Whee, new fic! And this one's going to be quite a long one, because I have all sorts of plans in store for Rei...
So here's the first chapter, enjoy, and don't forget to R&R!
Every morning, Rei Kon wakes up beside his wife. He knows that she isn't a bad person- far from it in fact. She's cheerful, pleasant and pretty. She's given him two children- a girl and a boy- and she looks after him and them admirably. She cooks his meals for him, washes his clothes for him, and generally makes his life easier. She loves him. And he loves her back. But not in the same way.
It's always been hard for Rei. And he's known since it started that he's doing the wrong thing. That it'll all go wrong someday. That someone will find out. He knows that when he sneaks off on evenings and weekends to be with his lover he's being a terrible husband and a terrible father. But he can't help it.
He's known he was gay since he was fifteen, but a drunken mistake at sixteen left him with the prospect of being a father, so he married the woman who is now his wife. And now he's twenty-eight. His daughter is twelve, and his son has just turned eleven. His wife, like him, is twenty-eight. And then there's Bryan.
Bryan, who is twenty-nine, is a tall, toned, devastatingly handsome Russian, and he makes Rei -ache- with love. He's a little quirky and strange, but Rei loves him. And he loves Rei in return. Bryan makes Rei feel special and beautiful, and he makes him soar.
When his desk job becomes too boring or too stressful, there's something Rei likes to imagine. Waking up one morning beside Bryan. Wrapped in strong arms and pressed against a firm chest. It would be so nice, he thinks, to run his fingers through Bryan's silky, lavender-coloured hair.
It would be nice to wake up feeling like he's in the right place.
It would be nice to not have to live a lie any more.
But every morning he wakes up beside his wife, her mass of pink hair tickling his nose and getting in his way. Every morning, she snuggles herself into his arms, and every morning she strokes his hair. And she smiles, and he smiles back.
And he knows he's in the wrong place.
And he knows he's living a lie.
Rei Kon shut his front door behind him at precisely seven minutes past six, shrugging off his coat and hanging it over the end of the banister carelessly. "Rei? Is that you?"
"Yeah, Mariah. I'm home." He smiled forcedly as his wife appeared from inside the kitchen, hair tied back in a messy ponytail, mixing bowl and spoon in hand. "Nice day?"
"Yeah, it's been okay. The washing machine isn't working again though."
"Again?" Rei sighed. The washing machine -always- seemed to be broken. "Should we just get a new one this time? It costs almost as much to get it fixed every time..."
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"Where are the kids?" And here, Rei felt he could be really sincere. He did love his children.
"Well, you know Niu. She's holed up in her room on the playstation, the phone, her gameboy and a dozen other things besides..." Rei smiled, nodding. He did know. Niu was technology mad, especially when it came to videogames... "And Jin is round at Tom's." Not surprising. Those two were inseparable... "How was work?"
"Oh, the same as usual." Rei felt a tiny hint of relief creep in as Mariah started mixing again. If she was giving cooking her full attention... "Listen, uh...would you mind if I went over Martin's later? His girlfriend's just left him for some rich older guy, I think he needs a bit of cheering up..."
For the first time, Rei really looked at Mariah. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be lied to like this. She didn't deserve to be cheated on. It made him feel so guilty that he had to say something to make it all feel less...terrible. "I guess he isn't as lucky as me."
"Hm?"
"Well...I have you, don't I?" Mariah giggled and walked over to him, stretching up to kiss his cheek.
"You're so sweet, Rei."
"Actually, not so sweet. More like sweaty. I'm going to get a shower." Rei said lightly, starting off up the stairs. "The air con in the office only ever seems to stop working in the height of summer..." Mariah laughed and went back into the kitchen, leaving Rei to run upstairs and into the bathroom, locking the door and switching the shower on. And then he got his mobile out. After a few rings, Bryan picked up.
"Hey Rei. How's my sexy little bastard today?"
"About to get in the shower, actually..."
