One More Zippo
Title: One More Zippo
Chapter(s): 1/1
Author: misfitmisfit
Genre: Fluff, Romance, Humor
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: strong language, men kissing
Pairings: Kai/Uruha
Disclaimer: This is all fabricated in my happy place. Any coincidences are merely a fluke. And I make nothing off of my imagination, so sad.
Synopsis: If he never found out, he might have missed everything all together.
Comments: Thanks to atmosphere_zero for being my beta-reader, ^_~
“Whoo!” Uruha threw his arms up in cheer. “Two KO’s and no self kills!”
Kai gave Uruha a small smile.
Uruha leaned his head on Kai’s shoulder, “Go easy on me, alright? Give me more kills.”
Kai gently shook Uruha off, even though he actually wanted to hug him close. “No cheating.”
Uruha pouted and gave him the damn cutest puppy eyes, “Please?”
Kai scowled and rolled his eyes. He could feel Uruha giggling. Uruha always seemed to understand him. Earlier they were playing Mario Kart on the Wii and though Kai didn’t complain after losing multiple rounds, Uruha switched the game to Super Smash Bros Brawl. Even though Uruha didn’t particularly like this game, he played with genuine enthusiasm as a good sport.
“Yay! I knew it. Kai’s the best to me.” Uruha flashed a peace sign at the TV for getting first place.
Kai shook his head. “It’s not even real. They can’t see you.”
Uruha grabbed Kai’s hand and dragged him to the kitchen. “Then cook for us, superstar, hehe.”
Kai’s heart fluttered, but he immediately withdrew his hand for he was afraid he might never let go. Uruha turned towards him in confusion.
Kai stuck his hands in his pockets and snorted, “Oh, I see how it is. You only invite me over because you want a free meal.”
Uruha lightly laughed. “Does it kill you so much to hang out with me?”
Kai quickly turned to open the refrigerator and breathed in the cold air to control his face from completely burning up. Uruha leaned in close to him to see what Kai was looking at. Kai swallowed hard as he tightened his grip on the refrigerator handle bar.
“I can’t concentrate with you standing this close.” Kai grumbled.
Uruha playfully peeked Kai’s cheek, “Okaaay, then I’ll patiently wait for you in the living room.”
Kai pretended to swap Uruha away, but his heart with filled with joy and panic at Uruha’s intimate gesture. He watched as Uruha swiped an apple out of the basket before leaving the kitchen.
Kai let out a sigh of relief, but straightened right up when he heard Uruha pop back inside.
“Oh, please nothing spicy, hehe. Forgot to mention.” Uruha sheepishly smiled.
“You get whatever I’m in the mood of making, you moocher.” Kai scoffed as he grabbed items out of the fridge to prepare dinner.
But Uruha had already disappeared. Kai could hear him happily humming out there.
Several months had passed this way, and at the end of every day Kai found it harder and harder to deny the feelings he developed for Uruha.
>.> … <,< … >,> … <,< … >,> … <,<
Brrrrr. Brrrrr. Kai rushed into the warm building then pulled off his glove to wedge his vibrating phone out of his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Umm… I won’t be able to make it to practice today.” It was Reita.
“Why?” Kai started feeling a little upset.
“I… uh…” Reita fumbled over his words.
Kai could hear a woman’s voice in the background calling for him. “Where are you?”
There was a muffle of noises as he could tell that Reita had placed his hand over the phone.
A few seconds later, Reita abruptly replied before hanging up, “I’ll make up to you later!”
Kai rolled his eyes.
Lately it had been difficult to get everyone together for practice since it was getting close to Christmas and New Year’s. Holidays. Pft, what good was a holiday if there was no one to celebrate it with?
As he headed downstairs to the studio, he couldn’t help wondering if Uruha had come yet. But first, he needed to check his fan mail. Hrm… another box? Last month he received a similar glossy box except that one was black with his name written in white on top. This time the colors were reversed.
Kai slipped off the lid to find yet another Zippo. Today’s date, December 8th, was engraved on it. He didn’t understand the significance. This was his fourth Zippo. Every month since September, he kept getting dates engraved on Zippos from the same fan. The boxes always looked the same but the colors alternated every month, and every gift had a citrus-scented card with the same handwritten message in cursive saying,
Dear Kai-chan,
I am in love with your drumming. Keep up the good work.
I will always support you. Ganbatte!
<3
Kai frowned. The fan never left a return address for him to send his thanks. Kai brought the card up to his nose and breathed in the zesty scent. He-
“Good morning, Kai!” Uruha walked in, smiling brightly at him.
Kai almost dropped the card. “Ahem, going to invade on the others’ private fan mail?”
Uruha playfully picked up Aoi’s fan mail, “Oooh, look at this, Kai! One of the fans sent a special full body nude picture of herself. Hehehe.”
“I’m not interested.” Kai walked out to go to the studio.
Kai placed his belongings on the floor near his drum set and climbed up into his seat. He noticed Uruha setting up his guitar down below.
Okay, he admitted that in the beginning he thought Uruha was playing some sort of joke on him by showing up early for practice every day, but as the weeks went by he found himself anticipating Uruha’s arrival. At first, Kai didn’t like Uruha’s company because he was used to the privacy he had for being the only one who came this early to the studio, but gradually he found Uruha’s company comforting.
