Disclaimer: I do not own Cardfight! Vanguard
Author Notes: No spoilers. Set in Link Joker. Oneshot.
Pairing: Aichi x Kai – Kaiai also known as Kaichi
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
Unpredictable
Kai Toshiki wasn't used to unpredictable people.
He'd like to think he was since he had hung around Suzugamori Ren during Middle School and Ren was the epitome of unpredictable. Always saying the most random things, doing actions that surprised him, coming up with harebrained ideas one after another. Kai had to admit he wasn't a social butterfly when it came to people or even his friends in general. He wasn't used to certain personalities and didn't know how to react in certain situations.
Kai had planned on keeping it that way (mainly because his friends knew his personality and wouldn't push him to socialize more) but then he met a boy named Sendou Aichi. When he first met Aichi, Aichi was walking home from school. He had a dejected look on his face and he walked with his head down face covered in injuries. This was before Kai had met Ren and before his parents died. He shoved that thought aside determined not to think about his parents' unfortunate fate and continued thinking about Aichi. Kai couldn't ignore Aichi and cheered him up. He even gave Aichi a rare Vanguard card, Blaster Blade.
He didn't think he would ever move back to this town or meet Aichi again. He was surprised when they met again in Card Capital. Aichi had said he couldn't picture himself as a strong warrior yet but Kai could tell Blaster Blade had helped Aichi just like he hoped it would. After that meeting, he had run into Aichi countless times after that. After talking with Aichi, fighting him and getting to know him more (mainly through observing), Kai could tell Aichi was pretty unpredictable as well. Even if they didn't talk the whole day, Kai would silently observe Aichi. Lately it had been because Aichi seemed to be getting stronger than him and leaving him behind. He shoved that thought aside not wanting to think about the possibility that seemed to be growing truer each day that passed by.
He had thought Ren was unpredictable. Aichi was in a whole different category of unpredictable. Kai noticed that while Ren was unpredictable most of the time he hung around him, Aichi was not. Aichi seemed to be unpredictable most whenever he was around. Whenever their friends were around, Aichi acted different. He didn't really think much of it at first since he knew Aichi looked up to him and respected him. After Aichi had saved Ren and the Circuit started, he started to notice Aichi being unpredictable around him. He was glad there were still parts of Aichi that he could predict as he didn't know how to react most of the time Aichi was being unpredictable and that made him feel uneasy.
The brown haired boy knew he had a soft spot for Aichi. He had thought he was hiding it really well but Miwa Taishi noticed it and called him out on it early on. Luckily only Miwa could tell and that was most likely because Miwa knew him really well. It irritated him that Miwa could tell though. He didn't want anybody to know about his soft spot and the person who found out about it was one of two (okay maybe three) people who he didn't want to find out. Of course Miwa being the type of person he was teased Kai frequently about it. The soft spot that was really innocent and friendly at first grew. It grew so much Kai had a hard time figuring out why he was so fixated on Aichi. Kai wasn't interested in love at the moment. He was interested in Vanguard, his friends (to a certain degree) and Aichi. His education held a small part of his interest as he didn't want to flunk out but it wasn't anything to ponder for long periods of time about. He was interested in Aichi because they were friends, albeit they didn't have the best relationship. They were friends and he cared about Aichi a lot even though he didn't show it most of the time. He was also interested in Aichi because of him being unpredictable. He admitted only to himself that he was caring about Aichi a little too much even if he had a soft spot for him.
So when the thought of maybe being in love with Aichi crossed his mind, he had to take a step back and wonder where that crazy thought came from. That thought sounded like something Miwa would say. He wasn't in love with Aichi. Yes, he cared about him a little too much but that didn't mean he was in love with him. He wasn't in love with Aichi. Love was something dangerous, something he didn't want anything to do with right now (which had nothing to do with the thought of being afraid of getting too close to someone). He was lying to himself. Of course it had something to do with that but that didn't mean he was going to acknowledge that fact. Thinking about love made him picture his parents' smiling faces filled with warmth and love. He shook his head irritably. He would not think about that right now. Kai cursed under his breath and lowered his head so his face couldn't be seen.
"Kai-kun?"
The familiar voice made Kai snap his head up and look in the direction the voice came from. He saw Aichi standing in front of him ten feet away. He was surprised Aichi was there. He didn't even hear the smaller boy walk up to him. Was he that deep in his thoughts? Aichi looked concerned and Kai wondered if that was because of him. Aichi hadn't seen him, had he? "Aichi," He said inwardly glad his voice didn't give anything away. As always, he had his mask up not letting Aichi see what he was feeling inside.
Aichi walked closer to the brunette who was sitting on his normal bench in the park. He stopped a few steps away from the bench and smiled at Kai. Kai noticed that Aichi wasn't smiling his normal smile and immediately wondered what was wrong. "Are you alright Kai-kun?" Aichi asked softly his eyes radiating their concern for the older boy who despite his feelings about not wanting Aichi to have seen him couldn't help but feel touched at the concern.
"I'm fine Aichi. What are you doing here?" Kai said hoping to alleviate his worries while changing the subject at the same time.
Thankfully Aichi bought it and smiled more genuinely at him this time which made Kai feel better. He wondered if he was turning into a softie. If he was, it was Aichi's fault. "I was in the area and thought you were acting strange. I'm glad it was my imagination," Aichi said.
Damn. So Aichi had seen him after all. He had to be more careful in the future so that he didn't worry the smaller boy. Kai said nothing preferring not to answer. He guessed that Aichi didn't know what to say as he hadn't said anything more yet. He noticed that Aichi was wearing a white jacket over his normal lilac turtleneck with blue pants and blue shoes. Aichi was wearing a blue scarf around his neck and had on blue gloves to combat the cold. A chilly wind blew through the area making Aichi shiver. Kai wondered why Aichi didn't wear a coat or another jacket on top of the current one he was wearing. If the weather man's forecast was right, snow might fall soon. Kai noticed Aichi eyeing him and raised an eyebrow in question.
