Author's Note: Well! Thank you very much to everyone who has read and reviewed my fics so far!! A most SPECIAL thanks to my younger sister Blitzkrieg9688, a fellow KeixGoh 'shipper and ever so valuable co-author. She provides lines for me when I get stuck, including the most-hilarious line about tapping Hayate's ass in the last chapter. She a good 90 of the conversation between Goh and Kei at the café in this chapter, and will probably help me more than once before the whole thing is over. Anyhoo! On with the fic!!!
Chapter Two: A Confession of Sorts
Kei was feeling a little more than a tad irritated as he parked his car on the street near a café not unlike the one Goh worked in. This place is all the way across town from work... A quarter of my lunch break was spent just driving here, He thought bitterly as he stepped out of the cherry-red Mercedes and locked it before dropping some coins into the parking meter.
Goh had called him earlier in the morning, absolutely insistent that Kei meet him for lunch that day. He said he had something he really needed Kei's opinion and advise on. Thinking back on the phone conversation, Kei rolled his eyes slightly. He had a pretty good idea what this would all be about. It seemed like lately all Himeno and Goh could talk about was all the pretty girls who frequented the café and vied for Goh's attention. Himeno seemed determined to do some matchmaking, and apparently she now wanted Kei in on the act.
What makes her think I'm interested in participating in such a juvenile activity as matchmaking.. He thought as he crossed the street, thankful for the light traffic. What could I possibly tell him? Asking me for advice on women would be like asking Mr. Tanaka for advice on hair gel. Well, maybe that simile wasn't quite right. Despite the shininess of his head now, Kei was sure that at some point in his youth, the Awayuki family chauffer had had hair, and therefore might possibly be able to participate in discourse on hair gel. Kei and women, on the other hand...
Kei grimaced a bit as a happy couple flounced by him, the girl's long ponytail and skirt fluttering in the wind as she clutched her beau's arm, the two of them laughing and holding ice cream cones. The breeze brought the smell of her perfume briefly past Kei's nose, and then they were gone, like two happy nymphs of summer, brief illusions of what lovers should look like.
Kei never had envisioned himself in a relationship like that. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, think of a way that he could love a woman. It just... didn't seem right to him. He'd been living as a normal human for over two years now, going to work every day (though he'd done that before anyway), living in a rented apartment instead of staying in Leafenia, even driving a car in lieu of flying or teleporting (to conserve Leafe). Despite all this, Kei still felt apart from people; disconnected. He knew the ins and outs of computers, and his knowledge about them grew everyday, but he couldn't really connect with humans. Especially women. The only woman for whom there was room in his universe as far as he was concerned was Himeno, and his feelings for her were not exactly... romantic.
So... what of romance? Did he really need it? Normally, he would say "no". He was a Leafe Knight. He had his comrades, a Pretear, and a world to protect. What more did he need? There was no fighting these days, but he had a life to build for himself outside of battling. His work schedule was busier than ever these days; Kei was one of the most sought-after computer programmers in Awayuki Town and the surrounding metropolitan areas. He had work designing software for everything from games to landscaping programs, and was also becoming a very successful web page designer. He was also becoming well-known for his skills with computer hardware—if Kei couldn't find a solution to a problem with a hard drive, then you probably needed a new computer. There was no lack of work coming his way, and he had hardly a spare moment in his day. So, he really had no need of romance to fill any kind of void in his time.
It wasn't even that many women he encountered in his day-to-day routines didn't want him. His skills caught the attention of male and female colleagues alike, and his pretty face, brooding eyes and shining hair turned many a head. He drove a nice car and lived in a spacious penthouse apartment (Kei's genius was apparently not only reserved for technology; he also had a knack for finances and had made quite a bit of money in two short years with the help of a very carefully selected and very diversified stock portfolio), and, of course, his name alone earned him a lot of attention from people seeking romance. He wondered sometimes if taking the name "Awayuki" as his family name was REALLY such a good idea; at Himeno's suggestion, all of the Leafe Knights had adopted her last name for use in the day-to-day world, none of them having their own family names up to that point. Kei was able to fend off some of his would-be suitors (both male and female) by assuring them that he was not one of THE Awayukis, but the number of people who were simply attracted by the name "Awayuki Kei" was astonishing.
