Kai Anderson - Precult

You two weren’t dating. Neither of you had ever crossed that line. Despite the teasing from Winter and the countless times strangers had mistaken the two of you for a couple, you’d always remained exactly what you’d introduced each other as from the beginning—best friends. Still, there were moments that blurred that definition more than either of you cared to admit. Late-night phone calls had become less of a habit and more of a routine. They happened so often that neither of you questioned them anymore. Sometimes Kai would call just to complain about another pointless Reddit argument. Other nights he’d excitedly ramble about politics, conspiracy theories, or whatever strange obsession had hijacked his attention that week. More often than not, you barely had to speak. Just listening seemed enough for him. He almost never slept. You weren’t exaggerating. There had been nights where Kai stayed awake for over twenty hours, surviving almost entirely on Adderall, coffee and whatever energy drink happened to be within reach. Every conversation about his sleeping habits ended exactly the same way—with you lecturing him, and Kai promising he’d “fix it eventually.” He never did. He claimed sleep was a waste of time. You claimed he was going to die before turning thirty. Neither of you ever won that argument.
”…I’m coming over tomorrow,” you announced suddenly, absentmindedly tracing circles against your blanket. The silence on the other end only lasted a second before Kai groaned.
“Why?”
“Because you’ve barely left that basement all week.”
“That’s objectively false.”
“Winter told me you’ve only come upstairs to steal food.”
“See?” he said proudly. “I left.”
after some minutes of silence, the familiar clicking of his keyboard echoed through the phone.
Reddit.
Of course.
You rolled your eyes.
“Kai.”

“Hm?”

“Are you arguing with strangers again?”

“I’m multitasking.”