this battle alone.
A woman comes up to the table and helps herself to the drinks. He thinks he recognizes her. She's one of the many esteemed figures in this room. He gives her a polite smile when their eyes cross. The woman regards him disdainfully before returning to her drink.
His smile withers.
He looks around the room and feels an immense need to get away. There's no one here for him to talk to. Not without getting degraded in the meanest ways possible.
He decides it's okay for him to go to the restroom for five minutes. Kai requests his presence at these social events as he's his partner and it would look strange if he didn't attend. He knows they're mean to him. He knows they shoot daggers into his soul regardless of whether his back is turned or not. But he needs him to be present to keep their images from being tarnished even further.
Tyson heads in the direction of the bathroom. Once he's out of the hall and in a quiet corridor he feels better. He lets out a deep sigh and relaxes his stiff shoulders as he walks.
He's about to turn a corner when he hears voices coming from that way.
"Your conversations with him can't be that exciting," says a woman in a breezy tone. "Jennie told me the other day he didn't know what 'fiscal' meant." A laugh follows.
Tyson colours. Jennie. The economist. Jennie talked to him last week and it had been a nightmare. He recalls the 'fiscal' incident so vividly as if it was taking place right now.
"I am well aware of what my boyfriend does or does not know," he hears Kai's cool voice say and his heart thunders. "You don't have to tell me. Tyson has his own charms."
He feels the thundering halt, jerk and slow. Warm goop spreading in his chest at his words. His lovely words.
"And what's that?" The woman asks, snidely.
There's a brief pause.
"He's a good fuck," Kai replies, tone casual.
Tyson's face grows ashen. His ears close. The rest of their conversation muffling in his head.
I need to go home, he thinks. Home.
He turns away from the corner and walks back up the hallway. He opens his Uber app and requests for a cab.
The car arrives in a minute and he climbs in. Lonely. Very lonely.
I wanna go home, he thinks.
When he reaches their apartment, he goes straight to his office and opens his laptop on the desk.
He tries to work a bit. Working always makes him feel better, if not fine, after each one of these parties. Two and a half hours of being labeled as dumb in various intelligent ways can only be forgotten by getting something real done. He can't be completely useless if he's working. Contributing to society.
He's reading an email when a chat box pops up in the bottom corner of the screen.
XDriggerRigger is online.
"What are you doing?" says the text.
A smile curves on Tyson's face.
He clicks 'reply' and types, "working"
He knows what working means. "Another pArTy?" he responds.
"Yep. I'm tired."
"Your boyfriend's the shittiest for making you go. You're too in love to see that."
"He's not" is all Tyson types back.
"Hey. Don't worry about what those gargoyles say. You're an amazing guy. I mean, no one can kick my ass in CoD like you."
Tyson rolls his eyes but he's already smiling bigger and forgetting about the gargoyles. "You're shit at CoD and your friends are shit at CoD too."
"No, you're just too good."
He pauses typing when he hears noises in the hall. His chest sinks.
"He's having friends over," he writes to Driger, planning to spend the next few hours cooped up in here. Till the guests leave. Kai's friends are coming here straight from the party. He does not want to be anywhere near that crowd.
He's in no mood to be harassed in his own home.
They're not as rude to him in front of Kai but they still make jokes that are too mean to be just jokes.
Those jokes are acceptable to Kai. He doesn't find them to be degrading. Even though Tyson does. He'd told him once and Kai had said, "I thought you were stronger than to let your feelings fall prey to silly jokes."
He didn't argue with that. Kai is made of tougher stuff. Tyson is not. But Kai is never going to understand that. He thinks he can grow a second, tougher skin. And his friends will help.
He doesn't want his friends' help.
XDriggerRigger: Don't go out there.
DragonMaster: I won't. Wanna watch something?
XDriggerRigger: ;)
He's wondering about the winky face when Kai appears at the doorway. He wipes the smile off his face and stares at him blankly.
He's leaning his forearm on the door. Jacket off. Tie loosened and sleeves rolled up. There's a remnant of a smile on his mouth. "Left early?" he asks.
"Yeah" Tyson clears his throat. "Got tired."
He straightens from the door. Walking in.
Tyson immediately minimizes the chatbox and clicks on the browser window with his open mail.
He knows Kai noticed the sudden movement but Kai doesn't remark on it. Tyson rotates his chair to the side to face him as Kai comes to stand before him with his hands in his pockets.
He has a thoughtful look on his face. "Why did you really leave?" he asks again, his gaze kind.
Tyson feels his jaw clench. "I overheard you talking with some bitch I don't ever wanna meet in front of the bathrooms." He glares at him pointedly. "You were telling her the only reason we were dating was because I was a good fuck."
Kai gazes at him calmly, his lips parting as the understanding dawns on him. "You overheard a lie," he says. And Tyson wants to believe him. He wants to believe him so much.
"I don't know what's a lie and what's not anymore," he says and his voice breaks at the end. He drops his eyes.
Kai lowers to one knee before him. Nudging his chin up with a finger so he meets his gaze. The face before him is the face he loves. The face he's kissed more times than he can count. Yet it's also the one that breaks his heart.
Kai holds his eyes for a long moment before leaning into kiss him. Softly. Ardently. He feels his chest thrum and his heart leap in anticipation. His body knows.
"Does this feel like a lie?"
No
When he pulls away Tyson chases after him.
"I can't be gone too long," he says, excusing himself. "There are guests in the hall."
"Right. Sorry." He sits back.
Kai stands up and briefly touches Tyson's cheek with a finger. "Later" he says, giving him a small smile.
Tyson nods.
"You don't want to join?"
"No. I'm good here."
"Okay"
He leaves.
Tyson stares at the doorway he disappeared through for a moment before pulling up the chatbox and sending a text to Driger.
"I love him"