Kai Parker One Shots

Knowledge is Power

"Sounds like a plan." You flash a just as amicable smile back, and gather your textbooks from inside your bookbag. The index is easy to read, and you find the first out of the three subjects he'd mentioned fairly quickly. A quick flip brings you to lengthy paragraphs chock full of all the knowledge your brain would have to not absorb but remember in order to pass.

As shades of raspberry, orange and plum make for a gorgeous sunset out the glass window you lose yourself in the text all the while reminiscing as to how you two met in the first place. It had been your first day of class freshman year and just as you'd peeked at an incoming text you'd both collided. Out from your grasp the phone had slipped and nearly made contact with the pavement until he'd saved it with his quick reflex. Had it not been enough stress to be starting at a new school? Embarrassing yourself in front of a stranger too? "I'm so sorry, I should've been more attentive," you had apologized, hoping they would brush it off. And as you'd finally discovered who, you'd known he would as he looked guiltier than you.

"Are you kidding? They might as well call me Kai the klutz, I'm forever bumping into everything." A tiny snort came out as he laughed, and it had almost been endearing. "Hope you'll forgive me, and that I'll maybe see you around." And with that, he'd walked past you, but when he was a good distance away he'd turned once more only to find that you'd been watching him depart.

That was then, and in the now, it was happening all over again except this time he was ogling you over the page he was reading. Sneaking little glimpses and thinking you were entirely clueless, until it was returned. Not at all faltering, he pushes his dark framed glasses up the bridge of his nose and wonders what thoughts are roaming in your mind.

Notes seem so much less important now, and against the leg of his pants you graze with the tip of your ankle boot to see exactly what kind of reaction he has. A gentle jump gives you some insight to the fact he may be just a little afraid, possibly intimidated. Why, though? The only logical reason would be that he has a crush, because any others would be invalid due to the fact most of the time you were quiet. Rarely speaking up in class. Hating conflict. Avoiding phone calls often. "Oops, didn't know you were right there."

"No worries." A nonchalant attitude felt like an easy route so his feelings wouldn't be so obvious, and he pretends to have a keen interest in the material. "So, the biological domain system. Archea, bacteria and eukarya. Can you tell me what kind of cells archea have?"

"Prokaryotic, and also, I feel so bad that you're wasting your day helping me when you could be spending it with your girlfriend." Dinner, a movie theater, even a trip to the local supermarket would be more exciting than spending hours on schoolwork you already devoted most of your time to.

Malachai spins his wooden pencil, and looks amused as though it was the most humorous thing he'd ever heard. "I'm honestly flattered that you think I have one, when I actually never have."

"Whoa, you're not actually serious? I don't mean to offend you." A man in his early 20s in college, seemingly harmless and physically attractive was single? He couldn't possibly be telling the truth. It was like you deeming yourself a prude when you'd had a good amount of hookups and failed relationships.

"Dead," he sighs, noting your disbelief and pondering why you would think the opposite. "My friends like to joke that I'm saving myself, but in reality it's not like I enjoy feeling lonely. Not that it's so terrible being on my own, but everyone wants someone." Should he pry further? "Is there any reason you were assuming I had a woman in my life?"

It was your turn to be surprised and so you acted as though it was no big deal. "Oh, none in particular, but you're not exactly atrocious. I can't see why girls would look past you."