Unseen Solitaire - Chapter 3 {Reita/Kai}

[bitetoall136]

Title: Unseen Solitaire
Chapter: 3/??
Author: bite_to_all136
Genre: AU, Romance, Fluff, Slice of Life, Comedy, Angst, Drama, Smut
Warnings: mxm relationships, inappropriate language, mental instability
Rating: NC-17 (overall)
Pairings/Characters: Reita/Kai, Reita/Ruki, Uruha/OC, Aoi
Summary: Reita is an electrician who lives the life of a bachelor; not caring at all to settle down and put himself in a serious relationship. Will the enigmatic Kai be the one to change his bachelor ways?
Notes:A fill for the 'busted heater in the heart of winter ' square on krasivayadusha's angst/fluff bingo card. :P

Previous Chapters: (Chapter 1)(Chapter 2)


Chapter 3

It was nightfall when he awoke. The ice picks from only two days prior had begun digging into his skull again, eyes feeling sealed shut with layers of wet cement, mouth dry, and stomach upset. Groaning with displeasure, Reita unburied his head from the folds of his arms, yelping in mumbled pain as his back snapped back into place after hours of being passed out in his hunched over position. Smacking together his parched lips, his hands grabbed hold of the support of the wooden chair, twirling his body side to side as to properly readjust and put everything back into alignment with the long stretch. Ignoring the small throbbing in his temples, he took in his surroundings and shivered, noting that the snowfall outside had indeed worsened in his few hours of slumber.

The dim lights which lit up Kai’s kitchen just hours before were now turned off, Reita sitting in the dark, the candescent reflection of the late night moon being his only shine of luminosity. Even with his unfocused vision, the electrician was able to tell he was indeed alone, Kai no longer sitting to the side of him. Standing, he rolled the sleeves to his sweater back down and bunched his arms together over his chest. The old rickety house was beyond freezing.

Stepping into the archway of the kitchen, he stuck his head out into the dark abyss of the large house, only able to see the shadowed outline of boxes and furniture. Upon looking further down the hall, his vision scanned across a thin line of lighting coming from beneath the crack of a partially shut door, his still hazy mind recognizing the door as the one which led to Kai’s jungle themed bedroom.

Journeying towards the light, he did his best to avoid stubbing his bare feet against the filled to the brim cardboard boxes, but he was nowhere near as familiarized with the scattered set up as Kai, which meant by the time he actually was in front of the door, he’d cursed under his breath more than once from tripping and stumbling; a few times certain he was actually going to fall fully flat onto the wooden planks of the floor.

From the small slither of opened space the cracked door provided, the blond was able to spot Kai sitting on his futon; back facing the door, legs crisscrossed, and arms stretched out in the back of him as his palms lay flat, providing support. It was apparent he’d recently taken a shower, his coal black hair even darker than usual, still dripping drops of water onto a now different oversized sweat shirt; this one long, gray, and fleecy; able to reach at least midway across his thigh if stood. To the side of the choppy haired man sat an opened laptop, Reita able to read the page he was on as Rikubetsu Virtual School, and right next to the laptop was a dark green thermos.

Just as he was about to raise his fist to knock and get Kai’s attention, Reita watched the brunette tilt his head to the side and sigh; voice quite as he began speaking, “You guys think Reita’s a nice man, right?” he paused and looked all around the room, taking in all his different stalks of bamboo for an individual answer. When he finally focused back on the three bookshelves loaded with the plotted plants, he giggled, raising one hand and putting it in front of his mouth, Reita sure one of those baby smiles were gracing his smooth lips. “I thought so, too. Plus he seems to really like you guys, I mean, look what he did for Isola-chan. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know what would’ve happened to her. So,” raising the hand that had just covered his mouth, he pointed an accusing finger to the shelves of plants, looking as if he were lecturing them, “You guys better treat him well, alright? Do what I’ve always taught you and treat others the way you want to be treated.” Another sweet giggle followed his parental rant, Reita watching the entire scene with warm eyes.

Seeing a fully grown man get into an in depth conversation with a room full of plants may throw some people off and make them weary of approaching, but Reita found the whole thing entirely endearing, his lips actually tugging into a small beam as he forgot about his previous aches and pains. He’d originally been drawn in by Kai’s strange behavior, only to be dragged in further by his unfiltered ways of speech, but now with the additional hours he’d spent with the man, Reita can easily put together that his drunken realization wasn’t so far off.

He was attracted to Kai, there was absolutely no denying that. And he definitely wouldn’t mind spending more time with him, but how he wanted to spend their time together, he wasn’t so sure. The attraction was there, they both got along perfectly fine, but Reita didn’t feel the want to sleep with Kai. Well, didn’t want to sleep with him right away, at least. He actually wanted to be around him, get to know him better; something he’d never felt the need to do with anybody else. The sensation was something new and thrilling and he wasn’t quite sure how to approach it.

Shrugging off his thoughts for now, he interrupted Kai’s ongoing speech with his plants by finally knocking on the door; the enigmatic man automatically turning his head back and finding him standing in the door way, offering the blond a huge smile, before waving him in and patting the empty space on the futon he sat on. Doing as silently instructed, Reita waltzed into the room and sat next to Kai, the teacher automatically lifting the blanket across his lap and throwing some over the elder’s lap.

“I think the circuit tripped again, it’s freezing in here,” Kai started, grabbing the thermos next to the laptop and unwinding the built in cup from the top, beginning to pour some steamy liquid into the cylinder, “How’re are you feeling anyways?”

Taking the small cup of warm liquid Kai was offering him, Reita mumbled a ‘thank you’ and circled it with both palms, bringing it close to his face and inhaling deeply; peppermint and honey attacking his senses. He wanted to ask Kai why he chose to sit in the cold instead of just going down the stairs to flip the circuit switch, but refrained, seeing as it probably wasn’t all too important.

“Like shit is probably the best answer. That Genshu was strong,” he laughed gently, bringing the cup up to his lips and taking a sip, only for his face to twitch as he swallowed the flavored tea. The mixture of peppermint, honey, and at least a half a jar of sugar didn’t sit as well with his taste buds as it did with Kai’s. Lowering the cup, he looked back to Kai, seeing the young teacher smiling, showing no evidence he had even the slightest bit of a hangover, “How is it you weren’t affected at all? We had about the same amount of shots.”

