Title: The Watcher Became the Watched
Pairing: KaixRei
Notes/Warnings: Homosexual relationships
Prompt (if a word or phrase): Watching you
From: Rei kon Hiwatari (fanfiction[DOT]net/u/2940227/)


Rei was always watching.

It was in his nature as well as his instincts. He had to be aware of his surroundings to keep himself safe. If he didn't know every detail that was laid out for his notice it meant danger. One unobtrusive clue could mean life or death. Vigilance was the key to survival when the only life you knew was a dangerous, secluded mountain village where you had to contend with nature every day. Even when he no longer lived in his little village his instincts remained, keeping him on his toes, and sometimes simply entertaining him. Knowing more about a person than they realize had its own sort of rush.

Most situations and people were easy enough to read. Body language, facial expressions, time of day, the layout of a city; they were simple. But there were some people, Rei had come to learn, who wore masks so thick his keen eyes couldn't penetrate them. They had to be watched in an entirely different way.

For those people, Rei used his mouth instead of his eyes. Talking to people as a form of watching and learning wasn't the method he was best at, for his tongue would never be as sharp as his sight, but sometimes it was necessary. He could glean more information from those masked people by their word choices and mannerisms than they even knew they were giving away.

There were open people, and those with their masks. And then there was Kai. He wasn't just masked; he was barricaded in a locked room made of steel.

Rei had to come up with entirely new ways to watch Kai. The things he said—when he actually did say things—weren't much to learn from. Anyone on the planet could read his unchanging body language: stay away. It was only after months of being in Kai's company that Rei began to actually see. The things he found took a lot of patience, a lot of digging, and a lot of deciphering, but Rei knew what he was doing. Slowly, tiny pieces of Kai unravelled in front of him just like everyone else.

But it wasn't enough. Unlike the other people Rei had made hobbies of watching, the tiny pieces didn't satisfy, didn't make him feel like he was done watching. He didn't get bored when it came to Kai. He grew obsessed instead.

Sometimes his obsession made him careless. A fatal mistake under most circumstances, but even when Kai caught him watching he didn't stop him. He didn't even seem to mind it. It spurred Rei on and fanned the flames that burned in his chest.

Soon Kai was watching him, too. It turned into a game they were both playing, and even though Rei had been playing on his own for far longer, Kai—like Rei—had known how to play that game since he was young. He grew up with a different kind of danger that needed him to be vigilant. It was the first time Rei had an opponent, and it thrilled him.

He didn't know who was going to win, but he realized he didn't care. No matter who it was, the odds would still be in his favour in the end.