Aichi for his part looked embarrassed getting caught staring at Kai and flushed scarlet. "U-Um, you aren't cold Kai-kun?" He asked nervously.
Kai glanced at his own attire. He was wearing his black jacket, red shirt, grey pants, black shoes and red scarf. He was also wearing black gloves as well. The brunette shrugged. "Not really," He muttered looking away from Aichi. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aichi opening his mouth to speak but seemed to think better of it and closed it quickly. He waited patiently for Aichi to speak as he noticed Aichi wasn't looking at him anymore. Kai looked at Aichi noticing that the blue haired boy seemed nervous. Maybe the smaller boy was gathering his courage to ask something.
"Kai-kun, I-I was wondering…"Aichi said after a long time. He glanced at Kai then quickly looked down at the ground. "I-I know you said you weren't really cold but do you want to come with me to get some hot chocolate?" The blue eyed boy shivered as the winter wind blew once more. He wrapped his arms around himself trying to stay warm as he waited for Kai's answer.
Kai thought to himself about his answer. "I usually prefer coffee to hot chocolate," He said after a couple minutes of thinking.
Aichi's eyes widened, probably due to learning something new about him. "Y-You can get coffee instead Kai-kun," He said looking back at him now with a hopeful expression on his face.
Kai got up from the bench already walking off in the direction of the exit. A few steps later, he noticed Aichi wasn't with him. He stopped, looked behind him and saw Aichi standing where he left him looking at him with a confused look on his face. "What are you doing? Let's go," He called out to the younger boy.
Aichi jumped as if Kai had startled him and ran up to him apologizing quietly.
As Aichi stopped right next to where he was standing, he looked at Aichi. "Lead the way," He said wondering where Aichi planned on taking them to get their drinks.
He wasn't expecting for Aichi to rub the back of his neck with one hand and start blushing. Kai raised an eyebrow as Aichi laughed nervously. "The truth is, I didn't think of that. I-I hadn't thought of the possibility of you accepting," Aichi murmured dropping his hand back to his side now looking away from the older boy.
Kai frowned. He guessed that was his fault since he hardly hung out with the smaller boy. "Come on. I know a place," He said making Aichi look at him once more. The smaller boy nodded and as Kai started walking forward once more, this time Aichi followed close behind.
ZZ
Kai took Aichi to Vanguard Café, one of the places that he liked going to. It was the same place he had lunch and coffee at before when he watched the fight between Ren and Mitsusada Kenji. He didn't go there as often as he liked since he didn't want to be found easily by Miwa whenever he wanted to be alone. He did like his blond friend (most of the time) but he wasn't the type of guy to always hang out with his friends or go to group activities. He preferred to be alone a lot of the time which whenever he said that out loud, Miwa would always reply that he was too antisocial and needed to lighten up more.
As the two boys waited for their drinks, Kai noticed Aichi was looking around surprised at the place Kai had taken them to. Since it was a Sunday around lunchtime, the café was full of customers having lunch, drinks and playing Vanguard here and there. He guessed Aichi had never been to this place before. He knew that Aichi was probably amazed that he had learned two new things about Kai today. Kai rested his chin on one hand and looked out the window noticing it had started to snow outside.
"Ah, snow. So pretty!" Aichi had apparently stopped looking around and looked outside to see it had started snowing. Kai looked away from the window and watched as Aichi smiled while watching the snow fall outside. Aichi had taken off his scarf, gloves and jacket when they had entered the café saying it was warm inside (which made Kai feel relief deep down as he had been worrying about the smaller boy who seemed to get cold easily). Really, Aichi should've worn a warmer coat. Didn't he watch the weather forecast or read the newspaper? Kai himself had only taken off his gloves. "It is pretty, right Kai-kun?" Aichi said now looking at him.
Kai who had been staring at Aichi wondered if Aichi had been speaking earlier and he hadn't been paying attention to him and if Aichi had noticed he was staring. If the smaller boy had noticed, he didn't say anything or react differently to let Kai know. "What?" He asked.
"The snow. Isn't it pretty?" Aichi flashed a gentle smile at him. Damn it. Aichi was not allowed to look this adorable, especially when he was looking at him.
Kai looked away from Aichi frustrated at his thoughts. Why was he having thoughts of Aichi being adorable? He glanced back at Aichi only to see him looking confused. "Yeah," He said simply. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aichi's eyes light up with joy and the smile coming back on his face. He felt better seeing Aichi's smile. He had denied it before like he had denied other things before reluctantly accepting them. But maybe he really was in love with Aichi. It was still a crazy thought but it would explain why he cared so much about the smaller boy.
"Sorry for the wait. Here are your orders," A waitress walked up to their table with a tray that had their drinks on it. She placed Kai's cup of coffee and Aichi's hot chocolate on the table in front of the two boys. "Be careful as they are hot. Enjoy your stay! Remember to have fun while playing Vanguard." The waitress smiled at Kai and Aichi and walked away to get another table's order.
Kai rolled his eyes, grabbed his drink with one hand and blew on his hot drink. Even if the waitress was doing her job, she didn't need to tell them that. He was about to take a small sip when he noticed Aichi looking confused. He guessed it was because of the waitress mentioning Vanguard. He thought it was kind of expected since they were at a Vanguard café of all places. Moments later, Aichi grabbed his drink with both hands and blew on it.
