Sixteen

Rei would never let him live it down if he went to her first (and possibly last) birthday party late and disheveled. He runs his fingers through his normally unruly, blonde curls (currently tamed and slicked back thanks to the exorbitant amount of wax he used) and adjusts his tie for the umpteenth time. Jin checks his watch and yes, he was undeniably late. He adjusts his indigo suit jacket and gives himself a final once over when the elevator doors closed. She would berate him for his tardiness but not, he hopes, his appearance.

Jin's idea of a fun Friday night certainly did not include being surrounded by his brother's ancient colleagues, listening to sleepy piano music and engaging in political discourse. He doesn't understand how his brother could tolerate such events, much less enjoy them.

The room was packed with people whose faces he'd seen on t.v. and in newspapers- they were Kaidou and Hino-san's people. There was barely anyone his or Rei's age which made the event seem even more of a farce- what kind of party was it where the celebrant didn't even know anyone? If Rei hated celebrating her birthday then, she was sure to hate it even more now.

But he was there now and he was Rei's people.

He grabbed a champagne flute from a passing waiter and scanned the room for the celebrant. It shouldn't be too hard to find her- if he could guess, she would be in a red dress, sitting alone with her arms crossed, unintentionally looking murderous. After a couple more minutes of searching, he finally found her. He was right on all accounts, of course. She was sitting alone, wearing a red off shoulder dress and looked like she would kill anyone who came within two feet of her.

Before he could reach her table, he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder. He stops in his tracks and turns around to find his brother, dressed in a similar indigo suit, smiling at him. With his own hair slicked back, Jin realizes he looks like a younger version of Kaidou sans glasses.

Jin acknowledges his brother with an apologetic smile. 'Don't say it.'

'You're late.'

He fights the urge to roll his eyes, a habit he picked up from Rei, and groaned. 'I know, I know.'

Kaidou looks over to where Rei is sitting and says with a grimace, 'She's been like that the whole night.'

'What did you expect?' Rei enjoying a party, let alone one where she hardly knew anyone, was absurd. He makes a face and asks, 'Did you actually think she'd like this?'

He shrugs. 'I didn't think she'd hate it that much.'

'She'll get over it.'

As if on cue, Rei's gaze lands on them and focuses on him. He watches closely as surprise and relief flash across her face. He downs his champagne, excuses himself hastily and makes his way towards her, smiling sheepishly the whole time.

She looks up at him, amethyst eyes bright and suddenly cheerful. 'You're here.'

'Was I not invited?'

'I didn't think you'd come.'

The seniors in his basketball team invited him and the other freshmen for drinks after practice so they all could get to know each other better but Rei took precedence (as she often does); so there he was, in a room filled with important people whose name he doesn't care to know, wearing an uncomfortable suit, with unnaturally stiff hair, because he knew she needed him there. She'd be miserable without him and he just doesn't have it in his heart to let her suffer alone. And, if he were to be completely honest, he wanted to spend time with her.

'And miss out on all this fun?'

She smiles her disarmingly beautiful smile that leaves him utterly floored and he thinks if he would ever get tired of seeing her face light up like that.

'Happy birthday, Rei.'

'Thank you.' She doesn't say anything for a while and just observes him; her eyes flickering to his hair then his suit before ultimately going back to his hair. 'You know, with your hair like that, you look a lot like Kaidou.'

'Is that a good thing?'

She reaches for his hair and leans close, almost too close that it takes all his will-power to not just pull her in and kiss her. Rei liked touching his hair, liked running her fingers through his curls when they kissed, liked playing with the little hairs on is nape. He thinks it's because his is a direct contrast to hers- while his was short, blonde and unruly, hers was long, black and always immaculate.

Her delicate fingers touch his stiff locks and she teases, 'It's certainly a look.'

'But is it a good look?' He prods, now curious.

Crossing her arms and leaning back against the chair, she squints her eyes in concentration. She purses her lips and continues to teasingly asses him. 'Yes, but I like your regular hair better.'

He swallowed and tried not to look too stunned. It wasn't often Rei would comment on his appearance and he was pleased, to say the least, that she preferred his normal hair over the unintentional Kaidou-eqsue hairstyle.

'Jin,' She whispers, almost too softly for him to hear, 'I'm really glad you're here.'