For reasons unknown, Kai felt confident in telling Uruha what was on his mind. In fact, Uruha’s gentle and relaxed character encouraged him to talk more than he normally would.
Sometimes he would covertly watch Uruha practicing and completely forget to practice as he gazed at the innocent and serious faces Uruha made. But he always made sure to tear his eyes away right before Uruha stopped and noticed.
But they started hanging out together outside of the studio. Usually it was Uruha inviting him over to play videogames. He didn’t care so much for the games as he did about the time he could spend with Uruha.
But yesterday Uruha wanted to watch a movie with him and halfway through the movie Uruha snuggled up next to him. His excuse was that he was feeling cold and didn’t want to pause the movie to get a jacket or a blanket. Kai had an extremely difficult time focusing on the movie. Uruha didn’t seem to mind their proximity, but Kai could hardly control the wild pounding of his heart.
“Heeeey!” Aoi busted into the studio. “Look what we have here.”
Uruha didn’t bother looking up from his guitar. Kai continued drumming away.
Aoi wrapped an arm around Uruha’s shoulders, “What’s the matter, Uru-chan?”
“Please get off of me.” Uruha wriggled away.
Aoi dropped down to his knees on the floor besides Uruha and pulled out a small black box, “Please Uru-baby, I love you. Will you marry me?”
One of the drumming sticks slipped out of Kai’s hand and hit Aoi on the head.
“What the hell, Kai?!” Aoi rubbed the painful spot.
“Hahahah!” Ruki walked into the studio wiping tears from his eyes from laughing so hard. “Dude, Reita is going to be fucking pissed when he finds out.”
Aoi grinned. “But he doesn’t know yet, does he?”
Uruha saw Aoi throwing the small black box up and down. “Does that belong to Reita?”
Ruki snorted, “Bahaha, what did you think it was? A surprise wedding gift from Kai? Hahahaha!”
Kai threw one of his gloves at Ruki and glared at him.
“Why the hell are you so pissed?” Ruki threw Kai’s glove back.
“Excuse me. I need to get away from some idiots.” Kai jumped down from his drum set.
Ruki poked his head out into the hallway.
“Who’s there?” Aoi asked.
Ruki immediately shrunk back and gasped, “Oh shit! I’m hiding behind the sofa. No way am I taking the blame for this!”
As Ruki dodged behind the sofa, Aoi shouted, “You bastard! That’s my spot. Goddamnit.”
Aoi quickly searched for the next best spot. No time. No time.
“Ah fuck it!” Aoi cursed as he ran over towards Kai’s drums, jumped up and over, then crashed behind one of Kai’s big drums.
Uruha’s eyes widened.
“What did you guys do this time?” Uruha squeaked.
Although he didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t want to get caught either.
“Can I hide with you, Ruki?” Uruha crawled beside him.
“Fucking hurry and hide then before Reita comes.” Ruki shoved Uruha behind the couch next to him.
Kai rolled his eyes and sat in Uruha’s chair. They always played this game when they found out one member was hiding some juicy secret from the others.
“Fucking hide, Kai!” Aoi whispered.
Kai continued to sit and wait for Reita to show up. Soon enough Reita came running into the studio.
As Reita tried to catch his breath, he managed to ask, “Kai… have… you… seen… the… others?”
Kai adjusted the Velcro straps on his gloves. “Nope. I’m pissed everyone isn’t here yet to start practice.”
Reita placed one hand against the frame of the door to steady himself as his breathing normalized, “Kai… you have to understand… I… this is…”
Kai leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, “Why are you panting so hard?”
Reita walked over to the couch and plopped into it. Uruha almost shrieked in fear that he would be discovered, but Ruki covered Uruha’s mouth and gave him a death glare to keep him quiet.
Reita cupped the sides of his head with both hands, “Kai, do you know what it’s like to finally find the love of your life only to have it disappear from your grasp?”
Aoi couldn’t help letting out a loud snicker.
Reita scanned the layout of the studio. Nothing seemed strangely out of order.
Kai would kill Aoi later, “What do you mean?”
Reita leaned back closing his eyes and letting his arms drop to his sides, “I… I was going to ask Yui to marry me, but … I lost the ring. I looked everywhere for it, but I just couldn’t find it. I called Yui to tell her what happened, but she thinks I’m just making it all up.”
Ruki popped up from behind the couch, “Then you should have chased after her!”
Aoi came out from behind the drums, “Yeah, why the hell are you still sitting here?”
“Where the hell did you hide it...?” Reita glared at Aoi.
“What makes you think I stole it?” Aoi crossed his arms in pretense anger.
Uruha blurted, “He proposed to me with it earlier.”
“Damn it, Uruha! It’s not my fault. Ruki convinced me to do it!” Aoi shifted the blame.
“I can’t even convince you to sleep with a woman. How could I be involved in something so important?” Ruki light a cigarette.
“How come I don’t believe you guys?” Reita crossed his arms.
Ruki straightened out his jacket, “Why didn’t you just tell us in the first place?”
