Unseen Solitaire - Chapter 7 (Reita & Kai)

[bitetoall136]

Title: Unseen Solitaire
Chapter: 7/??
Author: bite_to_all136
Genre: AU, Romance, Fluff, Slice of Life, Comedy, Angst, Drama
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)(Chapter 4)(Chapter 5)(Chapter 6)



Chapter 7

Peeling himself away from Kai’s sweat damped body, Reita slid off of the mattress and grabbed his boxers from the pile of nearby clothes, slipping into them and letting out a sigh. The sun was shining in bright through the up stair study’s window, basking the entire room in a light orange hue. Spring was usually a season he hated. It was typically irritatingly warm, but not warm enough as to where he couldn’t feel the lingering winter cool brace his body when he stepped outside. All the insects that had gone into hiding during the previous season decided to make a reappearance and decorate his car’s wind shield and hood in guts, which meant he had to spend more time cleaning his car than he already did. But most importantly, spring was when he’d been informed about his parents. About their accident. The accident that required Reita to spend his 19th birthday in his dorm room with Uruha, crying his eyes out all while planning a double funeral.

It was always hard for him to get through this particular season, but this year he figured everything would be different. Because the last two months of his life have been completely unbelievable; completely life changing.

Every evening, after he finished up with work, the only reasons he had to go back home were to wash up, grab a few things, and spend some time with his birds before he was headed back off to Kai’s place. It didn’t feel right not being able to kiss and touch Kai every evening. It didn’t feel right not waking up with the shaggy haired teacher in his arms. Reita’s come to the point where if he didn’t see Kai every day, he simply couldn’t function properly.

Sitting back down on the edge of the mattress, he laid partially back down, using his elbow for support. Kai was curled up into a ball in the light top sheet they used as a blanket, and the sun was shining right into his face, making him scrunch his features up and groan and complain in his sleep.

It made Reita smile. Kai was irresistible even while sleeping.

Reaching out, his broad hand came to cup the side of Kai’s face, running his thumb back and forth over the apple of his cheek. The affectionate motion only made Kai purse his lips and grumble some more while he attempted to lift his arms and cover his face with the sheets, something that he failed at given he was so wrapped up in them Reita assumed he’d never find his way out.

“Kai? Baby? Wake up, you said you wanted to get up early this morning, remember?”

Kai only grunted and turned onto his other side, completely facing away from Reita and burying his face into his pillow.

No matter how many months Reita’s been around and forced his early morning wake up calls on Kai, the younger would undoubtedly never be a morning person. Which just so happened to be another quirk Reita found to be beyond endearing. A sleepy eyed, grumpy Kai glaring him down first thing in the morning was how he preferred to start off his days.

“Fine, fine, I’ll let you sleep. But remember, you were the one who wanted to get up early.”

Sitting up straight again, Reita playfully smacked his hand down on Kai’s ass, earning one last grunt from the younger before he exited out of the study and began what has become his morning routine.

He padded his way downstairs, heading into Kai’s actual bedroom and smiling. “Morning girls and boys. Guess it’s my job to feed you since your daddy is too lazy to get up and do it himself, huh?”

Of course he received no response, he wasn’t planning on hearing one in the first place. But still, after being around Kai practically every day the past few months, it was kind of hard not to have some of his habits rub off on him, so daily discussions with Kai’s plants had kind of become the norm for Reita.

After grabbing the watering can, he wasted no time in taking it out to the kitchen so he could fill it with water, getting right back into Kai’s room and starting to water each and every bamboo plant. When he was done with the task at hand, he got to work on fixing himself and Kai some breakfast, then made his way back upstairs to the back corner study room that has become his and Kai’s own little sanctuary.

They have had long conversations while cuddled together on the floor level mattress, but more than anything, they fucked. Hands were constantly all over each other, lips having discovered every centimeter of one another’s body. Almost every position had been conquered, Reita having figured out within the first week of non-stop sex with Kai that the younger’s favorite strategy was to ride Reita and ride him hard. Every time they were together, it was electric. Reita felt a tingle transpire from head to toe and more than ever he wanted to pull Kai close and whisper those three little words to him. But he was scared. Because he’d come to the realization that although he was starting to understand Kai a little better day by day, that although he’d come to learn a lot about him, he still didn’t fully understand him. Kai was unpredictable. He could go from happy and giddy one moment to tired and quiet the next, and Reita was honestly petrified that such a small declaration could change their entire relationship, possibly turning it entirely upside down; going from carefree and constantly in need of physical contact to distant and awkward.

Stepping back into the bedroom, he sat back on the edge of the bed. He settled the tray onto what had become his small slither of the twin size mattress and started rubbing a hand up and down Kai’s back, soothing him awake. “Kai, come on, wake up. I’ve given you over an hour extra to sleep in.”

Kai only grunted and kicked his legs out, trying to shoo Reita away from him. Reita sighed, knowing exactly what card he was going to have to play.

“Fine, fine. Sleep all you want. But just know that for every extra minute you sleep in, that equals an entire day of no sex for you.”

Kai sprang up out of bed immediately, his choppy hair a wild mess and a full pout on his lips as he rubbed at his eyes and scrunched up his nose. Once he awakened a bit more, he leaned onto Reita, resting his head on his shoulder. “You’re so mean, Rei. You know your dick is all I have going for me right now, why would you threaten to take it away?”

“Happy to hear my dick is the only part of this relationship that means anything to you, Kai.” Reita chuckled, kissing Kai’s temple. “Come on, time to eat up. We have a long day of us today.” He reached back, grabbing the tray of breakfast, settling it between his and Kai’s lap.

