Reflection

He's not who he thought he was.

It's started to rain again.

Tyson sits in the living room, the tv playing on mute once more, his bare feet up on the couch to conserve body heat. A tiny memory chip in his open palm.

Kai's talking on the phone, in the hall, in his native tongue. He can see him through the foot-wide gaps in the partition between the hall and the living room, pacing back and forth near the stairs. Running a hand through his hair. Massaging his nape.

He's not who he thought he was.

Not cruel. Not immature. Not a predator who preys on innocent girls.

The chip lays in his palm harmlessly. The chip with the video he was scared to death over. The sword hanging above his head, terrifying him to no end, for the last three and a half weeks, turned out to be wooden. The most it could do was give him a hard butt on the head.

He feels stupid. Played with. Exploited.

He was hating on a man he didn't know. He'd believed all the rumours and the lies about him. What people perceived of him, and invented about him out of jealousy, out of spite.

He had thought the worst of Kai. Loathed and despised him so much his hatred was spilling into his dreams. His subconscious. And now it's hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he's not a rude fuckboy without a heart.

It's a hard to swallow pill.

His conversation with Kai makes Tyson reevaluate his own actions. How he'd been so quick to judge. How he'd acted without thinking twice about the person he was attacking.

He was in the wrong too.

His actions were not as justified as he thought.

Nor were they smart.

Kai had had the heart to take Tyson's overall welfare into consideration even when he was angry with him while Tyson had had none for him in return.

He was not the good guy and Kai the bad guy in this situation after all.

There was fault on his side too. And Hilary's. And other girls.

Kai was not the only one to blame.

Tyson sniffs. Wriggles his toes. They've started to freeze.

Kai's voice floats through the house, low and serious.

He recalls the fight outside the house he'd witnessed during the party.

Who was that guy Bryan was beating up? Why were the Blitzkriegs mad at him?

The phone call probably has something to do with that fight.

Tyson's getting sleepy. He should put the chip away for now. Watch it tomorrow morning. Kai had given it to him when they got back inside the house, without him even asking for it.

He's almost mad. That he's not bad. That he cannot hate him anymore.

"Is the couch comfy enough for you or do you want to sleep on an actual bed?" Tyson looks up startled. Kai's in the doorway.

He gives a light snort when he sees the expression on his face.

"Come on" he calls, turning away. "You're almost a zombie."

Tyson trudges out of the living room after him.

They linger outside Kai's bedroom. Before the open door.

He draws a breath. "Do you have socks?"

"Hm" Kai walks in. Pulls open a drawer beside the bed.

Tyson enters hesitantly. The room is warmer than the rest of the house since all of its windows and caramel curtains had remained closed throughout the day. He accepts the wad of socks Kai hands him, and sink down on the mammoth bed.

The mattress sinks under his weight. Fluffy and heavenly.

He pulls the socks over his feet, one by one. Kai retrieves something else from the shelf as well.

Tyson doesn't look up till he feels him slide it down his head. It's a woolen beanie. It covers his ears.

Nice and warm.

Kai's hand stays flat atop his head as he glances up. He's not exactly smiling as he stands in front of him, but his expression is difficult to read.

His irises appear almost completely black.

Tyson feels hot all of a sudden.

His skin heating.

He musters up a smile. To lighten the mood.

Dampen the sudden heaviness in the air.

The hand on his head moves. Kai's fingers almost graze his cheek when he takes them away. Exhaling slowly through his nose.

The room is so quiet his breath sounds loud.

Tyson glances away. And down. Then back up. And smiles.

He can inhale properly again when Kai steps back.

"Sleep well," he says. "I'm not going to share the bed next to you so you don't have to be uncomfortable."

He's walking out.

"Why? Where are you going?" Tyson pulls his socked feet up.

"I have something to do," he says, turning to look at him when he reaches the door, his fingers on the knob. Ready to close. "Pick up a package. Goodnight."

"Goodnight" He smiles.

He leaves.

Tyson's so tired he passes out as soon as his head touches the plush pillow.


Big brown expressive eyes.

Pretty pouty lips.

When Kai gets back to the house. He finds Tyson sleeping on his bed like a baby. Feet knocked apart. Hands thrown carelessly.

His clothes are slightly big on him. They puff out making him look soft and cuddly.

If he denies it anymore, he will go crazy.

He wants the boy. His body. His soul.

He pulls on the cigarette as he walks toward him. Places a hand on either side of his head on the mattress, hovering. Watching.

He blows smoke on the face of the sleeping boy. Slowly. Making him stir.

Baby

Prettier than half the girls in his campus. Cuter than every single one.

He wants him.

And he will get him.

But he will have to break through Tyson's defenses first.


A/N: The intelligence is unparalleled. I was supposed to include this scene in the last chapter. But I...forgot! In the rush to update it quickly. So now the structure of this chapter and the last is fucked up but let's pretend chapter 15 and 16 are a single chapter, okay? And not talk about this to anybody. Ever.

It's so embarrassing. God.

Update 14-07-2021: I deleted chapter 17 after uploading it to make a few changes. I'm sorry. It will be up again in a few hours.