Author's Notes: I wrote this to post here, but then I used it on the Tyson and Kai forum (check Glay or Ranma's bios if you haven't been to Heaven yet), but now I want to post it on here again. So, I am. This is just a little fluffy thing that I hope someone enjoys. And this is totally not simply here to prove that I am still alive! Whatever gave you that idea?

Hinting

It happened quite suddenly one day, just out of the blue.

Kai was sitting on the couch reading about the history of Bulgaria one summer afternoon when his housemate and old friend Tyson came in, sat down abruptly, ripped the book out of his hands, tossed it over his head, and grasped him around the shoulders, crushing his lips against his. Kai was in total shock, but his eyes quickly slid shut in his friend's embrace and he kissed back, the sudden romantic gesture sweeping him into the moment. Tyson pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Kai's neck and caressing the dark locks of his hair in the back, his fingers brushing over his soft skin. Kai felt a shiver run down his spine as he felt Tyson's touch graze over him. The kiss grew deeper, more passionate by the second; it seemed as though both were hungry for each other, couldn't get enough of the feel of their soft, supple lips moving against one another.

Kai would never have dreamed in a million years that he'd ever be making out with Tyson Kinomiya, one of his few childhood friends. …Okay, so the thought had crossed his mind a few times, but that was only because they were living together and sometimes Kai saw some things (on accident, of course) that he thought were quite nice. Tyson had a horrible habit of leaving big, soggy footprints all over the carpet after showering, since he preferred to wrap a towel around himself and walk about while still dripping wet. Clumsy as he was, that towel hadn't always stayed put.

He hadn't minded for the first two weeks or so—after all, they were both guys, and friends besides—but then the sight of Tyson's lithe, bare body still glistening with water had started triggering a different reaction. Kai had never been one to actually pay attention to his feelings, so he'd rudely told Tyson that walking around the house nude was vulgar and that he should stop. Tyson had come back with something about this being his home, too, to which Kai had retorted that it wouldn't be for long if he didn't start getting dressed somewhere where he couldn't see him.

To Kai, rudeness and denial had always been easier than one: examining your feelings, and two: confessing said feelings to a certain playful idiot he knew. If you ignored something long enough, it would go away. It had worked plenty of times with annoying people he didn't like, but alas, it had been months since he began denying that there was a little something in his heart that jumped whenever Tyson was around. Apparently his theory didn't work for annoying people he did like.

Tyson's hands moved down to Kai's collar, his warm fingers brushing against his throat, causing a horde of butterflies to take flight within his stomach. Those butterflies began to flutter madly when Kai felt the tip of something soft, warm, and insistent poke at his lips. He parted his mouth without a second thought, allowing Tyson to slip his tongue in. He could feel the kiss right to the core of his being, an intense, almost painful feeling tugging at the strings of his heart. Kai had a feeling that after this little episode, ignoring his feelings was going to become a thousand times more difficult than before. He pushed this thought out of his head and tightened his fingers around Tyson's arms. His mind felt like it was moving at the speed of light, and quite frankly, it was making him dizzy. The fact that he hadn't taken a proper breath of air since Tyson came in and attacked him might have something to do with the feeling he had that he was about to faint.

As if on cue, Tyson pulled back slightly, allowing Kai to draw in fresh air. Kai suddenly felt frozen. Breaking off their kiss would mean that he would actually have to look Tyson in the eye and sort out this mess, delightful as it was. Before he could panic, he felt Tyson kiss him again, but differently. This time it was slow, gentle, and extremely romantic. He could almost feel the waves of adoration that were flowing from his loudmouthed friend, the tenderness in his touch as Tyson lightly held up his chin while their lips were meshed. They parted slowly, reluctantly, and Kai found himself gazing into his warm, auburn eyes, his heart going a mile a minute.

"Hey, Kai," Tyson said, his voice still retaining that playful edge even under the bizarre circumstances. "You still there? I didn't give you a heart attack, did I?"

Kai dumbly shook his head, breathing lightly. The kissing part had been easy. Now he was nervous.

"Good, 'cause I know you can be overly dramatic about some things."

"I am not," Kai said indignantly, finding his voice. Tyson laughed gently and paused, looking around the room erratically. Kai got the impression that Tyson, too, was a bit uneasy.

"Did I get your attention?" Tyson asked, bringing his eyes back to look at his Kai.

"What do you think? It's not everyday—or ever, for that matter—that someone interrupts me in the middle of my studying to kiss me." Kai peered over the back of the couch. "Where'd you throw my book?"

"Forget about your book. I need to talk to you." Tyson cleared his throat.

"We're talking. Go ahead."

