Work Text:
His boots click against the pristine floors as he walks, eyes jumping from one colourful board display to another. He tightens his grip on the bag slung over his shoulder as he checks the room number on his phone once more.
The sun beams through the hall window and from here he can see his car in the parking lot, the school gates, and the street across the road from him. It's a beautiful area, he thinks to himself, quiet but homey.
He walks past a few classrooms and comes to a stop before two heavy looking doors. There are large glass panels in each and when Kinger peeks through he can see what looks like the hall. He can't see much from this angle, but he can see the backs of a few steel chairs.
There’s a keypad on the door and he quickly takes the card attached to his lanyard that's around his neck and he presses it against the reader. He takes in a deep, steady breath as he hears it beep and then the little lights turn green, he drops the card back to his chest and pushes open the doors.
The hall is small and his steps echo as he walks up the makeshift aisle and towards the stairs that lead up to stage, eyes on the dark carpeted steps. There are only about four steps so the stage isn't as high up, for that he is grateful, he's never been good with people staring at him.
Ironic that he's a teacher- though kids were nowhere near as bad as adults....mostly anyway.
A familiar dog man stands on the stage, just behind the dark wooden podium and when he spots Kinger he smiles, tail beginning to sway slowly behind him. "Ah Kinger, good to see you again!"
Kinger smiles at the principal, Scratch, and makes his way over to the stage. He climbs the steps and holds his hand out to shake the other man’s. "Thank you, again, for this opportunity" Scratch waves him off and gestures to the seat that he's just now noticing on the stage, right beside the podium "take a seat" He says "The rest of the teachers should be here soon and I would like to introduce you to them before you officially start tomorrow"
Kinger nods to that and makes to sit down, shrugging off his bag and placing it on the floor next to the chair leg. "How many teachers are there?" He wonders out loud, eyes following Scratch as the dog moves around the podium.
"Fifteen all together" He says, looking over to Kinger as he sorts through the papers in his hand. "Though only five are able to make it to this meeting, the others all have classes" it makes sense with it being Monday and all- which is why he agreed to start for real tomorrow. That way he can get to know everyone properly rather then trying to squeeze it into the lunch break.
Honestly, this whole thing has been Scratchs idea, so that the teachers weren't blindsided by his sudden start. If it had been up to him he would have started tomorrow and everyone else would have had to deal with it. He doesn't like being the center of attention, others asking him questions- it's all a bit nerve wracking!
Kinger nods to Scratchs comment, and then he looks ahead at the sound of the door opening. He hears chatting and then watches as a purple rabbit comes waltzing in, looking completely bored, with a smaller woman beside him.
The rabbit is wearing a simple white shirt, black tie and black trousers. While the woman's beside him seems to be wearing similar clothes, just without the tie.
She looks human at first glance but Kinger is then able to see the deathly paleness of her skin and the contrasting blush on her cheeks making him realize that she's not.
Others come in behind them, a Plush doll with bright red hair, an amalgamation and even a Ribbon Wielder. Kinger looks at all them and notices they all look quite a bit younger than him, and he can't help but wince to himself, more than grateful that his face isn't too good at showing emotions because y'know, it's mostly blank.
They all come over to the chairs and sit down, talking amongst themselves with a very obvious familiarity. It's not dissimilar to how he and his colleagues were at his old school, of course it's strange to be on the outside looking in.
He knows he's only been here for a few moments but he already feels like a bit of an outsider to be honest. Instead of dwelling on that, he instead straightens himself out just as Scratch clears his throat.
"Everyone!" He calls attention and heads turn to look at the stage. "I would like all of you to extend a warm welcome to our new combined Sciences teacher!" He gestures to Kinger and he stands up to stand next to Scratch, waving as the others clap half-heartedly.
"I'm excited to be here!" He says, watching as the Plush doll smiles at him. "And I hope I can have your guidance as I learn how to navigate this place"
Scratch pats him on the back and then steps forward, keeping everyone's attention. "I expect all of you to introduce yourselves properly after today, and those who are not present to do the same. If someone can pass that along please"
Kinger watches then as people tense and eyes go to the rabbit, everyone staring at him with very obvious discomfort.
The man frowns, his ears strain up right in what Kinger guesses must be a negative reaction "What? We've gotta talk to Caine now? I didn't agree to that"
Scratch sighs and Kinger can see him glance at the chess pieces out the corner of his eye. "Jax, please-" Seeing that this could very quickly devolve into an argument, one that he might not really understand, Kinger is quick to raise a hand to catch Scratches attention.
"I mean I wanted to explore the school a bit!" He say,. "Maybe I'll go past...Caine’s classroom?"
He sees the other teachers all make faces at that and now he's definitely curious. He wants to meet this Caine and understand why it was such a bad move to ask them to even speak to this person.
Scratch seems to think about that before he nods, eyes darting to the others in the hall, before he glances down at his watch. "Yes I suppose that would be fine" He mutters to himself, before he looks back to Kinger with a smile. "He's in class 9- the creative writing class and he should finish in about 20 minutes or so."
Kinger nods and steps back to scoop up his bag. "I'll be off then!"
Scratch laughs and waves him off, "Have fun" He waves at everyone else as he walks off the stage and back to the steel doors. He can hear them all muttering behind him, and instead of turning around he keeps walking.
His curiosity pushes him forward to the doors of the halls, and now he knows he can't leave today without knowing who Caine might be.
He gets the doors open and instead of going straight down the hall he had used to get here he takes a sharp right. He sees the rooms go past him as he walks and reads the numbers, eyes jumping over the hall to each door.
He had applied for this position because it wasn't a big school and he didn't want it to be teaching so many different classes in a day. At his previous place of work he would have to teach over 8 classes a day and they were a mixture of the sciences; biology and even psychology - Most days he didn't even know if he was coming or going!
He needed a change, an easier job with less classes and less students and seeing this job offer was like a blessing.
The school had, all together, fifteen teachers, and while they would teach about three classes a day, they would be evenly spaced out and he even had days off. He knows that in recent years that this school has gone through some changes, which is why it had been able to stay as small as it has.
Other schools in the city had to expand, hire more faculty and introduce more students, in order to keep them running. This school was different, it only allowed a small number of students, kept the same teachers, and it refused to grow.
Which means all the funding could go to the necessary things.
New equipment, new materials, state of the art security. It's what made this school so comfortable and special.
It's why, when Kinger had been offered the job, he had jumped at the opportunity.
Officially he starts tomorrow, so today he wants to take the time to explore, look around and see anything that might be interesting. He also wants to get a feel for the dynamic of this place.
He hums a tune as he walks past a class room and he can't help but peek through the window to see what looks like a moon sprite teaching a class.
He looks at the room number and keeps going.
Obviously he'll have to get around to meeting everyone at some point, but honestly he really wants to meet this Caine that everyone else seemed so on edge over.
He next sees a suns Sprite and after checking the number, keeps going. He walks past a few more closed door and each time he checks he sees a different number to the one he's looking for.
He walks past the ninth door and then spots an open room that has laughter coming from it and he speeds up. He spots the number on the oak door and carefully peaks inside the room.
It's bright and colourful, the board at the front of the room reads 'Creative Writing' and he hums in interest at the sight of it. There are posters on the walls, normal help sheets in vibrant colors that catch the eye.
He sees a Morph standing by the front of the class, a white button shirt on and tight black pants. He's a classic Morph with dentures for a head and when Kinger squints he can see two eyes resting in the blackness between the jaws.
He stands by the door for a moment, watching as-
"So what do I want by next week?"
"Five paragraphs!"
"On?"
"The use of metaphors!"
Caine nods at that and then his eyes glance at the door and Kinger freezes in place as mismatched eyes meet his. One forest green and the other crystal blue.
Caine pauses, looking towards the kids before he makes eye contact with the chess piece. "Are ..." His eyes go to the students again and Kinger can see the protective glare in them. "You a... parent?"
Kinger quickly shakes his head. "Oh! No no! I'm the new science teacher!"
Caine blinks at that. "Oh yes! Right well nice to meet you....?"
"Kinger" He says and he watches Caine's eyes brighten.
"And I'm Caine, though you might have known that if you were talking...to the others..." Kinger watches then as the light begins to dim and he frowns at the reaction.
At least he knows that whatever the tension is, it isn't exactly one sided.
He's left staring at the smaller male when he turns back to the class. "What about we finish early? You can all get started on those essays!"
Groans echo around the room but the kids all get up and begin to get their things in order and he steps back out the door way as they all begin to trickle out, some looking at him with smiles and others with suspicion.
Kinger waits until the last kid disappears before he looks back at Caine. "When is your next class?"
Caine pauses before he looks up above the door to where Kinger guesses the clock is. "..not for about thirty minutes" He says, tiling his head this way and that. "Why?"
Kinger clears his throat roughly and tries to make his voice cheerful and approachable. "Do you think you could show me around? If you're not busy of course" Honestly Kinger wants to see first hand if there was any real obvious reason for how the other teachers had been talking about Caine.
The other man seems to stutter at that, his eyes widen and his top jaw frowns before his eyes dart away. "...Did you speak to the others?" His tone is obviously forced and Kinger watches him as he moves around to his desk and begins to shut down his laptop.
Kinger nods slowly at that then frowns, watching as Caine slips his laptop into his bag. “Not...really? I wanted to see you-"
"Look" Caine suddenly says standing straight, eyes down cast as he throws the strap of his shoulder bag over his head. "I appreciate it but the moment you talk to the others you won't want anything to do with me" His tone is even but Kinger can hear the upset in his voice. "So just...save yourself the trouble"
Kinger watches as the man shuffles around the room to straighten it out and push chairs in under desks and he frowns. "I'll make my own choices"
Caine pauses and turns around, looking conflicted. "... seriously?" He says, his eyes rolling but it's full of humor. "Fine then, your funeral."
Kinger snorts at that and steps back as Caine comes over to the door. He watches the smaller man close the door before he makes eye contact and smiles. "So! Where to first?"
Caine laughs, a soft sound that seems unpracticed. "How about the staff room? I have a feeling you enjoy coffee" He moves to walk and Kinger follows, laughing at Caine’s statement.
"What gives it away?" He says in response, looking up and down the halls.
Caine shrugs beside him, eyes focused on ahead and as they walk further and further down the hall Kinger can see his shoulders getting more tense.
"Here we go" Caine breathes as they approach a door and he quickly pushes it open. He steps in and holds the door open for Kinger to follow.
The chess piece steps in and looks around the room, seeing a simple kitchenette in the corner and a round table in the middle of the room. It's small and comfortable more than anything.
He follows Caine as he walks over to the coffee maker and microwave. "It's all pretty old" He says, gesturing to everything. "But it works" He pauses. "... actually the microwave cuts out sometimes"
Kinger snorts a laugh at that and shakes his head. "What, and no one can just go and buy a new one?"
Caine looks at him. "On our budget? Yeah, no"
Kinger watches as he turns the coffee maker on and leans over to open the fridge and grab the milk. "Mugs are in that cupboard, you can bring one of your own in at some point but for now use any"
Kinger follows his directions, eyes scanning the mugs until he spots a plain white one. "Which one is yours?" He says as he grabs the plain one.
"....the one with the bee on it" He glances down to see the other man's gums slightly red and he chuckles as he grabs that one too, placing them on the side for Caine. Caine’s mug has a smiley little bee on, cartoonish and cute above all else. There are a few chips in the lip, so he's guessing that it's a bit older.
"Milk?" Caine asks, voice quiet and comfortable.
"No thanks, one sugar " Kinger replies, feeling equally at peace.
It's easy, he realizes. Being around Caine like this. Nice. Comfortable. Cozy.
It's surprising to feel so at home with a man he met not even twenty minutes ago, but it's nice. Honestly he had been worried that he would be an outcast joining so late in the school year.
Originally he was going to start at the beginning of the school year but the house really didn't want to stay standing. First, the front door had fully fallen off, then the basement flooded, then the attic had a bat infestation of all things. Honestly it was a miracle that they had managed to move in even a month ago.
Because of the messing about with the house and getting settled, he had to push it back his start date until after Christmas, so now he only has about 5 months until school break.
It's not ideal of course, but at least he gets to teach the way he likes again.
He tells Caine this while the smaller man moves about the area, nodding along to his talking, looking completely unbothered by Kinger ranting and for that he's grateful.
He watches as Caine opens his bag then and pulls out a pack of straws, placing one into his coffee. Kinger blinks at the sight of it. "Oh!"
Caine glances at him and then down at his coffee. "Ah, yes I'm guessing you haven't been around a Morph like me before?"
Kinger slowly shakes his head, watching as he raises the mug to his bottom jaw. An invisible force moves the straw and then he sees the liquid begin to drain. "Huh" He says, raising his own coffee to his invisible mouth and sipping.
"Huh" Caine says in response and it's full of amusement. Kinger chuckles and leans back against the counter, sipping his coffee.
"So is there anything else that might be worth seeing?" He asks out of pure curiosity.
Caine shrugs. "Hm, not really. I'm guessing you have your first official day tomorrow?-" Kinger nods "-yeah so you have a real introduction with Scratch in the morning. He'll show you where your classroom and everything is"
Kinger hums at that and finishes off his coffee, placing the mug on the side. "Well at least I'll know where the staff room is!"
Caine blinks at him and then laughs softly, eyes brightening. "Very tr-"
The staff room opens and Caine instantly goes tense. His eyes lose their brightness and he looks down at his coffee as two voices enter the room
"Yeah and-oh?"
Kinger turns to see Jax standing in the doorway with, what he can now tell, is the Jester from before. He sees the rabbit's eyes go to Caine’s back and focus on him, a grin stretching across his face. "Well if it isn't small, pale and bitchy!"
Kinger frowns at that and looks at Caine to see him staring at his hands that are on the table. Jax comes over, still grinning and leans over Caine, Kinger only being able to watch in shock.
"I would be careful hanging round with this one" Jax says and Kinger sees his eyes glance at him before they go back to Caine. "He might drag you to the asylum along with him!"
Kinger feels his heart stutter and he looks down to see Caine now glaring down at his mug. Hands clenched on the table top but he stays silent. Kinger feels something build in his chest, something that's a little bit too close to anger for his liking. “...Wha-"
He can only watch as Caine suddenly ducks away from Jax and moves to the door. Kinger takes a step to follow him but freezes when he sees the way the Jester jumps out of his way. Almost falling over a chair as she moves out of his path. Caine stops by the door and tilts his head, sparing one last glance to Kinger, eyes dull and shadowed, before he disappears.
"Well!" Jax says, placing his hands behind his head. "That went pretty well!"
Kinger can only stare as he suddenly grabs the half filled mug and he can't help but jolt as the rabbit tosses it in the sink. Jax turns away and back to the jester and Kinger takes that as a chance to peek into the sink.
The smiling bee stares back at him, coffee stained, with a new chip in the lip.
!!!
The next few weeks pass quietly and calmly with Kinger slowly getting a feel for the dynamics of the school.
His first class is more about him just introducing himself, getting the students used to him, and then he set them all a pop quiz just to see where their levels of learning were.
He's pleasantly surprised to find they aren't as far as behind as he has feared, though he does have to make sure to keep an eye on a few that seem to be falling behind.
As it turns out, his classroom is only two doors down from Caine’s own so before and after classes he tries his best to strike up conversation with the man.
Sometimes he'll just wave before Caine closes the door and hope for a response, but Caine seems to be avoiding him. Other times he'll actually walk up to the door and ask if he would like to go to the staff room to get coffee and Caine would always refuse. He would always deny Kinger the opportunity to spend any more time with him.
Kinger isn't an idiot, he knows that Caine is doing this because of what Jax had said that first day in the staff room, and he can't lie to himself and say that he isn't extremely curious about what was said.
Why would Jax mention an asylum like that? It seems so out of left field and random but Caine had reacted like it had been a physical blow.
He longs to ask the other, to sit down with him and have a conversation but he has a feeling that wouldn't go down well. He tries to focus on his job, on getting fully settled in, but it's hard.
Especially since everyone else is just as rude as Jax and to be honest it's starting to get to Kinger.
He'll sit at the table during lunch and at the mention of Caine everybody would have their own reactions- like he had insulted them just by bringing the other man's name up.
Pomni would try to change the subject with a grimace on her face. Gangle would completely ignore the question that has been asked, Zooble would normally say something very rude, Ragatha, bless her heart, would try to gently suggest something else and Jax-
Well, to put it blankly (and Kinger does not use this word lightly)
Jax was a dick.
He would straight up cackle at the mention of Caine, pick fun of his appearance by calling him 'Dentures' mock his height, his voice- if Jax could be mean about it he would.
And if Caine was in the room? God it was like a warzone where one side was holding up a white flag and begging for mercy and the other had a tank and perfect aim.
He would get in Caine’s face, say disgusting things, and then laugh when Caine would silently leave.
Each time Kinger would feel the urge to speak up, to say something. But each time he doesn't. Something stops him like a psychical hold around the neck.
Truth is he's worried that Caine might have done something really bad. Something unforgivable.
No one tells him what it is, nor do they even hint at it, but the air when he mentions it changes to heavy and loaded and he's sick of being in the dark.
He knows the teacher that had his position before he took over left suddenly and without warning and he wonders why. Did that have something to do with Caine? Or like him, did they not like the way everyone else had been treating him?
Maybe they tried to speak up and they too had been iced out and treated like Caine was and maybe they couldn't handle it.
He thinks of this because of one reason; when he had mentioned it a little while before, Ragatha had winced and had simply said "we uh....don't talk about Able. We didn't get on with him"
"Why?" Kinger had asked, frowning at the redhead.
"Cuz he sucked" Jaxs says, grading papers on the table. "He decided that he wanted to be different" his eyes go to Kingers own and the chess piece sees them go mean. "Hopefully you don't follow in his footsteps!"
Kinger had been put off by that, but again he had been afraid to ask or question. For weeks he had been hoping to build up the courage to ask someone but he knows, deep down, that he has no right to do so.
He wants to ask Caine and get the information from someone he knows wouldn't lie to him about it, but seeing as the man keeps avoiding him, it's hard to get even a hello back in return, nevermind a whole conversation.
Honestly, out of all of them, Kinger wants to spend more time with Caine. He wants to get to know Caine more, get closer to him. He wants to learn about his likes and dislikes and he wants to learn about his life.
In that staff room with that bee mug he had seen who Caine really was. For only a moment, he had been able to see the man that was truly inside. He wants to bring that man out. He wants to make that man exist again.
But how? When that man might be buried to deep beneath the other one? The one that hides his eyes when his colleagues enter the same room as him, the one that stays in his class room even between classes to escape snide remarks and cruel taunts.
Kinger wants to bring out his bravery, but he doesn't know where to begin.
"Honey? Are you alright?" Kinger blinks and looks up to see Queenie staring at him from across the table, her eyes full of concern. "You've been staring at your plate for awhile now"
Kinger looks down at his food, simple spaghetti and meatballs, and sighs. "Yes I'm- sorry dear" He hopes the smile can be heard in his voice. "I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment"
Queenie hums at that, her voice soft when she speaks, she places her cutlery down on the table and tilts her head at him, the picture of calmness "It's about the whole Caine thing, isn't it?" She asks knowingly.
Kinger ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah you got me" He hears the chair scrape against the floor and he lifts his eyes to see Queenie coming over to him. For a moment he feels hypnotized by the sway of her hips and the sight of her legs underneath her skirt.
He pushes himself back in his chair and sighs in contentment when she slides sideways over his lap, her hands moving to his face.
His arms wrap around her waist and he allows the worry and tension from today to disappear, one hand moving down to a smooth wooden thigh, much like his own, and he feels her shudder beneath his fingers. "Sorry, for being so distant"
Queenie shushes him, hugging him close to her. "This has been stressing you out for awhile now" She says. "Why don't you just...ask Caine?"
Like Kinger, she hadn't the faintest clue of what might have happened in the past to cause such a major separation of the other staff, and just like her husband she's very curious.
Kinger hums at that, feeling conflicted. "I don't want to upset him" He says softly. "I feel like whatever happened was bad and he might get upset with me being so nosy"
"Or" Queenie cuts in before Kinger can start spiraling, one hand moving to his crown, her nails scraping against him. "He'll appreciate that you asked him and not them"
Kinger thinks that over in his head, really forcing his thoughts to settle. "...Yeah you're right" He says, leaning forwards to press a kiss to Queenie cheek and laughing when she giggles. "I'll talk to him tomorrow"
!!!
The moment breaks crawl around, instead of getting a chance to talk to Caine, Kinger is left alone in the staff room with Jax.
The rabbit sits at the table and eats some sort of sandwich while Kinger stays near the kitchen, sipping his coffee as he stares around the room
"So" Jax says and Kinger instinctively tenses. "How are you enjoying this dump?"
Kinger hums and stares down at his reflection in his coffee, he looks tired and he knows it's not from the stress of classes. "It different to what I did before, this school is a lot smaller which is...refreshing" He says and he being truthful when he thinks about it.
It's nice, being able to focus on only one subject at a time.
He looks up to see Jax nodding along. "Have you met the others yet?"
Kinger hums at that and nods. "In passing, yes. Unfortunately I haven't been able to truly sit down and get to know anyone apart from Caine-"
The temperature in the room drops and Kinger can feel the question before he hears it.
"Still hanging out with him then?"
Kinger tightens his grip on the handle of his mug before he takes a long sip. He finishes the coffee and places the empty mug in the sink, his eyes dropping to the bee mug that's till sat there, still chipped. It's stained a horrible brown colour and Kinger wonders how long it will sit there until Caine is able to wash it up.
"And so what if I were?" He almost doesn't recognize his own voice with how deep it goes, and he turns to stare right at Jax. "Would you treat me like you treat him?"
Jax stares back at him, face blank.
Then he laughs, a grin spreading on his face, something cruel entering his voice. "You wanna know what he did?"
Kinger immediately sakes his head, and begins to walk to the door. "Not from you-"
"You know he used to have Scratchs job?"
That makes him stop, hand on the handle and eyes on the door. He stays facing away from the rabbit but that doesn't seem to stop him.
"Hm, for about seventeen years or so. He overworked us, underpaid us, belittled us"
"Until one day he went crazy and tired to hurt us"
Kinger’s heart stops in his chest and his breathing stutters, but he refuses to turn around.
"Flew off the handle, tried to attack me, threatened to attack the others. Apparently someone had to have him admitted into the psych ward for a month"
He hears movement, like Jax is leaning back in his chair, fully relaxed.
"So, you still want to be all buddy buddy with him?"
Kinger says silent a little bit longer, his chest aching, before he opens the door with a bit to much force and walks out.
He marches back to his classroom, feeling completely different feelings warring in his chest.
Fear that Jax was right, anger that he would even reveal all of that. Sadness at thinking about all of it for to long.
It makes him feel mildly sick as he keeps walking. He feels almost faint as he thinks about it. Caine attacking someone? Getting fired?
Granted he hadn't known Caine that long but he really doesn't seem the kind to attack someone for no reason . He doesn't seem the type to have that kind of anger, that rage.
That had to of been a reason, Kinger thinks to himself, there has to be a reason for why Caine would do that. The man that has a mug with a cartoon bee on wouldn't be capable of attacking someone for no reason.
And a psych ward? That means he was having really serious mental health problems right? He was struggling with something.
He wants to ignore what Jax had said, completely disregard it as lies and fabrication but he can't. He knows he can't.
Kinger jolts when he sees the object of his thoughts just ahead and he stops walking, staring at him coming down the hall.
He has a stack of papers in his hands and appears to be flipping through them as he reads, his eyes scanning the paper. Then he glances up and he spots Kinger.
Kinger watches and Caine slows to a stop, their eyes locked onto each other and Kinger is able to see the change in the other man's eyes.
They widen, then his lids lower and his jaw closes slightly. "...You know" He says, voice barely carrying in the hall. "You know what I did" It's said with certainly and- nothing. He says it like it has no effect on him but Kinger can see his eyes and how dull they get the longer he stays silent
He watches hands tighten in papers and he lets out a breath before continuing to walk until he's just past Kinger. He stops, his shoulders lifting up before he seems to forcefully lower them.
"Thanks for trying" Caine says and Kinger can only watch as he goes down the hall, his back rigid and shoulder slack from what he knows is either sadness or a forced calm.
"I-"
"It's okay" Caine says and he looks over his shoulder and Kinger just thinks he looked so very tired. His eyes are barely visible through his jaws, and what is visible looks shadowed and dark.
"I never really... expected anything else" He whispers and then turns away, his footsteps echoing as he walks down the hall.
