Swimming Against An Upward Current
He's up to something. Kai notices that Granger's acting strange when he's hanging out with the Blitzkriegs one fine Sunday evening and Kai's essay is in Granger's hands for him to type into his laptop. He's supposed to be checking for errors in the document before submitting it but Kai can tell his head is nowhere near the words on the screen his eyes are staring blankly at.
Kai turns his chin to look at Tyson who is sitting beside him on the stone bench. He's got the tip of a thumb between his teeth, the slightest of furrows between his eyebrows. Kai makes it very obvious he's staring at him but Granger is impervious to it. Completely lost in his thoughts.
It's unusual to have him this close and not hold all of his attention. He isn't paying any mind to Kai right now. Kai's gaze tracks along the side of Tyson's face, uninhibited, taking in his large brown eyes, the soft-looking beige-coloured skin, the one tiny alluring mole on his cheek.
You'd have to be blind to not notice Granger's doll-like features.
And Kai does notice them. Sometimes. When he's not being a complete pain in the ass.
Granger snaps back to the present all of a sudden, brimming with energy like he just got a brilliant idea. Or found a solution to a difficult problem that's been plaguing him. Interesting.
Kai wonders what it is.
Granger stands up, high spirited. "I'm done," he says to Kai, gesturing towards the laptop. "If you don't need anything else, I'm going to go now." Then he retrieves his bag from the ground and walks off before Kai says another word. Before he stops him.
Kai frowns, watching him leave. What is he up to?
He's hanging around Julia a lot. But not like a lovesick puppy or a horndog like most of the guys who cling to her. No. It's different. They're talking. Sharing stories about each other's lives with one another like friends.
Kai understands where Julia's desire to be Granger's friend is coming from. She feels sorry for him after all. Thinks he's being unfairly bullied and wants to be the nice one in their big bad group.
But what are Granger's intentions with her?
Why is he suddenly interested in getting to know her better? Inquiring about her life, her friendships with each of the Blitzkriegs, the experiences she's shared with them.
Like he's digging for information. For dirt. He's seeking something.
Kai throws his work phone on the bed, irked by the conversation he just had with King. The slippery silver-haired douche who arranges his fights is being stingy with money again.
He owes him a few hundred grands more for the last match. He keeps dawdling with the money. Today, tomorrow, tomorrow evening. Definitely by Tuesday.
Still no money.
Not that King has any lack of it.
He's just mad and upset that he has to part with so much of it. King was expecting him to draw, not win, and when Kai wins in big fights he takes the bigger cut of the profits. And the stakes were sky high last Friday.
If he doesn't hand him the money by tomorrow Kai will drop by his place and ask the fucker for the money to his face.
He strips to his underwear and heads to the shower. He's in the middle of soaping when he hears his phone ringing from the bedroom. Again.
He rinses quickly and makes his way out. Who is calling now?
"Kai, come to Le Pearl for a second," Drac's perpetually gleeful voice says into his ear. "There's something I want to talk to you about."
A second of his time that Drac is asking for actually translates to an hour. Time travels fast in Boris' cranium.
"It can't be discussed over the phone?" he drawls even if he knows the answer already. He likes to be blindly hopeful once in a blue moon. Today must be that day.
"Obviously not if I'm asking you to come down here to see me now, does it, Kai pie?" The tone, and the nickname grates on his nerves to no end.
Kai runs a tongue over his front teeth and forces himself to unclench his jaw so words can pass through. "I'll see you in a quarter."
"I'll order your favourite salad for you so you can eat it right after you get here," he says and ends the call.
Kai contemplates wringing his neck as a thank you when he gets there.
Granger's in the hall with Julia, looking over their old pictures. His old pictures. And giggling over them.
It's so strange to see them together.
Kai briefly stops by the couches, working on his tie and eavesdropping on their conversation. Julia is showing him that seaweed picture again. Why that photo is so hilarious to her Kai will never know. It somehow cracks her up every time. May be it was the look on his baby face as he'd screamed in horror.
He was such an ugly child.