After Kai had sipped some of his coffee, he brought the cup back down and rested it on top of the small plate that came with his cup. "Is your coffee good Kai-kun?" Aichi asked still holding onto his drink.
"Yeah. How is your drink?" Kai said looking out the window once more.
"Delicious. I'll have to remember to go here more often. I don't know a lot of places that sell delicious hot chocolate," Aichi said making Kai nod in understanding. There weren't many places that sold delicious coffee either in his opinion.
They finished the rest of their drinks in silence. After the waitress came by again to drop off their bill (that Kai had insisted be together despite Aichi's protests), they left their cups on the table and slid out of their seats onto their feet. Kai watched as Aichi put on his jacket and zipped it up. The blue eyed boy also put his gloves and scarf back on quickly. He himself put on his gloves and grabbed their bill as they made their way to exit the café.
After Kai paid for their drinks (that Aichi had protested about saying he was the one who should pay for them but Kai had ignored his friend's protests and paid anyway), they left the café walking along the empty sidewalk. For once, he didn't know what he would do next. He assumed that Aichi probably wanted to continue hanging out with him and strangely enough he was okay with that. The older boy looked at Aichi as they walked noticing the smaller boy had wrapped his arms around himself again. Well whatever they decided to do, they shouldn't do it outdoors. That or Aichi needed to get a warmer coat to throw on. Kai had to admit he was getting cold as well. With the snow still falling and the winter wind that blew through the area every once in a while, he wasn't surprised he and Aichi were feeling cold. He should've brought a warmer coat to throw on. He had known about the snow coming after all. He was such an idiot. He looked forward silently cursing himself.
"Kai-kun," Aichi's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked over to the smaller boy. "What do you want to do next?"
Kai grunted as a response. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do next. He knew he wanted to go inside somewhere and warm up but other than that, he didn't know.
"We could go to Card Capital," Aichi said. Kai stiffened unnoticed by Aichi as those words left the blue haired boy's mouth. The suggestion of them going to Card Capital and hanging out with their other friends made him not feel good. Not that he and Aichi were on a date or he had planned on hanging out with Aichi alone the whole day but…Kai's hands that were in his pants pockets curled into fists. He was pretty sure his hands weren't shaking just because of the cold. "Everybody should be there today as it is a Sunday," Aichi kept talking not paying any attention to the older boy next to him whose expression turned from his normal stoic face to an annoyed looking face. "What do you think Kai-kun?" Aichi said. Kai stopped walking. He looked down at the sidewalk hiding his face from Aichi as he heard Aichi stop beside him. "Kai-kun?"
"Go by yourself," He said managing to keep his voice free of his current feelings, his body shaking now. Probably just because of the cold but Kai could feel something going through his body. Was it anger? Was he angry that Aichi had suggested going to Card Capital and hanging out with their other friends? Why? That feeling had appeared when Aichi started talking about going to Card Capital and grew more when he mentioned their friends. Kai didn't know what this feeling was. All he knew for sure was that he was annoyed. He tried to calm down not wanting to snap at the younger boy determined not to hurt him anymore than he has already in the past but it was hard.
"What?" Aichi said trying to get a look at Kai's face. Kai looked up and at Aichi his annoyed face visible to him. Aichi took a small step backwards startled. Kai could see surprise and alarm in his overly expressive blue eyes. Aichi probably hadn't thought his reaction to what he said would be like this. "Kai-kun?" Blue eyes looked at him worriedly.
"I said, go by yourself. I don't care," He snapped unable to stop himself. His eyes widened a little bit as he realized what he just did. Aichi looked shocked and he could see hurt in his blue eyes. He felt his annoyance die down a little as he felt regret. He hadn't meant to snap at Aichi. He found himself wondering what to do in this situation as he hadn't predicted this would happen. The older boy turned around swiftly and immediately started walking away. He knew he should apologize to Aichi but Aichi would probably ask why he snapped at him and that was something he wasn't ready to talk about yet. Walking away from his problems (especially problems that he himself caused) and not confronting them was a bad habit of his. He thought he had been doing alright with it since he had confronted Aichi when he was drunk on Psyqualia and tried to bring back Ren as well. Although he had failed when it came to Ren, Kai still thought that mustering up the courage and actually confronting him was a big step for him. As he kept walking away from Aichi, he wondered if he had changed at all.
"Kai-kun, wait!" He heard Aichi say behind him. He sped up not wanting to face Aichi again. "Kai-kun!" He heard Aichi speed up and felt Aichi grabbing the back of his jacket trying to get him to stop. He stopped reluctantly his jacket still in Aichi's grasp. He looked behind him to see Aichi staring at his back now holding on tightly to his jacket with both hands. He noticed Aichi's body was still shivering from the cold. "Kai-kun, what's wrong?"
The older boy didn't want to tell Aichi the truth but didn't want to lie to him either so he kept quiet hoping Aichi would either drop the subject or let him leave. He looked forward once again not wanting the smaller boy to notice his staring.
Aichi sighed sadly. "Alright Kai-kun. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Kai looked down at the sidewalk not answering. "I wish you would. I worry about you," Aichi muttered but since Kai was right near him he could hear the mutter.
Kai grunted as he felt the annoyance from before come back. "I can take care of myself Aichi."
"I know you can. But…" Aichi muttered.
"But what?"
"I want to help you whenever you are in trouble. I know Kai-kun is strong but Kai-kun keeps everything to himself. Maybe talking to me might help," Aichi said determinedly. Kai could almost envision Aichi standing in front of him with that determined look he gets whenever he fights.