Knger feels his chest hurt and he realizes that if he lets Caine walk away now then that might be it, he might lose any chance he had and he can't have that. That stupid bee mug flashes in his mind, the mug that's still sitting in that sink, and he speaks before he thinks about it.
"Caine, wait"
The man pauses but stays turned away Kinger rushes up the hall towards him, eyes on his jaws. He’s looking down at the papers in his grip dully and without much emotion and it hurts Kinger to see him like this. So... Sad.
"Come get coffee with me" He says and he's not ashamed of the pleading that’s in his voice "please?"
Caine looks up at him, looking confused. "...the other will be in the break room by now" He says. "I can't-"
"I meant the coffee shop across the street" He says and he watches as Caine’s eyes widen "we have plenty of time, we can sit and talk?"
Caine seems to pick up on what Kinger isn't saying because his shoulder shrug and he looks away again. "Fine" He gestures to the papers in his hands. "Let me put these back first."
Kinger follows him as they turn around to Caine’s room and he smiles down at the stack of papers on the desk that Caine must have been grading.
He gives the students smiley faces and little doodles of bees, and it's so cute that Kinger find it hard to believe that this is the man that apparently attacked his own workers?
"Okay, let's go" He blinks and looks up again to see Caine now stood with his bag over his shoulder.
Kinger blinks and points at the bag "Aren't you going to leave that here?"
Caine looks down at it, then hums "Can't " He murmurs as he walk out into the hall with Kinger close behind. "Last time I left my bag for more than ten minutes Jax cut the strap off" He says it casually, like it was something that just happened and not like it's a actually crime.
Kinger stares at him, feeling frustration build in his chest. "Seriously?"
Caine nods, then seem to shake himself off. "Shall we?"
Kinger throws one last look down the hall towards the staff room where he knows Jax, and probably the others, are now sitting.
!!!
The cafe is small and quiet seeing as it's the middle of the day and for that Kinger is grateful. He wasn't exactly in the mood to be surrounded by strangers and noise. They're sat near the window, able to see the school gates whenever they look out.
When they first came in Caine had tired to get a table in the far corner, tucked away from the rest of the world. It had taken a bit of convincing for Kinger to get him over here.
For a while all they talked about was work, some students that they shared and how they were doing in lessons. Kinger had even told him about how he had quit his old job to come here.
Small talk really, but Kinger can tell that Caine might need the buffer before they get into the hard and tough subjects.
He watches now as Caine sips his coffee through a straw and he looks away. He doesn't know how to start this conversation really, does he just out right ask?
Should he come out with it, get it out in the open? Or gently suggest it-
Caine puts his mug on the little table in front of them and sighs, catching Kinger’s attention. "What were you told exactly?"
Kinger watches him lean back in his chair and cross his arms over his chest, "....That you used to have Scratchs job" He speaks slowly, eyes on Caine’s face.
He watches as mismatched eyes wince, but he keeps going. "Then something about- uh you....trying to attack someone? And uh, getting fired"
The sentence hangs over then both for a long moment and Kinger can only keep staring at Caine as his top jaw frowns and his body tenses.
"That's it?"
Kinger nods, and Caine sighs, leaning forward to stare down at the table.
"That's the short version" He says and Kinger sits forward to. "The long version is that I was overworked- we all were. We didn't have the funding that we do now, or the teachers. So there's would be times where we would go weeks without a day off"
"It got to all of us" He says quietly and Kinger feels sympathy burn his chest, he knows what it's like. The damage it can do to work for so long without a break. To do so much and feel unappreciated. "I was working my nineteenth day in row, little sleep, to much paper work. Scratch was originally there as my assistant but he couldn't help much because he had his own classes and everything to deal with" His eyes leave the table and instead he looks out the window to the school.
"Jax was being....Jax" He says, a soft laugh leaving him. "And normally I can ignore him, or just- tell him to leave me alone but I was tired and-and-" He waves his hands about for a moment likes he's trying to grab the words. "I just...lost it" He breaths, hands dropping to his lap. "I did try to attack Jax, and I did threaten the others. Scratch got me home and I teared my apartment to pieces and then I knew it was bad so I checked myself in to the ward" He says the last bit quickly while looking at Kinger’s eyes. "I knew I needed help so I signed myself in for a month, just to get help! But by the time I got out- the rumors had started"
"Like I was signed in against my will. That I tried to kill Jax when I just wanted him- all of them, to leave me alone" His gaze drops, his fingers lace together and dig into his skin "Scratch knew the truth which is why he hired me as the creative writing teacher. Less stress, more free time"
"But the other didn't like that, I'm guessing" Kinger says gently, watching Caine sigh and lean back in his seat again.
"I apologized" He whispers and he just looks sad now and it hurts so much to see him like this "As soon as I got here- I told all of them that I was sorry and that I would do anything to make it up them and Jax said-" His voice cuts out and Kinger watches as he almost flinches.
"...It doesn't-"
"What did he say?" Kinger ask, keeping his voice soft. Caine looks at him, eyes looking shiny before they flick back down to the table.
"He said that if I ever wanted to be forgiven then I should kill myself" He murmurs and Kinger feels sick.
He thinks about that stupid bee mug again.
Kinger rubs at his lower face, frowning as he stares at Caine. There's something else that he is hiding, Kinger can feel it. Maybe its got nothing to do with all of this, but Caine is keeping something to himself, something big.
Kinger wants to pry and prod but he knows that if he does then he might lose the little bit of trust that he has gained. He can see a deep sadness in Caine, can almost smell it and Kinger wants to rip it out of him with his bare hands but he knows he can't. He can't fix what he doesn't know is broken.
"When did this all happen?"
Caine hums, shoulders relaxing. "Five years ago"
Kinger lets out a breath, eyes flickering to the school across the road. "You've put up with that bullying for five years? How?"
Caine’s eyes flick up to him and something unreadable passes over his face. "...I just do" His eyes fall again and Kinger feels something like a rock settle in his stomach.
He wants to speak, to ask more and learn more when he catches sight of the clock. He looks back to Caine to see him finishing off his coffee and he thinks over his words. "I'm sorry" Kinger says, "for...how you've been treated"
Caine shrugs and looks at the clock to, then he begins to gather his bag. "It's fine" He says and Kinger can feel the lack of emotion in his tone. "Like I said, I'm used to it now"
It's sad. Deeply and immensely sad. Its like someone has punched Kinger right in the ribs and left him in the street like roadkill.
Caine stands up and pushes his chair in while Kinger watches. He looks calm and collected and Kinger wonders just how much the words and the comments and the everything hurt him.
Does he go home and think about it? Does he think he deserves to be called all those things and to be treated the way he's being treated?
"We should head back" Caine says, hands in his pockets, shoulders back and eyes lidded.
The chess piece can only hum and make to stand, feeling his heart ache at the new information. Together they leave the coffee shop and get back over to the school while staying in complete silence.
They walk past Kinger’s classroom first and when he peeks in he can't see any students. Caine keeps walking and on instinct Kinger reaches out to grab his upper arm. "Wait-" his fingers wrap around a small bicep and he's taken back by how much smaller the other man is compared to him.
Caine freezes and tunes to look at him, eyes wide and Kinger wonders when was the last time he had been touched casually like this- kindly like this. "Where do you eat lunch?" He rushes to ask.
Caine stares at him for a second before he replies, voice low. "In my car" He says, eyes darting away
Kinger nods slowly at that, letting his hand drop before he clears his throat. "Tomorrow do you, want to eat in here? With me?"
Caine’s eyes widen and he looks down the hall. "Kinger the- you really don't have to-"
"I want to" He stresses, putting as much care as he can into his words. "Please?"
Caine stares at him for a bit longer and Kinger hates the fact that for five years now he has been alone. He's been sat eating his lunches in his car because everyone hates him for something that happened years ago.
The others might not know the whole story- or maybe they don't care. Either way-
Kinger’s not saying they have to forgive Caine, no one has to forgive anyone for anything. But to treat him like this? To isolate him? To shame him?
It's leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
What Caine did was bad, Kinger’s not stupid enough to think otherwise, but he hadn't been well, he hadn't been coping, he had been overworked and exhausted and something had to break.
And that had happened to be Caine.
It's not an excuse, but it's a reason.
Everyone and anyone can act out when stressed or angry or sad, it just so happens to be that Caine acted out in anger. Kinger knows he feels bad for it. He can see it in the way he doesn't defend himself when someone says something to him or when they call him names.
He had tried to push Kinger away and the chess piece wonders if it's to punish himself further, to make sure that no one can get close to him as a way to stay alone. Does he think he deserves that?
The idea makes Kinger sad, especially when he sees Caine openly debating his offer of sitting with someone during lunch. "I want to" He says again, hoping that Caine can see that Kinger doesn't want him to be alone right now.
Caine seems to think that over before he sighs and nods once. "Okay" He whispers, eyes on Kinger’s own. "See you later Kinger" With that Caine turns on his heel and walks off, Kinger watching him go without comment.
The bell rings, the third classes of the day starting.
!!!
Wifey: bring home pizza tonight honey, work was rough and I don't feel like cooking :(
You: okay my dear I will. stuffed crust?
Wifey: if you do I'll love you forever
You: you don't already?
Wifey; hush
Kinger laughs softly at his phone before he shoves it back into his pocket, he digs through his other one to pull out his car keys. He hums a tune as he walks, Ragatha and Pomni beside him as they talk amongst themselves.
Ragatha was by far the one he got on with the most, though its hard for Kinger to really want to get close to any of them at the moment.
Every time he thinks he might be able to actually bond with one of them, something is said or something happens that reminds Kinger of the distance between Caine and the others.
"Oh, look at that" Pomni suddenly says as she stares at the other side of the parking lot.
Kinger follows her gaze to see Caine stood by what must be his car, the front bonnet open and smoking. Kinger frowns as he begins to touch at different parts, and his eyes widen when Caine suddenly rips his hand back and shakes it.
"Looks like his car has broken down" Ragatha says, one hand on her cheek while she stares.
"Yeah" Pomnie says. "He lives like a 20 minute drive from here too, it's gonna take him awhile to walk it"
Kinger listens half-heartedly to the two woman before he frowns at the sight of Caine now pressing rapidly at his phone. "...Good night ladies" With that, he walks towards Caine.
He can hear Pomni and Ragatha say his name form behind but he ignores them, instead he continues to walk to where Caine is now rubbing at his top jaw in what must be frustration. "Caine?"
The man jumps and turns to look at Kinger and the chess piece can see oil on the mans white shirt. His eyes look wide with upset and worry and it makes Kinger’s heart clench. "What happened?" He asked, looking at the car that's still smoking.
Caine throws his arms up with a groan. "I don't know!" He says loudly, hands pressing to his top jaw again as he walks around the car. "I came out, turned it on and it just- did this!" His jaw clenches tightly shut "I can't- I really don't need this" He says, muffled and Kinger feels stuck as he watches.
"Why?" Caine groan, hands dropping to his sides limply as he stares at the smoking engine. "What did I do to...." He trails off and his eyes fall to the ground. Kinger watches as his gaze darkens and his hands curl into fists and Kinger is kind of worried that the man might pierce his skin with his claws.
Caine takes a deep breath and walks over to the passenger of the car and opens the door, grabbing his bag and pulling over his shoulder.
Kinger watches as he slams the door shut and then blinks rapidly, taking in a deep breath. "Sorry" He says, looking deeply embarrassed. "I didn't-" He shakes his head and looks up at Kinger, eyes dull. "There's no place open to look at my car tonight so it's going to have to stay here" He looks behind Kinger, eyes dropping away immediately.
When Kinger glances over, he can see the others all stood by the door to the school building, staring right at the both of them. He frowns at the sight, knowing that what they are saying right now can't be good. He wonders quietly to himself if maybe one of them had caused this. He tries to brush it off, hoping that even they wouldn't go as far as damaging a car.
The clouds over their heads threaten rain, the grey sky begins to blacken and Kinger knows that any moment now the clouds will tear open and a storm will fall right upon their heads.
He looks to Caine, "how are you getting home?" He has a sneaking suspicion, if he wants to go off of what Pomni had said, but he hopes that maybe he's wrong about this.
The smaller man glances at the sky with a small frown, his shoulders lifting in what Kinger guessing is nervousness. "Walking. It's only about a 45 minute walk" Caine lets out a long breath and nods to himself, even as the sky rumbles dangerously.
"See you tomorrow Kin-"
"can I give you a lift?" Kinger asks, voice just a hint too desperate to be completely casual. "I don't mind at all" He says before Caine can refuse.
He sees Caine go to speak, most definitely going to refuse, when gentle drops of rain begin to fall. They hit the roof of the car with soft little sounds and Caine stares at them for a moment before he sighs "...Okay" He says softly, eyes on the floor. "If you really don't mind"
Kinger is quick to shake his head at that and he gestures for Caine to follow him as he turns back to his car. They make their way over to Kinger’s car that's thankfully not parked that far away, the rain beginning to fall faster.
When he looks over to the entrance of the School, he can see the others still stood by the door, all staring at him with varying expressions.
He sees Caine wince and his steps falter out the corner of his eye. "Kinger I should just walk-"
He begins to slow down and Kinger instinctively places hand on the mans back, feeling the muscles jump and tense under his touch. "Ignore them" He says, voice unable to hold back his anger as he frowns at the others still staring at him. "I want to give you a lift, so I will"
He notices Jax staring with a glare at Kinger, and he only glares back at him as he opens the door for Caine.
!!!
Just like he had thought, he barely gets up the road before the sky really opens up.
His wipers move quickly on his window and he frowns at the sight of people running about, the sky flashing with lightening and grumbling with thunder. "One hell of a storm" He mumbles to himself as he slows to a stop at a red light, "Come on, you must be glad you aren't running home in this huh?"
Caine laughs in the passenger seat, looking relaxed. "Honestly yes, I hate the feeling of wet clothes" He looks out his window, eyes on the other cars as more lightening shakes the sky "though the storm seems to be getting worse!"
Kinger nods along to that and puts the car into gear as the light changes, keeping his speed lower due to the rain. "Getting down my street is going to be annoying "
"Oh?" He can hear the concern in the smaller mans tone and he chuckles.
"Yeah. It's a one way street and in this weather no one is going to be truly paying attention, I've had a few close calls before" He’s kind of dreading going back, even more so know that he has to go get food first. "Plus, my wife gets very nervous when it rains- she knows people are dumb"
"...You're married?"
Kinger glances at the other to see him staring back with wide eyes, looking completely taken aback. Kinger blinks and then laughs. "Oh, right! I didn't tell anyone" He chuckles and shakes his head. "It must have slipped my mind to do so.... actually maybe I just didn't want to tell them" He stresses the last word, his tone grumbly and childish but honest.
Caine snorts a laugh and nods along to his words, eyes looking towards the road. "Oh, right here, then one left" He seems to pause, his eyes going to his hands in his lap. "Would....would you like to stay at mine for a bit? Just until the storm calms down? You could ring your wife and let her know"
Kinger really rolls that over his mind, smiling to himself at Caine’s tone. If he had known the man better, he would say that his tone was almost hopeful. "You won't mind?"
Caine shakes his head, shoulders going limp as he rests back against his seat as Kinger takes a right and then a left. "It....would be nice to have company" It's said quietly and to the window so Kinger doesn't reply to it.
But it still makes his heart flutter, knowing that the man was at least enjoying his company and his attempts at friendship just a little bit.
"Oh, this apartment building on the right"
Kinger pulls up and makes sure he has his keys and phone before he looks to Caine, both of them unclipping their belts. "Time to run for it"
Caine nods, and they both open their door, slam them shut, and bolt to the entrance of the building. They get through quickly and Kinger scans the plain looking area, his eyes going to the flight of stairs. "No elevator?" He asks, seeing Caine adjust his bag over his shoulder and approach the stairs.
Caine shakes his head, looking at Kinger with a sympathetic gaze. "Sorry, I should have warned you"
Kinger looks one more time to the outside, where the rain is still falling, and then he begins to follow Caine.
!!!
"Sorry the place is a mess" Caine says sheepishly as Kinger follows him into the apartment, his eyes move around as the takes everything in. He slips off his damp shoes by the door, eyes following Caine as he goes deeper into the apartment.
It's small and simple, from the door in there's only about 3 feet of wall before it opens up into the kitchen. There are plates scattered on the table tops, a few draws aren't fully closed, and when Kinger really looks he can see that a tea towel poorly hiding the dirty dishes.
As he walks past the kitchen, it opens up into the living room, a large open area with an older looking black couch pressed against the wall to the kitchen and a square coffee table. The tv is on the opposite wall, a decent sized flat screen with cabinets underneath.
It's on low volume while playing some sort of game show. When he looks to the right he sees two doors, one open and showing a messy bed, the other just about cracked open so that he can see the tiled floor.
He looks around one more time, following Caine as he walks into the kitchen. "It's fine" He says, realizing that Caine had spoken. "This place is cozy, actually"
Caine looks back at him, eyes going to the living room were there a few t-shirts and socks scattered around. "....Sure, whatever you say"
Kimber laughs quietly at himself and raises his hands. "No really! I find it very strange when someone's place is spotless, it's like no one lives there. It's weird”
Caine stares at him for a moment longer, then snorts a laugh. "Fair enough. I get it"
He turns back to Kinger while holding a mug and when Kinger peaks he can see its coffee. Kinger takes it while Caine moves past him and to the bathroom. "I'll get you a towel" he says as he opens the door further. "You can get a little bit dried off. Maybe you can call your wife too"
At that Kinger nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket, making his way over to the couch and sitting down as he texts.
You: going to be out a bit later, I gave Caine a lift back because his car broke down and now waiting out the storm, you might have to wait for the pizza
Wifey: oh that's good then, I was worried about you driving back in this weather. Stay there until it's safe, I'll order in :)
Kinger smiles down at his screen even though it's invisible, feeling fond.
You: okay, I'll let you know when I'm on the way home, love you
Wifey: love you too x
He locks his phones and puts it back into his pocket just as Caine comes back over to the couch with two towels. Kinger takes one with a nod, using it to try his shoulders off.
Caine sits on the other side of the couch, grabbing the remote on the coffee table and flicking through the channels. Kinger watches him as he runs the towel over the top of his jaw to dry himself off.
They both sit in silence for a moment, but it's peaceful and comfortable rather then awkward and off putting. He relaxes back in his seat, feeling his body relax as the warm air settles over him.
"Does it get boring living alone?" He can't help but ask, sipping at his coffee again as he paces the towel on the table.
Caine shrugs, eyes on the tv. "Not really" He says quietly as he flips to a movie. "I like being alone" He pauses, eyes catching Kinger’s own. "Most of the time, anyway"
Kinger laughs at that, sitting back against the cushion. "I get it" He says in response, "it's nice being alone sometimes, having your own space"
Caine nods at that and his shoulders relax. "I suppose you don't get much alone time?"
Kinger chuckles and sips his coffee before placing it on the table seeing Caine shuffle to get comfortable. "My wife and I have been married for almost twenty five years now" He says, voice softening and turning sweet at the very mention of Queenie. "Right after we graduated college"
Caine’s eyes widen and he turns to sit better to see Kinger. "Woah, really? And you don't want to kill each other?"
Kinger really laughs at that, shoulders shaking with amusement. "Oh well I never said that!" Kinger shakes his head, watching Caine’s eyes brighten and soften as he finally relaxes in his seat.
"Will I ever get to meet her?" Caine asks then, his tone only half joking. "Or are you going to hide her away forever? I mean you didn't even tell anyone you were married-"
"Okay that-" He points at Caine, narrowing his eyes at him. "That slipped my mind okay? That was not my fault"
Caine’s top jaw raises on one side and Kinger thinks that might be his version of raising a brow. "You forgot you were married?"
"No!" Kinger burst out, laughing loudly and Caine joins in. "I forgot to mention it!"
“how?!”
"I don't know!"
They laugh at each other for a moment and at the ridiculousness of the situation, before they both take deep breaths to settle themselves down.
Kinger grabs his phone and swipes it open, moving to the photos icon. He feels affection build in his chest as he swipes to his favorites folder. "Here" He says, presses on the first one and turning it to show Caine. "This is her"
Caine’s eyes dart down to the screen, then he looks up at Kinger, then back down at the phone. "....okay so must have been a funny guy in college otherwise you never would have got her"
Kinger snorts a laugh at that and turns his phone back to himself as he stares at the screen. It's the both of them just a few months ago while they had been having a picnic at the nearby park. They're both wearing summer clothes, him wearing a short sleeve shirt and red shorts while Queenie had a flowy purple summer dress on.
"Okay rude-"
"But true"
"You are being so mean to me" Kinger laughs, watching as Caine rolls his eyes in amusement. "And after I gave you a lift and everything!"
Caine’s eyes lid with humor and he looks genuinely happy and it blows Kinger away to see him looking so happy and comfortable. "Hey that's not my fault"
Kinger laughs again at that, and he can hear the rain outside begin to die down. He knows he'll have to go soon but-
"So why was the tv on?" He can't help but ask. "Do you leave it on all day?"
Caine’s gums go bright with a flush and Kinger laughs softly at him. The smaller man looks at the tv, voice sheepish. "I don't like the silence" He says, and Kinger feels it hurt his heart. "It's too loud"
It doesn't really make sense, if Caine out of the apartment then why is it one even when he's not home? But then Kinger has a very depressing thought.
Maybe Caine can't stand being alone with his thought for even a second.
Okay, maybe he's being dramatic, but still-
Caine’s comment rest over them both like a blanket and Kinger can feel it. He watches as Caine begins to pull at his fingers, and not for the first time he notices that he has claws.
They're short, only about an inch long, but they look sharp. The very tips are dipped black and then the rest of the skin is faded white, almost like his hands have been air brushed over. The two tones fade into one another and Kinger can help but think it looks quite charming.
He wonders if the black shadows go any further down Caine’s arms, or even on other parts of his body, but he realizes that's a bit weird to ask.
Instead of that, he asks a different question, one that had been weighing on his mind all day, for the last few weeks even. He rolls it over in his mind before he clears his throat, catching Caine’s attention. "Why don't you say anything to them?"
Caine seems to know what he's talking about immediately because he visibly winces, eyes darting away. "....There's no point" Caine says, voice weak. "It... wouldn't change anything"
Kinger hates that he's probably right about that- chances are Caine saying or doing anything in defense would only cause him more issues but...
It hurts him to see Caine like this.
He’s only known Caine for a few weeks, and honestly even then he hasn't spent much time with him, and maybe he just feels bad for Caine but either way, it just doesn't feel right.
"Maybe..." He hesitates, staring down at his coffee that's almost empty. "Maybe I could-"
"No" Caine says firmly, eyes going hard and whole body going rigid. "No. You have to stay out of it"
He stands then, walking past Kinger and around the wall to the kitchen. Kinger can't help but follow, bringing his mug with him. He stands in the entrance of the kitchen and watches as Caine begins to wipe down the table tops almost aggressively.
He stares at his back as he moves, seeing the set of his shoulders, how straight his spine is, how rigid how whole body is.
"Why not?" He can't help but ask, stepping in further. "Caine how they treat you isn't right, it's not fair-"
Caine slams a draw shut and gives a full body flinch as his hands jerk away "Sorry" He says quickly and Kinger watches as the man's hands move to his shirt and dig into the material, his chest rising and falling deeply. "Sorry" He says again, jaw fully closing.
Kinger watches him, sees him struggle to keep his frustration at bay, and aches. A deep, throbbing ache that makes him want to squeeze it out of his chest.
"I want to help you, Caine" He stresses, feeling the urge to step closer to the man overwhelm him and he allows it to move him closer "Let me help"
Caine slowly shakes his head, eyes on the draw. "...No" He says, hands dropping and his eyes closing. "I'm not- it's not worth it" He looks at the chess piece and Kinger is taken aback by the fear in his eyes.
"The last person that tried had to quit" He says, voice shaking. "I can't let you- I won't let that happen to you too" He shakes his head. "Think of your wife"
It's obvious he's using it as a tactic, and it works.
He and Queenie both work so they're not exactly struggling for money, but if Kinger was to leave this job it would probably take him months to find a other job that pays as good as this one.
Kinger sighs, walking into the kitchen and to the sink. He rinses his mug out before placing it on the draining board, watching at water runs down the side of a stainless steel bowl. "...I care about you Caine. I want to help you"
He stays looking at the sink, but he can feel Caine’s gaze on his back. "I won't say anything" He decides. "But I won't stop trying to be your friend"
Silence, and then Caine sighs behind him.
