Hiya. Sorry this update took a little longer than usual, but I've been really busy these past few days! Thank'ee to my reviewers- I wuv you all!
"Rei?" Rei looked up at Denver with tears in his eyes. Hours on, and Lee was installed in a ward, wrists heavily bandaged and right ankle set in a cast. Rei looked down at him, and started to cry again. "He did it on purpose..."
"I know. I know." Denver pulled over another chair and sat down next to Rei, who shook his head.
"Because Kai did it too. He thinks I'm in love with Kai but I'm not!" He shook his head. "I'm not..."
"Kai?"
"Kai was...was the one with AIDS..." Denver looked puzzled.
"But I thought he died of that?" Rei shook his head and buried his face in his hands.
"He slit his wrists...when he was going home to Russia...in a h-hotel! How could he do this to me? It was bad enough when Kai did it thousands of miles away...and I felt so guilty...and now...this is all my fault. Because I never told him I loved him enough...but it's so hard to forget about Kai all the time...I knew him for so long...and-and it was so...I was so hurt when he...when he just gave up like that...it isn't out of love...it's pity..." Rei said, his voice choked with tears. "What is it about me that makes people want to kill themselves? But...Kai...Kai didn't...It was because he got someone pregnant and he had AIDS...but I couldn't stop him...and Lee...oh Lee..."
Rei stood up and, tear-blinded, sat down next to Lee and nuzzled up to him, crying into his chest. After a few minutes he stopped, sitting up and sniffing. "I'm sorry...I'm being so silly...I...you probably think I'm rubbish at being a parent...but...I really wanted a family...I really wanted a child..."
"I don't think you're rubbish." Rei sniffed.
"You're only being nice to me because I just drove my own husband to suicide..." Denver shook his head.
"You're not rubbish. You're just more like a mum than a dad." Rei looked at Denver strangely, then started to laugh.
"Y-You think so?" Denver nodded, and Rei wiped his eyes, then dug his wallet out of his pocket, pulling out a photo. "That's what they said too..."
"You've adopted before?"
"No!" Rei said, surprised. "No...but...before, when I was younger...I was part of the Bladebreakers..."
"You?" Rei laughed at Denver's surprise and passed the photo over.
"Me, Tyson, Max and...Kai. He's the one with the scarf. And Chief- Kenny- is the one with the laptop. Max is the blonde, and Tyson's the one shovelling food down his face. Lee was a beyblader too, you know. He was in a smaller team, though. Before I was called Rei Shuang...I was called Rei Kon. Does that ring any bells?"
Denver's mouth dropped open. "They talk about the Bladebreakers at school! And you -were- one! I bet Brownie'll die when I tell him!" Rei shook his head.
"No, no. Don't tell anyone. I've kept it a secret for this long, I don't want to be harassed when I go out shopping..." Rei gave a half-sigh, half-laugh. "Lee always laughed about it..." Rei reached over and stroked Lee's hair gently. "He...He doesn't mean a lot of what he says...he's so kind...and I know you probably wouldn't want to know, but as a lover...he's amazing." He sighed again. "There I go again, talking about things I shouldn't..."
"I don't mind. I've got a boyfriend." Rei blinked.
"But I thought..." Then he smiled. "Have I met him yet?"
"Mm. Brownie. The one who came in with me before. His real name's Findlay Brown." Rei sighed with relief.
"I'm so glad. I always thought me and Lee would make you uncomfortable, being together... Is he really called Findlay?"
"Mm. His Mam's Irish." Rei tutted, looking down at Lee again.
"Uhh..." Rei's heart skipped a beat.
"Lee?"
"Mmm?" Lee's eyes flickered open. "Rei? But..."
Rei gave a yell of joy and glomped Lee, flinging his arms around his husband's neck and practically throttling him. "Don't you -ever- do that to me again! You idiot! How could you think I loved him better? That's stupid! Stupid!"
"Unh?" Forgoing further explanation, Rei sat up, forcing his lips against Lee's and kissing him furiously, at the same time hitting him hard on the chest. He pulled away, fuming but elated. "You absolute idiot! I. Love. You. What about that don't you understand? How could you do that to me?"
Lee swallowed. "Rei..." Rei looked down at him, still sitting there in a too big shirt with his hair flying all over the place out of the sides of his braid. "God, Rei..."
"What possessed you?"
"Whisky. Jealousy. Mixed-up feelings."
"WHISKY?" Rei exploded. "You tried to kill yourself because of WHISKY? That's ridiculous! And how can you be jealous? How can you be jealous when I've been with you for longer than I couldn't have Kai? How dare you tell me who I love! He was my friend! Not my boyfriend! Not my husband! It's not Kai that I live with! It's not Kai that I share a bed with! It's you!"
Lee's face crumpled and he closed his eyes. Rei's expression melted from anger to worry. "Lee..."
"If you don't love him...why do you always carry round his photo? Why do keep all the money he gave you stashed away like that? You...You called out his name, once. When we were together..."
"Oh Lee...is that it? Why didn't you say something? It isn't his photo-" He held out his hand for the photo Denver was holding and waved it in front of Lee's nose. "It's of all of us. And...I...I don't like to use his money because..." Rei sighed. "He gave it to me as an equivalent to having anything else to give me. He could never be to me what you are. He didn't understand love, or relationships. And while, admittedly, the sex was good, I don't want to be with someone just because they're a good lay. That would have to be an added bonus, after someone who was kind, thoughtful and who I -loved-. And sometimes...when I feel...when I feel really guilty about what he did...nothing can get him off my mind. Because it hurts so badly. I was the only person he was ever remotely close to...I-I should have said something...I should have done -something-...b-but..." Rei sniffed. "It's not because I don't love you but...I...I just...sometimes I feel so guilty..."
"And you had the cheek to tell me -I- was being ridiculous." A ghost of a smile graced Lee's lips. "At least mine was a spur of the moment thing..." Rei stared at him for a second then started to laugh, laying down beside him.
"You ruined the carpet, you know." He said thoughtfully. "And you scared me half to death. I didn't like it." Lee looked at his pouting face and smiled.
"Yeah, well. My wrists don't feel too clever right now...and I think I've done something to my ankle, it hurts like hell..."
"You broke it when you fell down the stairs." Cut in Denver. Lee turned his head to look at him.
"Did I fall down the stairs? I don't remember..." Rei shook his head and kissed Lee's cheek.
"You did. And I was so scared...I started screaming and I couldn't stop..." He nuzzled Lee affectionately. "Denver had to help you because I just couldn't move...I can't believe you could do something like that to me..." Playfully, he nibbled at Lee's ear, making him squirm. "And Denver has a boyfriend."
Lee moved his arm, laying it over Rei's waist and squeezing him closer. "A boyfriend, huh? So is he like Rei or like me?" He asked, nosy as ever. Denver just shrugged.
"He's bigger than me. But he's not very...experienced. We're both sort of in the middle." Lee yawned, wriggling his nose.
"If you ever sleep with him, don't forget to use a condom. And lubrication." Denver flushed bright red.
"I'm -twelve-."
"You're never too young to know important things like that." Lee protested, yawning again. "I'm so tired..." Rei ruffled his hair fondly.
"Then go to sleep, Lee. Give your poor body time to recover from what you did to it." Lee nodded, closing his eyes.
"Stay with me. For a little while. Until I'm asleep." He asked softly. Rei didn't reply, just snuggled closer, resting his head on Lee's broad chest. With care, he rearranged a few locks of his husband's hair, then stroked it as Lee fell asleep and started to snore softly.
Next Chapter: There are boots, Rei drives, and Lee gets a nice surprise.