Unsurprisingly, Kai went right for his mug of tea. He began sipping on the hot liquid, Reita watching as his eyes suddenly widened and he began spluttering on the piping drink. A sudden look of guilt transpired all across his features, and ever so slowly, Kai looked up at Reita, mocha eyes wide. “Today’s Tuesday…right?”

A knowing smile made its way across Reita’s lips. “It is.”

Kai bit into his bottom lip, putting his mug of tea on the floor and nuzzling his face into Reita’s neck, before letting out a loud groan, sounding clearly annoyed with himself. “I’m so sorry, Rei. You must think I’m the worst boyfriend ever. I didn’t’ forget, I swear I didn’t forget. I just…had a momentary lapse in judgement and thought today was Monday, that’s all…”

A ripe fit of laughter tore its way through Reita’s throat, the blond reaching up and ruffling Kai’s sleep mused hair. “Baby, just admit it. You forgot my birthday.”

“I did not!” Kai shot up from his nuzzled position, sounding beyond offended, “If I would’ve known it was Tuesday, I would’ve gotten up early – just like I told you I was going to—and then I would’ve woken you up with a Happy Birthday blowjob before making you go downstairs to cook for us.”

The expression on Kai’s face was more than serious, and in the moment it was beyond easy for Reita to register that, yes, Kai actually had put all his heart into planning the perfect morning surprise for his birthday. A fact that only made an amused grin spread across his lips. “Well…we’re both up now and breakfast is already made, so…do you think it would be okay if the schedule you had planned went a little out of order?”

Reita threw an arched brow in Kai’s direction, making one of those impish looks appear on Kai’s face. Reita knew that look. He loved that look. Because in past months, there’s only one thing he’s come to associate that particular look with.

Before he could even properly set the tray of food down onto the floor, Kai’s hands were pushing him against the chest so Reita fell back against the mattress, feeling Kai get up on his knees and straddle his lap in record speed. Their foreheads were plastered together within seconds, and Kai nudged their noses together, providing Reita with Eskimo kisses, all while that look of deviousness continued to conquer his once sweet, Bambi eyed face.

Warm breath grazed his cheek, Kai’s lips moving over heating skin, his voice soft and seductive, “Happy birthday, dear Rei-chan, happy birthday to you~.” He paused, moving his lips to Reita’s other cheek, continuing his song in that tempting tone while his hips began to move, grinding slowly and awakening that fiery heat all throughout Reita’s body. “Happy birthday, dear Rei-chan, happy birthday to yoooou~.”

Kai dipped his head, allowing both men to feel the smile gracing each their sets of lips. “Happy birthday, Rei….enjoy.”

In a soft press, their lips fully came together, each man titling their head to the side to allow immediate entrance. Their tongues lapped and their lips meshed, each humming and groaning, enjoying the taste and feel of each other.

Reita could easily get lost in Kai’s kisses alone, especially one as rare at this. The heat and utter lust that was typically there was completely removed, allowing them to appreciate all there was. The way Kai subtlety tilted his head to the side every now and then, taking a fraction of a second to catch his breath before getting right back to giving Reita all he had. The way uncontrolled moans would slip passed his thin lips and Reita would have no choice but to swallow those sounds of bliss. Even the way Kai’s hands gripped onto his hips, silently asking for reassurance; for Reita to never let go.

It was moments like these where Reita realized what he had with Kai was infinite. No matter where their paths led them in the future, no matter if they had a fight the tore them apart or even decided that what they had simply wasn’t working, Reita knew Kai would always be a part of him.

He would always love him.

Kai broke the kiss with an immediate whimper, his breath ragged and lips swollen and glossy. He smiled boyishly at Reita, his hands wrapping in blond tresses as he gently kissed Reita’s lips again, whispering, “….thank you, Reita…”

“What’re you thanking me for?” It was sincere confusion Reita was facing. Here Kai was, having turned his life completely around for the better, and he was the one thanking him?

Kai shrugged his shoulders. “Just…thank you. For being here, for existing. You’re never going to fully understand exactly what you’ve done for me. Thank you…”

Another sweet kiss to his lips, and then before Reita could even begin to question what Kai’s sudden apathetic demeanor was about, the younger began to kiss down his neck, his hands beginning to dance up and down his sides, slipping up under his shirt and teasing his nipples, those narrow hips of his resuming their languid pace, making Reita forget any and all coherent thoughts.

Completely losing himself in Kai.

Through breathless pants and greedy hands, all their clothing was eventually removed. Kai was kissing and sucking on every inch of Reita’s taut skin, leaving behind loving bruises that Reita knew he’d proudly be staring at in the mirror later on in the evening, and Reita was trying his best to offer Kai what he could. Gentle touches to his back, fingers combing through his soft hair, an utterance of his name every now and again, letting the younger know this was more than he could possibly ever ask for.

He wanted to grab Kai, pin him beneath him and stare into those wonderful deep mocha’s as he poured everything he felt for the young teacher into the most intimate of all acts. But he restrained himself for doing much of anything. Because he knew Kai wanted this to be all about him today, he knew Kai wanted full say in what happened between them.

And Reita always tried his hardest to give Kai exactly what he wanted.

Those chapped lips with a tint of forever sweetness continued to worship his body, and by the time Reita felt Kai’s tongue begin to lick up and down his shaft, he was already close. His back arched as he called Kai’s name with encouragement, a plea that was immediately cut short as it morphed into a pleasured gasp when Kai’s lips wrapped around his head and sucked hard. A few tantalizing laps with his tongue around his most sensitive area, and then Kai was moving down his cock, taking Reita fully into his mouth, humming around him as if he were the most delectable treat in the entire world.