"...okay" Kinger turns to see him leaning back on the counter, hands bracing himself on either side of his body. The taller smiles even though Caine can't see it, and he turns to fully face Caine.
"Thank you"
Caine huffs and walks out the kitchen, but Kinger can see the way his teeth flush. "Whatever" He grumbles.
Kinger laughs softly and follows him, eyes catching on the window to see that the rain has mostly stopped. "I...should go" He realizes and Caine turns to look at him. "The storm has stopped and I should be getting back"
Caine stares at him, and then gives a single slow nod. "Okay" His eyes dart away and Kinger moves to slip his shoes back on as he stands in the doorway, hoping that Caine might say something.
He wonders then what he's hoping for the man to say. Is he hoping Caine might ask him to stay the night?
It's a stupid thought, a borderline inappropriate one, and he thinks that he might need to talk to Queenie when he gets home.
"Kinger..."
His head snaps up at the hesitant tone, his heart leaping into his throat. "Yes?" He can't even hide the eagerness in his voice, which is kind of embarrassing.
Caine looks away, fingers fiddling with a button on his shirt nervously before he seems to find the courage to speak.
"...I'll see you tomorrow? At lunch?" It's obvious that's not what Caine was originally going to say and Kinger ponders what it might of been. Instead of dwelling on that though, he instead allows the feeling happiness to rush through him.
Joy fills Kinger’s swelling heart and he stands up, reaching for the door handle. "Yes" He says, keeping eye contact and he knows his eyes are soft. "That would be amazing"
Caine looks away, clears his throat, and straightens up. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kinger" He says with more conviction.
Kinger gives a nod and opens the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Caine"
!!!
A hand runs over his shoulder and he hums at the feel of soft fingers. He lifts his own hand to catch it, pulling the hand over to press against his invisible mouth.
He can't help but turn on his back, pressing kisses to wooden arms, feeling them shake with giggles as his wife laughs. He continues to turn over until he faces Queenie fully, their face close together.
"Hi" She whispers, her voice gentle and kind.
"Hello" Kinger replies, pressing one last kiss to her upper arm before he rest back against the pillow, staring into to her eyes.
"I didn't mean to wake you" She's says and Kinger can feel the remorse in her tone.
Kinger waves the apology off and watches as she begins to shifts in the bed, obviously about to leave for work. He carefully reaches out to catch her hand again, and he pulls her back to the bed.
He stays silent as he tries to find the words, but Queenie seems to feel the tension in the air and she sits back on the bed, her silk nightdress bunching up on her thighs.
Kinger hums at the sight and shifts, moving to rest his head on the woman's lap.
"Honey?" Her voice is gently but full of concern and he moves his arms to wrap around her waist.
"I'm okay" He murmurs softly. "I just....need to talk to you about something"
A hand moves to the crown of his head and he shudders when soft fingers brush over the wood there. He hums and closes his eyes, allowing the comforting touches to sink in his chest.
"Is this about Caine?" Queenie asks, her voice knowing.
Kinger slowly nods and he tries to order his thought to be able to explain everything that's going on when she laughs above him and he's silenced by her next words.
"Are you realizing something?"
They both pause before Kinger groans and lifts his head up to stare at Queenie who is now staring at him with a amused eyes.
"....oh, you know" Kinger says, narrowing his eyes at her. "You know that I-"
"Have a crush on him?" Queenie finishes for him, nodding. "I do"
Kinger groans and buries his face back into the women's lap, feeling his face flush red. "Darling" He whispers, "why didn't you tell me?"
"I think you needed to figure it out yourself dear"
It's true.
If Queenie had brought this up earlier then chances are Kinger would have denied it until he went blue in the face. At least now that he's more accepting of his....feelings, it saves Queenie the trouble.
"Same rules apply" Queenie says above him, "and I want him to come over for dinner one night"
Kinger laughs at that, kissing the woman's thigh underneath his head. "Of course dear."
They haven't done anything like this for awhile, Kinger thinks as Queenie presses a kiss to his cheek. They'll need to have a bigger conversation about it of course, but this was a good start.
He rolls over in the bed to check his alarm, seeing he still has two hours before he has to get to school. He hums and closes his eyes and Queenie begins to dress.
He knew his wife would be okay with this- thing he has for Caine.
In the past they had both realized that they enjoyed inviting other into their relationship, and their bed. They had a list of rules and 'regulations' that they had to follow, so to speak.
For example: any new partner had to meet both Kinger and Queenie at least once, they had to be understanding of their situation, and they had to be known.
In other words, no one night stands and no just randomly meeting someone on a dating app.
It was weird, they can admit that, but it worked.
The bed dips beside him and he chuckles when a kiss is pressed to his cheek. "Have a good day at work" Kinger says, cracking his eyes open to stare up at his goddess of a wife.
Queenie hums, eyes bright and happy. "You too, dear"
!!!
Kinger has already cleared off his desk by the time Caine comes knocking on the door at lunch time.
He jumps up from his seat with a little bit of embarrassment, and rushes to the door to swing it open, seeing Caine stood there with his bag over his shoulder and a nervous look in his eyes.
They stare at each other for a moment, both appearing to be at a loss for words, until Caine clears his throat. "Is uh, that offer still-"
"Yes!" Kinger burst out, voice just a tad too loud as he steps back to allow Caine to enter. "Please, come in!"
Caine ducks in and Kinger closes the classroom door behind him, gesturing for the smaller man to sit. "Please"
Caine moves to do just that, digging into his bag to pull out what looks like Sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap. Kinger sits too and gets out his own lunch, left over pizza from last night, and they begin to eat in silence.
They make small talk, about the weather and classes. It's weird, obviously both of them are new to this whole situation, but it's not terrible.
Kinger watches as Caine tears of little pieces of his food and eats it, his eyes on the table and body almost limp.
Kinger stares as Caine eats, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. "When's the last time you did this?" He asks, and he knows that he doesn't have to elaborate.
When was the last time Caine ate with someone else? When was the last time Caine spent time with someone like this? In this very school?
Caine pauses in eating, eyes darting away again. "...Years" He murmurs and it stings Kinger like a bruise being pressed on.
Kinger nods to that, he had expected that but it still makes his stomach turn when he thinks on it. He can imagine Caine sat in his car alone while eating everyday, wishing someone, anyone, would try to simply be his friend.
Then he thinks how maybe Caine was afraid of anyone actually trying to be his friend. His fear stopping him because he didn't want anyone to be isolated like he was.
He thinks back to last night, how Caine had suggested that he wasn't worth it. He hasn't said it of course but Kinger could read his body language, could see it in his eyes, in his tone when he spoke.
It hurts Kinger to see it, to witness this kind man being treated in such a way.
But he can't fix how the others treat him- but he can make sure he's not alone. Even if Caine obviously struggles with letting people get close to him.
"So Caine" He says and catches the smaller mans attention. "Why do you like bees?"
Caine freezes and stares at him. "...what"
"You had a bee mug" Kinger says slowly, worrying that this might be a touchy subject. "I was just wondering...."
Caine’s eyes widen and suddenly-
"How can you not like bees?!" Caine says, leaning forward in his seat and Kinger laughs as he begins telling him just what he thinks of bees. How important they are for the ecosystem, how smart they are, how they've evolved through time, how, according to this movie he had watches a few years ago, they shouldn't even be able to fly due to their body size and wing span.
He calls them miracles of aviation, and Kinger can only agree.
The conversation flows easily after that, each of them adding in new comments and topics as they go.
As they talk, Kinger notices Caine's body relax, his shoulders go limp and his voice become more animated and he wonders if this is the real Caine.
The Caine that was happy and talkative, the one that tried to get close to people.
He hopes that with time he can see more of this Caine. He wants to see more of this Caine.
A sudden thought hits Kinger and he frowns. "Wait, wait-"
Caine cuts himself off mid sentence, looking at Kinger in concern. "What? "
Kinger pints at Caine. "..Your car is still in the parking lot."
Caine gives a whole body wince. "...Yes"
Kinger narrows his eyes. "Did you walk here this morning?"
At the smaller mans silence, Kinger rubs at his mouth. "Caine you should have called me!"
It’s Caine’s turns to frown then. "Uh, I don't have your number?"
Kinger, grinning to himself, holds his hand out. "Time to change that, gimme"
Caine stares down at his wiggling fingers, huffs, and pulls his phone out of his pockets. He swipes a few times and then holds it out to Kinger. "No point in fighting, I know I won't win" He grumbles and Kinger laughs at him as he types his number in.
He then sends a message to himself, a simple hello, before handing Caine's phone back. "There. Now, I'll give you a lift back today-"
"No, no I can't ask you to-"
"You're not" Kinger cuts in, his voice dropping to soft and he can't stop himself from reaching out and placing his hand on Caine’s that's still on the desk. "I'm offering"
Caine looks at the hand on his, looking extremely flustered and Kinger has to bite back a laugh. "Fine" He says again, pulling his hand away to cross over his chest. "I guess I'll survive it"
Kinger rolls his eyes in good humor and reaches back into his bag to pull out some left over fries, putting them on the desk. He gestures to them as Caine makes eye contact and has to stop himself from cheering when the man slowly reaches out to take one.
"Thank you" Caine says then and Kinger can hear how his voice has lost its edge and now it just sounds genuine. "For, this and everything"
Kinger waves of his thanks. "It's the least I could do" He makes eye contact and puts force into his next words, even as he sees Caine shifts nervously under his gaze.
"You deserve to be treated nicely, Caine" He says, watching as mismatched eyes dart away from him. "Despite what they say....or what you might think"
Caine coughs and clears his throat, shifting in his seat as he stares down at his half eaten food. "Yeah, okay..." He doesn't sound convinced at all, and it almost annoys Kinger to see him so sensitive to basic human kindness.
"...Caine I-"
The door to his classroom opens and Jax peaks his head in, "Yo Kinger I-" He spots Caine immediately and his face changes, his grin dropping slightly.
"Huh" He says, eyes on the smaller man before he looks at the chess piece. "We're having a party tomorrow night" He says, looking directly at Kinger. "You're invited"
Kinger perks up at that and looks to Caine to see him already staring at the ground, before he can say anything Jax speaks again.
"Not him"
Kinger jolts and the anger in the words and looks up to see the rabbit now full on glaring at Caine. "He's not invited"
"We don't want him there" Jax says and there's nothing but disgust in his voice and it makes Kinger feels sick. "He'll just ruin it, y'know?"
Caine winces, but stays silent.
Kinger feels the rebuttal rise in him, the way he wants to tell Jax off for being so mean, but he's stopped when Caine looks at him.
His eyes are dull, the light he had gained completely missing as he slowly shakes his head and Kinger has no choice but to stay silent.
"See you tomorrow old man!" Jax says, closing the door behind him as he leaves.
They both go silent, staring at each other and Kinger wants to speak, wants to say something, anything, but he feels trapped.
"I-"
"I should go" Caine says and without even waiting for a reply he stands to his feet, picking up his half eating food and throwing it into his bag. "I'll see you later Kinger"
He walks to the door, back hunched and-
"Come to the party" Kinger asks, pleads really and Caine stays facing away.
"I wasn't invited Kinger" There's something in his voice, something like anger and it makes Kinger want to run out and grab Jax by his ears, drag him back here and force him to apologize.
"I'm inviting you "
Caine times back to look at him, eyes still painfully dull.
"... I'll think about it"
!!!!
By the time Kinger finishes classes that day and gets out to the parking lot, he spots Caine leaving through the school gates. He texts Caine, asking him if he still wanted a lift, only for Caine to tell him that he was okay with walking back.
The rest of his night is spent worrying. His morning is the same and when lunch rolls around he waits and waits for Caine to come knocking on his door, but he never does.
!!!!
Kinger waits for him by the entrance of the hall, arms crossed over his chest as he taps his foot on the ground. Deep down he knows the man not coming, he's been here for two hours now and there's been no sign of him. But he's hoping that maybe he will show up.
On the other side of the door be can hear the others laughing, the music playing, and he wants to scream at them. He wants to have a go at them and shout at them and tell them all off for how they had been treating Caine.
Instead, he checks his phone again.
You: are you coming tonight? I would really like to spend more time with you
You; Caine please I want you here
You: Caine?
No replies. Nothing. The read receipt is green so he knows Caine's has at least got the messages, but that it's.
The door opens, and he hears the music get louder as he stares intently down at his phone. "Kinger?"
He turns his head to see Ragatha stood there, her eyes brows furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?"
He watches her for a moment, his body feels heavy. "....why?" He asks, and Ragatha seems confused.
"Why do you all treat him like that?"
Ragathas body tenses, her eyes skirting away and she steps fully outside, the door closing behind he and muting the sounds of the party.
".... A few years ago-"
"He told me" Kinger cuts in, watching the redhead rub at her arm nervously. "About trying to attack Jax, about everything" He stares right at Ragatha, his eyes narrowing in anger that he can barely hide. "He apologized"
Ragatha has the decent to guilty. "I know"
"He feels bad, everyday"
"...I know"
"He feels like nothing, because you all treat him like nothing when he's supposed to be your colleague. You treat him like he's not worth the air he breaths-"
"I know!" Ragatha says loudly, her hands raising in self defense. "I know, I...." She looks down at her feet, eyes shiny. "...I'm sorry"
Kinger pushes himself off the wall, his phone clenched in one hand, his head spinning and chest aching with anger. "I'm not the one you should apologize too"
He walks away from the room and down the hall, suppressing his anger, his frustration.
Instead he types.
You: Caine, if you don't reply I'm coming over
He watches the tick go green instantly, and then his phone buzzes.
Caine: Don't. I'm fine.
Kinger feels his heart settle, but it still throbs.
You: ill see you Monday.
Its firm and it leaves no room for argument, because Kinger refuses to let it be optional.
He watches the text come through and the feeling that rushes through him is too hollow and artificial to be anything close to real relief.
Caine: I'll see you Monday.
!!!!
When Monday rolls around Kinger hopes to a higher power that things would be better.
He hopes that maybe Caine will continue to have lunch with him. He hopes that Caine will explain that he had been busy on Friday and that’s why he hadn’t come.
He tries to force his hope to fill his body but it’s so hard to do so when everything is going against it.
He stands in the break room, staring down at his empty mug, and thinks. He can hear the other teachers behind him all taking amongst themselves. He only had about ten minutes before his next class so he should really be getting to his room before the students come in but-
A flash of yellow in the sink makes him look up.
That bee mug.
He thinks back to Caine, his eyes, how Kinger had begun to see the real him shining in his eyes when it was just the two of them.
He thinks of how quick that light has been extinguished when Jax had be blatantly horrible to him, how he had then avoided Kinger the whole new day.
He moves to the sink and turns on the tap, and after a moment, slips his gloves off and rolls up his sleeves. He normally keeps his translucent arms covered as some humans give his strange looks if he doesn’t, but right now he doesn’t care about that.
Instead he focuses on grabbing the bee mug and washing it up.
Warm water runs over his hands, the sound of clinking and water running echoing in the suddenly silent room.
He can feel the gazes of the others on his back, burning holes into his body but he completely ignores them all. Instead he reaches for a cloth and dries the mug. He places it next to his own, grabs the coffee maker, and begins pouring two coffees.
He stares down at the chips in Caine mug and wonders how long it had been since he last had someone make him a coffee.
He finishes off, turning around with both drinks and walks to the door. He feels eyes follow him but he stays staring forward, not even giving them the time of day.
He pushes the door open and leaves them all behind, his eyes focused on Caine’s classroom.
When he peeks in, he sees it empty but he still goes in, walking over to his desk to place Caine’s mug down on the desk, before he stands to his full height.
He debates with waiting for Caine, then decides against it. The man was avoiding him and as much as it drove Kinger mad, he would respect that.
He sighs and steps back out into the hall, taking his phone out of his pocket to shoot off one message to Caine.
You: coffee on your desk, enjoy
He doesn’t receive a reply for the next twenty minutes and it’s only just after his class starts that he does. It’s a simple message, but it makes his heart race all the same.
Caine: thank you Kinger
He stares down at the words for a long moment, hands tight on his phone, before he responded.
You: anytime Caine, I mean it
He doesn’t get a response to that in anyway shape or form but he’s not upset. Especially when, after his class finishes and he opens the door, he sees a bag sat to the side and on the floor.
He waits for the kids to leave before he scoops it up and opens it to peer inside, laughing to himself at the sight of a little book.
It’s obviously a joke book, one that’s corny and stupid, but it makes Kinger laugh all the same.
‘How to keep your wife happy, a step by step, helpful guide!’
When he opens it to the first page, he laughs again at the text in big bold writing. ‘Don’t forget that you’re married!’
He looks up the hall just in time to see Caine looking at him from the entrance of his room, half hidden behind the door frame.
Kinger’s shoulder shake with humor as he nods his thanks to Caine, his chest swelling when the smaller man flushes red in the gums and he ducks away into his room.
!!!
Unfortunately, that interaction is the last one he’ll have with Caine for a while.
At each turn down a hall or at meetings with Scratch where they all have to be in attendance, Caine will make eye contact with Kinger for a whooping ten seconds before he would disappear again.
Wednesday goes much the same with Kinger going up to Caine’s door during break. When he looks in he can see that the room is empty so he turns on his heel to head out the parking lot.
He pulls his coat tighter around himself as he steps out, eyes scanning the carpark until his eyes land on Caine’s car. It still parked up, still broken down.
He sees movement in the driver’s side and he heads towards the car, barely able to see Caine through the window. He thinks he can see the man eating and his chest hurts again as he sees the man stir his spoon in what looks like soup.
He realizes then that chances are that the soup is cold, and something horrid begins to twist in his stomach. He ignores it, and leans down to knock on the passenger side window.
He sees Caine jolt and stare up at him with wide, shocked eyes, before he seems to glance away. Kinger stays stood there for a long moment before he hears the door unlock.
He quickly opens the door and slips into the seat, feeling the warm air of the car deep into his body. He sits there for a moment, looking around the car. There’s a thin layer of dust around the car and on the controls and he frowns at the sight of it.
“Has no one come to look at this yet?” He tilts his head to look at Caine, seeing the smaller man staring down at his lap where his thermos sits.
“Nope” Caine murmurs back quietly, hands tight and shoulder bunched up. “It won’t even start so I can’t get it anywhere” He says, “and no one is willing to come out” Caine gives an obvious half-hearted shrug. “So, I guess…I need a miracle” He says it in an obvious attempt to try and lighten the mood but Kinger can see the exhaustion in his eyes.
“I can give you lifts Caine” Kinger stresses, shifting in his seat to better watch Caine. “I really don’t mind helping you out”
They both so silent, the only sound being the creaking of the car settling before Caine looks at Kinger, eyes hard.
“I don’t need your help” He says and Kinger has never heard this voice before. This anger. “I didn’t ask for your help- I’m not some charity case for you to fix”
Kinger raises his hands in defense, feeling his heart stutters at the tone, the offence in Caine’s entire body. “Caine I-“
“I don’t want your pity” Caine spits the last word, his hands tight on his thermos. “Leave me alone” His voice catches and Kinger catches the look.
Before Caine turns his head away from him to look out the window, Kinger sees it.
The sadness. The anger. The fear. Dozens of emotions that have to be overwhelming to feel all at once. Caine is trying to push him away, Kinger can see that easily enough.
He doesn’t know why, he doesn’t understand why, but he knows he can’t let it happen.
“I don’t pity you” Kinger speaks softly to Caine back, seeing it go rigid. “That’s not what this is”
“Then what?” Caine’s head snaps back around to glare at him. “What else could this possibly be-“
Kinger reaches out slowly, carefully, to give Caine time to reject it, before he takes one of Caine’s hands into his own.
“I care about you” Kinger says, watching as mismatched eyes go shiny and the hand in his own tightens. “Is that really so impossible for you to believe?”
They’re both quiet again.
Caine suddenly sniffs and his jaw closes, his body trembles and Kinger can feel it due to the hand still in his own. “Why?” Caine croaks, voice muffled and Kinger can feel the emotion in the single word.
He feels his own eyes sting because the man is genuinely confused by Kinger’s care. He genuinely thinks that there must be another reason to someone wanting to be around him other then wanting to be his friend and it’s so deeply sad that Kinger, not for the first time, has to fight the urge to hug him.
He doesn’t know how well that would go, considering everything. Instead he stays sat in the passenger side of Caine’s car, holding the mans hand as he visibly tries, and fails, to hide his tears.
!!!
He had hoped that after the moment in the car, Caine would allow him to get close again. However that is not what happened.
Somehow Caine had managed to avoid and ignore him even more now. He was always one step ahead of Kinger in the ‘avoid’ game, so to speak.
If Kinger messaged him he would reply, but that would be the limit of their interactions now.
He chess piece understood why, he knew that the man had issues with letting people close to him but it kind of hurt.
It made his chest ache when Caine avoided eye contact. It made him feel sick when Caine would completely blank his hello in the morning. Each time Kinger would be shot down it hurt him, mentally and physically.
He wants to grab Caine and shake him until he understands-
But he knows that wouldn’t get him anywhere. He knows it won’t change anything. He knows that he can’t force Caine to be his friend.
If he had thought for a second that Caine didn’t want to be his friend then he would have given up by now, he would have let the man hide away from him and he would have made peace with that.
But whenever Caine ignores him, or hides for him, Kinger sees his eyes.
How sad they look, how tired they are. He can see how the man hesitates each and every time before he goes, like he wants to reach out, like he wants to sit with Kinger, talk to him and spend time with him.
There’s something holding him back- Kinger can see that.
He just doesn’t know what.
Well, he does.
The others.
He sees it in the way Caine shrinks in on himself when he passes Jax in the hall, how he goes rigid when someone looks at him. How he avoids everyone and anyone and Kinger-
Kinger understands.
Abel, the last person to have been nice to Caine, had to quit because just like he had thought everyone else had froze him out when he got close to Caine.
They had ignored him, refused to cover his shifts, and just were horrible to him. The man had left because even after he stopped talking to Caine, no one else had talked to him.
It was hard doing this job alone, never mind being hated by the rest of the teachers.
He knows Caine is doing this in some misguided attempt to protect him, and he hates that the man is doing this.
He wants to bring it up to Caine, to confront them for what they are doing- but there are so many things that it hurts his brain when he thinks about them too much.
He watches through his open door as the rest of the teachers begin to walk down the hall, the end of day bell ringing through the halls. He hums and brings himself out of his thoughts before he grabs his bag and pulls it over his shoulder.
He walks out his class after turning off all of the lights in the room and his eyes instinctively go down the hall.
Caine’s room is closed and there’s no sign of the younger man, and Kinger sighs. He makes to step away from his door, then pauses.
Shit he left his papers in the main hall.
He groans and hauls his bag tighter over his shoulder before he turns back down the hall and marches through the hall, grumbling to himself as he goes.
Scratch had wanted to go over his class plan seeing as he had been here for about two months now, and it had run a bit later then originally planned. Kinger had to run back to his room before class stared and he had completely forgotten to get his paperwork.
It could be left until tomorrow, but he knows that chances are he’ll forget they even exist if he goes home tonight.
So with that, he walks down past the classroom, around the corner and down the next hall, the only sound being his boots hitting the ground.
Kinger notices that the lights to the cafeteria kitchen are still on and he frowns to himself, he’s pretty sure that everyone else had gone home by now so who could be doing something at this time of night? He knows all of the cooks had left hours ago and he’s never seen anyone in the kitchen before.
He makes his way over, hearing what sounds like tapping, before peeking his head in.
Caine is stood near the steel table in the middle of the kitchen, multiple fruits scattered in front of him. There are a few small bowls dotted around, each of them different colours. He watches from the doorway as Caine slices apples in halves and then quarters, before he scoops them up and places them into the red bowl.
A jaw moves to look at him, eyes meeting his and for a moment Caine pauses, his eyes widening. “Ah” He blinks. “Hello Kinger”
Kinger hopes that the other man doesn’t think he followed him or anything like that, he honestly had no intentions of trying to corner Caine tonight.
The fact that Caine had obviously been avoiding him all week doesn’t help either, he thinks to himself while Caine keeps cutting fruit.
Kinger hums back in response and walks into the kitchen for real now, eyes looking at the spread on the table. “What…are you doing?” He asks, and Caine’s eyes drop to the table as he grabs another apple.
“My class is right after Zooble’s gym class now” He says, beginning to slice the fruit again. “And the kids are always hungry so” With the knife he gestures to the table. “I thought this might be good for them!”