Reita slapped his forehead. Argh! He should have known better. All of them ganged up to trick him into spilling out his life story.
“You were in on this, too, Kai!” Reita couldn’t believe the treachery.
Kai shrugged, “I happened to be placed in the middle of the chaos. It was a perfect opportunity to practice my acting skills.”
“Well, what’s her number, Reita?” Ruki asked.
“Why? So you guys can screw things up even further?” Reita huffed.
“Come on, Reita! Let us repair the situation for you and explain to her that your friends are a bunch of jerks.” Aoi handed Reita back the small, black box.
Reita snatched it back from Aoi and pulled out his cell phone. Before Aoi took the initiative to take Reita’s cell phone, it rang.
Reita quickly stepped outside of the studio to answer the call. Everyone anxiously watched Reita pacing around outside. After Reita hung up, he ran out of the studio.
“Goddamnit, why does everyone in this band have to hide everything? It’s not like we’re strangers. I mean, even if one of us had a crush on each other. What does it matter?” Aoi sounded irritated.
Ruki choked on his water, “Are you serious? Dude, I’d be kind of freaked out. I know my type. They’re hot and chicks.”
“Well, I’m just saying.” Aoi turned towards Uruha. “Do you like me, Uru-chan? I love you!”
Aoi proceeded to hug Uruha, but Uruha quickly took a few steps back in discomfort.
Then it hit Aoi, “Hey Kai, did you ever figure out who’s your secret admirer?”
“What do you care?” Kai shrugged off the issue.
Ruki suggested, “Oh, I just thought of it! The gifts are always Zippos. What if it’s a guy??”
Uruha raised an eyebrow at Ruki, “Why are you going crazy like Aoi?”
“I know who it is!” Ruki shouted. “It’s Reita!”
Aoi stared at Ruki, “Dude, we just heard him spill out his love problem about Yui.”
“Aww, whatever.” Ruki waved him off. “Hey, what are you guys going to do for New Year’s Eve?”
Aoi hugged Uruha close to his chest, “Wanna spend it with me, Uru-baby?”
Kai scoffed, “Who the hell would want to spend time with a hairy black ant eater?”
“Mmmm, tasty.” Aoi playfully licked Uruha’s lips.
“Ahhhh!” Uruha yelled out as he kicked Aoi in his special place.
Aoi fell to the floor, crouched over, “God…damn…it….Uru…ha…”
“Well, I’m going to Foxy’s.” Ruki chuckled a lewd laugh.
Aoi rolled his eyes. “Fuck you, Ruki. Fuck you, Uruha. I fucking hate you all. Goddamnit…”
Kai secretly smirked to himself. That bastard deserved what he got.
>,> … <,< … >,> … <,< … >,> … <,<
Kai laid in bed and reflected upon today’s events. Today wasn’t very productive. Every so often, Aoi would crack a lewd joke towards Uruha, and even though he could tell Uruha was very uncomfortable, he was too afraid to speak out and stop Aoi. Even though the others said they would accept each other’s personal problems because they were all this close to one another… would they really accept his love for Uruha?
>.> … <,< … >,> … <,< … >,> … <,<
Kai mindlessly flipped through the television channels. There wasn’t much on other than programs or movies about holiday cheer. As he caught bits and parts of different couples kissing under the mistletoe or hugging or holding hands, he wondered what Uruha was doing tonight.
Ding! Dong! Kai quickly peered over at the clock above the television. 11:30PM … who the heck would be at his door at this time? A few moments passed, and the doorbell rang again. Who the hell?
Kai slipped on his slippers and squinted through the peephole. Hrm…he wondered what Uruha could be doing out there. Kai turned away from the door, and …U-u-rha? What was he doing here??
Kai rushed over to the door and pulled it slightly ajar, “Uhh… what are you doing here, Uruha?”
“Hello!” Uruha broke into a smile. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
Kai continued staring at Uruha, “…what do you want?”
“Aren’t you going to invite me inside?” Uruha asked.
“Umm… I suppose.” Kai opened the door wide enough for Uruha to enter inside.
Uruha giggled at Kai’s worn-out T-shirt and baggy sweatpants. “Hehe, you look comfy, Kai.”
“Take a seat in the living room. You’re making me look like a bad host.” Kai scowled and pushed Uruha further into his house.
Uruha gazed around Kai’s tidy place. This was the first time he had stepped inside Kai’s hidden fortress because they always spent time at his house. Kai returned to the living room and placed two mugs of hot chocolate down on the coffee table.
Kai pulled up a chair and sat across from Uruha, who was sitting on the couch, “So… what brings you here?”
Uruha pouted, “Why are you acting like a stranger. Come sit next to me. Please??”
“Not until you answer my question.” Kai smirked.
Uruha gave Kai another one of those boxes. “What…? What is this?”
“I… went to the studio today… just to do some extra practicing… and well, you know me… I, ummm… went to the mail room and spied on everyone’s fan mail, and I … umm… found this.” Uruha rubbed his index fingers together.
“I see.” Kai answered as he pulled off the lid of the white box with his name written in black on top.
Inside was yet another steel Zippo engraved with tomorrow’s date, January 1st.
