I am Extremely Sorry I am an Ass
"I am extremely sorry I am an ass," says Tyson, reaching forward to clasp both of Emily's tiny hands in his own. "Please forgive me. Please."
"No"
It takes twenty nutty chocolate filled doughnuts and a hundred apologies for Emily to stop shooting him death glares.
"Who's shouting at my girlfriend?" Michael slides into the seat beside Emily and puts an arm around her. "Hm?" he demands to Tyson, his voice unnecessarily booming.
"You fucking bastard," Tyson mutters at him. "You've been sitting there all this time without giving a fuck and now you're here?" He gives him a head to toe scan, like he's sizing him up for a fight.
Mike balls a fist and feigns like he's rearing up to go.
"Okay, Michael, get off," Emily tries to push him off, annoyed. "Your hand is on my hair. It's weighing my head down. Stop it!"
"I'm defending you, babe," he argues, retreating anyway.
"Not necessary" Emily says through gritted teeth.
"When did you two get back together?" asks Tyson, grinning.
"Last night" replies Michael, straightening his jacket with a tug, looking way too proud.
"And I regret it already," Emily adds, looking at him, but with fond eyes.
"So..." Tyson says after a lull in which Emily brushes lint off of Michael's lapel who preens under her attention like a puppy and Hilary sips on the dregs of her milkshake with heavy eye rolls, "I am planning to have a sleepover tonight. Would you guys like to come?" he asks everyone at the table.
Emily turns to face him with a high and mighty expression. "If we don't come, who would be there at your sleepover, Tyson? Max?"
He bristles briefly, then quickly defends himself. "And Rei!"
Hilary snorts straight into her milkshake. Tyson shakes his head at her. "Oh you-"
"Rei is busy tonight," Emily explains emphatically, reaching for a piece of walnut on the plate that had fallen off a doughnut. "He's busy this whole week in fact. He has that martial arts thing going on."
Tyson gapes for a second as he recalls that Rei participates in a martial arts contest/ tournament every year. He belongs to some club too. "Oh, that is this week?"
"Yeah! How could you forget that?" Emily mocks him, batting her eyelashes at him. He returns the sentiment, making a horrendous face at her.
He discreetly checks his messages. He had sent a text in the morning and Rei had replied with a thumbs up so he thought he'd be coming tonight. Apparently he was wrong, because...
10:04 Rei: Sry Ty, won't be able to make it tn8. Wud luv to catch up sum other tym.
He blows out a breath dejectedly. Rei did sent a thumbs up earlier, which was now deleted. May be he was still half asleep when he first saw Tyson's message. Tyson did ask pretty early. Though Rei usually is a morning bird, he does sleep in on Saturdays.
"Okay" He looks at Michael. "Mike, you comin'?"
The easy smile on his face fades a little as his eyes meet Tyson's. "Um, I'm going out for drinks with the guys tonight. I know I said yes earlier, but I didn't know it was a.." he points to the girls, "mixed event."
"No, it's alright," Tyson shrugs though it's really not alright, "It's fine."
Michael nods. "Cool"
Hilary's staring at him. "You?" he asks her again to give her an out if she wants one.
She shakes her head, a resentful glaze in her eyes. "Sorry"
Oh
"It's alright"
Emily observes their exchange and says with a tilt of her head, "Guess it's just me, you and Max then."
"Yeah" He glances at the crumbs left on the plate before him. "I'm gonna buy another box of these donuts."
He shoulders the door to his room open and sets the box down on his desk before going back out to knock on Brooklyn's door.
"Hi" he greets with a grin when the sleepy orange head appears in the doorway. The loose white t shirt hangs off his shoulders delicately as he appraises Tyson with a not too pleased expression. "What do you want?"
"Were you sleeping?" Tyson asks. It's still just 11. "I'm sorry"
"You're here for your pets, aren't you, Granger?" Brooklyn asks instead of answering his question.
"Yeah" He slips his hands into his back pockets and gives him a smile and shrug combo. "I miss them."
"Come in" he says, opening the door wider and stepping aside. The room beyond is bright and breezy. Lots of plants around the place. On sills, on the desk. Beside the bed. There are birds chirping by the open window. Some of them sitting and pecking at a tiny bowl with seeds in them.
