Anastasia flicked as the shredded pieces of paper, not even bothering to pay attention to the video that was streaming on the laptop screen in front of her. She knew it by heart anyway. She picked up a pen and began to pierce the loose bits of paper scattered on her bed with its tip, telling herself she was going to clean up and get back to work. Instead, she huffed in annoyance when she was done and scattered them again.

Her bedroom door opened behind her without invitation, and she glanced back warily. Alice had only knocked once when she had started yelling, but she had forgotten to lock her door so she wouldn't be surprised if her friend tried to venture inside now. But it wasn't her. It was Kai, and he looked annoyed. His hair was also slightly wet, along with the neckline of his t-shirt. Was it water, or sweat? She couldn't tell, and she cringed away from him as he stalked towards her. He hadn't yelled at her before, not that she could remember, but judging by his expression it looked like he was ready to.

"Move," he growled out, and Anastasia automatically scooted to the side, leaving enough room on the bed for him to sit down. Without invitation, he snapped the laptop screen shut and glanced at the mess in front of it. His annoyance seemed to evaporate, replaced with something like… worry? She couldn't tell. She hated how she couldn't read him sometimes. "What happened?" he asked finally. His voice was even now. If Anastasia didn't know better, she'd say he wasn't really interested. But he was, or else he wouldn't have asked.

"I was working," she lied immediately. Kai raised an eyebrow. She looked away. "Fine, I was yelling at my sister on the phone."

"At three in the morning."

"Well, it's six now."

"And you only shut up thirty minutes ago."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that?"

"Alice called me."

"I didn't realize you two knew each other," Anastasia rolled to the side and picked up a bottle off the floor. Kai didn't need to know that the clear liquid in it was three parts Vodka and only one part water. She wanted to do something with her hands so he couldn't see that they were shaking slightly. She also wanted to put some distance between them. Absently, she unscrewed the cap and took a sip, trying not to grimace.

Kai didn't notice. "We don't know each other. She thinks I'm your boyfriend."

Anastasia choked. "What?" she spluttered. When she saw that Kai was smirking, she turned red. "I hope you corrected her."

"She hasn't said it to me," Kai rolled his eyes. "It was the way she asked if I could help."

"I don't need help."

"You were screaming in here for two hours and then you threw something against the wall," he scanned the room and his eyes landed on the smashed china mug by the door. "She should have called me earlier."

"What could you have done?" Anastasia snorted and got off the bed. She needed more distance. He was too close, and he smelled nice, and the last time he had been in her bedroom they had laid on the bed together and held hands.

"Made you shut up," Kai raised his eyebrows. "What did Tatiana do?"

"She called a lawyer and sent me a document detailing how I can give the inheritance back and sever all ties with the family," Anastasia rolled her eyes, even as she felt her temper rise again. "She got into my bank account, my credit history, my contract with the BBA, everything. She had no right. I need the money, and if she thinks I'm going to ask her for help now, after she invaded my privacy and acted like a complete psychopath, she's an idiot."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Why doesn't she want you to keep the money?"

"How should I know? She won't tell me!" Anastasia's voice was rising again: anger combined with alcohol was a bad combination.

Kai seemed slightly taken-aback by her outburst. "Hey, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" snapped Anastasia. She squeezed the bottle tightly in her hands, dying to have a drink but worried he would realize what she was doing and intervene. She both wanted him to and didn't want him to. Why did he have to come anyway? "I know everyone thinks we're dating, Kai, but you're not responsible for me. I can take care of myself."

She was angry, she knew she sounded mean, and she also knew she was only saying these things to him because he was here, he wouldn't run away if she started yelling at him, and she was slightly tipsy. Kai's expression didn't even crack. "I'm not interested in taking care of you," he said flatly. "I don't have time for it, and I don't care."

Anastasia winced at his words, deflating immediately. Of course he didn't care. He was Kai Hiwatari, and she was the girl who was fixing his beyblade, nothing more. As good as she was at telling other people that was all they were, it hurt to acknowledge it herself. She tried to hide her expression, but it was no use. She looked pathetic, and Kai's expression seemed to soften slightly when he looked at her, properly, and saw that her eyes were bloodshot and she was sniffling. Anastasia wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Just go," she said flatly. She would have sounded more assertive if her voice hadn't cracked on the last word.

Kai sighed and got up, coming to stand next to her. "I didn't mean it like that," he said, sounding slightly awkward. Anastasia didn't look at him, and he touched her hair, tugging at a loose curl almost playfully. "Hey, look at me."

"No, you're right," Anastasia shook her head. "You don't have time for this, and you shouldn't care."

"I do have time, and I do care," the words sounded so odd when he said them, so why did they make her turn to look at him immediately? His face was still impassive, but she felt his fingers brush against her cheek now. "You know I do, Anna."

Anastasia let out a shaky breath, willing herself not to get too caught up in his mesmerizing eyes. "Okay, you do, but you don't have to stay. I'm not mad. You should go, I'll be fine, and I won't break anything else so Alice can calm down."