“I don’t really understand these gifts.” Kai sighed. “I do love collecting them, but each of these has the strangest dates engraved on them. Also, I don’t even get a return address, so how am I supposed to thank or ask this fan about these?”
Uruha slowly nodded. “Hrmm… maybe I can help you solve the puzzle. Let’s look at your other Zippos.”
“I don’t know.” Kai scratched his head. “But I guess it can’t hurt.”
He disappeared for a few seconds then came back out to lay them on the coffee table. “See… the first one was September 21. The second one was October 18. The third one was November 21. Logically speaking, I should have gotten the next one on December 18, right? But instead I got it on December 8. Now the newest one says January 1, but today’s date is December 31. This is really making my head spin.”
“Now can you sit next to me?” Uruha pleaded.
“But you still haven’t told me why you’re here.” Kai reminded him.
Uruha chewed on his lower lip. “I see how it is. You don’t want me to be here. I get it. I’ll leave.”
Kai watched as Uruha really did get up and walk over to the door. “Look, Uruha, look. I’m sitting on the couch. Come back… please?”
Uruha paused just before reaching for the door handle. Should he be mean or run back to Kai?
Kai anxiously looked at Uruha, hoping Uruha wouldn’t really leave.
“I don’t think you’re being sincere.” Uruha turned around and pouted.
Kai walked over to Uruha and took his hand to lead him back to the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled Uruha to sit next to him.
Uruha leaned on Kai and placed his head on his shoulder. “Do you mind if I do this?”
His heart was pounding like mad.
Kai cleared his throat to make sure his voice wouldn’t waver, “Let’s try to figure out this puzzle.”
Uruha slipped one of his arms around Kai’s and curled his hand around Kai’s wrist. “Hrm… I’m thinking … maybe it’s the letters of the alphabet.”
Kai frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“Uh…” Uruha scratched his head. “Well… none of the dates go above 21 and there are 26 letters in the alphabet. Perhaps it’s a code?”
Kai wasn’t convinced.
“Do you have pen and paper?” Uruha asked.
Although he desperately wanted to scoot away from Uruha to hide the uncontrollably wild beating in his chest, his legs were like jelly. He didn’t know what to do.
“Umm… take a look under the table. There should be some paper there.” Kai suggested.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen to hand to Uruha.
“Thanks.” Uruha nodded.
After Uruha wrote out all the letters of the alphabet and numbered them all, he gave the paper and pen back to Kai, “Here. See if the dates make any sense when matched up with the respective numbers and letters.”
Kai was still skeptical. This idea seemed so farfetched, but since he didn’t have a better idea it seemed worth a try. “Okay. 21 is U… 18 is R… 21 is probably U again… 8 is H… and well, if it’s a 1… then it’s A. What does that say? U-r-u-”
He dropped his pen and froze. What kind of joke was this? A fan called Uruha?
Uruha courageously placed his hand over Kai’s. “…Did you… like the gifts?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kai quietly asked.
“Kai, do you like me?” Uruha squeezed Kai’s hand.
“What if I never figured it out?” Kai turned his body to face Uruha’s.
“I- I would find another way to let you know.” Uruha leaned in close to Kai’s face.
Their noses barely touched and Kai could feel the Uruha’s hot breath gently tickle his lips. “You’re… so silly. Why else would I … hang out with you… outside of the studio?”
Kai bit on his tongue. Damn it. Why were his words not flowing properly? During interviews and comment videos, he didn’t have a problem rolling the words off of his tongue, but around Uruha he became an embarrassing mess. All the restraints he placed on himself in front of the others were melted away by Uruha’s sweet presence. It was unbearably horrifying, yet he knew how much he savored the times he could spend with Uruha.
Unexpectedly, Uruha closed his eyes and placed his lips against Kai’s. Kai awkwardly tried to think about whether he should accept or reject this, but his lips didn’t need his approval. They lightly sucked Uruha’s lower lip and his hands invited themselves to wrap around Uruha’s supple waist. Kai’s blood pulsed at the feel of Uruha’s warm body against his and his face burned with such intensity that his vision became fuzzy.
Somewhere he lost his sense of humility. He actually enjoyed Uruha’s soft moans and those urged him to deepen their kiss. It wasn’t long before Kai felt comfortable enough to slip in his tongue against Uruha’s and play a game for dominance with Uruha.
“Kai…” Uruha panted as he pulled back to gasp for air.
Kai cupped Uruha’s face and wiped away those tears. “Why... why are you crying, Uruha?”
Uruha threw his arms around Kai and nuzzled against the curve of Kai’s neck and shoulder. “I love you, Kai.”
Sounds of fireworks popping and whistling from next door mirrored the explosion of warmth enveloping Kai’s heart. He lifted Uruha’s face towards his and kissed Uruha’s sweet lips again.
“Happy New Years, Uruha.” Kai softly said as he smiled at him with flushed cheeks.
