Err… super long wait. Sorry this took so long. Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it greatly! Oh, and the question as to who is uke and who is seme in this came up in a review… I'm fairly certain that Tyson's uke, but there might be moments when they have an equal relationship. And who knows, Kai might be uke for a bit. I can never say for sure because these fics have a mind of their own, I swear.
Chapter Five
Ah… there we were at the very top seat of the Ferris wheel. Kai was laughing in delight and I was right there with him with a big smile on my face. When I see how happy he looks, I just get this great warm feeling inside. Like, I made him happy. He's smiling because of me… and then all I want to do is just give him even more joy. It makes me feel positively euphoric that I have the power to make someone feel good, or even just to make them smile. This isn't the Kai you see on the cover of the magazines or the one you see on stage. This is the real Kai, the one that actually acts human, the one with feelings just like me.
And then the wheel comes to a slow stop and we both look at each other in surprise. He asks me if this is supposed to happen during the ride and I tell him no. That's when we hear a little guy on the ground yell that they're encountering some technical difficulties and just to stay calm, we'll have this sorted out as soon as possible. I couldn't believe my luck; there I was, a hundred feet in the sky with the boy of dreams. We were stuck there and I apologized for the bad timing, but he said he didn't mind in the least. A thousand butterflies took flight in my stomach as he moved his face closer to mine and thanked me again for spending the day with him. I was thought I was gonna die! And then time seemed to grind to a halt and I really thought that I had died and gone to heaven because he leaned in and kissed me and then I—
"You want some ice cream?"
Tyson snapped out of the inner monologue he was reciting to tell Hilary and blinked. Kai was standing there with a patient look on his face.
"Huh?"
"I'm going to buy some ice cream. Do you want one?" Kai asked. Tyson nodded dazedly. Okay, okay, so he didn't really kiss me. But the rest of it is true! We really did get stuck in the top car and I really was a hundred feet in the air with Kai Hiwatari!
"You look kind of preoccupied," Kai commented lightly as they stood in line for ice cream.
"Oh! I, uh, was just thinking… about my friend Hilary! You remember her, right? She came with me to the concert," Tyson said in a rush. Kai nodded slowly.
"I remember."
"Good. I was just thinking about how she likes the Ferris wheel… and carnivals and stuff." Tyson blushed gently at his pathetic attempt to avert his thoughts from the image of Kai kissing him in his head. I want him to kiss me so badly! Ugh… I'm so hopeless. "How'd you like the ride?"
Kai adjusted the bill of his hat. "I think it should break down more often. It was really nice just sitting up there in the sky."
Tyson smiled. It had been nice. They had been up there for about twenty minutes before the ride cranked up again, and Tyson had learned that Kai wasn't afraid of heights, his favorite color was blue, he enjoyed Shakespeare—his favorite being A Midsummer Night's Eve—, he hated violent movies, and he loved playing the guitar and piano. It had been the best twenty minutes of Tyson's life.
"I'm really glad you're having a good time," he said sincerely. "You know, I'm starting not to even think of you as a celebrity anymore."
"Really?" Kai asked, sounding pleased. Tyson fought off another blush.
"I mean, it's kind of hard to forget it completely, but you're so normal. And you're easy to be around and stuff."
Kai chuckled softly. "There's really no difference between me and any other guy on the street."
"Aside from the fact that you're on TV, the radio, in magazines, etcetera, etcetera." Tyson grinned.
"Yeah. Aside from all that. Hey, what kind do you want?" Kai asked as they reached the front of the line. Tyson bounced up eagerly.
"I'd like a scoop of chocolate with sprinkles, nuts, and hot fudge," Tyson recited. "On a sugar cone."
"And you, sir?" the lady asked as she handed over Tyson's order. Kai asked for strawberry ice cream with sprinkles on a regular cone. The pair walked a few feet away and sat down near the merry-go-round. Tyson glanced at his watch.
"You know, we've been here for almost two hours and we've only ridden on one ride," he pointed out.
