KAI HIWATARI put his bag down on the table, the metal clasps on it making a loud clanking noise against the glass top. He looked at himself in the wide mirror on top of the dresser.
Tomorrow…he thought. Tomorrow's the day. He reached up and touched one of the blue triangles slashed onto his cheeks in war-paint. His fingers came away slightly sweaty, oily, and he knew he'd have to trace over them again soon. He unzipped one of the front pockets of his backpack when Ray came into the room.
"Hey," the black-haired boy said, a slightly shy smile etched across his features. To be completely honest, he was feeling nervous sharing a room with Kai; Max had previously described the experience as daunting, and you had to go around the guy like you were stepping on eggshells. That is to say, Max hadn't known what pissed Kai off and what didn't, and so did nothing but lie around in bed whenever the Hiwatari was around. Ray had sniffed at his recount of a so-called ordeal, but now that he was here, he knew exactly what the blonde had been talking about.
Kai nodded politely at Ray, and continued searching through his bag for the squeeze-tube of blue war paint. He found it and set it down on the table next to his pack. Ray plunked his own bag next to Kai's.
"How was your flight?" he asked. Kai had silently insisted he sit apart from them for some unknown reason, and Ray was itching to know why. Kai had a tumultuous history, and Ray wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with either the Blade Sharks or his father.
"It was alright," Kai answered coolly. He screwed open the tube, wondering whether to take a shower now or later.
Later, he thought resolutely. He replaced the lid and moved away from the table, pulling his jacket off in the process. There were two double beds in the hotel room, and Kai habitually chose the one nearest to the balcony: he always needed a breather, and didn't want to walk unnecessarily to get to it. He was dumping his jacket on the bed when Ray said, "Hey, I like that one,"
Kai looked at him expressionlessly. Ray faltered a bit. The way the sunlight fell across Kai's features made Ray inwardly confess that he always had a sort of guy-crush on him: not the type that made your heart race and made you blush, but the type where you admired someone and kind of wanted to be them. A platonic kind of thing. Ray gulped.
"Um…you take it," he said hastily. Kai wrinkled his nose.
"Do you want it?" he asked, not knowing where the question came from, because normally he never relented. Ray shrugged.
"Um, it's just—nah, I think I'll take this one instead. Don't worry, Kai,"
Ray picked up his bag again and put it on the bed further from the balcony. Kai watched him for a beat, then folded his jacket and put it on top of the blanket.
"Alright!" Tyson looked excitedly at the rows of buffet tables. "Now this is what I call dinner! I don't know about you guys but I'm off!" he whipped off his cap and raced to the first buffet table, grabbing a plate, clamping a fork between his teeth and shoveling sliced roast beef onto said plate. Max raced after him, looking apologetically at Ray and Kai.
Kai rolled his eyes. He never understood how someone could be so excited to see food.
"You going?"
Kai nodded absentmindedly. "Let's go,"
Ray walked ahead of him. He grabbed two plates and handed one over to Kai.
"Mm," Kai said. He immediately skipped the salad section and walked on to the pasta bar. Ray eyed his slightly muscular back, an odd tingling sensation washing over his body.
Ray put rice, fried chicken and stir-fried vegetables with vermicelli on his plate. He deftly served himself a bowl of French onion soup, then went back the table, where Tyson had three plates laid out, spanning around him. He sat next to the guy.
"I guess you're hungry, eh, Tyson?" he asked amiably, noticing for the first time how different the atmosphere was around Tyson. He was kind of grateful for it, actually—it felt positively stifling around Kai. Well, alone with Kai anyway. As if on cue, Ray's temporary room-mate walked over and sat down across from him.
"Man, Kai, you eat too little!" Tyson managed to say through a mouthful of potato. Kai looked at him with disgust and made an incision in his steak. Ray lowered his head, trying desperately to ignore the new feeling in his stomach. He picked up one of the chicken drumsticks with his fingers and was bringing it up to his mouth when Kai's knee brushed against his. Ray looked up instantly and almost dropped his chicken, wondering if he had just imagined it—it had felt so surreal, so soft and fleeting, yet somehow too firm to be accidental. But Kai was just eating, gnawing hard on his meat. He sensed Ray looking at him and glanced at him in a way that said what are you looking at? Ray shook his head lightly. He definitely imagined it—he should've known that from the start anyways. Kai wouldn't do that sort of thing.
As the dinner continued, with many glares and yells from either end of the table, Ray felt his nerves grow. He'd never had these before, and he was getting kind of scared. He wondered if this was how Max felt on sharing a room with Kai—if so, Ray made a mental note to house Kai in a single and the rest of them could have doubles.
This is an inane situation, he thought. I am really just being ridiculous.
"Hey, Kai, where're you going?" Max said in a half-whine. Ray snapped out of his reverie and looked up at the guy across from him, who had slid back his chair and was now standing with his arms folded as always.
"I'm tired," was all Kai said. Then he left, with Ray watching him go worriedly. He got up too, saying, "I'll check on him," hastily to Tyson, Max and Kenny. He jogged passed the buffet tables once more. Kai walked fast, and was standing by the golden elevators. The UP button was lit up. The Hiwatari glanced disinterestedly at Ray as he came.
"Kai, are you okay?"
Kai sniffed. "I said it before," he said slowly. "I'm tired," You worry too much, Ray.
"Oh,"
Kai raised an eyebrow. Ray had sounded somehow disappointed. It piqued Kai's curiosity. Ray scratched his elbow nervously and licked his lips, which were still salty from dinner. Why do I feel so—
That brush on the knee, imaginary or not, had awaken every cell in Ray's body and he was on high alert. He felt jumpy.
The elevator dinged. Kai walked in and pressed the 19 button. Ray jogged in when he finally realized the doors were closing and he—
"You finished dinner then?"
Ray nodded. "Yeah,"
Silence swamped the elevator as they rode up. Ray pressed himself into the opposite corner of the elevator, wanting both a good view of Kai and to get as far away from him as possible.
"Your face—your—," your paint is smudging.
"I know," Kai interrupted. He put a hand over his cheek. "I'm going to…," he trailed off, figuring it didn't really matter. Ray just coughed into his fist. Thankfully, the elevator had arrived at their floor and Ray whipped out, slowing his pace so that Kai could go first. He didn't want the guy's laser beam eyes on his back.
Kai inserted their keycard, and when the light above their door knob turned green, he pulled it back out again. He went in and flicked on the lights as Ray just watched him helplessly.