"Really?" Bryan sounded intrigued, but Rei didn't dare stay on the line long.
"Look, um...is it okay if I come over tonight?"
"It's okay for you to come over any time you like, Rei. I gave you a key, remember?"
"Yeah...I...I know, but-"
"What time?"
"About...eight? Half eight?"
"Make it half eight, my editor's going spare on me for missing my deadline." Rei laughed softly, Bryan was a writer, and his editor, Cherie, was the bane of his life.
"If you need to work-"
"All work and no play makes Bryan a lonely and sexless boy." Rei had to stop himself from laughing out loud.
"I'll see you at about half eight then, right?"
"Right."
"And now I'm off to enjoy my shower-"
"Stop! Don't say anything else! I need to concentrate, not sit and think about you in the shower, wet and naked-" A pause. "You bastard. It'll be all your fault if Cherie kills me." Rei giggled quietly.
"See you later."
He turned the phone off and tucked it into one of his pockets. Sighing, he stripped off his clothes and stepped under the warm spray of the shower.
"Did you enjoy your shower?" Mariah asked politely as the chatter at the table died away.
"Yeah, he did." Cut in Niu before Rei had a chance to reply.
"How do you know your dad was enjoying his shower?"
"He was singing, that's why!" Rei laughed. Niu was an amazing girl, witty and funny...not pretty, but kind. Like her mother, only with Rei's long dark hair.
"Well, I suppose I can't deny it..."
"It was kinda funny when he started singing Elvis songs though..."
Rei smiled over at Jin, who smiled back. Jin was quiet, acutely so, and he hid behind a swathe of thick black hair he had inherited from his Uncle Lee. "I happen to think I'm pretty good at singing Elvis songs." Rei joked back, laying his knife and fork side by side on his plate. A glance at the clock told him that it was quarter past eight. Well...
"I...told Martin I'd be over at about half eight..." He stood up, looking at the cream walls rather than at Mariah. "So I'll see you later, okay?"
"What time will you be back?"
"Uh...I don't know. Depends how cut up Martin is."
"Well, if I don't see you tonight, I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Yeah." He strolled over and bent to kiss her cheek before leaving the room, going out into the darkened passage to collect his coat and car keys and then setting off for Bryan's flat.
"Did you enjoy your shower?"
"Immensely." Rei said softly, melting into Bryan's arms. The Russian held him tightly for a minute or so, then let go slowly, pulling Rei into his messy flat. "So did you finish what it was you needed to do?"
"In the end, no. Too busy thinking dirty thoughts about you and your shower. I did start some -very- rude poetry on the subject though, so the time spent wasn't a complete waste..."
"Rude poetry?" Asked Rei, flopping down on the crumpled green sofa. Bryan sat beside him, laying an arm around his shoulders.
"-Very- rude poetry." The Russian corrected. "The first line went something like 'I want to fuck my boyfriend every day, tenderly on a bed of roses or bent like a bitch over my table.' Only a bit more poetic than that." Rei laughed and rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. Bryan was, admittedly, a bit of a pervert. But in a nice way.
"So which is it tonight?"
"Hm?"
"Tenderly with roses or bent over the table?" Bryan hmm-ed.
"And how did you know I've been desperate all day?"
"Intuition." Rei replied, smirking. Bryan looked him in the eye, lustful.
"Rei-"
"Shh." The Chinese commanded, one hand finding Bryan's crotch and giving it a sharp squeeze. Bryan gasped and grabbed him, holding him closer. "Rei..."
"I told you to shh, Bryan. Now come on, it's bedtime." Bryan smirked back at him, standing up and wrapping his arms around his shorter lover. Their lips met and for a few seconds Rei completely forgot about Mariah and his own guilt. All that really mattered was those lips, that kiss, and getting more...
I know that was short for a first chapter, but the next one is longer, I promise!
Next chapter: Mariah becomes suspicious, Rei lies, and Bryan runs a bath.
R&R please!