Hehe...Rei's a sleepwalker! And guess whose bed he ends up in?
Rei shifted and wriggled a little. He felt warm, and cosy, and comfy...
"Rei?"
His eyes shot open, and immediately he blushed. He was lying against Kai's bare chest, one arm slung over the russian's waist. "Kai! W-what are you doing in my bed?" Kai frowned.
"-Your- bed? Rei, this is -my- bed."
"W-What?"
"This is my bed." Repeated Kai. Rei sat up and looked around the room. Sure enough, he was in Kai's bed. He shot out of the covers, mortified. "Um. Um...I...I'm sorry...I think...Kai, how the hell did I end up in your bed?"
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have woken you up to find out."
Rei's brow furrowed as he tried in vain to think why he'd been in Kai's bed. "I'm...gonna go and...get a shower..." He said, face crimson.
He dismissed it as a one off, but when it happened again the next day, and the next, Rei was starting to get freaked out. He'd go to sleep in his own bed, and wake up in Kai's. Kai didn't seem to mind overmuch, and he never mentioned it to the others, but it bothered Rei to no end. Much as he liked waking up next to Kai, the fact that it wasn't by his own choice scared him.
Kai watched him the night after that, as he sat in bed reading. Kai had been pretending to sleep for a while, but his eyes shot open as Rei flicked out the light.
For a few minutes there was silence, then stirring. Kai looked up and watched, puzzled, as Rei got out of bed and walked over to him. His eyes were still shut, his expression peaceful. He slipped into bed beside Kai and nuzzled into the russian's chest. Kai blinked. So Rei was sleepwalking? "Wo ne ni." Kai wasn't sure if he'd heard it or not, but the words rang in his ears. Shaking his head, he draped his arm over Rei and settled down to sleep again.
"Rei?"
Rei's eyes snapped open. "K-Kai!" He practically leapt out of the bed and went to walk away, but Kai grabbed his wrist.
"You've been sleepwalking. That's why you keep ending up in my bed. I woke up last night, and...you came over with your eyes shut, and just...got into bed with me. And then you said something..." He frowned, remembering the unfamiliar words.
"W-what did I say?" Prompted Rei. Inside he was hoping, praying that he hadn't said something moronic. And God forbid that he actually told Kai how he felt about him!
"Wo ne ni." Rei jumped.
"H-huh? I-I said what?"
"Wo ne ni...what does it mean?" Rei gaped at him, then dragged his hand away. "Rei..."
But Rei was already gone.
The next night Kai was sitting on the sofa watching the late night horror movie. He glanced over to the doorway, then back to the TV, then his eyes went back to the door. Rei was there, coming towards him, eyes closed in that peculiarly haunting way. He walked to the sofa and sat down next to Kai. His tongue flicked out and licked Kai's cheek. Kai gasped, but Rei had already snuggled up to him, sprawling over his chest. "Wo ai ni." There was that tiny whisper again, barely audible above the sound of the hero exploding. Sighing, Kai flicked off the TV and picked Rei up.
Rei gave a small purring sound and his fingers twisted into the material of Kai's shirt, clutching at him more and more with every step they climbed. Eventually they reached their shared bedroom, and Kai went to put Rei down on his bed. The neko-jin, however, once on the bed, refused to let go of him. He gave a low hiss and his grip tightened. Kai sat down next to him, uncomfortable, but soon tiredness enveloped him and he lay down beside Rei, eyes fluttering closed.
"Kai, what's going on? Why are you in my bed? Why are you wearing your shoes?"
Kai grunted and rolled over. "Because you wouldn't let go of me. And what's wo ai ni mean? Actually, what does wo ne ni mean?" Rei tried to climb over him to run away, but Kai grabbed him. "You followed me downstairs last night, Rei. You sat down next to me, licked me, cuddled me, and then when I put you to bed you wouldn't let go of me so I had to sleep here with you. What does wo ai ni mean? What does wo ne ni mean?" Rei struggled, but Kai held him tighter, pulling him back down onto the bed beside himself. "Tell me what they mean."
"W-Wo ne ni means 'I need you'. A-A-And...wo ai ni...it...it means..."
"It means-?"
"It means 'I love you'." Whispered Rei.