Granger's eyes stay on the pictures and don't rise to meet Kai's. He doesn't acknowledge him. Kai wonders what he's aggravated with him for now and turns to leave the house. It's well past fifteen minutes since Boris' call and he'd like to get the meeting over with already.
Granger is malfunctioning. All throughout the day he's jumpy, tightly wound, crazy-eyed. He's stressed about something. That's for sure. He looks like he's doing something he shouldn't be doing and is afraid of getting caught.
Getting caught by whom? Is it him? Is he afraid of getting caught by Kai and if so what is he doing that Kai shouldn't know about?
He's breathing hard and sweating when Kai sees him Tuesday morning. Kai gives him a scrolling look that Tyson misses because he's busy trying to look normal.
It's painfully hilarious.
Kai goes to class, silently chuckling as he walks into the building thinking about Granger's state. Amused by him and his antics and not taking any of it seriously.
Which he learns, not much later, was a terrible mistake.
He's in the corridor waiting for the nurse to arrive and buzz him in, a bag of medicines hidden in his jacket's pocket, when he hears a shriek of pain from behind him.
He recognises the voice even though it's pitched up. No way.
No way.
Kai turns around, heart skipping a beat as his gaze lands upon Tyson Granger, hiding behind a plant and cradling a bleeding finger.
He can't believe his eyes. What is he doing here? How did he even find his way here? Did he follow him?
Of course he'd followed him.
The nerve. The fucking audacity to do such a thing. Kai stalks towards him but something stops him from laying his hands on him.
May be it's the blood dripping from his pricked finger. May be it's the gloves he's wearing and the bruises Kai knows are hidden under them. But his hands slacken by his sides.
Despite that, Kai's still so angry and shocked that he doesn't even know what to do with Granger. When the nurse finally reaches the room and asks him if Tyson's with him he says yes not wanting him thrown out of there just yet.
He had gone to all these lengths to get here after all. He might as well let him find out who is behind that door.
He stands in one corner, a tissue wrapped around his finger and hands folded before his hips, stock still.
He doesn't move the entire time he's in the room with Kai and his mother.
His mother seems better than the last time he'd seen her. Skin appearing brighter, a bit more flesh on her bones, eyes holding more spark in them. He thinks. May be Kai's just fooling himself.
The soup is almost cold by the time she finishes eating. He daubs at the sides of her mouth and feeds her a few spoonfuls of water as well before cleaning up and setting up her meds on the table.
He'd almost forgotten about Tyson's presence and feels anger bubbling under his skin again as he catches his unmoving figure in his peripheral vision.
Would he use it against him? Use his mother's fate as ammunition against Kai? Reveal the truth about her to the student body by tomorrow morning? Or use it as blackmail material to free himself from him?
He isn't ashamed of her but he knows what people would say about her if they found out. And his mother would never want that. She was always a proud woman, always hid her weaknesses from others, even from her own son.
No one knew she was depressed till her first attempt to take her own life. Kai had gone to that rooftop on a whim, by complete coincidence. She had been standing on the ledge, just one step away from falling to her death.
The sight of her son had disoriented her. "Go back, Kai," she'd pleaded with panicked, tear-filled eyes. "Go back. You're not supposed to see this." He had to talk her down from that ledge, beg her to put her hand in his and return to safety.
He lost her just a few months later. Most of her.
He gives her hand a faint squeeze before walking out of there. Granger chases after him. "I didn't know," he yells when Kai doesn't stop.
His eyes are sad and regretful when he turns around. "I didn't know, okay? Or I wouldn't have followed."
Like hell he wouldn't have.
Then he says, "I'm sorry".
Kai's stricken. It's like a slap to his face. He pities him.
But Tyson tells him he doesn't. "I'm saying I understand. My mother died when I was born. I know what it's-"
So they're going to bond over their dead mothers now? (Well, Kai's is alive but barely.)
If Kai had been angry before it's nothing compared to what he feels now. He's livid. It feels like his blood is on fire.
"You" Kai spits, "don't understand shit about me or my life."
