Hey guys, I just moved across town in some sort of last resort. My computer is up and running but I'm really busy setting everything up and so, that's why this update took long. I made it longer and hope you're happy with it, thanks for being patient!
Thanks to; vioDEmon8, Stars in the Sky at Noon, Rangerapprentice, Nazrita, Minij Akane for reviewing this story! I hope you like this chapter too :3
Sitsan; Really? Thank you so much! I'm often afraid my chapters are too short. Thank you again so much, you made me happy! ^w^
I don't know how I put it together *Insert long text about self doubt* I tried not to make it so much chaos because they've been through so much and I think they need a breather before -spoilers-
Lin is blind, and she might come of as incapable of doing stuff and that Rei takes care of her all the time but Rei is a very caring brother so it's not all her fault.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.
This chapter was named after my BETA, Mel who really loves key lime pie.
The small dining hall was crowded with people and tension. Rei and Kai were standing at either side of the table, one glaring and the other one looking down on the floor. The others were standing near the wall, not wanting attention at all.
In order to not snap, Rei took a deep breath. He wasn't allowed to snap. Kai was doing a great job at that already.
"I know it was stupid bu-"
"Stupid? Stupid?" Kai repeated, his voice loud. His eyes were narrowed and shot daggers at Rei.
"Don't yell. I had reasons to kee-"
"Don't tell me not to yell! You have no idea how shitty I've felt while you've been just fine!" Kai interrupted Rei again. He was beyond angry. How could Rei hide something like this from him?
"Yes I do. That's the only thing I've heard s-"
"Well I'm so sorry for feeling like shit after you abandoned me!" Kai interrupted again. He was so close to punching Rei in his stupid face.
"I.. I can't do this. I'm sorry," Rei spoke with a low voice, then he walked out of the kitchen. The main door opened and closed, letting the cold in for a moment. The kitchen fell silent. Kai was still angry and got even angrier by Rei walking out. He didn't even have the guts to talk about it?
"Max, can you take me to Rei? I have to talk with him," Lin broke the silence. Her face remained blank but she felt everyone's eyes on her. Max patted her shoulder gently so she'd know he was behind her.
"No. I'm the one who has to talk with him," Kai said with uneasy voice. "He wants to talk with me, right?" Lin didn't understand the question was aimed at her until Max nudged her shoulder.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It would really help if you said my name when you speak with me," she apologized and smiled. "Yah, but you both suck at the art of communication. For example this whole group thing is bull. He doesn't want to talk with you in front of everyone, you don't want to talk with him in front of everyone. I mean what did you think would happen?" She rolled her eyes. Tala nearly screamed. It looked like she was possessed by a demon when she did that.
"I'm the one who yelled so I should go out and apologize," she nodded. "He can't stay out there all night," he added. Not like he could admit he was about to cry because Rei walked out. Really, this emotional roller coaster was tiresome.
"Well actually… I mean… Yah, go get him," she leaned back in her chair. She wasn't about to tell their life story. It could wait until the next time Rei did something stupid.
"Are you sure you don't want me t-"
"No Tala. Just wait here. I'm just outside the house," Kai sighed and walked to the hallway. Lin felt the cold wind enter the house again when the door opened. She heard Kai say Rei's name before the door closed.
Outside, the snow glittered in the dark. The sun was down and Kai wondered again how long he had been stuck in his own little bubble. Was Christmas around the corner? It felt like October but that month was in the past.
"Rei?" Kai called out and closed the door. The younger teen was sitting on the porch and looking out at the snow. "Can I sit here?" Rei shrugged, so Kai decided to take that as a yes. The porch was cold and he wondered how Rei could sit there without a coat on. At least his blue shirt made him easy to spot in the dark.
"Are the others inside?" Rei asked without looking up.
"Yes," Kai preferred the screaming over this awkward tension. "You know, I was glad that you called. I wanted to meet you, to talk with you about everything, and then I mess everything up," he glared at the snow because he couldn't glare at himself. He couldn't talk, he wasn't good at it.
"I'm sorry," Rei's apologize caught Kai off guard. Why was he apologizing? "I should have punched him. I wanted to tear him apart but I didn't know what was going on," Rei was refusing to look at Kai. "I'm really sorry," he added. His eyes focused on the snowy ground before him.