“Fuck, Kai…Baby.” Even through all he overwhelming pleasure, Reita couldn’t prevent the fraction of a smile that tugged at his lips upon receiving a reprimanding smack on the thigh from Kai over what the younger deemed as a demeaning pet name. Sure, after the first time they’d had sex together, Kai tried to remain persistent on being called by his birth name and nothing else, but Reita remained equally as persistent in wanting to provide Kai with a name only he had the right to use. It had been a cold war; Kai resorting to glares and scowls every time Reita referred to him in such a way. But, eventually, Reita’s cheekiness and innocent grins won, Kai now only reprimanding him when he felt like it; his usual scowls now turned into eye rolls and accepting smiles.

Kai continued to work Reita in his mouth, hallowing his cheeks and humming, his nails clawing into Reita’s thighs. Reita’s hands tightened in the younger’s hair, his hips thrusting up every once in a while as that torrid heat built in his stomach and every inch of skin became damp with sweat. “K-kai, I’m going to- Fuck.”

Kai took him as deep as he could, swallowing his pearly release before pulling back, his expression like that of a content kitten who’d just been allowed a savory bowl of milk. Reita watched with an open mouth, still trying to catch his breath, as Kai used the back of his hand to wipe the mixture of come and saliva from around his mouth, only to look up at the blond and smile proudly.

“That makes up for kind of, sort of forgetting your birthday, right?”

“Baby, that makes up for making me wait all those months to finally get a piece of that adorable little ass of yours.”

Kai rolled his eyes, sliding back up Reita’s body and bringing him into a deep kiss that only left him breathless once more. When he pulled back, Kai looked nothing more than satisfied at the reaction he drew from the blond, circling the tip of his finger all along his stern chest and stating, “I’m going to go take a shower. Maybe if the birthday boy joins me, there’ll be another surprise waiting for him…”

“What if birthday boy wants to stay in bed all day and not move a muscle, hmm?” Reita arched a challenging brow.

Titling his head to the side, Kai lowered himself so his and Reita’s lips just barely touched, dropping his voice down to a teasing whisper, “Then birthday boy won’t be getting anything else from me.”

Reita pursed his lips, pouting, “That’s so damn cruel, babe.”

Kai smiled and shrugged his shoulders, standing up naked as the day he was born and then walking out of the room with a saunter, making sure to sway his narrow hips side to side.

Reita laid in bed for all of about thirty seconds before he was scrambling to get up and disentangle himself from the sheets, running out into the hall and finding just enough time to toss Kai over his shoulder and smack his ass, listening to the younger’s loud giggles and snorts as he ran towards the bathroom.


It didn’t surprise Reita in the least bit that by the time they finished up in the shower, they’d been dirtied two more times throughout their acts of raw passion, and all hot water had gone cold. He stepped out of the shower with Kai in his arms, tossing a towel over the young teacher, and then ever so gently carried him down stairs. Walking to his bedroom, he tucked Kai into his futon, his heart warming as Kai smiled at him all sleepily.

“Sorry for wearing you out like that, baby. I swear it wasn’t intentional.”

But Kai just waved Reita off, closing his eyes and getting cozy. “I just don’t understand…how someone so old…can be so good?”

“Hey, I’m not that old-“

“Yes you are, now shhh. Sleep, I want more sleep.”

Reita couldn’t even pretend to be mad. Kai could throw any and all insults at him the world had to offer and that would still manage to only make him fall for him harder.

Pressing a kiss to Kai’s forehead, Reita combed his fingers through his hair. “Hey, I’m going to head into work for a few hours. You just rest up for tonight. I know it’s probably going to take a lot out of you...”

Because after months of pestering on both Kai and Uruha’s part, Reita was finally taking the next step in his and Kai’s relationship.

He was going to allow Kai to meet his family, or he closest thing he had to family, which just so happened to be Uruha.

The thought of the two of them meeting had put Reita on edge for weeks now. Besides himself, he hadn’t seen Kai come into contact with anyone in the half a year they’ve known each other. He wasn’t sure how Kai would react, what state of mind it would put him in. Would it be too much for him? Would he end up folding under his own weight and completely breaking off into that world Reita still hadn’t a clue about? Just the thought of risking putting Kai back into that broken state, the thought the he could very well be the cause of such destruction, turned Reita into a mess of nerves.

But he also knew it was something he had to do. His best friend wanted this. The love of his life also wanted this. And he couldn’t bring himself to let either of them down.

Taking one last moment to stare lovingly at Kai and take in all his features, Reita stood and headed out the door. Hopping into his truck and heading down town, he made it to Takashima’s Electric and stopped into Uruha’s office for a few minutes, needing to grab his assignments for the day.

Everything seemed to be going as usual, the pair discussing subjects only related to work before catching up on Uruha’s personal life and just how his kids have been doing since Reita hasn’t seen them nearly as much as he used to since he started dating Kai. And just when the blond thought he was getting away without mention of the world’s most nerve riled dinner, Uruha called him back into his office.

“So…anything I need to bring to dinner tonight? Side dishes? Desserts?”

“Umm, no? I think everything’s set. I’m doing all the cooking since Kai’s kind of clueless in that department. So you know everything will be edible. Just, um…bring yourself, you know?”

With his head back to being buried in a folder, Uruha nodded his head and added offhandedly, “Alright, see you tonight, then. Emi gets off of work at six, so I’ll see you and Kai around seven, yes?”

“Eh…yeah, sure. Seven sounds great.” Reita couldn’t understand how Uruha was so calm. Uruha, who made the biggest deal out of every situation possible, was simply sitting there, appearing so calm it was as if he was meditating, while an earthquake was seemingly shaking Reita’s entire world.

