Productivity, Meet Zach and Kai

[Jade Parrish]

Jade sat at a tiny table in the corner of the cafe, fiercely working on the layout of the next issue of Vermont Voices. She normally locked herself in the office at the university, but today she needed a different vibe so she'd taken it to a cafe where she could get a hot bowl of soup and a sandwich. As long as it wasn't Starbucks.

She paused every so often from having her eyes glued to her laptop to eat, but was mostly focused on her work. There wasn't really time for nonsense when it came to the newspaper. Besides, she'd been in Texas for a while and kind of checked out of life, so she really needed to get everything back on track.

Chewing on her lip, she sat back in her chair and stifled a yawn. Her goal was productivity, although she had no idea how hard that would become when two familiar faces would stroll through the cafe door.

[Deleted]

Zachary Bishop and Malachai Roen were on a day date together…of sorts. More like an outing. Or a wandering. Zach would describe it as a wandering. He was sure that Kai had intentions to buy Zach(and himself) some things, but as usual, Zach was being stubborn and was refusing to acknowledge Kai’s ‘generosity’. Zach didn’t need new clothes, his current ones were just fine! Besides, Kai bought him new clothes last years. Those were still good.

The second part of the date was a movie, which was supposed to be a nice, quiet(sexy) experience. And in a way it was. Except for that flapping mouth that would not stop from the moment they left the theater to the moment they entered the cafe. The cafe that Zach insisted they go to because it was ridiculous going to a nice fancy place just for lunch.

“Would you just stop already?” Zach exclaimed as they entered the cafe. “The movie wasn’t that bad. You’re…you’re making mountains out of molehills here.” Seriously, couldn’t this guy open up his mind just the teensiest bit? Then maybe he’d - gasp! - discover he actually liked something! He crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled over to one of the tables. He didn't notice in the slightest the bossy brunette hiding in the corner.

[Malachai Roen]

Kai had just gotten hired on as a researcher at Hammel the past week, and he was still riding on that high. He wanted to buy Zach all sorts of things (and himself as well) as a sort of 'congratulations' to himself. Because that's how he responded to good news, and a good job was definitely worth spending money on. Plus, now he could more easily teach yoga classes at the school as well if he wanted to. Things were looking great.

Well... The 'outing' was great until they had decided to see that horrible excuse of a movie that he'd heard everyone ranting and raving about. As a self-proclaimed 'expert' on sex, sexuality, and most importantly, the safety of it all, the new BDSM flick that had so many women (and men?) in a fit had put him in a frustrated (and sort of worried for the future) mood.

"No! I'm not going to stop until you agree with how terrible and mis-informative that movie was!" Kai hissed back, his voice slightly raised. He wasn't angry as Zach, per say, but he was worried about the fact that even he had seemed to enjoy it to some extent. "You know how many young men and women are going to see that and think what those two did are okay? What that man did to stalk, manipulate, and rape that girl is okay?" Yes, he was passionate about this, and poor Zach was his only outlet at the moment. Kai sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which had gotten messy from how many times he had done that in the last half-hour or so. "... Are you hungry?" he asked after a bit, also not noticing the girl not too far away. He picked up a menu and started scanning. Huh... Everything was so cheap here...

[Jade Parrish]

Two dark haired individuals--one tall and lanky, the other more built. Zach and Kai. She didn't remember the last time she'd really talked to Kai, after sort of apologizing to him and showing up at his job with a bottle of wine. And Zach, he'd been quiet at the office. Neither of them were being quiet now. Kai seemed to be rambling passionately about a subject and Jade couldn't only assume it was about his abs. Of course it was.

She slightly eavesdropped, eyes not focused on her laptop anymore, but on the couple that still somehow kept surviving. She didn't get it. She wasn't sure whether or not to greet them or how to do so, so instead she stared at the two of them, watching. People watching, didn't Zach dabble in that anyway?

[Deleted]

If this were merely a conversation about Kai’s abs, then Zach might not be so annoyed with his tall, immature, spoiled lover. Zach slipped into a chair, his back generally to the person watching the pair, and gave Kai a warning look. “Did you really have to say that so loud here? We’re in public for god’s sake!” But apparently ‘tact’ was not in his boyfriend’s vocabulary.

