Kaye nodded and swiped across the screen to answer before holding the phone up to his ear. "Ash?" He asked, using the simple nickname that he had always called the older boy. Were they calling him because something was wrong? His brows drew together in concern, thinking of possible reasons before a voice could suddenly be heard over the line.
"Oh, you finally picked up, Kaye. I've been calling you for the last hour," a deeper, familiar voice spoke up, his voice surprisingly laced with easy going charisma even though their words could be something to show concern over.
"Sorry about that. I was, uh–" He stopped himself, glancing up towards the other man and realizing that he couldn't flat out tell Ashley that he was at Simon's house. "I'm with a, uh…friend. What did you want to tell me?" Hopefully, that would clear up and distract the other man from his last falter.
A cheeky grin spreading across his face, Simon manoeuvred around Kaye and came up behind him, lacing his arms around the other man’s waist. He hummed quietly, pressing his nose to the nape of Kaye’s neck.
"A friend, huh? Could it possibly be that friend from last night?" Ashley began, and Kaye swore that he could practically hear his smirk over the line. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, though suddenly felt he Simon's hold around his waist, a deep flush spreading across his cheeks. This silence only helped to fuel his friend's teasing, resulting in Kaye getting even more flustered.
"Anyway, I was just checking to see if you made it home safely. Though, it turns out you probably went home with…Simon, right?" Ashley continued to tease with a small pause in order to remember the other man's name, causing Kaye's lips to quickly be drawn into an embarrassed scowl.
"I– I…I'm, uh," Kaye stammered, seemingly unable to form words. Ashley's teasing and the feeling of Simon behind him just added to his inability to focus or comprehend most of what was happening around him.
"I'm just teasing, kid. Just wanted to make sure you were still alive," the older man sighed. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Kaye-Kaye. Swing by the bar with your little boyfriend too," Ashley added before he hung up swiftly, and Kaye swore that they had risen their voice just so Simon could hear that obnoxious nickname that he hated so much.
A smirk had wound up on Simon’s lips, and though his instincts were screaming at him to slam a mask down on his face, he couldn’t stop. “Kaye-Kaye? That’s cute..” he murmured, trailing kisses down Kaye’s neck. “I’m using that.”
"Oh god," Kaye sighed, rolling his eyes at the feeling of Simon's smirk against his neck. Naturally, he would have hated anyone calling him that…though he wouldn't mind Simon using it, especially now that they were technically dating. Though, distracting himself from his trivial thoughts, he leaned into the other man's kisses, finding comfort in the feeling.
“I actually can’t believe what you’ve done to me..” Simon admitted against Kaye’s skin. “I laughed. I’m smiling and flirting. I just kissed you.” He inhaled quietly, raising his head.
"That's good, right?" Kaye spoke up with a light chuckle as he turned around to face Simon, glancing between his two mismatched eyes. Though, he couldn't help but feel warmed at their words. Was he somehow making Simon happier…by smiling and laughing?
“It feels amazing…” Simon pulled away, keeping a hold of Kaye’s arm. “Breakfast? You must be hungry.. I don’t have a lot, though.” When they’d stumbled in last night, both of them drunken messes, neither had actually paid attention to the apartment itself. It was tiny, with barely room for one. Paint was peeling on the ceiling, buckets were set here and there to catch dripping water— it was clear that however nah money Simon had, it was not a lot.
Kaye nodded, glancing around Simon's cramped apartment room. It seemed like a rather small place to live, but his own apartment wasn't any larger. He had never invested in things that were better than cheap after all, though he had enough of money to get by…by completing some jobs he wasn't exactly proud of, though he had grown used to it, and the…light amount of blood involved. A few small hitman type jobs here and there weren't that bad, right? At least, Kaye told himself it wasn't
There was a dark cloud hanging over Kaye, one that worried Simon significantly. “Kaye? What’s wrong?” He knew better to ask ‘are you okay’, because he was clearly not, and questions like that never actually accomplished anything but gave the other an opportunity to lie.
"Oh, nothing…just thinking," Kaye answered after a few moments of silence, an easygoing smile making it's way to his face almost too quickly. Though, the last thing he wanted was to worry Simon with his own problems. He would most likely discuss this with the other later, though a bit of concern crossing his face at the thought. What would Simon say about these…jobs and his affiliations with people that wouldn't be labeled as 'good'?
Simon dropped the subject, however much it troubled him. They were both entitled to their own secrets— hell, Kaye didn’t even know what species Simon was. Which was a big issue, one that he wasn’t quite ready to face. Yet.
He slipped into the meager kitchen, opening the refrigerator. “What do you want to eat?”
"I'll eat anything," Kaye answered with a small shrug, following along behind Simon and into the kitchen. It was true, he usually had a big appetite and would literally eat anything that anyone put in front of him.
“Uh.. I’ve got… Eggos?” Simon resurfaced with a box of cheap, frozen waffles, shrugging helplessly. “Probably Nutella somewhere?”
"That sounds perfect," Kaye said, shooting Simon a reassuring smile as he leaned against the counter. He was used to eating frozen food anyway, so it didn't seem to bother him at all.
“Sorry I don’t have anything better to offer…” There was a double meaning behind his words, one that he quickly regretted expressing. Staying open was going to take some time getting used to..
"This is already perfect, Simon," Kaye reassured, noticing that Simon had a look on his face as if his words meant more than the frozen waffles in his hand. What did he mean? That he wasn't enough already…or was it something else?
Simon shook himself out of his trance, turning towards the toaster. “What was Ashely calling about, again?”
"Oh, uh," Kaye started, caught a bit off guard by the question as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, debating how much he should tell Simon. "He was just…checking in to see if I was alright. And– and he may or may not seen us at the bar…y'know," he added on, tilting his head as if he were reminding Simon of what had happened last night.
Red began to creep up the back of Simon’s neck. “O-Oh. He— okay. He doesn’t— mind, right? Just teasing?”
"No, he doesn't mind…he just– he just likes to tease me a lot," Kaye explained with a light shrug, the faintest flush staining his cheeks. God, now he didn't know what Ashley would tell Simon when they were at the bar– probably jokes or stupid stories about what Kaye had done in the past.
“I’m guessing you don’t mean ‘tease’ the way I do~” he hummed, suprised at himself for the stab at flirting.
Kaye felt his cheeks heat up even more, turning a deeper, rosy color at Simon's mention. He opened his mouth to say something, flirt or come up with some witty comeback, but nothing came out, leaving him in a flustered state. God, Simon was one of the only people that he knew who could shut him up with a few, simple words.
Simon returned to the table bearing two waffle-laden plates, his heart glittering at the sight of the pink staining Kaye’s cheeks. “Here you go..” He handed the man his breakfast, setting the Nutella down as he sat.
Kaye took his plate with a thanks and sat down across from Simon, realizing how hungry he actually was at the sight of defrosted waffles. Though, he wasn't sure what to say in Simon's company– did it have to be something that couples talked about? What were boyfriend topics of conversations? This was going to take some getting used to…