He forgets how tired he was and how much he detests wearing a suit, doesn't even think about how much shampoo he will need to wash of all the wax he put on his hair, doesn't care he missed the chance to hang out with his new teammates. In that moment, all that mattered was Rei and her too beautiful smile, looking truly happy because he was there.

'Me too.'

It was fascinating and disheartening to see the shift in Rei's mood as soon as she saw his brother. The entire night she looked either uninterested or downright annoyed only offering him monosyllabic responses when he tried to engage her in conversation. Now, she was in a full-blown conversation with Jin, looking animated and amused. A small part of him still wishes he could get that kind of reaction from her but that ship has long since sailed when he chose his career over her.

He tries his luck and approaches her when Jin leaves her side, likely to get food or more champagne. Maybe she'll actually talk to him now.

'You should mingle with your other guests too.'

She crosses her arms and looks at him pointedly. 'His guests you mean.'

Kaidou scans the room and sighed in resignation. 'I tried to dissuade him, but you know how he gets.'

To his surprise, she actually smiled. 'Bless you for trying.'

It was less than a year ago when he thought he'd give anything for that smile. What else, he wonders, was he supposed to give up for the sake of his ambition?

'I'm sorry.' The words slip unintentionally.

'This is not your fault, Kaidou.'

He takes a deep breath, steeling himself, deciding he should finish what he started. 'I mean for that night. I'm sorry.'

'Kaidou,' she sighs, sounding so terribly put upon, 'that's all in the past. Besides, look at you now.'

There were times when he would replay that night's conversation in his mind, wondering what would have happened if he said he wanted to be with her after he kissed her instead of just saying sorry and walking away. She was right- if he wanted to succeed her father, being with her was the logical choice. But Jun Hino had other plans, plans that did not involve his only daughter and his right hand man being together. Kaidou doesn't dare go against his mentor. He pushes his feelings, his dangerous thoughts, deeper down and forces himself to think of her as nothing more than his boss' daughter and his brother's best friend.

In hindsight, he thinks he did the right thing both for her sake and his career. Busy as he was, Rei would surely be miserable by his side. Mariko was equally as driven and busy as he was and their relationship worked due to them being mutually dysfunctional. She needed arm candy that looked good on paper, did not mind her long working hours and hectic social calendar while he needed to make an alliance with another influential name in their party. While their relationship seemed rather banal at first, Kaidou doesn't deny that being with their party's leader opened doors for him.

'You always said you wanted to follow in his footsteps. You're well on your way.'

He lets her words sink in. Knowing her stance on her father and politics as a whole, he tries to figure out if that was meant to be an insult or a compliment.

'I'm happy for you.' There was a hint of pride in her voice and he doesn't doubt for a second that she was in fact happy for him.

'Thank you, Rei.' It wasn't the closure he wanted, but he supposed it was only fitting. It's for the best, he tries to convince himself. He can focus on his career and Rei can focus on herself.

It's for the best.

'Am I interrupting something?' Jin asks as he stands awkwardly between them holding two plates full of canapes.

There it was again, the softening of her features, the obvious shift in her mood. And all because his brother was there.

'No. Just keeping our birthday girl company.'

'I'm here now.' He says as he presents a plate to Rei. 'I couldn't find any more of those shrimp canapes you like but they have salmon.'

'I really wanted the shrimp.'

'Try the asparagus.'

'I hate asparagus.'

'You hate canned asparagus.'

He doesn't think it's deliberate, but they both were ignoring him now as they discussed the various canapes Jin brought. And he feels it again, stronger now, the twinge in his chest as Rei unceremoniously shoves an asparagus wrapped in ham into his brothers mouth and laughs. It was when they started making plans to eat tempura donburi that weekend that he had to excuse himself.

'I'll go mingle with the guests.' He said quietly, hoping not to intrude too much on their conversation.

'Alright, I'll see you at home.' Jin acknowledges him before turning back to Rei.

'Happy birthday again, Rei.'

'Thank you, Kaidou.' She bows politely then resumes her conversation with Jin.

Kaidou knows his brother would always put Rei first, give her all the time he never could. He smiles bitterly as he leaves them in their own little world as he goes back to his.

It's for the best.