Kai giggled, wrapping his arms around his knees as he began to clap them together again, “I was, trust me. But what’s the point in letting others know you feel cruddy? It’ll only damper their mood, right?” with a pause, he titled his head, setting it on his brought up knees, “Besides, just coming in here and being surrounded by my children makes me feel better almost instantly.”

“Children?” Reita asked with a raised brow, taking another small sip of the drink and twitching in place at the sugar high he felt making its way through his body.

“My plants. They each have a name and a story of how they got here. I feed, water, and look after them as a parent would – they’re my children.” His words were nothing but honest, a proud glow enhancing his pale features.

“You choose to call plants your children when you’re a teacher?” Kai nodded his head. “But, isn’t that why most people become a teacher? So they can look after other parents’ kids and still somehow call them their own?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Kai ran a hand through choppy locks, “I guess I’m not like most teachers.”

Lowering the cup, Reita twisted his body so he’s facing directly towards Kai as the online instructor continues to stare forthright at his bookshelves full of bamboo, legs still close to his chest, “Why is that?”

“Well,” he begins softly, playing with one of the frayed edges of the blanket and tilting his head, Bambi eyes for once narrowed as he thought on how to structure his words, “there’re two reasons I became an online teacher, and one of those reasons is because I can’t stand kids. So instead of facing them head on, I only have to deal with them through the occasional phone calls and online chats. Nothing better than that, right?”

Reita chuckled something deep and soft, feeling so comfortable around Kai that once he placed the thermos cup of tea on the wood floor, his hands unintentionally came to rest on the man; one on his knee, the other on his thigh, “What’s the other?” he took to twiddling with the part of the fleecy blanket resting over Kai’s leg, staring indignantly as the younger’s fingers wrapped repeatedly in the loose ends of the same material; raveling and unraveling.

Chestnut orbs glancing down to the newfound hands resting against him, able to feel the small movements of the electrician’s fingers picking at small pieces of lint, Kai stopped with his twirling actions, immediately gluing his gaze to the electrician’s hands, keeping his focus on bold fingers. His body tensed, unable to move his stare even if he wanted to.

Reita, of course, noticed the usually chatty man’s sudden change, his hand now gliding up to Kai’s shoulder and squeezing lightly, “Kai? Are you alright?”

“I’m…fine?” his eyes still refused to lift as he questioned his own state of mind.

“You don’t see fine…?” Reita questioned right back, face twisting a bit with concern. Realizing Kai’s discomfort had come with his close contact and questioning, the electrician pulled back some, lifting the blanket as to leave, “I can go if you want to be left alone…”

Those words are what brought Kai back to normal, choppy ink colored hair shifting in all directions as he quickly lifted his head, offering a bright dimpled smile, “You should really drink some more of this,” reaching for the round thermos cup, he drank the remainder of the now cool liquid before pouring another warm cup and handing it off to Reita, “The peppermint will help with your nausea and the honey will metabolize the alcohol.”

Settling back down comfortably, firmly taking ahold of the cup, Reita gave Kai an equally as bright beam. “Wow, you really are a scientist.” It was a small tease, one that earned him a sweet, bubbling laughter breaking free from Kai’s drawn together lips.

Moments before, Reita had apparently threaded into territory Kai wasn’t comfortable with, something he considered rare, seeing as Kai seemed comfortable talking about almost anything and everything. His teasing was a way to break some of the tension that had formed, wanting to keep the relaxed atmosphere around them.

Still laughing, Kai had his head thrown back, slapping his knees, before finally sitting upright and wiping away his tears of delight, his pale face now tinted an unruly shade of ruby as he exclaimed, “Right?”

Shaking his head with a smirk, Reita sipped some more of the overly sweet tea, inwardly wondering just how it was the man in front of him could act so admiringly cute, yet still hold an aura that spoke of nothing but mystery and pain.

It was early in the day when they had day played their drinking game, so the pair found themselves talking like this for a few more hours before Reita saw the time on the clock to be a little past midnight. Reluctantly, he tore himself away from Kai, pushing the blanket off their bodies and standing, getting hit with an automatic wave of freezing air. After explaining to Kai he had to be up at 5am for work, he quickly excused himself, thanking the younger for providing him with such a wonderful day.

Walking out of Kai’s bedroom, Reita began to turn right towards the front door, able to hear Kai following behind him, when suddenly a hand was wrapped around his wrist, pulling him to a stop. Looking over his shoulder, he found Kai staring with pleading eyes, his words soft as he asked Reita if he could flip the breaker before he left so heat would fill the house tonight and he and his plants wouldn’t freeze. Unable to deny such a sweet request, Reita found himself manually unlocking the eight locks and rushing down the creaky steps, his eyes surveying over the neatly stacked boxes to the side of the room once he’d flipped the breaker back on. He found it strange that in the place someone normally used for storage space, Kai had the boxes organized, but upstairs in the actual house where he spent most of his time, the boxes were scattered about. Hearing Kai shout from above that the heat was now working broke Reita from his wondering query, the blond back upstairs seconds later.

Kai was by the front door, holding the electrician’s black hoodie out to him as he saw him round the corner, “Thanks for doing that. I would never figure out which one to flip.”

Grabbing the hoodie, Reita shrugged it on, waving his hand dismissively, “It’s no big deal. This house is old, it’s bound to happen often.”

“Still…thank you for everything else. It’s nice to have someone around the house again.”

Reita knew Kai was referring either to his grandpa who had passed years ago, or the ex he’d mentioned a small handful of times, and believing strongly that it was the later, he felt almost guilt ridden. Every time Kai became unhappy, it was hard for Reita not to take partial blame, seeing as he was now here and could actually do something to prevent that disdain, but hadn’t a clue how to, not even knowing what caused the gloom to appear in the first place.

Bending so their faces became even, he ruffled Kai’s hair, his smile honest. “I could come back over tomorrow after work if you’d like me to?”

“REALLY?”

“Really.”

Two seconds later, arms were wrapped snuggly around his waist, Reita able to feel Kai’s face bury into the crease of his shoulder, “I’d really appreciate that. It’s fun talking to somebody who isn’t a student.”

“Or a plant?” Reita refuted.

