Chapter Text
(05:56) kevin
(05:56) kevin
(05:57) kevin
(05:57) day
(05:58) kevin day
(05:58) kevin day and night
(05:59) kevinie
(05:59) kevinkins
(06:00) kev
(06:00) OH MY GOD WHAT
(06:01) finally
(06:02) i was beginning to think you were dead
(06:02) What. Do. You. Want
(06:03) to know how you manage to use so much punctuation
(06:03) what are you 80?
(06:04) I’m one second away from blocking you
(06:04) you cant block me im right opposite you
Kevin pulled his eyes away from his phone and looked across court until his gaze unerringly met Aaron’s. Aaron tilted his head at him and Kevin averted his eyes and fiddled with his gloves. It wouldn’t do to grin on the court; the court was sacred.
(06:10) are you ignoring me? seriously?
(06:20) Remember when you barely spoke? Good times.
(06:20) if that’s what you want i can shut up
(06:24) Really?
(06:24) lmao no
(06:25) I hate you
(06: 26) no u dont
Kevin sighed and rested his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. Final year of university was very different from what he expected it to be. One, his coursework had gotten intense. Two, he spent almost every day on court or on calls with potential team managers, running himself ragged on adrenaline and anxiety.
Three, Kevin Day was in love with his roommate, friend, and texter from hell. The problem was, Aaron Minyard was in love with his girlfriend. Kevin looked up to find Aaron smiling at Katelyn, who looked like she had run all the way to court. Kevin swallowed harshly and looked away when Aaron tugged on her hand and made her sit next to him.
Kevin threw his phone into his bag and clacked his racquet on the floor once, twice, three times. He didn’t have time to think.
(06:29) No I don’t.
All the way across court, he watched Aaron check his phone and smile something soft and devastating.
*
(20:19) where are u
(20:20) court
(20:20) woah
(20:21) What?
(20:21) u lowercased court
(20:22) I am shook
(20:22) i know you’re sighing and shaking your head
(20:25) Aaron, I’m not in the mood
(20:26) when ARE u ever
(20:38) okay sorry what happened
(20:45) kev
(20:46) im bringing you dinner, kay?
“Are you okay?”
Kevin looked up from the mess of papers on coach’s table at the person hovering in the doorway. He stared. And then shook his head because he had no idea what time it was or when he’d eaten last. Everything blurred beyond the edges of his vision and Kevin suspected he felt lightheaded, but could not know for sure.
“Aaron?”
“Yes, asshole,” Aaron walked in and perched himself on the edge of the table. “Here,” he shoved a paper bag at Kevin, “I brought you dinner.” Kevin frowned and then opened the bag, surprised to find his go-to order from the café all the way across campus.
“These are spinach and egg tacos,” he blurted and some of his surprise must have shown on his face because Aaron huffed and glared at him. “So?”
“So,” Kevin huffed and looked at Aaron incredulously, “The place is all the way across cam-”
Aaron levelled him with another glare, “Eat, Kevin. It’s like 9:30pm and you’ve been in here since afternoon god knows doing what.”
“Going through team strategy,” Kevin mumbled, and watched Aaron roll his eyes and group the piles of papers on the table into neat stacks and set them aside. Aaron was ordered and neat at all times, it was something Kevin found to be beyond endearing.
“You didn’t have to,” he said quietly, taking a bite of taco. Aaron did not bother with a reply. Kevin fretted in the harsh light of coach’s cluttered room, mere feet away from Aaron, words rapidly rising and dying in his throat. Aaron propped himself onto the table in front of Kevin and kicked his feet.
“Eat.”
“Where’s Katelyn?”
Aaron looked at him oddly and then busied himself with crumpling the paper bag in his hands. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
Aaron didn’t answer.
“I mean, why are you hanging out with me when you can spend time with someone else,” Kevin tried again.
Aaron slanted a look at him, his lips pulling down in an approximation of a frown. “Are you saying you don’t want me here?”
“No-”
“Excuse me for caring about you,” Aaron snapped.
“You do?” Kevin said, shocked and Aaron snapped his mouth shut, his lips a thin, severe flatline. He got off his perch and carefully smoothed his jeans and walked to the door, stiff and tense.
“Aaron-”
“Do you think I’m here because I have no one else to talk to?” Aaron laughed; it was a brusque sound.
“No-”
“Fuck off, Day.” And then he was gone. All that Kevin had was a half-eaten taco and his endless despair for company. He braced his hands against the table and tried to bring his breathing down to normal, or as normal he could manage.
“Fuck,” he muttered. His vision swam. Kevin felt like he was on a crash course but had no idea how to stop himself from getting hurt.
(22:30) I’m sorry
(22:31) Aaron
(22:35) Aaron, talk to me.
(22:45) Fuck, I didn’t mean what I said.
Kevin swore again and stepped out of the stadium doors into the cold air and dead silence of the night. Andrew, Neil and Nicky were at Eden’s. Aaron had skived off, claiming a test. Kevin wondered if the test was fake or if he it was real and he had taken a break to get him dinner. Guilt seeped through his gut, cold and clammy.
When he reached the dorms, he tentatively opened the door to find it empty.
“Aaron?” he called out. Silence.
When Kevin Day fell into his bed in an exhausted heap that night, he thought of three things. One, he wanted to kick himself for upsetting Aaron. Two, he hated himself.
Three, he had no idea how to handle the weird push and pull that brought him and Aaron together and tore them apart, again and again and again.
His phone buzzed three times in quick succession.
(00:14) do u even know what you’re apologising for?
(00: 14) dont answer
(00: 14) just dont
(00: 17) Okay
(00:18) idiot
(00:20) No you
(00:21) you’re lucky you’re cute
Kevin hid his blush in pillow and pretended to be asleep 30 minutes later when Aaron stepped into the room. He heard footsteps pause near his bed and held his breath. Aaron moved away and flopped onto the bed opposite his.
Neither of them slept for a long time.