Kai Chuckles Softly, Clearly Amused By The Warning. He Leans In A Little, Resting His Elbow On The Table

kai chuckles softly, clearly amused by the warning. he leans in a little, resting his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand, his eyes gleaming with mischief. he's known her a long time, since they were both teens. though of course time has likely altered them both. but despite his teasing ways, there is part of him beneath the surface that finds her ways rather endearing. " it's just water, " he states, tone lightening ever so slightly. " easy to clean, " he adds with a hint of sarcasm as he reaches for a paper towel, pats it dry. " seriously, though . . . do you ever go a day without getting stressed about something ? "

maya could sense that kai just wanted to toy around with her. it wasn't even a good time for him to be doing any of this right now. her stress was going up slightly, even if he was just joking. she was certainly not in the best of moods for this to be going on. the brunette stared at him for a moment and give him the look of 'don't you dare!' when he was tipping over his water bottle. " you know... i know you're doing this just to annoy me, i wouldn't. because if it actually opens and gets all over everything for real... i won't be too happy about it. so keep your water far away from my stuff! "

" sure they are, " ace retorts, like he's so certain of it, when in fact he's far from it. " i mean, what if you need to go out of town for weeks on end and you need someone to water it ? that's where i come in. if i have to do it for someone else, i'm sure i'd do a better job of it. " maybe. truthfully, it would probably still slip his mind. the mention of pets soon has his smile growing, genuine interest. while dogs are his favourite, he's a fan of pets in general. though he's never been able to quite understand anyone who chose cats over dogs. " oh, yeah. for sure. but now you have to tell me, what pets do you have ? "

officially stress free? if only she knew what that feeling was like in other aspects of her own life. a plant? well, that she was able to handle at least. " well, you know what? then i'm happy to be able to take it right off of your hands for you. it seemed to really stress you out! remind everyone you know to never get you any plants. " she playfully teased. " a plant mom now? well, thank you for such a great honor. i promise to do my best to take care of it. " the blonde playfully shook her head. " honestly, i don't think plant sitters are actually a thing... like at all. but if i ever need someone to watch my pets, then i can let you know! think that's something you'd be able to handle or? "

in life, there's people that linger for only a short time, that are only meant to be a moment in time. then there's people who stay, who mean something even when time and distance changes things. for kyro, that's celeste. there will never be a time he thinks of her as just his ex-girlfriends. she's his friend, a constant. someone he'll forever make an effort to keep in his life in any way he can. so when there was an offer of dinner, there was no way he was turning it down. she opens the door and she's smiling and he barley has a minute to process as she ushers him inside. a wide grin soon tugs at his lips, eyes crinkled with softness. " smells amazing in here, " he states cheerfully. it feels familiar too. creates a warmth he can't find when he's on the road. " i got you these, " turns to hold out a bunch of flowers towards her, because there's always flowers. " i can't take any credit for how good they look, that was all winnie. " a moment passes, and finally he gets a proper look at her. takes it all in. kyro doesn't tend to get shaky breath, but in that split-second, he does. wants to tell her she looks beautiful, but he doesn't want to make it weird. yet, his next question still has the potential to. " did you miss me ? "

@dreamerfms // letty's loft

making dinner for kyro had once been no big deal, just another sunday night for the pair. now, letty bumbled around her kitchen, tasting everything twice, and then three times to make sure it was just right. though time had passed, his favorites were still at the forefront of her mind, preparing each dish the way she knew he liked them. it was just a catch up with a good friend, that's what she told herself. the rap at the door has her head snapping up, the dish on the stove turned to the lowest heat setting as she smoothed out her outfit and walked toward the door. with a deep breath, she pulled it open, smile wide and welcoming as she ushered him in. "hi ! you're just in time, dinner is almost ready."

noa: omg finally !!! noa: honestly, lottie, what took you so long ? noa: i'm on it. i'll pick out all my best clients just for you 💞

imessage: matchmaker matchmaker

lottie: noa ? lottie: what would you say if i asked you to set me up ?? lottie: as a hypothetical of course @dreamerfms

there's fun in messing up. the idea feels foreign and it's not because she can't have fun, it's because messing up has never been much of an option for her. her instinct is to scoff, to brush it off with somewhat faux confidence she always carries, but there’s a softness in his tone that almost tempts her. but she knows herself, knows she's the type of person who would drive herself insane trying to fix every little mistake. perfect, the word rings in her mind, mothers voice stern and sharp. always perfect. " what, you don't think i could ? " raises a perfectly sculpted brow, playful smirk etching onto mouth. but it's there, behind her gaze, a competitive spark like no other. a fire that burns bright. " swimming is, what ? mostly good breathing, coordination and core strength ? i've already got all three of those. but i'll humour you, just this once, " she adds, an air of teasing. for someone who's never attempted to swim, she's sure got a lot of faith in herself. " how about you tell me what to do, and we'll see how well i can execute it ? "

he leans back with a slow , lazy grin , the kind that seems to say he's already seen through her words , but he’s willing to play along . his eyes spark with a mix of curiosity and amusement , and his drawl adds a casual warmth to his response . “ now , see , that sounds like a challenge . and i never could back down from a good one . ” he watches her , noticing the tension she carries , the weight of always needing to be perfect . “ difficult student or not , darlin’ , i reckon you’d surprise yourself . ” he tilts his head , eyes narrowing just a little as he studies her with that easygoing charm of his . “ overtake me , huh ? i’d like to see you try . but maybe... just maybe , you don't always have to be the best at everything. there’s fun in messing up sometimes . ”

kai tilts his head, smirk still in place but his gaze softens. there's something about winnie that feels safe to kai, and that's no common thing for him. he's spent the last decade keeping most people at a far distance, so to have someone who feels like a friend despite the fact they only ever seem to meet in the dead of the night, is a big deal. despite his sarcasm and the way he tries to act like he hates the whole world, there's a genuine care for her. " blew your world up ? no. no, i don't believe we've gotten to that part yet. " there's a teasing edge to his voice before he lets out a chuckle, momentarily directs his gaze to the gravel beneath his feet. " the good news though ? i don't have anyone to tell your secrets to even if i wanted to, " he reassures, with of course the exception of his sister meave, though even then he's never been one to blab about other peoples lives, " so if you wanna unload, i’m here. no judgment, no shitty advice you didn’t ask for, just . . . whatever you need. "

a chuckle escapes her lips as the other speaks. "the latter, obviously. am i really that easy to read?" winnie found it very hard to be open with others. spending so much of your life hiding who you were made one terrified that the secret could slip out at any moment. any moment of honesty and vulnerability was an opportunity to ruin a perfectly good image. but, she remembers the time kai stumbled upon her here at this very park. everything just kind of fell into place. she was new to town and very overwhelmed with... well, LIFE. a listening ear from a stranger somehow brought her back to earth. "well, you're definitely keeping me on my toes," she tells him. she's stalling, despite the fact that she called him here. explaining ronnie was something winnie had never expected to do, but here they were. "have i ever told you about the time i blew my own world up?"