Kai's grip lessened slightly. "I don't understand. Why would you be telling me you love me in your sleep?" Rei took a deep breath, ready to be hit, or insulted, or thrown off the team.
"Because I don't have the guts to tell you while I'm awake." His eyes shut tightly, and he took another deep breath. No matter what Kai said or did, he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't cry...
"What?"
Rei's eyes squeezed tighter shut. "I l-love you, Kai."
"You...love me? I...how can that be possible?"
"What do you mean?"
"How can you love me?" Kai asked, perplexed. "I'm not even nice to you most of the time..."
"Love isn't like that...not for me. It started off as respect, Kai...and then...it was suddenly something more..." Rei opened his eyes and gazed up into Kai's. The russian was looking at him with blatant confusion. "I love you..." Whispered Rei, one hand stretching up and touching Kai's cheek. Kai frowned, then his face softened a little and one of his own hands came up, grasping Rei's.
"I still don't understand..."
"What is there -to- understand? I love you Kai, I've been in love with you for ages, but I never had enough courage to say it..."
"No-one's ever...loved me before...or not that I can remember...I don't understand..."
Rei watched him for a moment then rose up, laying on top of Kai. He kissed him once, softly, then pulled away, looking down into Kai's dark, confused eyes. Another kiss, accompanied by a squeeze of Rei's hand, and Kai sat up, dislodging the neko-jin. He looked...almost scared...
"Kai..."
This time it was Kai who ran away.
That night Rei was lying awake, staring up at the ceiling. Kai had disappeared; he'd left that morning, and he still wasn't back. The others thought he was being his usual moody self, but Rei knew better. He was worried, concerned that Kai might have done something to himself. He had a sudden vision of Kai lying in the gutter, bleeding, and shut his eyes quickly. He had to stop thinking like that. Kai would be fine. Kai was tough, he didn't need to be worried over like a child...
When Rei opened his eyes again, he wasn't quite sure if he was still imagining things; Kai was standing over him, looking scared, and worried. "Rei?" He asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
"Kai? Are you okay?"
"Niet...No...Yes...I-I don't know..." He trailed off lamely, sitting down as Rei sat up. He had his back to Rei, and he buried his head in his hands. "Rei...how do you know if you love someone? How do you know?"
"How do you know? I...well...you just do. You just feel it."
"How do you know what it is if you've never felt it before?"
"Kai? What's the matter?" Asked Rei. Something was evidently wrong with Kai; he was shaking, and his voice was choked up with emotion.
"I...don't know. I feel...strange. And...I think it might be...because I love you. But I don't know." He sobbed. "People shouldn't be able to make you feel like this!" His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "It's feels good, but I'm scared of it, Rei!" Kai's shoulders heaved and Rei laid an arm round them.
"Kai, don't cry."
"I never cried...not even when they hurt me...not even when they almost killed me...how can you be making me cry when you haven't done anything to me!" Kai asked, just short of hysteria.
"Kai, calm down...Kai, Kai listen to me. It's okay. Everything's okay." Rei stroked Kai's hair, thinking that it was funny; Kai had gone from being the one in charge to being the one who needed help. Kai turned, hands reaching out to Rei. His fingers brushed over Rei's cheeks, and Rei inclined his face into the touch. Kai's hands moved on, touching Rei's lips, ears, and hair, stroking and caressing, all the time gentle, as if he were scared Rei would break. Eventually his hands twined around Rei's neck and he leaned against the young neko-jin.
"How can you make me feel this way? I...don't understand. Rei...I think I..." He paused. "Love you." The words felt unfamiliar to his mouth, so he said them again, practising. "I...love you..." Rei's arms wound themselves around Kai's waist.
"I love you too." He lay down, pulling Kai down to lie alongside him. He kissed Kai once, softly, scared of frightening him again, but Kai said nothing, simply relaxing into Rei's embrace. After a while he looked up, hesitantly, then kissed Rei on the cheek.
Rei stroked Kai's hair and kissed him again, lips lingering over the russian's. He smiled, snuggling up to Kai, nuzzling into his cheek. "Wo ai ni, Kai." Rei's smile widened. Now he'd said it for himself, properly. "I love you so much."
fin
...I know the ending was a bit nothingy, but I couldn't think of anything profound for Kai to say back. R&R, I'd really appreciate it!