"I won a snow globe, though," Kai reminded him. He started on his ice cream and Tyson was momentarily mesmerized at the sight of Kai's pink tongue poking at the frosty substance. He shook his head and averted his gaze, nibbling on his sugar cone. He glanced over again and saw Kai lick the whole thing around. Gah! He's even sexy when he eats. And why does he have to eat his ice cream in such a provocative way? Is he doing that on purpose! Maybe my mind is just way too lewd…
"Mmm," Kai said appreciatively as he practically kissed the peak of the strawberry mound. He licked his lips and looked at Tyson. "This is horrible for you, you know."
"I know."
"My voice is going to be shot to hell tomorrow during practice." He swirled his tongue in the soft cream, not noticing the increasing flush in Tyson's cheeks. "But I'd say it's worth it."
His sex appeal is gonna be the death of me. Tyson took a huge bite of his chocolate ice cream and swallowed quickly, suffering a moment of mild brain freeze. "You want to ride the merry-go-round after this?"
Kai glanced at the array of unicorns, dolphins, ponies, lions, tigers, seals, and dozens of other creatures that sparkled and swayed prettily. The music tinkled softly, giving the whole thing a dreamlike appearance. "Okay."
Tyson mentally let out a squeal of delight, then straightened when he heard Kai speak again.
"Hey, Tyson? Where do you live?"
"Ah, not very far from here. My grandfather's renting a house for me here in the city so I can be closer to school. I used to live with him at his dojo."
Kai looked fascinated. "A real dojo?"
"Uh-huh. He teaches a kendo class once a week. Maybe one day when you have the time, I could bring you there to meet him and see the place," Tyson suggested lightly, holding his breath.
"I'd love to." Kai crunched into his cone and Tyson grinned idiotically.
Oh my God. We have future plans!
They sat in comfortable silence, Tyson giddy at the mere thought of having Kai Hiwatari grace his home with his presence, and Kai simply enjoying his ice cream. When they were finished, Kai stood and brushed off his fingers, studying the merry-go-round. Tyson tossed the last bit of his cone into his mouth and swallowed without chewing much, then gave Kai an engaging look.
"All right, come on. This is probably my favorite ride of all time." Tyson grinned.
"That's funny," Kai said, walking beside him. "You give off the impression of being the sort to like roller coasters, or something."
"I like those, too. Eh, I like 'em all, but this one…" Tyson shrugged. "It's peaceful. And it always takes me back on a trip down memory lane. It reminds me of being a little kid again."
Kai gave him a soft look. "That's nice."
The line was moving fairly quickly, and in no time at all, they were asked to pick a creature to ride on. Tyson stepped aside.
"You pick first. I'll just take the one beside you."
"Um…" Kai pondered for a moment before pointing to a mythical phoenix, fiery red and looking splendidly magnificent. Beside it was a long blue dragon that twisted around regally, its head held high and proud. Tyson padded over and hopped onto the dragon, giving it a once-over.
"This is pretty cool," he said, looking up as Kai slipped onto the phoenix. "I think I probably would have picked the same one."
Kai traced his fingers over the face of the legendary bird, outlining the eyes and then the beak. "It's pretty," he murmured.
"Yeah, it is. You know the story of the phoenix, right? You know, how it rises out of the ashes and all?"
"Of course." Kai looked back up and Tyson gave him a cute smile while the rest of the crowd assembled themselves on the various objects. A man in charge walked around, speaking enthusiastically about some safety precautions before the music began and the ride slowly cranked up.
"Here we go! Hold on tight, Kai, I wouldn't want you to fall off," Tyson joked.
"Fat chance."
The tinkling melody filled the air with its harmonious tune as the glittering creatures all moved up and down in a hypnotizing waltz. Tyson shut his eyes and smiled, loving the airy feeling that always came over him when he rode the merry-go-round. He peeked at Kai, who also seemed to be having a good time, and felt immense pleasure at the fact that he was having so much fun with him.
The ride was over much too soon (in Tyson's opinion), but when they both stumbled off, Tyson found Kai's cheeks flushed with laughter, and decided that his new life's goal was to make Kai Hiwatari happy. He knew Hilary would call him three kinds of idiot, but didn't mind in the least.