"I'm fine Aichi," Kai muttered scowling now. He felt Aichi let go of his jacket and watched out of the corner of his eyes as Aichi walked around to stand in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw Aichi shivering badly. Before Aichi could speak, he opened his mouth impulsively. "You idiot!" Aichi looked up at him surprised. "Why didn't you say you were freezing?" Aichi opened his mouth to speak but Kai cut him off. "Forget it. Here, put this on." He took off his jacket and handed it to Aichi. Aichi of course protested but after a look from him, closed his mouth and grabbed the jacket. The blue haired boy glanced at him then put on the jacket smiling softly.
Aichi blushed and looked up at him. "Thank you Kai-kun."
Kai shrugged now feeling uncomfortable. He had reacted impulsively upon seeing Aichi shivering badly. Damn his soft spot for making him do stuff like this. Though he had to admit, he was worried about Aichi so he wasn't as annoyed at himself as he thought.
Aichi's blue eyes widened. "I'm sorry Kai-kun." Kai raised an eyebrow silently asking a question. "You must be really cold now right? My place is around here. Let's go there to warm up." Well it was better than going to Card Capital, Kai mused. He nodded trying not to get affected by Aichi's bright smile at his response but failing as he felt glad he was the cause of it. Aichi turned around and started walking. Kai followed him shivering badly now that he didn't have his jacket on.
ZZ
"I'm home!" Aichi called out as they entered Aichi's house. Aichi closed the front door and Kai watched as he took off his shoes.
"I'm sorry for intruding. Please excuse me," Kai muttered out of custom and pleasantry also removing his shoes. He set them beside Aichi's where it wouldn't be in the way. He watched silently as Aichi put on his slippers and got out a pair of guest slippers for him.
Aichi smiled at him as Kai put on the guest slippers. "Come on in Kai-kun." He walked through the house with Kai silently following behind. "Mom? Emi? I'm home!" Aichi called as they made their way to the living room. Kai looked around the living room noticing it had a cozy feeling to it. "That is odd. I wonder if they are out." Aichi looked around his house puzzled. Kai glanced at Aichi then saw a piece of paper on the living room table near the couch.
"Aichi," Kai said. After getting the blue eyed boy's attention, he pointed to the piece of paper.
"Ah! That must be a note to me. So they are out after all!" Aichi walked over to the table and looked at the note. Kai watched Aichi read it wondering what was going to happen next. Aichi set down the note and looked at him. "They are out shopping. Mom and Emi are really close so they go out together a lot. They'll be back later." He smiled at him. "Go ahead and sit down Kai-kun. I'll go prepare some hot tea for us and turn up the thermostat." Aichi ran out of the room before Kai could respond.
Kai glanced around feeling a little out of place in Aichi's living room. This was his first time in Aichi's house. It was a weird feeling. He sat down on the couch waiting for Aichi to come back. He took off his jacket and gloves knowing he didn't need them on in Aichi's house and placed them next to him. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch as the house started heating up feeling relaxed because of the heat unknowingly letting a content expression come to his face. A few minutes later, he felt eyes on him. He opened one eye lazily to see Aichi gaping at him in open mouthed surprise. Kai didn't feel like moving so he stayed where he was, opened his other eye and smirked at Aichi. "What Ai-chi?" He drawled deliberately dragging out the elongation of his name. He was surprised how relaxed he felt in Aichi's presence and how he had changed. Back when they had first met again in Card Capital, he would've never done something like this around Aichi.
Aichi closed his mouth and blushed looking away from him shyly. Kai smirked pleased at the reaction he got. "U-Um, I brought tea," The red faced blue haired boy murmured gesturing to the tray in his hands. Kai noticed that Aichi had taken off his gloves, scarf and white jacket when he was preparing the tea. Aichi walked over to the table and knelt down on both knees right near Kai's legs. He placed the tray on the table and eyed Kai out of the corner of his eyes. "U-Um, you don't need anything with your tea right?" He muttered moving his gaze back to the tray. Kai shook his head and watched the smaller boy grab a cup of hot tea, turn around slightly and hold it out for him to grab. Kai sat up, grabbed his cup with both hands and blew on it to cool it down. Kai nodded at him as thanks. The tea gave off a sweet smell, a smell that he recognized as blueberries. He was a little intrigued as he had never tasted blueberry tea before. He drank some of his tea raising an eyebrow in confusion as he heard Aichi's nervous laugh. He watched Aichi get up and sit down next to him on the couch.
"Um, so how is your tea? Is it alright?" Aichi asked hesitantly. Kai nodded and took another sip to prove his point. Blueberry tea tasted a lot better than Kai had thought it would. Aichi sipped from his cup smiling at the warmth and the taste. The older boy set his cup on the coaster Aichi set out for him to use on the table and moved his gaze to look at Aichi again. Kai suspected that that wasn't all that Aichi wanted to say and silently waited for him to speak. He watched the blue haired boy take another sip and after he swallowed set the cup on his coaster. He silently watched as Aichi gathered his courage to speak whatever was on his mind.
"So, about earlier…" Aichi said not looking at Kai. Kai stiffened and his eyes narrowed. This is what Aichi wanted to talk about? He put his hands inside his pants pockets not looking forward to this conversation at all. "What was that about Kai-kun?" Aichi turned to look at him expectantly.
Kai grunted annoyed Aichi had brought up the subject again. He was hoping Aichi would forget or at least not mention it. He scowled and looked away from curious blue eyes. "None of your business," He said.
"But Kai-kun, I want to know why you reacted like that. Please tell me. Was it something I said? Because if it was because of something I said, then I need to apologize to you," Aichi said unfazed by his response being used to hearing that from him.
Kai felt annoyed that Aichi had ignored his response. He hated it when Aichi was being unpredictable and not listening to him.
"Kai-kun! Please tell me," Aichi said still looking at him.
"It is none of your business. I'm fine now Aichi," Kai said.
