#mentioned!noah.

he's somehow roped his new roommates into helping him lug equipment. finds himself increasingly irritated by the fact he doesn't actually hate being around them. in his silence, he finds himself constantly looking over his shoulder, scanning the crowd for his sisters face. doesn't feel right that she's not here with him. hole in his chest feels like it's getting bigger with each day that passes without them talking. but thoughts are soon interrupted by a grating sound that diverts his attention to the stage. " jesus christ— " there's noah and wes, sickeningly sweet in their own bubble, making his ears bleed. his gaze casts towards todd and winston. " you remember when i asked if there was any chance of you two getting it on ? " he points over his shoulder. " that's my old roommates. " figures that alone will explain why he moved out.

it's the first time he's been out of the house in days. the falling out with his sister leaving him in a haze, a little ( or completely ) lost. he's blazed — of course he is. home fresh out of munchie supplies. he's blaming noah for that one, even though he's the real culprit. he drifts through the aisles on autopilot, grabbing stuff he isn't sure he even likes. nobody exists to him, fading into the background like shadowed figures in a dream. then he rounds the corner to the next aisle, looks up, and ——— " shit. " xavier. in the flesh. impossible to ignore. he stops in his tracks. heart doing that annoying, traitorous skippy thing he hasn't felt in almost a decade. every logical instinct urges him to turn around, dump the snacks, leave the store — hell, maybe even the state. but that's the thing about kai. he knows what he shouldn't be doing, and he does it anyway. feet move him closer, like the space between them has been diminishing all along. perhaps the current state of him will repel the other anyway. he looks like a man that hasn't slept in days, the kind of trouble that outweighs anything good. " you owe me a scuffle, " he teases, voice low as he leans that little bit closer, like it's a secret meant only for the two of them. " should i pretend to reach for the same thing so we can have it out ? "