A/Ns:
Congratulations, you made it to the author's corner, XDDD. The idea for this story came from a fun fact about Kai liking to collect Zippos, and well, with a little bit of imagination, this story was born, haha. I hope you enjoyed reading it =D
Comments are <3<3<3
Chapter(s): 1/1
Author: misfitmisfit
Genre: Fluff, Romance, Humor
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: strong language, men kissing
Pairings: Kai/Uruha
Disclaimer: This is all fabricated in my happy place. Any coincidences are merely a fluke. And I make nothing off of my imagination, so sad.
Synopsis: If he never found out, he might have missed everything all together.
Comments: Thanks to atmosphere_zero for being my beta-reader, ^_~
“Whoo!” Uruha threw his arms up in cheer. “Two KO’s and no self kills!”
Kai gave Uruha a small smile.
Uruha leaned his head on Kai’s shoulder, “Go easy on me, alright? Give me more kills.”
Kai gently shook Uruha off, even though he actually wanted to hug him close. “No cheating.”
Uruha pouted and gave him the damn cutest puppy eyes, “Please?”
Kai scowled and rolled his eyes. He could feel Uruha giggling. Uruha always seemed to understand him. Earlier they were playing Mario Kart on the Wii and though Kai didn’t complain after losing multiple rounds, Uruha switched the game to Super Smash Bros Brawl. Even though Uruha didn’t particularly like this game, he played with genuine enthusiasm as a good sport.
“Yay! I knew it. Kai’s the best to me.” Uruha flashed a peace sign at the TV for getting first place.
Kai shook his head. “It’s not even real. They can’t see you.”
Uruha grabbed Kai’s hand and dragged him to the kitchen. “Then cook for us, superstar, hehe.”
Kai’s heart fluttered, but he immediately withdrew his hand for he was afraid he might never let go. Uruha turned towards him in confusion.
Kai stuck his hands in his pockets and snorted, “Oh, I see how it is. You only invite me over because you want a free meal.”
Uruha lightly laughed. “Does it kill you so much to hang out with me?”
Kai quickly turned to open the refrigerator and breathed in the cold air to control his face from completely burning up. Uruha leaned in close to him to see what Kai was looking at. Kai swallowed hard as he tightened his grip on the refrigerator handle bar.
“I can’t concentrate with you standing this close.” Kai grumbled.
Uruha playfully peeked Kai’s cheek, “Okaaay, then I’ll patiently wait for you in the living room.”
Kai pretended to swap Uruha away, but his heart with filled with joy and panic at Uruha’s intimate gesture. He watched as Uruha swiped an apple out of the basket before leaving the kitchen.
Kai let out a sigh of relief, but straightened right up when he heard Uruha pop back inside.
“Oh, please nothing spicy, hehe. Forgot to mention.” Uruha sheepishly smiled.
“You get whatever I’m in the mood of making, you moocher.” Kai scoffed as he grabbed items out of the fridge to prepare dinner.
But Uruha had already disappeared. Kai could hear him happily humming out there.
Several months had passed this way, and at the end of every day Kai found it harder and harder to deny the feelings he developed for Uruha.
>.> … <,< … >,> … <,< … >,> … <,<
Brrrrr. Brrrrr. Kai rushed into the warm building then pulled off his glove to wedge his vibrating phone out of his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Umm… I won’t be able to make it to practice today.” It was Reita.
“Why?” Kai started feeling a little upset.
“I… uh…” Reita fumbled over his words.
Kai could hear a woman’s voice in the background calling for him. “Where are you?”
There was a muffle of noises as he could tell that Reita had placed his hand over the phone.
A few seconds later, Reita abruptly replied before hanging up, “I’ll make up to you later!”
Kai rolled his eyes.
Lately it had been difficult to get everyone together for practice since it was getting close to Christmas and New Year’s. Holidays. Pft, what good was a holiday if there was no one to celebrate it with?
As he headed downstairs to the studio, he couldn’t help wondering if Uruha had come yet. But first, he needed to check his fan mail. Hrm… another box? Last month he received a similar glossy box except that one was black with his name written in white on top. This time the colors were reversed.
Kai slipped off the lid to find yet another Zippo. Today’s date, December 8th, was engraved on it. He didn’t understand the significance. This was his fourth Zippo. Every month since September, he kept getting dates engraved on Zippos from the same fan. The boxes always looked the same but the colors alternated every month, and every gift had a citrus-scented card with the same handwritten message in cursive saying,
Dear Kai-chan,
I am in love with your drumming. Keep up the good work.
I will always support you. Ganbatte!
<3
Kai frowned. The fan never left a return address for him to send his thanks. Kai brought the card up to his nose and breathed in the zesty scent. He-
“Good morning, Kai!” Uruha walked in, smiling brightly at him.
Kai almost dropped the card. “Ahem, going to invade on the others’ private fan mail?”
Uruha playfully picked up Aoi’s fan mail, “Oooh, look at this, Kai! One of the fans sent a special full body nude picture of herself. Hehehe.”
“I’m not interested.” Kai walked out to go to the studio.
Kai placed his belongings on the floor near his drum set and climbed up into his seat. He noticed Uruha setting up his guitar down below.
Okay, he admitted that in the beginning he thought Uruha was playing some sort of joke on him by showing up early for practice every day, but as the weeks went by he found himself anticipating Uruha’s arrival. At first, Kai didn’t like Uruha’s company because he was used to the privacy he had for being the only one who came this early to the studio, but gradually he found Uruha’s company comforting.