"Kai-kun!"
"Damn it Aichi! Drop the subject," Kai snapped turning to look at the boy beside him sharply.
Aichi flinched and drew back a little. Kai could see hurt in his eyes and although he felt bad that he had snapped at him, he made no move to apologize. A few moments later, Aichi straightened up and looked at Kai determinedly. "No. I won't! Why is it so hard for you to tell me?" He said.
Kai stood up and took out his hands from his pockets. "I said, drop the subject. Now!" He glared at the smaller boy.
Aichi got up as well and looked up at Kai not backing down. "No! Why are you acting like this?" He said sounding confused. Kai kept silent and settled for just glaring at him. If Kai was honest with himself, he was probably making a huge mistake snapping at Aichi and reacting like this but he didn't care. His anger overrode his fear of scaring Aichi away at the moment. His eyes widened a little as Aichi's face turned into the determined look that he wore during fights. An image of them fighting each other with Aichi wearing that same look he had on now popped into Kai's head. He couldn't hold himself back anymore when it came to the boy standing in front of him. He stepped closer to Aichi who hadn't noticed his approach now looking away from Kai, his determined look slowly fading. Kai felt sad seeing it go. He liked seeing that determined look of his. "If I didn't know any better Kai-kun…" Aichi murmured. "I would say you were being possessive. But that…" Aichi didn't get to finish as Kai lifted up his chin with one hand. Aichi's chin felt smooth under his fingertips. Kai noticed the surprise in Aichi's eyes as he bent down a little and kissed Aichi on the lips hard. Aichi let out a startled squeak as their lips met. Aichi's lips tasted like blueberries. Whether it was because of the blueberry tea Aichi had earlier Kai didn't know but he liked it. He could smell blueberries. Was that from the tea or was that coming from the smaller boy he was kissing?
The brown haired boy opened his eyes as he had closed them when he kissed Aichi and noticed Aichi wasn't reciprocating. His eyes widened as he realized what he just did and hastily broke the kiss stepping away from Aichi not looking at him. Kai glanced back at Aichi to see his face a dark red and gaping at him in wide-eyed surprise. Damn it. What had he done? Half of him wanted to tell Aichi to forget the kiss and run away, the other half urged him to speak his feelings. He had felt so alone and was tired of being alone. But he was afraid. Afraid that he had pushed Aichi away for good, afraid he was going to get hurt again; afraid Aichi was going to leave him behind like he had thought. That thought was getting harder and harder to banish to the back of his mind day by day. Kai grabbed his jacket and gloves and headed out of the living room quickly listening to the first half of himself.
As Kai put on his shoes, jacket and gloves he felt a presence behind him. Aichi had come out of the living room to join him. Kai glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. Aichi still looked shocked with his face crimson red but he showed some interest in his eyes as he no doubt noticed he was leaving. Kai stood up and walked over to the door.
"D-Don't go!" Kai froze in the middle of reaching for the doorknob as he heard Aichi say that behind him. He was tempted to look behind him to see what facial expression Aichi was showing but refrained knowing that if he looked back, he would change his mind and stay.
"I've got to go. Forget about the kiss," Kai said hoping his voice didn't shake as he mentioned the kiss once more.
"Eh?! B-But Kai-kun-"
Kai stopped listening to Aichi and placed his hand on the doorknob. He was about to turn it when they heard the sound of the door unlocking and a moment later the door opened. He took a few steps backward so that he wasn't standing by the door awkwardly. Sendou Shizuka and Sendou Emi blinked surprised at Kai being in their house.
"We're home, Aichi," Shizuka said closing the door and taking off her shoes. She had two shopping bags in one hand and Emi held one shopping bag in her hands.
"I'm home Aichi," Emi chirped cheerfully to her big brother. She laid the shopping bag against the wall. After taking off her shoes, she looked at Kai curiously. "Kai-san? Were you about to leave?"
Kai shook off his surprise and schooled his features into his normal stoic mask. "Yeah. I should go," He said walking over to the door glancing at Aichi one more time.
"You should stay," Shizuka said surprising Kai. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. Her knowing smile made Kai feel uneasy. He remembered whenever his mother had that same smile on her face, things got bad for him quickly. He wasn't about to stick around and find out if that was true for Aichi's mother either.
"I should go. I'm sorry for intruding," Kai said politely.
"Don't be ridiculous. You should at least stay for dinner," Shizuka replied. "Right Emi? Aichi?" She turned to her children for their input.
"Un! You should Kai-san! Mom is a really good cook and we want you to join us," Emi smiled cheerfully at him. She took off her pink gloves, pink scarf and blue coat and placed them to the side where they wouldn't be in the way.
Kai looked at Aichi noticing he was hesitating on his answer. No doubt it was because of him. He opened his mouth to decline their offer but Aichi was quicker. "P-Please stay and have dinner with us Kai-kun. Mom makes delicious curry," Aichi said looking at him with a red hue on his cheeks.
Kai was a little surprised Aichi had agreed with his family. The mention of curry, especially delicious curry was luring him in. He groaned inwardly feeling like he really didn't have a choice now. "…Thank you very much for the invitation. I shall take you up on your offer then Sendou-san," He said to Shizuka.
Shizuka giggled softly. Kai didn't know why but he had a feeling it wasn't meant to be in a mean way so he didn't take offense. "You are very polite, aren't you Kai-kun? Please call me Shizuka. I was never too fond of formalities," She smiled gently at him. He noticed that her gentle smile looked like Aichi's and assumed that was where he got his smile from. Shizuka took off her blue gloves, blue scarf and purple coat and placed them next to Emi's things. She also laid her shopping bags against the wall next to the bag Emi set down.
