Anchor

Written by: RinoaDestiny

#2 – Meet My Ex

Kyo removed the phone from his ear and hit the power button, shutting it off. Transferred his gaze from it to Iori, whose attention had also gone from his book to Kyo's face. He waved his phone in the air, as though rallying support. "It's Yuki. She wants to meet us."

"Why?" Iori's demeanor changed to a look of unease.

"Wants to talk. Get to know you better?" He pocketed his phone and ambled over to where Iori sat on the couch, novel held open in one hand. Yagami, unlike him, had graduated from high school – the diploma in his bedroom – and was an avid reader. They were opposites in many aspects, so this shouldn't have come as a surprise. After all, no one made fun of Iori for being a high school dropout. Just for being psychotic during the tournaments.

The high school dropout label was all his.

"But she does know me."

"She knows you as the guy who used to harass her boyfriend," Kyo said, the statement oddly amusing and ironic. "Now she wants to meet her ex's boyfriend." He smiled. "Weird, I know."

"When does she want to meet us?"

"Within the hour. There's a café she likes."

Iori closed the book. Put it beside him on the couch. The title sounded like science fiction. "You sure it's okay, Kyo?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Because…she's your ex."

"No bad feelings between us, Yagami. She's probably curious."

"About me? Or us?"

Kyo shrugged. "Both? She's not going to make a scene."

"I prefer to keep exes in the past."

"Messy breakups?"

The redhead stood, back straight. From his angle, Kyo couldn't see Iori's face past the fringe of scarlet. Yet, he sensed vulnerability. "Not everyone's as lucky as you."

It was his cue to back off. There were areas of Iori's life he wasn't privy to yet. "Should we go?"

"Yeah. Lemme get my keys."

Yuki sat across from him and Iori, a tall plastic cup of iced coffee and several pastries on a small plate beside her. Her short-cropped hair had grown longer, framing her inquisitive face. She was lovely in a pale blue sleeveless dress and the shawl draping over her chair was a soft shade of lilac. Within her reach was her phone, but the screen was dark. Kyo had opted for hot coffee and a plain croissant. Iori, denied his cigarettes here, bought himself coffee only and nothing to eat.

Kyo sipped his coffee. Put the paper cup down on the table. "Nice to see you again, Yuki. How are you?"

"Doing fine. You?"

"Okay." He lifted his croissant off the paper plate and took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. "So, what do you want to talk about? To us?"

"I want to speak to Yagami-san first, if that's okay."

Kyo glanced at Iori, noticing the confusion manifesting on his face. The redhead gulped down a mouthful of coffee, seemingly undeterred by its temperature and placed the cup down. Stared at Yuki, who smiled in response. From the looks of it, Iori needed a cigarette, for the other man had shoved both hands into his pants pockets. Were they shaking?

"What about?" Iori said, cleaving through niceties and getting straight to the point.

"I want to make sure Kyo will be okay. With you."

"Why won't he be?"

"Yagami-san, every time we've met before, it was never with good intent."

"I'm not going to kill him."

"It's not that I'm worried about." Yuki leaned forward. "I don't want him hurt in other ways."

Iori blinked. "Other ways?"

"You deal with things aggressively, Yagami-san. What will you do the first time you and Kyo have an argument? Or you don't get your way? Will you handle it the same way? With violence?"

"That's not how…" Kyo watched, silent, as his lover's voice trailed off. A minute pause. "I don't like violence."

"But you fight."

"That's different. Kyo fights. Is he violent?"

"It's not the same."

"Then what is?" Iori had shoved his chair back with a loud scrape; Kyo put his hand on his arm and looked at him. Iori, on the verge of rising, sat back down. "You wish he was still yours. Because you can give him what I can't."

"Yagami…"

"There are other ways of hurting people, Yagami-san. I don't want you to break Kyo's heart."

"Yuki," Kyo said, stepping into the conversation to divert its current course, "this is too much for him right now. He's still…we're still figuring things out."

"I just want to make sure."

"Surety will come later. We've been rivals for a long time. Putting that aside hasn't been easy, but…as you can see, he's not clawing my face off."

"I've only known him as your stalker, Kyo."

"I know, but I'm giving him a chance. You should, too."

Iori had turned his face aside, looking at everyone but them. Kyo squeezed his arm to reassure him. Picking up his coffee cup, he swallowed a good amount of its contents and took another bite out of his croissant. His former girlfriend observed him, gaze shifting occasionally to his left. Eventually, failing to draw Iori's attention – Kyo could feel him smarting – Yuki returned to her iced coffee, swirling it before taking a sip.

She put the cup down.

"So you're okay with this? Content?"

"It's like any other relationship, Yuki. Remember when we first started?"

"I do, yes."

"It's like that. Only between me and him."

"Take care of yourself, Kyo. Yagami-san, too."

He smiled. "I'll be fine. Yagami can take care of himself. He doesn't need me for that." In matters of pride, Iori never liked playing second. Kyo doubted them being together would change that. "Tell your parents I said 'Hi' and wish them well."

"They'll be glad to hear that, Kyo."

Next to him, Iori stood. Kyo grabbed his coffee cup and handed it to him; Iori took it, the storm clouds clearing from his face. Kyo nodded. While Iori made for the front door, he disposed of his trash before heading out. When he exited, Iori was waiting for him and together, they walked down the street, side by side. However, Kyo remained silent, sensing Iori's mood.

Eventually, they stopped at a quiet side street where Iori lit a cigarette. Took a deep drag. Breathed out the smoke and then gazed down the row of buildings. He looked lonely, Kyo thought and wondered if it'd always been this way.

"Told you I don't like revisiting exes."

"You won't hurt me, Yagami."

"Don't want to." The other's voice was rough. "Break your heart? What sorta shit is that?"

"She's just worried. In her own way."

"About what?"

"About us. Me. You."

"You, I get. Me?" Iori gestured with the cigarette, scattering ash. "I'm not right for you is what I got."

"Yagami…"

"Still, at least she comes out and says it." Pain, tightly controlled in Iori's voice. Already, Kyo was picking up nuances in his tone. "She still wants you, Kyo."

"That's over, Yagami."

"Doesn't change what she thinks."

"Yagami…if she can give me what I want, I wouldn't be here with you."

"You paid attention to that?"

"It's why you're like this, right?" He took a step forward, closer to Iori. "Because what she said hurt you."

The other man smiled, but there was a wound behind it. Disregarding the social disdain for public displays of affection, Kyo closed the distance and brought his free hand to the back of Iori's head. Touched their foreheads together. Iori didn't protest – simply looked at him, expectant.

"I'm here, Yagami. I won't leave you. You have nothing to be afraid of."

Repeating what he said that night.

Iori's tension slipped away, relief overtaking the strain in his face. Kyo didn't like seeing him hurt. Vulnerability was one thing, but emotional pain was something Iori wasn't good at dealing with. If he could take it away, he would.

"Crimson said I was your crazy ex."

Kyo huffed with laughter. "Well, he wasn't wrong."

"Ha."

"Feeling better now, Yagami?"

Iori nodded.

"Let's go back to your place, then."