"Wow, I like your room," Tyson comments, taking in that Brooklyn's is much organized and prettier than his. "It's pretty neat."
"Thanks"
"You don't have a roommate?"
His goldfishes sit on the desk. Near a spread open book.
"Not yet" says Brooklyn, coming to stand next to him as he reunites with his pets.
"Aww babies" Tyson cooes, hands clasped before him. "Daddy missed you."
Brooklyn smiles sweetly. "They're really lovely, Granger. A good breed too. Where did you get them from? Izumo Nankins are quite rare and expensive."
"Oh they were a gift," Tyson tells him, straightening up. He knows jack shit about fishes. "From a friend."
"You must be precious to this friend," Brooklyn comments, touching the tips of his fingers to the rim of the bowl, admiring the rare creatures. "I took great care of them. They're bigger and healthier than when you gave them to me." Then he looks up at him, almost accusingly. "You should take greater care of them."
"I will" Tyson promises. "I will. Thank you so much. I'll be sure to read up on them." He scoops the bowl into his arms. "Thank you for looking after them so well. I owe you one."
Brooklyn's jewel blue eyes glitter at him. "Well, you can pay me back tonight," he says with a mysterious smile.
"What?" Tyson gapes, one step behind, not quite sure what he's talking about.
"You can thank me for taking care of the fishes by coming with me somewhere. I have a place I go to that I would like to show someone else."
"Oh" Tyson nods slowly, finally getting an idea of where this is going but not liking it one bit. This has something to do with the Ring doesn't it? That thing Brooklyn mentioned to him once before? Oh Jesus.
The guy smiles at him brightly, eyes turning to crescent moons and teeth sparkling. "We'll have fun."
"Yeah, I'm having a sleepover tonight. With my friends. At what time is this thing?"
"A little before midnight. You can sneak out when they're asleep. Your friends are early birds, aren't they?"
"Yeah" Tyson nods again, slightly frowning now. This guy sure knows a lot about him.
He can't get out of this, can he? Fuck it.
"I'll see you...then, then?" Tyson asks, turning around, ready to flee.
"Sure" He smiles sweetly.
"Great" Tyson turns around, his head spinning, his pets cradled to his chest.
11:34 to Kai: I'm sorry
11:34 to Kai: For earlier
11:34 to Kai: Will you let me make it up to you?
11:40 Kai: ?
Tyson worries his bottom lip as he stares at the bubbles at the bottom of the screen. He really didn't want to ignore him at the café, but his friends were watching. And he wasn't quite ready to show his relationship with Kai to them yet. He should have given Kai a heads up however. Tyson sighs through his teeth. Kai has every right to be mad. Is he mad? The question mark implies otherwise.
Tyson exhales when the text arrives.
11:40 Kai: My house at 3
"Hi" he says, shifting from foot to foot, the box of doughnuts clutched in his arms as Kai leans against the open door in a casual white tee and grey sweats, his hair soft and fluffy. Is it him or is Kai ridiculously hot today? "Are you... were you...sleeping?"
Kai tongues his cheek and glances down at the box. In a good mood. "What is that?"
"Doughnuts!" Tyson beams. "Ah ah! I know that look on your face. You're thinking 'Doughnuts? Yikes, sugar!' but these.." he steps up to the threshold and holds them up to Kai, offering them to him, "these are sugar free and healthy! Yeah! I had them specially made for you. With peanut butter, bananas, yogurt and almond milk, with crushed peanuts sprinkled on top," he says and excitedly waits for Kai's expression to change from a judgmental one to a pleased one.
It doesn't however, and he says, "There's flour in it."
Tyson deflates. "You- you- A little bit of flour won't kill you!"
"It's a box full of doughnuts," Kai argues, calculating, "that's about-"
"Okay, okay, I get it. You don't want them." Tyson stares at him disappointedly, with his eyes big and upset because he knows they have an effect on Kai.
It's like magic. He doesn't even have to look into them with feigned boredom for longer than two seconds to change his mind. Kai takes the box from him. "I'll take one," he says, turning around with the doughnuts to walk into the house. Tyson follows him with a happy grin.