"That is right. You've never met Kai-kun before Mom," Aichi said. "This is Kai Toshiki-kun. Kai-kun, this is my mom Sendou Shizuka."
Kai nodded. "It is a pleasure to meet you Shizuka-san," He said a little uncomfortable at using her first name but not showing it on his face as per usual.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Kai-kun. I've heard many stories about you from Aichi. It is nice to finally meet the person he speaks so highly about," Shizuka said making Kai's eyebrows raise in confusion and interest. Aichi had told his family about him? And highly?
"M-Mom!" Aichi exclaimed embarrassed. "Y-You don't need to tell Kai-kun that!" Kai noticed that Aichi's face was a dark red again and smirked inwardly loving that Aichi spoke highly of him to his mother.
Shizuka giggled again. "Sorry Aichi," She said to her son. Kai got the feeling she wasn't feeling sorry though. "Oh, where are my manners? We are still standing in the entranceway. Come on in Kai-kun," She said making Kai nod, take off his shoes once more and after putting on the guest slippers followed the Sendou family into the living room. He wondered where Aichi's father was but figured they didn't like talking about him since Aichi never talked about him and there were no pictures of him around the living room unlike the other members of the family who had pictures of them around the living room. He discarded that thought and sat back down on the couch. He took off his jacket and gloves and placed them next to him.
Emi who sat in one of the lone chairs looked at her mother who was still standing up. "What are we having for dinner Mom?" She said curiously.
"Well I figured that since Kai-kun likes curry, I would make that. Or is that not okay?" Shizuka said sitting down in the other lone chair in the room.
Emi shook her head smiling. "Curry is fine with me. It is okay with you, right Kai-san?"
Kai nodded his head agreeing with the young girl. He looked around the room subtly wondering where Aichi was.
"Curry is fine with me as well Mom," Aichi said reentering the room with a tray that had enough cups of freshly poured hot tea for everybody. The tray also had plates with cake slices on them. He walked over to where everybody was.
Kai noticed Aichi hesitated before kneeling on both knees near his legs again. Aichi was probably uneasy around him now. Kai groaned inwardly. He guessed that he had upset Aichi with that kiss. He cursed himself in his mind regretting that impulsive decision. He didn't even know why he did it. All he remembered was that looking at Aichi's determined face made his soft spot for the younger boy overwhelm him so he tried showing his feelings and why he was acting strangely earlier in that kiss. Looks like it had backfired. He was an idiot.
Aichi held out the cup to Kai who took it nodding at him as thanks. Kai blew on his hot tea and watched as Aichi gave his sister and mother cups as well. Aichi set out the coasters for everybody on the table, set the plates with cake on them in front of everybody then got up and sat down next to him once more on the couch.
All was silent in the Sendou household for a few minutes as everybody drank the hot tea and started eating the cake. Finally Aichi set down his cup and looked at his mother. "How was the weather Mom? When Kai-kun and I were still out there, it had started to snow on us. Since I wasn't prepared for the snow, I got really cold," He said smiling sheepishly.
Emi opened her mouth before her mother. "Honestly Aichi! You are going to get sick if you don't pay attention to the weather and dress accordingly," She huffed.
Aichi lifted his hands to placate his sister. "W-We didn't stay out in the snow for a long time. Before it started snowing, Kai-kun and I went to get hot chocolate and coffee at Vanguard Café. Then after it started snowing, we came back here to warm up and get out of the snow," He said.
Kai noticed Shizuka's eyes light up as Aichi was talking and after he finished, she got a knowing smile on her face. "So you two were together the whole day? Good for you Aichi!" She teased her son.
Kai watched as Aichi started blushing again. "N-Not the whole day Mom. W-What do you mean 'good for you'?" Aichi asked confused.
"Oh you know what I mean," Shizuka winked. Aichi looked confused still as Shizuka continued talking. "Snow was steadily falling as we were out. It seems like it might be taking a break as it didn't fall on us when we went home."
"That is good. Hopefully it won't snow anymore or Kai-kun will have to walk home in the snow," Aichi said. Maybe he was mishearing things, but Kai could've sworn he heard Aichi sound disappointed as he said that. He probably misheard, he knows he's not Aichi's favorite person to be around at the moment.
As the Sendou family talked about their day, Kai kept silent observing them and drinking his tea only speaking when he was asked a question or talked to. He ate the last piece of his cake and let the fork lay on the now empty plate.
After a few hours passed by, Emi cleared her throat. "I have studying to do. I'll see you at dinner Aichi, Mom and Kai-san," She said getting up from her seat, placing her dishes on the tray and walking out of the room.
Shizuka stood up as well placing her dishes on the tray. "I have some chores that I need to finish. Enjoy your stay here Kai-kun," She smiled at the older boy. She walked out of the room whistling cheerfully.
Aichi laughed nervously, whether it was from being alone with him or something else he didn't know. "Um, you want to go up to my room?" He placed his dishes on the tray and must have noticed Kai was finished as he put Kai's dishes on the tray as well. "I'll be right back," He muttered getting up from the couch. He picked up the tray and walked out of the room.
Kai stood up and stretched a little as he waited for Aichi to come back. Aichi came back into the room moments later and smiled at him. "Sorry about that Kai-kun. I had to put up the tray. Please follow me," He said walking out of the room this time heading to the stairs with Kai following silently.
Aichi opened his room door and gestured for him to enter first. Kai entered Aichi's room and looked around it curiously. He noticed Aichi had some Vanguard cards and a couple of booster boxes strewn on top of his desk. Aichi had some papers on top of his desk as well but Kai was too far away to see what they were about. Aichi also had a couple of clippings from the newspaper about Team Q4's victories at Nationals and Asia Circuit stuck to the wall. Other than Aichi's desk area, there wasn't anything else about his room that caught Kai's interest.