So, in short, Kei had it all: Looks, money, brains, a good name, and no shortage of people who wanted to be at his side. And yet, he spent most of his evenings alone. None of the sycophants he encountered in his day-to-day activities could really capture his attention, much less hold it. The only people he really socialized with were the other Leafe Knights and Himeno, and that didn't really occur all that often these days. He either spent most of his time working until after midnight, going home and collapsing into bed, or staying at home with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and reading a good book.
It wasn't that he necessarily enjoyed being alone... it was just... well. He wasn't really sure what it was. Kei frowned and jangled his keys in his hand as he crossed the street and entered the posh café that Goh had asked him to meet him at.
Goh... The Leafe Knight of Fire was very popular with human girls as well. Their whole group knew that he enjoyed flirting with his female customers, always wearing a friendly smile and ready to dispense the most sincere compliments to the girls and women. He always actually meant his compliments, and it made him a very well loved (and well-tipped) waiter. But, he also had a reputation for being skittish around women and had never, as far as Kei knew, actually gone out with a girl.
Kei pushed the door to the café open and scanned the room. He spotted Goh sitting at a round table near the middle of the room, fidgeting with a glass of juice in his hands. Kei sighed. He was really, truly, not in the mood to hear Goh moon-calf over some girl who had captured his eyes. The whole notion of Kei giving his younger companion advice about romance made him extremely uncomfortable, in some way he didn't really understand, but it made his skin practically crawl.
They exchanged their greetings and Kei ordered a cup of Earl Grey tea. As soon as Goh opened his mouth, Kei's worse fears were confirmed. As with all things that either didn't interest him or he found offensive in some way, Kei's attention began to wander away from what Goh was saying.
Goh gave a long speech about love and truth, basically repeating everything Himeno had said to them about the whole subject, blushing and looking sideways as he did so. Kei wasn't paying much attention to the whole matter, as he was sure Goh was just gushing about some cute girl in a miniskirt that had flounced past the diner earlier that morning, so he didn't pick up on the rather obvious point Goh was trying to put across to him. As this continued, Goh became more and more aware that Kei was either completely ignoring him, totally oblivious as to what he meant, or he understood but he didn't feel the same way for Goh.
Of course, being the Leafe Knight of Fire, Goh did not always have the coolest temper and sometimes it did not take much to flare it up. He had been agonizing over this very conversation for three days, and now Kei wasn't even giving him the courtesy of a direct response! He gripped onto his drink, tightening his jaw as he spoke slowly.
"So.. do you get what I'm trying to say to you?" Goh had asked, lowering his eyes to stare into the glass. Kei twiddled an exceptionally curled lock of blond hair around his finger, blinking back into things.
"Hmm? Oh, yes." Kei answered, not really looking back at Goh. He was staring off into the street, his golden eyes not really focusing on anything in particular.
"And.. are you okay with it?" Goh mused, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.
Kei looked back at Goh, sitting up straight and gripping the spoon in his tea to stir it gently. "Why should you have to get my approval?"
Goh slumped in his chair. "..What do you mean?"
"I mean.." Kei sighed, rolling his eyes, "Why should I care if you chase after some girl in a miniskirt, Goh? I can tell you that it probably won't lead to anything meaningful, if you would like me to tell you my opinion." He replied.
Goh tightened his jaw even more, his grip on the glass slipping off as he balled his fists up. "Didn't you listen to one word I said?" Goh asked slowly.
"I heard a lot of things about love and secret passions." Kei replied flatly. "I assume that it means you have another puppy love crush on another entirely too young girl.. does it not?" The Knight of Light murmured.
He couldn't help himself. He pushed his chair back and stood up quickly, unable to control his anger. He had been gushing for about twenty minutes and one of his best friends hadn't heard a word he had said. "You frickin' dumbass!" Goh snapped, holding his arms up in anger. Kei blinked in confusion at the younger knight's sudden outburst.