"Fun, huh?" Tyson asked.
"Oh, yeah. I have got to get Tala to ride with me next time." Kai gave him a striking smile and Tyson nearly burst with joy. He wanted very badly at that moment for time to stand still, but before he could think another thought, someone came over and pulled Kai's hat off.
"Hey!" Tyson yelled indignantly. Kai's silky hair fell down to his neck and the person holding his hat gawked. After a short silence, she began exclaiming breathlessly.
"Oh my Gawd! You're Kai Hiwatari!" she shrieked, her voice piercing through the crowds. A murmur ran through the multitude.
"Oh…" Kai took a step backwards. "Shit."
"Kai Hiwatari is here! AND I HAVE HIS HAT!"
"Tyson, I'm sorry," Kai said quickly.
"It's—" A throng of screaming people suddenly pushed Tyson back, and he nearly lost his balance. He huffed resentfully at having been shoved aside like old garbage, then stood on his tiptoes, trying to catch a glimpse of Kai. The mass of people grew thicker, some yelling Kai's name and some wondering what the big fuss was. Tyson frowned.
"Kai was supposed to be mine for today," he said peevishly. After a moment, he slipped into the crowd and began pushing his way through, weaving from side to side. Just when he thought he was about to reach the middle, he popped out on the other side and was rudely shoved a few feet away.
"ARGH! Stop pushing me!" He straightened his cap and let out an irritated sigh. There was a youngish boy standing around the merry-go-round, maybe nine years old or so, and an idea suddenly popped into his head. He approached the kid, who was watching the uproar with wide eyes.
"Hey, you. How'd you like to give me a hand?" Tyson asked amiably. The boy stared at him.
"Mommy says I'm not allowed to talk to strangers."
"Err… well, where's your mommy?"
"She's not here. I'm with my sister."
"Okay. Where's your sister?"
The boy pointed to the teeming crowd, and Tyson rolled his eyes. "Jeez. Well, how'd you like to make an extra…" He dug through his pocket and pulled out a five-dollar-bill. Frowning slightly, he reached back in and found a single dollar, then replaced the five. "Dollar? You could go buy yourself an ice cream."
"Mommy says I'm not supposed to take anything from strange people."
"It's for a good cause!"
The boy eyed him and Tyson composed himself. "You see, all you have to do is go over there and yell, 'It's Tala, Rei, Oliver, and Enrique!' as loud as you can."
"I can't remember all those weird names."
"Okay, okay, just yell the ones you can remember."
"Uh…"
"Please? I promise you won't get in any trouble!" Tyson thrust the bill into his hands and the kid stared down at it dumbly.
"Um… okay, I guess."
"Thank you. Now go over there and yell at the top of your lungs." He led him a few yards away and stood back. The boy shrugged and took a deep breath.
"IT'S TALA AND REI AND OLIVE AND ENRIKAY!" he screamed in a high-pitched voice. Tyson winced at the 'olive' bit, but quickly grew hopeful as another murmur ran through the crowd.
"Tala!"
"No way, they're all here?"
"OH MY GOD REI I LOVE YOU!"
The crowd split as more than half of them went running towards the little boy's voice. Tyson suffered a moment of guilt for the kid's sake, then went to the much smaller crowd surrounding Kai and slipped through, mumbling apologies and excuses. He finally found Kai in the middle with three girls hanging onto his body and another shoving a book in his face, demanding an autograph.
"Hey, I found you," Tyson said delightedly. Kai looked surprised to see him as he delicately pried a girl off of his arm.
"I thought you would've left for sure."
"And leave you here like this? That's just cruel."
Kai chuckled faintly and turned his attention back to the girls. "Uh… here." He scribbled his name down quickly, then flashed a dazzling smile before Tyson grabbed his arm and yanked him away. A few people looked as if they wanted to tag along, but the growing mass yelling frantically about Kai's other band members attracted them instead. They finally made it to the entrance of the carnival, and Kai let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," he said, pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes again. Tyson grinned and lent him his baseball cap for the second time that morning, and they began walking as Kai adjusted it atop his head.