The living room is dim and hazed in a yellowish afternoon light because all the brown-coloured curtains are drawn and everything is neat and tidy. And quiet. Very quiet.
"Where is everyone?" asks Tyson.
"Out" replies Kai, cracking the cover of the box open and peering in. Tyson plops down on the new sofa that's been pushed up against the left wall in the hall. A coffee table is before it. The furniture has been moved around. "Did you redecorate this place?"
"Yuriy got bored," says Kai, before taking a bite of the doughnut. Something about the mix of doughnut and Kai makes his stomach feel a little weird. He watches him stand there and chew the thing with a halfway evaluating expression on his face and has a sudden urge to jump him.
Tackle him to the floor and ravage him.
"Kai?" he calls.
"Hm?" He looks at him, fully frowning now.
"Do you like it?"
Kai licks his lips, to catch the crumbs there. "It's not bad," he says, coming to sit next to him on the sofa with a doughnut in hand.
Tyson looks at him for a second and then leans forward to grab one for himself from the box on top of the coffee table. "Oh yum" he moans appreciatively. "These are so good."
"You didn't test one out before gifting me with a dozen?" Kai taunts, because that's what he does.
Tyson makes a face at him. "Of course I did. I'm very thoughtful. These are just so good they keep surprising me with every bite."
"I don't know about that," Kai mutters and hides his laugh by stuffing his doughnut into his mouth.
Tyson should be offended but he's so charmed he can't do much but narrow his eyes at him and then try to pinch his sides, saying, "You like peanuts."
"Peanuts, not flour," Kai laughs, leaning back against the sofa, dodging Tyson's assault by grabbing the one hand he was trying to attack him with in a fist and not letting go. He winds his arm around Tyson's waist, pulling him to his side.
Tyson's doughnut holding arm gets stuck between his chest and Kai's, so he offers Kai a bite. He shakes his head. "No, I can't eat anymore."
"Is it that bad?" asks Tyson.
"It's good, but I can't have more right now."
"Why?"
"What were the 'sorry's about?" Kai asks him instead.
"For ignoring you at the cafe," Tyson apologizes again, "I didn't want to. Or mean to! I just wasn't ready to show..." he looks at Kai's eyes, they're warm, "'us' to them," he says, hoping Kai would get it. "I'm still not ready. I'm also sorry for the things that Emily said to you. She didn't mean them. She was just angry."
"Emily is your ex, isn't she?" Kai asks thoughtfully, interrupting him.
Tyson nods. "I'm sorry"
Kai shakes his head. "Nope. She seems great."
"Really?"
He stares at Tyson. His eyes. His face. Looking for something there. He moves Tyson's doughnut-gripping hand out of their way then, holding his wrist and leaning into him for a kiss.
Tyson presses their lips together, holding it there for two heart-stopping seconds before drawing away to look into his eyes. But Kai doesn't look up, his gaze lingers on his mouth instead. For a moment, Tyson thinks he'll kiss him again, but he doesn't. He moves away, his lashes lifting when his eyes rise to meet his. He lets go of Tyson's wrist, sinking back against the sofa.
"When you came here, I wasn't sleeping," says Kai, his tone conversational and Tyson knows he's forgiven and they're good.
"Oh yeah, what were you doing?" he asks, lifting the doughnut to his mouth.
"I was working," replies Kai, "in my room", and then something strange happens. He looks behind Tyson, towards the ceiling near the staircase. And Tyson tilts his head.
"Your room is that way," he says casually, pointing, chewing on his doughnut, "Why're you lookin' up?"
Kai doesn't get it.
"You said 'my room' and then you looked up when your room is down here."
Kai raises his eyebrows when he understand what Tyson's talking about. "I work upstairs."
"You have another bedroom upstairs?" Tyson asks, dumbfounded.
"Hmm" Kai nods. "You've never been up there, have you?"
"No" says Tyson, "You never let me go. You told me not to, remember?"
A glint enters Kai's eye, like he has a sudden idea. "Would you like to see?" he asks.
Tyson's so shocked and excited he almost drops the doughnut. He opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out so he has to stick to nodding twice, gaping like a goldfish, barely containing himself.
A/N: I'm still on hiatus. These are new year treats. Shush.
