Rei slammed the door shut, and then turned to glare at Kai, eyes flashing dangerously. "Well, this is a nice surprise," he said sarcastically. "Exactly how long has this been going on?"
Kai shrugged. "About three or four weeks, maybe?"
Rei took a step forward, hands clenched tightly as his sides. "Three or four weeks?" he hissed. "You mean you have kept your relationship a secret from me for that long? Why?"
"I was still getting used to it. We had decided we would wait to tell everyone. Remember, we only told Tyson and Kenny today as well."
"But I should have been the first one you told!" snarled Rei. "Don't you think I deserve at least that?" Kai just shrugged again, and Rei glared at him, eyes narrowing in frustration. "Fuck, Kai! Why didn't you just tell me? Did you think I wouldn't understand?"
"It's not like that and you know it." Kai sighed. "I didn't mean to keep it from you."
"What then? Why did I have to find out from Tyson?"
"I didn't mean for that to happen." Kai crossed his arms, annoyance slipping into his voice. "You don't have to get so mad."
Rei stared at him incredulously. "I don't have to get mad? Fuck, you told TYSON before you told me. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"I didn't tell him, Max did."
Rei turned away in disgust, his voice shaking slightly with anger. "I thought we were supposed to be best friends, Kai."
"We are!"
"Well you're not acting like it! Best friends don't do this to each other! They tell each other important things!"
"Well, I didn't really think it was that important."
At that Rei spun around and grabbed Kai by the arm, making Kai wince. "You didn't think it was important?" he yelled, shaking Kai slightly "HOW COULD YOU NOT THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Kai yelled back, his temper finally rising. "WHY ARE YOU MAKING SUCH A BIG DEAL OVER THIS?"
"BIG DEAL? BIG DEAL?" Rei shrieked. "YOU'RE GAY, KAI! HOW COULD YOU NOT FIND TIME TO MENTION THAT FACT IN OVER THREE YEARS?"
"I WAS GOING TO!" Kai yelled. "I WAS JUST TAKING MY TIME!"
"YEAH YOU TOOK YOUR TIME ALRIGHT! AND NOW YOU'RE GOING OUT WITH MAX? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? HOW COULD YOU?" Rei cried, his fist closing around an alarm clock that was on the table beside the bed.
"STOP IT REI! JUST CALM DOWN!" Kai shouted, taking a step towards Rei
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, KAI!" Rei snarled. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" He threw the clock towards Kai, who ducked, and it smashed into the wall behind him. "Don't come any closer" hissed Rei, and he grabbed a picture that had been next to the clock. It was one that had been taken almost a year ago, of Rei and Kai with their arms around each other, Rei laughing happily, and Kai smiling grudgingly.
Kai's mouth thinned, and his eyes flashed, but he didn't stop walking towards Rei. Not even when Rei threw the picture as hard as he could into the ground, shattering the frame and spilling glass everywhere. Rei was trembling as Kai put his arms around him and held him tight. He resisted for only a second before clinging to Kai, pulling them close together.
As he felt Rei shake, and the first hot tears spill onto his neck, Kai reached up and ran his fingers comfortingly through Rei's hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Suddenly he felt Rei tense, and he looked up to see Max standing in the door, a stunned look on his face. Kai froze. His first instinct was to pull away, and only Rei's hand's tightening on his shirt kept him from moving.
Seeing that he had been noticed, Max gulped and cleared his throat, his face pale. "I'm… I'm sorry!" he gasped. "I didn't mean to… to i-interupt!"
At that Rei's eyes narrowed, and he glared over Kai's shoulder. "But you are," he hissed. "Interrupting. You're interrupting everything!"
Max's face crumpled, and he quickly looked down at the floor. "Sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean… I just wanted…"
"Max," Kai said, and tried to move towards him, but Rei held tight.
Max glanced up, and there were tears gathering in his eyes. "Sorry, Kai," he said thickly, and before Kai could say anything, Max turned and ran from the room.
Max's POV
I didn't really have any idea where I was going as I ran out of the room. All I knew was that I could stand to be there anymore. I had to get away.
Suddenly I felt a hand on my arm stopping me, and I turned to see Kai standing there. For a moment I felt warmth flood me, realizing that he had left Rei to come after me. But then… what had he been doing in the bedroom? And the hurt came back, but with it came anger. I wrenched my arm away, and took a step back, glaring at through tears. "What, Kai?" I asked icily.
Kai flinched. "Why did you leave Max?" he asked softly.
"Why did I leave?" I said incredulously. "Why the hell do you think?"
"I want to explain," he said, and reached up to put a hand on my arm, but I pushed him away, and he went stumbling back into a wall.