“No. I like talking to them.”

Chuckling, Reita found himself returning the hug, chin resting in Kai’s hair and able to smell an appealing mix of hibiscus and almond cream. The enchanting scent combined with having Kai close distracted Reita so much that he couldn’t seem to put together the woeful meaning of the teacher’s last sentence. “Are you trying to tell me that forever chatter box Kai doesn’t have any other friends?” he was teasing him again, but when Kai suddenly pulled back and looked him directly in the eye, stating a stern ‘no’, Reita knew that the only way he’d ever stop coming to see Kai is if the younger personally asked him to stop with the visits.

After a moment of staring, Kai finally began pushing Reita out the door, telling him he needed to go home and rest, and it was only when he was on the front porch with the door slammed in his face just as it was yesterday did he shout to Kai to have a good rest of the night and that he’d see him tomorrow afternoon.

And that’s exactly what happened. As soon as Reita clocked off at Takashima’s Electric the following day at five o’clock, he found himself making a quick stop at home to change into street clothes, only to be at Kai’s house by six. The pair talked for hours, again with Kai doing most of the talking, and again being way too upfront with Reita about his teen years. By the end of their conversation, Reita had learned details about Kai that ranged from each side of the spectrum. Simple details, like how much he loved nature and had been on a soccer team when he lived back in Tokyo, to something drastic like how he received his first blowjob at 17, only to give his first one three months later. Oddly enough, Kai hadn’t a problem speaking of the more vulgar events, but when it came to something as innocent as his first kiss, he’d freeze up, quickly mutter the answer of 15, before moving onto the next topic at hand of hand jobs.

Things continued to go on this for a while; Reita leaving work as soon as he could, only to get to Kai’s place in a now new and set record time of 19 minutes. They’d talk and talk, getting closer and closer with each passing day, and before Reita knew it, he and Kai had already known each other a month. Within the past month, his attraction to the dark haired man had only grown, but he’d yet to act on any impulses. He was still enjoying getting to know Kai. Simply being around the young teacher for now was enough for him, there never a dull moment due to Kai’s curious mind and filter-less mouth.

Today was another off day for Reita, meaning after his morning jog and running a few errands, he found himself back at Kai’s house. They were laying on the living room floor in front of a lit fire place – the circuit having gone out yet again and both too lazy to walk down into the basement to flip the breaker. Kai’s body was going one way and Reita’s the other, their shoulders touching and heads resting right next to the others.

“What’s that?” Reita pointed to the image projected upon the ceiling, turning his head slightly so he could catch Kai’s face from the corner of his eyes.

They’d eaten breakfast together, Reita insisting he cook Kai a proper meal, seeing as the electrician had come to find out that Kai lived primarily off of bagged sweets and canned goods. After breakfast they talked for a bit, Reita finally convincing Kai to allow him to arrange some of the scattered boxes cluttering the living room and stairwell; he tired of tripping over them every time he came to visit the younger.

They’d started with the boxes aligning the stairwell, and when the blond had gotten down to lifting one of the final ones, the bottom pieces of cardboard gave out, spilling from it nothing but rolls of film. Upon asking Kai what the rolls were of, the young teacher had informed Reita that they were pictures from the two years of study he did with the community college’s environmental club, which ended in them hooking up the projector found in an earlier box, pointing it up at the flat, white ceiling, and Kai flipping through the images, giving a small explanation of each photo.

There were mainly images of plants, trees, and animals, but every now and then an image of Kai with someone in the group or just Kai himself would pop up, those images always being the ones that put a smile on Reita’s face. Kai was merely a teen in the photos, yet he still looked exactly the same; a brilliant smile, same choppy black hair, and legs still just as skinny. He looked the same, but these photos somehow portrayed something different; the dark presence which sometimes surrounded him missing completely from photos, looking completely and unconditionally happy.

The picture sprawled across the roof at the moment was one of an extremely colorful bird, one Reita had never laid his eyes on before.

Kai mimicked Reita’s actions from just moments before, shifting his head and finding hazel eyes, “That’s a Rainbow Lorikeet – they’re native to Australia.”

“What the hell was one doing here in Japan?”

“That’s the reason it was an exotic animal exhibit, right?” Kai giggled, turning his attention back to the ceiling and flipping to the next picture. Reita did the same, folding his an arm under his head as he listened to Kai tell the tale of each photo to come.

There were times where he would catch his eyes averting from the ceiling and finding Kai’s lips, watching as the perfectly thin muscles opened and closed; catching every now and then a flicker of pink tongue coming out to moistened drying skin. The sight was never dull, Reita for a while having wondered just what it was Kai’s lips would taste like. The scent of hibiscus cream was strong from where he lay, Kai’s head barely centimeters away from him. The relaxing scent was one Reita had become addicted to within in the past month, always taking the opportunity to bury his face in Kai’s hair and get one last whiff of the lingering shampoo when Kai gave him his nightly departing hug.

“…and this is the tree frog Yumi and I found trapped under- You’re listening to me, right?” Kai narrowed his eyes towards the electrician, pouting playfully when he noticed Reita was no longer staring at the roof.

“Of course I’m listening.”

“Then what’s the last thing I said?”

“You were going on about some tree frog, probably getting ready to tell me how you saved its life or something.”

Kai smiled cutely, squirming a bit in excitement, “How’d you know?”

Reita shrugged, turning his attention back to the ceiling with a smirk, “That just seems like something you would do...”

A few more slides pass, Reita listening intently to Kai’s kid like voice and laughing a few times at some of the stories the younger had to tell.

A picture of Kai and his group gathered around a baby pig in the woods at night appeared, the man explaining that the owner was going to slaughter it for a meal the next day, so he and his group snuck into the farm house and stole it; a girl name Mori taking the animal in as her very own pet. He then continued to explain how they’d had to run for their lives when the owner came rushing out of the house with a flashlight and shotgun, Reita snorting as Kai stated he would’ve taken the piglet in as his own, but is grandpa had been very against livestock roaming the hallways of his home.

The next slide had Reita sitting up straight, pointing to the roof in disbelief; eyes wide and mouth falling to his knees, “Kai…is that what I think it is?” There was really no use in asking, Reita knowing there was no way to mistake the bushels of green growing under the metal halide lights.

