Podcast of a Teenage Super-Villian

Chapter Twenty-Nine: They Kiss So It's A Happy Ending

"Oh shit," says Kai as he wakes up in the hotel he helped Finn find last night. It's a nice hotel, at least; tasteful beige wallpaper, modern square beds and lamps, the smell of lemon and tea tree oils from the complimentary little soaps. 

Kai has always wanted to take a vacation, mainly for the excitement of staying in a hotel that isn't full of cockroaches, like that one time Monet dragged him to a Super 8 on the edge of the county for a news story. The story, Kai can't remember. Most of what he can remember includes a) being a hundred percent sure he was going to die that night after ripping the sheets off his mattress and finding a colony of bed bugs, hundreds of the bastards, and b) their neigbhoring suite, with the voices "whispering" about a "deal" that was definitely, definitely three guys planning to start a cult.

So, Kai is more than down to get a cushy hotel room in a big, toursity city. But there's Monet, and Max, and shit. Chip is gone. Just a note on the nightstand 'gone exploring :)'—stupid little smiley included. As if the written colon and parentheses are gonna convince him and Finn that it's okay actually that Chip's alone, in a giant city they've never explored before, probably hunting down Max himself. But Finn, currently, is passed out on the bed, with a dopey smile on his face.

"Finn!" Kai shakes the grumpy boy, his grumpy friend, his maybe grumpy boyfriend. Finn doesn't stir, just turns over. "Finn!" He smacks a kiss on Finn's forehead and Finn launches upright, a flush of red racing to his pale face.

"Huh? What?" He snatches for his glasses on the nightstand, putting them on the teensiest bit crooked. "Where are we—oh shit, Chip."

Kai's already scrolling through snap, searching his contacts for Chip's bitmoji, which wears a clear frown. "Fuck. Didn't share his location."

"Oh." And all the flush of red that surged into Finn's cheeks from Kai's wet, stupid kiss, it all drains away. "No, that's not good."

Kai stretches, looking out into the rush of traffic below, and an idea hits him like a very-need slap in the face. The boys are three stories up. A fall from the height will not be an enjoyable experience, but Kai needs someone to help, someone who understands superhero stuff. And anyway, Kai's not too keen on thinking things out or dwelling on the bad things that might happen. He has to get help for them, now. And this seems like the quickest way to get it.

Another perk of this fancy hotel; the windows aren't painted shut like the one with the bed begs and cult people. So Kai slides the glass pane aside easily and pushes the screen open. The space isn't big, but Kai isn't a big guy. "Wish me luck," he says. "I mean..." Eh. What is there to lose? "Maybe you could give me a kiss for luck?" Kai tries on a smirk, tries to waggle his eye-brows, but the smarm doesn't feel right and the bad-boy-wannabe-ness just sort of slides right off oh him, like water on a rain poncho.

Finn freezes while changing jeans. "Huh? Kai? What?"

Kai gives up trying and approaches Finn, wraps him in a hug. And Finn, jaded as he is, doesn't say something sarcastic or shove Kai away. He holds him, and his eyes flutter shut behind his fogged up glasses, and he tentatively presses his lips against Kai's. If there were more time, just the two of them, Kai would squeeze him tighter, giddy, stupidly giddy. Aside from goofy smiles and the sudden forgetfulness of his usual reluctance to be touched by Kai, Finn has never said 'I like you,' or 'I have a crush on you,' he never asked him out. Finn would sort of blush when they were alone together, stammer, look away. This delicate, awkward kiss means so much, but Kai has to step away. He walks back to the window and takes in a deep breath before Finn can stop him.

"GALAXY, I'M FALLING, HELP!" Is this a terrible way to get a superhero's attention? Yes. But Kai's desperate. So he tosses himself out the window, only realizing that maybe he made a terrible decision when he's already plummeting towards the cars and concrete. That realization turns quickly to hot and searing terror when he's falling, falling, falling...