"Shut up," Anastasia almost jumped out of her skin when she felt him draw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. Her eyes widened and she froze in his arms, but he was warm and strong and as cliché as it sounded she felt safe right now, her head tucked into the crook of his neck like it belonged there. Sighing, she let her tension ebb away and melted further into his embrace. "I drove here at six in the morning to make sure you were okay," he said, almost gruffly. "You going to stop yelling now?"

"Maybe," she buried her face further into his neck, inhaling the musky scent that was purely Kai. How had she never noticed it before? "You smell nice," she blurted out without thinking.

She felt Kai's chest vibrate with laughter under her hands, and she couldn't help but smile slightly. It was always nice when she made him laugh. It wasn't often, and he usually laughed at her, but it was still cute. "And you've been drinking."

Anastasia shook her head. "I don't know what you mean."

"I can smell it," he pulled back slightly and grasped her chin, tugging her face up to his level. Anastasia kept her lips firmly closed. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not an idiot. That isn't water, is it?" she had dropped the bottle when he had hugged her, and he nudged it with his foot pointedly.

Anastasia stuck out her tongue, and Kai let go of her face. One of his arms was still wrapped around her waist loosely, and she could feel his warm hand on the small of her back. His other hand was fishing around in his pocket, and Anastasia raised an eyebrow when he took something out and offered it to her.

"You brought me chocolate?" she asked incredulously.

"Half of it's mine," he said pointedly. When she continued to stare at him in confusion, he grunted. "I don't like crying girls, okay?"

Anastasia's lips twitched. "Oh my god, you're adorable."

"Shut up," Kai rolled his eyes and tugged her back towards the bed, and Anastasia tried not to giggle at the idea of Kai Hiwatari bringing her chocolate at six in the morning just because he had heard she was upset. It was so hard, when he did things like this, to pretend he didn't like her. It was even harder when he sat next to her on the bed where she slept, and that too much closer than necessary, and offered her chocolate.

Anastasia was tired and upset, and the stinging behind her eyes hadn't calmed down; she knew she would have to cry and maybe scream a bit more later. But she didn't want to do that right now. For now, it was nice just to rest her head on Kai's shoulder, watching his fingers methodically break the chocolate bar into small squares and offer her one, eat one himself and repeat the process all over again.

"Thank you," she said suddenly. Kai's hands paused: she looked up at him and saw that he was looking down at her expressionlessly. "For checking up on me," she clarified. "You could have just called."

"I did," he snorted, and picked up her phone off her bedside table. Anastasia took it from him, having forgotten all about it. Her eyes widened when she saw the twelve missed calls from him, including a multitude of text messages, all sent within fifteen minutes of each other.

KH: Alice just called me and said you're upset. Pick up your phone.

KH: She's saying you're throwing stuff around the room.

KH: I am not coming to your house at six in the morning. Pick up the damn phone.

KH: Seriously, Anna?

KH: I'm going to kill you.

For some reason, the texts made her laugh. "You talk more on here than you do when I see you!"

"You talk enough for the both of us," Kai offered her another square, and she shook her head, leaning against his arm again. He didn't particularly enjoy it when she was so close to him, she knew that, but Kai hated crying girls and this was the second time she hadn't forced him to hug her now. It wasn't exactly romantic, but she'd take it. Just then, her phone buzzed with an incoming message, and Anastasia heard Kai's phone trill out with an alert a few seconds later as well.

"Someone's looking for us," she hummed. Kai didn't answer her and pulled out his phone, tossing it to her so she could check it. Anastasia typed in his password – which she had hacked out of his phone two days after meeting him – and opened the message. It was from Tala. She snorted a few seconds later. "Incredible."

"What?" Kai glanced down at his screen, reading the sender's name. He groaned. "Shit."

"When were you going to invite me?" she teased, her eyes glued to the cartoon playing on Kai's phone screen. It was an animated version of a redhead throwing a water balloon at the screen, the resulting splash spelling out the words Tala's birthday in bold, red letters, along with a date and address. "Also, who the hell put so much effort into this message?"

"I think he bullied Kenny into it," Kai grunted. "I don't want to go."

"Why?" she glanced up at him curiously.

"He's invited half of the city."

Anastasia snorted. "You won't talk to half the people you live with there, much less half the city, what do you care?" she picked up her own phone and opened the message, giggling at the little cartoon again. "This is actually kind of funny." She began to type out a message to Tala.

"Don't encourage him," said Kai wearily.

"Don't be grouchy," she elbowed him. "Where is this place, anyway? It's out of the city."

"My house."

"Your house?" Anastasia sat up, her eyes wide. "Like, that house?"

"Yes, Voltaire's house," Kai seemed amused at her reaction. "Why?"

"Tala's throwing a party in your psycho grandfather's mansion?"

"I don't think my grandfather will care," said Kai dryly. "It's the only place big enough. We've done it before."

