Go Away, Kai

Monday morning Kai and Tala tease Wyatt in the hallway till the boy is red in the face and his curls are all messed up from him tugging on it out of frustration. He looks like he's about to murder them both and is holding back purely for the sake of the equally tomato-faced girl next to him.

Kai should feel bad but what else are little brothers for if you couldn't poke fun at them?

"What did you do that for?" Wyatt hisses at them as the girl finally manages to squeak out an excuse and escape from the Blitkzriegs' relentless ribbing. He glances in the direction she'd gone mournfully with a pout on his lips.

Kai swallows a laugh. "How long have you two been going out?" 'Going out' he says because Kai still minds his language around Wyatt. Doesn't want to offend his cousin's delicate sensibilities. He's still a part of their world. He still follows their teachings though his heart isn't cold or frosted over like the rest of the Hiwataris'.

Not yet

He's still soft inside. Squishy if you'd cut him open where Kai's all hard and jaded over like an ugly impenetrable diamond. Kai has a fierce urge to protect all those soft parts of him, shield that twinkle of joy in his eye from their cold, cold family who wants to stamp it all out of him. Kai tries his best but he doesn't have much hope of succeeding.

He colours some more, the tops of his cheeks dusting a deeper red. It's fascinating to watch. When was the last time Kai showed that much colour on his features? Though those are parts of himself he's happy to have gotten rid of. The last time Kai must have blushed that hard was probably when he was a five or six year old child.

He looks at Wyatt's grudging but innocent pout and thinks about how he means the world to him.

"A week" he says meekly.

"Aww" Tala coos, reaching out to fuck with his curls again. "The little lovers. They've been going out for a week, Kai."

"Stop" Wyatt pushes his hand away. "The bell's going to ring! I'm going to be late! And so are you guys!"

"He's telling us to go away," Kai loudly whispers to Tala who clutches his chest and mock gasps.

"You wound me, Constantin!"

Wyatt sulks further. "Don't call me that. I hate that name."

"Don't let Willa hear you saying that," says Kai, referring to his aunt who loses her shit whenever someone insults the family in her presence. Constantin is Wyatt's middle name and was the name of their great grandfather.

"My mother's not here," he says with a huff, crossing his arms.

"What do you mean?" shoots Tala. "Willa is everywhere. Willa is always watching." He holds up a reprimanding finger and points it at his face.

"Shut up." He rolls his eyes. "You guys are insufferable. And that's the bell." He throws up his hands as the bell rings loudly overhead.

"Alright" concedes Kai, sensing that the boy really needs to go now. "Go to your class." He steps forward and pulls him into an embrace with his hand on the back of his head, and brushes a kiss against his temple. "Don't hate us too much."

"As if I could" Wyatt grumbles as Kai lets him go and steps back.

When he's trudged off Tala elbows Kai in the ribs. He casts him a glare, bringing a hand to the side of his right lung. The fucker got deadly knees and elbows. "The fuck is your problem?"

"Why didn't you tell him?" he asks.

He frowns at him lightly, lost. "Tell him what?"

"About our plans for Christmas."

Oh that. Kai turns and starts walking, Tala falls into step beside him. "Christmas is months away," says Kai.

"Two months and we need to tell him we're planning to kidnap him before it's too late and his mother gets involved," says Tala.

Wyatt's performing okay in his classes but he's not doing great and they all have a sneaking suspicion that it's because Wyatt has zero interest in pursuing a medical degree. He's always been more of an artist than anything else but the Hiwataris would never pursue pointless degrees and Willa's piling internships on his shoulders when he's barely started college.

"If we tell him early he might not be able to keep it a secret from her," says Kai. They're trying to save Wyatt from spending his first Christmas as a college freshman attending internships he does not want to go to. The kid could use some time away from his controlling parents and the responsibilities they push on him.

"Tell him too late and he'll be underprepared."

"We'll come up with something for him," Kai runs a hand into hair, thinking. "Volunteering abroad? At a camp in Australia or something?"

"And then when she asks for details and calls up the organisers to check on him like the psycho she is?" Tala asks.

Kai winces. "That would be a train wreck. What if we just make up a fake internship opportunity for him?"

Tala snorts but his eyes take on a glint of inspiration. "With a whole fake company and everything? Because she'll look into all of that. Pros and cons and shit. Only the best for her boy."

