Chapter 7

Why was it so damn hard to maintain normality after a kiss? Why did they even bother pretending? Kai damn well was thinking of it every passing second and based on Wyatt's unhinged actions these past days, the kid was even less restrained.

Out of gentlemanly obligation, not wanting to seem like he'd kiss and run, he accompanied him to his dorm room, which was orderly, but not quite tidy like his own. The bed was unmade, and the inside of his mugs stained from tea, which he had enthusiastically offered but Kai declined. He intentionally let himself down on his desk chair, forcing Wyatt to sit on his bed, some distance away. Unable to make direct eye contact, he gazed around the room which to his surprise wasn't stacked with fan posters of his likeness, though there was the faint outline on the smoke-stained wallpaper, along with snippets of recently removed tape. The dorms underwent thorough cleaning on a regular basis, but those could be the remnants of previous occupants. He decided to give the kid the benefit of doubt.

Unfamiliar with how to start a conversation, he addressed the most noteworthy set piece. Normally it was Wyatt doing the talking but he was busy watching him with hungry eyes, frankly it was getting a little unnerving.

"What's with the radio?"

Wyatt broke his stare.

"It used to be my mom's."

The way he said it sounded unusually sombre. His sudden switch of mood made Kai uneasy.

"Did she pass?" He asked politely.

"No, nothing like that. She has... problems. It was deemed better to send me here since my dad works a lot, so he doesn't have time to parent me." He said the words with little conviction, as though it was a trained response.

Kai just nodded. He knew an unhealthy family dynamic when he saw it, and it was better not to pry. Right? Or did that fall under his responsibilities now? Wyatt had not brought up their status or anything, though knowing him, he definitely considered him his boyfriend now. Good grief. Kai had not the heart to shut it down.

Wyatt piped up. "It's not just a regular radio, it has custom features, wanna see?"

It was odd looking indeed, with lots of add-ons that had been amateurishly attached. Like an unpolished version of a gadget Kenny would build.

"Mom modified it so if you turn this dial all the way up you can actually catch police frequencies."

That gave Kai a fair indicator or why she had been deemed unfit. Though he couldn't help but be impressed.

"The school let you keep a pirate radio?'

"It's not like I told them what it is."

And they likely didn't ask. Even the staff was avoiding engaging with Wyatt, something about his enthusiasm rubbed them the wrong way. It's like they were afraid of losing the cool kids' respect. The cool kids who defined themselves by not being enthused by anything. Before the tournament, he himself had fallen into that category. Not like that alone had made him popular, he lacked the social battery for that.

Wyatt was unapologetically excited about stupid things, and the fact he did not let his social reputation influence that made him cool in his own way.

There were those thoughts again. The ones where he got enthused about Wyatt. They had not been present all afternoon, a welcome relief. This guy had risked his own well-being to stand up for his sake. It had been emasculating but he had not minded. It surprised himself how okay he was with it. If he thought about it, Wyatt had always been the man, the pursuer, the hero, and he the damsel in distress. Not so much physical, but psychological, and this man had pulled him out of it. Who could blame him for falling for him?

Even though Wyatt felt the same way, Kai was afraid to let him know. Liking something and committing to it were two different things. He never was one for commitment. And breaking the commitment would hurt them both.

Even if that left Wyatt strained with anticipation, which was nothing compared to the pain of betrayal. The agony he had seen it in the Bladebreakers eyes, which replayed in his head every time he considered picking up a relationship with him. The Bladebreakers had tolerated, even liked him, but Wyatt adored him. It would hurt him so much more. No, he could not do that to him. No, he would not do that to him.

No gain, no pain. Easy as that.

They spent the evening discussing everything but the kiss. Wyatt asked him about his family and Kai found himself opening up about it. Nothing too serious. He admitted they didn't gel, and Wyatt nodded in agreement.

"I don't find myself fitting in with my clan either. My mom and Dad are both so different. They're on two camps. And neither knows what to do with me."

Whilst he was revering about his home his arm became entangled with Kai's who had at some point in the evening had conceded and to sit next to him on the unkept sheets.

Their bodies fit in place so naturally.

"Are you going to return to live with them after school ends?" Kai tried to sound detached, but his stocky breathing betrayed him.

"Knowing my dad, he'll pay for University in England or some place far away. I think we will just drift apart and that's how it's supposed to be. Maybe it's me there's something wrong with? At this age I should be ready, no, flocking, to leave the nest."

Just like himself, Wyatt had been denied the affection necessary to accept that he was good enough on his own. Like himself he was left wandering the world, lost and unprepared for the darkness that contained it. This should have been the moment where Kai offered to traverse it together.

Instead, he shuffled to the side, putting space between him and his hopeful lover.

It was unusual for him to spend an evening talking, but it was still less intimidating than opening up emotionally. They tapped into some police frequencies and tried to guess what type of incident had occurred based on the number of officers dispatched. Wyatt kept a look-up table of call codes. Most he had filled in over the years, some had question marks behind them. Like "611 - Dog attack? Animal attack?". Others were still blanks.

"This one right here-" Wyatt tapped his pen at 909. "-intrigues me the most. It rarely pops up, but when it does it's a big dispatch with ambulances and officers."

"Shooting?" Kai decided to play along. It was fun to guess.

"In Japan? Firearms would make the news. I check the papers."

"Right, amateur mistake." He admitted.

"You've got a sense for this." Wyatt professed, nudging him on.

In truth Kai was enjoying himself. They did share some interests after all: Beyblading and law breaking. It was a start. A foundation they could build on.