Kinger comes to stand directly in front of the table, eyes on Caine’s face. “That’s…” He sees the smaller man finish off the apples and move onto a large watermelon. “That’s really nice of you Caine”
Teeth flush red and Kinger ignores the pang in his chest. “Ah, yes well-“ Caine looks down at the table, his movements pausing. “I don’t exactly have anything better to do”
Kinger stares as he resumes, and then makes a decision. He shrugs off his bag and coat, rolling up his sleeves. “Let me help” He takes a pear and a spare knife, following Caine’s direction at cutting that onto quarters as best he can.
They both continue in silence for a moment, before Kinger finally finds the courage to speak. “You didn’t come to that party”
He sees Caine’s movements pause and he keeps his own going deliberately. “Are party’s not your thing?”
Caine’s hand, the one holding the watermelon, clenches. “I wasn’t invited” He says, voice low. “And I didn’t want to intrude” He takes a breath, eyes on the table.
Kinger had a feeling, and he hates that he was right. He remembers how horribly Jax had been talking about Caine, how Zooble had joined in, how everyone else had stayed silent.
He had originally waited inside the hall for Caine but after the tenth snide comment he heard from the rabbit he had to leave before he did something like punch the guy out.
“I invited you” He reminds Caine gently. “Does…that not count?”
“Not to them” Caine says, knife hitting the cutting board a little harsher then before.
“I’m sorry” He say quietly, “I should’ve-“
“Nothing” Caine says then, his voice forcibly gently. “You…just don’t worry about me Kinger”
It’s hard not to, he thinks as he lifts his head to look directly at Caine. He’s still wearing his work clothes, his white shirt and red waistcoat with the sleeves down. He notices that the cuffs are undone but not rolled up and he can see juice on the other man’s white sleeves.
He stares for a bit longer at those dark, almost clawed hands as he tries to think about something to-
He watches in real time at Caine’s knife slips and slices into his open Palm and they both jolt.
Kinger drops his own knife and quickly rounds the table to get to Caine, seeing the other man grab a rag to press it to his hand as it begins to bleed.
He takes Caine’s hands and pulls the rag away just enough to see the cut. “It’s shallow” He says, voice loud now because that had really shocked him to see, “Shouldn’t need stitches, we do need to wash it off though”
Caine nods at him and together they go over to the sink, Kinger turning the tap on and waiting for it to warm before he takes Caine’s hand, his finger moving to the sleeve that’s now dotted with blood. “Here let me just-“ He moves the sleeve and Caine jolts, his voice taking on a frantic edge as he tries to pull his hand away.
“Wait, shit Kin-“
The sleeve is pushed up Caine arm and Kinger freezes, one hand cupping Caine’s and the other now gripping the cuff. He stares at the flesh revealed to him, feeling his heart jump into his throat as the sight of-
Scars.
Some are thick and clean, like they had been thought through and placed strategically , while others look angry and jagged. They go all the way up his arm, stopping just before his elbow crease. The black inkiness of his wrists and mid forearm makes the scars stand out fiercely and Kinger feels stuck, unable to look away.
He barely reacts when Caine suddenly pulls his arm away and presses into he sink, washing away the blood pooling on his palm, before he grabs a rag to tie around it.
He turns back to the table, continuing to cut the fruit, and Kinger is left staring at the other man’s back. His small shoulders are rigid, back tense and his hands are shaking where they cut the fruit.
Kinger opens his mouth to speak, but then it closes with nothing able to come out. He looks down at his own hands to see Caine blood on his gloves and he has to swallow the lump that climbs into his throat at the sight.
He takes the glove off and shoves it into his pocket, ignoring how his own hands tremble and for once he’s grateful that his limbs are invisible.
He takes a deep breath as his eyes go back to Caine, eyes darting down to his hand that has the tea towel wrapped tightly around it.
He can see the way his fingers spasm holding the fruit and knife and he takes another breath before he moves to Caine’s side, his voice completely shot as he hesitates. “Caine?”
What the hell can he say?
He looks at Caine’s side profile, seeing the mans shiny wide eyes staring at nothing. His jaw has almost completely closed and Kinger can feel the fear radiating from him.
Instead of saying anything, he instead places both of his hands over Caine’s own, stopping his movements. “You’re going to hurt yourself” He mutters, watching as a jaw fully closes and hides eyes from him. “If you keep shaking like that” Caine’s hands ball up beneath his but he lets go of the items, his hands falling limo to the table.
“I’m sorry” Caine says, voice muffled and weak but it still makes Kinger’s whole chest hurt. “You….I didn’t mean for you to see…that” He says the last word like it’s sinful. “I’m sorry”
Kinger shakes his head and without thinking about it he moves one of his hands to place it on Caine’s back right between his shoulder blades, feeling the tension in the smaller mans back.
“Caine I-“ He trails off, completely at a loss as those scars flash in his mind once more in perfect detail.
He struggles to find the words, feeling like he’s grasping at nothing. “When did you…..” He really doesn’t know if he should ask that, but he feels at a loss for what else to say.
Caines shoulder sink slightly and his jaws unclench for eyes to peek through. “….Five years ago was when I…started”
After he got fired, his mind whispers cruelly into his ear, after everything with Jax.
He nods slowly. “Can I see them?”
Caine’s head turns, something unreadable passing over his eyes. “Why? “ He asks, and he looks completely dumbfounded.
Kinger swallows around the lump in his throat. “I want to check them” He realizes. “Make sure none of them are, y’know”
What he doesn’t say is that he needs to see the damage, he needs to see for himself just how much Caine has been putting himself through on top of being isolated. He wants to understand, as best he can.
Caine stares at him for a moment longer before he slowly nods. “Okay” He picks up the knife again, his hands steady now. “But we…can we finish this first?”
Kinger nods at that, stepping away from Caine and stretching to grab his previously discarded knife. They continue their task in silence, the only sounds being the blade hitting the board over and over.
The time flies and eventually all the bowls are moved to the large fridge on the counter to keep it fresh until morning.
Kinger writes a quick note on the tray that all the bowls are on so that the kitchen staff does not touch the fruit, before he closes the fridge door. Once that’s done, Kinger turns to see Caine stood at the table wiping it down, eyes on the metal and his own reflection.
Kinger takes a deep breath and pulls his phone out of his pocket, seeing that he had a text from Queenie. He throws one more look to the man in front of him before he swipes open the message.
Wifey: honey where are you? You’re normally home by now
You: yes, sorry dear but something has come up at the school, I’ll explain when I get home.
His phone buzzes immediately with a reply.
Wifey: are you safe?
It’s a question they always ask when one of them is out later then usually, it’s just a way for them to tell the other if they’re not and if they need a getaway plan
You: I am, yes
“You can go now” He looks up at the sound of Caine’s voice, seeing him now packing away the cutlery they had been using before. The smaller man still looks skittish, his eyes won’t meet Kingers and honestly he doesn’t blame him for that.
He takes a deep breath “is there a first aid kit in here?” He asks instead.
Caines eyes flick to his, his gaze full of exhaustion, and without saying anything he crouches down and opens one of the cupboards. He riffles around for a moment before pulling out a green box, closing the doors and standing back to his feet.
Kinger comes over to him and carefully takes the box from his hands, feeling and hearing the contents move about. He looks around and spots a stool tucked under the sink and grabs it, looking at it pointedly until Caine sits.
Kinger grips the first aid kit and sinks to his knees, right in front of Caine’s legs, and places the box next to him before popping it open. He rifles through it until he finds the alcohol wipes and bandages.
He looks at Caine once more, holding his hand out flat. “Can I?”
Caine stares, hands pressed together in his lap, before his gaze darts away and he raises his left arm to Kinger, placing it into his hand. Kinger gently grasps him, using the fingers of his other hand to brush the sleeve up and away to expose the skin to him.
He has to swallow roughly at the sight, unused to such sights, as his eyes scan the skin. “When was the last time?” He questions softly, keeping his eyes down.
“…Last week” Comes the reply and Kinger feels his heart ache.
The party he thinks to himself as he begins to wipe down the skin, that whole…thing causes this.
Despite Caine’s words the wounds on his arm look older and fades, some are still raised yes, but even they look old. He quickly finishes wrapping that arm up, rolling the sleeve back down, before he gestures for Caine’s other arm.
With this, Caine hesitates. “They-“ He seems to roll the words over in his mind, his top jaw frowning. “They aren’t….pretty”
“I don’t care” Kinger is quick to say, keeping his hand out. “Please?”
Caine sighs, quiet, and lets his arm fall into Kinger’s grip.
He’s gently pushing this sleeve up, catching the way Caine’s body flinches at his touch, and his eyes takes in the marred flesh once more.
He can see the most recent ones, angry lines that sit at the very top of his inner forearm, red lines of dried blood and torn skin, and they still look sore to the touch. Kinger carefully places his fingers against them, feeling the warmth of the skin.
They are not infected, thankfully, but Kinger cleans them anyway with a new alcohol wipe. He pauses as he stares at them, rolling the words over in his mind. “Before these” He gestures to the fresh marks. “When was the last time?”
Caine hums at that, eyes flicking away as his free arm lifts to scratch at him bottom jaw. “I’m not sure” He says, then shrugs. “Maybe five months?”
Kinger can feel the honesty in the words so he continues with his mission and doesn’t bring up how Caine’s whole body seems to be shaking in his grip. He can tell that the man is trying his best to appear unbothered by the whole situation, but the way his knee shakes next to Kinger’s form is proof of the opposite.
In silence Kinger cleans up his supplies, rolls down a white sleeve, and then stands to his feet. Caine follows, basically scampering away to get his bag and coat that are in the corner of the room. “Do you need a lift?” Kinger asks, his voice feeling almost desperate.
He knows Caine’s car is still in the parking lot, he knows that Caine has been walking to and from work everyday, he knows that the man has to be tired of doing so.
Caine pauses and looks back at him, before he pulls on his coat, a plain dark red jacket and swings his bag over his shoulder. “No, thank you”
“Please?” Kinger knows he sounds desperate and sad, but the idea of Caine taking that long trek back to his home alone after this makes him feel sick.
Caine looks at him from the door way, eyes downcast, hands tight on the strap of his bag. Their eyes meet, and Kinger tries to make his gaze comforting.
He can see the way Caine’s eyes shine, either with tears or something else entirely Kinger isn’t sure, but he watches as Caine really seems to think about his offer, his mismatched eyes scanning Kinger’s form for something.
Caine looks down then, to the first aid kit still in Kinger hands and he turns away with an air of finality about him. “…I’ll see you tomorrow Kinger” With that, Caine walks away, his boots clicking on the floor as he goes.
Kinger is left standing in the kitchen, the smell of fruit overwhelming, the first aid kit heavy in his hands, and a rock in his stomach.
When he gets home Queenie is waiting for him.
She’s sat on the couch in the living room when he enters and when he spots her he tosses off his bag and crumbles into her arms as he cries for the first time in years.
When she asks him what’s wrong, he can’t find the words to speak, he can’t find the power to say anything other then;
“Caine”
!!!!
For the next few weeks, Kinger tries even harder.
He forces himself into Caine’s classroom during lunch, he brings coffee to Caine any chance he gets and he always offers him lifts home everyday.
He’ll wait right by the end of the school when the day ends he’ll catch Caine by his shoulder gently, guiding him over to his car.
At the start, Caine would reject the other every single time, he would say that he wanted to walk, that he was okay with walking, and every time Kinger would only shush him.
Now, Caine only rolls his eyes and follows Kinger to the car, knowing that it’s impossible to fight it.
Kinger doesn’t let the man feel alone, or really even be alone, for weeks- he forces Caine to be around him and any other time Kinger wouldn’t be as pushy but Kinger can see how it affects the man.
After Caine had quietly confided that he struggled to sleep at night, Kinger had brought in some herbal tea the next day, and the day after that Caine had come into school looking almost well rested.
When Caine would begin to rub at his forearms, Kinger would instead catch his attention with another topic until that far away look in his mismatched eyes disappeared.
He had only been able to catch two other glances at Caine’s arms since the incident in the kitchen. The first had been during a creative writing assignment that for some reason included glitter glue.
Kinger had walked in on Caine in the staff toilets, lent over the sink and trying to turn the tap on with his elbows.
Kinger had almost busted a rib from laughing at the sight of the smaller man absolutely covered in glitter, before he had walked over to help him.
He had grabbed hand towels and had pulled most of the glue off, before he had to pause. ‘it might’ he had hesitated, but forced himself to continue. ‘it might be easier for me to clean your hand if your…sleeves were….’
Caine had nodded at him and Kinger had taken that as permission to undo and push up his sleeves just enough to hold his hands under the hot tap.
He had forced his eyes to not stray from the mans hands, despite the way he could still see the scars that marred his skin.
While washing the man wrist to rid of a particularly stubborn piece of glue, his thumb had brushed a raised scar on Caine wrist and they had both gone tense.
Then, Caine had released a long breath. ‘…Keep going’ he had said, voice quiet and when Kinger had looked to his side to see his jaws, he could see the man already looking at him, eyes soft and shiny. ‘the glue is getting annoying’
Kinger had only nodded and continued to wash the mans hands until the glue was fully gone, and when his fingers brushes scars he didn’t let himself pause or hesitate again.
Kinger hates how it happened, but he’s happy that they have started to get closer.
Sure, Caine still refused to let Kinger drive him to school, and yeah he still wouldn’t go to the staff room, but he had made some serious progress!
He just wishes that he could convince Caine that he was worthy of it.
He knows that for him to do that is near impossible, it’s difficult to erase five years of isolation and hatred in only a few weeks, and it was made especially harder when said man didn’t think he should be treated better.
Sometimes, when they are sat together in the café across the road or stood outside the school gates just talking, Kinger’s eyes will start to his arms.
He doesn’t mean to, and he kind of hates himself for allowing it to happen, but it is hard to resist. Every morning he sees Caine he wants to ask him about them, get more information, check them over for signs of new scars, wrap them up so that Caine can’t see them anymore.
He knows he doesn’t have the right to do so, he knows that he has no say in Caine’s choices.
But it was hard to watch.
The second time he had only been able to stare when Caine had given a high five to one of his students, but their hand had missed his completely and instead it had hit his forearm.
The student had apologized but Caine had laughed it off and waved them away and Kinger had only been able to watch as Caine curled over his arm held close to his chest.
He had rushed over to him, shutting the door behind him, and had to pry Caine’s grip away.
He manages to roll up the sleeve and he winces at the sight of reopened cuts. “Caine…” He doesn’t know what he was going to say, scald him? Shame him? Hug him?
Instead of doing any of that, Kinger instead pulls the sleeve back down and convinces Caine to come with him to the bathroom.
When they get there, Caine eyes are squinted in pain and annoyance. “Gods that hurt” he whispers as Kinger takes his arm to run it under the warm tap, washing away the specks of blood that bad began to bead. “Ow”
“Sorry” Kinger says softly, grabbing hand towels to press against damp skin. Caine shakes his head and shifts, their shoulders pressing together.
“No” Caine says, eyes on the hand gently holding his own. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with this-“
“Don’t” Kinger says and he lifts his eyes up to look at Caine, seeing mismatched eyes catch his own as they look at each other. “Don’t apologize for this” He says weakly, eyes flicker to naked skin before they move back away. “It’s…okay” It’s not. Okay would be Caine not feeling the need to do this, but Kinger understands why.
He hates it, but he gets it.
“Next time you want to” His finger tightens on a thin wrist. “Ring me, okay?”
Caine seems to mull that over in his mind, his top jaw frowning. “…I’ll try” He says, looking away as Kinger rolls down his sleeve again. “Thank you”
Kinger stares at him for a long moment, lifting a hand to rest on his shoulder, and he squeezes once. “Anytime”
!!!
That night, as Kinger was climbing into bed with a book, his phone buzzed once.
He looks down at the screen, feeling his heart thud against his ribs cage.
Caine: can I call you?
He hadn’t even thought about it before he answered.
You: yes.
His phone rings a moment later and Queenie looks at him with concerned eyes and he feels bad about not filling her in, but he only winces in apology before he clicks the accept button.
“Hey” He says, getting under the sheets and sitting against the headboard.
The other side is silent apart from the sound of a tv, before Caine’s voice comes through, weak and sad but steady. “…You said if….that I should call you so….here I am”
Kinger hums at that, eyes on his closed book. “Thank you then” He settles on, hearing Caine take a long breath in. “For calling me”
There’s shifting on the other side, before Caine’s voice comes again. “….were you going to sleep? Sorry I- I should hang up-“
“Don’t” Kinger says, voice firming up and he catches Queenie looking at him in concern. “How about I read to you?”
“…..Okay” Caine says, voice weak and shaky and Kinger feels something akin to pride swell in his chest because this is Caine asking for help, reaching out, putting himself first and Kinger kind of wants to cry because of it.
Instead, he clears his throat and opens his book. He watches Queenie snuggle under the sheets next to him and he feels a smile break out over his face.
He looks at the page in his book, a simple one for some light reading, and begins to reading for his audience of two.
!!!
After that, things seem to shift.
It’s subtle, barely noticeable, but obvious enough that Kinger can see it.
It start with a question that, coming from anyone else, wouldn’t have been a big deal but coming from Caine?
“Hey, do you want to go out this weekend? Like a…bar or something?”
It was nothing short of a miracle.
And sure maybe he reacted a bit dramatically but-
“….K-Kinger are you crying?”
“…No?”
Caine frowns at him from across his desk where’s he grading papers, looking skeptical. “You look like you’re crying”
Kinger blinks rapidly a few times and clears his throat. “Nope, no I am- all good”
Caine very obviously doesn’t believe him, but at least he doesn’t call Kinger out in it. “…So is that a yes?” He says and his tone is full of nerves, like he fully expects Kinger to say no to the offer.
He’s a fool.
Kinger quickly nods and leans forward in his seat, unable to hide his excitement. “Yes! Yeah that’s- Caine that would be amazing”
Caine laughs at his enthusiasm and means back in his chair. Kinger watches, heart thudding against his rib cage, as his teeth flush red. “Great” Says the smaller man, shifting in his seat and clearing his throat. “Is, uhm, Saturday good for you?”
Kinger nods, unable to hide his pure joy. “Yes yes, obviously I don’t know the best place to go so where should I meet you?”
Caine hums on it, then he reaches out to grab his phone. Kinger watches him type for a moment before his own buzzes in his pocket. “I’ve sent it to you” He says, placing his phone back down. “It’s near the school actually, only a few minutes down the road”
Kinger nods at that and pulls his phone out, eyes scanning the address. “Oh!” He says, catching Caine’s attention. “It’s right next to my place! Well that’s convenient” Then he pauses. “Wait how are you going to get to it?”
Caine blinks at him, looking half confused himself. “I’ll walk? Or catch an Uber”
Knowing that when Caine wanted to be stubborn, it was very difficult to change his mind, Kinger hums and nods. Putting his phone away into his pocket.
Honestly he’s beyond excited about this whole thing now, he’s genuinely looking forward to it.
He isn’t the biggest drinker himself, but it’ll be nice to get out of the house and do something other then working for once.
And with Caine no less!
He spares a look to the clock and huffs, getting to his feet and sorting out his lunch and papers. “I swear lunch gets shorter everyday” He grumbles, hearing Caine laugh at his comment. “I’ll see you after class, Caine” He stand up and looks over to see the man looking up at him with bright eyes.
“See you after class, Kinger” His voice is soft and gentle and Kinger has to duck out of the room to make sure his red face isn’t visible to the smaller man.
He shuts the door and rushes back up the hall to his own classroom, feeling his heart flutter in his chest. He steps stutter when he sees Luna, the moon sprite, walking down the hall.
She’s tall, taller than Kinger actually, and a similar Morph to Caine though she has a light blue crescent moon for a head instead of teeth and jaws. Kinger frowns when their eyes meet and he doesn’t mean to but he feels his body tense.
He hasn’t really spoken to the other teachers, especially the moon and sun sprite, especially considering that their classrooms were in a different hall to his own.
Luna slows down, her hand tight on her papers, before she seems to force the words out. “I’m sorry”
Kinger comes to a stop just before his door and he grabs the handle, ready to ignore her and go in when she speaks again. “For how I’ve treated Caine, and you”
It makes him freeze, head tiling just enough to look at the woman. As far as he knows, she’s one of the only teachers to not say anything to Caine. Not anything mean at least.
The only one that actually says a thing to Caine is Jax actually, though the rest of the faculty ignore and isolate him, Kinger can’t help but wonder if they ignore Caine for fear of being bullied by Jax.
Again, he thinks of Able, the one who previously had his job.
He stares at her for a long moment. “…You should tell him that” He says and his voice is firm and harsh.
Luna nods at that and she at least has the decency to look ashamed. “That’s where I’m going” She says and at that, and Kinger blinks. “I just wanted to…let you know that-“ She pauses and she takes a long breath in, her eyes dropping to the floor in what Kinger guesses is shame.
“Thank you” She breathes and Kinger feels nothing but confused. “For making me brave”
Kinger stares at her for a moment, frowning, his phone buzzes and he knows that his students will be arriving soon but he can’t look away from the other. “…What?”
Luna grips her papers to her chest, a soft smile on her face. “I was too afraid to try” She says, her voice smooth and gentle. “With Caine I mean. I heard these- horror stories about him and I just believed it. I avoided him because I didn’t want to be treated like-“ She hesitates. “Like Able”
Kinger had known that, deep down, and some part of him is glad to have been correct, but it’s a hollow victory in the grand scheme of things.
“But then you came” She says and Kinger feels his face flush. “You didn’t care about how the others treated you, how Caine pushed you away- thank you for making me brave enough to do this”
Kinger can only nod as the woman walks past him, feeling her hand pat his shoulder once before she leaves down the hall and towards Caine’s classroom. He stares at where the moon sprite just was, feeling his stomach roll.
Made her brave?
He decides that he’s not going to dwell on it, and after taking another deep breath, and hearing footsteps and the familiar voice of his students coming towards him, he opens his door and walks in to get ready to start class.
!!!
“Okay, uh- this shirt with these pants?
“Are you going to a rave?”
“Oh okay uh- this shirt?”
“….honey, no”
“This one?!”
“Okay honey-“ Hands grab his own and pry the shirt and pants out of his grip. “Breathe”
Kinger groans and lifts his now empty hand to rub over his face. “I think I’m going to throw up” He grumbles quietly to himself, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. He’s only in his underwear, briefs that cling to his thighs with his movements, with the rest of his clothes thrown about the room. “I don’t think I can do thi-“
“Here” Clothes are thrown at him and he jolts, grabbing them and looking down at the outfit now sat in his lap.
“Huh” He says, looking down at a plum purple button up and black slacks. “Fair enough”
He stands to his feet and begins to get dressed, grunting when Queenie begins to scoop up his clothes. “Oh, honey no I can-“
She stands straight and narrows her eyes at him while holding a sparkly shirt in her hand. “You have to go. I don’t want you to keep Caine waiting- this is a big step for him!” She says as she turns to stuff his clothes away.
Kinger sighs at that and finishes buttoning up his shirt, presses it down on his chest. "I know" He says, voice soft and a smile curls on his face invisibly. "I know"
Queenie laughs at how his expression must look and she comes over to him, standing before him and reaching out to undo the first two buttons on his shirt.
It leaves a sliver of his wooden chest exposed and he raises a brow at the sight. "Really? Am I that much of a whore now?"
Queenie stares back at him, voice and face dead pan. "For Caine? Absolutely you are"
Kinger laughs at that and shakes his head at her comment, before his phone buzzes in his pocket. "You're so mean to me" He says amused as he grabs his phone to look at the screen.
"You know it!" Queenie giggles back as she leaves the room.
Kinger rolls his eyes and swipes his screen.
Caine: you said 7 right? I might be a bit earlyish, sorry
Kinger laughs softly at that, feeling fond.
You: I'll be there soon don't worry, see you soon :)
Caine: :)?
You: it's a happy face!
Caine: what are you, 12?
You: :(
He spares one last look into the mirror, admittedly he does look good. The shirt sits nicely on his shoulders, his pants cling to his thighs and calves.
He heads out the room and to the bathroom, opening up the cabinet to grab his cologne. He sprays it, and then sprays it again just to make sure it really sticks.
He gives one last nod at his reflection, before he moves back out the bathroom to slip his smart shoes on.
!!!
This is not a date.
He says it to himself as he shuts the house door and he steps off the porch, the light coming on behind him as he goes.
This is not a date.
He says it again as he walks down the curved road and onto the main street, talking a right.
This is not a date.
He says it firmly and leaves himself no room for argument, instead he raises his head and shoves his hands into his pockets. Sure enough, only about five minutes later he sees the bar up ahead.
He speeds up a bit, even as he tells himself one last time that this is not a date!