"..Wha-" Kei began, but was cutoff by Goh continuing his rant right over the top of the blond's words.
"I've been spilling my guts for the past twenty damn minutes and you think I'm obsessed with some chick in a MINISKIRT?!" Goh yelled, gesturing with his arms wildly. "Yeah, I thought I liked girls, I really thought I did, but I can't get anywhere with them, and I finally realize WHY! Yeah, and I told you WHY, but you're too damn CLUELESS to pick up on any of my CLUES!"
"But, Goh-"
"Here's a hint! Hopefully you can pick up on this one!" The dark haired young man continued, stretching his arms out as widely as they would go. "I'm frickin' over-the-top-loop-de-loop-pink-hearts-and-fluffy-bunnies GAY, Kei!!" He screamed one final time, dropping his arms to his sides and letting out a deep breath.
The word "gay" seemed to echo around the room, and then there was an almost deafening silence surrounding their small table as the few seconds passed after Goh's rather surprising revelation.
Kei just stared at Goh, his expression not unlike that of a frog who had been bashed over the head. Goh stared back, a look of determination on his face, cheeks flushed, panting. It was now utterly silent, and what few people who were in the restaurant with them were all trying very hard not to stare at them, though it was painfully obvious that everyone was listening to them by now.
"WELL?" Goh snarled, after the silence went on for an agonizing 30 seconds. Kei's indifference had invoked his fighting spirit, but he knew the fire burning in his gut wasn't going to last long, and he was already on the verge of running away. But he was going to make use of the adrenaline rush while he had it.
"Well.... What?" Kei hissed back, regaining his composure. "For Heaven's sake, sit down... everyone is staring at you!"
"I don't really care if they are! If I'm going to come out of the closet to YOU, I may as well come out to the whole world!" Goh gestured around the restaurant. "I don't care anymore if everyone knows if I'm gay, because now YOU know!"
"Why would it matter so much if I know?" Kei muttered, looking away as he drained the last of the contents of his teacup. When another pause ensued, he looked back at his younger companion.
Goh's face fell from anger to something Kei couldn't quite read. He looked down at the floor, both fists clenched, shaking slightly. When Goh finally spoke, his voice wavered ever so slightly.
"Forget it... just forget it, Kei. ...Himeno was wrong... I never should have told you..." Walking to the table, he slammed a small wad of cash down hard enough to shake the table and make the dishes on it clatter, turned, and abruptly fled the store, leaving a bemused and embarrassed Kei behind with a restaurant full of people staring at him. Kei flinched at the sound of the café door slamming shut, the bell on it clattering harshly against the wood. Without a word, and with as much dignity as he could muster, Kei took out his wallet and placed some money on the table as well, got up, and walked out of the restaurant with all the grace and poise of a housecat that had just fallen off of the back of a couch and was attempting to convince everyone it had been on purpose.
He walked from the entrance of the restaurant, across the road (without even paying attention to the traffic, and forcing a couple of drivers to slam on their brakes), to his car. With a quick push of a button on his keyless entry remote, the locks popped open and he got inside... and just sat.
With one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his lap, holding the keys, he slowly went over Goh's words in his mind, processing what Goh had REALLY been saying while Kei had been sitting there daydreaming.
"Sometimes... one person can hold secret passions for another person... passions that can eat up all of their thoughts and keep them awake at night."
"I think that it would be important to get to know a person before you have a relationship... the longer you've known someone, the better..."
"If I'm going to come out of the closet to YOU, I may as well come out to the whole world! I don't care anymore if everyone knows if I'm gay, because now YOU know!"
Kei gripped the leather of the steering wheel and stared at his own reflection in the rearview mirror. What.. could he have meant by that? But he knew, even as he thought it, that it was a stupid question. Why hadn't he paid attention? Why hadn't he really heard the message Goh was trying to give him?
Goh wasn't in love with some girl he met at the café... he was... in love with... ME... He thought, gripping the steering wheel even harder. He glared at his own reflection. ...Kei "Awayuki"... you are an IDIOT...
To be concluded!!