For reasons unknown, Kai felt confident in telling Uruha what was on his mind. In fact, Uruha’s gentle and relaxed character encouraged him to talk more than he normally would.
Sometimes he would covertly watch Uruha practicing and completely forget to practice as he gazed at the innocent and serious faces Uruha made. But he always made sure to tear his eyes away right before Uruha stopped and noticed.
But they started hanging out together outside of the studio. Usually it was Uruha inviting him over to play videogames. He didn’t care so much for the games as he did about the time he could spend with Uruha.
But yesterday Uruha wanted to watch a movie with him and halfway through the movie Uruha snuggled up next to him. His excuse was that he was feeling cold and didn’t want to pause the movie to get a jacket or a blanket. Kai had an extremely difficult time focusing on the movie. Uruha didn’t seem to mind their proximity, but Kai could hardly control the wild pounding of his heart.
“Heeeey!” Aoi busted into the studio. “Look what we have here.”
Uruha didn’t bother looking up from his guitar. Kai continued drumming away.
Aoi wrapped an arm around Uruha’s shoulders, “What’s the matter, Uru-chan?”
“Please get off of me.” Uruha wriggled away.
Aoi dropped down to his knees on the floor besides Uruha and pulled out a small black box, “Please Uru-baby, I love you. Will you marry me?”
One of the drumming sticks slipped out of Kai’s hand and hit Aoi on the head.
“What the hell, Kai?!” Aoi rubbed the painful spot.
“Hahahah!” Ruki walked into the studio wiping tears from his eyes from laughing so hard. “Dude, Reita is going to be fucking pissed when he finds out.”
Aoi grinned. “But he doesn’t know yet, does he?”
Uruha saw Aoi throwing the small black box up and down. “Does that belong to Reita?”
Ruki snorted, “Bahaha, what did you think it was? A surprise wedding gift from Kai? Hahahaha!”
Kai threw one of his gloves at Ruki and glared at him.
“Why the hell are you so pissed?” Ruki threw Kai’s glove back.
“Excuse me. I need to get away from some idiots.” Kai jumped down from his drum set.
Ruki poked his head out into the hallway.
“Who’s there?” Aoi asked.
Ruki immediately shrunk back and gasped, “Oh shit! I’m hiding behind the sofa. No way am I taking the blame for this!”
As Ruki dodged behind the sofa, Aoi shouted, “You bastard! That’s my spot. Goddamnit.”
Aoi quickly searched for the next best spot. No time. No time.
“Ah fuck it!” Aoi cursed as he ran over towards Kai’s drums, jumped up and over, then crashed behind one of Kai’s big drums.
Uruha’s eyes widened.
“What did you guys do this time?” Uruha squeaked.
Although he didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t want to get caught either.
“Can I hide with you, Ruki?” Uruha crawled beside him.
“Fucking hurry and hide then before Reita comes.” Ruki shoved Uruha behind the couch next to him.
Kai rolled his eyes and sat in Uruha’s chair. They always played this game when they found out one member was hiding some juicy secret from the others.
“Fucking hide, Kai!” Aoi whispered.
Kai continued to sit and wait for Reita to show up. Soon enough Reita came running into the studio.
As Reita tried to catch his breath, he managed to ask, “Kai… have… you… seen… the… others?”
Kai adjusted the Velcro straps on his gloves. “Nope. I’m pissed everyone isn’t here yet to start practice.”
Reita placed one hand against the frame of the door to steady himself as his breathing normalized, “Kai… you have to understand… I… this is…”
Kai leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, “Why are you panting so hard?”
Reita walked over to the couch and plopped into it. Uruha almost shrieked in fear that he would be discovered, but Ruki covered Uruha’s mouth and gave him a death glare to keep him quiet.
Reita cupped the sides of his head with both hands, “Kai, do you know what it’s like to finally find the love of your life only to have it disappear from your grasp?”
Aoi couldn’t help letting out a loud snicker.
Reita scanned the layout of the studio. Nothing seemed strangely out of order.
Kai would kill Aoi later, “What do you mean?”
Reita leaned back closing his eyes and letting his arms drop to his sides, “I… I was going to ask Yui to marry me, but … I lost the ring. I looked everywhere for it, but I just couldn’t find it. I called Yui to tell her what happened, but she thinks I’m just making it all up.”
Ruki popped up from behind the couch, “Then you should have chased after her!”
Aoi came out from behind the drums, “Yeah, why the hell are you still sitting here?”
“Where the hell did you hide it...?” Reita glared at Aoi.
“What makes you think I stole it?” Aoi crossed his arms in pretense anger.
Uruha blurted, “He proposed to me with it earlier.”
“Damn it, Uruha! It’s not my fault. Ruki convinced me to do it!” Aoi shifted the blame.
“I can’t even convince you to sleep with a woman. How could I be involved in something so important?” Ruki light a cigarette.
“How come I don’t believe you guys?” Reita crossed his arms.
Ruki straightened out his jacket, “Why didn’t you just tell us in the first place?”