He pushes open the door, the sound of soft music and talking immediately reaches his ears. He scans the area, it's busy, but not heaving with people thankfully. He hums and looks at the bar before he catches sight of Caine standing at the far end. He can just about make out his top jaw from where he's standing so he’s quick to shuffle in further.
He takes fast steps towards Caine, ready to speak to catch the mans attention when he stops a bit away from him, feeling his breath hitch.
Caine’s wearing a dark red button up shirt and a black, slim fitting waist coat that clings to his sides and Kinger obviously knew that the man was small but this is ridiculous.
His pants are no better, they're black and they look painted on and Kinger’s eyes move down to the mans ass because it's right there and on dear god.
Kinger takes a step back and rushes into the bathroom.
He takes fast steps into a stall and shuts the door with a bit too much force, keeping his back against it while he heaves for air.
Fuck fuck fuck.
He rubs at the bottom of his face, feeling his stomach turn as the sight of Caine’s tiny waist, small thighs and perky little-
He groans and thuds his head back against the door a little harder then strictly necessary.
After a splash of freezing cold water on his face (and a quick rant to Queenie over text) Kinger forces himself to actually leave the bathroom.
He spots Caine, now sat on a stool and he takes a long breath before making his way over.
"Caine!" He calls, catching the smaller mans attention. Jaws turn to him and a gaze brightens before Caine waves him over.
Kinger sends a prayer to a god he doesn't quite believe in, before he moves towards the free stool next to him. "Sorry I'm late" he says, and he almost feels bad for the lie he's about to tell, but considering the alternative would be humiliating he makes peace with it. "I had some trouble finding this place"
Caine doesn't reply for a moment, his eyes roaming up and down Kinger’s body and the chess pieces feels the urge to stretch out a bit more- show off really.
He's grateful that his mouth is invisible, because he might be grinning as he does just that.
He shifts to better face Caine, his legs spreading out in the space between them comfortably, while he leans one arm on the bar table, grimacing at the sticky surface.
He ignores it though, instead watching as Caine’s eyes twitch and his hands tighten on the pint in his hand.
"It's okay" Caine says, voice slightly deeper then normal and it sends a thrill down Kinger’s spine. "I wasn't waiting long"
Kinger hums and calls the bartender over "old fashioned, please" He says to them, nodding when they turn away. "I should have asked but- was there a reason you wanted to go out today?"
He’s been curious. Caine doesn't seem the type to enjoy places like this, so to suddenly be invited out seems, well, random.
He's not unhappy about it of course, but he is just genuinely curious.
Caine shrugs and takes another sip of his beer and Kinger can only bite back a laugh at seeing someone drink a pint through a straw. "No particular reason" Caine says to him, resting his bottom jaw on a limp hand, his claws curl loosely into a fist. "I just..." He trails off, face going distant and Kinger gives him a moment.
While he waits, his drink comes and he nods thanks to the bartender before the sips his drink, humming at the burn and taste. It's been awhile.
"I was sick of sitting at home" He says quietly and Kinger looks at him, he doesn't look sad per say, but he doesn't look happy either. "I work, I go home, I-" He waves a hand about. "Dwell so I thought-" His hand drops into his lap and his eyes go to Kinger, his face brightening and Kinger hopes his face isn't too red.
"Why not spend some time with my f-friend" He stutters over the last word and his gums go red and Kinger-
He has to chug his drink in order to not do something very stupid.
"Anyway" Caine says while clearing his throat, shifting on his seat. "Uh, when was the last time you went out for a drink? I know it's been awhile for myself but..."
Grateful for the change of subject, Kinger hums and thinks. "Hmm, maybe before Queenie and I moved here? We weren't really big bar people"
Caine nods at that, "And, no offense, but Queenie was okay with you going out tonight?"
"Okay with it?" Kinger snorts a laugh and he pats his chest and shirt, watching mismatched eyes follow the movement. "Caine, she picked my outfit!"
Caine laughs at that, eyes filling with mirth as he stares. "What? You can't even pick your own clothes?"
Kinger narrows his eyes at the smaller man. "Caine I was going to pick a sweater-"
"What? Kinger that's terrible!"
"I don't know how to dress!"
"Evidently!"
That sends them both into a laughing fit and they lean on the bar top, their knees bumping together as they laugh and snort at each other.
Kinger watches the joy spread on Caine's face, his own burning with amusement and humor. "Not all of us can be good at dressing" His eyes move down Caine’s body again, unable to look away from that pinched waist. "Unlike you, obviously. Where have you been hiding that?"
Caine blinks at him, following his eyes down. "Hiding what?" He sounds genuinely confused is the thing and Kinger would normally brush it off but instead of doing that, he finishes his drink and waves the bartender for another.
"That waist Caine" He finally says, watching Caine’s body pauses and he realizes that his eyes are still on that waist coat. "Honestly it's....." He trails off because the thoughts and compliments that enter his mind are not appropriate at all, so he forces himself silent.
He glances up to see Caine staring at him, gaze heavy and gums flushed. "Oh" Is all he says, shifting on his seat, legs moving to press together and Kinger’s eyes follow the movement. "Thank you" He sounds flustered and Kinger gets real satisfaction from it.
They both go silent but it's not awkward, especially with how red Caine still looks.
"Queenie-" Kinger eyes snap up to see Caine looking just down from his face and he thinks he might be looking at his exposed chest. "Can....really pick an outfit" Caine seems to settle on, his hand tight on his glass and he drains it in one motion.
Kinger chuckles at that, shifting closer to the smaller man so his knees spread on either side of Caine's own, almost caging him in. He keeps enough distance to not touch him, but he stays close enough for Caine to bridge the gap if he so wished.
"Thank you" He says smoothly to Caine, tilting his head as his next drink is slid over to him.
Something touches his knees and when he glances down he can see Caine’s legs have spread and now they press against the inside of his own.
He looks at Caine, only to see him staring at the bartender with wide eyes, like he can't believe he did what he just did.
Kinger bites back another laugh and instead sips his drink, not moving his legs.
!!!
Okay so drinking so much after not drinking for so long was very dumb.
They are both giggling as they stumble out the door at 2am, Kinger almost tripping over his own feet as Caine grabs his arm to keep him standing.
"Don't- don't fall" Caine whispers like a secret, eyes hazy and pupils blown. "I won't be able to lift you dude, you're...like the height of two of me"
Kinger laughs at that, feeling the statement rattle in his chest like the funnier jokes ever. "I am not that tall-"
"Yes you are!" Caine says way too loudly, making the very few people on the street turn their heads too look at him "oh, sorry" He says to no one in particular.
Kinger huffs and steps closes to Caine, reaching out to grab him by the shoulders to pull him closer. Caine stumbles into him all while still giggling.
Kinger looks down the length of his body, blinking when Caine’s eyes meet his own. "Oh wow" He says, voice rough. "You're short as shit"
He's never really thought about it, but stood this close he can see that Caine only comes up to his collar bones.
He keeps his grip on Caine, staring down at him and he has to fight the urge to- well, do some very inappropriate things.
"No" Caine says then, hands moving the brace themselves on Kinger’s waist and the taller man shudders at the prick of claws. "You're just tall as fuck"
Kinger gasp, eyes going wide. "You swore!"
Caine laughs and his jaw closes, body tiling forward until the top of his jaw presses to Kinger’s chest. "Shut it" He grumbles back, still giggling like a fool.
Kinger’s hand moves from a shoulder and down between shoulder blades, gloved fingers dancing on coarse material until they stop at the small of his back. He stretches his hand out and he has to bite back a groan at how much space his hand covers.
"Gods your small" He says feeling, well, drunk, but he doesn't know if it's off of the alcohol anymore.
Caine's hands tighten on him, but he stays silent.
Then, he takes a deep breath and he pushes himself away from Kinger. His body looks loose and his eyes blink slowly, but he still seems able to stay standing.
For now, anyway.
"I should" Caine clears his throat, waving somewhere behind him. "I should head home"
Kinger blinks at that, and hums. "How are you getting home exactly?" He narrows his eyes when a sudden thought enters his mind. "You're not....walking right?"
Caine looks away, his face going even redder somehow.
"Yeah no" Kinger says, shaking his head and turning on his heel. "You're staying with me"
"Uh- wait what?"
He turns back to Caine, grabbing the man's wrist gently. "Come on- I have a spare room! You can-you can stay there for tonight"
"I- I don't want to intrude-"
"You won't be!"
"You- but your wife-"
"Would probably lock me outside if she knew I let you walk home while drunk!"
He keeps dragging Caine with him while he walks, refusing to loosen his grip because he's slightly afraid that if he does Caine might just turn and bolt away.
"I-"
Kinger stops and turns, grabbing Caine by the shoulders and staring down at the other man.
"Please Caine" he whispers and he can hear just how desperate his voice is, but he can be embarrassed about it later. "I don't...I want you to be safe"
Caine stares at him, then his eyes soften like mush and he nods. "...Okay if you're sure Queenie won't mind?"
Kinger shakes his head, squeezes him one more time, and then continues to lead Caine back to his house.
It takes them a bit longer than it had taken Kinger earlier, but eventually they get there with only minimal tripping over.
They laugh the whole way, holding onto each other as they go. It’s nice, Kinger thinks as he grabs Caine’s before he falls over a rock, easy and peaceful and just- nice.
He pulls Caine close as they get to the porch of his house, he goes to get his keys out of his pockets when Caine suddenly grabs his arm. "Hang on, hang on" He says, blinking rapidly.
"What?" Kinger ask in response, watching as Caine sways on his feet.
"I need- I need to sober up a little" He says, looking very determined and Kinger snorts a laugh. "I need- to make a good impression Kinger!"
Said man laughs very loudly at that, "No, no. Caine, you don't. Queenie won't care-"
"It's embarrassing! I’m- I'm tripping over myself and-"
"She's seen me in worst states-"
"That does not-"
The door opens and in the doorway stands Queenie in fluffy pj's with a raised brow. "You two are going to wake the street at this rate" She says, but there is humor in her eyes.
Caine and Kinger stare at her for a moment before Caine says, very quickly-
"Your husband got me drunk" He blurts and Kinger gasps at him, scandalized.
"You- liar! You bought more drinks!"
"Okay okay" Queenie laughs, shaking her head while stepping out the doorway. "Just- come in and sleep it off"
Both men shuffle in and Caine nods at the other chess piece. "Thank you" He says and Kinger snorts a laugh when he bows?
Caine shoves him and he almost falls.
"Boys"
The stern tone makes them both freeze.
"Bed"
Kinger nods and rushes through the motions of taking his shoes off by the door, then he looks to Caine to see himself told there, looking conflicted.
"Are-" He seems to hesitate, eyes going to Kinger then Queenie, "Are you sure it's okay if I stay?"
"Caine" Kinger cuts in, hoping that the smile is audible in his voice. "It's okay"
"It is" Queenie confirms. "But hurry up, it's really late" She doesn't sound upset thankfully, even as she turns to move up the stairs.
Caine nods and begins to take off his own shoes, stumbling over his footing as he blinks blearily down at the floor. Kinger chuckles and guides him to the stairs, keeping a hand on his back as he guides them back up.
They get to the landing and Kinger hums a tune as he shows Caine to the guest room, standing by the door as the man stumbles over to the bed and sits on the edge, looking over to him with a dazed look.
"Goodnight Caine" Kinger says softly and goes to turn when-
"Thank you for being my friend"
He looks back to see Caine staring right at him, eyes shining with emotion but happy.
Kinger smiles back at him, feeling fondness burn like a brand in his chest. "Always"
!!!!
"Euuurhg" Kinger buries his face deeper in his pillow, hoping to hide away from the sunlight peaking through the window.
"Oh?" A hand presses on the back of his neck and he groans. "That bad huh?"
"I think...I wanna die" Kinger grumbles, tilting titling his head to look up at how wife. His vision is still blurry and his head is aching something fierce. "I feel....so sick"
"Well you were drinking until 2am"
"Whyyy" he drags out.
There's a soft laugh and then shifting, Queenie's voice closer to his head now. "Do you want to get up? Ill make you and Caine some breakfast, I'm guessing he's not doing much better"
That wakes him a bit more and he groans, rolling over to slide off the bed, eyes squeezed shut as he grunts. "I'll....go check on him" He says weakly.
He does just that, stumbling out the room while Queenie follows. "Ill get started on breakfast" A soft kiss presses to his cheek and he smiles at the action, taking a deep breath as he reaches the spare room door. It's open but he still knocks.
"Caine?"
A groan and Kinger winces in sympathy before he carefully opens the door fully.
Caine is laid on his stomach, hid head buried into the pillow. The blanket is tucked over his shoulders and he doesn't even flinch when Kinger walks in.
"Queenie is making breakfast" He mumbles, rubbing his forehead. "It'll help with...y'know, your head"
Caine groans louder in response and Kinger chuckles, leaning over to kneel next to the bed. “Come on” He says, tapping Caine’s shoulder. “It really will help”
Caine shifts in the bed and his head turns, eyes cracking open to look at Kinger. His eyes are bright but tired, his shirt looks ruffled, his whole body looks worn out.
He looks cute.
Caine hums, shifting in the bed to lay on his side, he shoves the blankets down, eyes on Kinger’s own still. “Thank you” He croaks, voice rough.
Kinger frowns at that, shifting to rest his arms on the mattress. “…For what?”
He watches, almost in slow motion, as a small, clawed hand moves to rest on top of one of his own and he hates the fact that he’s still wearing gloves.
“For everything” Caine breathes and he sounds.
Happy.
Kinger smiles back, and judging by the glow in Caine’s face, he can see it in his eyes.
“Anytime Caine” He says softly. “Anytime”
!!!!
It takes Caine and Kinger longer then it should to be able to get down the stairs and to the dining room table.
They both flop into the chairs opposite each other, both letting out twin groans at the brightness of the light above them- its actually not that bright but it really seems like it!
Kinger rests his head on one hand, eyes moving to the kitchen door as the sound Queenie moving around reaches his ears. “Hope you like bacon” Kinger murmurs, wincing, even his own voice makes his head hurt.
“I’ll eat cardboard at this point” Caine grumbles back, his jaws closed. “I’m never drinking again”
Caine waist coat is undone and it hangs loosely on him, his shirt untucked and he seems to be missing a sock.
It’s entertaining to see him so disheveled, and later when he head isn’t killing him he’ll be able to appreciate the sight.
“Aw” Kinger says, laughing weakly as he eyes roam Caine’s form “So you didn’t have fun?”
“….I didn’t say that” Caine whispers back and Kinger snorts a laugh, only to immediately groan when it makes his head pound.
“Here you go boys” two plates are placed on the table and Kinger and Caine both immediately begin to dig in. Kinger hears a faint giggle and barely finds the breath to speak and Caine beats him to it.
“Thank you Queenie” He says, making eye contact despite the way he visibly cringes and Kinger wonders if it’s the ache in his head or the embarrassment. “I really appreciate all of this- allowing me to stay, feeding me. I really…” He trails off, his movements slowing as he inhale deeply. “I’m really grateful”
Kinger watches Queenies face and he’s able to see the sudden look that overtakes her feature and he has to bite back a laugh.
Her eyes go oh so very fond as they stare at Caine and her face is beyond soft, and Kinger knows that look.
He carefully nudges Queenies foot with his own and she blinks, eyes flickering towards him before they go back to Caine. “It’s nice to finally meet you Caine” She says, “Last night you seemed a bit too…busy to really say hello” her voice suddenly turns teasing. “Kinger talks about you all the time though!”
Said chess piece chokes on his food as Caines gums flush. “O-oh”
“Ignore her” Kinger coughs, feeling the wood of his face burn. “She’s- I don’t- not all the time”
Queenie makes an unsure sound, waving her hand about “Okay, most of the time”
Kinger tunes to her. “Stop!” He cries, feeling embarrassment burn his chest. “You- you’re making me sound obsessed!”
Queenie makes direct eye contact, and raises a brow, before she glances at Caine, “Aren’t you?”
Caine snorts a laugh at that and when Kinger looks at him he can see the smaller man laughing into his hands. “Wow Kinger” He laughs, tilting his head and he looks so at peace that it steals Kinger breath and beside him Queenie seems to be in the same boat.
“What, do you have a crush on me or something?” It’s obviously a joke, it’s obviously not meant to be taken seriously. Caine doesn’t even know that he and Queenie are in a open relationship, so he doesn’t mean anything by it.
Kinger feels his heart stutter in his chest regardless.
His hands go sweaty and his has to grab his glass of water to try and keep his mind occupied because oh god he can feel his body setting alight.
Thankfully, because his wife is a goddess (not really but close enough) She’s quick to change the subject.
Kinger can’t really pay attention to her as she talks, instead he stares down at his half eaten food.
Last night had been fun, despite the killing headache and the dodgy stomach, he can’t remember the last time he had laughed so hard and so much.
He looks at Caine now, watching as he nods along to what Queenie is saying, and feels his heart grow in his chest. He wants to grab both of them and hold them close- lay with them in bed and cuddle, and spend everyday with them both.
It’s a sudden urge, once he’s not fully used to feeling for someone other then his wife, but he can’t says it’s surprising.
The past ‘lovers’ he had had in the past weren’t really much more than that- nothing extremely serious, nothing more then casual fun that eventually dwindled out.
He still talks to a few of them, but he doesn’t truly want to be with any of them.
But….
Looking at Caine now, seeing his happy expression as he chats with his wife, as he jokes, as he teases her like he’s known her for years. Like they’re old friends.
It fills him with something close to love.
Instead of dwelling on that, he instead continues eating while he watches his two favorite people converse.
!!!
The car ride to Caine’s apartment is quiet but gentle, somehow.
The air is nice, Kinger thinks as he drives past the school, even though his head still hurts.
The radio is playing some random channel, a catchy song echoing in the car. He doesn’t exactly feel the need to break the silence, but he still clears his throat anyway to catch Caine’s attention.
“So what are you doing the rest of today?” He asks as he stops at a red light, eyes flickering to Caine before going back to the road.
There’s a hum as the light turns green and Kinger begins to pull away from the stop. “Just going to catch up on papers” Caine says, but he sounds relaxed, his tone suggests nothing but calm. “Some of the students are falling behind so I need to make a more consistent plan for them”
Kinger nods to that, turning right, then left, it always amazes him that Caine cares so much about his students.
Obviously Kinger knows that’s his job, but he can see it in Caine’s eyes when one of his students give him a smile or a compliment. He can see it when one of the kids thanks him for the help.
Everyday Caine strives to help he kids in his class, he genuinely enjoys teaching all them is the thing. Despite how he gets treated at work- he loves his job.
Thinking about it too long makes Kinger ache deep within so he tries to push that thought away as he pulls up outside Caines apartment. He turns the car off and sits there for a moment in silence, allowing the moment to settle over both of them.
“Kinger tha-“
“If you thank me one more time-“ Kinger raises a hand and points at Caine, making the smaller man laugh.
“Okay okay” Caine defends, still laughing. “I just-“ He trails off, his gaze going to his hands in his lap. “I want you to understand how much it….means to me” He says and Kinger sees his eyes go shiny and hears his voice shake.
The smaller man takes a deep breath in and he seems to shake himself off, moving to unclip his seatbelt. He looks back up at Kinger, still in his clothes from last night, still looking tired, and he smiles.
It’s obvious, almost visible in his lower and top jaws and-
Kinger can only nod at him, watching as Caine climbs out the car, staring as Caine walks to his doors, and half-heartedly waves back.
When Caine fully vanishes from view, Kinger covers his face with his hands, and groans loudly because he knows this feeling brewing in his chest.
He’s falling in love with Caine.
Before he can think anymore on that, he instead turns his car back on and gets ready to drive home.
He really needs to speak to his wife.
!!!
Just like every other work day lately, Kinger starts it how his usually does:
He waits near the front door for Caine to come walking through the school gates, and then together they’ll walk to their classrooms. At lunch one of them will come to the others classroom, they’ll get coffee across the street and then they retreat back in a room to eat and talk.
It was simple, easy, and comfortable.
Kinger, still buzzing from last night, decides to throw a spanner in the works.
“Kinger no”
“Come on Caine just- aren’t you tired of paying a small fortune for some coffee when we have perfectly good coffee right here?”
Caine barely spares Kinger a glance as he pushes the chairs under desks and tidies the room. “I would rather not be verbally abused” He says half distracted.
Kinger winces at that and leans against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. He watches Caine for a long moment, feeling something like a rock settle in his stomach.
“You shouldn’t have to-“ He cuts himself off, frowning. They’ve had this conversation already, half a dozen times by now, and each time it ended the same way.
So instead of rehashing old arguments, Kinger instead clears his throat. “Okay” and he chooses to let it go.
Caine pauses across the room, his eyes meeting the chess pieces. “….It means that much to you” He says, not asks, and Kinger gives a single nod. The smaller man sighs at that, long and drawn out, before he speaks again.
“Okay”
Kinger looks at him. “…Okay?”
Caine nods at him, taking steps towards where he’s stood, his own arms crossed over his chest. “We’ll- go get coffee from the break room” It’s obvious that he’s trying to keep his voice steady and fake nonchalance, but when Kinger’s eyes flick down he can see how his claws tap and rub at his forearm.
He lifts his hand slowly, patting Caine’s hand, hearing the man take a deep breath in, and watches as those hands instead slip into pockets. “Sorry” Caine mutters, eyes moving away and Kinger waves it off.
“It’s fine” He scans Caine’s body again, his hiked up shoulders, the fence set of his jaw, and he reconsiders. “…Caine are you-“
Before he can finish, Caine suddenly ducks around him. “Well?” He says, starting down the hall and towards the break room “come on then”
Kinger is quick to rush after him, eyes on the smaller man. “Caine if you don’t want to you don’t have to” They come to a stop just near the door of the staff room and Caine looks up at him, his eyes narrowed and his jaws clenched.
“Of course I don’t” Caine says and Kinger feels guilt fill his throat. “But I never will so-“ Caine reaches out and grabs the handle, his chest visibly expending with the breath he takes. “Whatever”
He doesn’t sound happy at all and Kinger is tempted to stop him from going through with it when Caine opens the door and steps in.
Kinger is quick to follow him and immediately both men stop a few steps in.
Sat in the table are Pomni, Ragatha and Zooble, all of them are now staring at the door (and Caine) With wide eyes.
Kinger can’t see the smaller mans face from here, but he can see his spine straighten and how his hand tightens on the door handle he’s now griping for dear life.
He hears a deep breath, and then Caine is speed walking over to the coffee maker. Kinger shuffles behind him and waves at the other teachers that are sat at the table, before he makes his way to Caine’s side.
He gets there just as the man begins to search the cupboard for mugs and he sees how shaky his hands are as they grab the little smiley bee, and a plain white one.
Kinger makes a mental note to get one of his own from him tomorrow,
“….So, uhm, anyway-“ the Chess glances over his shoulder to see Ragatha trying her best to catch the other twos attention, though her eye keeps flicking over to Caine and himself every now and again as she talks.
Thankfully, the other two don’t seem to have anything to say about Caine being in the break room and instead they focus back on Ragatha, though the tension in room stays thick.
Caine’s shoulder begins to fall when no one says anything and for that Kinger is grateful. The last thing he had wanted was for Caine to do this, to be brave, and then have it thrown back in his face.
He thanks whatever entity there is that it was Ragatha and company in the break room today’s instead of Jax.
If it had been, then- Kinger had no doubt that things would have ended differently.
The door opens and Kinger freezes at the voice that comes from it.
“Honestly it- mh”
Everyone goes silent and Kinger can only slowly turn to see none other than Jax stood there, eyes locked on to Caine’s now rigid back. “What are-“
“I’m getting coffee” Caine says then and Kinger is taken aback by the firmness of his voice. “Then I’m going. Is that okay with you?”
Kinger’s eyes move back over Jax, swing the purple rabbit blinking at the smaller man. “….Uh-“
“Leave him alone Jax” Zooble suddenly says and it’s so out of left field that even Caine turns to look at them in shock. “He wants coffee, let him have some damn coffee”
Pomni nods at that, her pinwheel eyes flicking to Kinger and smiling softly. “Yeah its not a big deal” Her eyes go to Caine and Kinger sees them soften. “It’s….not right to keep him out”
The sudden changes kind of freaks Kinger out, but his eyes go to Ragatha then. The plush doll is already looking at him, her eyes soft and full of regret and he wonders if she had spoken to everyone else about what he had said.
Honestly he had almost forgotten the conversation they had a few weeks ago, and even then he hadn’t thought anything real would come of it.