"Does that happen a lot?" Tyson asked.
"Not nearly as much as you'd think. Michael's very good about security… and he's a little paranoid about our safety, which is why he's gonna blow when I get back." Kai smiled good-naturedly. "But since he's not around, I probably shouldn't be walking around in the open so carelessly."
The golden opportunity. "Well… you're welcome to come to my place for a while, if you'd like…" Tyson paused lightly, letting the invitation hang in midair.
"You wouldn't mind?"
"Course not."
Kai glanced backwards for a moment. "The carnival was fun while it lasted. Sorry, I kind of forced you to leave."
"It's okay, I'm just glad you had a good time," Tyson said truthfully. Holy crap. Kai Hiwatari is coming to my house! All right, Tyson, stay cool…
"Do you live far from here?"
"Not at all. Just a few blocks down." Tyson gave him a smile. "Follow me."
Tyson's house was nothing special, but Kai liked it. It was pleasant and inviting, very much the opposite of how Kai saw his own house. There was nothing wrong with it; it was just that even after a year of owning it, he still couldn't seem to be able to call it home. He was hardly ever there in the first place.
Tyson kept up a steady stream of chatter, even up until they had reached his doorstep. Kai didn't mind; Tyson kept the topics interesting, if irrelevant, and Kai found himself feeling like an average person stopping by a friend's house after school. It was something that he hadn't felt in a long time, and he was beginning to feel very comfortable around Tyson, despite the fact that they'd hardly known each other for a day.
"Sorry if the place is a little messy," Tyson was saying as he unlocked the door and held it open for him. "I don't have anybody to tell me to clean my room since I'm by myself."
"Don't worry about it." Kai stepped inside and immediately smelled something delicious. "Were you cooking in here?" Chocolate chip cookies. That's what it is.
Tyson laughed, a small blush tingeing his cheeks. "Oh, well, I was just… baking… a little earlier."
"Baking cookies?"
"Err, yeah. Can you tell?"
The corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly as Kai nodded. "It smells really good."
"Well… since you're here and all, would you like to taste them and give me your honest opinion on how good they are? Or how bad they are…"
"Sure." Kai followed him into the kitchen were Tyson lifted the lid off of a cookie jar sitting on the counter. Near the oven were two cookie sheets with grease and crumbs still sticking on them. The kitchen was spacious and generally clean, and it gave off the impression that someone used it a lot.
"Here." Tyson tilted the jar towards him and Kai took one, taking a small bite. Tyson watched him carefully with scrutinizing eyes.
"You baked these yourself?" Kai asked, taking another bite. Tyson nodded.
"You like it?" he asked uncertainly.
"Of course I do. Has anyone ever told you that you're a really good cook? Well, at least I know you're really good at making cookies." Kai gave him a reassuring smile and Tyson let out a small sigh of relief.
"Gee, thanks, Kai! You really like 'em?" Tyson thrust the jar out once more, a grin on his face.
"Mm-hmm." He bit into another one, and Tyson picked one up and munched it thoughtfully.
"I'm glad you think they're good," he said with a wide grin. A flash of panic suddenly crossed his eyes. "Jeez, where are my manners? Go and sit down in the living room, I'll be out in a minute." He hastily shoved the jar into Kai's hands and shooed him out of the kitchen. Kai blinked at his abrupt dismissal, but shrugged it off quickly, wandering out into the adjacent living room while reaching for another cookie.
The living room walls were rich, dark wood, giving the place a very cozy feel. There were two couches, a large leather rocker, and a coffee table placed tastefully in the middle. A wide-screen TV and entertainment system took up the entire far wall. There was another table for casual dining on the entering side of the room, and Kai set the ceramic jar down as a sheet of paper left on the table caught his eye. He picked it up and was reading it attentively when his gracious host arrived carrying a large bowl of nachos and balancing two containers of cheese dip and salsa in the other hand. He almost dropped his load when he spotted Kai.
"Ah! What are you reading?" he demanded frantically.