Uruha looked up from his filed folder, smiling. “Okay. And Rei? I’m real excited for tonight. Getting to finally meet the man who forced you to settle down? That’s, wow…it’s a moment I’ve been waiting for our entire friendship. Your parents would be so proud of you…”

“You say that now, but you never know. Kai could be like, a ranging lunatic-“

“I thought that was already proven given the fact that he’s dating you.”

“Oi! I-“

“Reita, if you want your birthday present tonight, you’ll get out of my office and get to work right this second.”

His stare turned deadly. He flicked Uruha off. And then, with a half smirk, he turned on his heels and headed off to work.

He made his way through more than half of his appointments by noon, and after an hour lunch break in which he barely ate because he was too busy texting Kai, he made his way to his most tedious scheduled appointment for the day.

During the late spring, storms seemed to take over this little town on a day to day bases. Some days the showers lasted only minutes, while at other times they seemed to last for days. Unfortunately, just a few days prior, a storm had come through and had been strong enough to cause some flooding in some of the older buildings, which could cause the electrical wiring to go out of whack.

That was the exact case for the apartment complex he was currently parking in front of. He knew this job was going to take up most of the rest of his day, so he sent Kai one last text before slipping on his rubber boots and work gloves, grabbing all the tools he needed and then walking to the back entrance.

He spoke to the landlord, who told him exactly what was going on, and then after being shown where the basement was, he walked down the stairs and pushed his way through knee deep floods, finally getting to work.

Three hours passed by the time he drained most of the water out of the basement, and by the time he got around to finishing installing new units and lighting fixtures, it was already passed five o’clock. He made his way back up to the lobby and spoke to the manager once more, collecting his payment for the day, more than relieved that it was a smooth transaction, because that meant he had more than enough time to head home and grab some of the nicer clothes he had stored in the back of his closet before he arrived back at Kai’s and began cooking for tonight’s dinner.

It seemed, however, that his inner thoughts had placed a curse upon him, for when Reita turned to head back out to the company van, he bumped into somebody, knocking himself and the unknown person onto the ground, along with a box of the stranger’s belongings.

Instantly, he was scattering to pick everything up, apologizing under his breath and rambling about how it seems his boyfriend’s clumsy nature has worn off on him. Nevertheless, those ramblings soon came to an abrupt end. Because one of the stranger’s belongings he picked up made his heart stop and stomach twist. It was a picture, and in it were four men Reita either knew or has seen before.

Aoi, Ruki, Hitsugi, and….Ni~ya.

Bringing the picture closer so he could examine it more thoroughly, he saw Ruki smiling freely, an expression he’s never once seen on the fashion journalist’s face the entire time he’s known him. And just from the looks of everything going on in the picture, it was easy to detect that smile was there due to the rawboned man’s arms wrapped around him; due to Ni~ya’s arms wrapped around him.

The picture in front of him was definitely an older one, Reita’s best guess that it was at least a decade old. Aoi was sans all his piercings and blond streak, the fine lines and tiredness he carried around with him in the present nowhere in sight. Ruki’s cheeks were still in their chubby stage, and Reita couldn’t even wrap his mind around his friend once having virgin black hair. He was unsure about the differences of the other two men in the picture, having only met Hitsugi once at the pawn shop and Ni~ya never. But it was safe to say they appeared younger, just as his two friends did.

Reita was snapped out of his own little world when he heard someone clear their throat. He quickly stored the picture back in the box and then bowed his head slightly, getting ready to look the person in the eye and apologize when he finally found the sense to look up, getting another surprise.

In front of him were half the men from the picture – Aoi and Hitsugi.

“Rei? What’re you doing here?”

Aoi sounded nothing short of surprised as he leaned down and offered Reita a helping hand. Hitsugi remained on the floor, picking up the last of his belongings before standing back up so he and Aoi were shoulder to shoulder, offering Reita identical surprised looks.

“I had work to do here and I literally just finished up. Um…what’re you two doing here?”

Aoi rested his hand on the small of Hitsugi’s back, pushing him forward a bit. “Hitsu lives here. He’s been staying with me the last couple of days because of the electrical problems here. Oh,” sudden realization dawned upon Aoi’s tired features, “I feel so rude. This is Hitsugi-”

“I know who he is,” Reita interrupted, cutting Aoi short, “We met a few weeks back at the pawn shop.” Turning to the heavily pierced and tatted man and raising a brow, he added, “You never came into the bar to let me buy you a drink, man. What gives?”

It was beyond hard to keep his cool when Reita had so many questions bubbling up in the back of his mind. Everyone around him seemed to be connected, they all seemed to know the mystery behind this ominous Ni~ya figure and it was beginning to grate on the last of his nerves. Because if they knew Ni~ya, they had to know Ni~ya’s history with Kai, and more than anything, that’s what Reita wished to uncover.

Hitsugi’s cheeks lit up to a bright tone that matched his fiery red hair, and he looked down at the ground, trying to avoid looking Reita in the eye. “Y-yeah, sorry about that. I…I’ve been busy. Anyways, it was good seeing you again. I’m going to head up back to my place. You two can stay here and…talk.”

A look that Reita was sure he wasn’t supposed to catch was passed between Aoi and Hitsugi, and the moment the red haired man was gone, Reita raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest, sending Aoi a look of his own. “I think we need to talk, Aoi.”

“Y…yeah,” Aoi agreed. “We do.”


They ended up at a locally owned coffee shop just a few shops down from Hitsugi’s apartment complex. Aoi ordered his coffee black and Reita found himself ordering some peppermint concoction that he would’ve never ordered in the past, even going to the extent of adding an extra pack of sugar – something he blamed entirely on Kai. Once they found an empty table outside the café and sat, a long moment of nothing but silence took over, until Aoi sighed and pat Reita on the back.

