Footprints in Your Heart

Kai: Soldier (Part 1)

Trigger warning: homophobia including the f-slur, verbal and physical bullying and violence (not graphic).

A/N: Okay, because I have crap feel for timing I'm gonna need to split this one into two parts. I hope you guys enjoy :) and if you're in the future and people are actually reading this, please comment! I'm lonely and desperate.

'Remy, Remy, quite contrary,' a voice sings out, and a girl with possibly the highest-wattage smile I have seen on a human in my life steps out from behind the jacaranda. My eyes are drawn to her intricately woven braids, thin threads of a multitude of colours criss-crossing through her hair. The exposure lines of Christmas lights waving in the wind.

Remy turns around and groans as the girl saunters up to us. 'Haze, not in public.'

The person who must be her friend, Hazel, grins and ducks away from Remy's half-hearted punch, landing herself on the ground next to me. 'And you're the one who's big on freedom of speech. I'll sing your rhyme whenever I want, thank you very much.'

'If you do, you will sincerely regret it.'

Hazel shrugs and leans her chin on her knee. 'As loudly as I want, too.' Her eyes flick across to me. 'Hi, who're you? Don't think we've met.'

I clear my throat. 'Hey. I'm Kai. Just moved here.' Hazel's eyebrows are still raised a little like she's expecting more of an answer, but I can't think of anything that would fit smoothly into the runway of our conversation. Instead, I offer a handshake. It's awkward because I'm holding her hand a lot more firmly than she's holding mine, but it's over quickly.

'Nice,' she says, and it sounds genuine. 'You know, you might just be the catalyst for change in Fernsworth.'

'I...huh?' I'm the opposite of a catalyst. I hate change. I'm the backdrop of an oil painting, the water in a stagnant pond that slows the fish down as they swim back up to the surface.

'Yeah. We're not even the smallest of towns, but nothing ever happens here. The high point of last year was probably when Mrs Sato down the road got a pet goat.'

'That was wild,' Remy deadpans, shaking her head. They glance at each other and grin. I miss it, the ease of being able to look over at someone like that and share memories without saying a word. I miss it so much.

'So,' Hazel begins, casting her eyes over to me. 'On another note. As Rei-Rei's bestie, Kai, I've got to do some secretarial work.'

'Er... all right,' I say, because I have no idea where this is going.

'Haze, there's no –' Remy says exasperatedly, but Hazel quiets her with a soothing hand. The clear polish on her fingernails glints in the afternoon sun.

'Shhh. I just wanted to make it clear,' she continues, turning to me again. 'You can get all comfy under this tree with Remy, but if there's romantic involvement, or heart-breaking, or hurting her in any way, I will be hearing about it. And then your balls will hear about it. From my foot. Very shortly afterwards.'

'I – what?' I'm lost for words, so I stage a coughing fit and hope that explains the blush that has crept all the way up my neck. It's almost as bad as the other day when Remy caught me on the phone to Milo.

'Ha-zel!' Remy shoves her, but she's smiling as she absent-mindedly pats my back. 'Don't. You know I'm...' She trails off, giving her friend a significant look.

'It's fine,' I say once I've pretended to recover, looking Hazel in the eye. 'I give you full permission to kick me, um, there. If Remy thinks I'm acting unfavourably.' I hope I've conveyed that my intentions are purely decent, but also that I really don't want to be kicked. Hazel's shoes look dense enough to punch a hole in a wall.