"We'll make it as legit as possible," Kai shrugs, mind whirring. "Get all the paperwork and documents we need. Websites and social media pages. Build a believable online presence so she can research to her heart's content. It'll be the realest fake company you'll ever come across."

Tala bursts into laughter. "That's insane," he says, putting a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Can we actually do it?" They both walk into the lecture hall plotting.

Tyson hasn't interacted with Kai in a few days. Not that this matters to Kai which is why he hasn't made an effort to call or text him to run errands for him. Not really in the mood to talk to that fuckface but it sits in the back of his mind.

Especially when he sees him around campus hanging out with that redhead with the wild curls, the two of them are seemingly working on a project together. He's currently stood in the hallway next to her, listening to her while thoughtfully chewing on his upper lip, making the bottom one slightly jut out. Kai finds his own eyes being repeatedly drawn to him and gets irritated with himself.

The last time it was Kai who had initiated it, arranged a meeting in the hotel room (the memory brings shame to him now. His behaviour during that whole day, really. How had he been that gone for dick?) So Kai refuses to be the first one to reach out again. He's not that desperate. If Granger wants it he can come get it.

Kai's gaze floats to him again (again! he's so sick of himself) and wonders what she could be saying that's holding all of his attention arrested like that. He doesn't think Tyson has looked over at him even once despite him not being all that far away. He's in his line of sight. He simply has to look over that girl's shoulder. But he doesn't. Which is strange for him because Granger always has an uncanny ability of finding Kai in a crowd. Big doe eyes gliding up to settle on him with wariness.

They don't glide up now. They stay on his friend and Kai tears his own pair away and tries to focus on whatever the fuck Bryan is saying. He's not making any sense. He never does.

"Bryan, shut up," he says. His friend looks put out where he's practically lying against the lockers.

"Jerk" He attempts to kick Kai in the balls but he steps out of reach.

"We should go to Caesar's today," proposes Tala, using the temporary break from Bryan's yapping to pitch his plans for the evening to them. "Great food, even greater girls. I'm so bored of everyone here Fernandez is starting to look like the best thing on campus again. Let's go out, please!" he begs, appearing to be in dire need of help.

Caesar's is nice. They have pretty much everything you need to have some sophisticated nighttime fun. Kai might even meet someone interesting enough to take his mind off fuckass Granger. Why does he look good to him anyway? He's average at best. Clearly Kai's been spending too much time in Toho.

"Sure" he replies.

"Yesss" excited, Tala puts an arm around him and squeezes the fuck out of his neck.

He goes to Caesar's but the night doesn't go quite as planned. The food's so good he eats enough to feed a small army (losing track of the amount of calories he's consuming but he figures it's alright since he hasn't had a cheat meal in ages and he could do with some extra weight after the beating he took from that new guy in the last fight.

Fuck that kid, really.

He's trying to be all mature about it since he was younger than him and everything but that tie had been way too close to a loss and he's been obsessively watching the tapes from that fight as well as the kid's other fights to figure out exactly how he'd almost beat him.)

Then he's too full to do any of the crazy shit Tala wants him to do and he heads into the lounge with a glass of whiskey where he runs into a bunch of business majors from Toho and other adjoining universities and Kai starts talking.

You see they were talking about real estate and Kai's had this idea for a real estate company sitting in his head for a while and while his friends are great and he would take a bullet for each one of them they would never make good business partners.

Except for Julia but if he decided to start something with Julia Yuriy would want in on it too and while Yuriy's one of the sharpest minds in their campus he's also easily distracted, and always looking for a rush (Kai understands this. He feels the same itch too but he has more control over it.) The type to go for the riskiest option every time. So not the makings of a good partner. And if Kai were to keep him out of it while still working with Julia he would lose his damn mind.

Julia's not an option. Ian's not the most logical. Too quick to lose his cool. And Bryan and Sergei have no interest in business. So here he sits, proposing a test project to these three guys, two of whom he knows from his classes and one he's met before as a result of overlapping social circles.

They match his frequency. Takeshi Maeda, Yuugi Emaao, and Yamamoto Saruwatari. Takeshi is a chess genius, highly knowledgeable and brimming with ideas. Yuugi talks a mile a minute but he has a knack for thinking outside of the box and Yamamoto is the son of a real estate giant.

He could really do something big with them. For now he invites them to join him on a fun side project so they can all get to know each other better, see how well they can actually work together.

Hours pass and they're all on their feet, getting ready to part ways when Tala strolls in looking for Kai. "What is Lord Farquaad doing here?" he asks, looking straight at one of the guys Kai was just talking to.

