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“Typical, just typical.” Koga spat, pulling at the frayed ends of his training outfit and pacing around the mirrored room angrily.
Kaoru sighed. It’s been about ten minutes since UNDEADs practice was scheduled to start. Fifteen since he got here, because he always tried to be a little early when he could. He had finished stretching and ran out of his afternoon bubble tea a few minutes ago; acquiesced to poking the straw around the plastic cup lazily.
“It’ll be okay Oogami,” Adonis offers, trying to calm his best friend. “We can just practice as the three of us.”
“That’s not the point! This is the only time the four of us could get together before the live show on Sunday night.” Koga accentuates his anger with a kick to the nearby wall. Kaoru thinks he’ll have to remember to clean the shoe print before they check out if they don’t want to be charged a fine. But as long as Koga isn’t breaking things he isn’t bothered. “The bastard knew this, he’s the one who booked the practice room!”
“Rei-kun had an important meeting with the Rhythm Link higher ups early this morning. Perhaps something happened and the meeting went long?”
“That ain’t it; I knew his phone would be dead so I texted shitty glasses. They finished a half hour ago.”
“Maybe he’s skipping?” Adonis brings his hands to his temples, seemingly deep in thought. “He could have been asked out on a date or something?”
Kaoru has to hold back a chuckle, imagining old man Rei skipping practice to go out on a date with some random fan.
“He’s not Hakaze-senpai in our second year! He’d at least send someone to tell us if he wasn’t going to make it.”
“Ahaha…” Kaoru scratches the back of his neck. Ah, Adonis got the idea for that from him. Someday he’ll shake that reputation.
“Well…” Adonis’ voice wavers. “What if Sakuma-senpai fainted on his way here? He always has trouble with early morning meetings.”
“Gah, don’t make me panic Adonis! You woke him up this morning, right Hakaze-senpai? Did he take his meds and drink his tomato juice or whatever?”
“Actually I couldn’t wake him this morning. I moved my photo shoot back to make this practice, remember?”
Adonis stares forward blankly and Koga’s eyes go wide at that statement.
“No no, he assured me he could handle it. We’re partners so I had to believe him. We know from Hasumi-kun he made it to the meeting, and both Aira-kun and Tenshouin-kun were there this morning before he left.”
“Well…” Adonis gulps. ”On my way here I heard Shiratori complaining to Amagi about his senpai fighting. But I assumed he was talking about Kazehaya-senpai and Ayase.”
“But me and Kazehaya-senpai took Leon on a walk this mornin’ and it didn’t seem like he was fightin’ with anyone. If anything it was annoying how happy he was.”
The three of them froze simultaneously, seemingly arriving at the same conclusion that thickened the air in the room considerably. If only Kaoru had stopped by Rei’s room and plugged in his phone last night, then maybe his good morning, please remember to take your vitamin B12 before you leave <3 text would have gone through. Maybe he could have told Eichi that Rei had been stressed and to lay off for just a bit.
“I… Well, he-” Adonis fumbled with his words, anxiously ringing his hands together.
“Shit… What if Sakuma-senpai really passed out somewhere? I wish the bastard would charge his fucking phone.” Koga anxiously kicked the wall again. Kaoru felt the same way, but knew these two needed someone to be the leader in situations like this.
“Alright, don’t panic.” Kaoru straightens up and tosses his empty cup into a nearby trash can. He had to do something to calm Koga and Adonis’ visible anxiety. “Why don’t we split up and go look for him? Adonis-kun you stay here in case he actually shows up; Koga you head for the meeting room, and I’ll head for his dorm.”
“Alright, I will stay here and wait for your word. Why don’t you both bring tomato juice with you just in case?”
“Good idea Adonis-kun.” Kaoru opens the practice room mini-fridge that’s mostly water but has a few cartons in the back right corner for when UNDEAD or Knights visit. Definitely thanks to Anzu. He grabs two and tosses one to Koga who fumbles the catch before recovering. “If we go quickly we might still have time to practice. If you find him, let us know in the group chat.”
“Okay,” Koga says before barreling out the door without another word.
“It’ll be alright,” Kaoru smiles, trying to temper Adonis’ anxiety once more before following after Koga.
-
The staircase up to the third floor is unsurprisingly empty for the middle of the day. All the idols at work or practicing leave the halls of Starmory Dorm eerily quiet around this time. On the walk here Kaoru popped his head into every single sitting room or closet he could find looking for that black mop of hair or unexpectedly bright pair of red eyes. He did briefly run into Nazuna-kun on his way to class who said he heard arguing coming from the hell dorm this morning; but also didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary for the trio. With how many mornings Kaoru has spent waking Rei up he unfortunately felt the same way.
