Work Text:
Hanging out with guys was nice, Kaoru had discovered. Hanging out with guys who were nice to him was even better, he had later discovered. Hanging out with Sakuma Rei, who was about as nice as a strange, self-proclaimed 200 year old vampire could be, was probably the best thing to happen to him, he found out after that. Laying on his bed with a cold cola whilst idly scrolling through his phone and existing in the quiet comfort of small conversations with the vampire that sat against on the floor against his bed- after having absolutely insisted that the hardwood was colder- was probably one of the greatest experience of the early evening in late summer.
Kaoru clicked the side of his phone, switching it off with the power button before throwing it down onto his mattress. He let out a sigh, throwing his head into his hands. "So," he began. "Anything new in your world?" he asked, lifting his head up as he continued to rest on his elbows. He reached his hand out, grabbing the can of cola that had been haphazardly balancing on his duvet. He tipped the edge of his can to line up against the little opening between his lips, swallowing the contents that spilled out into him.
The vampire let out a thoughtful hum, swirling their own can in their hand, looking down in its direction with pensive red eyes. "Hmm, it's nothing new," they declared. "I've already told you this plenty of times before," they insisted. Rei's eyes moved away from the cola as they craned their neck to look up at Kaoru.
Gee, when in a situation like this, Kaoru could actually serious appreciate the appeal of Sakuma Rei. It was probably because their skin looked delicate, like a girl's. Or maybe because of the way their hair fell over their shoulder like the rolling waves of the ocean. Or maybe it was the way those eyes pierced into Kaoru with a kind of passion he'd never seen elsewhere. Whatever it was, it wasn't because Kaoru liked the guy, it was because they were just objectively attractive, like a rival for Kaoru if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't like guys and Rei didn't like girls. That was probably for the best.
Kaoru let out a short laugh, smile etching it's way into his cheeks. He close his hand around the can he held just a little, only enough to leave finger-sized debts in the metal. "If you tell me I need to help come up with new visuals, I'm gonna punch you in the face," he threatened. He didn't mean it, they both knew that. He only said it because it was one of his least favourite activities ever. God, he hated visuals. "That's your and Koga's job, Adonis and I are meant to be freeloaders," he insisted.
The vampire let out a little chuckle. They placed their own drink down on the floor, turning themselves around to sit on their knees before the bed Kaoru lay on. "Adonis isn't a freeloader though, he works very hard," the older insisted. They reached forwards, taking a gentle hold of the pale hair that rested over Kaoru's shoulder. "It's just you who needs to learn to pull his weight," they teased, curling the boy's hair around their pale finger. They let out a sigh. "But that wasn't even what I was talking about." They shifted, pushing themselves upwards to sit on the bed. Kaoru found himself having to lean backwards, tilting his head upwards to keep looking at the self-proclaimed vampire. He couldn't tear his eyes away from them. Surely this was some kind of vampiric hypnosis that was keep Kaoru so fixated. "I like you, Kaoru."
The blond boy let out a chuckle. It was impossible to keep up with the intensity of Rei's dark stare any longer, finding himself forced to look off to the side to recompose himself. "You shouldn't say things like that with such a serious look on your face," he insisted. He was used to confessions, of course. He was accustomed to girls coming up to him, exclaiming about how much they loved him, how much they wanted him, all sorts of things. But this was different for some reason. Maybe because it was Rei, and Kaoru knew Rei, he had to deal with them on a daily basis. "If you said that in that kind of way and you were a girl, I'd seriously believe you," he teased, lifting a closed fist to press against the other's arm, as if to lightly punch them. His hand lingered for just a moment too long before it dropped back down to the bed. "I kinda wish you were a girl sometimes," he mused, turning his head to look down at the empty space that sat between him and the vampire.
Rei's teeth dipped into their own lip, sure to leave little indents when removed. The momentary silence the lay in the air between the two of them was heavy and filled with words that both of them were sure should've been shared, but alas we're kept within the refines of their own throats. After moments that felt like lifetimes in repeat, a sigh fell through Rei's lips. "Would I be your type if I were a girl?" they questioned, blood red eyes fixing on the boy's face with intensity that felt like a hydraulic press on Kaoru's heart.
Kaoru could feel the way his jaw quivered as he tried desperately to form some kind of coherent response to Rei's question. It took him a few moments more than he'd like to admit it did, but finally he managed to answer the other. "You're my type now," he admitted, not quite being able to return the eye contact he'd given Rei before. "I can't date you because you're not a girl, though. It sucks," he added, in a tone that signalled defeat of any hope the boy once had at having a happy time with Rei in his room.
It was at that moment that Kaoru felt his view being tilted, as Rei held a firm grip on his jaw and forced him to look up at their face. The blond was almost convinced that Rei was about to up and leave without saying anything, given the harsh look in their eyes and pause it took for them to say anything. "You want me," they announced, earning a nervous nod from the blond. After a moment more of silence, Rei shook their head, as if in disapproval of the younger boy. "That isn't bad," they insisted, not letting up on their grasp of Kaoru's face. "It isn't bad for two guys to want each other."
Kaoru lay unmoving, unspeaking, staring at Rei as if they were the only thing left in the rotting world around them.
The vampire sighed, fingers slipping away from Kaoru's face back onto the bed beneath them. "You can have ne whenever you're willing to admit it out loud," they decided, shifting to leave the blond where he was.
Kaoru reached out to take ahold of the other's bony, pale hand, noting how he could basically feel the movements of muscles underneath skin. He held his eye contact for what felt like years, throat closing up as his mouth opened to speak. He drew a deep breath in, sighing out before he finally worked up the nerve to speak his mind. "I want you," he muttered, unsure of himself as his heart beat about as fast as his brain was working up thoughts about what kind of backlash he'd receive for saying something like that. "But, Rei, I-"
Rei's shushing felt like a serpent on Kaoru's ear, willing him into peaceful quiet. Rei lifted their free hand to Kaoru's tanned cheek, finger dancing gently over skin as if to sooth worries and reassure the blond boy of anything and everything he needed to be reassured of. "I'll wait until you're ready," they insisted.
Kaoru couldn't help the way his lips curved up into a smile, as if he wasn't about to read his heart off like a poet to Rei about his fear, his apprehension, of even living with the idea that he would ever want to date someone who wasn't a girl that would fit his father's expectations. Rei would wait for him, for what about him, Kaoru wasn't sure, but alas, he didn't need to worry about that, because no matter what it might've been, Rei was waiting for him. Rei would still be there tomorrow, and the day after, and even after that day. Rei would not disappear into the night for good.