How to Make a Sinner Sleep

08 | teacher; a lesson in fried rice

"How was your weekend, Kaden?"

Niklas packed up his books as they walked down the hall to their extra classes. The cheerful man had chosen entirely different courses, so they'd be seeing each other less.

Kaden smiled, offering a brief answer. "I slept for most of it."

In reality, Reed had found and pulled him to the side, reminding him of his place, and then telling him to befriend Noah for future plans.

Kaden may or may not have been a little sarcastic, all out of good faith towards his darling and wonderful older brother, of course. It ended up with a kick to the stomach, where a purple bruise bloomed.

Thankfully, he'd been long used to the pain and could act normally, for the most part. So long as nothing brushed against the injured area.

He spent the second day of his weekend sleeping—that much was true—recovering and also zoning out with nothing better to do.

"How boring. We should do something soon, how about it?"

"I get tired easily."

Niklas shook his head, refusing no as an answer. "Impossible. Look at you, you're half built of muscle! Anyway, I'll even twiddle my thumbs and sit down to keep you company if you don't want to go out."

Kaden vaguely imagined a scene of just Niklas and him, sitting beside together in the room in silence. The visualized awkwardness made goosebumps run along his arm.

"Absolutely not."

"Then go out with me."

Kaden raised an eyebrow. "I don't have such terrible taste in men."

"......" Niklas frowned, somewhat insulted. "Okay, you know that's not what I mean. I don't have any interest in boring princes that stay inside all day either."

"Would you be more interested in an outgoing prince whose beloved and popular?"

"Yes! And therefore, you should come out with—"

"Should I introduce you to my brother?" interrupted Kaden with a straight face, seeming completely serious in his offer. "Outgoing, popular, royalty. You can leech money off him easily, I'm sure."

Niklas fell silent, defeated. "Stop twisting my words."

"Then stop ignoring mine." Kaden finished, stopping around the corner turn where they'd have to separate. "I'm resting my body the upcoming weekend."

"Resting from what? Sitting in class?"

"From listening to you speak."

Kaden smiled at Niklas's frustrated expression, waving a careless goodbye that only further irritated his friend. He glanced at the schedule tucked in his books, with the general location of his next class.

Culinary class. With Noah.

He hoped the dragon wouldn't assume that he'd only chosen the class to come bother the man, seeing as two of his extra classes were the same, but perhaps it would be beneficial if he did.

Kaden would rather Noah despised him, which seemed to be a difficult ordeal because of the man's strange behaviour in this life. Certainly, the disdain and irritation was all present, but Noah didn't entirely dismiss him in this lifetime.

"....."

More importantly, Kaden was excited to cook.

Wasn't cooking the supposed way to a person's heart? Not that he'd end up with anybody in this lifetime, but it was an interesting theory.