“It’s the 27th today, yeah? Happy birthday, man. Can’t believe you’re already 33. Time sure does pass, eh? I remember when-”

“Aoi, cut the crap and just tell me what the hell is going on. I know I haven’t been coming into Lotus nearly as much as I used to, but every time I do you avoid me like the plague. Even Uru and Ru are starting to worry about you.”

Reita watched Aoi take a tentative sip of his coffee before he placed his Styrofoam cup down on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not avoiding you, I’m not avoiding Ru and Uruha, I just…I have a lot going on right now.”

“Oh yeah, like what? Because the one of the last times I spoke with you, your neck was covered in hickies and you had this mysterious new fuck buddy, and, I don’t know, things seemed to be actually looking up for you.”

Aoi remained staring down at his coffee, shrugging his shoulders, “Rei, you just read into everything wrong. Things haven’t been okay for me in a long, long time…”

Aoi was as pale as a ghost. It was obvious he’d lost some weight, his face looking frighteningly gaunt, and his long hair that he usually prided himself on was wrapped up in a knotted ball on top of his head. He looked beyond defeated, and that, more than anything, scared Reita. Because no matter what, Aoi was never the type to give up. He always fought well and hard for what he wanted, even if he didn’t end up being the victor in the end.

More than concerned, Reita stretched across the table, putting one of his hands on top of Aoi’s folded ones. “Aoi, talk to me, man. Tell me what’s going on. It’s me, you know you can tell me anything.”

Biting his lip and teasing his skin where his lip ring once was, Aoi casted his eyes down, looking anywhere that wasn’t Reita and remaining quiet. His response only left Reita with the option to poke and prod until he received some sort of reaction.

“Okay, if this is about the whole fuck buddy thing, don’t worry. I know Hitsugi’s who you’ve been shacking up with, and from the looks of it, he’s more than just a piece of meat to you. I-”

“What do you mean ‘from the looks of it’?” Aoi’s brows narrowed and his forehead wrinkled before his menacing eyes finally looked up at the blond, “Just because I’ve been letting Hitsugi stay at my place doesn’t mean there’s something going on between us-”

“I saw you two together, Aoi.” The bartender stared at him with disbelief, making Reita further his explanation, “About two months ago, at the Ikari’s Pawn. I was in there with Uru, it’s where I bought that,” Reita pointed at the leather jacket Aoi was currently wearing, the blond having given it to him nearly a week after he’d purchased it, “and I saw you two.”

“…Well…what you saw…it’s not what you’re thinking it is.” Aoi ripped his hand from under Reita’s, placing them in his lap, “Yeah, Hitsu and I are hooking up, but we’re not like…dating or anything like that. We’ve known each other a real long time, and I don’t know, we’ve both had a lot going on in our lives lately and…we just needed to be there for each other, that’s all.”

Somehow, that bit of news brought Reita relief.

“Well…you wanna talk about the stuff you’ve been going through?”

“No, not really, but…I guess you have the right to know.” Sitting up straight, Aoi pulled his jacket taut against his body, protecting himself from the cool air which had arrived with the later hour. “I...I’m thinking of selling the bar. There’s nothing left for me here, so, I don’t know…I think it’s time to just pack my bags and move on with my life…”

That bit of news had Reita practically shooting across the table. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard no matter how clear Aoi had been in expressing himself. “What’re you talking about? There’s nothing left for you here? What about me and the rest of your friends? What about the bar? What about your brother? What about…Ru?”

Scoffing, Aoi dug through his back pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting up the moment he had the filter placed between raw lips. “What about Ru, Rei? I’ve spent way too many years of my life chasing him, it’s never going to happen. He’s one of the reasons I need to get away. It’s too painful watching him come into my bar every night just to get trashed off his ass and leave with some stranger, when I know I have so much to offer him. I could give him the relationship he deserves, but…he just keeps pushing me further and further away…”

In that moment, things went deathly silent. Aoi’s words had stung Reita in a way he hadn’t been expecting, and it took he blond almost a full ten minutes to gather the courage to ask such a simple question. “….Has Ru really gotten that bad since I’ve ended things with him?” Aoi nodded his head in response, adding to that sting, “But why? You don’t think he…loved me, do you?”

A short, pitiful snort flew from Aoi’s lips, the bartender reaching for his coffee and downing the rest of it before smiling wryly up at Reita. “No, Rei. I can one hundred percent guarantee you Ru didn’t love you. You were more of a distraction than anything. You kept him from living in the reality he’s been trying to avoid these past seven years...”

That made Reita’s brows furrow, complete and utmost confusion taking over. In Aoi’s head, he knew everything made sense. Aoi had all the missing pieces of the puzzle, and even when he spewed off small bits of details, he could still connect everything and gather the full story. Reita needed more of those minor details to even begin making sense of this all.

“Aoi, if you really want me to help, you have to stop speaking in encryption, because there’s no way in hell I’m ever going to be able to decipher it all with the bear minimum.”

“Alright, fine. I guess it’s okay for me to tell you this part.” With a sigh, Aoi scooped up his empty coffee cup and aimed to throw it in the trash can behind Reita, a small look of amusement gracing his features when he saw he successfully made it in. “That picture you saw earlier? That was possibly one of the last times I ever saw Ru truly happy…”

“And why’s that?” Reita inquired, knowing if he didn’t continue to ask questions, Aoi would leave him with the small handful of facts he’s already given.

