Author: Jenny
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Woe.
Pairing: Kyle/Tess
Rating: TEEN
Summary: Kyle and Tess bicker. And we all know what that leads to. This started as a drabble, but morphed into quite a bit more.
Author’s Note: For vegas312, who wanted a K/T drabble with the prompt “chair” (though the chair kinda got lost in this), and also for killjoy, since I promised I would have something ready to post on his birthday.
***
If Tess hadn’t already gotten a taste of what it was really like living with two men over the holidays, the sight before her definitely solidified every cliché. Kyle was sprawled out lengthwise across the couch, an open bag of potato chips on his chest and ESPN playing on the television.
When was ESPN not playing on the television? Tess was beginning to think it was the only reason Kyle and the Sheriff had cable at all.
With an exasperated sigh, she approached the end of the couch where Kyle’s feet were. “Move over,” she ordered, nudging one of his sock-covered feet.
Kyle didn’t move, except to put another potato chip in his mouth. “Sit in the chair,” he said as he crunched on the chip, and Tess glanced in disdain at the armchair that was full of Kyle’s schoolbags.
“Kyle, move,” she said. “I have to watch this thing on the Discovery Channel for my Chemistry class.”
“You can watch it from the chair,” he said. “You complained that there’s no chair for you sit in – there’s a chair.” He gestured, potato chip in hand.
Tess was trying very hard to keep her temper in check. Sometimes Kyle could be such a child. “I can’t see the TV from the chair. This couch is big enough for three people. Move over and let me sit down!”
“I’m tired from practice. I need to lay down.” A smirk played across his features and Tess knew he was just trying to be difficult.
“Kyle,” she said, her tone threatening, “move or I’ll make you move.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Try me,” she said, pointing a finger at him menacingly.
When he did nothing more than chuckle in amusement, Tess concentrated on the bag of potato chips he had his hand in and gave her wrist a quick flick. In a blink, the bag flew off his chest and across the room.
“Hey!” Kyle exclaimed in annoyance.
“Now let me sit down before I do a lot worse.”
“Fine,” Kyle grumbled, and he moved his feet, giving Tess just barely enough room to sit down. She plopped down on the cushion, shoving his feet away from her, then reached for the remote that was on the coffee table.
“No way!” Kyle made a grab for the remote, too.
“I just told you I have to watch something for school!” Tess said, her voice indignant. They each had a hold of one end of the remote, both of them gripping it as tight as they could.
“I’m watching SportsCenter.”
“My program is starting right now,” she growled, pulling harder on her end of the remote.
“Mine will be done in a few minutes. You can wait.”
They locked gazes, a silent battle of wills going on between them, both still holding onto the remote as if their lives depended on it.
And then, as they stared each other down, something in the air seemed to change. Tess had never really noticed how blue Kyle’s eyes were, and the way they were focused on her with such intensity made her stomach give an unfamiliar lurch.
After what felt like an eternity, she felt Kyle’s grip on the remote loosen slightly, which was, thankfully, enough to shake her out of her stupor. She snatched the device away, yelling a triumphant, “Ah ha!”
Kyle shook his head, as if unsure of what had just happened, as Tess flipped the TV to the Discovery Channel. “No fair!” he cried. “You did that on purpose!”
Tess smirked satisfactorily and settled back in her seat. But before she even had a chance to focus on her show, Kyle had pounced and was trying to wrestle the remote back out of her hand.
She let out an involuntary squeal as the remote flew out of her hand, landing on the carpeted floor. Both of them made a dive for it, and ended up landing on the floor with a thud, a heap of arms and legs.
Tess squirmed underneath Kyle, trying to reach the remote before he did. Just as his hand was about to close around it, she gave another flick of her finger and caused it to slide out of his reach.
“Damnit, stop cheating!” he said. He grabbed her hand and pinned it against her side, no doubt hoping to prevent her from using her powers again. Of course, that meant that his hand was tied up as well.
Finally, the precariousness of their position seemed to finally dawn on both of them. Tess stopped her squirming, and Kyle became very still as well. They locked eyes again, and both were breathing heavily – be it from their tussle or their compromising position, Tess wasn’t quite sure.
And then, the next thing she knew, he was kissing her. His lips moved softly over hers, and she was sure it was the most perfect thing she’d ever felt. For a moment, she forgot all about how they’d gotten where they were, the sensation of Kyle’s kiss the only thing she could focus on.
When the kiss broke, she struggled to find her voice. “You’re just… trying to distract me,” she finally got out.
One corner of his mouth lifted in a small half-smile. “Is it working?”
All Tess could do was nod, before pulling his face back to hers. What was she supposed to be doing again? Oh, right, the Discovery Channel. Oh well, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
The moment was interrupted, however, when they heard the sound of the back door opening and the Sheriff call out, “Hey! Kyle? Where are you?”
Kyle and Tess scrambled up off the floor just before Sheriff Valenti came into the living room. “What are y’all doing?”
“Nothing, Dad,” Kyle said nonchalantly. “Just, uh, watching some Discovery Channel.”
Valenti eyed his two charges with a curious raise of his eyebrow, probably wondering what Kyle was doing watching something other than ESPN, but simply said, “I need your help outside.”
“Sure, Dad, be right there.”
His father gave them another perplexed look before exiting the living room, and Kyle turned to Tess. Picking the forgotten remote up off the floor, he handed it to her. “Guess you win,” he said with a smile.
Again, Tess could only nod. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever been at such a loss for words. Kyle left her alone with the Discovery Channel, but she couldn’t for the life of her focus on the program.
She absently touched her lips, still feeling the lingering effects of Kyle’s kiss. She wasn’t sure what to make of what had just happened, but she couldn’t stop the smile that was starting to stretch across her face.
Then, for some inexplicable reason, she picked up the remote and flipped the TV back to ESPN.
THE END