He makes a mental note to thank Ragatha for seeing sense, when the door opens again.
Gangle comes in, her eyes slipping to Caine and widening, before she seems to shrug it off and she moves over to the table. Behind her, Scratch comes in, bags under his eyes and looking exhausted. “Oh hello everyone” He says, apparently unable to feel the tension in the room as he walks over to the fridge.
Kinger looks at Caine. Caine looks at him.
No one speaks.
Jax grins.
Something like dread fills Kinger as he watches the rabbit come over to stand near the coffee maker, right next to Caine. He watches carefully as Jax hums a tune, looking completely at ease, and he allows his own shoulders to drop when he stays silent.
Caine shifts on his feet. Eyes wide as they glance at Kinger and the taller man can see the hope beginning to shine in them because maybe this is it. Maybe now Caine won’t have to hide away in his classroom, maybe-
“So, Caine” Jax says, filling his own coffee with a wide grin and relaxed ears. “How’s the anger issues?”
Caine frowns, shifting further away from Jax and closer to Kinger. “…It’s fine” He says unsure, looking tense as he grips tight into his mug.
Jax nods at that, eyes darting around the room before they land on scratch. Kinger hopes that with the boss being in the room that Jax might just be able to control himself but-
He watches as Jax suddenly leans down close to Caine, his voice too low for anyone to hear.
Kinger can only watch as Caine freezes, as his eyes widen, and as his jaw slackens. “N-no I-“ He cuts himself off, flinching away from Jax. “I- no-“
“Jax” Scratch suddenly says, voice firm and Kinger looks to see him now glaring at the rabbit. “A word” His tail flickers behind him in agitation and Kinger distantly wonders if his hearing is advanced like a regular dogs. “Now”
The rabbit appears to be unbothered by the other man’s tone, and instead he turns back to Caine, his eyes almost fully black.
“You know I’m right” Jaz whispers softly, like he’s trying to comfort a child. “You know exactly what you’re really worth-”
“-Nothing”
Kinger feels sick when’s Caine’s eyes fall to the floor and the smaller man begins trembling. “Caine? What-“He moves to reach out and grab the other man’s shoulder, only to stop when Jax does it instead.
There’s a laugh, an evil thing that makes the temperature drop and the tension rise.
“Jax” Scratch says in warning.
“Don’t-“ Ragatha says, standing from her seat, her chair scraping against the floor but it does nothing to stop Jax, neither does her desperate tone.
Jax and Caine stare at each other, one with pure terror, the other with complete glee.
“You’re destined to be alone” Jax says, like it’s a normal thing to say to someone, like he’s asking about the weather, and not like he’s destroying Caine in any other way then physical “And you know it” His eyes dart to Kinger, his grin sharpening. “He’ll learn it soon enough”
“Jax-“ Scratch says one more time in warning and Kinger has to physically stop himself from grabbing the rabbit, knowing that punching the man out will definitely get him fired.
In one quick movement, the bee mug in Caine’s hands is ripped from him and Jax turns away-
And throws it at the wall.
It shatters with a mighty ‘Crash!’ and everyone jolts, starting with wide eyes at the coffee stain now on the wall.
When Kinger looks at Jax, he sees him staring down at Caine.
“Go on” he says brow in-between gritted teeth. “React”
Kinger moves.
He shoves Jax away from the shaking Caine, his anger bubbling so hot under his skin that he feels close to combusting. “Leave him alone you son of a –“
“Hey!” Jax shouts, shoving him back but Kinger is barely moved due to his height advantage. “Don’t touch me-“
“Enough” Scratch growls lowly and everyone goes still. His eyes dart to Jax. “Outside” He says, leaving no room for argument as he walks to the break room door
It was obviously only meant to be for Jax, but everyone rushes to leave the staff room.
All but Kinger and Caine.
When the door closes behind Gangle, the last person to leave, Kinger turns back to see Caine staring at nothing, hands clenched at his sides and eyes- hollow.
It’s a terrifying look, one that makes Kinger’s skin crawl. “Caine?” He says softly, stepping closer to the man. “Are you…” No, he’s obviously not okay, but Kinger feels lost on what else to say.
“I…” Caine stops, voice shaky, then turns away.
Kinger watches as he goes, how limp his shoulders are, and jolts when Caine suddenly knees down next to the still dripping wall. “Caine-“ he stares, stricken, as Caine begins to scoop up his shattered mug, the pieces clinking together.
Caine suddenly hisses, but the sound is shaky. “Ow”
That makes Kinger move.
He almost falls next to Caine, grabbing his hands and shaking them clean as he stares down at his bloodied fingers. “Stop, stop you-“ He looks up to see Caine staring down at his palms, his gaze distant. “Caine you’re going to hurt yourself” He says softly.
Caine’s eyes don’t move, his body stays still, his body still too slack to be normal. “….it’ll….”
Kinger has to duck his head down to hear him when he speaks. “W-what?”
Caine’s eyes meet his then and Kinger wants to cry at the sight of them.
“It will never change” He says, voice weak and jaw almost fully closed now. “I’ll always be-“ He cuts himself off and Kinger watches as something comes over his face.
“Cai-“
The man is suddenly on his feet and Kinger can only watch as the man walks away from him. “Wa-“
Caine leaves the room, the door shutting quietly behind him as he goes while Kinger stares with wide eyes.
He looks down to the bloodied pieces of mug in front of him, and he feels like crying. Instead of doing that he instead reaches over to grab paper towels and he uses that to scoops up the shards. Ignoring how much his hands shake as he moves.
After cleaning the floor of all broken pieces, Kinger stands to his feet and he walks over to the bin in the corner, dropping the remains into it.
He stares down at the destroyed mug, just about able to make out the smiley little bee staring up at him. The fuzzy fellow is shattered right down the middle, and Kinger thinks-
Yeah. That’s accurate.
!!!!
!!!
He doesn’t see Caine after that.
He sends message after message, goes to Caine’s class room, and even tries calling him.
When he sends a message he doesn’t get a response and he’s not even sure that the other man is reading his texts. Earlier he had gone over to Caine’s classroom, only to see Luna stood there teaching his class.
She had explained that he had sent her an email asking her to cover his classes and she had jumped at the chance, hoping that doing this for him might make him more inclined to want to talk to her.
Kinger asks the other teachers too if any of them had seen Caine, or even just heard from him, but none of them have.
He had considered going to Jax, but even just thinking of the purple rabbit made his body fill with rage. He’s surprised by the feeling- he’s never been this angry at a singular person before.
He feels sick as he rushes through the halls, bag tight over his shoulder and head pounding as he makes his way to Scratch’s office. He turns the corner and almost trips over his own feet when his eyes land on- “Caine!?”
Said man only turns towards him, coat on and his own bag tucked over his shoulder. “Hello Kinger” His tone is the same as it had been in the staff room, tired, dull.
Kinger can’t help but think that this is the tone you use when speaking to a stranger, not someone you went out with just a few days before. This is the tone you use with someone that you nod to in passes just to be polite, not the tone you use with someone after staying over at their house.
It hurts him, confuses him, that Caine would be talking to him of all people like this.
Kinger slows to a stop a bit away from Caine and just stares at him, frowning deeply at the man. “Are….where have you been all day?” He asks, feeling his heart jump into his throat.
Caine blinks at him, eyes dull and- Kinger can’t explain it he just looks-
Dead.
“I was talking to Scratch” He says then, eyes moving to the office doors behind him. “About what happened. He wanted all the facts so it took me awhile”
For the whole day? Kinger wants to ask, and you couldn’t reply to my messages? Or when I rang you?
Kinger nods slowly to that, swallowing roughly as he adjusts his bag. “Well we- should get goin-“
“I’m walking home today” Caine says suddenly and it gives Kinger pause, hearing how firm it was. He’s not saying Caine can’t be stubborn, he knows better then anyone how he can be sometimes.
But normally when they play this game, Caine will resist, Kinger will insist, and then Cain would relent with a sigh and a sheepish thanks. So for him to straight up turn Kinger down?
It makes something dark begin to eat at the back of his mind, something that digs it’s rotten roots into his brain and makes itself at home there.
He nods again, instead of allowing that feeling to fester, fingers tight on the strap of his bag. “….Okay, so….I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“… Actually I’m off for the rest of the week”
Kinger’s eyes flick up, seeing Caine now stood further away from him and he wonders when Caine had moved. “Oh? Going… anywhere good?”
He feels the need to prolong this conversation, but he can’t explain why. Something in his chest tells him to keep Caine here for as long as he can.
Caine’s gaze skirts away and it confuses Kinger on why he looks so skittish. “Just to see family” He says, voice a low.
He doesn’t have any family, is Kinger’s first thought.
Maybe he does and he just hasn’t told you, is his second.
Kinger hums at that, eyes moving to the window beside them that cast them in an orange glow from the sunset, his chest is screaming at him and he doesn’t know why. “So when are you next in?”
“I’m off until next Monday”
A whole week. That’s…. unlike Caine.
Kinger nods, looking back to Caine to see him facing away and it makes him feel sick that Caine won’t really look at him. “So I’ll see you then?”
There’s silence. Then Caine finally turns to look at Kinger and he almost wishes that he hadn’t because-
The look he has on his face now reminds him of a movie that he watched when he was younger. The main character, after beating the antagonist, they had looked at their lover with those eyes.
The same ones that Caine has now.
Excepting. Prepared.
For death.
His mismatched eyes are soft and bright and any other day Kinger would be thrilled to see those eyes but today, with his body turned away and limp it doesn’t sit right with him. “…Goodbye, Kinger” With that, Caine fully turns away and walks down the hall.
Kinger watches him go and something like fear settle in his stomach but he’s not sure why. He listens to the tap of Caine shoes as they begin to get faint, soft and even, until they go completely silent.
He stares at the spot Caine had been, feeling stuck himself.
His mind is racing as he hears a distant door open and close, his breathing hitches as he thinks and thinks and thinks-
That was weird. Very, very weird.
Even as he follows after Caine’s actions and he leaves the school and climbs into his car, the last words Caine had said to him run through his mind over and over again.
Before he starts the car, he sends off one last text to Caine.
You: can we get coffee tomorrow after my shift? I wanna talk about what happened today.
Predictably, he gets no response and it’s makes him feel- off
Goodbye, Kinger.
He thinks about it as he drives past the bar Caine and he had go to last night, the laughter and jokes flashing through his mind.
Goodbye, Kinger.
Even as he drives home and pulls into his parking spot, turning the car off and staring at his front door and porch, the same one he and Caine had tripped over a few nights ago.
Goodbye, Kinger.
He barely even registers opening the door to his house, or the warmth hitting his face as he enters. He looks up to see food on the table and Queenie setting down cutlery and his heart hardens.
The fear is so thick that he can taste it- it settles in his mouth like a thick paste and it makes him have to clear his throat to try and rid of it.
He feels his hands go numb and his throat feels like its been cut by glass. “Queenie I- I need you to tell me if I’m being dramatic”
Queenie frowns at that, wiping her hands on her dress as she comes over the grab Kinger’s bag of his shoulder and drop it to the floor. “Okay?”
“Something happened today at work” He says and Queenie hums at that but thankfully stays silent as he talks. “And I- it really hurt Caine and now he-“ His mind is racing to fast for him to think clearly and it causes him to start shaking, his knees feeling weak.
He had to lean back against the door to keep himself from tumbling to the ground because he feels lightheaded. He feels sick, exhausted-
Kinger rubs his hands over his face, feeling his chest stutter. “And uh- today before Caine left….he was off” At his words he drops his hands, placing them on Queenies hips. “He said something that put me on edge” He says softly.
His wife hum, eyes frowning. “What did he say exactly?”
Kinger takes breath, feeling the words pour out of him like a plea. “He said ‘goodbye Kinger’which doesn’t sound bad but- darling, the way he said it, it-“
“Sounded final” Queenie finishes for him, her eyes widening now and her tone getting frantic. “Kinger are you saying-“
He hadn’t told her about Caine’s scars, he hadn’t felt like it had been his pace to do so, so he’s grateful that she’s this understanding even though she only has half of the information.
“I don’t know!” He rushes out, feeling almost desperate. “What- what if I go over there and he’s okay? What if he’s fine? What if I’m just overthinking it and he’s safe?”
Queenies hands cup his face, silencing him. “Kinger” She says, her voice unnaturally serious and it makes Kinger shake “What if you’re not?”
What if he’s not?
Kinger turns back to the door and Queenie doesn’t say anything as he bolts back out to his car. He almost trips over his own feet as he scrambles to get the door open, flooring it and tearing away from his parking spot, tires squealing again the asphalt.
He drives past the bar, past the school and almost jumps the red light with how he’s breaking the speed limit, but he can’t stop. He feels like he had tunnel vision, his only focus being getting to Caine before- before what?
He takes a right and then a left and jerks to a stop outside of Caine apartment complex. He hadn’t even put his belt on in his rush to get here, so he throws the car door open and runs to the entrance.
He takes the stairs up to Caine’s apartment two at a time, his legs aching with the strain. His chest heaving, his heart thudding hard against his rib cage.
He gets to the floor and books it down the hall, eyes focused on the door at the end of the hall. He skids to a stop, almost colliding with the far wall, before immediately banging on the door. “Caine?!” He shouts desperately through the wood, hearing nothing on the other side. “Caine?! Can you hear me?! Caine?!”
Images assault his mind, of Caine on the floor dead, of Caine’s bloody arms, of Caine’s lifeless eyes. He feels sick to his stomach as he bangs the door again and again and again, frantic and terrified and-
“Cai-!” The door is pulled open and he almost falls inside, catching himself in the door frame.
Caine stands in the door way, his eyes wide as he stares at the chess piece. “…Kinger? What’s wrong?”
Kinger stares at the man before him, seeing him in a white button up shirt and black slacks, looking neat and tidy “Caine” He breaths, his heart rate slowing down. “You…”
The smaller man looks at him in confusion, before he leans out the door to look down the hall that Kinger just came from “Is…someone chasing you?” He sounds genuinely concerned on Kinger’s behalf and that’s enough to make Kinger jolt.
“What?” Kinger asks, the strange question snapping him out of his stupor. “No, no I just-“ He breaks off, shakes his head. “Nevermind I- sorry I just-“ He straightens himself up, taking slow breaths to try and steady his racing heart. “Are you okay?”
He watches in real time as Caine’s whole body shifts, not loudly or obviously, but Kinger catches it. It’s a minuscule shift, one that normally even Kinger might of missed but his mind is racing so fast still that he feels hyper aware of everything.
“Of course I am” Caine says and to anyone else his voice would be level, but Kinger can hear it.
“Can I come in?” Kinger asks, feeling like he can’t leave now, “I just- need to catch my breath”
Caine stares at him, then nods slowly and steps back out the door. “Of course” He says, “Come on in”
Caine walks back into the apartment and Kinger is quick to follow him, keeping his eyes on Caine the entire time.
His body is relaxed, too relaxed.
Kinger watches as he disappears into the kitchen and he finally takes in the rest of the apartment.
His heart drops into his stomach for a reason he can quite explain, but he understands why the moment what he sees registers in his mind.
The place is spotless.
The TV is off, the remote right next to it-
“I can’t stand sitting in silence, it’s to….loud”
-there’s not a speck of dust on anything, not on the bookshelves or the cabinets-
-the floor looks clean, like its been scrubbed by hand, the whole pace smells like cleaning supplies and bleach- like a hospital almost.
When he step into the center of the living room, he see the bedroom door open and when he looks in he can see the bed is perfectly made, the red sheets pristine and level-
Kinger feels sick.
“Here” He looks to see Caine stood right in front of him, a glass of water held loosely in his fingers. “You look like you need it”
Kinger stares and stares, taking the glass. When he does, his eyes dart down to Caine’s arms, but he doesn’t see any blood on the white buttoned up fabric. He watches as Caine moves to lean on the arm of the couch and they both stare at each other, Kinger with barely hidden worry, and Caine with a chilling calm.
“Why are you here Kinger” It’s not a question, but a demand, an accusation almost.
Kinger drink the water to try and prolong his reply, but when the glass is empty he can only stare down at Caine. He thumbs at the lip of the glass, looking at his own reflection and forcing himself to look up at meet Caine’s gaze.
His eyes look dark with exhaustion, his body looks heavy and like he’s only moments away from collapsing on the floor before Kinger.
“Why did you take a week off?” He asks in reply, focus on Caine’s and refusing to let the man break eye contact.
“I told you” He says, voice low. “To see family”
“Caine come on” Kinger pries, tightening his grip on the glass in his hand. “You say you are visiting family but I know you don’t have any-“
“Why are you here?” Caine’s voice drops, anger seeping into his words now and it makes Kinger tense up.
“You said goodbye” He says, feeling his voice begin to tremble. “You never say goodbye”
There’s silence and it’s deafening once more as Kinger stares at Caine. “Whatever Jax said to you…” He starts softly and he watches the small man go rigid and he gets a glare for his words but at least it’s something other then the numbness from before. “It’s not true Caine-“
Caine gets up from where he’s sat and he snatches the glass out of the chess pieces hand, marching over to the kitchen. “I don’t care” He says, placing the glass in the cupboard and it’s so strange because why is he refusing to make a mess? Why is he so obsessed with keeping the apartment clean?
“Everything is spotless” Kinger says, following Caine as he walks, if he doesn’t want to talk about what happened, then he’ll have to talk about what might happen. “The bed is made, the whole apartment is clean-“
“Shut” Caine spins on his heel and hisses. “Up”
“Why did you take a week off? You never take a week off!” Kinger presses, harder. “Why-“
“Get out” Caine suddenly says, his voice shaking with anger. “Now, how dare you come in to my apartment and question me-“
“Caine I’m worried about-“ Kinger says loudly, but he’s stopped when hands suddenly shove his chest. He steps back instinctively, looking at Caine who’s now trying to physically push him out of the apartment. “Caine?!”
“Get out!” He shouts louder, jaw clenched but eyes blazing. “I didn’t ask for your worry, I didn’t ask for you to come here-“ His voice cracks, and Kinger feels his chest hurt. “Leave!”
“I will” Kinger says and he grabs the hands pressed to his chest and he raises his voice. “I’ll leave-“ the hands in his own try to rip themselves away but Kinger stays firm, watching as Caine’s eyes snap to his own and before the smaller man can speak Kinger does instead.
Something that has been on his mind since Caine said Goodbye, Kinger, something that’s made him feel sick all day-
“If you can look me in the eyes and promise me that you won’t kill yourself”
It’s ripped from him like a sinful confession, like it’s wrong and it had no other option but to fall from his throat or else it would choke him and stop him from breathing.
Caine’s eyes widen and Kinger feels his own sting.
For a moment the air is still, quiet as they both stare at each other with equal expressions of horror. Caine because he had been found out and Kinger because he had been right.
Kinger dares Caine to look away with his gaze, even as his eyes water from the strain of being kept open for so long and then-
Caine looks away first, his hands going limp in Kinger’s hold as he stares at the floor.
“You never say goodbye” Kinger says again, his voice shaking and his eyes stinging even worse now, “Your apartment is too clean”
Caine pulls away from his grip and Kinger lets him, following him closely. Caine moves to the couch and sits down, jaw closing tight.
Kinger watches him, stood by the coffee table, hands in tights fists. “Caine please just tell me”
He can only watch as jaws open again and mismatched eyes reveal themselves to Kinger.
“I…” His arms cross over his chest, hugging himself. “It’s..”
Kinger searches the apartment again, his eyes scanning each inch. Then he looks at the closed door which he knows is the bathroom and something over then himself makes him walk towards it.
He hears Caine speak behind him but he doesn’t turn back, doesn’t reply because all he can think of is what might be behind that door. He throws the door open and sure enough-
The bathtub is full to the brim with what Kinger can guess is cold water and Kinger feels sick, his stomach twisting in on itself. He steps into the bathroom, his eyes going to the sink that’s devoid of everything apart from three items.
Kinger picks up the pill bottle and turns it over his hands, feeling them rattle. He keeps them in his grip as he reaches out to the time next to it but he can’t touch it.
A yellow box cutter sits on the side, like it had been thrown there, and next to it a note.
“Kinger…” Caine’s voice comes from behind and now his voice is really shaking but Kinger ignores it fully, and instead he picks up the note.
He reads it over and over, and feels his breath stutter in pure agony.
‘To whoever may find me, whenever you may find me.
Sorry for the mess.’
Kinger turns to look at Caine standing in the doorway and staring at him with teary eyes, his whole body looking close to collapse.
“Did-“ Kinger’s voice cracks and he shakes the bottle. “Did you take any?”
Caine shakes his head, eyes still on Kinger’s own. “No I- I was going to when-“ He cuts himself off, voice falling short.
Kinger feels sick. “I knocked” He whispers, voice breaking. “I knocked on your door”
Caine slowly nods, “You did” His voice is quiet. “I was about to get in the bath when you knocked”
Kinger scans Caine’s body and sure enough the very bottom of his black trousers are damp, barely noticeable. “Oh” Is all he can say before he looks right back at Caine’s face.
Is he supposed to go home now? He just….meant to leave Caine here? How does he go about all of this now?
Silently, he makes up his mind.
“Pack a bag” He says, grabbing the bin next to the toilet and lifting it, he scrapes the blade and pills into the bin before he takes the notes and throws that in to, unable to stomach looking at the items anymore “you’re going to be staying with me for awhile”
Caine stares at him, jaws moving like he’s going to speak, but then he just nods and turns away, presumably to the bedroom.
Kinger watches him go and tries to control the way he suddenly wants to cry, biting hard into his cheek to hold back the sound that wants to escape him. He places the bin down and turns to the bathtub, quickly rolling up his sleeves and taking off his glove.
He flinches at the coldness of the water but he pulls the plug anyway. He doesn’t wait to see the water drain, instead he heads back out into the living room, pulling his glove back on and rolling his sleeve down.
His heart is racing because what if he hadn’t come? What if he had convinced himself that he was being dramatic?
Caine would be dead and that’s a fact. A startling, horrible fact but one none the less.
The bedroom door closes and Kinger looks up to see Caine now stood before him with a rucksack over one shoulder and wearing a black hoodie and white, baggy joggers. Kinger watches his eyes, seeing that the smaller man won’t make eye contact, and he holds his hand out for the bag.
Caine hesitates before handling it over without nothing more then a grimace, before Kinger begins to walk to the front door.
He waits for Caine to slip his shoes on before he opens the apartment door and walks out with Caine close behind.
!!!
The drive is almost completely silent apart from the other cars around them and the static sound of the radio.
Kinger longs to say something but at the same time he dreads even opening his mouth to speak in fear of saying something wrong.
Then again, he did just drag the man out of his own apartment.
Yeah because he was going to kill himself, he argues but it’s half hearted. He knows that he’s over stepping, going too far with all of this, but what on earth is he supposed to do otherwise?
He looked at Caine out the corner of his eye to see the man leaning back against the seat and staring out the window, eyes barely visible as he looks at the lights and other cars.
As they pass the school, Caine looks away and stares down at his hands in his lap, pulling at his fingers. Kinger eyes trail up to his covered arms and he clears his throat before forcing his eyes back on the road.
“When we get home” He says, keeping his voice cautious. “Will I have to check your arms out?”
Caine doesn’t reply, and that is answer enough for the chess piece. He tightens his grip on the wheel and drives on past street lamps and cars until he sees his home porch light still on.
He pulls into the driveway and sits still for a moment, eyes on the door. “I didn’t tell Queenie “ He says and he can feel Caine now looking at him. “About…any of it. Not really”
“…What did you say?”
Kinger tilts his head to look at Caine, hoping that his eyes show the kindness that his face can’t. “That you might be struggling” He settles on, seeing Caine wince at the phrasing.
He unclips his belt and gets out the car, opening the back door to grab Caine’s bag and he hears the other car door open and close.
He walks to the front to see Caine already there, hands in his pockets and looking beyond nervous. “Here” Caine says, holding his hand out. “I can carry my own bag”
Kinger thinks on it and then hands the bag over, gesturing for Caine to follow as he makes his way to the front door. Sure enough, when he tires the handle it’s still open so it takes little effort to open the door.
He steps in to warm air and the familiar sight on his wife sitting on the couch with a book, though her eyes look full of worry so he doubts that she was actually reading.
Her head snaps up and her expression brightens when she sees Kinger, but then all of the happiness in her face disappears when she spots Caine.
Not because he wasn’t invited, nor is it because she didn’t know he was coming over. But because Kinger knew that she understands what that meant. That he had been right.