“Because, after that weekend, everything began to go to hell.” Aoi cleared his throat and pressed his palms into his eyes, obviously distressed at having to bring up a topic that has appeared to haunt him for years. “See, I had just moved back here a few months before that trip. I told you before, my brother needed me. He had graduated high school not too long before that and…he was just a mess, Rei. So, I moved back home, helped him get his life together. That trip was to celebrate him getting accepted into the college up here. It was supposed to be his last weekend of fun before he had to buckle down and get serious, you know?”

Reita’s only response was to nod his head, letting Aoi know he was intrigued and still listening.

“It was only supposed to be the two of us, but of course Hitsugi and Ruki ended up tagging along, too. I mean, what’s a celebration without your best friend and boyfriend?”

“Wait…” the blond knew that if he didn’t stop and ask questions now, Aoi would continue on and force him to figure everything out for himself. But that’s not what he wanted. For once he wanted answers straight out. He wanted to stop feeling like he was left out of this whole world his small group of friends – the people he cared about most—had previous to him ever coming into the picture. He’s known Ruki and Aoi for what seemed like forever, he thought he knew them better than he knew himself. But it turns out he was wrong, oh so wrong. “So Hitsugi, he’s Ni~ya’s best friend?”

Aoi nodded, adding a hum to verify his answer.

“And Ruki…when you said he and Ni~ya more than knew each other, you meant-“

“I meant they dated for like, ever. Seriously, from the time they were fourteen they were inseparable. They were each other’s first everything. First kiss, first fuck, first relationship. Whatever other firsts there are, that’s what they were to each other.”

Never once before had Reita felt more sorry for Aoi than he did at this current moment. To know how deeply he’s cared about Ruki since he was young, to know how he must’ve been forced to watch Ruki be happy day in and day out with not just some stranger, but his own brother. That had to hurt on levels Reita’s never in his life experienced, and without ever having to ask, it became more than obvious why Aoi had left Rikubetsu all those years ago.

It was to get away. To get away from all the pain.

Simply seeing Kai in a photograph with his ex smiling and looking beyond in love had been enough to set Reita’s entire body on fire. So for Aoi to actually have to see in person the love of his life being courted by his younger sibling he held near and dear to him? Reita knew that had to have been suffocating.

He’s always known Aoi was strong in every way, but after this discovery, Reita couldn’t help but gain a new found respect for him.

Averting his gaze from the table, he released the grip on his peppermint drink and looked up at Aoi, asking softly, as if that would make talking about this less wrenching. “What happened?”

Aoi sighed. “School happened. Life happened,” A dramatic pause, “…Kai happened.”

Before Reita could even begin to interfere, Aoi continued. “After Ni~ya started school, his and Ru’s relationship began to waver a little bit. They were always arguing about not getting to spend enough time with each other. Still, they stayed together, they got through it. But then came Ni~ya’s second year of college and that’s when things got…real bad. Ni~ya was staying out late without telling Ru why, they were arguing more than ever, and finally, one day Ni~ya admitted to having met someone else. He told Ru that he loved him too much and that he didn’t want to hurt him more than he had to…so he broke up with him before he ended up cheating on him. And that’s when everything began to go downhill.”

“Wait, wait, wait. So you’re telling me that the reason why Ni~ya broke up with Ruki is because of Kai?” Another nod on Aoi’s part. “So…why Ruki acts the way he does…is over a break up?

“Not exactly, but it is part of the reason, yes.”

Reita blinked, having just now realized how far off topic this entire conversation has become. “I’m so confused here. What does your brother breaking up with Ruki have to do with you suddenly wanting to leave town?”

He could tell by the building tension in Aoi’s body that his friend was beginning to get irritated, that fat vein making its presence in the middle of his forehead. But at the same time, it was obvious getting some of this off his chest was almost therapeutic to Aoi. Because if he hadn’t found some form of release in it, he wouldn’t have continued on willingly.

“No, Rei. It’s the after effects of their break up that have me wanting to leave town. It’s just too…painful to live here anymore. Even with Ru rejecting me before, at least I knew he was in good hands with you. But now? I see him like this and…it’s tearing me apart.”

Aoi’s voice broke and he looked up at the sky, refusing to look Reita in the face. A tell all sign that finally admitting his failed attempts at a relationship with Ruki had finally taken its toll on him. He’d tried to be strong all these years, but now the wear and tear has become too much, and Reita knew that Aoi needed to leave before he completely broke and became permanently damaged.

He wanted to change subjects, he really did. But with all the new information he’d just acquired, Reita couldn’t help but ask one more question; his attempt at getting juice out of a turnip that had already dried up. “I’m sorry, Aoi. Just one more question and I’m done, okay?”

Aoi turned his stare from the sky, his eyes shot a tender red and moist around the edges.

Reita told himself those weren’t the beginnings on tears in his friend’s eyes, but instead mist from the oncoming spring showers.

He had to find some way to keep his conscious clear.

“How come Ru’s never said anything to me about Kai before? I know Ru, he’d be pissed if he found out I was dating his exes ex.”

The slight shrug Aoi had to offer was followed up by a sniffle, his nose and the tips of his ears now a hue of pink. “That might be because Ru doesn’t know you’re dating Ni~ya’s ex.”

Again, Reita looked confused.

And again, Aoi continued without needing to be pushed.

“After they broke up, Ru and Ni~ya lost all contact with each other. He even refused to ever come around the house because he didn’t want to see Ni~ya happy with someone else.”

“Soo, what you’re saying is-”

“Ru has absolutely no idea who Kai is.”

“Oh…”

Everything was starting to make a bit more sense now, puzzle pieces that had been scattered in the ocean were finally finding their way back to the land. And although soggy and disintegrating, they fit well enough to and provided Reita with enough of an image to allow him to imagine the rest.