"Uhm… well… Kai… I'm sorry I ambushed you like that, but it's just that… you're so dense."

Kai gave him a slow glare. Tyson grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he continued. "I mean, you're smart and all, but I've been dropping hints like crazy and it seems like you haven't even noticed."

Kai blinked. He hadn't noticed. "What hints? What are you talking about?"

"See? You're totally blind when it comes to relationships." Tyson crossed his arms. "And what do you mean what hints? I've been dragging my pride through the mud and generally looking like a fool for months in a blatant attempt to catch your attention."

More silence. Tyson looked at him and then let out a sigh. "Do you think I dropped that towel that many times on purpose?"

Kai felt heat rising to his cheeks. "Well, yes."

"How uncoordinated do you think I am? I was the world champion for three years in a row, you know!"

"Mooning me was supposed to be a hint?" Kai arched an eyebrow.

"I wasn't mooning you, I was just…"

"Giving me a free show."

"Kai! Come on, cut me some slack. You still didn't notice what I was trying to get you to do."

"You were trying to get me to rape you?" Kai asked peculiarly. Tyson slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned.

"For someone who's gets such perfect grades, you sure are dumb as hell. Okay, what about that week you had that really big presentation to do… you know, the one that decided whether you passed or failed the course?"

"Mm-hmm. It was winter and I was too busy to sleep properly and you said drinking too much coffee was bad for me, so you made sure I always had a cup of hot chocolate nearby. I still don't get how hot chocolate is a big improvement over coffee."

"Forget that. Do you remember what I put in your drink every single time I refilled your mug?"

"Um… marshmallows."

"What kind of marshmallows?"

Kai thought hard for a moment, scrunching his face up as he tried to remember. What the hell was Tyson trying to get at? "Oh! Heart-shaped marshmallows," he announced. Tyson nodded with a smile and spread his arms wide with an expectant look on his face. Kai stared at him blankly. Tyson raised his eyebrows.

"What?" Kai asked, getting irritated with the vagueness of the entire situation.

"Heart-shaped marshmallows. Heart. Shaped," Tyson said, enunciating heavily. Kai nodded slowly.

"Okay. You know, I was always wondering about that. It was almost Christmas yet you had heart-shaped marshmallows. Why do they even have those on the market? Weren't they for Valentine's Day?"

Tyson took a deep breath and nodded. "All right. It's okay. Stay cool, Tyson."

"Why are you acting like such a nut?" Kai asked.

"Me? You're the one who's utterly clueless!"

"What are you talking about?"

Tyson sat back, taking another deep breath. "Okay. One more. Do you remember that time when you were sick a couple of weeks ago?"

"Yeah…"

"I fed you soup."

Kai nodded. "Alphabet soup."

"Right. I also went through great pains to spell something out for you. Do you remember what it said?" Tyson looked at him hopefully.

"It said… I v-three you. I didn't understand that, so I just ate it without asking."

"That wasn't v-three! The v was turned to the side so that it looked like a less-than sign. Put that and the three together. I…"

"I… v—"

"It doesn't start with a v. What do those two symbols look like when you put them together? Come on, Kai, I feel like I'm talking to a three-year-old."

Kai threw him a dirty look. "Well, sorry for not understanding your brainless little made-up language. We use hiragana and katakana (1) here. Did you not pass kindergarten or something?"

"Arrgh! Just put them together."

Kai looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "Nuh-uh. It doesn't make any sense."

Tyson felt like ripping his hair out. "It makes a heart, Kai! A heart! A little heart that people use when they're chatting on the Internet or whatever!"

"Oh. Well, that's just stupid. What is with you and hearts, anyway?"

"Don't you see what it said? A heart. I heart you, Kai! I like you, dammit! I. Like. You!"

Kai didn't say anything and for a moment the only sound in the room was Tyson's breathing, which, due to frustration, was heavier than usual. Kai creased his forehead and gave him a long look. Tyson liked him. Now Kai didn't know what he felt. There was something there, that much he was sure of. That kiss had only confirmed it.

"I know what you're doing. I've seen that look in your eyes before," Tyson stated. "That's the same look I saw when you wanted to sign up for that class that was already full back when we were registering. You knew it was full, but you just refused to accept it. You simply denied the fact that the class was already at its limit of students."

"I got in, didn't I?"

"Only because you scared that short kid with glasses into dropping the course. I was mad at you for a whole day, on behalf of all the Kenny's in the world!" Tyson coughed. "Er… back on topic. That look. You'd better not be denying what you feel inside. Your little denial theory isn't going to work on emotions. If you really feel something, it's not gonna go away if you keep ignoring it."