Still, Zach followed Kai’s lead and picked up the menu, scanning over the items carefully. “Of course I am,” he replied with his usual annoyance. They hadn’t eaten at the theater, just gotten drinks. Small ones. There was no way Zach was going to support those overpriced theater concessions. “……have you even read the books?” he asked casually, continuing their previous conversation. “Wait a minute, I forgot, it’s you. Of course you don’t read.” Nope, Zach was not holding back today, not against Kai’s ongoing idiocy. “If you had, then maybe you’d get that it’s not supposed to be your traditional, sappy, love-story chick flick. We’re not exactly talking about The Notebook here.” And yes, had read and watched both the movie and book to that one too. He cried throughout both.

“I want fries,” he declared. “A giant basket of them. And a chocolate milkshake. Think your wallet can handle that?” Yes, Kai was paying.

[Malachai Roen]

Psh, who was Zach kidding? If Kai was talking this passionately about his glorious, well-defined abs, his boyfriend would certainly be annoyed. The writer was annoyed by everything he did, it seemed, and yet they still cared immensely for each other. How had that even happened? “Say what? Rape?” he went on, scoffing. “We live in a rape culture, it’s not like it’s a forbidden word. And people need to be informed now that that… That…. Monstrosity is being gobbled up by so much of the general public.” Cue another huff.

Hmph… He looked at the menu too. Everything so cheap… And probably loaded with MSG and soaked in grease… Still, Kai’s palate had changed enough with Zach to be able to at least manage the low-quality food. “Hm?” he asked, blinking up from the menu. His mouth twitched slightly; of course Zach was right. “Why? Should I?” he huffed back, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “So I can read how he… How that guy could just mind read what the girl wanted even though she was resisting?” Because that was how he thought the public must see it as romantic. Oh wow, a man who could tell what a woman wanted despite her futile protests~ “Well, that’s great,” he sighed sarcastically. “That doesn’t make it right…” Abuse was never a part of healthy relationships. Ever. “I’m sure you could find much better erotic literature online. The consensual kind.”

Mrrr…. His lips twitched again as Zach declared what he wanted, but Kai sighed and sat back slightly with a nod. “Alright, sounds good. And of course it can,” he added with a snort. “……” Kai leaned in and gave the man a quick peck on the cheek. “…. I’ll just get a burger or something. Wanna share the milkshake?” It was then that a familiar sheen of raven-colored hair moved out of the corner of Kai’s eye, and he glanced in that direction to notice and equally familiar pair of icy-blue eyes watching them. He paled slightly automatically. “Uh….” Kai’s voice was stuck in his throat.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade imagined their conversation in her head. Kai was rambling about his abs and how much more sculpted they'd become and Zach was eagerly agreeing. She was only snapped out of her amusement when Kai's eyes finally met hers. The only thing she could muster was a smirk and a wave. She was sure he didn't want to see her. It wasn't that they hated each other anymore really...although Jade still didn't like him. She'd apologized for what she'd done, but she still felt that Kai was afraid of her, which made her feel bad, and amused her at the same time.
"Well look who it is," she said, raising her voice.

[Deleted]

“If you bother to read anything then maybe you’d understand that not everything is what it looks like on the surface,” he said wisely. “You thought Game of Thrones was about sex too. It’s no wonder, considering you only have the TV show to go on.” Zach rolled his eyes as Kai continued to chatter on and on….loudly. Really, had he no tact? “Besides, it’s just a movie,” he insisted with an exasperated shake of his head. Why does it matter if it’s accurate or not? Or did you not see, well, any movie ever?” Ugh…Zach was so done with this man….at least for the next five minutes when Zach decided to find something else to chide him about.

“Get your own,” he said bluntly, not bothering to look up from the menu. Though they both knew that he’d probably share the milkshake anyway. Kai was distracted by something…when was he not? Zach sighed to himself, figuring Kai had caught sight of some good-looking woman or something. Well, he wasn’t completely wrong. It was just that said woman happened to be one that he knew. That they both knew. Zach pressed his eyebrows forward when the familiar voice of the familiar woman drifted to his ears. “….now that’s Jade Parrish,” he said in a very Forrest Gump-like way. Oh, how clever he was…. Zach turned to match eyes with his boss-lady. “….hiiiii…..Jaaaade….” he said slowly, not at all nervous or awkward. He gave an equally slow wave alongside his greeting. “…..how’s it, um…..what’s up?”

