Ray opened his eyes slowly, then blinked. No blinding pain, just a dull throb, and even that seemed to be easing. He started to take in his surroundings. He was lying in bed at home, with the covers drawn up and what looked like a sick-bowl on the side table.
"K-Kai?" he asked, his throat oddly sore.
"Ray! You're awake! Not before time, either!" Kai sat down next to him and took his hand.
"What happened...why that?" Ray questioned, gesturing to the sick-bowl.
"To get you in my car, they had to pull you upright. Your stomach didn't like it at all." Kai chuckled. His face sobered slightly. "Oh yes, Max just phoned-"
"What? What time is it?"
"Seven. You've been asleep for about six, no, maybe seven hours. Anyway, Max just phoned to say that Tyson was facing, at the least after school detentions for the rest of the year, and at the worst, expulsion." Ray gasped.
"Why?"
"Well, apparently, when you were lying on the ground outside, some people were kicking you-"
"Yes, yes, I remember that, what's that got to do with Tyson?"
"Because Tyson went round the field at lunch and beat them all up. Five are in hospital."
"Oh my God...Does Max blame me?"
"No, not at all. He's just mad with Tyson for allowing his temper to get the better of him. I gather that happens a lot?" Ray nodded, feeling shell-shocked.
"Yeah, quite a bit..." He shook his head slowly. "He's got a really quick temper, and he's really over-protective of people he likes." Kai frowned. "Oh, don't be stupid, Kai," Ray sighed. "You know that he's not gay." Kai blinked once, absorbing the information, then lay down beside Ray, sliding a hand possessively up his arm.
"You're all mine..." he whispered, the sudden huskiness of his voice making Ray shiver slightly.
"You can't get horny now, Kai," he protested. "I stink of vomit!" He pulled away from Kai, who grunted in protest. "That's a point, I need a shower."
"Can I come in with you?" Kai pleaded. Ray sighed good-naturedly.
"If you have to. But we are not having sex in the shower!" He burst out laughing at Kai's disappointed look.
Ray turned the water on, testing it with his hand. He stripped and threw his clothes in a pile on the floor. Kai had already stripped, and was testing the water again.
"Kai, you know I can't take it as hot as you can!" Ray moaned. Kai grumbled something under his breath and climbed in the bath. Ray climbed in after him.
"Could you help me rinse some of this off?" Ray asked, keeping his eyes shut tight. He heard Kai laugh.
"Do you have any idea how strange you look, with your hair all black-and-white-striped?" Still laughing, he reached up and unhooked the showerhead, turning the jet of water on to Ray's shampoo-coated hair. Ray relaxed, enjoying the feeling of the hot water running over him. Kai gently massaged his head, turning it this way and that. The flow of soapy white suds slowed, and Kai's hands began to move.
"Kai..." It was a weak protest. He was warm, comfortable, and naked. All coherent thoughts were disappearing with the bathwater.
"Yes?" Kai's breath tickled his ear. Ray spun round, nearly falling on the slick surface of the bath, and kissed him passionately. Kai's hands moved to cup his head, pressing him closer. They sank down to the floor of the bath, still kissing fiercely.
An hour later, Ray lay dreamily in Kai's arms. It had been Kai's excellent idea to put the plug in, so Ray was now lying comfortably in the deliciously warm water. He stroked Kai's cheek, shivering as Kai bit his fingers gently.
"Bad Kai." he whispered. Kai said nothing, simply pulling Ray closer still. Ray smiled, wondering what people would think if they could see them now. Especially the so-called "experts" who had said that Kai would never be able to love, that his grandfather had damaged him too badly. Screw them. He closed his eyes and let himself float back in time, remembering the very first time he had ever seen Kai.
The twelve year-old Ray walked nervously towards the hospital, resisting the hideously uncool urge to hold his father's hand.
"Will Mum be okay to talk, Dad?" His father nodded distractedly.
"Yes, of course, Ray. She'll be delighted to see you." Ray smiled slightly, reassured.
"Cool. When will she be coming out?" His father sighed.
"How many times, Ray, I don't know? Some time in the next few months. but she'll still be in a-"
"Wheelchair, yeah, I know!" Ray snapped. "I was there when the bloody doctor told you, wasn't I?"
"Don't swear in front of me!"
