Well hello there! Despite having had TWO exams today (chemistry- yuck- and food tech- also yuck) I'm in quite a good mood, because I've pinched a bit of someone else's server and I have an email account which my brother can't steal!
Right, about this fic- it's the sequal to a story I posted a while back called 'Mr. Hiwatari'. It's AU, and it's set in England because I live in England and I'd sound like an idiot if I tried to talk about other places like I do in this fic. Basically, Kai is a young secondary school teacher (secondary school is for 11-16 year olds). He's twenty. Rei has just left school, and he's part of a parkour team. Parkour is free-running- finding landmarks and jumping about them in funky ways. If you go to 'parkour dot com' you can get more information. Rei's seventeen. I would recommend reading 'Mr. Hiwatari' before you read this, but I suppose it could be understood on its own...still, you might not understand some of the jokes if you don't read the first one!
If anyone gets confused by English currency/school system/etc, just shove it in a review and I'll reply in the next chapter! And now, on with the first chapter!
"Rei? Bring me the phone, would you?" Rei peeked around the door of the bathroom, puzzled.
"Kai...what are you doing leant over the toilet like that? I thought you were just going to phone in sick?"
"I'm going to, but I need the phone." Rei obliged and watched as Kai called the school number, picking up a bucket in his other hand. From where Rei was standing, it seemed to be full of tomatoes and fruit juice...
Kai put on a pathetic voice as the phone was answered at the other end. "H-Hello? It's me...Kai...I..." Kai made a spectacular retching sound and emptied the bucket into the toilet bowl with a horrible splattering sound. "I think it's food poisoning...I...I better-" Kai gave another retching noise and rang off. Rei burst out laughing.
"You could have just seen me later..." Kai stood up, smiling.
"It's your birthday- I wouldn't be able to concentrate at work anyway. Now I get to spend the day with you, and that's far better than spending it with screaming year sevens. I hate my lessons on Thursdays..." Rei laughed and gave Kai a hug.
"So what are we doing today, then?" Kai smirked.
"Hm...well, we obviously can't go out until later, so we'll have to stay in...and I'm supposed to be ill, so I should really be staying in bed..." Rei nibbled at Kai's ear, eliciting a shocked gasp from the Russian.
"I have no objections to staying in bed...I'll be your nurse for the day, and warm you up, and-"
"Hold on, you need your present first!"
"Present? You got me a present?"
"Yep."
"Kai, you shouldn't have! You've already skived off work for me!" Kai shook his head and pulled Rei out into the living room, reaching up to the top of the bookshelf and pulling down a present wrapped in gold paper. Rei opened it and burst out laughing. In his hands were a pair of handcuffs and a pot of chocolate body paint complete with a brush. Kai blinked innocently. "What?" Rei looked at him for a few seconds then took the lid off the body paint, dipping the brush in and writing something on Kai's cheeks.
Kai waited until he was finished then looked in the mirror. His left cheek proclaimed 'Rei's', and his left cheek read 'Biatch'. With an indignant cry Kai grabbed Rei around the waist and threw him over his shoulder, carrying him into the bedroom and dropping him onto the bed with a playful "I'll show -you- who's the biatch around here! And anyway, 'biatch' isn't a real word!"
"It's a word, it's just not an English word! Nyah!" Kai opened his mouth to reply then shook his head, drawing Rei into a mind-blowing kiss. Rei looked up at him enquiringly. "You're not going to try and prove me wrong?"
"I've got better things to do...like you, for instance. Anyway, it's your birthday, I'll let you think you're right for today!"
Rei giggled and stretched up, licking off the paint on Kai's cheeks. "I -am- right! So nyah! And about doing me...is that a promise?" Kai smirked, stood up and closed the curtains, then turned.
"You bet it is."
"Rei?" Kai looked up from his marking as Rei walked in. "How was practice?"
"Oh, okay..." He sat down at the other end of the sofa, looking preoccupied. Kai put down his pen and sat back, looking at Rei anxiously.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh...I'm fine...I'm just a bit tired..."
"A bit, or very?" Kai slid up the sofa and wound an arm around Rei's shoulders, trailing a hand up the Chinese's thigh suggestively. Rei pushed the hand away, turning his face away at the same time. "I'm tired, Kai...not tonight."
"Okay." Kai said, feeling slightly put out. Rei had never refused him so blankly before... He tightened his hold around Rei's shoulders only to have Rei wriggle away, standing up. "Do you want a coffee?"
"No...I'm-"
Rei disappeared, sweeping off to make himself a drink. Kai flumped against the back of the sofa, feeling strange. It wasn't like Rei to act like that... He stood up and walked into his tiny kitchen, where Rei was leaning against the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil. "Rei?"
"Mm?"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Kai. I'm just tired."
"...I'll come to bed, if you want me to."
"No, I can't, I have some safety reports to fill out for tomorrow, and I have to be out at seven..."
Rei had been extremely pleased when he'd been given the task of training some of the more skilled younger children and getting them ready for the team, but whenever they went anywhere, there were innumerable bits of paper and forms to fill out. It made Kai wonder sometimes why it was called 'free' running...
"I'll help you, then. I've only got one book left to mark, and I know the essay in question will be an E-grade, because I know for a fact that she only got as far as the first word."
"Kai, I don't need you to look after me! I'll do my own reports!" Rei snapped. Kai blinked.
"Rei...I...I just want to help..."
"I don't -need- help!" Shouted Rei, grabbing the now-boiled kettle and splashing the water into his mug.
"Okay, fine!" Kai yelled. "I'm going to bed..."
He stalked out and into his bedroom, stripping to his boxers and then curling up alone under the duvet. It was a strange feeling; he was used to sleeping beside Rei. It felt horribly cold without him...
When Kai woke up in the morning, Rei was already gone. Something was bothering him, though...something was going on inside that pretty, dark-haired head, and Kai wanted to know exactly what it was.
Kai sighed as the bell rang, signifying the end of the day. He looked around at the badly painted walls around him and sighed again. He'd spent the whole day trying to work out what was wrong with Rei, and so far he hadn't been able to come up with any answers. He stood up, loosened his tie, and then walked out, headed for home. Halfway there, he changed his mind. Rei had said he was going to the park to practice...
With a wave of determination, Kai started out towards the park, intending to ask Rei what had been bothering him the night before. As he walked, shoes clicking on the pavement, he hummed to himself. After he'd found out what was wrong, he would ask Rei to come out for dinner with him. Granted, he was a poor, impoverished teacher with no money to speak of, but he'd saved a bit, enough to treat himself and Rei to a nice night out.
He turned, walking through the park gates, wondering where Rei could be. He wandered along peacefully, looking around at the beautiful flowers lining the path. As he turned a corner, he looked up, and his world fell apart.
Rei was standing there...Rei was standing there...and...
Ooh, cliffie! Anyway, hope you like it so far, and please, please, please R&R! I'm a shameless review junkie!