"You mean when you saw…" The words got stuck in Kai's throat. Everything bad wanted to enter his mind, but he didn't want to think about it. "I tried to contact you after that. You didn't respond," he tried not to think about how lonely he felt. He wanted to explain everything but Rei hadn't given him a chance.
"I got fever, then Lin got it but worse. When I payed for her medication I couldn't afford to pay my phone bill. That's why I called from Max's phone yesterday," Rei explained in a monotonous voice. He realized that himself. "I went over that story with the others a few times, repeated it so much I'll never forget it," he sighed. Kai let it sink in.
He knew Rei was poor but it seemed like he was one step away from living on the streets. He remembered Rei had been very cold and sneezy because he couldn't afford a warmer jacket. Lin probably didn't own warmer clothes either so it was no wonder they got sick. He understood, but he still felt betrayed.
"You wanted to punch him?" Rei glanced at him. "Why?" Kai didn't understand it. "Shouldn't he be punching me?"
"Jealousy," it sounded more like a suggestion than an answer. "You think I'm difficult to talk with?" Kai squirmed a little at that. He knew he wasn't easy to talk with himself but Rei… it was a different thing.
"No, it's just that you don't say things. Like your sister, you could have slipped that into a conversation so I wouldn't have to think you had a girlfriend," Rei looked at him, eyes wide in shock. "There was a picture going around in school, I'm over it," Kai muttered. He didn't want to talk about that.
"Okay," Rei looked away again. He didn't understand what everyone wanted from him. 'Be more open'. 'Talk more'. About what exactly? He was sure Kai didn't want a list of his favorite foods and drinks.
"'Okay'? You know about my depression and all you got is okay?!" Kai raised his voice. He was hurt. "You know what Michael did to me!" Rei hushed him, much to his dismay. But he didn't yell more. Rei sighed and looked up at the dark sky, like he'd find the answers up there.
"There's a girl in our school with pink hair. She's in Hilary's class. Her name is Mariah. Mariah Wong," Kai wanted to punch him. "Her brother and I were friends, inseparable like brothers. He was two years older than me," Rei's eyes searched for something in the dark sky. "He taught me how to defend myself. I was so tiny he thought I'd get run over by the other students in our school," Rei chuckled quietly. He took his eyes away from the dark shy and looked at Kai.
"What was his name?" He dared to ask. A pang of guilt crossed Rei's face, but it was gone quickly. He looked away at the snow.
"Lee," Rei cleared his throat. "He hung himself two years ago," Kai didn't know what to say. Rei looked back at him with a weak smile. "You... I knew how you felt and I thought it was my fault. I thought that if I distanced myself you'd feel better," Kai's stomach twisted around when he saw those emotions in Rei's eyes again. He saw how much the younger teen cared.
"Don't do that again," he ordered with harsh voice. Rei smiled warmly and nodded, agreeing that he wouldn't do that again. "What about u-" the moment was interrupted when the door opened behind them.
"Get your fucking asses inside. It's freezing out here," Bryan scowled at them. The younger teens obeyed only because he was frightening. "Fucking morons," he added when they got inside. He closed the door and walked into the kitchen. Rei helped Kai to remove his shoes. Poor thing was shivering.
"I didn't know you were this cold," Rei apologized. Max put out hot chocolate for them on the table.
"How can you not be?" Kai muttered and sat down. He wrapped his cold fingers around the mug. Bryan put a blanket over him.
"I work out," Rei answered and smiled at Max. Max gave him a thumbs up. Everything was calm again and no one was screaming.
"I've seen that," Kai said and sipped his hot chocolate. Rei raised an eyebrow at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai nearly burned his tongue on the chocolate by panicking.
"What?" He squeaked, cheeks turning red. "I.. uhm.." Rei was still looking him, waiting for an answer. His mind was going overdrive to find something to say.
"I see," Rei nodded with a confused look on his face. He tapped his mug, confused face turning into troubled. "You were about to say something…" he trailed off when Bryan walked into the kitchen.
