A/N: Written because I recognized a person on the bus as the mother of a boy I went to school with and was secretly in love with when I was about ten years old.
I do not own BeyBlade!
Please do read and review!
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On The Bus
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Kai entered the bus and paid the driver. He locked his eyes to the floor and pulled his cap even further down, not wanting to be recognized. But the bus driver didn't say anything and when he dared looking up again no one, not even the driver was watching him, which made him feel incredibly relieved that he could at least sometimes go out without people throwing themselves at him. He found a seat and sat down waiting for the bus to stop outside Rei's house. Even though he was trained in not showing any emotions, he somehow couldn't make the silly grin get of his face no matter how hard he tried.
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Three minutes later and he was sick of the bus. It was going far too slowly and there were people everywhere! To make it even worse he knew that there were nearly twenty minutes left of his ride, twenty minutes which could easily stretch out into all eternity. He wanted his car and he wanted to be with Rei right this instant!
Thinking of Rei made him forget about being upset, but it also brought the silly smile back, he had fought against with all his might, but there simply wasn't anything to do about it, it seemed. They'd been on the phone earlier and Kai had been bubbling with excitement when Rei had said sure and sounded happy when Kai had hesitantly suggested that he'd come over to see him. Now, why he'd asked in the first place was a mystery to him as well, but the feeling of excitement cursing through his veins was an even greater surprise, this was just Rei after all.
Then Rei had laughed, a sound that made Kai blush like a schoolgirl and want to hide away at the same time as jumping up and down, again very unusual, when Kai had said that he was going by public bus. Rei had teased him and said that Kai was too impatient to go by bus by himself and Kai had loudly objected, claiming that of course he could manage that just fine. Again, Rei was the only one who could get such a rise out of him, for some reason it mattered that Rei thought him capable of going by bus by himself. What a great eight-year-old he was proving to be.
Rei had laughed again harder this time, a laugh that sent shivers down Kai's spine, and had done so for a while now, because he knew exactly what sitting close to Rei felt like when he was laughing like that; his shoulders and chest shaking slightly and his neck bent in a way that made Kai want to reach out and touch him. Touch him? Right, whatever, anyway, he always sat on his hands on these not so rare occasions to keep from doing just that. Rei laughed a lot around him and when he did, the only thing on Kai's mind was kissing the laugh from Rei's lips to his own and just letting their kisses and laughter be his entire world. So okay, maybe he had it bad and maybe he knew it as well.
But lately he'd been holding himself back. Sure, he did sort of want himself and Rei to be more than friends, even though it did conflict with his image as walking-talking iceman, actually he wanted it more than anything else, he'd be able to cope with Tyson's pig-like eating habits, Max' constant sugar rush, and Kenny's never ending babbling, if he'd just have Rei, but he also didn't want Rei to run away from him because he chose the wrong time to tell him or show him or whatever he'd end up doing... Hopefully, today would be the right time. And once again Kai cursed himself for being stubborn and insisting on going by bus when his car would have gotten him to Rei so much faster.
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The bus stopped and for a second Kai debated on getting off and calling Rei so he'd come and pick him up, but before his pride could kick in and scream no, his thoughts were interrupted when someone sat down beside him saying:
"Hello Kai, what a surprise."
He zoned back in and looked up into the smiling face of Mr. Dickinson, and what was he doing on the bus anyway? Kai managed a little smile of his own, suddenly not so sorry that he'd gone by bus, he did sort of like Mr. Dickinson.
"Hn," he scooted over a little as the man sat down next to him.
"It's been a while since I've seen my team," Mr. Dickinson started. "How've you been?"
"Good," Kai answered nodding a bit, then as if on second thought he added "Fine, great actually," which made him light up in a big smile. "I'm visiting Rei." There, he'd blurted it out and he hadn't even been able to keep his voice steady while he'd said it. To top it off the silly grin was once again back in place. So extremely un-Kai.
