Chapter Two: Kai: Sleepover; Awkward Situations are Liz's Entertainment?

With the Games looming over my head, I then had to head home to get ready for the sleepover I had been forced into. Black*Star and I walked through the streets of Death City in a companionable silence. The unnatural heat made my skin slick with sweat and by the time we were at our 'house' all I really wanted to do that evening was take a cold shower and monopolize the only air conditioner we had. Our house was a bit of a dump, and I often wondered how it was still standing. The yard – if it could really be called that – was a barren patch of dirt that was our insufficient barrier between us and the old brick buildings on either side. It was a short, concrete affair, with very few windows, and it often reminded me of a bomb shelter.

The wooden door squeaked loudly as I pushed my way through, the lock having long been broken. Inside the heat was worse, and the air was thick with it. I quickly crossed the room and set the air conditioner to the coldest setting, shivering slightly as the cool air hit my skin. Rubbing at the goosebumps, I frowned. Black*Star had already flopped onto the couch and he appeared to be melting.

"I guess it's a good thing we're both going out tonight, huh?" He snickered weakly.

I grunted in agreement, mulling over a few thoughts that were drifting through my nearly boiled brain. "We could get a new apartment, you know. Maybe in Soul and Maka's building. I heard they might have a vacancy."

The suggestion hung in the air like it had so many times before. Black*Star continued to stare at the ceiling while I tried to judge his expression. It was times like these where I was unsure of my meister. Neither of us were very open about our emotions, which was a definite shortcoming, so I only knew what I could glean from the look in his eye. Though I could tell he was hesitant and frustrated by the idea, I didn't know why. I didn't know why this house was so important.

"Forget it, I like it here." I said quickly, dispelling the imminent argument. We seemed to always fight over the stupidest things and the constant adversity was getting to me. Maybe a night away from each other would do us good.

Leaving my treasured place by the air conditioner, I crossed the house to my room. It was slightly less hot inside because it was shielded by the buildings on either side, but it wasn't much better. I made quick work of packing: throwing a pair of basketball shorts in at random and a pair of underwear, socks, and a newer pair of high tops. A good thing about all the missions we'd been going on is we had been able to collect some reward money, which meant I could actually get some new clothes. My usual outfit of cut-of t-shirts and tartan short-shorts had improved slightly: a bleach-white shirt with a gothic black vest over the top… and my same shorts. Old habits died hard, I supposed. But at least I was more into shoes now, and I wore black high-tops most of the time. They were comfy and sturdy enough to fight in, at least.

As I continued, throwing tomorrow's outfit inside my duffel bag, I searched for my white tank top that I usually slept in. My other night shirts were all in the wash, so if I didn't find it soon I might just be chilling at Maka's in a sports bra. Though that did sound slightly appealing, with the heat and all, I figured the other girls would prefer I and my six-pack to stay sheathed (for pride reasons, you see).

"Black*Star, have you seen my tank top?"

My meister poked his head into my room, looking sheepish. "I was doing laundry."

Warning bells went off in my head and I raised an eyebrow, asking for an explanation.

"I was doing the laundry," he started again, "And I accidentally put a throwing star in the dryer."

A throwing star?

"You can just wear one of mine!"

He disappeared as I was still attempting to process the throwing star. By the time my mind had worked past that, I landed on what he had said next and my face went red. Wear one of his shirts? Before I could even say anything a piece of orange fabric hit me full-on in the face. I squeaked in shock, snatching it as it fell. My embarrassment wouldn't allow me to meet his eyes, so I bashfully muttered my thanks and stuffed it in my bag. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Black*Star rub his neck awkwardly, a blush staining his cheeks as well.

But this was normal, right? I mean, it wasn't as if we were officially dating, but we'd kissed. We lived together. Normal roommates had each other's backs. Especially if they were more-than-friends roommates. This was when doubts and hopes began to war inside my head: what if I had misread him? What if he and Tsubaki kissed after successful missions too? Somehow, that made my chest hurt worse. It wasn't like I was still denying my feelings anymore – I was way past that – but I was so unsure in this whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' thing.

I cleared my throat, still unable to face him. "Uh, thanks for that."

"Don't mention it."