"I like how when I enter the room everyone focus on me," Bryan smirked for himself. Rei laughed and Kai rolled his eyes with a smile. "Tala wants to talk with Rei, I figured it was okay since you stopped yelling," he added and gave the younger teens a searching look.
"..." Kai glanced at Rei, who avoided to look at him. "I guess that has to wait." "Sure," Rei got up from his chair and walked out. Bryan looked back at Kai, who dared him with a glare to ask about anything, so he walked out of the kitchen and to the living room where he passed Lin and Max.
"Kai's grumpy," he warned them and then closed the door to the living room. Tala said the night before he wanted to ask Rei about what happened that day, because he got there before Bryan did. He knew what had happened.
"We still have a lot to talk about but I think the worst is over," Rei answered a question Bryan didn't hear, but he guessed it was about Kai.
"I'm glad to hear it. We all missed you," Tala smiled. "It's selfish to take you from Kai like this bu-"
"It's not selfish. You want to know what happened," Bryan said and walked over to his boyfriend and sat down on the floor beside him. Tala leaned on him for support.
"Nothing," Rei said, sinking down on the floor. "Sorry. Nothing is the wrong word to say after all that. He didn't rape you," he clarified. Tala's eyes widened.
"You said you tore him away from me. You're not lying?" Bryan looked with cold eyes at Rei, daring him to lie about it.
"I did tear him away. He was… preparing," anger and disgust was clear on Rei's face, then gone. "He was towering over you. I tore him off. He punched me, I punched him. The others grabbed me. He talked shit. Johnny ran in and started throwing punches. Bryan arrived. The fight ended," Rei glared at nothing. Tala smiled. Knowing that Michael didn't rape him because Rei helped felt nice, knowing someone cared without judging. All the anger Rei had was aimed at Michael, he thought no less of Kai or Tala.
"Johnny?" Tala asked, Rei nodded. "Why would he help?" Rei smiled a little.
"Because most people care when something like this happens, even if the victim isn't a close friend. It's also described as being a normal human being," he mumbled the last part, thinking about Michael again. That stupid jock. How could he be popular?
"What did he say? Michael, I mean?" Rei looked at the others and shrugged. "Was it about him and Kai?" Tala knew only one thing Michael would say to make Rei leave Kai again. Michael and he used to date. Not that it's true, Kai was clueless. He trusted Michael and for what? It made Tala furious to think about.
"He told me that he and Kai used to date, thought he could use that as an excuse. I don't care, I don't want to think about it. Makes me want to punch his disgusting face again," Rei closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Who's making dinner?" Bryan asked, serious tone and face. Rei let out his breath and got up from the floor.
"I am. Thanks by the way, for giving me a second chance," he smiled at them and walked out. Tala let out a deep breath, he had been so nervous. Bryan held him close, kissing his forehead.
"Careful!" The sound of something hitting the floor with a 'thud' and then rolling was heard from the kitchen. Bryan and Tala got up to see what was happening in the kitchen.
"Where did it go?" Max was crawling on the floor, looking for something. Rei was lecturing Lin in Chinese. Kai was sitting by the table and drinking his chocolate, he couldn't care less about the world around him.
"Over there," Lin pointed. Max crawled over to the sink and reached his arm to grab it, but he couldn't reach it.
"My arm is too short!" He complained in a whiny voice. He stretched his fingers and tried again but to no success.
"Let me try," Tala pushed him aside and bent down himself, then reached out his arm. He was taller than Max and easily got hold of the mug. He got it out and Max gave him a grateful smile.
"No problem," Tala clapped his hands to get the dust of and got up. "Did it survive?" Max looked it over.
"No scratch!" He announced with a huge smile. Lin smacked her brother on the arm and he rolled his eyes, mumbling something about 'Lucky'. "It's fine," Max waved his hand in the air to wave away that Lin dropped the mug. "I'll take out the things for dinner but we can't all fit in the kitchen," well they could fit but five people cooking at the same time? Not happening.
"What's on the menu?" Lin asked, eager to eat as soon as possible.
"Tacos," Rei, Max, and Tala said at the same time. Lin was quiet for a moment, a troubled look on her face.