He was late. She crossed her arms and glared at the clock- it was almost eight and still no Jin. She thinks about crossing the short distance to his house and ask –demand- why he was late without prior notice. Around this time she should already be picking what they would watch after he presents that night's selection complete with the official and his own, supposedly much better, synopsis.

Jin was shocked when she said she doesn't watch t.v. and even more shocked, appalled even, when she added she read and meditated on her free time. He took it upon himself to educate her, insisting watching shows and movies were far superior forms of entertainment than reading. It was supposedly a one-off thing that turned into a tradition thanks to Jin's unending movie and show recommendations and most importantly, his persistence. They watch at her house since they had an impressive entertainment system that went mostly unused which he thought was just criminal.

Sometimes, he'd make her watch an episode of a show he found particularly entertaining but not before giving a detailed background on all the characters she doesn't know (which was always all of them). Other times, he would bring her a bunch of his favorite movies, or ones he thinks she'll like and lets her pick which one they would watch.

It was ten past eight when she heard someone knock. Finally, she thinks. She gets up and stomps towards the front door, prepared to give Jin his much deserved tongue-lashing for being late and making her wait. Whatever she wanted to say died in her throat as she opened the door and eyed the huge bruise he had on his left cheek.

'Hey.' He greeted casually, like he didn't make her wait an hour for him, like he didn't show up at her door with a shiner.

'Your face…' She studied the bruise on his left cheek- a little yellow and red around the edges, purple and blue in the middle.

'Oh this? Mom wouldn't let me leave until I properly iced it. She's the reason I'm late, by the way.' He smiled awkwardly as he entered.

'You got hit in a fight?' She asked disbelievingly. He learned to kickbox at an early age- his mother would say it was another outlet for all his energy since basketball apparently was not enough. Jin would later say, whether jokingly or not she wasn't sure, it was so he could defend her honor.

'Isamu kickboxes too.' He laughs bitterly. 'Just my luck, eh?' Jin makes himself comfortable on the sofa, pats the space next to him.

'Isamu?' The name was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. After a while she remembers some college student coming up to her after school with a bouquet of roses asking her out. 'Isamu Iwaya?'

'You know him?'

It wasn't often that she would remember the names of the boys who approached her but Isamu, with his strong, athletic build, long, auburn hair and strange neck tattoo, stood out. He was as tall as Jin too and almost had the same physique, except Jin had nicer, rounder shoulders- not that she would ever let him know that.

'He went to my school on Friday to ask me out.' There was an unspoken question there. Did you fight because of me? It seemed too presumptuous to voice her question so she looks at him expectantly instead. He knew her well enough to know what she was thinking.

Jin doesn't say anything, much to her annoyance. He makes a noncommittal sound and leans his head on her shoulder instead.

'It looks painful.'

'It doesn't hurt so much now. Besides, I get hit in the face with a basketball all the time.'

She blanched. 'Is that supposed to be reassuring?'

He snickered. 'This is nothing. Don't worry about me.'

It was a tall order, asking her not to worry about him especially when he had that ugly bruise marring his stupidly handsome face. He'd been in plenty of fights before but this was the first time she actually saw him get hurt and it was very unsettling.

She touches his face gingerly, making sure to keep her fingers away from his bruise. 'It looks really bad.'

'Doesn't it make me look ruggedly handsome though?' He lifts his head from her shoulder and presents his profile like the annoying, smug peacock he was.

Rei drops her hand and resists the urge to hit him in his smug face. It does make him look ruggedly handsome, infuriatingly so, but she would rather douse herself in gasoline and run into a burning building than tell him that and inflate his already healthy ego.

'So why did you fight?'

He drops his head to her shoulder again and some part of her, some distant part she strongly represses, wants to run her fingers through his hair and baby him.

'Do you know he liked you since we were in junior high? I think he gave you calla lilies for your fifteenth birthday.'

He was deliberately being elusive and ignoring her question. How annoying!

'Jin.'

'Was it not calla lilies? Whatever. So many people give you flowers that I forget. And he goes to my faculty too. What are the odds?'

'Jin.' She tries again, her voice drawn out, exasperated.

'We fought because he's an asshole and that's all there is to it.' His tone implied the discussion was over and while she would normally prod and ask until he gave in, she decides to let him off the hook today because he was injured.

'Do you like him?'