But still, the image was rather foggy.

“There’s more to all of this, isn’t there?”

Aoi’s response was a woeful smile as he patted Reita on the shoulder. “What do you think?”

Yes, that definitely meant yes. ”But you’re not going to tell me, are you?”

Another smile, followed by a head shake this time. “Sorry, Rei. If I go any further into the details of this mess called life, I’ll be treading into Kai territory. And I told you before, I’m not going to do that to him. I’ll let him tell you all there is to know when he’s ready.”

“You know, it really sucks that you’re such a good guy sometimes. Can’t you just be a gossip queen like Ru and give me all the goods up front?” Reita smiled, glad to hear Aoi laugh for the first time since their conversation began.

“Wish I could, really wish I could. I just want you and Kai to be happy. Nothing but good has come out of the two of you being together.”

“Oh yeah?” Reita challenged cheekily, raising a brow. “Name one thing.”

“Um, for starters, I’ve started to save about a hundred bucks a month not having to deliver packages to him every Sunday.”

Reita started to notice a few weeks back that Aoi had stopped his deliveries, but that was one of the minor details he didn’t need explained. Aoi stopped because he knew Kai was taken care of. He knew he could rely on Reita to provide Kai with what he needed and keep him healthy. Aoi trusted him with someone he once held dearly. And that realization made Reita feel good about himself.

After all these years of fearing for the worst when it came to relationships, he was able to conclude he could love another, he could take care of someone.

He could actually be a half decent boyfriend.

“And the other reason? It’s because you’re happy. I mean – are you even listening to me?”

Reita received a slap on the back of the head from Aoi, having gotten lost in his own thoughts. No, he wasn’t paying attention to Aoi. He was too busy working up the nerve to ask the one question that could change his and Kai’s relationship for good – for better or for worse.

But he had to ask. He had to be the best partner he could be for Kai, something that was impossible to do when he was still left in the dark about almost everything.

“Sorry, man. It’s just…could I have Ni~ya’s address? I’d like to speak to him in person, if you don’t mind.”

A mixture of relief and hesitance was what Aoi’s body language spoke, but Reita couldn’t help the amused smile that appeared on his lips when he saw Aoi reach into his bag and pull out a pen, only to scatter some words and numbers across a napkin sheet.

“Sure thing,” Aoi slid he napkin across the table. “Here you go,” and the moment Reita took it from him, the relief outweighed the hesitance Aoi was sporting. Because the weight was finally off his shoulders.

He no longer had to carry the burden of being the only one who knew all.

“…Thanks.”


Not too long after Reita shoved the napkin into his pocket was when he and Aoi decided to part ways. They said their good byes, Aoi heading off back up to Hitsugi’s flat and Reita towards his car. It was only as he drove past the market he bought all his groceries from did he remember his birthday dinner tonight, and it was only then he noticed the moon already high in the sky. He knew there wasn’t enough time to cook all he had planned, so he grabbed his phone when he came to the next stop light, texting Kai.

Ran into an old friend and lost track of time, sorry. You think take out is good enough for tonight? – Reita

Ugggh, I don’t care if you cook or bring take out. Just hurry up with it because I’m starving. You haven’t been here to cook me meals all day so I’ve been living off of tea (｡•́︿•̀｡) – Kai

Why not make one of those millions of precooked meal you have stored away in your freezer? – Reita

Because those taste icky now that I know what your cooking tastes like ( ˘▽˘)っ♨ – Kai

Fine, fine. Want me to bring home traditional or western? – Reita

BOTH PLEASE! (人+･∀･) – Kai

Anything for you, baby♡ – Reita


Much to Reita’s surprise, dinner went over well. He’d picked up both pizza and yakisoba before heading back to Kai’s place, and he just barely had enough time to get plates out and change into some of the clothes he had laying around Kai’s house before Uruha was knocking at the door.

Kai had been a bit shy around Uruha at first, sticking close to Reita and nit picking at his food. However, the moment Uruha began telling old, embarrassing stories about Reita’s college days, Kai immediately warmed up to Uruha and the pair were laughing and hollering as if they’d been best friends their entire lives.

For the most part, Reita remained quiet for the evening, allowing the two to bond and get to know each other. It was strange to see Kai interact with somebody besides him, but it was the good kind of strange. All those nerves and fears Reita carried earlier had completely washed away, and now the only thing on his mind was the taunting napkin resting snuggly in his pocket.

His attention, however, was suddenly stolen away from the piece of paper when he heard a particular question flow from Kai’s mouth. “So Uruha, you must know Rei-chan pretty well then, right?”

“I practically know everything there is to know about him, Kai. Why? What dirt do you want me to dish out on him?”

Kai beamed that megawatt smile, looking between Uruha and Reita with nothing but deviousness dancing behind those curious, Bambi eyes. “Kinks. I wanna know his kinks.”

“Kai.” Reita scolded, only to get a look of complete innocence in return as Kai titled his head to the side and batted those lashes of his.

“What? You should’ve known I was going to ask him. And I think I have every right to know given the fact that we fool around on a nightly basis. Don’t you agree, Uruha?”

Uruha chuckled, wrapping his arm around Kai’s shoulders and squeezing before looking up at Reita in amusement. “He’s right, Rei. He owns your dick now, so, he definitely has the right to know all your dirty little secrets.” Reita glared Uruha down as he stood up, challenging him, but Uruha shrugged off the blond’s try be threatening stare, waving a dismissive hand at him and turning his attention to Kai instead. “Come on, Kai. I’ll tell you anything and everything about Reita you want to know. But I ask you to do one thing for me in exchange.”

