Chapter 2 - Hate at first sight?

Part 4/8

“Kai doesn’t talk about many people, and I am bad at remembering names when he does,” Yuki admitted honestly.

Niko stared blankly back at him. 

Like that's gonna help me, Yuki thought, his mood quickly plummeting.

“There’s no reason to think Kai wouldn’t have said something. Maybe you just forgot the name.”

“Probably. The only person Kai really talks about frequently is you.”

As Yuki expected, Niko’s eyes widened with a look of curiosity.

“He talks about me?” he asked eagerly. “A-a lot?” 

Yuki couldn’t help but smile. Niko’s face had turned a deep shade of pink, his face completely flushed, with the blush extending to the back of his ears. It was impossible not to see the affection in his eyes. 

Will anyone ever get that embarrassed just thinking about me? Yuki thought with jealousy. 

“Anyway…” Yuki slid closer, squishing Niko against the window. “You were answering my question about the guy you invited?” 

Coming back to himself, Niko shook his head and looked back at Yuki. His blush quickly faded. He took a deep breath and his face was back to just a smile.

“Kai told you about someone from his middle school moving back into town last September, right?” Niko spoke as though he had never been embarrassed at all. 

“Oh, the guy Kai used to have a crush on in middle school or something? He helped you two get together as well, right?” Yuki winked, emphasising Kai and Niko’s relationship would have never existed if it weren’t for someone interfering.

Niko rolled his eyes and looked out the window. “Yeah, well, that's Ren.”

“Oh, ok.” Yuki turned to see what station was lit on the map above the door. Two more stops. Then we need to find Kai and this Ren guy so we can…

“Wait! Ren, as in the guy Kai's with right now?!” Yuki yelled, shocking everyone around them. It was Yuki’s turn to duck his head and send an apologetic look to the other passengers. 

Niko sighed again. “That’s him.”

“What the hell?” Yuki spoke with disbelief. “Why is Kai hanging out with an old fling?!”

“Well, if you listened to anything he told you, you'd know Ren is a really good person,” Niko said with confidence. “And one of our closest friends now.”

“And you’re sticking up for him?” Yuki couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

“He has a lot of experience when it comes to expressing his sexuality. He's not afraid of people knowing he's gay. He's helped us a lot.”

Yuki gasped as he struggled to think clearly. “If they used to like each other, aren't you worried?”

“He says the same about you.”

“What?”

“Ren,” Niko specified. “He thinks it's odd that Kai became friends with someone right after they confessed to me. Plus, our thing is way more recent than their thing.” He pointed at Yuki and himself.

“Okay, wait!” Yuki was slowly putting the pieces together. “You didn't come to get me from work just so you could talk to me beforehand, did you?” 

Niko made a goofy smile that was so alluring, it made Yuki’s heart skip a beat. “When you say it like that, it sounds like I didn’t want to see you.”

Yuki’s heart skipped another beat at the mere mention of Niko wanting to see him. His cheeks flushed as his brain went blank. He covered his face with his hands.

What the hell, Yuki! He’s just joking! Why are you reacting like this?

Peeking through his fingers, he saw Niko smirking widely, trying not to laugh.

“That’s so not fair!” Yuki cried, utterly embarrassed by how flustered Niko’s subtle flirting had made him. 

Niko chuckled back. “I'm not sure what you mean, Yuki,” the boy chimed, his eyes narrowing. “I just told you the truth. It's not like I don't have fun when we're alone.”

 Yuki held back a growl “You know your flirting still affects me deeply!”

“Flirt? You flirt with me all the time. Besides, I just said that I didn’t just come to talk to you about Ren. That’s not flirting.”

“My face says it is!” Yuki yelled, this time ignoring the heads that once again turned towards them. 

Niko just observed him. “That’s a really interesting reaction. I wonder what Kai will think when I tell him about it.”

I'm losing it, he thought as he tried not to die from embarrassment. “Anyway, wasn't it weird when this Ren guy suddenly showed up?”

“Well, yeah. After Ren moved away in middle school, he completely lost touch with Kai. Neither of them would have ever guessed they’d see each other again, let alone end up in the same class.”

“You know that's not what I meant.” Yuki got defensive. “Weren't you worried about him still liking Kai?”

“Of course I was. It caused me a lot of anxiety,” Niko grumbled in response. “But Ren's helped me a lot since.”

“How could he possibly have helped you?” Yuki was starting to seriously question Niko’s judgment.

“He's a lot more confident than I am. And he knows things from Kai’s past that I'm still learning about. There is a lot in Kai’s past that he needs to process. Ren’s been helping me understand his childhood. He gets things that I don't. I’ve gotten to know myself better thanks to Ren, too.”

Yuki watched a soft subtle smile take over Niko’s face. A spark flickered over the boy’s caramel-colored eyes. His thin golden-blonde hair fell lightly over his forehead. It was obvious that he was really fond of this Ren guy.

“Hey, I'm Kai's current best friend. You should be coming to me for help,” Yuki complained.

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I asked for his help. Ren just happens to see what’s going on and steps in.” Niko was staring out the window again.

“So you trust him?” Yuki asked, though the answer was obvious.

“Yes. A lot,” Niko assured. “But neither of you seem to be okay with the other, and you haven't even met yet. If anything, though, the two of you have a lot in common.”

Yuki rolled his eyes, scoffing at the very idea. I don't prejudge people.

“Just… try to get along,” Niko pleaded. “It will mean a lot to Kai.”

“To Kai, huh?” Yuki groaned.

Niko nodded. “It was my idea to invite him so you two could finally meet. Kai’s been stressed out by the impression Ren has of you.”

“Why would that stress him?” Yuki questioned.

Niko shrugged. “Ren has the impression that you're in love with me or something. So I’m hoping that meeting you will make him change his mind.”

“Wait, so you’re asking me to be nice to someone who already has a bad impression of me, was Kai’s first crush because he thinks I am trying to get between you two?” Yuki was in shock. “You understand how ludicrous that is, right?”

Niko sighed. “You aren’t gonna like Ren even if you meet him, are you?”

No, of course not! Yuki thought as he bit his cheek to calm himself again. But the look on Niko’s face was of complete disappointment. It didn’t seem to be in Yuki, though. But in himself. 

“I’m going in with an open mind,” Yuki said, even though he wasn't sure he could. “But it’s kind of hard to be nice to someone who hates you before they know you.”

“Yeah, your mind sounds really open.” Niko slumped forward and stared at the floor. “And I never said he hated you.”

Covering his eyes with his hands, Yuki sat back and groaned. A few minutes of silence later, the train halted. People moved on and off at the station. The pair rose from their seats and went towards the doors so they could get off at the next stop. When the train started moving again, they were standing around a support pole near one of the doors.

“Hey, Yuki?” Niko whispered shyly. “Did you really think that was flirting earlier?” He avoided looking at Yuki's face. 

Knowing how much Niko doubted his looks, Yuki smiled warmly. “You should use that expression on Kai. I can only imagine how he’d react.”