As Aichi closed his door behind him, he looked at Kai. "You can sit down on my bed or you can sit in my chair." He moved the chair over to the bed so the two of them wouldn't be so far apart in the room. Kai eyed him silently wondering if Aichi was alright about the idea of them hanging out after what he did. Aichi seemed comfortable being alone with him. Maybe Aichi was ignoring the fact that he kissed him and was just acting like he was his same old self around him. While he had told Aichi to forget about the kiss, he had to admit he was curious how the younger boy felt about the kiss. As he sat down in the chair (that was now ten feet away from the bed), a voice in the back of his head said that if Aichi had liked it or was happy about the kiss he would've said something by now.
He ignored that voice and watched as Aichi sat down on his bed smiling hesitantly at him. Kai looked at Aichi questioningly. "What is it?" He asked.
Aichi opened his mouth to speak but seemed to think better of it and promptly closed his mouth shaking his head. He avoided Kai's eyes looking determinedly at the floor.
Kai raised an eyebrow at Aichi's silence. Was Aichi finally feeling uncomfortable around him? Not that he wanted Aichi to be uncomfortable around him but due to him kissing Aichi he thought that it might be the case. He almost hoped Aichi would bring up the kiss again so Aichi could tell him his feelings about it. Because he certainly wasn't going to bring it up especially after he told Aichi to forget about it. Also he was afraid. He hated admitting that fact to himself.
They sat in awkward silence for what seemed like hours to Kai. He glanced at a nearby clock and noticed only an hour has gone by. "Kai-kun," Aichi finally said.
Kai looked at Aichi. The blue haired boy was still avoiding his gaze but at least he was talking now. He stayed silent waiting for Aichi to speak more.
"U-Um, you must be looking forward to dinner. Mom's curry is really delicious. Just wait a little longer then you can try it for yourself," Aichi said.
"…Yeah," Kai muttered. Truthfully, he had forgotten about the curry. He had been thinking about Aichi and the kiss. He groaned inwardly. He told Aichi to forget about the kiss and yet he couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Um, I'm sorry about my mom. She really is a nice person," Aichi said hesitantly looking up at Kai. At Kai's questioning look he elaborated, "You looked uncomfortable every time she talked to you. I thought maybe she made you feel uneasy."
Kai nodded. It was true. He was uncomfortable around Aichi's mother but not for the reason Aichi thought. "…It is fine. She's…interesting," Kai said.
Aichi nodded. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it deciding not to.
"Aichi," The older boy said making Aichi's gaze snap to his face. Aichi looked at him confused. Kai opened his mouth to speak more when a knocking sound interrupted him. They looked towards the door hearing it come from there.
"Come in," Aichi called. The door opened and Emi walked in.
"Aichi. Kai-san. Dinner is ready," Emi said already starting to walk out of the room. As Emi left Aichi's room leaving the door open, Aichi and Kai stood up. The two boys went to the bathroom and washed their hands. After they were finished, they walked downstairs passing the living room as they made their way into the dining room. Emi who was already sitting at the table smiled as both of them entered the room.
"Aichi. Kai-kun. Go ahead and sit down. I just need to go get both of your drinks," Shizuka said walking into the room holding a big bowl of rice. She set down the bowl on the table and started walking back to the kitchen.
"I can do that Mom," Aichi offered gesturing for Kai to sit down. Kai sat down noticing that the curry looked delicious.
"It is okay. I'll be fine. Thank you for offering your help though Aichi," Shizuka turned her head and smiled at her son. Moments later after going back into the kitchen, she came out of the kitchen holding their drinks. Aichi sat down next to Kai. She set them down in front of them smiling at the boys' thanks and sat down at the table.
"Itadakimasu," The four people said in unison.
Kai took a bite of the curry closing his eyes at the delicious taste. He opened his eyes and looked at Shizuka. "Delicious," He praised.
The Sendou family smiled at Kai's praise. "Thank you Kai-kun. I'm glad you like it," Shizuka said. Everybody ate dinner silently, the only noise in the house being the silverware clinking against the dishes.
Everybody finished eating dinner saying their thanks for the meal. Aichi, Emi and Shizuka stood up and started gathering empty dishes into their hands. Kai stood up and was about to help as well but stopped at Shizuka's look toward him. The look told Kai everything he needed to know. He walked back into the living room sitting down on the couch waiting silently for the others. A few minutes later, the Sendou family walked into the living room sitting down in the same spots as earlier. "The meal was delicious. Thank you very much Shizuka-san," Kai said.
"Once again, thank you Kai-kun. I'm glad you liked it," She replied smiling at him.
Kai looked around the living room searching for a clock. He found one hanging on the wall near them and noticed the time. He grabbed his jacket and gloves and stood up making the others look at him in confusion.
"Kai-kun?" Aichi asked.
"It is getting late. It is about time I should be going," Kai said putting on his gloves and jacket.
The Sendou children protested wanting him to stay longer. "Tomorrow is a school day you two. I know you want Kai-kun to stay longer but if he needs to go you should respect his wishes," Shizuka gently reprimanded her children.
Aichi and Emi apologized quietly to Shizuka and Kai. The Sendou family stood up and walked their guest to the door. Kai took off his slippers and put on his shoes.
"I hope you enjoyed your stay here Kai-kun. You are welcome anytime," Shizuka smiled at him.
"Thank you very much. I'm sorry I didn't bring a gift with me," Kai replied politely standing before the door.
"It is alright. I'm not offended," She replied.
Emi opened her mouth. "Bye Kai-san! It was nice having you over," She smiled cheerfully at him.
Kai nodded at the small girl and looked at Aichi waiting for him to speak. Aichi opened his mouth then closed it looking away from him.