“Probably,” the teacher giggled, urging Reita to lie back down so he could properly explain, “It’s no big deal, some people in the group lived together and I found a way for them to grow it in one of their empty study spaces.” Kai’s voice was close as he continued, Reita finding himself glancing back at those smooth set of lips.

“Did you ever smoke any of it?” his eyes shifted, meeting smiling mocha orbs and watching as Kai’s face scrunched up in disgust, shaking his head leisurely.

“No, I’ve never been one for smoking, but I did make some decent tea out of the leaves – and it paid for the rest of my tuition, so no harm done, right?”

“You’re saying you sold weed to get through college?”

“Well, I personally didn’t sell it, but I got part of the cut since I’m the one who found out how to grow it.”

Reita raised his brows, smirking teasingly, “And just what were you even doing that allowed you that discovery?”

“I told you,” Kai smiled knowingly, “I’m a scientist.”

Reita found himself laughing so hard that he was doubling over and holding his stomach, eyes halfway closed and only catching a slither of the new picture appearing. However, even through his fit of laughter, he noticed how Kai had his finger ready on the clicker, trying to pass by the picture with not even a word of explanation, something that he hadn’t done for any other photo thus far. That, of course, caught Reita’s curiosity, making the electrician calm down and grab Kai’s hand, preventing him from continuing on.

“Who’s that?” he asked casually, pointing to the photo above. In it, Kai was smiling wide by a river in what appeared to be secluded woods, but the man’s lap he was sitting in was a face Reita had yet to see. The unknown man had hair as dark as Kai’s, his arms wrapped around the smaller’s waist, and his head leaning against Kai’s shoulder. His smile was a mere tug of lips, it nowhere near as bright as Kai’s, but still just as happy. The sight caused a bitter feeling to form in the pit of Reita’s stomach.

“That’s Ni~ya,” Kai sighed distantly, bright orbs hazing over in something equivalent to heartache, “a friend I met during my second year.” He continued sedately, attempting to flip to the next image, but being stopped as Reita grabs his hand again.

“You guys look a little more than friendly.” The blond turns his head away from the screen and meets Kai’s chestnut irises, hand unmoving from its comforting position.

“He’s also my ex.” Rolling over onto his belly, Kai let out a sad sigh as he supported his face in the palm of his hand.

Pensive, sorrowful, trite. Reita tried to think of any other word to properly describe Kai’s reaction other than the first adjective which came to mind, which was indeed sadly melancholy. “Things didn’t end too well between you guys, did it?” the blond rolled over as well, again coming shoulder to shoulder with Kai, and again grabbing hold of his hand; running his thumb back and forth over knuckles and veins.

“I guess you could say that…” he smiled, but it wasn’t the baby dimpled smile Reita was used to. It was wistful, forlorn.

Reita never wanted to see that expression again. He wanted to know Kai – really get to know Kai, and he only saw one way of doing just that.

“Kai,” letting go over the teacher’s hand, Reita rolls back over onto his back, placing his face directly under Kai’s and looking him straight on, “Can I…take you to dinner Friday night?” It was an odd feeling being the one to actually ask somebody out, but with Kai, it just felt natural, and Reita actually found himself anticipating the other’s answer.

Kai’s nose scrunched up, his head titling to the side and looking down at the man beneath him, “Why? I can just make us something here like I always do, right?”

A deep chuckle, “I don’t think I can survive on canned food and sweets much longer.”

“I can make soup.”

“Kai. I’m trying to ask you out on a date.” Reaching up, Reita brushed back silky black hair with the tips of his fingers, smiling softly as he watched Kai’s Bambi eyes remain focused on him, staring unbelievingly.

“Reita…” he speaks after a tense moment of silence, teeth edging into his bottom tier.

“Yeah?”

“You…you have really nice lips.” he nodded his head repeatedly, as if verifying what he just said.

Reita laughs, rolling onto his side to get a better view of Kai, pausing in combing his fingers through coal like tendrils, fingers remaining splayed on the back of Kai’s head, “Do I?”

“Hmm, you do. Can I touch them?”

“Sure…?”

He was expecting fingers to graze against his warm skin at Kai’s odd request, but instead he got something better – Kai’s own lips. It was a surprise, a delightful surprise, and Reita had never felt something so velvety press against him. It was just as addicting as Kai’s scent, Reita unexpectedly closing his eyes and pressing further, moving his lips against Kai’s own and parting them, able to hear the soft plea of delight the other released. It was unsurprising that Kai tasted sweet like honey, the electrician’s fingers clinging tighter into dark hair the more heated the kiss became.

They’d gotten lost in the moment, Reita’s body pinned flat to the ground as Kai sat atop his torso, choppy locks falling forward as they continued to leisurely attack each other’s mouths. There was nothing hurried about the movements, each simply enjoying the touch and feel of the other; Reita’s unoccupied hand moving slowly up and down Kai’s thigh as Kai braced his own pair against stern shoulders. It wasn’t about pleasure, it was about emotion, so when Kai pulled away with a half smirk, Reita couldn’t help but do the same.

“I was right,” Kai stated breathlessly, still sitting on top of Reita, the electrician’s hands still on his thighs, “They do feel as soft as they look.”

Reita smirked, “I take that as a yes then?”

Looking down, Kai twiddled with his thumbs and bit his lip, only to look up seconds later and shake his head, dimpled baby beam back as he leaned in again and pecks Reita’s lips.

“Good,” the blond murmurs, wrapping an arm around Kai’s shoulders as they sit back in place and gaze up at the ceiling, Kai continuing to tell stories of his environmental club days.

Later on the night as they said their good byes at the front door, Kai pulled Reita in for a hug just as he always did, this particular hug seeming to last usual than longer – something he didn’t mind in the least bit. Walking to his truck, driving home, getting undressed, and sliding into bed all seemed like one huge blur; he falling asleep as soon as his head hit the soft pillow, Kai’s taste still lingering on quirked lips.


The rest of the week passed by tediously slow. Reita found his nerves growing more and more with each passing day, the blond beginning to do anything to distract himself and make the time pass by quicker. His off day morning jogs turned into a nightly event after work, the electrician not knowing if he should stop by and see Kai before their actual date. Their talking; however, never once ceased, the pair texting each other continually for the three days they were separated.