Kai has to suck in his lips to keep himself from laughing out loud.

The guy who was offended, Takeshi, glances at Tala and thins his lips. "Remember that one issue of mine I told you about earlier?" he asks Kai.

"Yeah?" Kai responds, clearing his throat. Struggling to keep a straight face. Damn Tala.

"This is the issue. Him," he says nudging his head towards his friend.

Tala barks out a sharp laugh. "You have a thousand other issues, bicycle-face. Stop lying to my people."

"Yuri-" Kai starts but he's interrupted by a stunned sputter.

"Your people?" Takeshi blinks multiple times then shakes his head. "I'm not in the mood for this. I'm out of here. Kai, I'll talk to you later." The other guys follow him outside too after promising to keep in contact with Kai.

"You're not conspiring with the enemy?" asks Tala scandalised, walking up to him while rubbernecking to watch where the other dudes are going.

"I'm losing track of the number of enemies you have," Kai says drily, finishing off his whiskey.

"He was at Mai's party last weekend," he says like Kai should know what he's talking about. He does not and doesn't care. "I got into a fight with him. Can't remember about what though."

Kai rolls his eyes. He glances at his phone and sees a reminder for an assignment due at midnight. Oh fuck. He'd planned to ask Granger to do it but then he hadn't actually asked because he didn't want to be the one to initiate contact. "Shit"

"What?"

"I gotta go," says Kai, scrolling through his phone for the appropriate PDFs. "Got an assignment to submit."

His mouth makes an 'o' shape and he scratches the side of his head in thought. "I think I have one too but I'll turn it in tomorrow," he says with a shrug. "Sweet talk Sakura a bit." He grins wolfishly.

Kai looks up from his phone long enough to say. "You're disgusting."

"No, you're disgusting."

"She's your teacher."

"She's only twenty-eight!"

Wednesday morning Kai's wrestling Tala on the lawn, having got into a scuffle with him over something silly. It's a silly fight but they get pretty into it. He feels a few people around them stopping to watch but doesn't give a fuck.

When he's finally got Tala on the ground on his back he straightens up and pushes his hair out of his eyes, looking up with a half-laugh that dies in his chest when he meets a pair of warm brown eyes that have been evading him for more than a week.

He can instantly tell that Granger's been standing there with the redhead and staring at him for a while. Emily Watson has a frown on her face, but Tyson holds Kai's gaze and his lips pull into a small smirk.

Kai feels that look sear through his whole body.

He's unable to break eye contact. Granger turns away a few seconds later. He sees him say something that looks like "let's go, Em," to the girl and then he's walking towards a building, his back to Kai.

Tala forces him into a headlock then, arm slithering around his neck and choking him.

They get back to their bullshit.

She's a comforting weight on his lap. The scent of her perfume familiar. The softness of her touch on his face, in his hair, chasing the weariness of the week so far out of him.

Kristina's humming along to the song playing in the room. It's something Tala put on. He's on one of the couches nearby, along with the rest of his friends. Winding down together after a long day.

She kisses him lightly and he smiles against her lips revelling in how nice it feels. It's not a hot kiss. Doesn't demand anything from him. It's soothing. A hug of a kiss.

Kai and Kristina talk about their days. Tala scrolls on his phone, a cigarette between his lips. He's behaving tonight. Not participating in any obscenities because he and Julia are on good terms right now. Kai's not sure how long it'll last. She sits on the arm of his chair, on her own phone, occasionally talking to Tala.

Ian's sprawled on his back on the rug, reading a book. Sergei and Bryan playing cards.

Kai winds his arms around Kristina's waist and dips her back on his lap making her squeal. He buries his nose in the crook of her neck and considers taking her out. Would she be up for it?

He feels like going out.

He's about to ask her when Tala suddenly exclaims. "What the fuck is this?"

"What?" he hears Julia ask.

"Kai, you're not gonna believe this," says Tala making Kai look up from the nestle of Kristina's hair. "Granger's having a little party. And we're not invited."

Oh?

"We're not invited where?" Ian asks, sitting up, book falling from his chest.

"Why did we not know about this? Julia, did they keep it a secret from you too?"

"Oh it's Hilary's birthday party. I knew about it. They told me. I was planning to drop by later."

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Tala casts her a disappointed look.

"Why? You guys aren't friends with them." She wrinkles her nose.