He's almost shaking when Granger apologises again. Kai wants to ruin him.
"You've never apologised for your crass actions before," he says, sounding way calmer than he feels. "Don't start now."
When he finally wrenches his gaze away from him and walks towards his car he feels stripped and exposed, raw, like someone's skinned him alive.
He made a grave error underestimating Granger. When that boy was crackling with tension like a live wire earlier Kai should have watched his back, protected himself from the oncoming strike that was always going to fall on him.
Because Granger doesn't have any enemies, other than Kai.
He feels stupid. And the feeling increases as he stares at the texts Tyson sends him.
06:45 Granger: 'I'm not going to tell anyone, you know?'
06:45 Granger: 'I'm not an ass.'
Kai snorts. Not an ass. He's definitely an ass and an insufferable one at that.
He drives him up the walls.
Kai rolls out of bed and opens the blinds thinking about the hundred and one things he has to do today.
There's a knock on the door and Julia peeks in, "Coffee?"
"Thanks"
She pads inside and hands him a cup. "What are you all moody about?" she asks as she joins him near the window with a mug of coffee of her own.
He watches a guy cycle past their house in the grey early morning light.
"I'm wondering if I bit off more than I can chew," says Kai contemplatively.
A light smile comes over Julia's face. "I think you bit off just enough." She looks at him after a beat of thought, fondly. "I've never seen you try something and fail at it, Kai."
But he's failed at a lot of things. Important things.
"You'll be alright," she says confidently, then, "At whatever it is, 'cause I've no idea what you're talking about. You wanna fill me in?"
"I wasn't talking about anything specific," he says. He wasn't. He was just…doubting himself in general.
"Well, you'll be fine," she says, patting his shoulder reassuringly.
Kai gives her a slight smile. He's glad to have her. Any other day he would have asked her about Granger but right now he only wants to think of her as his friend. Doesn't want to associate her with him in any manner.
He wants a day of no Granger.
That seems difficult to achieve however as he plagues his mind even when he's out of his sight.
As he's reading a book, sitting in the library, his thoughts circle around Tyson. On the day before, when he was sitting across from him at this same table, undoing the straps of his gloves and letting them fall away from his hands. His wrists darkened by the imprints of Kai's fingers on them.
The bruise on his cheek from Kai's punch after the masquerade ball had just healed, with only a small patch of pale yellow skin remaining.
And the scabs on his palms, from that time he fell on the ground after being hit in the knees, albeit gently, by a car.
The memory of those wounds on him had made Kai stop himself from touching Tyson last night. Because it seemed as though every time he lays so much as a finger on him, he gets hurt.
Not that Kai doesn't want to hurt him. He dislikes Granger with a passion. But he doesn't enjoy seeing those marks on him. He regrets causing them.
"Are we having lunch together today?" Kristina asks, dropping her bag on the table and taking a seat next to Kai. I feel like I haven't seen your face in ages."
"I'm skipping lunch," answers Kai, then he says drily, "I saw you an hour ago."
She lets out a laugh, and reaches out to touch his arm. "Not in class," she says, her voice taking on a seductive quality. Her nails grazing lightly against his skin. "Have you been seeing someone else?" she inquires, casually. Not one to get jealous.
He shakes his head. "No"
"Then what's keeping you out of my bed?"
Kai sighs. "Work, I guess."
Her phone pings. She glances at it and then taps her fingers against his elbow. "Call me tonight," she says, getting up from the chair and brushing a kiss against his cheekbone.
"Can't make any promises," he says to her back as she walks away.
Kristina laughs, then says confidently, "I'll see you later."
"Um Kai," the security guard Kenzo's voice says through the speakers. "I was checking the feed from a couple of nights ago and uh…someone's been to your second floor."
"Not one of us?" he asks, standing near the rooftop pool, barefoot and wearing nothing but a pair of sweats as he eyes the campus buildings looming in the distance. He can see the men's dorms from up here.
"No."
Of course
"When was this?" he asks, feeling his jaw tighten.