Reita slapped his forehead. Argh! He should have known better. All of them ganged up to trick him into spilling out his life story.
“You were in on this, too, Kai!” Reita couldn’t believe the treachery.
Kai shrugged, “I happened to be placed in the middle of the chaos. It was a perfect opportunity to practice my acting skills.”
“Well, what’s her number, Reita?” Ruki asked.
“Why? So you guys can screw things up even further?” Reita huffed.
“Come on, Reita! Let us repair the situation for you and explain to her that your friends are a bunch of jerks.” Aoi handed Reita back the small, black box.
Reita snatched it back from Aoi and pulled out his cell phone. Before Aoi took the initiative to take Reita’s cell phone, it rang.
Reita quickly stepped outside of the studio to answer the call. Everyone anxiously watched Reita pacing around outside. After Reita hung up, he ran out of the studio.
“Goddamnit, why does everyone in this band have to hide everything? It’s not like we’re strangers. I mean, even if one of us had a crush on each other. What does it matter?” Aoi sounded irritated.
Ruki choked on his water, “Are you serious? Dude, I’d be kind of freaked out. I know my type. They’re hot and chicks.”
“Well, I’m just saying.” Aoi turned towards Uruha. “Do you like me, Uru-chan? I love you!”
Aoi proceeded to hug Uruha, but Uruha quickly took a few steps back in discomfort.
Then it hit Aoi, “Hey Kai, did you ever figure out who’s your secret admirer?”
“What do you care?” Kai shrugged off the issue.
Ruki suggested, “Oh, I just thought of it! The gifts are always Zippos. What if it’s a guy??”
Uruha raised an eyebrow at Ruki, “Why are you going crazy like Aoi?”
“I know who it is!” Ruki shouted. “It’s Reita!”
Aoi stared at Ruki, “Dude, we just heard him spill out his love problem about Yui.”
“Aww, whatever.” Ruki waved him off. “Hey, what are you guys going to do for New Year’s Eve?”
Aoi hugged Uruha close to his chest, “Wanna spend it with me, Uru-baby?”
Kai scoffed, “Who the hell would want to spend time with a hairy black ant eater?”
“Mmmm, tasty.” Aoi playfully licked Uruha’s lips.
“Ahhhh!” Uruha yelled out as he kicked Aoi in his special place.
Aoi fell to the floor, crouched over, “God…damn…it….Uru…ha…”
“Well, I’m going to Foxy’s.” Ruki chuckled a lewd laugh.
Aoi rolled his eyes. “Fuck you, Ruki. Fuck you, Uruha. I fucking hate you all. Goddamnit…”
Kai secretly smirked to himself. That bastard deserved what he got.
>,> … <,< … >,> … <,< … >,> … <,<
Kai laid in bed and reflected upon today’s events. Today wasn’t very productive. Every so often, Aoi would crack a lewd joke towards Uruha, and even though he could tell Uruha was very uncomfortable, he was too afraid to speak out and stop Aoi. Even though the others said they would accept each other’s personal problems because they were all this close to one another… would they really accept his love for Uruha?
>.> … <,< … >,> … <,< … >,> … <,<
Kai mindlessly flipped through the television channels. There wasn’t much on other than programs or movies about holiday cheer. As he caught bits and parts of different couples kissing under the mistletoe or hugging or holding hands, he wondered what Uruha was doing tonight.
Ding! Dong! Kai quickly peered over at the clock above the television. 11:30PM … who the heck would be at his door at this time? A few moments passed, and the doorbell rang again. Who the hell?
Kai slipped on his slippers and squinted through the peephole. Hrm…he wondered what Uruha could be doing out there. Kai turned away from the door, and …U-u-rha? What was he doing here??
Kai rushed over to the door and pulled it slightly ajar, “Uhh… what are you doing here, Uruha?”
“Hello!” Uruha broke into a smile. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
Kai continued staring at Uruha, “…what do you want?”
“Aren’t you going to invite me inside?” Uruha asked.
“Umm… I suppose.” Kai opened the door wide enough for Uruha to enter inside.
Uruha giggled at Kai’s worn-out T-shirt and baggy sweatpants. “Hehe, you look comfy, Kai.”
“Take a seat in the living room. You’re making me look like a bad host.” Kai scowled and pushed Uruha further into his house.
Uruha gazed around Kai’s tidy place. This was the first time he had stepped inside Kai’s hidden fortress because they always spent time at his house. Kai returned to the living room and placed two mugs of hot chocolate down on the coffee table.
Kai pulled up a chair and sat across from Uruha, who was sitting on the couch, “So… what brings you here?”
Uruha pouted, “Why are you acting like a stranger. Come sit next to me. Please??”
“Not until you answer my question.” Kai smirked.
Uruha gave Kai another one of those boxes. “What…? What is this?”
“I… went to the studio today… just to do some extra practicing… and well, you know me… I, ummm… went to the mail room and spied on everyone’s fan mail, and I … umm… found this.” Uruha rubbed his index fingers together.
“I see.” Kai answered as he pulled off the lid of the white box with his name written in black on top.
Inside was yet another steel Zippo engraved with tomorrow’s date, January 1st.