"And you are friends with Hilary Tachibana?" he asks her incredulously.

"I am friends with her best friend."

"We gotta crash," says Kai decisively, standing up after gently nudging Kristina off his lap.

"Urgh, why are you guys so obsessed with this kid?" she complains.

"Right?" Julia latches on, glad to find she's not alone in her sentiment and has support for once. "Like it's getting old."

"It's so annoying." Kristina pulls out a vape from her bra and takes a puff.

"No one uninvites us," says Ian, getting to his feet as well and grabbing his jacket. "We're the VIP guests at every party on campus. We must crash and show them who runs this place."

"Say it, Ian," Tala grabs a bottle of whiskey from one of the cabinets. "Sergei, Bryan, let's go. Fernandez, you can come if you want."

"Fuck you" she says.

Kai's grabbing his keys and checking for his phone when Julia shakes her head and says, "You guys' cockiness is the most unattractive thing about you."

"Yeah?" sneers Tala, getting in her face. "Like you don't touch yourself to pictures of me, Fernandez."

They all stop what they're doing to look at the fighting pair. Kristina's jaw drops.

Julia colours a bright red.

"I would neve-"

"You have a photo of me under your pillow," Tala continues. "Like I'm your dead war hero husband."

Julia splutters. Fumbling for words. Kai looks at her flushed face and is so mortified for her he wants the earth to swallow them both whole. "It's a passport sized photo of you I found under the couch," she finally manages to say. "I was planning to give it to you."

"Why didn't you give it to me then?" he tosses.

"Because I forgot!" Julia shouts. "As if I could ever get off to your ugly narcissistic self-absorbed-"

Oh boy

"No one is more self-absorbed than you, Fernandez," Tala yells back.

"Yuriy" Kai gets in between them, grabbing Tala's shoulder placatingly. "We have a party to crash. You can fight her later. Let's go."

He's glaring daggers at her and Kai knows if he turns around he'll find a similar expression on Julia's face. He forcefully manoeuvres Tala out of the room and all the way out of the house. Bryan carries gigantic Bluetooth speakers on his shoulders.

The party is big. No, that's an understatement. It's huge. Held in the largest fraternity residence on campus. Lasers dance across the front of the house as they get there. They kick up a racket, shouting and blasting their horns, getting the guests who arrived early to move their vehicles so the Blitzkriegs can park their shit on the lawn. One Ok Rock is playing live in the backyard apparently and so the entire university is in attendance.

How did the Blitzkriegs not find out about it? One Ok Rock was coming to their campus and everyone knew except them? How did Granger get them to keep it a secret?

This is what he's been busy with last week, Kai realizes.

He snorts a laugh as he turns off his bike's engine. Oh he was going to make Granger regret pulling this stunt.

It's like Ian said. No one steals their spotlight.

Bryan blares music from the speakers as they make their way inside. People gawk and part to let them pass, excited to see what they would do.

The Blitzkriegs cause chaos once they're in the front hall, making themselves the center of attention. Tala pulls on a furry mask and swings a bat getting ready to smash the giant piñata hanging in the center for Hilary who's currently not in the vicinity. "Let's get the party started, people!" he crows at the top of his lungs, kicking up a cacophony of cheers.

Kai's gleefully watching him bash the thing in when he notices a familiar doe eyed face in his periphery. Frightened and pale. He doesn't attempt to go near Tala. No one does because there's a good chance to get your skull cracked. But he spots Kai (uncanny ability) and makes a beeline for him.

"Stop it, Kai," he says to him, voice filled with emotion.

"I'm not doing anything," he says innocently, enjoying the way Granger's almost falling apart.

"You've ruined her life enough," he says, words shaking, body shaking, looking like he's seconds away from snapping. "I'm not going to let you hurt her anymore. Go away. Now."

Kai looks away nonchalantly because he knows it'll piss him off more. "It's a great party, I have to say. You killed it. You and the redhead plan it all by yourselves? How did you get everyone to keep it a secret?"

"Kai, please," he pleads through clenched teeth, trying to catch his gaze. Funny that. He's been avoiding Kai all week long and now he's fighting to get his attention. "She doesn't want you here. Stop ruining her party. I'm begging you."

"You're being a terrible host right now, Granger. Throwing your guests out?" He clicks his tongue. "Not very hospitable. What are you scared of, anyway? We're not going to do anything."

"You're doing enough!" he shouts, pointing towards Tala without looking away from Kai. "I'm not stupid, Kai. I know why you're here. Take your friends and stay away from her."