Twiddling my thumbs, I turned and leaned on the footboard, biting my lip and analyzing the wall next to my meister. "You're going to Kid's?"

And just like that, we were back in comfortable territory. Black*Star grinned and gave me a thumbs up, "Yeah! We're gonna' play video games, and I'm totally gonna' beat the sonofabitch!"

I sniggered. "Right, that's what you said last time! Just don't throw the controller at the TV again, okay? We could barely afford the replace the last one!"

"That was one time!" He pouted, crossing his arms.

"You sent it through the wall!" I pointed out, trying to control my laughter.

He smirked, flexing. "Well, when you have big muscles like mine, you're bound to break some things."

"Yeah, like your head!" I snorted.

It felt good, to laugh with him. Soon I glanced at the time and realized it was nearly time for me to be at Maka's, so I stood and shouldered my duffel bag. Black*Star followed me out, picking up his own bag from the couch. I was slightly surprised that he had already packed, but I didn't say anything. The last time I had pointed out how he was getting better at taking care of himself, he stopped making dinner. Not that he ever made good dinner, but ramen had always been fine with me – even if it was a little crispy.

"At least it's cooling down," I noted as we walked, inspecting the pink sky. The sun was descending behind the buildings on the West side of town, and I could see the sneering moon rising in the East.

Black*Star grunted in agreement, his hands in his pockets as he all but swaggered down the street. Girls swooned as we walked by, and I only wished I could stop and tell them how absolutely childish, arrogant, and infuriating he could be. Didn't they know appearance wasn't everything?

"I've been thinking," Black*Star said quietly.

I glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds dangerous. Maybe you really did break your head?" Huffing a bit, I struggled to keep up. My legs were just enough shorter than his so that I had to really stretch to stay with him.

Noticing this, he slowed down. "Moving into an apartment might not be so bad, you know? It's not like we don't have the money for it. And being Soul and Maka's neighbors could be pretty cool."

I studied his face for a moment and, seeing his grin, smiled as well. "I would really like that. A place of our own." He looked at me strangely for a moment before nodding and stopping abruptly.

"Here's where I drop you off!" He smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "Now be a good girl and don't get into any pillow fights, alright?"

"I can take them!" I joked, flexing my bicep.

Black*Star laughed and, in a move that surprised us both, he stepped closer and folded me into a hug. For several seconds I stood there, rigid with shock, before slowly I began warming up to what was occurring. My arms tentatively came to wrap around him, my face pressed against his collarbone in a way that was not at all uncomfortable. A short breath allowed me a whiff of his scent: musky, with the slight tang of sweat. It was entirely him and – though the B.O. mixed in wasn't something I preferred – it was appealing. Within me, the darker side of my soul shifted in agreement.

"I should get going," I stepped back, blushing furiously and trying to hide it.

"Yeah, me too," he blushed.

I waved as he began walking down the street, pausing at the crosswalk and turning back. He tossed me a smirk and a wave before continuing on his way. To avoid standing there watching him, I quickly turned and leapt up the stairs to Maka and Soul's apartment. With any luck no one would have seen that encounter. As I walked up to knock on their door it burst open, a smirking Liz standing in the doorway.

"Well, well, well! Look what the great Black*Star left here for us! The way you two were hugging out there I thought he might just take you with him!"

Obviously I had no luck.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I brushed past her, trying not to act as flustered as I knew I was.

"The hugging?" Liz cried, catching my arm and pulling me into the living room where Maka was already being tortured by Patty. The Thompson sisters had, currently, no boyfriends. Liz had a huge crush on the meister that she had been with in Australia – and they kept in contact – and Maka and I suspected that Patty wouldn't be ready for a guy for a long time. Her obsession with death and giraffes was just disconcerting to most people.

"Who was hugging?" Patty screeched, tugging roughly on the strands of hair she was braiding. Maka winced and I gave her an apologetic look, quickly dropping my bag out of the way and plopping onto the couch beside her. "Was there a giraffe?"

"No, there were no giraffes, Patty." Liz told her sister with an eye roll. "Black*Star and Kai were just hugging outside."

"What's the big deal?" I huffed, frowning. "People hug all the time!"

"Yeah, people do. But not you and Black*Star!" Patty giggled, quickly taking her sister's side. "You guys just sit really close."