"I saw him last night," Mr. Dickinson told him, apparently not noticing Kai's strange behavior. "At Tyson's," and Kai nodded, he knew that. He'd wanted to do something with Rei, but Rei had backed out, telling him that he had to go se Tyson, or more accurately Kenny, who was staying with Tyson. "He was very excited, literally bouncing all night," continued Mr. Dickinson smiling at the memory of Rei being so happy. "I think it's this new boyfriend of his that's responsible for that, what do you think?" He looked at Kai obviously expecting an answer, but not getting any because Kai's brain had stopped working with the words his boyfriend as in Rei's boyfriend as in Rei seeing someone who wasn't Kai.
"His boyfriend?" Kai managed to choke out more than a little paralyzed by what he had just heard.
Mr. Dickinson in turn looked surprised.
"He hasn't told you?" He asked disbelievingly. "But you're his captain, he should have. Besides, I thought the two of you were friends?" Mr. Dickinson was clearly as confused as Kai, only for other reasons.
"I thought that too, but I had no idea," Kai said still shocked, but slowly regaining his composure, and for the first time since this whole Rei thing his old training finally kicked in and started working. He had to find out what was going on. "But what'd he say? Who's the guy?" he attempted an amazingly fake smile, but then realized that he normally didn't really smile, and just froze in his usual facial expression. The smiling was all Rei's doing anyway.
Mr. Dickinson didn't seem to notice anything, which was only good. Now Kai really had to hide these feelings he had for Rei. "I was just surprised, really," he continued seemingly a little more relaxed. "I'm glad he's finally found someone special, he needs it," he finished explaining, cringing on the inside while laughing a little on the outside. And what was with all the talking? Damn Rei!
Mr. Dickinson just nodded understandingly looking relieved.
"I absolutely think it's good for him too, but he didn't really say much," he started. "He just said that it was all very new and that he thought it was the real thing. He was falling in love and they had a date today," he grinned at Kai, who couldn't help grinning back. Then it suddenly hit him that they were talking about his Rei with someone else and he felt miserable. But what Mr. Dickinson had just told him also explained everything: why Rei seemed to soar with happiness no matter when Kai saw him; why he was so glad to be home, and all the other small things Kai had noticed lately and … fallen in love with, there he'd said it, thinking it was directed at him. He felt like such a loser, But hey Hiwatari, he mused to himself, you are one. Rei wants his boyfriend and that's not you! And he had actually wanted to go out with Rei tonight and what, be the third wheel? That was not his idea of fun.
Mr. Dickinson just smiled and wished him the best before Kai got of the bus and hailed the first cab he saw. He had to get home, now!
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Kai headed directly for his bedroom when got back to his house. He threw himself onto the bed and all the thoughts came flooding in. Rei was seeing someone, but hadn't mentioned it. Why not? Because he had figured out how Kai felt and he hadn't wanted to hurt him, that would be it. But if Rei would have said something Kai wouldn't have been making such a fool of himself now. It didn't matter anymore, he decided, Rei was officially of the market now and Kai planed on wallowing in self-pity and never ever return from it, what was the use in doing anything else?
And with that thought he fell into an uneasy sleep haunted by dreams of Rei kissing other boys and actually liking it, something he himself was forced to watch.
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Kai awoke to the sound of somebody calling his name. Rei. He heard the stairs creak and his name being called again. Then Rei was at his door and Kai pretended to be asleep, cause he couldn't and wouldn't face the boy standing there. Not after embarrassing himself the way he had and also, Rei would never feel the same way. Rei had a boyfriend.
Kai turned over in bed facing the wall. He felt the bed move under him when Rei sat down and hot chills ran through him when Rei placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently while whispering his name softly, not wanting to make too much noise. Kai wondered how long he could stay like this, in bed with Rei's hand tracing patterns on his shoulder. It felt so good, so right.
Rei called his name again, a little louder this time and Kai finally gave up the acting and turned around slowly.
"Hi," Rei said keeping his already deep voice low, his hand staying somewhere near Kai's shoulder.
"Hn," Kai replied just as low looking at the ceiling, the door, anywhere but at Rei, cause what was he doing in Kai's house? He had a boyfriend to look after, didn't he? The thought made Kai flinch involuntarily.
"Is everything all right?" Rei asked concerned. "Why didn't you come over? I waited by the bus stop, but you weren't there…" The sentence filled the room and Kai thought he could maybe read a little hurt in it, but he told himself he was just imagining things, Rei has a boyfriend, remember?