Finally making his way to Rei’s room he knocks three times and waits, not expecting anyone to actually be there to open the door. Kaoru wasn’t sure what his plan was at this point. He checks his phone to see no messages from Koga or Adonis; what kind of trouble could Rei have gotten himself in?
As a last ditch effort Kaoru knocks again, a little harder, before turning face preparing to leave.
Before he walks away Kaoru hears a very recognizable moan from the other side of the doorframe. “Mmm…”
“Rei-kun?” Kaoru panics before grabbing for the knob. The door slides open, seemingly never locked. “Rei-kun, are you in there?”
Halfway between the door and his bed Kaoru finds Rei curled up into a ball lying on the floor, practice jacket slumped over his body like a blanket.
Kaoru quickly grabs his phone and sends an I found him to the UNDEAD group chat before making his way over to where Rei was.
He kneels down and presses a hand to the back of his forehead. “Hey, are you awake? Talk to me Rei-kun.”
Rei peels his eyes open, he has dark circles under his eyelids. “Kaoru-kun, is that you~” Rei rasps, his voice sounding incredibly weak. “Oh to be discovered by a youngster like yourself in my time of need. I may be the luckiest old man on the planet.”
“You’re not old Rei-kun. What happened? You said you’d be fine this morning. Did you take your meds?”
Rei nervously smiles before grabbing Kaoru's neck and pulling him down for a hug. Kaoru finds that his grip is a lot lighter than usual. “Kaoru-kun is going to be mad at me,” Rei whimpers, nestling his face into the side of Kaoru’s hair.
“A little since you said you could handle it. But what happened?”
“I may have forgotten to plug in my phone before bed. And then evil Tenshouin-kun wouldn’t tell me the time and even bribed little Shiratori-kun to not give me the time; so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be late to the meeting or not. And you know how angry Hasumi-kun would get if I was late. So I might have left in a rush without thinking.”
“You should wear a watch Rei-kun.” Kaoru runs his hands through Rei’s hair with a sigh. “So you didn’t eat breakfast or take your medication?”
Rei silently shakes his head into Kaoru’s shoulder. “I remembered my medication after the meeting so I tried to stop back here before practice. I didn't exactly make it though.”
“Alright,” Kaoru repositions his hands behind Rei’s back and pulls him into a sitting position. Rei struggles not to topple over, so Kaoru leans him against Eichi’s mattress. “Drink this tomato juice, I’ll grab your meds and text Koga-kun and Adonis-kun that practice is canceled.”
It takes Rei a few tries to stab the straw into the carton, before he sips away without any complaints.
Kaoru pulls out his phone to find a barrage of messages from Koga, and a few from Adonis that all range from things like “Is he okay?” “What happened?” to “Is he dead?” “Did Hasumi-senpai kidnap him?” Kaoru sighs, knowing the truth was going to enrage Koga but also there was no way Rei could practice in this condition; let alone be left here without someone watching him so Kaoru could go practice. Trying to think of exactly how to phrase this message he makes his way to Rei’s nightstand; finding Rei’s phone, which was sitting 3 inches away from his charger, and plugging it in for him. He also grabs Rei’s medicine and hands him the bottle. Kaoru swears Rei’s negligence was going to drive him to drink one of these days.
Rei finishes up the pills and the tomato juice, making an audible slurping sound which turns Kaoru’s head.
“What would I do without you a partner like you Kaoru-kun~”
And there it is, the vampire's puppy dog eyes that keep Kaoru coming back. Despite how annoyed he should be with this kind of behavior, he always seems to instantly forgive that face. It’s a real nuisance. “I’m beginning to wonder that myself. You really couldn’t handle one morning while I went to work?”
“Well I may have been able to if not for Tenshouin-kun’s-”
Kaoru cuts Rei off. “You have to start getting along with your roommates Rei-kun. They’re going to be there in the mornings whether you like them or not.”
“That’s easy for you to say when you’re rooming with the lovely Ran-kun and Yuuta-kun. Besides, I do get along with little Shiratori-kun.”
Before Kaoru can reply his phone rings; Koga and Adonis seemingly run out of patience waiting for an answer. “Well you’ll have to explain all of this to an angry Koga-kun so you better be ready.”
“Agh Kaoru-kun you know I don’t mean to disappoint Koga.” Rei flashes the puppy dog eyes up at Kaoru once again. “He works so hard for UNDEAD and I let him down.”
“Well that’s the consequences for fighting with Tenshouin-kun~.” Kaoru says with just a bit of bite, proud of himself for holding his ground and not giving into those beguiling blood-red eyes. He picks up the call and puts it on speaker.
Koga’s voice is slightly shaky through the receiver. “Hakaze-senpai, me an’ Adonis are tired of waiting. Did something happen?”
