I've always felt something went down behind the scenes that we did not get to see and I wanted to explore that.
This fic is dedicated to NonfunctioningAdultHuman. Something to pass her time while she is waiting on a long overdue chapter update.
CHAPTER 1It was not in Wyatt's character to transparently lust after a man, but who could deny that Kai was something special? From the aloof manner in which he carried himself to the nonchalant way he deflected each of Wyatt's clumsy attempts at starting a conversation. Kai was the definition of badass. How did none of his classmates notice? All of them were blessed by his sudden appearance but Wyatt was the only one making a deal out of it.
He should not complain, their complacency helped his odds? Odds at what exactly? Wyatt was not too sure about that. All he knew was that he felt a yearning to get close to Kai, to be the one he would finally entrust himself to.
The one to fix him.
He had missed his shot to join Kai's gang but he found comfort in the certainty that he would not have been cool enough anyway. He never seemed to make a dazzling impression on groups of people. Often ending up bully fodder instead. He fit that role snugly. By all means, he actually suited it. The key was that to not get emotionally invested. Which was easy, as Wyatt had his own interests. The taunting and torment quickly got old and lost its impact. By embracing the negative reaction no matter what he did, he was gifted the freedom to do whatever he pleased.
Nobody approved of his crush, that was for certain.
"Are you still obsessed with the guy?" The upperclassman retorted when Wyatt asked him for directions.
"I'm not obsessed."
Yes, he was aware of what people were saying about him, cause some of them lacked the courtesy to do it behind his back. Lately his classmates had gotten much too comfortable dropping the odd q word in his proximity. Not that the thought hadn't occurred to him independently. But he concluded his feelings for Kai were something different. Something pure. He appreciated him on a deeper level. His skill, his aura, his presence... that he so rarely graced them with. No, Wyatt was not off beating his bush turkey to the thought of him. He'd never do something so uncivilised. In fact, it seemed rather disrespectful. It was absurd to think of Kai as some unsoiled piece of china, but to Wyatt he was just that. Everything he'd ever want and too precious to touch.
The older guy did not get it. Letting out the odd snarl as he gnawed at his pencil stub, disgustingly, one might add. Sure Wyatt had expected him to be unsupportive but this was like pulling teeth. He defiantly kicked him in the shin.
"Do you know where he's at, or not?"
"Calm down. Judging from what he did to his uniform he's into guys. Don't think he'd be into you, though."
Wyatt stuck his nose in the air. "What makes you so sure?"
The guy pulled the pencil out of his mouth, a spire of spit remained attached to it. He waved it in front of Wyatt's face as he talked, flicking gross droplets at him.
"You know you're a loser, right?"
Sure thing, but Kai had a softspot for outcasts.
"I own it, that makes it cool." Wyatt claimed.
"It really doesn't."
Wyatt pouted. He should give up, save himself some shred of dignity. But no, this was important. Throwing his palms on the table like metaphorical cards, making it rattle. The senior flinched, though try to pass it off as though he hadn't.
"I don't want to date him. I just need to talk to him."
The guy grinned smugly and tipped his pencil in the air, pointing it towards the open window.
Wyatt followed his trajectory, in time to spot Kai leaving school grounds.
"Too late."
No it wasn't. Not caring whose books he knocked down, he rushed to the window, leaning out so far that he had to hold on to the frame for balance, collected his air then loudly called out his name.
Kai was either out of hearing range or ignoring him.
Revigorated, Wyatt darted past the teacher, not without doing a brief bow, then ran down the emergency stairwell, that students had been explicitly prohibited from using.
Kai had a bit of headway, but every time Wyatt caught a little extra oxygen in his breath he shouted his name.
"Wait! Hold up."
He could not keep screaming and running after him like the absolute creep, people were turning heads now, everyone but the one person whose attention he despaired over. Deciding he had to draw the line somewhere, he throttled his pace, opting to keep following at a distance. Much like a loyal dog. Not a stalker.
He was only watching out for Kai's best interest after all. And his butt. A little.
It dawned on him that he had no way to explain this. Should he say he had randomly spotted him in town? That was no good. What if Kai had heard him back at school and chosen to ignore him because he was spooked? Lying could leave him looking worse.
Simple. He would give him the same reason why he had wanted to talk to him in the first place. Though the more he thought about it that reason had been weak, and more of a far fetched excuse he had talked himself into being urgent.
This had been a mistake. What now? Turn back?