A couple moments later, Aichi opened his mouth. "See you tomorrow Kai-kun," He muttered a light red hue on his cheeks.
"…Yeah," Kai said. He turned to the door and opened the door noticing that it wasn't snowing anymore. "Excuse me," He said leaving the house and closing the door behind him. As he walked away from Aichi's house, he thought about how this was one of his most eventful Sundays ever. He only hoped Aichi wouldn't avoid him because of the kiss. He would rather Aichi forgot about the kiss and remain as friends then to be pushed away because he revealed his feelings. The older boy walked home silently.
ZZ
The next day after school, Kai laid on his bench in the park with his eyes closed enjoying the surprisingly nice weather and the silence. As per usual, he had his arms under his head with his fingers interlocking and his head resting on his school bag. For once, his thoughts left him alone and he was able to doze off easily.
Kai opened his eyes sometime later hearing footsteps walk closer to his bench. He could only assume it was somebody he knew since people he didn't know hardly talked to him while he was resting on his bench. He pondered for a few seconds wondering if he should sit up and see who it is or ignore them. He closed his eyes again intent on ignoring them as the person stopped near the bench.
"Kai-kun, are you awake?"
Aichi? Aichi was the person who walked up to him? Kai pondered if he should let Aichi know he was awake or not. While he was glad Aichi didn't seem like he was avoiding him, he wasn't sure if he was up to talking to Aichi at that moment.
"So you are asleep then," Aichi said quietly. Kai knew the smaller boy had probably thought of the possibility of him being ignored since it has happened before. Kai remained silent trying to convey that he was asleep and not listening to Aichi. "What should I do? I-I would've preferred you being awake so I could give you your answer," The blue haired boy muttered. Kai was confused and curious what Aichi meant by that and was tempted to sit up and reveal he was awake. Before he could give that temptation any serious thought Aichi opened his mouth again.
"I-I wanted to talk to you about yesterday. A-About the k-k-kiss," Aichi said. Aichi wanted to talk about the kiss? Kai was surprised Aichi brought up the subject so fast considering how he had acted yesterday. The brown haired boy had his eyes closed so he didn't know what facial expression Aichi was showing but if he had to guess he would say Aichi was blushing and looking away from him nervously. "I'm sorry I didn't respond to your feelings right away Kai-kun. I-I was surprised that you k-kissed me and had problems trying to speak after that. The truth is I was really happy you kissed me because I love you too," Aichi continued. Aichi loved him? He felt all the negative feelings and thoughts he had thought about the kiss and Aichi's reaction to it go away instantly. Aichi had surprised him. He hadn't predicted this would happen at all.
Kai sat up on the bench slowly and opened his eyes. Turning his head, he could see Aichi gaping at him. He raised an eyebrow wondering what the look was for.
Aichi closed his mouth quickly and hurriedly looked away. "Y-You were awake?" He squeaked out his cheeks a crimson hue now.
Ah. So that is what the look was for. Kai had surprised Aichi who had thought he was asleep until now. "…Yeah," Kai said looking at Aichi wondering if he was going to continue talking. His eyes widened as Aichi turned around and started walking away. He didn't want Aichi walking away especially now that he got his answer. Kai got to his feet quickly and grabbed Aichi's wrist making the smaller boy stop walking. "Wait," He said.
Aichi turned to face him but his gaze was still avoiding Kai's. "I-I thought you were asleep," He stammered. "That is why I said that stuff."
Kai's eyes narrowed. "So you wouldn't say it if I was awake?" His grip on Aichi's wrist tightened a little at his words.
Aichi winced. "T-That isn't what I meant. I just meant it was easier speaking to you when I thought you were asleep. I-I know it is stupid since if you were asleep, you wouldn't be able to hear me but…" He trailed off.
"What?"
"It is embarrassing trying to say that to you while you are awake. Before yesterday, I didn't think you returned my feelings at all," Aichi said now hesitantly looking up at him.
Kai let go of Aichi's wrist and hugged the smaller boy around his waist. "You really are unpredictable Sendou Aichi," He muttered feeling happy the smaller boy returned his feelings. Aichi let out a surprised squeak at the hug and looked at him confused.
"What do –" Aichi didn't get to finish as Kai leaned down and kissed him on the lips, the older boy closing his eyes tasting blueberries from Aichi's lips just like yesterday. Aichi gasped, closed his eyes then started kissing him back. Unlike the kiss yesterday that was too short in Kai's opinion and had only him kissing the other, this kiss was much better as Aichi kissed him back and was longer. He heard cars driving by the park and smelled blueberries. He was amused and intrigued that Aichi uses shampoo that smells like blueberries. So Aichi was a blueberry loving type of person. Kai felt Aichi grab the front of his jacket with both hands, opened his eyes and broke the kiss looking at Aichi. Aichi opened his eyes and looked up at him surprised that he had stopped. Aichi smiled at him, the smile that Kai loved seeing and wanted to always see on Aichi's face. Kai smiled a small smile making Aichi's eyes light up with happiness. It was a small smile, a smile that Kai had done before in Aichi's presence but this one was different the boys knew. Aichi let his head rest on Kai's chest smile still on his face.
Sendou Aichi was quite unpredictable at times and that made Kai feel uneasy and unsure of how to react around him sometimes. Kai couldn't say that the future would be perfect especially if Aichi continued being incalculable around him but he decided to not think about it as much and just treasure the boy he held in his arms. He loved Sendou Aichi and he didn't want to lose him after all.
ZZ
Author Notes: Gah, this story took a while to finish! I hope you guys are happy with this long piece.
If you have time, please review! I would love to know what you thought of my story.
See you next time!