Kaoru gives Rei his best stern look, forcing him to be the one to respond.
“H-hello Koga. I am alright.”
“Sakuma-senpai! What happened? Where are you! Do NOT tell me that you fell asleep somewhere and missed practice.”
“Um. Well.” Rei pokes the tips of his fingers together.
“I cannot believe this! You get me and Adonis all worked up about you possibly being hurt because you NEVER miss out on practice for no reason. But you actually were taking a nap??” Kaoru can hear Koga’s rage through the phone, very glad that they aren’t in the same room for this conversation.
“Well I had a very early morning and may have forgotten to take my medication.”
“How could you forget to take your medication?? Isn’t that the most important thing you should do before you leave in the morning? Can you do anything without Hakaze-senpai babying you???”
“Oogami,” Adonis cuts in, sounding slightly far away from the receiver. “Take a deep breath. We should both be relieved that Sakuma-senpai is okay.”
“O-of course I’m relieved! But what are we gonna do about practicing before Sunday?”
Rei hangs his head. “I’ll figure something out Koga. I promise. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“You better be!” Koga huffs and hangs up the phone immediately.
Kaoru sighs before sitting down next to Rei. “Well… That could have gone worse?” He offers with a shrug.
“oioioiii~ Kaoru-kunnn~~” Crocodile tears spring in the corners of Rei’s eyes as he leans his head onto Kaoru’s shoulder. “Koga-kun was mean to meee~”
“You deserved it Rei-kun.” Kaoru says, reaching up to pat his head. “Now let's get up, you need to eat something if you want to get your energy back. It’s still a few hours before work tonight.”
Kaoru starts making his way to his feet, before Rei wraps his arms around his waist and pulls him back between his legs, making him yelp. “Rei-kun!”
“Please Kaoru-kun, just five more minutes? I’m so tired.” Rei buries his head in Kaoru’s hair and pulls his back towards his chest with as much strength as he can muster.
“Rei-kun, come on.” Kaoru attempts to pull Rei’s arms off of him, but his grip is relentless. It doesn’t make sense to Kaoru how he could hold him so tightly but still sound so weak. “It’s never just five minutes with you. Besides, I need to cook you something before work. Prosciutto slices won't give you enough energy to make it all the way through our Radio show.”
“How dare you insult my breakfast of choice. The nerve of the youth these days not seeing the value in dry-cured ham.”
“Rei-kun,” Kaoru rolls his eyes. “I’m serious. Let me go. We have to get up.”
“Just five minutes Kaoru-kun. You can set a timer on that cellular device of yours.”
Kaoru was cracking, Rei’s whiny voice was getting to him, and the warmth of his arms around him was sickeningly pleasant. Maybe, just maybe, Kaoru was beginning to put together that he liked it when Rei clung to him like this. “Stop talking like an old man and I’ll consider it.” Kaoru makes a show out of pulling his phone out of his pocket, preparing a five minute timer, and waving it in Rei’s face. Rei doesn’t even lift his head from Kaoru’s shoulder. “This is all the time you get, and if you don’t get up when the timer ends I’ll never wake you up again.”
Rei whines even louder. “Oioioioiii~ You wouldn’t be so cruel Kaoru-kun.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t. But if you don’t want to break my heart you’ll get up anyway.”
“I would never break Kaoru-kun’s heart. I care about him too much,” Rei says, nuzzling further into the crease of Kaoru’s neck.
“Great, then you’ll get up in five minutes. I’m starting the timer.” Kaoru starts the timer and sets his phone down. Once he notices Rei’s hold has eased up a bit he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and relaxes back into his arms. Immediately the stress floats off of his body. Kaoru thinks about it, and something about being this close to Rei always unwinds him in a way that nothing else comes even close to. It’s like sitting on the beach on a hot sunny day, or getting served a stack of fluffy pancakes with extra whipped cream. Except this vampire was neither warm nor sweet; calloused fingers rubbing slightly too hard into Kaoru’s sternum and sandalwood scented cologne overtaking Kaoru’s nostrils. Everything about it should be unpleasant, yet it felt like salvation.
Rei nuzzles into Kaoru's shoulder a little harder, nosing at the side of his neck. “Mmm Kaoru-kun… You smell nice.”
Kaoru laughs. “Why are you smelling me Rei-kun? You're so weird.”
“Yet you love me.”
