much like jackson, kai was never the romantic type. they never cared to look for the next huge love story to come their way or to find a date for any of the school dances; they were happy just existing around people who made them happy. but there was one person they dated that managed to make them feel all the giddy, romantic, fluffy feelings they often saw in moves and her friends experiencing. it ended a bit too quickly, after a year, if you ask kai, but there were no hard feelings on their end. did it suck? yeah, absolutely, but kai understood that sometimes people drift apart. they didnât harbor feelings either, because once they called it quits, it was like a switch, something in kai clicked, and it was instant friendship in their eyes. and this was the way they went about lifeâŠup until they met jackson. from the moment they met, he captivated kai in ways they couldnât express, and they just wanted to be around the other. whenever the two joked about their love life, however, the feelings they would get with their ex back in the day, all those fluffy feelings came rushing back to them. it was hard for it not to happen, especially when they found their gaze lingering on jacksonâs for as long as he held theirs. too long? more like, too short. kai could stare into his eyes all day, all night, and never want to look away because he truly had a piece of their soul even if they didnât know it. âi like bonnie and clyde better. i get to be clyde, though.â they say with a soft laugh, their grin turning into a small, soft smile as their gaze lingers on one another. it took every ounce of restraint in kai not to let their eye flick down to jacksonâs lips at this moment, because, god, they would be lying if they said they didnât want to lean in and feel the way his lips would feel on theirs. their eyes fluttered for a second as the thought quickly got pushed from their mind, and they got distracted by jacksonâs response to her movie night offer, the smile on their lips instantly growing, âyouâre down? wonderful. donât worry about being the bud guy, i like being your bud girl.â they playfully wink, chuckling a bit, âbut, weâll chalk this up for later on this week! keep in touch. i think iâll make it a cheesy horror movie type of night. with movies like âthe blobâ and âkiller tomatoes from outer spaceâ we can get high and laugh about it all. or get terrified because whoâs to say there arenât alien tomatoes in outer space right now?â the movie night couldnât come sooner for them, honestly. they wanted any excuse to spend more time with jackason and truly, in their heart, felt like they could do these types of things with him forever. and even though it was not to notice the way jackson was looking at them right now, it was easy for her mind to assume the other was feeling the joint and just giving her a high look, nothing more, but kai secretly wished they were wrong. while they listened to jacksonâs dick tattoo story, they took more drags of the joint; unfortunately, they couldnât stop picturing how this entire scene probably looked when jackson was tattooing this particular piece. âthat all sounds so awkward, and likeâŠâ their mind drifts for a second, a high, happy smile forms, âi just have so many questions. but, iâll leave it at that for now. ouch. my respects to anyone who does it and sticks through it.â they take one final hit of the joint, passing it over to jackson, ignoring the tingles on her fingertips as they accidentally brushed against jacksonâs fingers when passing the joint over. âif you want to be the step-dad then we may have to get married, you know. lucky for you, i happen to have a pen and paper with me so we can get married right now; check the vibes with aubrey ii, and if it doesnât work..we have to burn the paper. itâs the only way to annul the marriage.â they were joking, partially; while they did have pen and paper, they didnât really think jackson would go along with the silly idea. and had jackson not brought the dates, kai wouldâve forgotten they even mentioned it, but they thought nothing of him asking about them, âthe dates? oh. well, one didnât show up. i forgot what reason they gave me. iâll be honest, i was already eating and watching youtube videos by the time they sent the message. and the second, um, wellâŠâ they shrug, ânothing was really wrong if iâm honest. we shared a kiss, which was nice, but i felt no spark there. it was dull. so, bleh, a bust in my opinion.â and if kai were even more honest with themselves, they would admit that they had been thinking of jackson and what he was up for a majority of that date anyway. âi guess iâll just have to go on a couple more or whatever they do in the dating world. what about you, love? any exciting things happening in your love life? anyone interesting catch your eye yet?â
âyou can be absolutely be clyde. iâve always fancied myself a bonnie, anyway,â he said with a goofy grin. although he couldnât imagine confessing it out loud, the mere âjokeâ of them being a power couple filled him with an unusual giddiness. for the first time in a long time, jackson didnât feel like the idea of love was hopeless. he had a lot of love to give, but didnât find himself worthy of it. god forbid he fall in love, get married, start a family, and ultimately end up being a dysfunctional husband and partner. he didnât want to end up like his toxic parents. as kai spoke, jackson found himself hanging on to every word she said. a smile tugging at his lips at their future plans, unable to not overthink it. could it be possible that kai viewed it as a sort of date? jackson doubted it, but that wasnât going to stop jackson from wearing his nicest cologne and dressing nice in an attempt to impress them. âalright, my favorite bud girl. itâs a date,â he remarked, feeling his cheeks heat up at his slip of the tongue. thankfully it was a bit dark, and he really hoped kai didnât notice his internal freakout. âthereâs truly nothing better than cheesy and beautifully terrible horror movies. i think, for me, at least, iâll be both amused and slightly terrified by the killer tomatoes. i hope youâre ready for me to jump in your arms. you may have to find a way to âcalm me downâ,â he teased, offering her a playful wink. was his thought a little lustful? perhaps, but it was a very jackson thing to make everything slightly sexual. with kai, however, he wanted much more than hooking up. in fact, heâd settle for just kissing thier perfect lips and holding her through the cold nights. after the few hits, it was safe to say that jackson was feeling it, a sense of relaxation taking over despite the tension between them that seemed obvious to everyone except them. he was just grateful kenji wasnât seeing how he looked at them, his gazing far from being subtle. jackson couldnât help but laugh at kaiâs reaction to the infamous dick tattoo story. it was surely one of his least favorite tattoo stories and he was happy to share with someone the awkward experience. plus, seeing kaiâs amused reaction was beyond adorable to jackson. he could stare at their smile forever and die a happy man.  âiâd say thatâs a fair reaction. he was a pretty nice dude and dick doesnât normally bother me, but I felt like i was torturing him in the worst kind of ways. when he passed out, i had to check his vitals every minute and luckily he woke up, had a soda, and then we finished the tattoo. luckily, i make enough money now that i can deny those types of tattoos,â he said with a chuckle. as kai handed over the nearly gone joint, jackson couldnât help but desire more of her touch -- the near grazing against their hand fueling another flurry of butterflies. he expertly took his last hit, nearly burning his finger in the process. as he exhaled the last bit of smoke, his eyes never left kaiâs direction as she spoke. even the prospect of a fake marriage made him happy, but it was just a joke so he had to contain his feelings. âthereâs nobody iâd rather fake marry, kai. we definitely have to make this official. you better not divorce me when you realize how annoying I can be,â he said, raising and eyebrow and chuckling. while filled with excitement, he almost forgot about the dates she went on. the thought killed him, but he hoped that if kai were to date anyone, theyâd be worthy of their affections. jackson ashed the joint out against the watertower, listening closely to their recollection of the dates. a part of him was pissed they didnât work out because kai deserved love, but another part of him was ecstatic. he couldnât help but feel a little selfish for these thoughts. âsorry they didnât work out. youâll find someone someday that makes you see fuckinâ fireworks when you kiss them. also, if anyone ever stands you up again, let me know. iâll kick their ass,â he said with a perhaps bit too serious look on his face. âi donât know if anything or anyone iâm doing could be called love, but itâs fun, i guess.â