By the time Thursday came around, Reita’s nerves reached a boiling point, the blond only able to sit in his lounge room and stare at the roof, his leg shaking as he thought in anticipation about his date tomorrow night. There hadn’t been a point in his life where he’d ever felt this mass hysteria of nervousness; the fluttering in his stomach and chest refusing to die down. He was afraid he’d mess things up, that things between him and Kai wouldn’t be the same if he made the wrong move. For once in his life, he was scared of losing someone – and knowing that he was scared was what frightened him even more. He was realizing that somewhere in the short month he’d known Kai, the choppy haired man had somehow come to mean more to him than a mere friend, more than someone he was just attracted to. He wouldn’t call it love, but it was something much larger than infatuation, that was for sure.

He was confused, more confused than he had been during his middle school days and found out he wasn’t exactly attracted to the opposite gender, which is why he couldn’t be more thankful than he was when he received a call from Uruha that night, asking him to come over and help watch the kids.

Apparently Emi was out of town on a business trip again, leaving Uruha to watch after the twins all by himself, something that was extremely obvious, considering that when Reita walked into his friend’s home and shed himself of his winter clothing, the house was in shambles and Uruha was sitting distraught on the living room floor, vapidly scrubbing away at a blue stain on Emi’s favorite satin white rug.

Reita chose to ignore his friend and made his way to the back rooms, where after an hour of playing with Tae and Tai, he got them all bathed and ready for bed, the young children nothing but angels under his care. He’d always been good with kids.

Quietly closing their bedroom door, he entered back into the family room and encouraged Uruha off the floor, telling his boss slash friend to go to bed and that he’d handle the mess. Which he certainly did, a little bleach and soap combination doing the trick in no time.

The next morning, after they’d dropped the kids off at their preschool, Reita found himself and Uruha walking through the overly snowy streets of Rikubetsu, entering into the small café’ across from Lotus in order to snag a small breakfast and a cup of coffee before work.

A young waitress came and took their order, she not even bothering to write it down since the pair always ordered the same thing, and then she was off, leaving them to talk in the near empty diner.

“Where’ve you been all week? You work for me and I’ve barely seen you, what gives?” taking a sip of his coffee, Uruha placed the porcelain cup down, balancing his chin in his opposite palm and tracing the rim of the cup with his other hands finger.

Shrugging his shoulders, Reita sunk further in the booth, his back slouching against the cushioned back and his hands digging into his coat pockets, “Busy I guess. I work and then go home and spend the evening with my birds. That’s it.”

Uruha lifted a sculpted brow, “What about that Kai guy? You don’t go and see him?” he smirked a bit, hiding it behind his coffee mug as he took another swallow of the biter liquid.

Sighing with annoyance, Reita sat up straight, resting his elbows on the table as he asked almost knowingly, “Alright, so what has Ruki been telling you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” His eyes shifted surreptitiously, hiding dark orbs under coral tinted hair, looking more at fault than one of his kids did when caught doing something they were strictly told not to do.

Leaning in close to his friend, Reita hissed through clenched teeth, “Uru. Remember…Emi…painted walls…”

Uruha’s expression suddenly turned smug, the business owner slowly putting down his cup, before glancing to Reita with equally as smug eyes, their faces close as he leaned even further over the table, “Nice try Rei, but she already knows about that,” a victorious grin appeared, “actually, she was more than grateful that I took the time to give her walls a shiny new coat…” a pair of thin eyebrows wiggled, Reita drawing back in distaste with a scrunched up face.

“Too much info, man. Emi’s like a sister to me, I don’t want to hear about your guys’ sex life.” Uruha’s face lit up in amusement.

The waitress came back with their plates of food seconds later, the pair both receiving the tamagoyaki special with a side of rice and miso soup. Silently eating for a few moments, Reita waited until Uruha lifted his chopsticks to stick a piece of the rolled omelet in his mouth, the father of two almost choking at his next question.

“Sooo, what about Mr. Snowball?”

Coughing a bit the clear the egg lodged in his throat, his eyes widened, looking crazy but not threatening, chugging some coffee before shooting across the table and grabbing Reita by his shirt, “FINE,” he shouted before backing away, Reita smoothing out his shirt snidely as Uruha began digging around on his plate, keeping their gazes from meeting, “All Ru’s said is you’ve been practically going over to that guys house every day since you’ve met him. That, and the fuck buddies agreement between you guys is apparently over.”

“Why do you seem so upset over that?”

“I’m not.”

“Why won’t you look at me then?”

Throwing down his chopsticks, Uruha looked up, stating solemnly, “I’m just worried about Ruki. He hasn’t been himself lately.”

Reita snorted before picking up some rice with his own dining ware, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Ignoring his friend’s statement, Uruha went on to ask, “What is it you need to tell me? You just don’t drop a seven year long fuck buddy’s relationship out of nowhere, your guys practically were a couple with all the bitching you did. Now, something either happened between you guys or…”

Reita continued shoving food in his mouth, ignoring Uruha’s placate stare.

“Holy shit, you’re dating that Kai guy, aren’t you?”

Biting his lip, the electrician rubbed at his arm nervously, “I well…I have a date with him tonight…so I wouldn’t exactly call it dating yet. I mean, we’re meeting up here and-“

“REI, THAT’S GREAT!” Uruha practically flipped the table, he was just that elated, “I can’t believe it! It only took 32 years, but you’re finally growing up. I need to throw you a party or something.”

“Uru...stop.”

“Now why are you so upset? If it’s about the whole Ruki thing, don’t worry. We can find him someone else…”

“It’s not about Ruki…” he sighed, sinking low in his seat and playing with stray grains of rice.

“Then what is it?”

His friend sounded genuinely concerned, and Reita knew that meant he wasn’t leaving the booth until he told all, so letting out an even bigger sigh than before, he slouched further before almost whispering, “I’m scared I’ll fuck it all up. You of all people know that I don’t know the first thing about dating. I don’t want to lose what I’ve found in him…”

“And what’s that?” Uruha questioned seriously, to which Reita raised his shoulders and slouched even further.

“I’m honestly not quite sure…he just makes me happy, I guess. I like being around him.”