"Just something that was sitting here," Kai answered inattentively. Tyson put the bowls on the table and attempted a wild grab at the paper, but Kai held it out of reach and continued reading. When Tyson persisted, Kai pushed his hand against his face and lifted the paper above his head, looking skyward to finish while Tyson made incoherent stutters into his palm.
"Mm! Put that down!"
"I'm just about done."
"Kaaaai! That's nothing, I-I wasn't being serious when I wrote it!"
Kai looked at him, finally removing his hand. "You lie," he accused mildly.
Tyson blushed furiously. "It's just a stupid poem that I wrote when I was bored." He snatched at the paper and balled it up lightly.
"Stupid poem, eh?"
"Yes. Very stupid."
"I like it."
"Well—" Tyson stopped short. Then he scrunched up his face. "You're just saying that to be polite."
"Am not. Add some notes and you'd have a song." Kai pulled the crumpled paper out of his hands and studied it again.
Tyson paused, his embarrassment ebbing away slightly. "Ah… really?"
"I think so. You're a really good writer."
"Well, I just write what I feel."
Kai looked up and smiled at him. "So do I."
With butterflies dancing in his stomach, Tyson returned the grin feebly. His knees felt like jelly. He cleared his head and picked up the forgotten snacks, walking into the living room and placing them on the coffee table in front of the couch. Kai followed, slipping Tyson's poem into his pocket.
"Go ahead and sit down, Kai. Make yourself at home," Tyson said cheerfully.
"Thanks. You have a really nice place." Kai sat down on the comfortable sofa and watched Tyson settle down next to him.
"I also have a really nice grandfather paying for it," he answered with a grin. "Hey, where do you live?"
"Not too far from the recording studio, but we all have rooms there, too. Tala and I are the only ones that really use them, though. Rei, Oliver, and Enrique never spend the night. You see, people are always staking out my house and a lot of the time, it makes it impossible for me to get home."
"Jeez, that's harsh. I bet your phone is ringing off the hook in there. Chip?" Tyson gestured to the bowl.
"I actually don't even have a home phone line," Kai said with a tiny smile, reaching over and dipping a nacho into the soft cheese. "I had it disconnected not too long after I got the house." His smile faded as he bit into the chip. "You get a lot of fan calls, but there are a lot of rude calls, too."
"Oh… man, that must be tough." Tyson frowned and nibbled on a nacho.
"It's not that bad. I have a cell number that only a few people know." As if by magic, his phone rang. Tyson giggled as Kai flipped it open.
"KAI!"
"Ow!" Kai yanked the phone from his ear, wincing at the tinny voice that could be heard even when he held it a good two feet away.
"Who's that?" Tyson asked, watching with interest. Kai paused.
"It's Tala, I think." He brought the phone to his mouth. "Stop yelling at me! I can't understand a word you're saying." The phone went quiet and Kai tentatively held it to his ear again. "Hello?"
"Kai. It's me, Tala."
"I figured. What is it?"
"Where are you? It's past lunchtime and Michael's convinced you've been kidnapped."
Kai laughed. "Well, tell him I'm fine."
"He doesn't believe me! I swear, he's about to call the National Guard in. You should do us all a favor and get your ass back here now."
"Uh…" Kai tilted his head at Tyson and winked. "No. I'm not done yet."
"Mother f—"
"Listen, I'll talk to Michael for you. Get him on the line." Kai heard Tala sigh and begin calling for their manager. He covered the mouthpiece and gave Tyson a charming smile.
"Is everything okay over there?" Tyson asked.
"Oh, everything's fine. I just have to straighten something out with Michael. Oh, Michael? Hi."
"Kai! Where have you been? Are you okay?" Michael asked frantically.
"I'm fine, Michael. I have not been kidnapped."
"Then where are you?"
"I'm… visiting a friend. Like you told me to."
Tyson smothered a grin. I'm his friend. Kai Hiwatari just told his manager that I'm his friend! I'm gonna die from joy if this keeps up…
"I didn't… uh… oh," Michael said sullenly, recognizing his words from earlier. "But you said you weren't going anywhere. You skipped out on a photo shoot that cost us thousands to get!"