Anastasia grimaced. "That's some weird kind of karma."

"Why do you think I let him do it?"

"Point taken," Anastasia sighed. "Damn, now I need to buy a dress."

"I'll take you tomorrow," Kai stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. "What are you doing all day?"

Anastasia shrugged. "I was going to take a nap, and then I'll just do what I was doing when you walked in, I guess," Kai raised an eyebrow. She grimaced. "Not the breaking stuff part. I was reviewing Kenny's data from your battle with the last prototype, against the rest of the team."

Kai tried to look disinterested. "He gave you the footage?"

Anastasia grinned. "You sound curious."

"I'm not."

"You're such a bad liar," Anastasia laughed and pulled her laptop towards her. Kai's legs were already on her bed, and she planted her computer on his lap, opening the lid and indicating for him to play the video. "You can watch it, if you want. I only saw the first few minutes because I was doing an endurance analysis against everyone at once, but he sent me the whole thing."

Kai hesitated for a second, not knowing if she was being nice or if the offer was genuine. It was really early in the morning, and she had said she was going to sleep, but from the corner of his eye he saw that Anastasia's attention was already elsewhere. Her phone beeped, and she immediately picked it up to answer a text, probably from Tala. She was still leaning against his arm, her head resting on his shoulder slightly: she didn't seem to want him to leave. And anyway, he had nothing to do and he really, really didn't want to move. Automatically, he pressed play.

Kenny's footage was always excellent quality, and Kai found himself smirking more than once when Dranzer made a particularly good move that the camera managed to capture. He had turned the volume down because he knew how loud they had been that day, but when Draciel was knocked out and the camera caught Tyson saying something he didn't remember hearing, he went back a few minutes and turned the volume up.

"– he only tolerates me more than other people because I know when to keep my mouth shut."

Kai frowned. That had sounded like Anastasia. What was she saying, and more importantly why could he hear her and not his team-mates?

"As if. I've seen you talk non-stop at BBA parties and at clubs, and he still doesn't leave your side," and that sounded like Hilary. Kenny's mic must have picked up on the girls talking instead of the noises from the beydish, because he was closer to where they had been sitting. Kai was about to turn the volume down again, aware that Anastasia was sitting next to him, but Hilary's next words made him freeze. "Plus, it's not just the smiling. The whole going to America thing? He wouldn't do that for anyone else."

Kai stiffened. Hilary was definitely talking about him; she used the same sarcastic tone when she talked about Tala doing something stupid too. But could she be talking about Tala? And why was she talking to Anastasia about going to America? And smiling? He was completely confused. His eyes flickered to the side immediately – there was no way Anastasia hadn't heard that. Was she going to say anything? Would he have to say anything? Would she even acknowledge it? She hadn't moved in a while. Kai frowned and turned his head to look at her properly.

What he saw made him let out a deep breath he hadn't realize he had been holding. There was no need to worry. Anastasia's phone was still in her hand and the screen was lit up, but her head was lolling against his shoulder loosely. She was asleep. As he shifted, her head moved slightly, and Kai held his breath. But she merely mumbled and readjusted her position, hugging his arm like a pillow. He knew she thought he was only letting her sit so close to him because she was upset. She didn't need to know his skin burned every time she touched him, even though her hands were always cold. He didn't want her to wake up suddenly and cringe away from him when she realized what he had heard. What had Hilary said to her?

Kai turned back to the video, turning down the volume just enough to be able to hear their conversation. He didn't want Anastasia to wake up from the noise, and he wasn't watching the battle anymore. The girls were still talking, barely audible over the noise, but he managed to catch Hilary's sigh of annoyance in between Tyson's yells, and her voice was clearer when she spoke again. "Tala said you were dense about this, but I didn't realize how bad it was. Do you have no woman's intuition? He likes you!"

Anastasia sounded completely uninterested when she replied. "I'm sure he doesn't, but even if he did he's clearly not going to do anything about it, is he?"

Kai frowned. Was that what she thought? That he didn't like her? The rest of it was true – he had no plans to do anything about it, not really. Offering her comfort and the odd hug didn't count, and just because his chest ached if he knew she was in trouble and he wasn't there didn't mean anything. The whole conversation annoyed him – Anastasia would have to be an idiot to not realize that Kai had feelings for her by now, but nothing in the past few minutes of eavesdropping had told him anything about how she felt.

Kai knew he should go – it was almost seven, and he had told the team they would be training that morning. But Anastasia was still asleep, and she was still using his shoulder as a pillow. He should go, but he already knew he wouldn't. It was easiest to spend time with her when she was asleep. He didn't have to worry that she would notice him staring or smiling at her. She didn't need to know what she did to him. Kai had no doubt that if she did know, he wouldn't be able to hold back.

Sighing, he nudged her to the side gently and lay down, throwing his free arm over his eyes. If she wanted to use him as a pillow, he could use her bed for a nap.