[Malachai Roen]

“I do read sometimes!” Kai protested with a pout. “It’s like you think I’m illiterate or something… Jeeze…” Hey, reading science papers and research data counted as reading! It just wasn’t the same as a fictional story – it was far more useful! “Don’t bring Game of Thrones into this,” he groaned. How many hours had they spent arguing about that? Too many. Kai fiddled with a napkin. “Movies have impacts on society, they’re consumed as mass media just like advertising,” he mumbled. “They can change society if they have a wide enough influence…” He was just afraid this was a huge step backwards in the fight against rape culture. But obviously he wasn’t going to get through to Zach, so he gave up for now. He’d try again when he thought of an argument that might get through to the stubborn writer.

“Aw… Babe…” he pouted, giving Zach another peck on the cheek. And another. “Are you mad at me?” When wasn’t he? Ah well, that’s just how it was with the two of them, and Kai couldn’t get enough. A small smile tugged at his lips. “I promise I’ll make it up to you later.” He always did. However, now he was distracted by the sight of one of the few things in this world that made him uncomfortable and awkward. Jade Parrish. “Yep,” he sighed as Zach said her name. “Just my luck….” he added under his breath. Then Kai mustered up a smile and threw his arm over Zach’s shoulder, trying not to look like they’d just been bickering like an old married couple. “It’s, uh, been a while,” he said, remembering when they had last seen each other. “Thank you for the wine, by the way. It was great.” Not as good as the expensive stuff he bought, but he wouldn’t say that. “I’ll have to repay you someday.” Even if she had meant it as a sort of apology/peace offering, he didn’t feel like it was fair.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade rolled her eyes as Zach was tongue-tied. "How long have we known each other, Zach? You act like I'm a stranger who's offering you candy." Was he so shocked to see her? "But to answer your poorly phrased question, not much. Just furiously working on the layout of the newspaper. Any better luck writing?" She turned to look at Kai who thanked her for the bottle of wine. "I know it wasn't quite up to your standards, but I did buy a little outside of my budget," she told him with a smirk. Still, she was glad that he'd appreciated her peace offering, only now he was saying he'd have to repay her. "You need to pay me back for a bottle of wine I gave you for paralyzing you after leading you into believing you were getting some of this?" She gestured to her petite, but curvy body.

[Deleted]

“You mean you….aren’t…?” he asked tentatively, quirking an eyebrow. She had a point though. Why was it that as soon as someone else showed up, suddenly he forgot how to speak. When it came to Kai…well, Kai had been on the receiving end of filibusters before, so he could attest to Zach’s ability to speak coherently. And loudly.

Zach shrugged. “I guess,” he replied. His writing came and went, really, but he was at least able to get his assignments for class and work for the newspaper done these days. Not like last semester when he’d slumped so far he didn’t think he’d ever get back to even sub-normal, much less normal. A smile teased his lips when Jade spoke of that night when she’d paralyzed Kai. “Despite how…terrible that was…” Zach started turning back to Kai and sending him a small, smug grin. “I really…regret being too drunk to remember that…..I bet it was quite a sight.” He was only teasing, of course.

[Malachai Roen]

Kai went a little quiet as the two exchanged words, taking a sip of bland water from his glass and fiddling with his fingers on the table. He would have chuckled if he hadn’t been hit with the unexpected bout of awkwardness that Jade had thrust upon him. They talked with a familiarity that made him a little jealous, but he didn’t say anything.