'No.'

None of the boys who liked her ever piqued her interest; she didn't get to know them and she didn't really want to. With the grades her father expects her to maintain and all the extracurricular activities he insisted she participate in, Rei never had the time for any of them. That and she had Jin in her life- Jin with his easy smile, warm, lingering touches and sweet kisses was more than enough. Truthfully, he was all she needed.

He lifts his head again; this time he looks at her with a mischievous glint in eyes. 'Will you kiss it better?'

'You are not five.' Rei rolled her eyes.

'It will make it heal faster.' Jin batted his lashes, failing miserably to look and act coy she almost wanted to laugh. 'Please.' He adds pleadingly, pouting for good measure.

'You're an idiot.' She placed a soft kiss on his cheek, lips barely touching his skin, afraid she'd hurt him.

'It doesn't hurt anymore.' He beams.

'Is that right?' She raises her hand to touch his cheek to test the validity of his obviously false claim. He catches her hand before she could touch him, makes her cradle his face instead and kisses her long and lingering. She lets him cup the back of her neck and kiss her deeper. Rei relaxes in his touch, lets him angle his head, letting him kiss her in a way that always leaves her breathless. She feels him smile against her lips as he pulls away.

'Much better.' His eyes sparkled mischievously.

He kissed her the same night Kaidou did and she thinks about it a lot, probably more than was healthy. It should have been embarrassing to be caught having a crush on your best friend's sibling, but he ever called her out for it, never even teased her when it was so blatantly obvious. And that night, when she felt crushed by Kaidou's rejection, he was there. He doesn't ask, doesn't really need to, because he knows. He doesn't let her sulk alone; instead, he forces her to the art gallery with the ukiyo-e exhibit. He was there if she wanted to talk, and the art was there if she didn't.

He asked if he could kiss her, and of course he could. She couldn't possibly say no when he looked at her like that, like she was his entire world, like he was holding something so, so precious. She doesn't read anymore into that look; that was a slippery slope she did not want to explore. She takes it for what it was, a friend offering comfort. He was hesitant, brushes his lips lightly, nervously against hers then kisses her soft and slow. He laughed nervously and scratched his head when they pulled apart. She doesn't say anything, just grabs him by the scarf and walks him home. She doesn't think much about it and accepts it as the natural progression of their friendship.

They don't speak about it- Jin doesn't say anything, but also doesn't stop kissing her. He was always in her personal bubble, kissing was just another form of physical intimacy their years of friendship unlocked… and she'd be lying if she doesn't admit to enjoying it.

'Which one do you want to watch?'

'What?' She blinks.

'You weren't even listening to me.' He scrunched up his face in disbelief.

'I'm sorry I was thinking ab-', she pauses when she recalls exactly what she was thinking about. 'Let's watch whatever you want to watch.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes, it's up to you.'

He doesn't decide move out until almost the end of his freshman year. His first semester at university was spent waking two hours before his first class starts, constantly operating on little to no sleep, missing the gym, an over-reliance on caffeinated beverages and arriving home dead-tired. Kaidou worries about him and urges him to move closer to campus. His father assures him, multiple times, he could pick any place he liked and he would pay for everything. Jin was not worried about accommodations; he had far more important things to worry about- things that had long, dark hair and deep purple eyes, who live across the street and would be way too far from him if he moved closer to campus. Important things.

It wasn't until Rei commented on him looking smaller and stressed that he acknowledged he had a problem. He doesn't forget the amused look on his brother's face when he asked about it.

'What the hell does she mean smaller? I'm in perfect shape!'

Kaidou smiles as he gives him a brief onceover before turning his attention back to his work. 'You haven't been to the gym lately.'

'I'm still ripped.' He lifts his shirt to prove his point.

'Maybe you should be showing her that and not me.'

He knows he has a problem even before Rei voiced her (incorrect) opinion about his changing physique. It wasn't healthy for him to miss out on sleep, even if it was par for the course for any college student. His daily commute was taking a toll on him and truthfully it could be easily remedied. The only downside about moving closer to campus was probably studying in the house across the street, oblivious to his plight.

When he finally decided to make the move, he let her to be the first to know. He crosses the street to their house where he's eyed suspiciously by Phobos looking as if she wasn't going to let him in.