"I…" Kai started, but he didn't really know what to say. He finally dared looking up into Rei's eyes and saw unhidden hurt, sadness and even disappointment. He had a feeling that he was the one who put it there, and the worst thing was that behind all that he thought he saw a hint of the same feelings he was having. "I think I panicked," he admitted looking down again.
Rei looked utterly confused, but the look was soon replaced with a grin.
"I told you you weren't able to go by bus all by yourself," he teased, making them both laugh a little.
Kai felt relieved, this was all so right, but he knew he had to find out what was going on with that boyfriend of Rei's. And he knew another thing, Rei wasn't acting as if he was very much in love with someone else, cause hallo, he was sitting on Kai's bed, right?
"I went by bus and I was doing fine, thank you very much," he defended himself pretending to be hurt by Rei's comment. "But then I met Mr. Dickinson and…"
"You got off the bus because he got on? Kai you like that man, remember?" Rei's hand found Kai's arm and he started running his fingers up and down the smooth skin.
"I didn't get off because he got on, will you give me a chance to finish talking here?" Sometimes Rei was just too much, but then he winked and that combined with what his hands were doing, it wasn't annoying it was sweet and all of a sudden Kai was more nervous than he'd ever been before. "We started talking and then, don't, let me finish," Kai interrupted himself to stop Rei from saying something again. Rei smiled knowingly, but didn't say anything. He took Kai's hand in both of his and started playing with the long fingers. Kai cleared his throat and continued. "He said that you had told him about your boyfriend and I was a little surprised, cause you haven't mentioned him when I'm around and I sorta thought we were friends who told each other stuff and…" Kai stopped talking and looked around, not knowing how to tell Rei the rest of the story.
"And then," Rei started where Kai had stopped. "You faked forgetting a meeting with Tala, who's not even in the country, by the way, got of the bus at the next stop, hailed a cab home and went straight to bed," Rei finished for him with a smile.
They were both silent.
"How'd you know?" Kai then asked, just a little freaked.
"Easy, Mr. Dickinson got of at the stop where I was waiting for you and he told me you probably weren't coming. Oh and yeah," Rei chuckled. "He says you suck at pretending you don't care."
Kai blushed a pretty shade of red, that transparent, he thought as Rei started laughing for real and laced their fingers together. Definitely not the behavior of someone with a boyfriend…
"He told me something more," Rei said thoughtfully. "And that's the real reason why I'm here. He said you have a crush on me…"
Kai immediately jumped and had his mouth open to say something when two strong hands held him down and he was told by a half laughing half serious Rei,
"Now you let me talk."
Kai closed his mouth politely and waited for whatever was to come.
"He said you have a crush on me," Rei repeated. "And he said that your crush was the reason why you hurried home. He also told me, like you said, that he'd told you about my boyfriend," Rei paused and Kai could tell he was looking for the right words. This could turn out really good. "I think he misunderstood me when I told him about the guy I'm in love with. You see, we're not really together yet, but I'm hoping we'll hook up soon and…" Once again Rei was looking for words, fiddling with his own and Kai's interlaced fingers. Kai had to smile; this was definitely heading the right way. "Anyway, he was supposed to come and visit me today, but he never showed up… Somebody later told me that it was because he thought I was with someone else, but, you know, I'm not so I drove over to his house to explain it all to him. But now the thing is, I don't really know what to tell him to get my message through, his brain is working a little slowly, you know, especially because I've just woken him up," Rei looked at Kai for the first time during his little speech and ruffled his hair while returned the huge smile that was already playing across Kai's face. "What do you think I should say?" he asked.
Kai sat up, now eyelevel with Rei and leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
"I think you've said enough," he said slowly, his mouth nearly touching Rei's sensitive skin and making the tiny hairs on his neck stand up. Kai heard Rei sigh softly and they both turned their heads, looking into each other's eyes again. "I'm sorry for running away earlier," Kai said looking down.
"Don't be," Rei said, tilting Kai's head up again. "I'm here now, in your bed even," he winked making Kai laugh a little. "It really doesn't matter," he smiled, and they both leaned in lips finding lips, finally feeling each other for the very first time.
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The End
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