"Take the money out of my salary."
"That's not the point. You cannot simply walk out of here without telling anyone. We were all sick with worry!"
"Well, I'm fine. Sorry if I scared you. I'll see you sometime later tonight, okay?"
"Later tonight?" Michael sputtered. "You get back here right now!"
"I'm busy."
"Doing what?"
"I told you, I'm spending time with a friend."
"What friend? What's his name? Where does he live? Does he have a criminal record?"
Kai covered the mouthpiece again. "Have you ever been arrested?" he whispered. Tyson shook his head and Kai went back to his conversation. "His name is Tyson, he lives in a house, and no, he doesn't have a criminal record."
"He lives in a house? What kind of half-assed answer is that, Kai! Where are you?"
"I'm at his house."
"Tell me!"
"No, because you'll send someone over to get me." Kai could practically see Michael pulling at his orange hair.
"Okay, okay, let's negotiate."
"Here are my terms. You hang up and don't call again until I get back. You're forcing me to be rude to my host."
Michael huffed. "Kai, I'm looking out for your safety. Don't make me out as some evil monster ruining all your fun."
"Of course not."
"Good. Now tell me where you are."
"Goodbye, Michael."
"Wait! Tell m—" Kai flipped his phone shut and put it on silent mode before giving Tyson an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. They're very protective of you."
"Yeah, they are." A pensive look came over his face. "Maybe I should have been nicer."
"Oh, you were nice enough," Tyson said quickly. "I'm sure they can understand that you need your privacy."
Kai snorted lightly. "Sometimes I doubt that, but I'm grateful to them, nonetheless. Uh… that poem you wrote…"
"I already told you, it wasn't anything special," he mumbled, his face reddening.
"I think it's beautiful," Kai stated, and Tyson's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he noticed an extremely faint crimson color tingeing the young singer's cheeks. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, and was brought back to reality when he felt Kai poke his shoulder.
"Did you hear me?" he asked, peering at him. Tyson cleared his throat.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Kai…" Holy heck, I did not just see him blush…
"You're welcome."
"I think your lyrics are a ton better than my crap poems, though," Tyson said hastily, earning a frown from Kai.
"That's not true. Don't say that about your own work."
"Well, I just don't think I'm very good." Tyson squirmed slightly, feeling as if he had offended him in some way. Kai paused before shifting, drawing a leg up and sitting comfortably with his arm placed on the back of the couch. He rested his head against his knuckles and gave Tyson a ponderous look.
"I didn't think I was very good, either. When I was young, I started taking piano lessons because I had an interest in music, but I kind of… sucked."
"You? You're kidding! Well, I've only heard you on the guitar, but still, I'm sure you're great on the piano, too," Tyson said confidently.
"Thanks. But I really did suck when I first started out."
"Who doesn't? Rome wasn't built in a day, you know."
"It took me three years to master the basics." Kai smiled at Tyson's incredulous look.
"Three years?"
"Yep. You must think I'm slow or something."
"No, not at all," Tyson sputtered. "But… three years?"
"I told you, I sucked. And then when I started singing, my teacher said I was tone-deaf."
Tyson found himself laughing at him. On the inside, he was ecstatic that Kai was telling him all this. "I bet he was shocked when your CD was released."
Kai chuckled. "You could say that. But my point is, don't say your stuff is crap. If I had quit because I thought I was horrible, I would have never accomplished anything."
"Yeah, I know you're right, but…"
"But nothing. Your poem was great. Say otherwise and I'll dump this cheese on your head."
"You're very persuasive, you know that?" Tyson gave him a coquettish smile, his eyes twinkling. Kai returned the gesture and looked a little amused when Tyson blushed embarrassedly and stood up in a flourish.
"Hey, uh, you wanna… watch a movie or something?" he asked, looking around hurriedly in an attempt to conceal his sudden shyness. Kai agreed in an easy manner, relaxing on the sofa while Tyson knelt in front of the television set, opening the small cabinet and running a finger along his extensive collection of DVDs. He pulled out a few thoughtfully.