"There's a distinct lack of PDA that I would have expected from a couple by now," Liz mused with a malicious grin. "It makes me wonder what you do when you're alone!"

I let out a frantic, garbled protest that sounded more like a pig's squeal than any human dialect. My face immediately flamed. "No, no, no! We don't do anything like that! We don't do anything at all!"

"Nothing?"

I shook my head spastically, "No!"

Liz raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I would have thought you two would at least be making out by now. What's the hold-up?"

Instead of answering, I turned to Maka. "Is she always like this at sleepovers?"

The blonde meister sighed and nodded, batting Patty's hands away and finishing the braid herself. "They both are. You get used to it. Eventually they get tired."

Eventually?

"Black*Star and I aren't really a couple, Liz," I said in way of answer, running a hand through my hair.

"What? But I was so sure! You two kissed during the rescue, didn't you?"

It was getting harder and harder to keep my cool. Embarrassment always made me angry, and talking about my feelings was often worse. If Liz didn't stop soon she might just be leaving the sleepover early – in an ambulance.

"Why don't we lay off Kai for a little while?" Maka suggested, "We can change into our pajamas!"

"Yay! Pajamas!" Patty leapt off the couch and sprinted out of the room, closely followed by her older sister. I let out a sigh of relief and thanked my friend.

"Don't mention it!" She chirped, "Bathroom is down the hall for you to change!" She exited the room and went down the hall to change in her bedroom. I crossed the floor and unzipped my duffel bag, snatching the orange tank top from the top and then my black shorts. After Liz and Patty had finished, I quickly slipped inside the bathroom and changed. The tank top was a little baggy, but after a brief sniff I realized that, yes, it was clean. And it even smelled like him. I hugged myself lightly, admiring how it looked on me. It wasn't anything special, but it was his, and that resonated with my. My soul quivered in happiness.

Then, of course, I realized how stupid I sounded and left the bathroom with a lingering feeling of annoyance at my girlish behavior.

The other three were already in the living room, and someone had set up for our movie night. The coffee table was moved out of the way and a large, comfy-looking blanket was spread out with a bunch of pillows. A few bowls of popcorn were sitting nearby, along with a few large boxes of candy. Maka certainly had prepared for tonight.

"The Milk Duds are for you, Kai!" Maka smiled, "I noticed how much you liked them last time I brought some to school so I bought you a box!"

"Thank you," I blinked, surprised by her generosity. I was still getting used to the idea of having such close friends. Those who I had been close with at the DWMAA had never really clicked with me, probably because I was holding back so many secrets. This friendship with Maka, Liz, and Patty was different, I realized as I looked at all of their happy faces. Our bond was stronger than any friendship I had experienced before.

"Hey, isn't that Black*Star's?" Liz asked, her mouth full of Skittles.

"Yeah!" Patty agreed, accidentally spilling her box of Sour Patch Kids into her popcorn bowl. "He wears that to play basketball all the time!"

I glanced down at the orange t-shirt, noticed the black symbols on the front, and my perpetual blush deepened. At this point, I was done attempting to hide the blush, and I wasn't hopeful that it was going to be leaving my face any time soon. "There was an incident with a throwing star, so I had to borrow his."

Liz scrunched up her face. "I don't even want to know."

"Hey, guys?" Maka asked from beside the TV. "What movie should we watch?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's watch Planet of the Apes!" Patty chuckled darkly. "I love violent monkeys!"

"How about The Notebook?" Liz grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

More and more I was filled with regret at this whole sleepover thing.

"I don't really care," fiddling with my Milk Duds, I took a tentative seat on the blanket and eyed Liz warily. She had gotten a wicked look in her eyes and, as Maka dropped a movie into the DVD player, she dove across the room and grabbed the remote – turning off the TV

"I have a better idea than watching movies!"

Dread filled me.

"Let's visit the boys!"

(Author's Note: Okay, so a little bit fluffy. Well.. as fluffy as Kai and Black*Star will ever be. Action should start soon - I swearz it! Aaand a quick shout out to MintyMintMints, because your review made my day, and to my anonymous Guest. You, sir/madame, make me a very happy fanfic author! Alright: review, favorite, and follow! Happy reading!)