Keeping his hazel orbs down casted and thoughts constantly going, Reita didn’t see Uruha raise from his seat, just as he didn’t see his friend lift his hands, so when fingers were suddenly pinching his cheeks, he was nothing but surprised, “You’re too cute. If I weren’t straight, I would’ve married you,” he smiled before continuing, “Don’t worry about anything, you’ll do fine. It all comes natural once it actually happens. Sort of like the first time you kiss somebody – you just know what to do, its instinct.”

The blond hated to admit it, but Uruha was probably right. Still, he wouldn’t let the business owner know that, so he just settled for swatting away his hands and telling him to shut up, sit back down, and finish his breakfast.

After that, things went by as usual. The two men entered Takashima’s Electric, Uruha handed Reita his list of customers today, and after sliding on his blue one piece, Reita went about his day. During the winter in Rikubetsu, heaters were known for going out due to the mass cold, so Reita found himself fixing four heaters alone, followed by installing lighting fixtures in a new house being built just three streets away from Kai’s home. It went without saying that whilst in that house, his eyes would roam east in the direction of the online teacher’s home, wondering if the younger man was just as excited or nervous as him for tonight’s date.

Once done with work, he hurried home to shower and change, his outfit this evening being a pair of stonewashed jeans and a dark form fitting cable sweater, and then the waiting game began. He and Kai we’re meeting at the café’ at eight o’clock, meaning he still had a good hour to waste. Feeding Oscar and Keiji took only seconds, and in no time he was back on the couch, his legs constantly tapping to the beat he’d created in his head as a distraction.

Before long, he found himself digging into his pocket and pulling out his cellphone, doing what he’d done for the past month in order to pass by time quicker – he texted Kai.

Are you excited for tonight? – Reita

As usual, a reply came back instantly.

Very. Isola-chan has even helped me pick out an outfit. I have to say, she has very good taste. – Kai

Do I get any picture proof? (^_-) – Reita

No, it’s a surprise. And don’t use those creepy emoticons, you’re too old for that. – Kai

You use them all the time – Reita

I’m 6 years younger & still youthful at heart. – Kai

You have like over 30 kids, you’re too worn out to be young. – Reita

I’ll just have to prove to you how not worn out I am. (─‿─) – Kai

Was that a sexual innuendo? – Reita

Yes. – Kai

And that’s when Reita had to stop texting and reevaluate this whole ‘date’ prospect. He’d asked Kai out because he wanted to spend more time with and get to know him better. He wanted to get under that strange, happier exterior and dissect just what those underlying issues were that Kai avoided talking about. The thought of anything happening between them tonight hadn’t even crossed his mind, because he honestly wanted this to work out…but if Kai was going to continue being straight forward with his advances, he’s not quite sure how this evening would end, and that’s the reason why before he left out of his flat and hopped into his truck, he slid a condom and slim tube of lube into his wallet.

When he entered the diner, the same waitress from this morning was just leaving, giving him a small bow as she walked past him. Reita didn’t really seem to register her polite greeting, quickly scurrying to the booth he and Uruha occupied this morning and once more beginning to wait. It was 8 o’clock on the dot, so Kai would arriving any second, and every time Reita heard the little bell ding above the entrance, his heart jumped a little bit out of his chest.

However, half an hour in and two cups of coffee later, that bell dinged at least five times, and there was still no Kai to show. It was snowy out and Reita had never seen a car parked anywhere near Kai’s house, so he figured Kai probably had to take a taxi to reach their meet up point and maybe that taxi was taking it’s sweet ass time due to the weather…so, he waited.

After an hour of watching other couples come and go, Reita finally decided to call Kai, only to get sent straight to voicemail. Directly after he called him, he typed out a text, expecting a swift reply of ‘I’ll be there soon, sorry for the wait’, but instead getting nothing in reply. But still, he waited and waited, his nerves slowly dying down and getting replaced with raw annoyance and disappointment.

When the three hour mark came about and the new waitress approached him for the fifth time asking whether he was going to order or not, the blond lost all form of patience and control, throwing some bills down onto the table before storming out of the café’ and making his way across the street to Lotus.

He realized after the first hour what had happened, but he didn’t want to believe it. Here he was afraid of messing things up between him and Kai, when really he had nothing to worry about the entire time, seeing as Kai had been the one to do just that.

Kai stood him up, and now Reita felt like all his worry and effort had been for nothing.

Pushing though the throng of people clustered around the entrance and small dance floor, he bounded for the bar, right away able to spot Aoi’s blond streak in the near dark, a familiar head of auburn seated at the end of the island. Sitting at the cushioned stool a few away from Ruki, watching the fashion journalist and noting he was already four sheets to the wind, Reita waited until Aoi noticed him and waved him over with two bent fingers, the bartender looking at him blankly before throwing a towel over his shoulder and walking over with stride.

“What the fuck’s wrong with him? He looks more trashed than usual.” Reita’s voice was gruff as he spoke over the loud music, watching as Aoi’s smoky eyes widened in shock, anger, or possibly a combination of the both.

“No. More like what the fuck is wrong with you?” A dark painted nail was shoved against his chest before he was being whacked repeatedly with the towel Aoi had thrown over his shoulder, the slightly damp ends making the motion somewhat painful.

Lifting his hands to fend himself from the cloth abuse, Reita ducked in his seat, yelling at the onyx haired bartender to quit it, “What the fuck, Aoi! I didn’t come here to deal with your shit!”

Scuffing, Aoi threw the towel to the floor, crossing his arms over his chest, and pushing his hip out to the side, adding to the threatening glare he was throwing Reita’s way. Even in the dark of the bar, Aoi’s pushed back long hair and studded nose ring gleamed, the normally gentle features somehow boosting the level of intimidation he was aiming at the blond, “Friends with benefits or not, you just don’t push someone to the side like that for a whole fucking month. It’s bullshit.”

First Uruha, now Aoi. Reita was getting real tired of everyone getting on his case about Ruki. Aoi had been just as persistent as Uruha in telling him to open up his dating pool. They’d been the ones to tell him to settle down into a real relationship, and now that he was trying to make the beginning steps, they were jumping on his case for not ending something that wasn’t really anything correctly. That, on top of Kai ditching out on their date, set his normally calm demeanor into a raising fit of anger.

