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“It’s awful late for you to take calls, ain’t it, Hakaze-kun?” Rei’s voice was grainy and a little crackly, but it was a comfort regardless.
“Yeah, well…” Kaoru yawned into his hand, smushing his right cheek against the surface of his pillow.
“Hm? I can’t read your mind all the way in Europe, doll.” Behind Rei’s teasing tone, there was something oddly affectionate. Kaoru kind of liked it.
“I’m worn out, but I can’t really-” Cutting himself off, Kaoru scrubbed over his face with both hands, “I can’t fall asleep.”
Rei laughed on his side of the phone, and a car laid on its horn somewhere in the distance. It was painfully obvious that it was still afternoon for him, judging by the hustle and bustle around him, and Kaoru was getting more and more embarrassed. As he reached for his phone with the intent to hang up, a door opened and closed, silencing the voices around Rei. His phone shifted, presumably against his shirt, and he briefly spoke English to someone who was probably a member of his host family. Kaoru didn’t know the English language very well, but he definitely recognized his name. Whatever Rei was saying was cracking the guy up, and it was wishful thinking to hope they weren’t making fun of him.
“Sorry ‘bout that, Hakaze-kun.” Another door shut and Kaoru couldn’t hear Rei’s footsteps anymore, suggesting he was walking on a carpet.
“No biggie.” Kaoru yawned again, eyes already heavy and limbs weak with sluggishness, “How’s Europe? You sound tired.”
“Boring, mostly.” Bedsprings creaked as Rei settled in, “Wish I were back in Japan, but that’s nothin’ new. How’s home?”
“Annoying, I’ve been babysitting Wan-chan like you asked.” Kaoru huffed, practically hearing Koga’s whiney voice. He didn’t miss the way Rei ignored his comment, but let it rest in the spirit of respecting his boundaries.
“Has he been good?” Kaoru could practically hear the gears turning in Rei’s head, no doubt brainstorming more ways to tease Koga when he got back.
“I guess so. You asked him to keep an eye on your little brother, right?” He sure hoped so, as Koga spent a whole lot of time at the Sakuma residence, and an angry Rei Sakuma was never a good opponent.
“Oh yeah, Wanko’s s’posed to be keepin’ Ritsu outta the terrace bushes. Has he?” The spike of interest masked Rei’s flatlining mood.
“Uh huh, it’s kinda cute, actually. They walk home together every day.” Kaoru smiled fondly, envisioning the way Ritsu was napping on Koga during club time.
“Good, I was kinda worried, what with Isara-kun joining the student council ‘n all.” The relief in Rei’s voice was far beyond obvious, “So, lemme ask now. Why’re you calling me at midnight on a Tuesday?”
“Uh, I mean this in a really not-gay way, but I think hearing you talk just really calms me down? It’s weird.” Fire licked across Kaoru’s face, and his words were instantly regretted, “Figured it might help me fall asleep.”
“Mmmm, I see.” Rei moved away from his phone, returning with a quiet, yet satisfied sigh, “I can read to you, if you want. We’re readin’ sonnets in one of my classes, I think you’d like them.”
“How thoughtful, lay ‘em on me.” Kaoru banished the knowledge of what sonnets were for the time being, sinking into his mattress some more.
“Should we get into the mood first? If I were there with you, what would we be doing?” Pages flipped, and the phone moved a little bit closer.
“Ew, like phone sex? Gross, dude!” Maybe calling Rei was a terrible idea, and Kaoru was prepared to deny it never happened.
“Relax, ‘m not gunna fuck you over the phone, s’not in my skill set. If I were there, though, what would you want me to do? You’d like it if I pet your hair, right?”
“Well, yeah, who wouldn’t?”
“Hakaze-kun, that’s a little…” Rei hardly got the words out without laughing to himself, “Imagine it, if you want. I’m there with you, brushin’ out your hair after you take it out of that horrendous fuckin’ ponytail you keep it in.” Without thinking about it, Kaoru pawed at his hair, releasing it from said horrendous ponytail.
“Shut up, Sakuma-san, my hair’s awesome.” There was no confidence in his retort, and he surely sounded no older than fourteen.
As if Kaoru hadn’t interrupted him, Rei continued, “Maybe I’m even under the covers with you, if we’re gunna go a little wild tonight.”
“...Would you wanna be under the covers?” Kaoru could already imagine it, ghosting fingers over his waist where Rei’s arm would rest.
“I think so. S’nice to curl up with someone, an’ you’re a damn space heater most of the time. Plus you usually smell pretty good.” Rei’s smile was audible, and something about it made Kaoru hug himself tighter.
He didn’t wait for a response before he started reading, clearing his throat to provide the clearest voice possible. Starting with Sonnet I, he read with careful pronunciation, and the way he spoke English made it sound like he’d been speaking it for years. Hell, maybe he had. Kaoru was never one to find multilingualism anything but interesting, but the way Rei’s voice changed, subtle as it was, to fit the syllables was impressive. He made a mental note to compliment him at a later date, as interrupting Rei to comment on his English pronunciation would be equally rude and bizarre. So he just listened, closing his eyes and melting into his sheets.
Sonnet I bled into Sonnet II, accompanied by the flipping of pages. It kind of felt like listening to an audiobook, but Rei was far too intimate in the way he stressed syllables; it was clear that he was reading for Kaoru and Kaoru alone. Embarrassing as it was, Kaoru found that it was helping tremendously, lulling him further into a sleepy state with every word. At the rate they were going at, he wouldn’t even be awake to thank Rei for the bedtime story.