"I'm not in front of you, I'm beside you!" Ray smirked. His father groaned softly and rubbed his temples.
"I can't cope with you, Ray, will you please try to behave?" Ray said nothing, hiding his real thoughts, as he had been doing for the past three months. He didn't want to make his father so unhappy, but he just hated his life at the moment. All his friends had girlfriends, but he didn't like any of the girls that they kept on trying to introduce to him, his marks were going down the drain, and he had't had a full night's sleep since his mum's accident. He stomped through the hospital doors and waited impatiently while his dad talked to the receptionist.
"Ray?"
"What?"
"I need to go and have a talk with the doctor about Mum. Can you go and stay in the waiting room?"
"Oh, what?"
"Please, Ray." With a sigh, Ray headed towards the waiting room.
Angrily, he stormed in and threw himself down on to one of the hard blue plastic chairs. A few minutes of silent fuming later, he became aware that somebody else was in the room with him. He looked up. On the other side of the room was another boy, Ray judged him to be about thirteen. With a vague idea of striking up a conversation, Ray got up and went over to him, his shoes squeaking on the floor.
"Hi," he said, sitting down next to the boy. "What's your name?" The boy's strange crimson eyes flickered to him for a second, then away again, staring intently at the blank wall in front of him. Ray tried again. "I'm Ray. You are?" Once again, the boy had definitely heard him, because he made brief eye contact before going back to staring at the wall. Ray sighed. "Oh. You don't like talking." He yawned, bored, and started looking properly at the strange boy.
His crimson eyes glowed in a pale, almost white face, marred by four blue triangle tattoos, two on each cheek. His hair, which was spiked up at the front a little bit like Ray's, was two colours. The front part, the spiked up part, was light blue. But it wasn't just light blue, it almost looked as though it had silver in it as well. Odd. The rest of it was dark blue. He was wearing black jeans and a grey, longsleeved T-shirt, the dark colours draining what little colour there was from his face. From what Ray could see of his physique, he had some definite muscles. Yet despite the muscles, his whole body emmited wariness, almost to the point of paronia.
"Kai." the boy said suddenly, forcing it out.
"That's your name?" Ray asked cautiously. Kai nodded shortly, still refusing to meet Ray's gaze for more than a few seconds. "Okay. Hello, Kai." Ray stretched out his hand for Kai to shake. He wouldn't do this normally, but he didn't know if Kai would respond to any other forms of greeting. Kai stared at the outstretched hand for what felt like a long time. Eventually, he reached slowly out and, with a quick glance around, slipped his hand around Ray's.
His grip was tentative and cold. Ray smiled encouragingly at him, and decided to try for some more conversation.
"How old are you?" he asked. Instantly, Kai's eyes started wandering again, looking around the room. But Ray had worked something out. Kai wasn't looking round the room aimlessly, he was checking to make sure that it was safe. He waited for the checking to finish, realising that Kai's hand was still holding his, his grip a little more confident now. He thought about sliding his hand out, but decided against it, since Kai seemed to feel more secure like that. Plus, no one else was around to see, so what the heck?
"Thirteen." came the abrupt answer. Ray nodded.
"Cool. I'm twelve." They sat in silence for few minutes. Ray could tell by Kai's restlessness that he was getting ready to speak.
"You look like a girl." Kai stated. Ray's eyes blazed with anger at the inoccent comment. He didn't see Kai cringing away, eyes widening in fear.
"Yes. I. Know." he ground out through clenched teeth. He knew that he looked like a girl. His black hair was long and thick, and he wore spiked it up in a wrap which took at least an hour to set up, because when he didn't even the teachers would do a double take when they saw him. His face was fine-boned and delicate, with soft, full lips and long eyelashes. He was slim, and weighed nearly two stone less than some of the boys in his year. Yes, he knew he looked like a girl. He just wished that it wasn't the first thing anyone ever noticed about him.
He came out of his resentful thoughts to see Kai a few seats away, checking the room again, fear clear in his eyes, looking everywhere but at Ray. He was curled up in a ball, hugging his legs to him. Realisng that he must have scared Kai somehow, Ray got off his seat and knelt down in front of Kai.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, Kai. It's just, I don't like being told that I look like a girl. Shake?" He offered Kai his hand. Kai's eyes rested on it for a few seconds, then jerked away, the fear slightly less, but clearly still too fierce to allow him to hold Ray's hand again. Ray bit his lip. Damn his temper! Despite how little they had acually comunicated, he had found himself liking Kai. And now it was all messed up. Damn...