“Oh” She says as Caine shuffles in his feet in the door way behind Kinger. “Come in, Caine. It’s okay”
Caine’s eyes look at the woman before she nods once and he steps in, the door closing behind him. Both men walk in and Kinger gestures to the stairs. “Spare room” He says to Caine, voice low with tiredness.
Caine only nods once and then he nods to Queenie. “Sorry for the intrusion” He says and he looks genuinely sorry.
Before Kinger can speak, Queenie speaks up, her voice fond. “You are not an intrusion” She says, eyes on Caine’s own and Kinger can see his hand tighten on his bag strap. “Never”
Caine nods once, eyes dropping to the floor, before he heads toward the stairs. They creak beneath his feet as he goes, before he disappears and Kinger waits for the click of the door shutting
Click.
Like a drowning man, Kinger immediately gasps for breath and almost falls over as his chest starts heaving, hands pressed to his chest and his invisible mouth as he dry heaves from fear.
Too close, too close too close too closetooclosetooclose-!
Hands grab him and a soft voice tells him to breath and he tries his best to listen but it’s hard- he can’t afford to be doing this right now it won’t take long for Caine to get situated but he had been so scared-
He’s pulled to sit on the couch and Queenie rubs his back, begging him to take deep breaths and he forces himself to follow her even as he longs to curls up into a ball and cry until he passed out.
“He almost-“ His voice crumbles away but he forces the words out. “Queenie he was going to-“
“But he didn’t” The other chess piece say, and she’s using her grip on Kinger’s back to press their heads together while he continued to gasp for air weakly. “He’s here. He’s alive”
She’s obviously trying to keep her tone comforting but it shakes terribly, a clear sign that she’s just as affected as Kinger is and he can’t blame her.
“He-“ Kinger stutters, unsure what he was going to say, when he hears the stairs creak again. He tries to force his breathing to level but he can’t so instead he settles for covering his face to hide his tears.
“…Kinger?” Comes Caine’s voice, sad and full of guilt and it makes Kinger shake harder, unable to calm himself down.
“He’s okay Caine” Queenie says then and he’s thankful that she’s able to stay calm like this because he really can’t right now. “He’s just….overwhelmed”
He can feel twin gazes on him and he digs his fingers deeper into his face.
“I’m sorry” Caine’s says and both chess pieces tense at the sadness in his voice, how guilty he sounds. “I’m sorry that I- I’m sorry”
Kinger forces his head up to see Caine staring at them with tears in his eyes and his arms wrapped around himself. “Ca-“
“I didn’t think you would figure it out!” Caine suddenly says, his hands digging into his upper arms and his own breathing begins to pick up. “No one else did! No one else cared and I thought that – that you wouldn’t either but then you turned up and you-“ His jaws slam shut and he buries them into his hands and he curls in on himself. He can’t seem to speak now and for that Kinger is grateful.
He shouldn’t be apologizing right now, not for any of it. He understands why the man might be feeling guilty but none of this is his fault.
“Caine..” Queenie starts, patting she seat next to her. “Come sit down please.”
Eyes peek and then the Morph takes tiny, barely there steps towards the couch. “Are you-“ He glances to Kinger but the chess piece is still frozen.
Queenie offers Caine a hand, her entire body at ease to anyone else, but Kinger can see the shake in her fingers. “Sit”
Caine takes her hand and sits next to her, burying into the hoodie he’s wrapped in and staring with blank, watery eyes at the tv.
It takes Kinger a while to calm down and the whole time he can see Caine throwing him sad and guilty glances. He finally clams down enough to unfurl and he sits back, leaning against his wife’s side.
He watches as Queenie’s other hand moves to Caine’s and the couple watch in silence as Caine begins to shake, tears building in his eyes.
He sniffs and wipes them, but the force of his sobs make him tilt slightly and Queenie only pulls him to her side.
“I’m sorry” He says again, legs pulled up on the couch and curled up tiny into Queenie. “I’m sorry”
No one says anything after that, because nothing more can be said.
There are no true comforting words, not real reassurance. There are no promises that things will be okay, because Kinger can’t promise anything to Caine.
Kinger has work tomorrow and he dreads it, the idea of going back to the school with all of those people makes rage build in his stomach, but he knows he has no choice.
Instead of dwelling on that, he forces his busy thoughts to calm and his mind to settle as best it can as he closes his eyes.
!!!!
Despite how exhausted he is, Kinger can’t fall asleep. Instead he stares blankly at the tv as it plays old reruns of games shows.
He has shifted to sit up fully in his seat, feeling too restless to relax. The air in the living room is heavy and Kinger can’t be bothered to break it.
Queenie is in the kitchen behind them, sorting out dinner and Kinger glances over to Caine.
The smaller mans jaw is clenched, his arms wrapped around himself as he presses back against the couch cushions. To anyone else he would look asleep, but Kinger can see the rigid set of his shoulders and the way his claws dig into his biceps.
The reminder of Caine’s arm makes Kinger wince and he clears his throat. “We should-“ His voice cracks, his crying from earlier had totally fried his voice, but he ignores it. “We should get you…sorted, before dinner.”
He doesn’t expect a reply to that and instead he stands to his feet, “Caine?”
He stares down at the other man as his shoulders lift and rise in heavy breathes, before his jaw cracks open to look up at Kinger. His eyes look red and bloodshot and Kinger feels sympathy deep in his chest. “Queenie is warming it all back up” He whispers, keeping Caine’s attention. “Why don’t you get dressed?” Without his say so, his eyes dart to Caine’s covered arms. “…And we can sort….that out…”
He keeps his voice soft and makes sure that there is nothing other then kindness in his eyes when Caine looks up at him. He sees the mans eyes flick away, and then he nods and slowly stands to his feet.
Kinger gestures for him to go first and together they both head to the stairs, making their way up slowly and silently.
Kinger guides Caine to the bathroom and then makes him sit on the edge of the bathtub, watching as the man only pulls at his fingers while Kinger digs through the cupboard to find the first aid kit.
When he finds it, he grabs the stool from next to the toilet and drags it over to Caine, sitting himself down just before the man’s legs. He stares at Caine and notices that the other man’s legs are trembling.
He carefully reaches forward and his hand out to Caine and deja Vu hits him hard in the chest.
He thinks of this same moment back in the cafeteria and he has to close his eyes to fight off the tears that sting there.
Caine’s arm is placed in to his hand and he carefully pushes up the mans sleeve.
He has to look away at the sight of torn skin, angry marks that speak of desperation. He stays silent as he wipes the skin clean, frowning when the blood continues to bead from the cuts.
He wipes up as much as he can and he grabs a roll of bandages, carefully wrapping up Caine’s forearm.
After that, he takes deep breath in and gestures for the other, Caine following his moves without saying anything.
He works quicker, feeling his fingers shake as he tries to wrap up the wounds as much as he can.
“Sorry”
Kinger tapes the bandage and looks to Caine’s face, seeing him staring down at his own arms, face filled with disgust. “I’m sorry” His voice cracks and his eyes squeeze shut.
Kinger sighs, sitting back on his stool as he shakes his head. “I…” He stops.
He can only watch as Caine begins to curl in on himself the longer Kinger says quiet and he feels the action burn him chest.
“Caine-“ He cuts himself off and stops completely, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to think.
Caine sniffs miserably and sits back up, wiping at his lower jaw to clean himself of tears and Kinger has to swallow the lump in his throat while he watches.
He’s sat there in black hoodie, sleeves rolled up and arms completely wrapped in bandages. He’s curled in on himself, looking smaller then ever before with an almost fully closed jaw and red eyes.
Kinger-
“Caine” He says and his voice is shaking something terrible. “Can I- can I hug you?”
Caine’s eyes move slowly up, until they meet his.
Blue and green fill with tears and a broken, loud sob breaks from him “please” He whines, nodding. “Please-“
Kinger falls off the stool and opens his arms at the same time Caine falls forward into his arms. They cling to each other- both shaking.
Kinger sits on his knees with Caine sideways in his lap, arms holding the man tight to his chest. The smaller man curls up against him, head hidden in his shoulder as he sobs.
Kinger shushes him, but it’s a rough sound as his own tears run down his face. Caine’s claws dig into his back and he can’t even be bothered to worry about the marks that might be left behind.
“I’m sorry” Caine whispers to his shoulder. “I’m- I’m so sorry-“
Kinger doesn’t say it’s okay, he doesn’t tell Caine not to apologize- not because he’s guilty or anything, but because Caine doesn’t need that right now.
He needs to feel this, as much as it hurts them both to be sat on the bathroom floor while crying.
“I wan-wanted it to stop-“ Caine sobs into Kinger chest, his body shaking apart in Kinger’s grip. “All of it- all of it was too much and- and I couldn’t- I needed it to stop!-“
“I know” Kinger whispers in response, griping Caine tighter. “I know”
“He- all of them- I can’t keep going-“
“Please” Kinger whispers, feeling his heart twist in on itself. “Caine please-“
“I- all of it- in the staff room- and Jax-“ Caine’s voice dissolves into hard, gut wrenching sobs and Kinger curls him close to him. “I had to stop it-“
“I know” Kinger says again, his mouth dry and body hurting. “I know”
Caine seems unable to say anything else after that, only able to cry into Kinger’s shoulder, his body shaking and his face hidden. Kinger continues to hold him, rocking him back and forth as he shushes the smaller man.
He doesn’t know how long they stay like that for. Sat on the floor while they cry together- Kinger doesn’t try to keep track of time. After a while though, Caine goes quite in his lap and together they silently stand.
Caine rubs roughly at his bottom teeth and gums, sniffing and still shaking, all while Kinger rubs gently at his upper biceps.
“You good?” He asks, wiping at his own face to get rid of the tears there.
Caine gives a half hearted shrugs, eyes brighter now then they had been all day. “Yeah” He says, voice shot. “I…guess”
Kinger nods, carefully nudging at Caine’s shoulder. “Let’s go eat, okay?” He watches as Caine nods, and he ushers them out of the bathroom.
They get down stairs without issue and to the table to sit when Kinger realizes that Caine’s sleeves are still rolled up.
Before he can speak, Queenie comes into the room with two bowls and her eyes immediately go to Caine and Kinger watches as realization fills her eyes.
She places the bowls down, her one already on the table, and she slides into her seat next to Kinger.
They eat in silence for a moment, the only sound being the scraping of spoons on bowls and steady breathing. Kinger’s eyes watch Caine as he eats, seeing him move his food around, taking small bites but at least he’s eating.
He watches as Queenies eyes dart to Caine bandages arms, her eyes going shiny and wet as she obviously tries to hold back her emotions.
“You’ll stay here” Queenie speaks and Caine looks up at her, eyes widening. “You’re not going to work tomorrow-“
“I have this week off” Caine says, voice sheepish. “I…booked it off today after…” His eyes leave Queenie. “I can stay tonight-“
“All week” Queenie says, and her tone leaves no room for argument or disagreement. “You’ll be staying with us”
Caine jolts, looking at Queenie with wide eyes. “Wait- no you have work-“
“I can work from home” She counters, still eating.
“No-“ Caine says, shaking his head and Kinger watches as he pushes himself back from the table. “No- no I can’t”
Kinger feels terrified as Caine suddenly walks away and to the front door and he feels sick because Caine is leaving and he might-
“Caine please” Queenies pleads, her voice shaking. “Please stay here”
Caine stops near the door, back turned and hands shaking at his sides. “…Why?”
Caine asks it like he genuinely lost on why they want to help him, why they want him to say here.
“Because we care” Kinger says, standing from his seat and making his way over to Caine. He reaches out and takes Caine’s limp hand, feeling the coldness of his fingers and the tremble in the digits.
“I care” Kinger says, feeling desperate to get Caine to understand, to see.
“Just stay for tonight” Queenie says from the table. “And then… tomorrow you can choose if you want to go home. Okay?”
The couple hold their breath as Caine stays silent, both watching him, waiting for him to react.
“Okay” He says, and the relief in the room is palpable.
Slowly, Kinger guides Caine back over to the table, making him sit down, before he moves back to his seat.
They keep eating in silence.
That night, before Caine disappears into the spare room, Kinger makes him promise.
“You will be here when I get home tomorrow”
Caine stares at him, his eyes wide, his body tired. “….Okay” He nods, looks close to collapsing.
“Promise me” Kinger says, desperate, emotions running high. “That you’ll be here”
Caine’s eyes flicker over his face, and then they soften. With seemingly careful, slow movements, Caine reaches out to wrap his arms around a wooden chest and he buries himself into Kinger’s shoulder.
Kinger immediately hugs him back, feeling the warmth of the other man settle in his skin.
“I promise” Caine says, voice soft and weak.
With one last squeeze, Caine moves away from him and in to the spare room, the door clicking shut behind him.
Kinger stares at the door until his eyes burn and his chest feels hollow.
Then he turns and walks to his own room, something too far away from real hope burning his chest and making him feel sick.
!!!!
The first thing he does when he gets to work is march to Scratch’s office. His anger has been festering all day, burning a scalding hole in his chest.
He feet hit the floor as he marches up the hall and he prays that he doesn’t run into Jax.
“Oh hey! Look who it is!”
Kinger freezes.
He turns his head to the left, feeling his body hurt all over when he spots the purple rabbit staring right at him. He sees Ragatha standing beside him, her eyes wide on Kinger’s own.
“Where is Caine anyway?” Jax asks, looking up and down the hall like he is trying to spot him. “Not in today?”
Something hot comes over Kinger as he stands there looking at Jax, at his smug grin, hearing his careless voice.
He wants- no…he needs to put Jax in his place. He needs to grab that stupid rabbit and-
He watches as Zooble suddenly shoves Jax, sending him flying against the wall. “My god dude, shut up” They say, sounding pissed now. “Honestly, you must love the sound of your own voice”
Jax, not staying up straight with a frown and angry, pinprick eyes glaring at the Amalgamation. “What the-“
Kinger can’t look away as Ragatha suddenly grabs Jax and pulls him to his feet, but she too looks upset. “Just get to class Jax” She bites out, face twisted in anger. “We’ve had enough of your bullying”
Bullying. Because that’s what it was.
Now that Ragatha says it, Kinger feels the word settle in his mind and coat his stomach.
Jaxs grin falls, like he’s hearing the word for the first time.
“…What?”
Kinger keeps walking.
He gets to Scratch’s office and doesn’t bother knocking before he throws the door open, spotting the dog man sitting at his desk. He looks tired again, stacks of papers in front of him.
Kinger ignores the concern and walks right up to him, “what are you going to do about Jax?”
Scratch sighs, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his face. “King-“
“No!” His voice has never been like this- this angry before. It bubbles in his gut and boils over out of his mouth and he feels like if he doesn’t let it out then he might explode.
“Jax is a bully” Kinger hisses and Scratch looks up at him. “And for five years it’s been going on- it’s been happening in your school and you’ve done nothing about it! And yesterday was- god that was terrible and I just saw him!-“ He gestures to the door. “I saw Jax just- stood there! No punishment? No repercussions? Caine was here last night and nothing-“
“He didn’t say anything” Scratch says, voice level and it sends Kinger to silence.
“What?”
“Caine” Scratch elaborates, hands in his lap. “Last night. He asked for the week off and when I asked him about Jax, he didn’t tell me anything. All he did was explain what happened in the staff room. When I asked about any other events, he didn’t tell me about any”
It makes no sense. Why? Why would Caine hide it? Why would he not report it? Come forward?
Because he thinks he deserves to be treated like that, something in his mind whispers.
“I can’t do a thing Kinger” Scratch says softly and he sounds genuinely upset on Kinger’s behalf. “Not until Caine comes to me”
“He won’t” Kinger says and he turns on his heel back to the door to the office, “He won’t- he’ll never-“
“Then make him”
Kinger stops and looks back.
Scratch is stood up now, tail moving side to side in agitation as he stares straight at Kinger, hands braced in the table and eyes sharp.
“How?” Kinger begs because how is he supposed to convince someone their worth more then they think they are?
Scratch sighs at that, “You know Caine better then anyone else here” He says, sitting back down in his chair. “I’m sure…”
“…You could figure it out “
!!!
His classes are not as vibrant or as loud as they normally are and the students are obviously noticing. They obviously don’t say anything to him, but he can see the looks they share when he speaks.
After his first class ends, he doesn’t even attempt to go to the break room.
The idea of going into that room with that stupid rabbit makes his anger rise in him. It’s hot and fiery and so unpleasant that Kinger wants to reach inside of himself and rip it out.
He knows he can’t, he knows it’s impossible, but he hates the rage that’s in him.
After his second class he has the beginnings of a headache and he knows that the only thing that will stop it will be some sort of caffeine.
It’s with a great reluctance that Kinger makes his way to the break room. When he opens the door, he sees Zooble and Pomni sat at the table.
He steps in and they both look at him with tense expressions. He ignores them the best he can and instead walks to the coffee maker. There is talking behind him, and then a clearing of a throat.
“Um, Kinger?” At Pomnis careful voice, Kinger sighs.
“What?” He normally wouldn’t be short like this, but last night and yesterday and everything had been too much for him to stay cordial.
There’s a small silence before the woman speaks again. “..Caine isn’t here today” She says softly and Kinger can actually hear the concern in her tone. “Is he okay?”
Kinger feels something pop in his chest. “What do you think”
He grabs his mug, and turns to face the other two at the table. “For five years” He says, voice low. “Caine has put up with that- that bully and none of you-“ He has to take a shuddering breath in.
“All of you are as bad as Jax” He says and he sees Pomni flinch. “All of you stood by” He makes to move when Pomni suddenly stands. “Wait- wait”
He huffs and glares at the smaller woman as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. “Pomni I’m really not in the –“
A screen is turned towards him and he blinks down at the bright glow.
It looks like some sort of online shop website and then he sees the picture-
“You’re replacing the mug” He breathes.
“We have to” Zooble says and Kinger looks up to see them staring at the chess piece, guilt heavy in their eyes. “Maybe this might…help Caine forgive us” They whisper, the last bit, eyes darting away and to the wall that the coffee still stains.
Kinger doesn’t reply to that, feeling unable to.
Pomni drops her phone and her eyes look sad now. “We’ll apologize” She whispers. “When he’s back” Then she frowns, eyes meeting Kinger’s own. “…When is he back?.”
Kinger sips his coffee to give himself a thing to do, his body tense. “Next Monday” He replies as he steps around Pomni and to the door.
He’s still pissed about everything but-
“Thank you” He says before he shuts the door. “For trying”
He doesn’t tell them that it’s probably too late, but he can tell they both hear it anyway.
!!!
Pulling into the driveway is a relief for Kinger. He rubs at his face and takes deep breaths to try and get rid of the frustrations of the day.
He stares at the front door for a long moment to try and prepare himself for what he might see.
Maybe Caine in the middle of a break down? Maybe Caine’s tried to- no, no Queenie was with him. He wouldn’t.
Maybe Queenie and Caine argued? What if their personalities had clashed while they were home all day and they realize that they hate each other?
With that he rushes out the car and gets up to the front door with quick steps. The door is unlocked and he pushes it open-
To soft music.
He blinks and steps further into the house, looking around carefully. The living room looks tidy and level, the coffee table looks clean, the tv playing a music channel that Kinger frowns at.
He hears voice from the kitchen he after toeing off his shoes and placing his bag near the side of the door he makes his way deeper into the house.
“-This?” He comes around the corner and stands in the doorway while he watches the scene before him.
Queenie leans to look at whatever is in front of Caine and she nods. “Yep! That looks amazing Caine, really”
Caine shoulder lift in what must be embarrassment. “It’s nothing, really- just chopping up some veg”
“But you’re doing really well!”
The smell hits him next. It’s spicy and it makes his mouth water- something that smells like beef and a variety of vegetables.
He watches as Caine, dressed in a black t-shirt with short sleeves and bandages still wrapped around his arms, moves to scrape vegetables into the pan on the stove.
Queenie, in one of Kinger’s t-shirts, shuffles the pan with quick wrist movements, her whole body relaxed and completely at ease.
Kinger doesn’t move.
He doesn’t want to break this moment, this quiet.
He can only watch as Caine moves to grab plates and cutlery from the top shelf, his own body looking at ease.
Caine turns to the table and sees Kinger stood in the door way, his expression brightening. “Ah, hello Kinger!”
Queenie turns at that, her own face lighting up at the sight of him. “Oh hello dear! Welcome home!”
They both continue to talk as he stares at them, their tones happy and joyous.
Kinger allows the moment to wash over him, the anger, the fear, the sadness from the last two days completely disappearing.
He can see the bandages on Caine arms fully now and they must have been changed at some point while he was at work because they look different.
He glances at Queenie to see nothing other then affection in her gaze, and he feels his own eyes mirror it.
“Sit” Caine whispers, gesturing to the kitchen table. “Dinner will be ready soon”
Kinger feels hopeless to do anything other than obey.
He sits down and watches as Caine and Queenie move around each other in the kitchen like it’s natural, like it’s normal and like they’ve done this dozens of times before.
It’s so domestic that Kinger feels at peace.
He breathes the moment in, and holds it close to his chest.
!!!!
That night, while led in bed, Kinger’s minds races.
Caine had been a lot better today, less hopeless at least. He knows that he should speak to him, actually speak to him, and get him to understand that what almost happened couldn’t happen again.
But in the back of his mind he doesn’t know if he has a right to.
He known the guy for a few months now at this point, not that long in the grand scheme of things and yeah- maybe they’ve spent a lot of time together and all of that, and yeah maybe he’s Caine’s only friend at work but…
Should he say anything? He knows he’s already crossed boundaries by basically forcing the man here, and he knows it’s unfair to force him to stay until he goes back to work but he’s honestly lost on what else he can do.
Should he just, let things run their course?
No. He thinks firmly. If he had let that happen then Caine would be dead right now.
Would anyone apart from Kinger have noticed? How long would it have been until someone even found Caine in his apartment? Days? Weeks?
Would the rest of them care?
He hates the idea of going back to work tomorrow, seeing them and having to play nice while knowing that they pushed Caine to this brink.
The man might have leaped off himself, but the others forced him to stand on the ledge and had dared him to hop on one leg.
He stares up at the ceiling, mind racing, and tries to force himself to sleep but it’s hard.
Hard knowing that a good man, a man that made a mistake and genuinely feels bad for it, is being punished for something he had tried to fix.
He had lost his job, he had signed himself into a ward for crying out loud! He knew what he did was bad, he got the helped he needed and everyday he still punished himself.
What would it take for them to stop-
“We have to” Zooble says and Kinger looks up to see them staring at the chess piece, guilt heavy in their eyes. “Maybe this might…help Caine to forgive us”
He remembers how Pomni had scolded Jax, he thinks back on how Ragatha had defended Caine in the break room.
They don’t hate him, not anymore.
He just needs Caine to see that too.
The thought is a hard one, a difficult one. He has to show Caine that he’s not hated like he had thought he was, he has to show Caine then someone other then Kinger and Queenie care about him.
The best way to do that is to get the others to show their forgiveness in whatever way they feel fit. It might not work- but it might help Caine anyway.
With that, Kinger forces his eyes shut and his mind to stop racing, deciding that getting through this week will be easy and quick, so that he can get Caine back to where he belongs.
With others who care.
!!!!
“Are you ready?” He brings the car to a stop, looking at Caine sat in the passenger side next to him, his bag in his lap and his body tense in his seat.
Caine’s eyes lock into the school doors and he nods, but it’s very unsure. “I guess” He says, looking to Kinger with a furrowed brow. “I-“ He pauses, takes a deep breath, and then unbuckles himself silently.
Kinger follows his lead, grabbing his own bag from the back and following Caine as the smaller man makes his way to the doors of the school. His shoulders are set high, his hands stuffed in his pockets and Kinger can feel the anxiety leaking off of him the closer they get to the doors.
That last week had been uneventful- Kinger going to work, staying away from the others and then returning home to Queenie and Caine either making dinner or watching TV. The week had gone pretty quickly, all things considered and for that Kinger is grateful.
Now that Caine is back, he won’t have to force himself into the break room and socialize with the other teachers.
He glances at the side of Caine’s face as he holds the door open for the smaller man to walk, seeing his almost fully closed jaw. “Hey” He says, immediately catching Caine’s attention.
“You’ll be fine” Kinger whispers softly. “I swear it”
Caine looks at him and his shoulders drop slightly “I hope so” He says, voice full of uncertainty.
Together they walk down the halls, Kinger making idle conversation as they go. About the café they went to yesterday, about the work schedule, about the end of school dance that’s due to be announced by the end of the week.
It’s small talk and while normally Kinger would hate it he understands why Caine is doing this. He knows that the other man needs a way to distract himself.