When he was addressed, Kai looked up at the girl again, a wry smile touching his lips. “it’s the thought that counts, and made it taste all the better,” he managed to say somewhat smoothly; apparently he’d been given enough time to collect his thoughts while the other two talked. She responded to his offer, and Kai chuckled a little as he sat back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. “Hey, I still owe you for saving my life, too, as far as I’m concerned,” he replied, resisting the urge to eye her attractive figure when she motioned to it. It was difficult. “And I’m sure Zach feels like he needs to pay you back for that too, because what would he have done without me?” He gave his boyfriend a teasing smile and tightened his arm over the writer’s shoulder as he kissed his temple. Kai snorted when the other man spoke, though. “I, on the other hand, am very glad you don’t remember that,” he humphed. “Talk about embarrassing. I had no idea…” He sent Jade a firm look. “Something I don’t wish to ever repeat.” Being paralyzed sucked. Obviously. “Besides, I have plenty to keep my mind and hands occupied with now, no need to look around anymore…” A mischievous smirk played on his lips as he continued to share some PDA with Zach. Shameless? Maybe.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade resisted the urge to facepalm at Zach. He still wasn't comfortable around her? But he was comfortable around Kai?!? "That's good. As long as you have something for the next issue, I'll stop harrassing you."

She didn't quite believe Kai and what he said about the thought counting. He was probably very picky about his wine. In Jade's opinion, the more expensive, the worst it tasted, but then again, she probably didn't have his sophisticated pallete. "You don't owe me for calling 911 either. I picked up a phone and dialed three numbers and then watched the paramedics haul you away. It was the humane thing to do. I'm not evil, even if it appeared so." She supposed paralyzing him would give him that idea. Zach was acting as if it was funny and he was disappointed that he missed it. "Well, maybe paralyzing you shocked some sense into you considering you've managed to keep this awkward twig." She gestured towards Zach. At least he was being loyal, so it seemed. "I'd be pretty kickass in an action movie though."

[Deleted]

Why was it surprising that he was more comfortable around Kai, his lover, than Jade, his boss? Well, she was also his friend, but she was also damn intimidating sometimes. And he and Kai…they spent nearly all of their free time together, had seen parts of each other that only the other had ever seen….then again, Zach was yelling and snapping at Kai with such fluency since they met, so maybe she had a point? Zach nodded, sending Jade an uncertain look. “….thanks. I appreciate it…I think.” He hadn’t exactly been bothered by the harassing, just felt guilty and stressed that he’d fallen into such a slump at all.

Zach rolled his eyes at Kai’s stupidity. And this was the reason for Zach yelling and snapping at Kai all the time, the man was insufferable.

Talk about the time when Jade ‘saved his life’ was what made Zach feel a little more uncomfortable, simply because that was when Zach had finally worked up the courage to talk to Kai after they’d ‘broken up’. Zach wasn’t even sure it was technically a ‘break-up’ since they were never technically ‘together’. “I don’t know, maybe moved on?” he responded blandly to Kai’s conceitedness, picking the younger man’s heavy hand off of his shoulder and scooting away slightly. Personal space, please? “Yeahh, maybe if you do it again, he’ll come out the perfect gentleman this time?” he said to Jade, sliding his eyes warily towards his…man. Zach scooted away a little further, trying to avoid some of that shameless PDA Kai kept trying shower him with before he got too annoyed and started smacking Kai upside the head for it. “I’ll bet….you could probably be…the next Avenger, maybe…or something,” he said awkwardly. Of course.

[Malachai Roen]

Okay… So the wine hadn’t been that great, but Kai wasn’t going to complain about it. It had been a gift, after all, and not one that he had expected or thought he deserved, but he was thankful for it nonetheless. “You could have just left me there so that you wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore,” he countered, his voice a little playful, although the situation had been terrifying at the time. “You’re not evil? Whoa… Did you hear that, Zach?” Considering how their first encounter had gone, well… anyway. “Heh... Maybe it did… Heyyy…”

That last bit came with a pout in Zach’s direction as he made his mean comment and got out from under Kai’s generous arm. “You know you would have been distraught,” he replied, making a pathetic expression. “At least for a day or two.” He started nursing his glass of water again, suddenly wishing it was something a little… more alcoholic. “I am a gentleman, thank you very much,” Kai humphed, taking a sip. Now that his arms were empty, he felt like he needed to do something with them. “Heh… Sexier than Black Widow…” he muttered to himself. Not that Scarlett wasn’t pretty, but Jade was a catch, and he could very well imagine her kicking ass. He fiddled with his silverware. “Zach~” he whined over at his lover.  "Come back to me? Please?"  He sent an air kiss his way.  "I won't smother you again, I promise." Maybe.