Days Go By | lavashipping

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“You should go to sleep,” Cole chuckled. He's been watching Kai fight to keep his eyes open for some time now.

“And you should go home,” Kai swiftly replied.

“You know I can't. I have to work.”

“This is unhealthy.”

“So is eating Cheetos at one in the morning.”

“Don't try to switch the subject,” Kai warned but they put the bag out of frame anyway. “Why are you overworking yourself like this? Something tells me this isn't your first all-nighter. I've noticed how you look when you come for coffee. I don't like seeing you like this.”

“I just gotta make up for some time I lost. It'll be fine.” Cole constantly tried to wave it off but Kai's concerned frown never seemed to cease to exist.

“Is it because of me?”

Cole paused. “What?”

“Did I make you waste time you now have to make up for? You should've said something.”

“No! No, it's not because of you. I just completely changed my idea last minute, that's on me.”

“Hmm.” He tried to get back to work but the weight of Kai's silence was distracting him. Sure, Kai was the reason he changed the idea in the first place but he didn't want them to feel guilty about it. This was a good thing. Cole saw the dress slowly come together, he slowly built his vision and so far it was one of his favourite projects despite having to spend a lot of time with it. He just didn't want Kai to feel bad, he did it for them. This was supposed to be a happy occasion.

“Watching you work like that makes me feel unproductive,” Kai commented and Cole was glad to feel the atmosphere become lighter again. He smiled.

“What? Wanna join me?”

“Oh hell no, I couldn't sew to save my life. Also, I don't even think I have anything here, so…”

“Kai, it's fine to just go to sleep, you know? You don't have to stay awake with me.”

“I don't have to wake up tomo– well, today, anyway. You're not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Damn, and there go my plans to curse your entire existence in peace.”

“Curse my entire existence? Come on, I'm a gift from gods, you should be praising my existence if anything.”

Cole nodded. “Sure.”

“Will you show me your work?” Kai tried again. With each passing day, they asked more and more. And Cole wished to be able to show Kai the progress since he was so proud of it but they had to wait. Unfortunately, they both had to wait.

“Not yet.” He didn't watch the screen as he was so focused on sewing the fabric correctly, avoiding having to re-do it or start all over again, but he didn't even have to see Kai to know what face he was making as he heard him huff.

“What am I supposed to do, then?”

“I dunno… Read a book? Or you cou–”

“Cole, I swear to all the gods that ever existed, if you say I could go to sleep–”

“Or you could go to sleep.” There was a scoff and when Cole looked up next, the was showing the messy bed absent of its owner. It didn't take long for him to get back, though. He jumped into the covers with a book in his hand.

“You know what's ridiculous?” they asked, running a hand through his hair and Cole shook his head in response. The benefit of watching Kai through a small screen was that he could watch his muscles move without it being visible. the downside was, well, it was a small screen. And Kai was just wearing a tank top… In all aspects, he preferred being with Kai in real life, not only through a phone. But it was still better than nothing. “My family, they all constantly give me history books and then they complain about me being a 'walking history book' as if that's not their doing! What a bunch of hypocrites.”

Cole smiled to himself, trying to pay attention to the colourful wires and how he was bending them. Not the simplest task. “You love them.”

“Well, of course I do. At least now I have something to do to keep you company. I didn't have much chance to get to this one. But the hypocrisy… I could go give Lloyd a bunch of Starfarer comics for his birthday and then call him a comic nerd.”

“I very clearly recall you calling me a coffee addict despite you giving me the coffee almost every day.”

“That's called doing my job, Cole, and it's been a thing for ages.”

He chuckled. “Just read, maybe you'll find out since when it's a thing.”

“Since 2,6 million years ago,” Kai replied without looking up from his book, so he couldn't see Cole's raised eyebrows.

“Still don't have to call me a coffee addict…” he muttered before they both fell silent.

After ending their conversation on a lighter note, Cole found himself working swiftly without thinking much about it. He dived deep until his mind went on autopilot. The dress on the figurine just beside him was slowly becoming more and more detailed, getting closer to the drawings that covered so much of his workspace as well as his thoughts. He couldn't contain the smile, there was simply too much excitement swirling inside of him.

Several times Cole caught himself humming some melody just when he noticed Kai doing so as well. And despite it being so late in the night he still felt quite energetic. Perhaps it was the good mood Kai seemed to always get him into.

Kai, who not too long after claiming he wasn't going to sleep fell asleep with the book laying open on his chest, moving up and down as he breathed.

Cole found himself staring at the peaceful sight a few times too much.