"I'm...sorry..." Ray blinked as Kai's fingers touched his for a brief moment, his whisper loud in the silent room.
"Why are you sorry?" he asked bluntly.
"You don't like being compared to a girl...sorry...I'm stupid..."
"No, you're not! Never think that!" Ray said fiercely. "How were you to know? Anyway, it's true. I do look like a girl." Kai stared at him, meeting his gaze straight on for the first time. He blinked slowly, a small, nervous smile creeping over his pale face. Ray smiled back and offered Kai his hand again. Kai took it.
Ray smiled and rolled over, nuzzling into Kai's chest. Yep, that had been the very first time that he had ever seen Kai. He scowled suddenly. If it had been up to his dickhead father, it would have been the last.
Ray heard his father's deep voice down the corridor and groaned. He didn't want to have to leave. Him and Kai were making up for lost conversation time, and although nobody could call Kai talkative, he was talking quite animatedly, for him. His father appeared in the doorway. He felt Kai wrench his hand from his grip and jerk away, stiffening in fear.
"Ray, hurry up!" his father snapped, looking with distaste at Kai. Ray glared at him, not even bothering to answer, looking worriedly at Kai. The crimson-eyed boy was humming tunelessly under his breath, tapping his fingers repetively against the chair, shooting terrified glances at Ray's father.
"Kai?" No response, not even any recognition that he had heard. "Okay then. 'Bye." Ray said sadly, standing up and walking over to his father. As they left the room, a forced, hurried voice called after them,
"'Bye, Ray." Ray turned to reply, but was pulled back by his father.
"Hey!" he said fiercely. "Let me go!" His father bent down until they were nearly touching noses.
"I forbid you to talk to that boy again. I don't want you associating with him, understand?" Ray blinked, momentarily taken aback.
"Why?" His father snorted in exasperation.
"Ray, the boy's obviously a few sandwiches short of a pinic. You don't want to know a boy like that. He's more trouble than he's worth!" Ray's eyes blazed amber. He was furious, more than he had ever been before, with anyone.
"Kai isn't like that!" he spat, then turned and ran ahead, wanting to get as far away from his father as possible.
Ray growled deep in his throat, his eyes narrowing with remembered anger.
"What is it?" Kai asked softly.
"Remembering." Ray said simply.
"Oh." Kai got out of the bath and started to dry himself. "You want to carry on remembering in bed?" Ray smiled.
"Yeah, okay. What's up, you tired?" Kai nodded, blinking sleepily.
Ray slipped under the covers, snuggling up to Kai and wrapping his arms around him.
"'Night..." Kai murmured, his voice thick with tiredness.
"'Night," Ray replied, and went back to remembering.
Ray trailed behind his father as they walked through the hospital doors again.
"Ray, if I catch you talking to that Kai boy again you're grounded for two months, do you hear me?" his father demanded. Ray nodded, not really listening.
Once again, the doctor needed to tak to Ray's father, so Ray went off to sit in the waiting room without much hope. It had been a month and five visits since they had met.
He walked in, his face lighting up at the sight of the boy sitting on the same chair as before.
"Kai!" he exclaimed. Kai turned to face him, a slow, uncertain smile creeping across his pale face. Ray walked over and stretched out a hand. Kai took it.
"Sit down." Kai suggested at last. Ray obliged, sitting down next to him. He blinked in surprise as Kai leaned over and hugged him tightly, burying his face in Ray's yellow T-shirt.
"Kai? Are you all right?" he asked. Kai shook his head, screwing his eyes up. Casting a quick glance around the empty room, Ray hugged him back, resting his head on top of Kai's. "Ssh, 's okay. Everything's gonna be fine." he soothed, unsure why he was saying this, but knowing that it was calming Kai down.
Ten minutes later, a nurse popped her head round the doorway.
"Kai? Do you want to come through?" she asked. Kai started to tremble. Ray rubbed his back soothingly, looking in confusion as the nurse sighed and disappeared. She re-appeared a few seconds later with four burly male nurses in tow. Kai saw them and let out a cry of fear, pressing himself against Ray as if the younger boy could somehow make it all go away.
