Sk8 the Infinity: 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞

chapter twenty-two.

"We really ate all that food today? I feel like I'm going to explode," Kaia whined as he carried a passed out Kaoru on his back. Once he got to his room, he carefully placed him down on the bed and draped a blanket over him. Joe wandered around the room as he ran his fingers along everything. "Have you been here before?"

"Yeah, for more reasons than one."

"What does that mean?" Kaia chuckled.

Joe realized he didn't understand what he was trying to imply and decided to play it off. "Well we have known each other a while. Anyways, I better head home too."

"Already? You should stay a while and keep me company." Kaia quietly closed the door behind them as they went out. He led him downstairs and sat down at the counter. Joe poured him a glass of sake.

"Thirsty?"

"I'm a total lightweight. I should save myself the embarrassment," Kaia admitted and swirled the sake inside the glass.

"No worries, I'll be here to make sure you don't completely embarrass yourself. But I mean, what else do you even have to hide from me?"

Kaia thought about it for a moment as he gazed longingly at the glass. He didn't mind drinking a little and he trusted Joe enough to be vulnerable. In all honesty, Kaia just felt comfortable around him to the point, it really didn't cross his mind as a concern.

It only really took about one or two drinks to make Kaia tipsy. He swayed and rested his cheek on the table in order to cool his face down. Joe brushed Kaia's stray hairs out of his face and left his hand there to hold them back.

"Sorry to do this to you kid," he said softly as he gazed down at Kaia and caressed his cheek.

"That's alright~" Kaia sang cheerfully with a hushed voice.

"I just need you to answer honestly without feeling guilty, ok?"

Kaia hummed in understanding and Joe smiled down at him. He lowered his head next to him and rested his cheek on the table just the same as Kaia did. Joe opened his mouth to speak but Kaia quietly cut him off.

"You're probably in love with me, right?"

Joe's eyes widened slightly and he couldn't answer right away. Kaia glanced over at him and blinked his eyes curiously.

"I'm just kidding! Don't worry I know you don't swing that way!" Joe flinched nervously and Kaia started to giggle hysterically. His giggles then turned to full on laughter as he tried to muffle the sound into the counter. "I-I'm sorry! Your reaction was priceless.." he tried to say between breathes as he gasped for air.

"I love you, Kaia," Joe blurted out rather loudly compared to the volume they spoke in before.

"Aw, me too~" he cooed.

"I really love you, Kaia," he tried to clarify as he sat up straight, off the counter.

"I said me too, Kojiro~" he insisted and giggled again.

"You don't get it," he said under his breath.

"I do, you're very dear to me," Kaia raised himself up and patted Joe's shoulder with a smile.

"Kid, you're so clueless it hurts."

"What do you me--" Joe cut him off by pulling Kaia over to him and connecting their lips before pulling away. That alone seemed to sober Kaia back to his senses as he placed his fingers over his lips. Complete and utter shock filled his eyes as he stumbled out of the chair to create some distance between them.

"Kaia?" Joe reached out his arm but he gently pushed his hand away from him.

"Kojiro, I can't. We can't because Kaoru-"

"You're dating him?" Joe gasped softly.

"No but-"

All of sudden, they heard the creak of the stairs from behind them as Kaoru stood there.

"Then what am I?" Kaoru questioned.

"I'm not sure. I just--"

"Moved to your next best option?" Kaoru asked at a higher volume as he tried to prevent his voice from breaking.

"Look, it was a mistake. I was just taking a joke too far, Kaoru. It's not his fault," Joe blurted.

Joe looked over to Kaia expecting an expression of approval and gratitude but instead he was faced with something that seemed to make his heart drop down to the floor. He wasn't sure exactly how to describe the emotion he saw it the flicker of a time Kaia had glanced over to him after saying it. But, it was far too painful to look at any longer.

"I can't deal with this right now," Kaoru muttered.

Joe instead found himself watching as Kaoru looked over at him with something other than the playful hatred he'd grown so accustomed to over the years. Instead, his eyes reflected a sense of betrayal that Joe couldn't bring himself to speak against as his fists tightened beside him.

"Kaoru please," he pleaded and he went over to Kaoru who snatched his hands away from him once he got close. "Please, just let me explain for a moment."

He took a deep breath and attempted to touch Kaia but couldn't bring himself to do it. "I've got a lot of work for tomorrow. You can just take the day off."

He went back up the stairs and through the silence; you could hear the sound of his door closing behind him. Kaia was frozen there until he looked past his shoulder to Joe with tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Kaia, it'll blow over. You know how he is." Joe attempted to comfort by out stretching his hand towards his shoulder. However, Kaia grabbed his wrist tightly and held his arm away from him.

"A mistake?" Kaia repeated from before.

"I just did what I thought you wanted.."

"You have no idea what I want."

"Of course, I do!" Joe shouted down at him as he tried to pull his hand away but Kaia held him in place. "You want him. I accepted that in the split moment that I said it was a mistake because it was!"

"Why didn't you just ask me what I want?"

"What do you want then? Tell me Kaia!"

"I wanted you! I wanted him! I wanted you both! During that race, I realized that I loved both of you! But whatever, it doesn't matter because it was a mistake right?" Kaia's voice broke as he violently jabbed at Joe's chest with his hands.

"I did it for you!"

"No, Kojiro you did it for yourself. Because when it really came down to it, you chose to hide how you felt for me in order to protect him. Forget about knowing what I want. You don't even know what you want."

"Kaia, I--"

"You've been here plenty of times. I'm sure you can show yourself out."

a/n: this chapter literally wrote itself. i meant to just write a heartfelt confession but- yk things happen :)