"There isn't anything to explain," I said, ignoring the hurt look on Kai's face. "You want to leave me for Rei! Everything you told me was a lie… you loved him all along! You were just playing with me!"
The look on Kai's face flickered from hurt to annoyed. "Don't be stupid," he snapped. "Where the fuck did you get that idea?"
I sputtered. "Umm… from you? Back there, in the room!"
"We weren't doing anything!"
"Well that's not what it looked like!" I snapped. "And Rei made it pretty clear that I wasn't wanted!"
Kai sighed, looking frustrated. "Rei has issues," he said. "He's mad at me because I didn't tell him I was gay, or your boyfriend. He was taking it out on you. Expect it for a while."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "So what? That doesn't explain why you two were hugging!"
Kai snorted. "Hugging isn't a crime, Max," he said.
I narrowed my eyes. "I don't believe you," I said.
Kai stepped forwards, and this time when he reached out to touch me I didn't stop him. Slowly he wrapped his arms around me, and rested his chin on my shoulder. "What can I say to make you believe me then?" he asked softly.
I shrugged, not saying anything, but brought my arms up around Kai's back anyways. Truthfully, just being here with Kai, and knowing that he doesn't want to be with Rei (I think) was making me feel a lot better. But… "Why was Rei so mad at you?"
Kai pulled back a little to look me in the face. He looked a bit confused. "Me and Rei have been best friends for almost three years now," he said.
Oh. Well… that sort of makes sense now. I would definitely be mad if all of a sudden Tyson told me he was gay, and was in love with Kenny. Actually… wait. Forget I said that. For all I know it could be true!
I shuddered, and Kai immediately tightened his arms around me. "Are you okay?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. Just… thinking. But Kai, you never told me you and Rei were best friends!"
He nuzzled my neck. "I guess I thought you already knew. After all, you and Tyson are best friends, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah…" I admitted, "but I thought now we were, you know… together, that maybe we were… you know…"
Kai chuckled. "There is a big difference between being a best friend and a boyfriend, Max. I wouldn't want to do this with Rei." He kissed me softly on the lips.
I grinned when he pulled away. "So this means you aren't leaving me for Rei?"
Kai rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot Max," he said. But I could see a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
ONE WEEK LATER…
Early morning found us all sitting around the kitchen table eating breakfast that Rei had cooked that morning. It had been a bit of a rough week, what with Kenny eyeing me suspiciously over the top of his laptop, Tyson blushing and leaving any room I entered, or else avoiding looking at me, and not speaking to me, and Rei's endless glaring, silent threats, and hissing at my back. In fact, if it hadn't been for Kai there with me, I might have actually moved back home with my parents.
But it had been getting better. I realise that this is a big shock to everyone, and that they need time to get used to the idea of Kai and me. But progress has been made, slowly but surely. The proof is all of us eating breakfast together. And by all of us I mean Me, Rei, Tyson and Kenny. Kai is still in the shower.
When Rei put my plate down in front of me, I could help but poke it suspiciously. It LOOKED like regular eggs to me, but who knows, he might have slipped something into it. Or under it.
I was just about to lift the egg up when I caught Rei scowling at me. I smiled and took a big bite. He snorted and started eating. I chewed slowly and looked around. Everyone was silent, and of course I knew what the problem was. But I just swallowed, and turned to Kenny, who was sitting beside me.
"No eggs this morning, Kenny?" I asked. "Just plain old oat meal. Yum yum."
Tyson, who had almost finished his, looked up and grinned. "Yeah Kenny! You will never grow that way! You need fat to grow!"
Kenny didn't even look up. "That's calcium, Tyson," he said.
I snorted. Tyson shrugged. At that moment the door opened and Kai walked into the kitchen, his hair still damp, the ends dripping slightly. I beamed at him. "Good morning Kai!" I said.
He walked over to me and kissed my cheek. "Morning," he said.
Rei glared at me, and then turned to Kai smiling sweetly. "Oh Kai," he asked. "Could you braid my hair for me?"
I smiled. Everything was going to be fine.
The End.
I am back! And it is finally finished! After like, a year, I know. Dont hate me? Please? I am doing my best, really. I have just been super busy. It feels really good to update though, so I will hopefully be doing more of it soon! And I have joined http :// community. livejournal. com/ springfluff/ on Livejournal, so for all of you who like Prince of Tennis, go there! The fics will be up in like, a few months? I think it is March. But thats what I am writing next, and when I am done that I will FINALLY start the finaly chapter of Broken Lullabyes.
Thanks to everyone who reveiwed the last chapter! You guys are really great. I dont deserve you! But I am trying now. It is a new year! I will write more and faster. Thanks everyone!
Love SY