affection

one

also, just a pre-warning. strap in because this chapter's quite long, i wrote lots to familiarise myself with my characters again and their new lives.

thursday.

dust idly floats through warm, stifling air, twinkling as the sun beams down onto them through a window left ajar. the atmosphere is quiet, aside from the slow ticking of a clock that sits above the door, mockingly.

kai throws his head back with a yawn before returning his eyes to his paper. bordering on impatience, he taps his pen absent-mindedly, matching the clock's ticking pace as he scans his homework.

after a minute or two, there's a buzz in his pocket to indicate a message and he pulls his phone out, attempting to hide the device under the desk while simultaneously reading the message. as he reads it, his heart warms.

'the answer would be 672.'

kai's eyes shift over to the door, sending a thank you nod to the boy standing at the small window. he beams in response, pressing his face to the glass and causing it to fog slightly with his hot breath. kai shakes his head in amusement, writing the answer on his sheet. of course, he already knew the all the answers but he prefers having his boyfriend figure them out for him instead, as he likes to feel helpful.

he checks the time again, and feels a surge of relief upon realising it's only a few minutes until he's free to leave. he eyes the teacher, who sits at his own desk reading last week's newspaper while tapping polished shoes lightly on the floorboards to a rhythm only he knew. kai sighs and begins packing his things away.

the seconds seem to tick by at an agonisingly slow speed and he fights the urge to groan in frustration. the moment it finally hits four thirty, kai is up from his chair and out the door alongside elliot, his homework sheet crumpled in his fist before mindlessly shoving it into his back pocket.

"that was the worst." he complains, wanting nothing more than to leave this monotone building with same colour lockers lined along almost plain walls aside from the occasional poster or graffiti 'art.'

elliot glances at him, "stop getting into trouble then, idiot." he teases, his shoes squeaking against the overly-polished vinyl floor. "are we going to yours?"

kai shakes his head, "can't."

"why not?"

"mom's out and i don't have my key." he states, simply. "since when did we start going to mine, anyway?"

elliot shrugs, "wanted a change of scenery, we always go to my house."

"i like your house." kai huffs, pouting.

the pair reach a familiar door, letting themselves inside and locking it behind them. they're met by a warmth that sits in the air, spring has arrived and closed curtains trap in the rays of sun.

the house is big, a lot bigger than kai's, and he used to find himself jealous of living in a home like this. perhaps, he still notices short surges of jealousy each time he looks at the marble island in the kitchen, or the polished tiles in the bathroom.

elliot's parents work constantly, but last summer they were home for a few months to have the house upgraded. rooms were made larger, new devices were installed and now almost everything seems automatic. when the house was finished, the parents returned to work and the boys were left again. they used the time alone to paint and decorate their rooms, and stealing alcohol to bring to parties.

kai looks around the room, peering at the tv screen briefly. they greet another boy, who's too engrossed in his video game to give a proper response.

"sup, jake?" kai muses, curiously staring at the younger.