"Who said I'm here for her?" asks Kai, dropping the cool act and finally snapping.

Granger shuts up, staring at him stunned. There's a tense silence between them for a few seconds then he says with clenched teeth and fiery eyes, "Go away, Kai."

"I think I'll stay."

"I don't want you here."

"Well, I don't care about what you want."

"Go away," he growls and it's coming from somewhere deep within him.

Kai can't help but lean in. It's intoxicating. He stops himself just a breath away from his lips, so close he can feel the heat of his skin, and asks, "Or what?"

Tyson's gaze hardens. That something he's been keeping in check finally breaking its chains and leaping free. He doesn't say anything in return. He simply pushes past him, slamming into his shoulder hard and heading towards the front door. He stops to open the closet and grabs something from in there before making his way out.

It takes Kai a second to put two and two together. But then he does and his blood runs cold.

His bike. He's going for his bike.

Thanks to One Ok Rock and his friends there aren't a lot of witnesses outside for this display of madness.

Kai's footsteps falter on the front steps as he sees Tyson preparing to swing a metal baseball bat down on the side of his brand new, gorgeous and lovely motorbike. It's a scene straight from his nightmare.

"Take your friends and leave now or I will do it," he threatens. "I swear"

Kai doesn't think he'll actually do it. Who would knowingly fuck up such an expensive bike?

"Really?" Kai sneers confidently but his heart skips a beat unconfidently when Tyson pulls the bat back as if he's going to bring it down that very instant. "How are you going to pay for it?" Kai hisses at him angrily.

"I don't know," yells Tyson. "I don't care! I'm tired of this. I'm tired of putting up with your bullshit. You said you weren't going to let me off the hook so let's just ruin each other's lives for the rest of eternity."

He sounds crazy. He's lost it. He's a man at the end of his wits. And that's when Kai realizes how much he's been pushing Tyson. Pushing and pushing and pushing and now he has reached his limit.

Kai's found Tyson's limit.

"You insane mother-" He sees it in his eyes. The moment he decides to do it. Who would destroy an expensive bike? Tyson Granger that's who. "Fine!" Kai shouts.

His ego's just not worth losing one of his most prized possessions.

His heart nearly stops in his chest as the bat comes to a halt inches away from the pristine surface of his bike. He never should have brought it here. Granger looks at him with wide stunned eyes, he can't believe he was actually able to stop on time.

Kai thinks he looks relieved but it's dark so he can't be sure.

He strides over and tries to take the bat from him but Tyson steps back. "Take your friends with you," he says in a demanding tone.

"I'm not the boss of them," says Kai, scoffing.

"They listen to you," argues Tyson. "Take them with you and go away," he demands.

"Like I said-" he starts.

"No, Kai!" Tyson raises his voice. "I'm not negotiating with you. You are taking your friends and leaving or I'm going to trash your motorbike."

He could try to snatch the bat from him. But there's a possibility that Tyson will swing and then he will be committing murder instead of vandalism and Kai's not sure Granger wouldn't go there for Hilary. He just might.

Kai meets his eyes and what he sees there robs him of all common sense. He takes a step forward and Tyson growls low in warning, "Go away, Kai." Hoisting the bat again.

"Go away!" he screams in his face. It's raw. It's desperate. Clawing its way out of him, bruising against his vocal cords.

Kai's never wanted anyone more.

"Tyson?" Comes a soft call from the front steps. They both look towards it to find Hilary in a pretty white dress standing on the porch, appearing concerned as her gaze darts between the two of them, growing more worried with each passing second. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Kai was just leaving," says Tyson, stepping back and lowering the bat. "With his friends." He meets his eyes.

Kai holds his stare for a long moment, then he finally inclines his head in agreement, conceding despite wanting to do otherwise.

Hilary's brow creases. "Well, they need you inside, Tyson. Come quickly okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second," he says.

She leaves.

Kai notes it only distantly, his gaze locked on Tyson as he steps into his space and reaches for the handle of the bat, his fingers wrapping around Tyson's. He gently eases the bat out of his hold.

He lets him take it.

Trusting him to keep his word.

He watches Kai call Tala with the bat resting on his shoulder. Away from the bike and away from Tyson's dangerous hands. Once he's called his friends back Tyson heads inside without another word to him.

Kai places a hand on his untouched bike and releases an incredulous breath. "Psychotic fucker"