Kaoru freezes at that statement. Love. What a heavy word, yet Rei says it without hesitation. Part of Kaoru wants to say it too; wants to scream it to the heavens. But his mind still hesitates. Why was he this close to a man at all? Over time Rei worked his way into Kaoru's life and under his skin and the two of them became completely inseparable. Kaoru knew how Rei felt about him, he confessed to Kaoru while traveling after highschool. But Kaoru admitted that he didn’t have an answer, he wasn’t ready. But when would he be ready? He felt bad stringing Rei along for over a year now, but it was all just so much to think about. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rei, that so much of his happiness lay with him. But to stay together as just business partners, or something more... Just thinking about it made his heart feel incredibly heavy. To throw out everything he knows about relationships, to throw all of his morals and boundaries out the window for this man, that would be… Well that would be… That would be too much to consider in just five minutes. Rather than telling Rei any of that he takes the easy way out. “I certainly feel some way about you,” he snickers.
"Kaoru-kun is being so mean, teasing me even though he knows how I feel about him," Rei whines.
Kaoru reaches backwards to rub his head. This man would really be the death of him. “Stop talking, look you only have three more minutes of relaxation before we have to start getting ready for work.”
“Talking to Kaoru-kun is relaxing.”
“You're a lot today, you know that?”
“I just want Kaoru-kun to know how much I care about him.”
Kaoru swallows down the butterflies threatening to explode from his chest. “I care about you too. Now rest for just a few minutes more. We can talk over lunch.”
Rei whines once more before nuzzling into Kaoru's neck again and closing his eyes, leaving Kaoru some more time to think. Obviously something was wrong with him, getting attached to this big whiny baby. What would Koga or Adonis say if they found their two senpai in this position? Kaoru’s face goes hot as he blushes all over. Let’s choke down these kinds of thoughts for later. He still had a long day ahead of him; too much work to do to die of embarrassment here and now.
Kaoru leans into Rei a little more and closes his eyes. Thinking will come later. Right now he had a vampire to take care of.
-
“Ugh.” About two and a half minutes later the blaring sound of Kaoru’s phone startles him back awake. He yawns deep and attempts to stretch before realizing Rei’s pinning his arms to his body. “Alright Rei-kun. Time to get up.”
Rei’s voice sounds thicker and more laced with sleep than before. “But you just got comfortable. Kaoru-kun’s been working too hard lately and deserves a break.”
“Haha you know I’d love a break, but we don’t have time to nap. We have work tonight, remember?”
Rei clutches tightly at Kaoru and whispers into his neck. “It’s not fair that I ask so much of you but don’t give you anything in return.”
“That’s not true, you give me plenty. Though I wish you’d charge your phone and remember to take your meds, I don’t mind carting you around when you feel sick. And when you’re feeling better you always have UNDEAD do the craziest shit, there’s not a dull moment when you’re around. I love all the time I spend with you Rei.” Kaoru blinks twice, realizing he had just slipped the word Love into something he told Rei. This might have been a sappy answer when Rei was just trying to distract Kaoru into relaxing for longer; but the sleepiness makes it easier for him to say what he’s really feeling. The embarrassment can come later when he’s more awake.
“Really?”
Kaoru doesn’t hesitate on the answer to this one. “Really really~.”
Rei pulls back and turns Kaoru to look him in the eyes. “I want to spend more time with Kaoru-kun.” Kaoru chuckles at his exaggerated frown.
“You have me all night.” Kaoru once again tries to detangle himself from Rei’s arms. “The radio show tonight is just the two of us, and afterwards we’re meeting up with Hasumi-kun, Kiryu-kun and Tomoya-kun for that RhythLin party.”
Rei groans, “do we have to go to that?” He finally lets Kaoru go and stretches his arms behind his head.
“Yes, we have to go. Didn’t Hasumi-kun give you the details in your meeting this morning?”
Rather than reply, Rei wordlessly whines. Kaoru assumes that means yes.
“Alright, we’re getting up now. Are you ready to use your legs? I don’t want to carry you.”
“You promise you wont leave me? All night?”
“I won't leave you, I promise.”
Rei grumbles but finally the pair make it to standing; Rei leaning most of his weight on Kaoru. Kaoru looks over and glances up at Rei’s unruly hair. Even though he sees it almost every morning it’s still adorable. He fluffs it down while trying to detach Rei from his side. “Alright, let’s go get you some food.”
“Can we have pancakes?”
“Do you even like pancakes?”
“No but you do.”
Kaoru blushes and elbows Rei in the side. “Jeez, you’re laying it on thick today Rei-kun.”
Rei smirks, “If Kaoru-kun likes it thick I can give him a lot more than this.”
“You pervert!” Kaoru jolts before pushing Rei out the door. “Stop distracting me and let's go eat!” He laughs before grabbing Rei’s phone and joining him.
Rei lets himself get shoved towards the kitchen, and they smile and laugh the whole way there.
Kaoru could sit around and spend a lot of time thinking. About what he has with Rei, about what it could be. But that’s all for later. For now he’s happy with all the time they spend together as partners.