“Look, Aoi, I haven’t pushed anyone to the side. Ru comes to me when he wants to fuck, he hasn’t been, so I figured all was done there. I know he has other people on the side, so is it really such a big fucking deal that I haven’t touched your princess for a fucking month?”

Contrasting glares meet, each challenging the other, before Aoi leaned in; his long hair brushing over Reita’s shoulder as his plush lips came close to his ear, “Reita,” he started in a threatening whisper, a sarcastic laugh following before he continued, “You’re my friend and all, but you’re fucking stupid. And trust me, if you don’t go over there and apologize to him right now, I’ll kick your ass out of my bar so fast you’ll be experiencing whiplash for the next year. He’s having a shit day and I’m not exactly the person he wants to see right now, so go.” Aoi ended by pushing against Reita’s shoulder with more force than could be considered friendly, offering the blond a fake smile as he picked up another towel and began drying glasses and filling drink orders as if he hadn’t just threatened him.

Having nothing to say back, Reita gawked at the bartender for seconds, eyes blinking in disbelief. He’d known Aoi for over seven years and never once had he seen him so enraged. Reita didn’t know if he was having a bad day as well or if it was something he said that turned the man so livid, but he wasn’t about to test his patience any further. Standing, he grabbed a stray shot Aoi had poured minutes ago, putting himself next to Ruki with just a few steps.

“Hey, Ru.” Greeting casually, sitting with his back to the bar and elbows resting on sleek wood surface.

Slowly, an auburn head of hair lifted, a small, drunk smile against Ruki’s full lips, “Reita…I’m drunk.”

Reita chuckled softly, seeing Ruki in his calm state of intoxication sort of a god send in his current situation, “I can see that,” another soft chuckle, “How have you been lately? Aoi says you’re having a rough night?” fingers came to rest on the fashion journalist’s thigh, tracing the patterns of his skin tight jeans lightly. Because really, this was the only way Reita knew how to apologize.

Noticing the fingers, Ruki watched them intently with hazy eyes as he leaned into Reita’s space just a little more, “Reita…nobody wants me. Everybody leaves me…”

Exhaling softly, he splays his entire hand on Ruki’s thigh for comfort. The electrician can tell Aoi’s began listening in on their conversation as he always does, catching from his corner view how the onyx haired man had now dried the same glass five times over, his pierced ears visibly perking up, “That’s not true, Ru. Aoi’s been-“

“I can’t be with Aoi…” he sounded hurt.

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.” Eyes which were a bright assortment of green tonight stared up at Reita helplessly, Ruki looking sadder than the blond has ever seen him in the long years he knew him.

He didn’t know how to reply, didn’t know what to say, so instead silence took over, their fix on each other intense.

“I…I was supposed to go on a date with Kai tonight,” Reita finally spoke up, feeling Ruki lean in closer again, “…I got stood up.” A glass behind them dropped, Reita turning slightly and seeing Aoi looking taken back, hands nearly shaking.

Ruki’s head was now leaning against his shoulder, small hand running up the electrician’s expanse of thigh and resting lightly over the zipper of his jeans, “So, nobody wants either of us, huh?”

Reita could see Aoi turn and face them, looking completely mortified. “I…I guess not.” he replied, feeling Ruki leaning completely into him, their lips close, eyes lidded, and the fashion journalist’s hand beginning to move wakingly.

“Let’s get out of here and be not wanted together then...”

Pressing a chaste peck to Reita’s lips, Ruki stood and headed for the exit, knowing Reita would follow right after him. Tossing some money down for Ruki’s drinks, the blond started after him, only to have his arm grabbed and yanked back.

“Reita…your date tonight, you said his name was Kai?”

Aoi sounded almost panicked, Reita still breaking the hold and giving him a questioning look, “Yeah, so what?”

“Kai…pale, black hair, about my height? That Kai?”

Reita scuffed, “Yeah. Take it you know him?”

“Reita…please go check in on him…” Aoi reached for his arm again, but Reita took a step back, feeling almost offended that Aoi would ask him to do such a thing after Kai had left him waiting for three hours.

“Why? He stood me up. “

“Reita…please. Kai…he needs help. He-”

Anger was clouding Reita’s judgment, hands slapping against the bar’s wooden structure as he hissed, “If he needs help, he has his precious Isola to protect him. I’m tired and fed up, so I’m going home to relax. Check on that asshole yourself.”

He wasn’t sure if it was his unusual sour attitude, the mention of the plants, or he turning on his heel without offering Aoi the apology he normally gave him for walking out of the bar with Ruki, but seeing Aoi’s face drop and pale like that put a constant twisting ache in Reita’s gut, one that he chose to ignore even as he pushed Ruki through his flat and onto his bed, their clothes melting off their bodies as mouths attacked every inch of available surface.

It felt euphoric having such close, intimate contact after almost a month of nothing; Ruki squirming underneath him and spilling his name through those cushioned lips nothing but arousing. Things were heated, Reita nipping skin, leaving bruises on neck and collarbones a like, hips thrusting fast with as much as intensity as the pair had stared at each other in the bar.

Feeling Ruki’s nails dig into his back and shout seductively every time he thrust just right encouraged Reita even more, their bodies slick with sweat and come; unable to detect even the slightest bit of winter surrounding them outside.

Ramming hard and fast, he felt Ruki’s teeth bite into his shoulder, silencing a pleasured scream as he hit that spot of ecstasy over and over again, being relentless and refusing to let up on the fast pace being set.

Hot and heavy breaths against his ear, Ruki sucking on a singly pierced ear and tugging on flat blond hair, tight walls clenching against his pulsing erection; Reita didn’t last much longer after Ruki reached his release, warm come splattering their bodies and sheets, only to soon fill the condom wrapped snuggly against Reita’s weakening erection.

Almost instantly after they each collapsed onto opposite sides of the bed, Ruki was out – gone to the world. Reita; however, couldn’t bring himself to sleep, his brain attempting to register every event and tidbit of information he’d taken in within just the last few hours.

Kai had seemed just as excited for their date as Reita had, so he couldn’t really understand just why it was the teacher had decided to stand him up. And then there was the fact that he hadn’t answered a single text message, something the younger just never didn’t do. What if Aoi was right? What if something bad happened to Kai? How did Aoi even know Kai?