"Meat and vegetables in bread," Rei explained. Her mouth made an 'O' shape. "Want to sit in the kitchen?" He asked, unsure what she would do while waiting for food. She couldn't watch a movie with the others, and couldn't help with the food. Normally she'd read a book or play a game but they left those at home. She said it didn't matter, because she wanted to talk with everyone instead. He was sure she just said that to make him stop apologizing for forgetting her stuff.
"We could play chess," Max suggested. Kai looked up at the mentioning of chess. It was ages since he played.
"I'd like to try," Bryan said. Lin nodded happily. She didn't think the others wanted to even talk with her because of Rei. Kai had just waited awkwardly for Rei to return, saying nothing. At least he wasn't angry.
"I'll show you where it is," Max put the plastic bag of food on the counter and walked towards the kitchen table. The others sat down by the table and Rei began to unpack the groceries.
He found the frying pan quickly, added some butter to make sure the meat wouldn't burn, then let the meat sizzle on the pan. Everything was going on automatic and fast, his stomach longed for the meat.
He picked up the vegetables from the bag, placing them around a cutting board like a small army. He feels someone's eyes on his back all the time and decided to turn around. He wasn't surprised to see Kai had left the table, standing a few steps behind and leaning against the wall. Kai wasn't embarrassed that he got caught, he was waiting for it.
"Can I help?" He asked and looked over the army of vegetables waiting to be cut. He recognized them of course, but he had never cooked before. He didn't think anyone his age or younger did such things. Rei just had to prove him wrong.
"I'd appreciate that. A lot," Rei reached for a knife. "You can cut the lettuce, then put it in that," he pointed at a colander. "And rinse it," Kai nodded and walked over. He grabbed a big, green, crunchy, ball and reached for the knife. Rei bit his lower lip to hide a smile. Kai was just too cute sometimes.
The two of them prepared everything in comfortable silence. The army of vegetables were cut one by one, a little gruesome Kai admitted when he thought of it. They died for a good cause. Being eaten was a good cause. Kind of.
"Can I have the lemon?" Rei asked while smashing some green goo around in a bowl. Kai handed it over and Rei cut it in half, then had a few drops in the green goo. There was a lot of goo. "Okay..." He let out a breath. "Done," he said in almost a whisper.
"Food is done!" Lin announced from the dining hall.
Rei answered in Chinese, and suddenly, Kai felt annoyed that they talked in Chinese, but then remembered he sometimes talked in Russian with Tala even tho others were around. That didn't allow Rei to do it.
"What was that about?" He decided to ask. Rei looked at him, opened his mouth and closed it. He didn't know how to explain it.
"He said I have elephant ears!" Lin called out from the dining hall. Rei tapped the bowl and said nothing. Kai didn't know if he should laugh or not. Rei grabbed the bowls of cut army food, deciding to ignore it ever happened. Kai grabbed the ones he could carry, eyeing the green goo suspiciously.
"It's avocado," Rei explained on their short trip to the dining hall. Tala hurried to put away the chess table so everything would fit on the table.
"No it's not," Kai blurted out. Rei bit his lower lip and nodded slowly.
"Okay.." They walked back to the kitchen to get the rest of the food. "It's mashed avocado with garlic and lemon. Guacamole. You don't have to eat it," behind them Max walked in to take out plates for everyone. They carried out the rest of the food while Kai considered if he should try it or not. Rei made it so it had to be good. Unless Rei's only talent was baking.
"This looks amazing," Tala complimented. He was starving. "Kind of little place tho," he added, being a little cramped up to Bryan. Not that he minded but eating like that would be slightly difficult.
"I can sit somewhere else," Lin and Rei offered. Max and Tala chuckled, Bryan rolled his eyes slightly and Kai was stuck somewhere between.
"It's a family disease then," Bryan said what everyone thought. Rei made a 'Hmpf' sound and Lin nodded. "Just sit down so we can eat," and everyone did as told.
The food was delicious, and Kai even tried the green goo. He stayed out of the conversation, thinking about the one he had with Rei earlier. One thing was still eating him up, making him worried. Did Rei want to get back together?
My internet is so slow I can't even open 2 tabs at once. Great.
I think next chapter will start the following morning, unless poor Kai has a nightmare and wants comfort.
Thanks for reading, don't forget to review! :D