affection

twenty five

friday, one month later.

things have been normal, or as normal as they could be. kai has been spending the majority of his time at elliot's and cooper's. anywhere but home.

he slumps his shoulders walking down the corridor, his bag feeling impossibly heavier. he's about to open his locker when somebody calls his name.

he knows who it is from the location and the tone of his voice, so kai squeezes his eyes shut and lets out an exasperated sigh, briefly resting his forehead on the cool metal of his locker.

he hopes that when he opens his eyes, he'll be gone. yet somehow, he knows that would never happen.

"kai, hey buddy." eric calls, walking towards him.

buddy? he cringes inwardly at the term.

"hey, i wanted to run something by you. is that okay?"

"sure, if it will take less than ten seconds." kai mumbles, looking anywhere but this man's face.

eric fidgets, "uh, i was thinking that- well... i wanted your opinion, really, uh..."

he finally meets his eyes, looking bored and he raises a brow. "what?"

"i want to propose."

"no, thanks. i'm taken." kai muses before he can even register what has just been said.

"uh. no, to your mother."

kai freezes up, feeling truly shaken at merely eight in the morning. he has no idea how to respond, react or how to even breathe properly. his heart speeds up, racing heavily in his chest, and he feels something rising up his throat.

"why...are you asking me and not her?"

"well, i wanted your blessing, i suppose." eric breathes as if he hadn't been for the last five minutes. "if you strongly oppose then i totally understand, but uh, i hope that's not the case."

kai still doesn't move a muscle, he feels suddenly dizzy and lightheaded. he wonders if it's the school air but knows it's just him.

"i'll think about it." he finally mutters, before speed walking away.

"i'll be here, after school if you want to talk then." eric says as he's leaving, "i'll uh, i'll wait here!"

he's shouting, but kai can barely hear him over the ringing in his ears.

he can't even bare to be in the same school as him, let alone the same roof. the idea of sealing the deal did not sound to kai, he's already there every day and night, why would he want to get married?

sure, he's at home all the time now, but anything could change that and he's not legally bonded into anything, he could walk away whenever. but marriage? as in, 'i'll stay by your side forever?'

no thanks.

when lunch rolls around, kai trudges over to their table, and the whole group are there already. kai hasn't uttered a word since earlier, he doesn't even think he's blinked since earlier.

"man, are you good?" cooper frowns, throwing a chip at him.

elliot nudges him with his arm when they receive no response.

kai nods slowly, blinking a few times and looking around. he spends a minute in silence, picking at the table and chipping the paint which gets caught beneath his nail.

once the lightheadedness starts to fade, he tells the group everything eric had said this morning before asking for advice.

they tell him it's his decision, and to not be selfish but think about his mom's feelings, as well as eric's.

he understands, so after school he trudges back to the classroom. he shoves his fists in his pockets, trying to stop his hands from trembling so much. his heart is racing so fast, he's about ready to google signs of a heart attack, but before he does, he enters.

"hi."

eric's manically grading paperwork, his desk is a mess of paper and pens. he looks up, as if to say, 'hang on.' but quickly realises who it is and drops everything he's doing.

"you're back." eric looks relieved. "okay, great. okay, i want to start by saying i'm a little more organised now so i can talk about this better than i did this morning."

kai just nods, and says nothing.

"also, sorry about that. i just wanted to tell you, i didn't think about how."

"it's okay."

eric sighs, "it's not. i should've handled that better. i should've started by saying, it's been a year almost since i met your mom, and in that year, i've not stopped thinking about her once."

kai frowns at this, hoping he doesn't go any further with this. he doesn't need to know how sappy he feels for his mother.

"i really love her, and i know you do too. so i wanted to run it past you first. i don't have a plan or anything... it was just an idea."

"okay." kai says, slowly, "but you need to know something first."

"i know your dad still comes around every so often." eric says, sounding firm.

kai shakes his head, then hesitates. "she's still drinking."

as the words come out, he regrets them, but figures he needs to know the truth. the rooms falls silent, the man in front of him noticeably tenses up.

"she stopped drinking."

"no, that's just what she's telling everyone. you know if you're married to her, you're going to need to be there for her... through it all."

eric looks disheveled for a moment, before readjusting his posture and shaking his head. kai takes this moment to leave, not knowing what to say next. he's always struggled talking to this man, he's never known if he's genuine.

but he figures, this would be a test. if he stays are hearing that, then he'll stay for good.

...
wc: 945
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kai is such a hater sorry