All these questions of what and how had that guilty feeling which appeared in the pit of Reita’s stomach every time Kai became disconnected in front of him come rushing forward, the blond quickly sliding out of bed and throwing on the clothes scattered about the floor. Once in his truck, he drove the icy roads at the late hour of midnight, this time making it to Kai’s house in just under fifteen minutes.

From outside, he could see lights turned on in the younger man’s home, that right there setting off a small burst of anger, but an even larger burst of relief. Knocking on the door with hard knuckles, he began calling for the young teacher, “Kai? Kai, open the door…I’m not mad. I just want to talk…”

It was a harsh cold outside, Reita’s breath coming out in puffs of smoke and lungs feeling like they were frosting over. “Kai? Can you hear-”

When it happened, Reita was unsure, but somewhere along the way his hand wrapped around the door knob, a small twist to the left sending the wood structure open.

And the sight he was met with sent that guilt radiating throughout his entire body. Kai was dressed nicely, looking ready to have a night out on town; choppy hair still choppy, but snug burgundy sweater, followed by deep ebony pants looking nothing but appealing on him. The outfit, however, was easy to ignore, seeing as there Kai was, sitting right by the front door, knees to his chest and body trembling. Arms wrapped securely around his legs, he was rocking himself back and forth, head laying sideways in the pit of his arms, and Bambi eyes that usually glistened looking nothing but mortified.

As he continued to rock his body, Reita could hear the man mumble something, the only words clear enough for him to understand including ‘I tried’ and the repetitive mention of ‘2,191’.

“Kai?” he took hesitant steps forward, slowly reaching his hand out as he ducked down to Kai’s height, “Kai? Are you okay?” that hand rested upon Kai’s neck, putting the mumbling and trembling to a halt, surprised eyes focusing on the blond man.

“Rei…ta?”

This wasn’t Kai. The man before him was distant and scared – the total opposite to the Kai he’d come to know over the last month. But then arms were wrapped around the electrician’s neck, his own body suddenly flat against Kai’s as the choppy haired man dug his face into his neck, almost whimpering his apology. Over and over again, he kept saying ‘I tried, I tried. I didn’t forget…’ and each time he said it, Reita started to feel even guiltier.

“Shh, Kai, it’s alright,” comforting was the only thing he knew how to so right now, his hand rubbing in circles on Kai’s back as he continued to hold the younger close, “It’s ok. I understand.”

Which he really didn’t, but he was willing to do anything to get Kai to calm down some at this point.

“I’m sorry, Rei. I’m so, so sorry. I tried. I tried. I tired…”

Reita was starting to get a bit scared himself, only able to pull Kai close and hold him tighter, whispering to him that everything was going to be ok.

The mumbling continued for about 15 more minutes, Kai finally giving into his exhaustion and falling asleep in Reita’s arms. With soft steps, Reita carried the small man back into his room, placing him under the covers of his futon.

He couldn’t leave him alone, he wouldn’t feel right, so laying on top of the blankets, he wrapped his arms securely around Kai, face nuzzled into dark locks and the smell of hibiscus and almond cream allowing some of his guilt to reside and put him into a light sleep.


Before the sun even began to breach to horizon, the electrician woke up and snuck out into the kitchen. Having become familiarized with the setup of Kai’s house during his times of visits, he quickly made a pot of tea, placing two porcelain cups a little more than half way filled, two spoons, and the sugar container on the tray, before shuffling back into Kai’s room.

Not really knowing how long it was going to be till Kai woke up, Reita placed the tray on the floor next to the futon, only to stride up to the window, watching peacefully as the first rays of light began to make their appearance before the wintery abyss.

It was only when the sun rose all the way did the blond notice Isola-chan sitting in the windowsill, the lucky bamboo looking healthy with all but a small bit of yellow on part of her leaves. Mentally deducing he needed to buy more plant feed, he picked the bamboo up and carried her over to Kai, placing her in the young man’s line of vision, so when he woke up, she was the first thing he saw.

Any and all form of anger had left him since yesterday, Reita now primarily worried about Kai and Kai only. It scared him seeing the young online instructor like that, and now he just wanted Kai to wake up so he could check on his wellbeing.

Ruki could wait. Aoi could wait. Hell, even Uruha could wait. Right now, Kai was all that mattered.

“Reita?” a soft call, Kai sitting up while rubbing his eyes, smacking together dry lips.

He smiled, “Morning,” kneeling down next to the other, Reita handed him off one of the cups, the container of sugar following shortly after, “Drink, you look dehydrated.”

Nodding his head lightly, Kai added about six more scoops of sugar to his tea, downing the drink in a few sips, turning to Reita with gratefulness etched upon his lips, “Thank you, I needed that.” Even as he said his thanks, his attention was on Isola-chan, a part of one of his baby smiles making appearance as he reached forward and played with her leaves.

Reita smirked. He knew bringing her down to Kai was a good decision. “No problem,” sitting down on the futon next to Kai, he gently grabbed his hand, again offering that soothing back and forth movement of his thumb sliding over knuckles and veins, “Are you feeling alright?”

Instead of answering, Kai placed his cup on the tray and hid his face behind choppy locks, biting his lip with abuse, “I’m sorry, Reita…I didn’t mean to do that to you, alright? I just – I…I tried…” almost as if a defense mechanism, he brought his knees back up to his chest, curling himself into a tight ball that no one could disrupt.

“What do you mean you tried? Kai, I just want to know that you’re going to be ok. You scared me last night. You-”

“2,191.” There it was again, the number Kai kept mumbling repeatedly last night.

Grabbing a hold of the small man by both shoulders, Reita raised him straight, looking him directly in the eyes with a large sense of worry, “Kai, you’re not making any sense. Please, just talk to me.”

“It’s been 2,191 days.”

“Kai, what does that mean?”

“6 years Rei…” he whispered, trying to break their heavy stare, “It’s been six years since I last left the house.”

next chapter

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Author's Note: Those of you who follow me on twitter probably aren't too surprised by the ending xD Anyways...I don't have much to say...I know I've said there was the possibility of smut this chapter, but it didn't feel right to me, so I cut that scene all together. That's really it, hope you enjoyed!

Also, this is an early bday gift to the wonderful yutaka_no_drums :D I love youuuu <3