"Okay, let's see. Three choices."
"You're holding Finding Nemo in your hands," Kai said from across the room.
"Yeah, that's choice B. Choice A is Pirates Of The Caribbean and choice—"
"Choice B, please. If that's okay with you."
"Nemo fan, huh?"
"That little fishie is hardcore."
Tyson snickered and opened the box, slipping it into the DVD player and snagging the remote before tossing it to Kai. "Hold that. I'll go make some popcorn."
Five minutes later, Tyson returned with a fresh bowl of steaming, buttery popcorn, which he placed right between them after plopping down on the couch again. Kai took a deep appreciative breath and tossed a handful into his mouth.
"More salt and grease for you," Tyson said with a smile. Why did I put this damn bowl right between us? I'm such an idiot! If I move it now, it'll look way too obvious. Crud.
"Mm. Food of the gods." Kai flipped the remote into Tyson's lap and proceeded to munch away as Tyson started the movie. Tyson leaned over and dimmed the lamp, then settled back to watch, absently reaching into the bowl. Kai gazed at the screen with interest—this was one of his favorite movies.
As he always did, Tyson sniffled sadly when Coral was killed and Nemo's father was left alone with only one egg. Kai reached over and patted his knee. Later on when the jellyfish stung Dory, Tyson hugged a pillow and stared at the screen with wide eyes. Kai tilted his head, equally amused at Tyson as he was with the movie.
"YEAH! GO NEMO!" Tyson yelled when all the fish were working together to pull the net down. The pillow he was previously hugging got thrown in Kai's face, and Tyson gasped in horror. "Oh my God. Sorry, Kai!"
"It's okay," he said, brushing his bangs back with a small smile.
"I tend to get excited during the climax of the movie," he explained sheepishly. Uhh… I said climax with Kai in the same room. Stop thinking dirty, Tyson.
"Well, it's just about to end so you might as well go wild."
Tyson flushed uncontrollably, thankful that the room was semi dark. He doesn't mean it like that, you idiot!
The movie ended soon after and as the credits began rolling across the screen, Kai let out a yawn and stretched. Tyson bounced up to replace the disc into its proper case, hoping his face was back to its normal color.
"Did you enjoy the movie?" he asked simply to be saying something.
"Yeah. That ending gets me every time."
Tyson chuckled and stood, turning to find Kai fiddling with his watch. He walked over and picked up the now empty popcorn bowl, stopping when Kai rose gracefully from his lounging position.
"It's already dark," he stated. Tyson glanced at the window.
"Wow, I didn't notice," he lied smoothly. He had been all too aware of the fact that he had been sharing a couch with a gorgeous rock star in a dimly lit room while night fell outside. Kai smiled at him.
"I had a good time today. Thanks for letting me tag along, Tyson," he said warmly. Tyson fought off another blush.
"It was my pleasure to have you. I'm glad you had fun."
Kai nodded good-naturedly and paused. "Well, I guess I should get going."
"Yeah, Michael's probably waiting for you to get back," Tyson said as they began walking to the hallway entrance. Kai hesitated at the door with a thoughtful expression on his face, looking as if he wanted to do something but was undecided as to whether to do it or not. He finally held out his hand, which Tyson bashfully took.
"I'll see you around, then," Kai said lightly. Tyson let go of his hand and held the door open.
"How're you gonna get back?"
"I'll call a cab. Goodnight, Tyson." Kai gave him a little salute before hopping down the steps and sauntering down the front walk, poking buttons on his cell phone.
"'Night, Kai!" Tyson called out, watching him as he disappeared into the darkness. He closed the door and stared at the glossy wood for a full minute, simply not believing that he had just spent the day with the extremely famous and extremely sexy Kai Hiwatari.
He was in my house. He ate my food. We frickin' watched Finding Nemo together.
"OH MY GOD! My life fucking rocks!" he screamed at the empty walls, sprinting to the kitchen and picking up the phone on the wall to call Hilary and rave madly about his day.
To Be Continued
Again, I'm sorry for the huge delay. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long!