“I don’t really understand these gifts.” Kai sighed. “I do love collecting them, but each of these has the strangest dates engraved on them. Also, I don’t even get a return address, so how am I supposed to thank or ask this fan about these?”
Uruha slowly nodded. “Hrmm… maybe I can help you solve the puzzle. Let’s look at your other Zippos.”
“I don’t know.” Kai scratched his head. “But I guess it can’t hurt.”
He disappeared for a few seconds then came back out to lay them on the coffee table. “See… the first one was September 21. The second one was October 18. The third one was November 21. Logically speaking, I should have gotten the next one on December 18, right? But instead I got it on December 8. Now the newest one says January 1, but today’s date is December 31. This is really making my head spin.”
“Now can you sit next to me?” Uruha pleaded.
“But you still haven’t told me why you’re here.” Kai reminded him.
Uruha chewed on his lower lip. “I see how it is. You don’t want me to be here. I get it. I’ll leave.”
Kai watched as Uruha really did get up and walk over to the door. “Look, Uruha, look. I’m sitting on the couch. Come back… please?”
Uruha paused just before reaching for the door handle. Should he be mean or run back to Kai?
Kai anxiously looked at Uruha, hoping Uruha wouldn’t really leave.
“I don’t think you’re being sincere.” Uruha turned around and pouted.
Kai walked over to Uruha and took his hand to lead him back to the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled Uruha to sit next to him.
Uruha leaned on Kai and placed his head on his shoulder. “Do you mind if I do this?”
His heart was pounding like mad.
Kai cleared his throat to make sure his voice wouldn’t waver, “Let’s try to figure out this puzzle.”
Uruha slipped one of his arms around Kai’s and curled his hand around Kai’s wrist. “Hrm… I’m thinking … maybe it’s the letters of the alphabet.”
Kai frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“Uh…” Uruha scratched his head. “Well… none of the dates go above 21 and there are 26 letters in the alphabet. Perhaps it’s a code?”
Kai wasn’t convinced.
“Do you have pen and paper?” Uruha asked.
Although he desperately wanted to scoot away from Uruha to hide the uncontrollably wild beating in his chest, his legs were like jelly. He didn’t know what to do.
“Umm… take a look under the table. There should be some paper there.” Kai suggested.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen to hand to Uruha.
“Thanks.” Uruha nodded.
After Uruha wrote out all the letters of the alphabet and numbered them all, he gave the paper and pen back to Kai, “Here. See if the dates make any sense when matched up with the respective numbers and letters.”
Kai was still skeptical. This idea seemed so farfetched, but since he didn’t have a better idea it seemed worth a try. “Okay. 21 is U… 18 is R… 21 is probably U again… 8 is H… and well, if it’s a 1… then it’s A. What does that say? U-r-u-”
He dropped his pen and froze. What kind of joke was this? A fan called Uruha?
Uruha courageously placed his hand over Kai’s. “…Did you… like the gifts?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kai quietly asked.
“Kai, do you like me?” Uruha squeezed Kai’s hand.
“What if I never figured it out?” Kai turned his body to face Uruha’s.
“I- I would find another way to let you know.” Uruha leaned in close to Kai’s face.
Their noses barely touched and Kai could feel the Uruha’s hot breath gently tickle his lips. “You’re… so silly. Why else would I … hang out with you… outside of the studio?”
Kai bit on his tongue. Damn it. Why were his words not flowing properly? During interviews and comment videos, he didn’t have a problem rolling the words off of his tongue, but around Uruha he became an embarrassing mess. All the restraints he placed on himself in front of the others were melted away by Uruha’s sweet presence. It was unbearably horrifying, yet he knew how much he savored the times he could spend with Uruha.
Unexpectedly, Uruha closed his eyes and placed his lips against Kai’s. Kai awkwardly tried to think about whether he should accept or reject this, but his lips didn’t need his approval. They lightly sucked Uruha’s lower lip and his hands invited themselves to wrap around Uruha’s supple waist. Kai’s blood pulsed at the feel of Uruha’s warm body against his and his face burned with such intensity that his vision became fuzzy.
Somewhere he lost his sense of humility. He actually enjoyed Uruha’s soft moans and those urged him to deepen their kiss. It wasn’t long before Kai felt comfortable enough to slip in his tongue against Uruha’s and play a game for dominance with Uruha.
“Kai…” Uruha panted as he pulled back to gasp for air.
Kai cupped Uruha’s face and wiped away those tears. “Why... why are you crying, Uruha?”
Uruha threw his arms around Kai and nuzzled against the curve of Kai’s neck and shoulder. “I love you, Kai.”
Sounds of fireworks popping and whistling from next door mirrored the explosion of warmth enveloping Kai’s heart. He lifted Uruha’s face towards his and kissed Uruha’s sweet lips again.
“Happy New Years, Uruha.” Kai softly said as he smiled at him with flushed cheeks.
A/Ns:
Congratulations, you made it to the author's corner, XDDD. The idea for this story came from a fun fact about Kai liking to collect Zippos, and well, with a little bit of imagination, this story was born, haha. I hope you enjoyed reading it =D
Comments are <3<3<3