Title: Goodnight Kiss
Author: Immortelle Stalker / sixthwinemaiden
Pairing: Inu/Kai
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. Awts. Too bad, too bad.
Summary: Inui hates the fact that even the mind can be illogical because it's the only thing that keeps him from fully showing how Kaidoh truly means to him.
Notes: School had been insanely demanding for the past few weeks. So this is my first fic after being idle for so long. Uhm, hope you guys like it!

The night was cold and silent, and there was nothing odd about the fact that Inui could not ignore it. His dark green eyes opened and reoriented themselves with the shadows that played on the ceiling. It was the third time that he opened his eyes after a seemingly pointless attempt to sleep. If only he was at home, then he could have gotten up and worked on his computer for a training menu. And if only he could manage to at least sit up, then he could have done something to help him feel the urge to sleep.

But no, Inui was not at home, and he could not manage to sit up. The whole team was at a training camp and his body chose to have a fever on that crucial time. The data man gripped on the ends of his blanket and pulled it up just below his chin. His body was getting warmer than earlier. It would still be impossible for him to lose his fever come morning.

His eyes fell upon the light coming from the small space under the door. Someone was coming. Inui closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. Then, he heard the door open slowly. In his mind, Inui did not need to analyze who that late-night visitor was. A weak smile curved up his lips. He was somehow waiting for him after all.

"You're not good when it comes to acting, senpai," A coarse, familiar voice said.

Inui chuckled and felt for his glasses that were conveniently placed on his bedside table. "Sorry, Kaidoh. I was unprepared to pull you into my plans." He quickly wore them and looked at Kaidoh.

The kouhai looked to his side, the blush in his cheeks still evident despite the dimness of the room. He was silent all throughout, and it concerned Inui. "Is there something wrong, Kaidoh?" he asked.

Kaidoh shook his head. "H-how are you feeling, senpai?" he said awkwardly with his hands placed on the side of his shorts.

Inui smiled and sat up slowly. "Well, unfortunately, I seem to have an intermittent fever judging from the way my temperature fluctuates. I have established a chart where I record the temperature changes that I experience every two hours or so." When he was about to reach for the chart on the bedside table, Kaidoh immediately took it with one hand and held Inui's hand with the other.

"Senpai, don't strain yourself with these kinds of things." Kaidoh said with an irritated tone. "It's bad enough that you cannot join us in this training camp and I—" the boy blinked twice, then decided to hold back his words.

Inui blinked obliviously. Then, he lowered his head and spoke up. "I'm sorry for making you come here every night, Kaidoh. You should be resting in your room and getting ready for tomorrow's training session."

"That's not the problem," Kaidoh quickly replied. "It's my choice to come here every night anyway."

The senior quickly looked up and fixed his eyes on Kaidoh, who still held his hand. Kaidoh then sat on his bed, leaned over to Inui and placed a gentle kiss over his lips. It had always been like that ever since Inui got sick two days ago. Kaidoh would always visit him before going to bed and then giving him some sort of goodnight kiss. Though the kiss always made Inui feel important to Kaidoh, he couldn't help doubting his worth. They had only been together for less than a month, but Kaidoh cared for him as if they had been with each other longer than that. The feeling was overwhelming inside him that he always hesitated to reciprocate Kaidoh's gestures.

Absent-mindedly, Inui pulled Kaidoh over to him and kissed him back, one hand claimed the kouhai's back and the other on his neck. But when he felt Kaidoh's body react out of surprise, he quickly broke the kiss.

Kaidoh looked at Inui, confused. "Inui-senpai..." he hushed out.

Inui felt his heart race. He had always wanted to do the same to Kaidoh, if only he was not so bemused himself. Wavering was not a part of Inui's personality and doubt was something that rarely crossed his mind. He knew things well, analyzed them carefully, and weighed every bit of pros and cons to ensure accuracy. But it seemed that, other than love, the mind can also be illogical itself.

"Tell me, Kaidoh," Inui found himself say. Kaidoh's eyes were fixed on him, and it made Inui avoid them involuntarily. He decided in his mind that he could look away anytime, but his words should be heard. "Why do you value me this much when I had only been here for a short time?"

Kaidoh's eyes clouded with concern. "What are you saying, senpai..." he heard his voice trail off.

Inui heard the words clearly, but he found himself unable to support his question. He really hoped that Kaidoh understood it the first time because he could not find the voice to explain himself further anymore. Then, Inui felt Kaidoh's arms pull him for an embrace. It felt... nice to be actually held. And he could barely recall the last time that someone held him close like that.

"Your worth is not measured by time, senpai," Kaidoh whispered as he held Inui. "You made me realize my worth the day that you chose to see me. And this is my way of showing you how truly important you are to me."

With that, Inui felt Kaidoh's embrace grew tighter. Slowly, but with lesser doubt, he let his hands rest on Kaidoh's back and buried his face against the boy's neck. After a while, he gathered enough strength and faced Kaidoh completely.

Kaidoh gave him a small smile while his hands rested on Inui's shoulders. Then, he bent down and kissed Inui again. Inui moved one hand up to Kaidoh's neck and kissed him back harder while he kept the other hand on the boy's back. Then, Inui trailed his lips down to Kaidoh's chin and draws warm breaths and kisses down to his neck. Kaidoh led out a hitched hiss as his head bend forward from the feel of Inui's lips sucking on his collarbone. He dragged his hand behind Inui's head and ran his fingers through his hair. Then, Inui shoved Kaidoh aside and quickly went up above him, pinning him between his body and the bed.

Kaidoh gazed up to Inui. His senior. His companion. His friend. His lover. Inui was the closest person that he actually held dear, setting his family aside. He was the reason why he was able to smile and trust the people around him.

"You're getting warmer again, senpai," Kaidoh said as he held on Inui's neck.

"Hmm... I wonder for what reason though," Inui replied with an impish smirk on his face.

Kaidoh hissed with a strong blush on his face, and it made Inui chuckle. "Don't worry," Inui said as he kissed Kaidoh's forehead. "I won't do something to you that you might not like yet." He then rolled to his back and lay next to Kaidoh. "It's late... You should go to bed now."

"Uhh, can I stay a little while longer?" Kaidoh asked sheepishly as he curled to his side while facing Inui.

Inui blinked beside his glasses. "Well, I don't mind. But I don't think sharing a bed with a sick person is a good idea."

Kaidoh smirked and said, "Well, I don't mind either." He motioned to Inui and kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, Sadaharu."

At that time, Inui could only smile and say, "Thank you, Kaoru."