Kai sighed. "So I've noticed."

Tyson started. "Huh?"

"I guess it started way before you decided to gallivant around the house in the buff, but it was then that I realized that I might have feelings for you. More than just platonic feelings. That's why I was so rude to you."

"Hold on just a minute. You've had these feelings for months?"

Kai nodded.

"And you didn't act on them, even though I did everything humanly possible to get your attention focused on me? You honestly didn't notice?" Tyson looked incredulous. Kai scowled.

"I don't do things halfway. If I'm going to deny something, I deny all of it."

"So you did notice! You noticed enough to deny the fact that I was trying to gain your affections."

"To be honest, I actually didn't notice. I really thought that that was the way you normally acted," Kai confessed. Tyson pouted at him.

"Gee, thanks. You don't give me enough credit. I'm not stupid!"

"I beg to differ," Kai said with a tiny smirk.

"Shut up."

A pause passed between the pair. They'd been friends long enough to where silence wasn't an embarrassment, but Kai found himself wanting to squirm. Tyson coughed and their eyes met, both a little tentative. Tyson spoke first.

"What now?"

Kai shrugged.

"Well, we both like each other…"

"Yeah."

"And we've been friends for a long time…"

"Yeah."

"And we know each other pretty well…"

"Yeah."

"And I really wish you'd say something other than yeah."

"Okay."

Tyson heaved a tremendously exaggerated sigh. "Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you again?"

Kai put on the act of pondering his request. He had liked it when Tyson had kissed him earlier. Yes, he'd definitely liked it, so much that he was actually considering letting him be the dominant one. If it involved him being attacked by Tyson at random hours of the day, then it was a very appealing thought indeed.

"We both like each other, right?" he asked finally. Tyson nodded.

"I do believe so," he said with a grin. "Well, can I? If you have to think that long about it, then I'm not sure how well this is going to work out…"

Kai couldn't help the smile he felt tugging at his lips. "If we both like each other, then I don't see why you need my permission to kiss me. I'm sure as hell not going to ask you first. Be a man, Tyson."

"I am a man! I am so manly. I'm the manliest man you've ever met."

"Dork."

"Stupid."

"I'm not stupid," Kai said with a frown.

"Fine, you're just slow. And ignorant of the things happening around you."

"Say that again and see what happens," Kai said threateningly. Tyson gave him a smirk before bringing his face close and claiming Kai's lips with his own. Kai's threat flew right out of his mind when he felt Tyson slip his arms around his neck, and he locked his hands comfortably behind Tyson's waist as he kissed back indulgently.

"So, wait a second," Kai said suddenly, breaking off the kiss. "This changes things, how?"

"Well… I don't see any reason as to why I shouldn't be able to walk around the house naked anymore," Tyson said with a glint in his eye.

"Be serious."

"Oh, but I am." Tyson grinned and then coughed as he noticed Kai's level stare. "Okay, fine… well, we'll have to tell everyone that we're probably going to start dating."

"Everyone who?" Kai demanded. Tyson chuckled.

"Chill out, Kai. Just our friends… Rei, Max, Kenny, Hilary, etcetera, etcetera."

"Whatever. Who cares about them? I'm asking how does this change things between us."

Tyson blinked. "What do you mean? We can start acting like… a couple."

"And that would mean…?"

"Come on, Kai. You've never been in a relationship before?" Tyson raised his eyebrows as Kai shook his head. "No? Okay, well, I can sort of understand that."

"Go to hell."

"Sorry. But really! Don't you ever watch TV?"

"I have a life, thank you very much."

"Hey, us TV-viewers have lives, for your information," Tyson said haughtily. Kai rolled his eyes.

"Back to the subject?"

"Oh. Right. Okay, well, couples simply act… like couples," he supplied lamely.

"Oh, thank you, Tyson. I completely understand now that I've heard your brilliant description," Kai said sarcastically. Tyson couldn't help grinning as he stood, taking Kai's hand and pulling him up as well.

"You can't just explain these things, Kai. Couples act on their feelings." A glint suddenly appeared in Tyson's eyes and his grin gained a devious air. "Hmm…"

"What?"

"I think I have a solution. So, you wanna know how couples act, eh?"

Kai paused apprehensively, struggling against taking a step away from his friend. He didn't like that glint. "Yes…"

"Well, then," Tyson said, ignoring Kai's indignant cry of protest as he dragged him to the bedroom. "I'll give you a hint that'll be impossible to miss."

The End

(1): I hope I didn't completely screw this one up; I only took Japanese for two years and it was during my freshman and sophomore year at high school (am now a senior)!