'She's busy.' The housekeeper says firmly.

'It will be quick, I promise.'

'Hmm.' She opens the door wider and mumbles something about bothersome brothers not leaving the young miss alone.

He makes his way to their study and hears a soft 'come in' after he knocks. Their study was a spare room flanked on both sides by tall bookshelves, in the middle was a large conference table where her books and notebooks were currently scattered. Strange, he thought, she was usually organized when she studied.

'I'm almost done, Phobos.' She doesn't look up from her laptop and continues to type.

Jin allows himself a moment to take in her appearance- she's sitting cross-legged and hunched over, her normally perfect hair was in a disheveled bun flopping about on top of her head. It was the first time he'd seen her looking so far removed from the polished appearance she typically presents. The soft clattering of the keyboard stops momentarily as she takes a sip of her tea and takes a deep calming breath.

'Hey.' He finally calls out, realizing she was too focused on her task to notice him standing by the door.

Rei looks up, startled for a second before offering him a tired smile. She really was gorgeous, fatigue, terrible posture and messy bun notwithstanding.

'It's you.'

'It's me.' He sits next to her and peers at the screen. 'What's that?'

'A speech.'

'What for?'

'Oh, right, I didn't tell you.' She looks at her laptop with disdain before taking several deep breaths and massaging her temples. 'He made me join a youth leadership program. I have a speech to give tomorrow.'

'It's not like you to do something last minute.'

'Well, with a topic as interesting as worldwide political corruption, can you really blame me?' She groans and rests her head on the table.

'A political discourse? You?'

'Shut up.'

'I'm sure he'll be so proud.' He says and pats her shoulder patronizingly.

'I hate you.' She rights herself and tucks the loose strands of hair back into the bun. 'So what are you doing here?'

'I'll be moving closer to campus next year.'

'Finally.'

'What do you mean finally?' He asks, indignant. Did she not want him around anymore? He agonized over the decision for months, to hear her sound almost nonchalant, relieved even, was demoralizing. 'Don't you want me around anymore?' Oh god, he sounded like an actual child.

She raised a perfectly shaped brow. 'Who would want you around? You're annoying and obnoxious.' He knew she was kidding but his face fell regardless. Noticing this, she quickly amended. 'I'm kidding, Jin. You know what I mean.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean you should have done so sooner, idiot. Then you wouldn't be so tired all the time.' Her elegant fingers waved about his face, 'The stress is written all over your face.'

'I'm only stressed because you think I lost muscle mass.'

'Oh god, let it go.' She mumbled, rolling her eyes.

'I mean it, Rei. Where do I look small?' His schedule was relatively packed leaving him little time to work out, if at all, and absolutely no time to meal prep. So yes, he admits, he might not be as fit as he was before he started university but he was still in top form. He flexes his right arm to prove his point.

Rei looks at him unimpressed. 'You're impossible.'

'You'll miss me.'

'You're not moving out of the country, Jin.'

'But you'll still miss me.' His mouth curved into a smile, confident she would. 'Who will listen to you complain about your father if I'm not here?'

'I can always call you.' Jin's eyes widened. He didn't think that was an option. 'What? I have a phone.'

'You'll use it again?' He asked in awe. Knowing her aversion to using her cellphone, the fact she would use it for him made him inexplicably happy.

She shrugs. 'If I have to.'

He gave a lopsided grin. 'You still know how to use it, right? You press the green button to accept a call.'

She gave him a dirty look and pointed to the door. 'I'm busy. Get out.'

He takes her outstretched hand and kisses it, much to her annoyance. 'Good night, Rei.'

'Good night, idiot.'

AN So my first draft of this entire thing was terribly depressing so I had to rewrite it because 2020 is depressing enough. So there... This turned into a slice of life kind of thing and I just let it.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback and other stuff. Appreciate you! :)

Also, I'm with Jin on the asparagus. Canned tastes awful, fresh tastes okay. Rei sure is picky. :/

Anyone else having issues with the site? So I edited this to add this last part because it doesn't fit the next chapter. On a kind of related note, I had a classmate back in uni who lived really far from campus but refused to move closer so her commute was almost an hour to school and almost two (rush hour traffic) going home. I cant be bothered. I lived 5 minutes from campus and would roll out of bed to class.