“Still awake, baby?” The delinquent roughness of Rei’s voice was long gone, tone tender and gentle.
“Mhmm,” Kaoru found he didn’t much mind the sweet name, “I like it when you read to me.”
“That’s cute.” Rei was smiling and Kaoru could practically see it, nuzzling against his pillow as if it could feel him.
Rei went back to reading, voice steady and rhythmic like a metronome. If he ever gave up his idol dreams, Kaoru decided he’d make an excellent lecturer. He’d certainly enjoy the attention and reliance. There was no way Sakuma Rei would abandon performing though, it’d be a waste. Kaoru lost himself in the thought, however, thinking far too hard about what he knew about Rei and what he didn’t. He hardly even noticed himself tuning his own bedtime story out.
“Hakaze-kun?” Sonnet 18 flowed into his name, and Kaoru almost believed it belonged there.
“Hm?” Kaoru hoped he didn’t sound too sleepy, but talking to Rei made him feel more relaxed than he’d felt in a long time.
“If I were there,“ Rei hesitated, but only for a second, “Could I kiss you goodnight?”
“I’unno why you’d want to.” Kaoru yawned, stretching against his sheets.
“Guys like you need it sometimes, y’know. A little lovin’ for your troubles.” He sounded like he was shrugging.
“Guys like me? What’s that s’posed to mean?” Kaoru couldn’t muster the will to sound hurt.
“Dumb as a bag of rocks and pretty as a picture,” Rei nearly giggled, “Yumenosaki’s full of your kind.”
“My kind?” It was hard to feign hurt, so Kaoru decided against it, listening to Rei muffle his laughter into his book. It made him sound more human than ever, and Kaoru found himself enthralled.
“Uh huh, you got no idea how hot a commodity boys like you are.” Rei’s eye roll was as audible as the rest of him, and Kaoru settled against his pillows again, content to doze once more.
Rei read some more, turning pages and eventually digging for what Kaoru could only assume was a different book to read from. Eyelids drooping and chest heavy with something akin to grief, Kaoru melted into his sheets again. Upon his return to the phone, Rei began reading from something that was definitely not one of Shakespeare’s works. It was nice, though, quiet and soothing enough to be sung like the endless sheet music piled on the piano in the light music club room. Somewhere in his gut, Kaoru kind of hoped Rei was still writing them music, no matter how unlikely it was with his busy schedule.
“Kaoru-kun?” Rei’s voice didn’t echo or sound far away, meaning his phone was against his ear again.
“I sure hope you plugged in your phone before falling asleep, you never have time in the mornin’.” He shifted to lie down as well, judging by the groan of his bedsprings, “Kanata-kun lets you charge it in the clubroom, though, doesn’t he? So, I guess it’s not really that much of an issue, huh?”
“I guess if you’re actually asleep there’s no harm, right? Might as well say it.” Rei seemed to be talking to himself, more mumbling than speaking, “You don’t know it, Kaoru-kun, but you calm me down, too. I’d call it a weakness, but I don’t feel weak around you. You make me feel untouchable, and I hate the thought that I can’t properly thank you for helping me like that. Wanko always tells me to talk to you about it, but neither of us are ready for that conversation, so I suppose I’ll leave it here.” The words were so touching, so heartfelt, and it killed Kaoru that he was falling asleep to them. Surely he wouldn’t remember them in the morning, not this close to unconsciousness. It was agonizing to feel the words slipping out of his grasp.
“I miss you. It’s kinda embarrassing, honestly. Well, if you aren’t really listening, I might as well get it out of my system. I miss how nice you smell, and I miss how you laugh. You have such a bright presence, it’s like sitting beside the sun, and I can’t get enough of it no matter how hard you push me away. I’m real into you, if you can’t tell; god, it’s so embarrassing,’cuz I don’t have a chance, do I? Sometimes I wonder, even if I find someone to fill the space you occupy within me, if I’ll ever really be over you. If I don’t get over you, though, I think I’ll be waitin’ for a long time for you to come around. Would you want me to wait, Kaoru-kun? I’d wait centuries for you, but something tells me you’d hate yourself for taking so long. So maybe I won’t wait for you. Maybe you’d want me to run off and get hitched and be happy without you like we’re tragic and forbidden lovers destined to lose each other. I’ll be your Thisbe, if only you swear to be my Pyramus.”
“That was a little bit too much for you, wasn’t it? Or maybe you only pretend to hate it when I talk like that. Sometimes you blush so pretty, and I can’t help teasing you more. Is that cruel of me, Kaoru-kun? Maybe it is. I can’t find it within myself to care all that much, and I wanna hope you don’t mind my antics too much.” Rei’s throat was closing, tight as a drum.
“Well, it’s really late, so sleep well, my love, you deserve it more than you’ll ever credit yourself for.” Rei mumbled his parting words, musing to himself as he hung up, “Oh, you’d hate to be called that, wouldn’t you? It’s not mean enough for you.”
When the call ended, Kaoru’s phone screen faded to black, flashing a ‘low battery’ warning as it went out. His charger remained unused in the outlet by his bed, destined for another illicit meeting with the Marine Bio Room’s power strip.