He opens his mouth to say something, but Qi doesn’t give him the chance.
“You aren’t welcome here,” he spits out.
Kingston’s eyes are a little wary as he takes Qi in for a moment. I wonder if he’s remembering how he’s had his ass handed to him by the guy twice now, but self-preservation doesn’t seem to be one of his superpowers when his wariness turns into a sneer.
“The team was invited, and I’m part of the team,” he drones condescendingly.
I roll my shoulders and step up to him. I may pity the guy, but I’m not gonna let him bring his shit into my house.
“This is as much Qi’s house as it is mine, and his word goes as strongly as mine does. But since you have no common manners, then I’ll reiterate, you aren’t welcome here.”
Kingston clucks his tongue at me and shakes his head. “That’s a bad team mentality you have there, Marcus. Wonder what Coach would think about his decision to make you a starter with a team attitude like that?” he says almost goadingly.
Yeah, the fucker definitely came here in search of a fight.
“Actually,” Derrick says, having walked in for a drink and heard enough of the conversation to know what’s going on. “I think Marcus’s opinion on this matter is more in line with the team in general.”
“I guess it’s bad on Coach then, since it seems he doesn’t care that that bad team attitude runs through all of you. Right,mentor?” he sneers scathingly.
Derrick rolls his eyes. “It barely counts as being your mentor when you haven’t listened to a damn word I’ve said since you started here.”
“Or maybe, you just suck as a mentor,” Kingston shoots back, his eyes narrowed at Derrick with disdain.
A crowd had started to gather around the kitchen while the two of them had sparred off. And of course, this would also be when Qiang and Natasha would emerge from Qiang’s studio.
Honestly, I had hoped Kingston would leave before Qiang ever even knew he was here, but it’s too late now.
Before I can take a step towards them, Qi is already striding across the room and linking their arm protectively through Qiang’s.
As much as I want to be the one to stand next to them right now, I let it go for the moment because Qi’s been the one fighting this battle with Qiang since the beginning, and I didn’t come around until four years after the fact.
However, as solidifying as the act is, and how much I love that Qi is so resolutely there for Qiang all the time, the movement also drew Kingston’s attention towards them.
His eyes narrow in their direction before his mouth twists deviously, and he looks back at me with a gleam in his eye that tells me he’s about to seriously piss me off. I open my mouth to reiterate that he needs to leave, but he huffs out a derisive laugh and cuts me off.
“Do you really think the team is good with slandering one of their own just because you’re jealous that your little bitch is still pining for me after so many years?” he taunts.
“It’s really not my faulthecouldn’t grasp the concept that not everyone wantshistwinky little ass,” he hisses.
My lip curls, and my patience snaps as he deliberately misgenders Qiang, adding to the cruelty of the lie he spits out as he brings up their past, all while managing to hide how deeply involved he was in everything that happened between them.
Disregarding the fact that I can’t fathom how anyone could have Qiang the way he did and not be anything other than grateful for that time, I focus more on the fact that I threatened him with bodily harm if he went after Qiang again. The team was there for it, so it’s not like Kingston wasn’t warned of the consequences before he came here and started spouting shit.
Before I can move, though, Natasha steps forward, a hardness in her eyes that is quite frankly, rather terrifying. “It’s insane to me that you are a full-grown college student and still doubling down on stupidity.”
Kingston’s nostrils flare as he takes her in. “Excuse me?” he practically spits out; the notion that he even feels he has the right to come off this insulted is almost laughable.Almost; I’m too pissed for it to quite get to that point.
Natasha’s mouth curls into the most disdainful expression I thinkI’ve ever seen. How he can look back at her and not feel three inches high, I have no idea.
“No, there obviously isn’t one. But proper pronouns were taught before we hit grade school, and not only are you using improper ones, but you are emphasizing them in a way that only further highlightsyourstupidity,” she says patronizingly.
Kingston snorts in derision. “Ah, so you are one ofhis—”thwack.
The sound of Natasha’s slap rings through the room before Kingston’s shocked eyes turn murderous.
“Next time it’ll be your balls!” She growls, as a red splotch blossoms on his cheek where she’d smacked him.
He takes a menacing step forward, but before he can take another, a shuffle of movement has her out of his grasp. It’s almost seamless how Tristan steps between them, while Qi’s hand wraps around her arm and pulls her back between him and Qiang.