"Monday morning. Around eleven."
"I see." He doesn't need to ask. He knows already. His blood's pumping in that way it does whenever he hears his name, before he's even heard it. "Who was it?"
"The Granger kid. He seemed to be looking around, searching for something."
Kai knows what he's looking for. It's so obvious. "Right. Thanks for letting me know."
He's fresh out of an interview as he unlocks the front door and strides into their house. The scent of Granger's shampoo or perfume or whatever it is he put on that morning lingers in the foyer. Someone needs to tell him that if he's going to be sneaking around and spying on people he needs to be more careful with his tracks. He makes little to no effort to hide his ill intentioned acts, almost like he wants to be discovered.
But Kai knows that's not the case. Granger doesn't want to be caught. He's just careless.
Kai takes the steps two at a time, all the way to the top floor and prowls around, training his ears for sounds because he knows he's in here. Kenzo had called him as soon as he saw Granger climb the front steps to the empty house.
Then he hears it. The soft thud of a heavy book being returned to the wooden case. When he walks into the library, he sees a figure crouching next to the shelves under the window.
Granger.
He kicks the door closed. Tyson jumps.
His eyes are wide as saucers, mouth agape, bewildered to find him there.
Kai feels a sneer curling on his lips. Did he think he was stupid?
"I got a call from my security guard yesterday," says Kai, voice even, once again sounding nothing like how he feels. "Telling me that someone other than the six of us had accessed the second level of our house. That was sloppy, don't you think? You could have at least found a way to turn the cameras off."
His face colours, faint pink dusting the tops of his cheeks, not unattractively. He never is. The blushing simply makes him prettier to look at. And Kai, angrier.
"I didn't know you had a security guard," he murmurs, still in shock.
Kai sticks his hand inside his jacket's pocket and pulls out the thumb drive, disdain painting his features. Granger's reaction is instant. Gaze locking onto the device and breath quickening.
He wants it so bad.
Wants nothing more than to escape from Kai's claws.
Kai's tempted to tease him with it. Dangle his freedom in front of his face like a carrot on a stick and never give it to him. He decides to do just that.
"If you're that desperate for it, come get it," he says.
Tyson gulps, confusion entering his gaze first then apprehension. Unsure what game Kai is playing. But when his lips part he poses a question that makes it seem like he's considering the challenge seriously. "How do I know if you've made any copies?"
There are no copies. He says as much.
Granger doesn't trust him. Accuses him of lying and Kai can't help but feed into that doubt.
"Guess you'll just have to take my word for it," he replies unhelpfully.
His eyes narrow, scans down Kai's form, sizing him up. He's considering it. He's going to try and fight him for the tape. Kai goads him anyway, to rile him up and make him do it.
Granger walks towards him, a storm brewing in his eyes. He attempts to grab the thumb drive that Kai quickly moves out of the way. His gaze traces Kai's face, expression begrudging. He tries again with his other hand and Kai slips it into his pant pocket.
He balls his fists on each side. Swings at Kai who dodges and steps out of reach of the next one. This is too easy.
Kai lets a smirk slide up the corner of his mouth. Infuriating Tyson who was losing his cool already. The storm in his eyes blowing up to a full tempest. He readies his hands like he's going to strike again and Kai prepares to evade them.
He gets a hard kick aimed at his stomach instead.
Kai flinches, but without enough time to react he can only turn his body slightly so that Granger's boot meets his hip instead of where he was originally targeting him.
He hits the ground anyway. The kick was powerful.
Surprise colours Tyson's features, mirroring the feeling running through Kai's veins. He didn't think he could hit him but he did. It irks him. Kai sets his jaw and uses Granger's momentary distraction to knock him off his feet.
He lands on his ass, but swiftly jumps back up before Kai's even completed a blink.
He's giving it his all, realizes Kai. Fighting with everything he got in him.
He climbs to his feet as well, shedding his restricting jacket and folding up his sleeves. Tyson's gaze roams over his body, making him feel things he'd rather not.