They get to their hall and instead of stopping Kinger continues down to Caine’s room with him, staying beside him as he opens the door and steps in.
He sees the box on the desk a few moments before Caine does and he hums at the sight of it. “I’m guessing that’s for you” He says, and Caine walks over to it, picking the box up. There’s a sticky note on the side and Kinger steps closer to the man to read it over his shoulder.
To Caine,
This is a gift from all of us to say sorry for everything.
Because we are sorry. We understand if you don’t want to forgive us, but maybe we can all go and get coffee?
From,
Pomni, Ragatha, Gangle, Zooble and Jax
Kinger huffs at the last name written and he guessing that someone had to have forced him to include it. He instead turns his head to watches and Caine carefully opens the box.
Just like he had thought, Caine pulls out an identical bee mug to the one he had before wrapped in bubble wrap.
He watches as Caine drops the box and stares at the smiley little bee.
“I didn’t think they noticed” he says, voice low. “That I liked- bees”
Kinger smiles at that, a sad thing that he’s thankful isn’t visible. “Don’t force yourself Caine” He says, catching the other mans attention. “If you don’t want to-“
“I do” Caine whispers back, almost desperate. “I-I want to be their friend again, I want them to like me again I need them to-“ He takes a deep breath in and his looks up at Kinger with teary eyes. “Does….am I pathetic-“
“No” Kinger says quickly, shaking his head. “It’s normal to want friends Caine, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to forgive them but just-“ He sighs, “Don’t force yourself to do so, okay?”
Caine nods at that, eyes looking down at the mug again. “I know” He looks back at Kinger. “I know”
After that, Kinger says a quick goodbye and he walks to the door, feeling anger build in his chest because none of them had even come to Caine in person to apologize and-
“Kinger?” He stops, looking over his shoulder to see Caine looking at him with fond, bright eyes and it stills Kinger’s breath because this is the same Caine from the bar, from the car rides, from the dinners.
This is the happy Caine, the Caine he wanted to see at the very start.
“You’ll still be my favorite” Caine says, voice only half joking. “Out of all them, you’re still my best friend”
The anger evaporates and it’s instead replaced by affection. He chuckles and shakes his head at Caine, but he feels so fond of the smaller man that it shard not to do something stupid like kiss him or ask him out on a real date.
Instead, he nods again. “Oh I know, Caine” Then he takes one more step out into the hallway, feeling his face heat up. “You’re my favorite too”
He watches gums flush red just before he fully stops away and moves down the hall towards his own classroom.
!!!
“So Kinger, are you going to the end of year dance thing?”
Kinger jolts and turns to look at Zooble, “Huh?”
They huff a laugh. “At the end of the year we are having a winter dance, everyone is allowed a plus one”
Kinger hums and leans back against the kitchen counter, his eyes moving around the room. “I don’t know” He shrugs.
He looks over to the table to see Caine and Pomni flipping through papers, both with narrowed eyes.
“Wait wait so-“ Pomni points at the paper. “And an onomatopoeia is….uh…” She winces. “What again?”
Caine chuckles as shows her his own paper “it’s using words that phonetically imitate, resemble, or suggest the natural sound of the thing they describe, like when you say crash or boom or something y’know? Does that make sense?”
Pomni stares at him for a long moment, then she groans and her head thumps onto the table. “No!”
Caine snorts a laugh. “You’ll get it eventually”
Pomni tilts her head to look at Caine. “Remind me to teach you trigonometry”
Caine groan even louder then she had. “Please no”
Kinger shakes his head at the both of them, then looks to Zooble to see them staring with amused eyes. “What?” He asks, feelings cornered.
Zooble shrugs. “Nothing, but if you did go to the dance you could ask Caine”
Kinger laughs at that, making Zooble frown, before he explains. “I think I would have to invite my wife”
Silence.
Then Pomni slams her hands on the tables and stands, her chair falling over onto the floor with a ‘clack!’
“You’re married?!” She asks, aghast.
“To a woman?!” Zooble demands.
Caine laughs and Kinger winces. “You can’t keep forgetting to tell people” Caine giggles, “Queenie is way too amazing to be cast aside like that!”
Pomni whirls on Caine. “You’ve met her??”
Caine blinks at that, eyes darting to Kinger and then back to the angry jester. “…Yes?”
Pomni groans and throws her hands into the air, going to sit back down, only to spot the upturned chair. “Stupid” she grumbles, flipping the chair upright.
Kinger frowns. “I- sorry why?”
Pomni and Zooble look at each other, eyes wide and energy suddenly nervous Pomni gestures for Zooble to talk, Zooble shakes their head and gestures to Pomni to talk.
“Okay” Kinger says, feeling like he’s a student again and not a teacher. “What?”
The other two teachers glare at each other for another moment before Zooble groans and looks at Kinger. “You are some flavour of gay though right?”
“Oh!” Kinger jolts, Caine chokes on his coffee, and Pomni snorts a laugh. “I…. excuse me?” He stresses, feeling scandalized almost.
Zooble raises a brow. “What are you? Bi? Pan?”
Kinger blinks at them, eyes darting to Caine and then back to the Amalgamation. “…Bi” He says, and he sees Caine’s eyes widen out the corner of his eye “not that it’s any of your business!”
Zooble looks unbothered by his scolding and instead looks to Caine. “What about you? Will you be going to the dance?”
Caines humor leaves him quickly then and Kinger watches him slump in his seat. “No” He says quietly. “I…don’t exactly have anyone to go with so- and uh, parties aren’t really my thing anyway”
Zooble hums at that and Kinger can see how their body tenses. “I-“ They pause. “Crap I already asked Gangle” They whisper under their breath, obviously not for Caine’s ears and Kinger feels his own chest hurt.
“I’m sorry Caine” Pomni says and she looks genuine when she says it. “But I’ve already asked Ragatha and-“
“It’s okay!” Caine says loudly and to anyone else his wide grin and booming voice would look real, but Kinger can see the slump of his shoulders. “Like I said, I don’t like parties anyway”
He’s lying.
At the bar he loved the music, he loved the gathering of people, the sounds of laughter and talking. Kinger knows that Caine had only this so that no one else will feel bad for him.
He frowns at Caine. “I-“
“Really” Caine says and he looks up at Kinger with soft eyes. “It’s fine” He shrugs and then he turns back to Pomni and the paper. “Now, Pomni, what is alliteration?”
“…uh”
Kinger watches as Caine continues to show Pomni different writing styles and phrases and he feels his chest ache.
!!!!
He gets home that night with pizza in hand and a heavy weight on his shoulders that he hadn’t been able to shake.
Ever since the dance had been mentioned it left like he had been put into a hydraulic press. It rests on his chest and causes his heart to stutter everyone now and again.
“Darling?” He blinks and looks up to see Queenie sat on the couch, looking at him with concern. “Are you alright?”
Kinger sighs and drops his bag to the floor, trudging over to Queenie and flopping down on the cushion next to her. He paces the pizza box on the coffee table and slumps backwards.
“Just…” He watches as Queenie reaches out to flip open the box, the smell of pizza filling the room and making his stomach growl. There’s a nudge in his shoulder, and he hums. “There’s a dance at the end of the year.”
“Oh?” Queenie sounds half distracted as she picks up a slice. “That sounds nice”
“Yeah, yeah it will be” He says and he knows it’s true. “It’s just-“ He hesitates and Queenie turns to look at him.
“Just?”
Kinger signs again and leans forward to grab a slice himself. “Caine won’t be going” He breathes, “He had no one to go with and-“
“Wait you didn’t ask him?” Queenie interrupts and Kinger looks at her in surprise.
“No?” He half asks, “I was….taking you?”
Queenie snorts a laugh and leans into Kinger side as they continue eating. “No” She drags out. “Take Caine, why on earth would you take me?”
Kinger laughs at that and lifts his free arm to wrap over her shoulders. “Because you’re my wife?”
Queenie shrugs. “And Caine in your boyfriend-“
“He’s not, come on now-“
“Uh, he basically is. You just have to work up the cour- oh Kinger!” She suddenly gasps and sits up, twisting in his grip him to stare with wide, excited eyes.
“What?” He asks quickly, something close to concern in his chest. “What?”
A hand pats his chest. “Take him to the dance” Queenie says slowly, “And tell him it’s a date!”
Kinger stares at his wife for a long moment, then hums. “Okay that’s clever”
For weeks now Kinger had been trying to come up with a way to ask Caine out on an official date, but it was hard. He didn’t want to ask Caine to do something simple or casual, he wanted to do a thing different to really show he cared.
Originally he was going to ask Caine out after the night at the bar, but then- well that didn’t happen, and then they were dealing with the aftermath of that.
It had slipped his mind, more important things taking up his thought process.
But, Queenie was right.
This would be a way to ask Caine out to something special, something different and something that Caine would genuinely enjoy.
“I know” Queenie brags. “I’m hot, and smart”
At that Kinger laughs and kisses her cheek, pressing harder and grabbing her when she complains about getting a greasy cheek.
!!!
You: hey you awake?
Caine: of course I am, what’s up?
You: about this dance thing
Caine: really Kinger it’s not a big deal it’s fine
You: I want to take you
You: would that be okay?
You: we could do the whole matching outfits and thing like that too, I know you might enjoy that stuff
You: Caine?
Caine: what about Queenie? How does she feel about you taking someone other then her to a dance?
You: are you kidding? Caine she wants to help you pick an outfit
Caine: oh.
Caine: okay
You: okay?
You: you don’t sound enthused
Caine: I am, really I just
Caine: are you sure you want to go with me? The others might start talking. More then they already do anyway
You; I’m sure. Please?
Caine: then yes, I’ll go to the dance with you
Caine: and yes I might need Queenies help to pick an outfit seeing as I have no good clothes
You: of course! :D we can go over it all tmr at work?
Caine: okay
Caine: thank you, Kinger :)
You: :)!!!
!!!
Caine knocks on their door at 7pm and Kinger opens it with a grin. “Hey!”
The man ducks his head in, looking half nervous and half excited as he steps into the house and toes off his shoes. “I’m terrified about what Queenie has picked out for me” He says quickly and Kinger laughs loudly at the genuine fear in his voice.
“She hasn’t told me anything about it either” Kinger says and he shuts the door behind Caine. “Hell, she’s banned me from going into the bedroom, I have to get ready in the bathroom”
Caine snorts a laugh at that, his whole face bright. “Yeah see now I’m more afraid”
Kinger shoves him slightly towards the stairs. “She said to go straight away”
Caine nods at that, then pauses on the first step. He looks back at Kinger, his gums flushing. “Thank you” He rushes out. “For- y’know, taking me to this”
Kinger smiles at him and he leans forward, placing a hand on the handrail to keep himself from leaning in and doing something stupid. “Of course” He says, catching Caine’s gaze and keeping it. “Anytime”
Caine somehow flushes more at that but he quickly moves up the stairs and out of sight. Kinger hears a door open and then voices, before he sighs and follows.
He gets into the bathroom and changes quickly, a red shirt, black suspenders and black slacks. He sprays cologne on and takes a few deep breaths before he steps out of the room.
He gets to the bedroom door and knocks-
“Don’t come in!” Comes Queenies voice.
Kinger rolls his eyes fondly “I won’t but- are you sure about meeting me there Caine? I don’t mind waiting and driving us both”
There’s quiet talking on the other side of the door, before Caine’s answer comes through the door.
“I’ll meet you there! I shouldn’t be too long…. Hopefully” There’s laughter and Kinger taps the door with a fist and a laugh.
“Okay” He says and steps away. “Ill see you there”
“Oh yeah you will” Queenie says slightly and he hears a snort of laughter.
Kinger shakes his head at their antics before he turns and heads back down stairs, quickly slipping on his smart shoes and grabbing his phone, car keys and wallet.
He throws one last look up towards the stairs before he heads out of the house and to his car.
The drive is quiet but full of anticipation as he gets to the school and pulls into his parking space.
His eyes move to Caine’s car and he chuckles, wondering if Caine had even really called anyone to look at that thing, before he unbuckles and climbs out.
“Looking good Kinger!” Said man turns his head to see Pomni standing near her own car with Ragatha.
The Jester is wearing a white shirt and black suspenders, while the plush doll is wearing a silk black dress with off the shoulder sleeves and a slit up the one side, showing her leg.
She has a white jacket that’s draped over her shoulders and loose around her arms. “You look lovely!” She says, her hair in an updo.
Kinger smiles at them both. “As do you ladies! Very, very gorgeous if I do say so myself”
They both laugh and the three of them make their way to the entrance of the school.
He then spots Gangle and Zooble standing off to the side, presses close together and he’s quick to look away, not wanting to intrude on whatever moment they might be having.
They get into the school and to the hall pretty easily and Kinger opens the doors to see flashing lights and gorgeous decorations.
There’s a DJ on the stage, playing a fast beat and Kinger waves at a few of his students when they spot him. He sees the other teachers too, Luna and the sun sprite, Aurora, in marching blue dresses.
His eyes move to Jax who’s sat at the table alone, looking around the room with a bored expression and in a grey suit and he looks at Pomni. “Who was Jax’s date?”
Ragatha snorts a laugh at that and points, kinger following her gaze until he sees-
He has to cover his mouth to stop the cackles that want to escape him.
Bubble, the janitor, is coming over towards Jax in a similar coloured suit and a large grin on his transparent face, a drink in each hand.
When his beady eyes catch Kingers, he winks.
Kinger shakes his head at that and walks around the dance floor with both women trailing behind him.
“Wait-“ He looks back to see Pomni looking at him with wide eyes “where’s Queenie?”
Kinger hums and bites back another laugh at that. “Oh, unfortunately she’s not coming, Caine is my date for the evening. He should be here soon actually “
Ragatha blinks at that, looking – “okay!” She jolts and points at Kinger. “What is going on there?! Are you cheating?! Are you- dating Caine?! What is going on because there is no way what you and Caine have is platonic!”
“Ragatha!” Pomni hisses. “You can’t just ask him that!”
“It’s okay” Kinger rushes out, lifting his own hands to stop them both from talking. He laughs at their matching looks of worry. “Me and Queenie have an…. Agreement”
He watches as both sets of eyes widen and they seem to catch on to what he’s saying.
“Oh” Pomni says, and then she nods. “Okay that makes sense”
“So it’s all-“ Ragatha waves her hand about like she’s trying to grab the words. “Above board?”
Kinger laughs at the phrasing and nods. “Oh very, the board is very supportive”
Pomni sighs at that, her shoulders going slack with obvious relief before she smiles and Kinger. “Thank goodness” She looks at the redhead then, gently touching her ham and Kinger sees her face soften immensely. “I’ll go get us something to drink, okay?”
Ragatha, looking equally as soft, nods. “Okay”
They both watch the small women walk off and Kinger hums. “So” He says and he watches Ragathas flushes bright red. “You and Pomni huh?”
“It’s recent” Ragatha is quick to say, defend really. “Like- last week recent”
Kinger nods at that and only reaches out to gently pat Ragatha’s shoulder. “That’s more then okay” He gives her a smile, “as long as you’re happy”
Ragatha smiles wide, her whole body soft and full of affection. “Yeah, I am”
They both look around the room then and Kinger looks off into the distance, mind racing with different possibilities and such for what might happen tonight.
Despite it being their plan, he still hasn’t been able to tell Caine that with was a date- he had tired to get the words out but they had gotten stuck in his throat each time.
Instead, he made the decision to talk Caine later- maybe even after!
Not because he’s scared though. Obviously.
He jolts then, when he phone buzzes and he reaches into his pocket to pull it out.
Wifey: just dropped Caine off in my car, have fun and stay safe!
Wifey: also
Wifey: you’re welcome ;)
Kinger stares down at his screen, frowning at the message.
You: what?
He gets no reply to his message, but there’s a nudge against his shoulder that makes him look.
Ragatha is staring straight ahead, her eyes wide and a grin on her face. “Look” She breathes.
Kinger frowns at her and looks up to follow her gaze, his eyes darting from one face to another. The lights are flashing bright and they are almost too distracting for Kinger to ignore.
His eyes find Caine, and the world stutters.
He’s wearing bright red button shirt with flared sleeves and a ruffled collar, black fingerless gloves that Kinger can see go up and cover his forearms that are visible when he shifts his hands.
His pants are black and sparkly, shining in the lights and they stick to him. They look similar to the ones he wore at the bar all those weeks ago.
The part Kinger sees and focuses on most is the black, lace corset that sits on the mans waist.
It pulls his waist in- not abnormally so thankfully, but just enough to show off every inch of his waist.
He’s standing near the doors of the hall, pulling at his fingers nervously as he looks around the room, eyes darting from face to face and Kinger feels his heart swell with affection at the sight of him.
Their eyes meet across the hall and Kinger is moving before he can even think about it.
His steps are silenced by the loud music, his movements are hidden in the flashing lights and for that he is grateful because no one can see just how eager he truly is.
Caine stares at him, his own eyes wide and jaws slack and Kinger ignores the flush burning his face as he comes to a stop.
They are close enough to touch now, their chest close and Kinger feels his finger twitch. “You look-“ He pauses.
Caine nods slowly at him, his voice shaking. “You too…”
They both continue to stare before Kinger clears his throat, and holds out his hand.
The universe is kind to him, apparently, because the music changes from it upbeat to something slower and softer.
“Dance with me” He asks, “Please?”
Caine looks at his hand, then at his eyes. “Kinger there’s-“ He gestures around them quickly. “People and-“
“Caine” Kinger says again, sighing in adoration at the other mans flustered expression. “Dance with me”
For a moment he’s worried that Caine won’t. He’s worried that this might be too much for him. The matching outfits, the dancing, the people around them.
A hand slips into his own, claws brushes against his gloved hand and Kinger looks down to see Caine staring up at him with wide, bright eyes. “Okay” He whispers.
Kinger has to stuff down his joy at that, guiding Caine over to the dance floor and pulling him close. He gets a better grip on Caine’s hand, a smaller one rest on his own shoulder.
He hesitates for a moment, before he finally rests his hand on that waist. His palm presses against the thin material of the corset and even though the fabric Kinger can feel the smaller mans body heat.
They press close, their chest resting against one another and they stare.
Kinger takes a deep breath in, and moves, Caine following his lead.
It’s slow, calm.
Caine hums and his jaws close, his head leaning to the side to press the side of his jaws to Kingers chest and Kinger holds him tighter around the waist.
The song hums softly around them, the tone soothing and gentle.
He sees some of the other teachers and students dancing but he instead focuses on the man in his arms.
“I’m happy you came” Kinger whispers, leaning down to rest his head atop Caines.
The man against him laughs softly, the sound joyous and happy. “Me too”
“I-“ Kinger feels his cheeks flush, but he ignores the feeling, “I like the outfit, by the way. Did Queenie pick all of it?”
As he talks, the hand on Caines waist moves to his lower back to pull them together more firmly. Caine shudders, but he stays close. “She did” He says, “I thought the corset was a bit much” He grumbles.
Kinger chuckles, shaking his head gently. “No, no it’s not” He says. “It’s perfect”
The song slowly comes to an end and when a faster one starts up again, Kinger takes Caine’s hand into his own and guides him away off the dance floor.
Out the corner of his eye he can see Ragatha looking at them both with a wide smile and he completely ignores her, instead focusing on getting to a more quiet area.
Then move to the back of the hall, behind the large red stage curtain, and Kinger watches as Caine presses himself back against the wall. This close, Kinger can really see his outfit now.
The first two buttons of Caine’s shift are undone and Kinger can just about see the tops of his collar bones and he laughs at the sight of them.
“I always wondered” He misses out louder and Caine hums in question. Without realizing thinking, Kinger reaches out and presses his fingers to the collar of Caine shirts, his thumb pushing the fabric back while his other fingers brush naked skin.
“You have shadows here too” He says them, eyes on the dark, air brushed skin. “Like your hands, I’ve always thought about it”
He looks up to see Caine staring at him with half lidded eyes and flushed gums. His fingers twitch, but they stay pressed on cool skin.
“You’re married” Caine says, his voice barely above a whisper. “Your wife picked this outfit”
“She did” Kinger confirms and presses impossibly closer, eyes flickering all over Caine’s face and body.
Caines legs spread, instinctive, and Kingers leg moves to claim the space. The chess piece leans over the smaller man, placing his free hand on the wall beside Caine’s head while the one moves up a small chest to the side of Caine’s bottom jaw.
“She’s good at picking things out that drive me insane” He confides and Caine snorts a laugh.
“I think you have something to tell me” Caine mutters and Kinger nods to that, feeling claws press to his chest. “About your marriage?”
Queenie must have mentioned something, because she knew that Kinger would be too afraid, he thinks to himself while grinning, and he nods to Caine’s question. “I do”
“…And?”
Kinger presses closer, taking great pleasure in the wheezy breath that leaves Caine when the leg between his own presses harder. “We have an agreement” He says, capturing Caines flushed gaze. “An understanding, even”
“What kind of understanding?” Caine asks and Kinger can see the concern and worry there.
Kinger ducks his head and he watches Caine’s eyes flutter shut just before his own do to.
“This”
His mouth meets Caine’s teeth and he wants to cry.
It’s soft and sweet and gentle and full of affection and Kinger needs and wants more of it.
The heavy song in the background fades into nothing- a quiet noise that barely reaches his ears as he presses closer to Caine.
He wants to hold the other man until they can no longer breathe. It’s a feeling that is so strange to have for someone over then his wife.
The hands move up and cup his face and Kinger can feel the minuscule shake in them.
He wants to stay there in Caines space for the rest of his night, but he can feel the gazes of the people around them on his back. The angle he’s got them at makes it impossible for anyone to see what they are doing, but he also knows how risky it might be.
With great reluctance, Kinger pulls himself away from Caine. He opens his eyes slowly, focusing immediately on Caine’s face as the smaller man slumps back against the wall.
His gums are flushed, his eyes half lidded and pupils blow wide. “Kinger-“ His voice is shot, shaky and Kinger wants to kiss him again and steal away the last of his breath.
He resists it, instead he stands up straight and pulls Caine to follow, making sure he’s steady on his feet before letting go. Their hands are stilling laced together, Kinger unable to fully release him.
“Okay?” Are you okay? Was that okay? Are we okay? He doesn’t know which one he means.
Caines eyes meet his own. “Yeah” He whispers. “Okay”
Kinger chuckles, leaning closer to Caine. “Good “
They stay there, in that corner while the lights flash, while the music pounds, just looking at each other.
“Do-“ Caine hesitates, eyes skirting away. His arms are wrapped around Kingers neck, his claws rubbing over his nape with soft touches that make his shudder.
“Yeah?” Kinger prompts, seeing and hearing the fear in Caine’s voice. He wants to erase the fear from Caines body. The anxiety he feels.
Caine takes a deep long breath in, and he speaks so softly that Kinger bakery hears it.
“Do you…want to come back to mine tonight?”
The phrase is soft, but Kinger can hear the hope in the words, as well as the fear and uncertainty. “Would-“ Caine frowns then. “Would Queenie be okay with that? I-I should have asked-“
“She would” Kinger rushes out, feeling his chest swell with adoration. “I can come home with you, if you want me too” He sees Caines duck his head away and he follows, their faces close together and breathing each other’s air.
“Do you want me to?” Kinger asks, feeling his body rumble with it as he continues to stare at Caine. “Come home with you?”
Caines eyes flicker between his own, his jaw relaxes and flushed, his chest stuttering with his breaths.
“Yes” He breathes, eyes bright and a soft laugh leaving him.
Kinger chuckles with him and tilts his head just enough to press a fleeting kiss to Caines upper jaw. “Then let’s go”
Kinger takes Caine’s hand, his gloved fingers curling around a smaller clawed one, and together they walk back through the hall.
Through the students and teachers, past the stage, past Scratch, who’s staring at them with a grin, past Ragatha and Pomni who are laughing together, past Zooble and Gangle on the dance floor, past Jax sat at the table alone.
They get to the doors of the hall and Kinger looks at Caine one more time.
“Are you sure?” He needs Caine to be sure, to be ready for this because there will be no going back from this. Whatever happens tonight will be too much for Kinger to ignore and forget, he’ll keep this close to him for the rest of his life. He needs Caine to know that, to ready himself for that.
Caine stares up at him, looking bright and happy and carefree and Kinger wants to see more of this emotion on his face.
“Kinger-“ He steps closer, reaching up to grab Kinger by his collar.
“Take me home” He whispers, voice soft.
Kinger smiles down at him, his own chest light.
“Okay”
Kinger opens the door, and together they leave the hall.