Kai’s deep mocha’s were swimming in delight, his excitement notable through the way he squirmed on his seat like an impatient child. “What’s that?”

“Introduce me to your children. Reita’s told me that you have lots of them.”

The squeak of delight that filtrated through the air seconds later was a noise Reita would’ve deemed as inhuman had he not spent every second of every day with Kai as of late. But he knew this side of Kai and he knew when he got excited, he was almost uncontrollable. Especially when he received the chance to show off his plant children to someone new.

“Come on!” Kai hopped out of his chair, taking Uruha’s hand and starting to drag him out of the room, “I’ll introduce them to you while we talk! There’s a total of 42 of them, so introductions could take a while!”

They disappeared down the hall and into Kai’s bedroom, and right as Reita was about to get up and join them to see if he could prevent Uruha from running his mouth, Kai came running back into the kitchen, sliding across the tile in his thick, mismatched socks, and looking happier than Reita’s ever seen him as he tossed his arms around his neck and brought him into a hug.

Kai’s warm face buried itself into Reita’s neck and Reita could feel the younger’s wide smile as he giggled. “Thank you for tonight, Rei. It’s so nice getting to meet new people.” Pulling away from the crook of the blond’s neck, Kai pecked his lips. “I know I’ve asked a lot of you today, but could you do me one last favor?”

Reita’s arms wrapped around the small of Kai’s back, pulling him closer. “Sure, babe. Anything you want.”

“Well~. I was watching TV the other day and, apparently, there’s a new bakery that just opened up a few blocks from here. I need you to go buy yourself a birthday cake.”

Reita arched a brow. “Do I get to pick out the cake or are you going to demand which one it has to be?”

Kai scoffed and rolled his eyes. “What kind of person do you take me for? Of course you can pick out which ever cake you want. I mean, it’s your birthday, right? But, if you wanna get laid tonight, I suggest you pick up the banana cream cake they’ve been advertising...”

Between the two of them, sex was always the biggest threat, and that’s exactly why Reita ended up speeding down the road at just ten minutes till nine, needing to make it to the bakery before its late close time. He made it there with just a minute to spare, lucking out in that they had exactly one banana cream cake left. He didn’t care that it was starting to melt and the bananas were turning brown. As long as Kai got the sweets he wanted, Reita knew he’d be getting exactly what he wanted tonight as well.

After paying for his baked goods, Reita turned out the door and climbed back into his truck, carefully placing the cake on the passenger seat. He began making his way back to Kai’s, but the entire drive, he felt distracted. He found his hand constantly leaving the steering wheel and settling on his front pants pocket; exactly where to napkin was located.

He knew it was all in his head, but it seemed the longer he kept his hand there, the hotter his palm would become. He had an itch, an itch to reach inside and read the address and simply show up at Ni~ya’s house out of nowhere and receive answers to these ever foreboding questions. Because seeing Kai so happy tonight, it gave Reita the will to want to see the younger happy like that day in and day out. Kai was a people person, he shined best whenever he was around someone new. But something that happened between him and Aoi’s younger brother was preventing Kai from living his fullest.

It was preventing their relationship from flourishing from what it was fully capable of.

The next red light he came to, Reita found himself digging in his pocket, yanking out the folded up napkin and reading the address. With a quick scan of the numbers and street name, he found himself making a U-turn and heading south, heading towards Ni~ya; heading towards the truth.

In his revved up state, the drive seemed to take forever. However, twenty minutes later he finally found the street he was looking for, and this time when he looked back down to re-learn the numbers of the actual address, he felt his heart stop a bit.

He knew this address.

No. He couldn’t be right, he had to be mistaken.

Although positive he was correct, Reita continued his drive. It was another ten minutes down the same vacant road, a chill going through his body when he noticed that his surroundings were beginning to become more and more familiar. He kept chanting to himself that he had to be wrong, that maybe there was a new residence built around the area since he’d last been here over a decade ago.

But as the gothic fencing came into view, Reita realized he’d been right.

He parked his car as close to the curb as he could get, his legs feeling like Jell-O as he walked the few steps to the small plaque attached to the gate. With a shaky hand, he reached up, clearing he spring dew off of the bold plate, his whole body feeling on the verge of collapsing when he verified the numbers matched those on the napkin in his opposite hand.

The address Aoi had given him hadn’t been the address to Ni~ya’s current home. Instead, it was the location of Ni~ya’s final resting place.

All these months of wavering jealously and confusion, and in the end, it turns out Reita had been competing against a ghost this entire time. All this time, Ni~ya had been gone; buried six feet under, left to lay where he lay for the rest of eternity.

More than ever, Reita was lost. Everything he’s learned over the past months was blurred and the puzzle that had just started to clear was now in complete disarray all over again.

He was back at square one.

***
Author's Note: Finally, yaaaay :P I'm going to be honest, the only reason why I'm posting this right now is due to extreme sleep deprivation and I'll probably be kicking my ass this afternoon when I wake up from my nap and realize all the mistakes :'D I know it could possibly be a lot better, but tbh this fic is so draining for me personally that I just want to end it asap, sooo YEP! Probably only three more chapters till the end :P Sorry if the quality isn't as good as usual, I still hope some of you can enjoy <33

Special thanks to hinoeuma13, since she was originally going to help me pick an opening for this chapter before I got too lazy to send her any snippets over, and of course to sarky_chepooka and kyoselflove, who are always so sweet and extremely supportive of my writings <3

My brain is pretty scattered and socializing has been pretty hard for me, so for those who I talk to outside of LJ, and even those who have left comments and I haven't gotten back to. I'M SORRY. I hope I can start feeling somewhat normal again soon.

OKay, enough complaining now! If you enjoyed, please let me know what you think :3