"Why are you wearing a suit?" he asks, savagely. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"I had an interview," replies Kai, flashing his teeth at him.
Granger attacks, lighting-fast with his fist. A brutal punch that would have done some serious damage if Kai hadn't moved when he did. But another set of bruising knuckles connects with his jaw just a second later. Disorienting him. It's followed by a sharp kick aimed at the side of his abdomen. Kai staggers back due to the impact.
Granger's bringing his A game, and Kai was wrong to assume he had no experience with fights. Clearly he's got training. Years of it. Kai decides to stop being on the defense, and attack for once.
To hell with trying not to leave bruises on him. He's not a baby.
Tyson jumps out of the way of the oncoming punch and Kai's fingers meet empty air. Impossible. His reflexes are good enough to match his. He swiftly throws another hook but Tyson dances away from that one too.
Astounded doesn't even begin to describe how Kai feels right now.
The fight goes on for much longer than Kai had anticipated. He's haggard and spent by the time it's almost over, though it wasn't that much of a physically draining fight. Tyson surrenders to his strength with a raw, animalistic scream that echoes off the walls and rings in Kai's ears.
Or doesn't surrender.
He refuses to meet Kai's eyes after. Keeping them tightly closed. Breathing hard, his skin glistening with sweat. Chest rising and falling with exertion under his thin shirt. Kai grits his teeth, wanting him to look at him. Admit his defeat.
Wanting him to give up, stop trying to escape. Stop going behind his back, sneaking around his house, poking his nose into his private affairs. He's only digging himself into a deeper hole with all those attempts. Kai won't let him escape. Even if he manages to steal the tape from him somehow, he'd find something else to hold over his head. He won't let Tyson go.
Not yet.
But Tyson stays stubborn, unwilling to give up, he'd rather die fighting. Kai pants, taking shallow breaths as his gaze roams over his face. His eyes open, after what seems like forever, and they look up at him. Kai expects to feel victorious, but dark smouldering embers meet him.
Fierce. Fawn-like. He'll never lose.
Kai's at a loss. Of words, of actions. He doesn't know what to do. Uncontrollable frustration mounts within him. Granger looks at him with confusion, curiosity.
He opens his mouth, to say something. Make a comment that would for sure gut him.
Kai braces himself but both of his hands are holding down Tyson's, so he silences him with his mouth.
A burst of pleasure rips through him as their lips meet, drowning out the noise in his head and halting the boundlessly growing frustration in his body.
Tyson gasps, shocked. Kai feels it against his lips, his skin. In his gut.
He pulls away a second later, unsure, stunned. The face before him mimicks the bewilderment he feels. He blinks, not moving a muscle.
Kai stares at him, breath arrested in his lungs, taking in his expressive brown eyes and punch-coloured lips. And he realizes he's drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Like the opposing poles of two magnets.
He's trying to fight the inevitable. Swimming against an upward current and wondering why there's so much strain in his body.
He gives into the incessant pull, just for once and Tyson immediately kisses him back. Shocking him. The pleasure he's hit with is comparable to none he's ever felt before. His whole body burns, like it's lit on fire. He lets go of Tyson's wrists and feels the pulse thrumming under his skin instead. Rapid. Fluttering. Matching the crazed thudding of Kai's out of control heart. He rubs circles into his skin, apologetic and regretful. So so sorry.
Then Tyson takes his face into his hands and kisses him in ways no one's kissed him before. For a moment, Kai's in a different world, a perfect one, one where they don't fight, then his phone vibrates against his leg through the pant pocket. Breaking him out of the trance, the illusion. He flinches Granger's fingers off of his skin.
He stares, surprised, a puzzled look quickly entering his eyes as Kai pulls away further and rises to his feet. "Kai-" he starts calling his name but Kai takes another step back.
His veins buzz with leftover energy, like he's been electrocuted just by touching him. He can't let this happen again. He wants to block out the sight of Granger's kiss-swollen lips and ruffled hair. Wishes he could turn back time. But he can't. Instead he turns on his heel and walks out of there.