"Kai?" the nurse asked again. "Come on." She reached out a hand towards him. Kai looked away. "Kai, come now. You don't want to be dragged in again, do you?" Kai ignored her. The nurse stood up. "Right. Don't say I didn't warn you." The male nurses moved forwads, grasping hold of Kai and trying to pull him from Ray. Kai clung to the back of the seat, keening like a frightened animal. He let go and swung a punch at the nearest nurse.
"Stop it! You're scaring him!" Ray cried, standing up.
"Stay out of this, kid." one of the nurses advised him. Ray ignored him, going up to the blur of arms and legs that was Kai and two of the nurses. Suddenly, a blow caught him round the side of the head. He stumbled and fell, the world spinning sickeningly.
"Ray!" The panicked cry ripped through the sounds of the fighting. Kai tore himself free of the fight and flung himself at Ray, kneeling down beside him. "Ray, you okay?" he asked anxiously. Ray forced a faint smile onto his face, rubbing at his aching head.
"I'm fine, Kai." he answered. Unconvinced, Kai felt Ray's head gently.
"Sure?" he asked, staring intently at Ray.
"Yes, I'm positive." Ray assured him. "Now, you should go with the nurse."
"No!"
"What about if I come with you?" he suggested. Kai blinked uncertainly.
"O-Okay..." he mumbled, his voice shaking. Ray smiled reassuringly and stood up unsteadily, rubbing his head and wincing. He held out his hand to Kai, who was staring fixedly at the wall again, his eyes blank. With a sigh, the nurses moved forwards again.
"No, let me try." Ray told them. He walked over and sat directly in Kai's line of view. "Kai? It's me, Ray." He paused, unsure of what to say. "Don't be scared, okay? Injections aren't that bad." After what seemed like hours, Kai's gaze slowly focused on Ray.
"Don't...want it," he said thickly, tears glittering in the corners of his eyes. "Don't...like it."
"I know," Ray whispered, never breaking eye contact. "It'll all be over soon, okay?" He stood. "Coming?"
"Ray? Ray, talk to me!" Ray snapped out of his thoughts instantly, meeting Kai's terrified gaze. "Y-You were just lying there - and you couldn't hear me - and - and..." Ray hugged the older boy tightly. He took hold of his hand and placed it over his chest, so that Kai could feel his heart beating. The older boy was shaking violently and making broken little whimpering noises of fright, his body rigid.
"Ssh, Kai, ssh, it's okay, I was just thinking, that's all...ssh, calm down, come on, deep breaths..." He heard Kai mumbling under his breath, counting Ray's heartbeats to try and reassure himself. "That's it, I'm still here, see?" Ray stroked his hair soothingly and kissed his cheek lightly. "I'm always here, Kai, you know that, don't you?" Kai nodded and looked trustingly down at Ray, the shudders racking his frame slowing.
"Always here." he repeated, and kissed Ray on the cheek in return. They stayed like that for over an hour.
"I'm sorry, Ray. I-I knew you were thinking, I just...panicked. I'm sorry." The earlier childish quality to Kai's voice had gone, along with his fear. Now, only shame at what he saw as his own stupidity showed that he was even the same boy.
"It's okay, Kai, it's my fault. I should have known that it would scare you."
"Yeah, but you shouldn't have to!" Kai burst out. "If I wasn't so messed up, you wouldn't have to go through all this whenever I get spooked at something that a normal person wouldn't give a second's thought to!" He rolled away, the anger at himself like a palpable force in the air. "But then, I'm not normal, am I? Spent thirteen years with h-h-hi-hi-hi- God, I can't even say it!" The shouted words hung in the air, making Ray's heart ache.
"I love you, Kai. That's all that I care about." he said softly, hugging Kai awkwardly from behind. Kai tensed up automatically, then rolled back over and returned the embrace.
"Love you too, Ray," he whispered.
What did everyone think? I was originally trying to make Kai autistic, but it's kind of changed into autism mixed with Down's Syndrome mixed with multiple-personality disorder...0.o' Poor guy. (snickers) Please, please review! Next chapter will take a while - sorry! (cringes) Review anyway, please!
