I\'m a father?

Title: I’m a father?

Subtitle: The story of a slap.

Author: Lady Snowblossom

Rating: PG-13

Pairs: Rei/Bryan, Kai/Tala, Spencer/Ian, Tyson/Max and various other pairings.

Note: Rei tells Lee why he left Bryan. Kai makes his appearance.

Additional note: Thanks, Sooz! (Snuggles pregnant Rei plushie) My very first one! And yes, I’m an evil woman, everyone sez so!


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Rei didn’t pause as he raced through the kitchen; instead he ran to the back door and lost a couple of precious seconds fumbling with the latch. Flinging open the door, he darted out into the backyard. Behind him, he could hear Lee’s heavy footsteps as the lion came charging in pursuit.

“Rei!” Lee’s voice was sharp. “Come back here!”

Rei raced across the yard, his flying feet sending sprays of water up from the puddles he encountered, he headed for his favorite tree intending to climb it and take refugee among its branches. He had almost made it when a hand in his hair jerked him to a stop. “OW! OW! Hair! Hair! Dammit Lee, don’t pull the hair!” He yelped with tears in his eyes, as he reached back to free his abused locks.

Lee released the heavy strands of silk before placing his hands on his hips and growled, “Rei, what the hell’s the matter with you? Why were you running away? And what’s this about Bryan’s running your life?”

“What’s the matter with me?” Rei spat, “could it be that I’m upset that my BROTHER has decided to make decisions that concern me without consulting me first!” He planted a fist on his left hip and stuck his right forefinger under Lee’s nose, a sardonic look on his face. “Nah, couldn’t be that! Because my loving BROTHER wouldn’t do that to me!” Lee opened his mouth, but Rei rushed on. “And for your information, I WASN’T running away, I was going to go sit in my favorite spot and think!”

“Yeah right, tell me another one.” Lee snorted, “admit it, you weren’t gonna climb that tree just to think! You were going to try and hide from me.” He crossed his arms over his chest and dared Rei to contradict him. Rei glared daggers, but Lee ignored him. “In case, you’ve forgotten; you’re pregnant and its’ not safe for you to be climbing that damn tree!”

“There you go again.” Rei snapped, “making decisions for me. I am perfectly capable of deciding what’s safe and what’s not for myself, thank you.” The Bladebreaker looked heavenward and sighed, “what is it with alpha males always having to be in charge.”

“Hey!” Lee said feeling thoroughly insulted. “I’m just trying to help.”

“I know.” Rei said feeling the anger drain away. “Its’ just that I’ve had enough of being bossed around in my private life.”

“Does this have anything to do with Bryan?”

“Who else? I certainly wasn’t talking about Kai, he’s not bossy, just mute part of the time, sarcastic some of the time and just annoyingly right the rest of the time.”

Lee couldn’t help it; he started laughing. Rei, his mood lightening laughed along. When their laughter died, Lee gently took Rei by the hand and looked deep into his friend’s eyes. “Rei-Rei, I meant what I said earlier about not telling me anything you don’t want to, but I really do want to know what happened between you and Bryan.” Rei stared back but saw only honest concern in dark depths.

“All right.” Rei said quietly, “I might as well before God knows what rumor reaches here. But, I can tell you right now, you won’t like it.”

“What makes you think I won’t like it.”

“Because I lied about the bruise on my face.”

“You lied?” Lee blinked. “Why would you do that?”

A stain of embarrassed pink crossed the bridge of Rei’s nose and heated up his cheeks. “I’ll tell you inside. It’s a long story and we might as well be comfortable while I tell it.” He brushed past Lee and headed resolutely toward the house. Frowning, Lee followed.

Rei led the way back through the kitchen to the main room. He perched himself on the edge of the now cold fire pit and gestured for Lee to sit on the futon. Neither one said a word, as Rei sought the best way to start his tale. Finally, he sighed, “nine months ago, I was contacted by the BBA Promotional Office. They wanted me to do the yearly calendar. I thought it would be a cool thing to do and agreed.”

“What’s the theme this year?” Lee said curiously.

Rei blushed, “ah, figures of history; real and legendary.”

“And you were what month and who did you portray?”

Rei turned so red, Lee thought his head would explode. “I was the month of October. And my, ah, my character was,” Rei swallowed, then whispered something so low, Lee couldn’t hear him.

“Pardon?”

Rei groaned, “I said, I was Lady Godiva.”

Lee picked his jaw up from the floor. “Rei! You posed nude!?”

“NO! I wore a flesh-toned body suit!” The exasperated tiger snapped, “and besides for the parts of me that my own hair didn’t cover, they used matching hair swatches to hide! What the hell do you think I am-an exhibitionist!?!”

“No,” Lee said quietly, “but I can’t see Bryan being willing to let you do something like that.”

“You’re right about that, he wouldn’t have, if he had known.” Rei agreed.

Lee blinked, then demanded. “Wait a minute! How could he not know?”

Rei ran a hand through his hair and grimaced when his fingers encountered a snarl. ‘Oh great, that’ll be a bitch to get out.’ He got up from his perch and walked over to the window and stood in the patch of weak sunlight that pooled on the floor. He quickly looked around for the doctor, but didn’t see the old man, so he turned and answered Lee’s question.

“Because nine months ago, I wasn’t dating Bryan. He didn’t learn about the picture until they sent me a copy for final approval at the house six weeks ago.” Rei sighed, his golden eyes dimming. “He didn’t take it well.”


(Flashback)

“Hmm, a bill for Tala. Finally this month’s issue of Ian’s favorite comic, now maybe he’ll stop complaining about it.” Rei mumbled as he sorted through a stack of letters. Then he stopped when he reached the largest of the envelopes. It was from the BBA Promotional Office and was stamped, photo-do not bend.

With a sinking feeling that he knew what he’d find inside, Rei undid the clasp that closed the envelope and reached in and pulled out a letter and a glossy photo. He laid the photo facedown and started to read the accompanying letter. So engrossed was he, he didn’t know Bryan was in the room, until he saw a pale hand out of the corner of his eye and that hand was picking up the temporarily discarded photo.

“Bry! Give that back!” Rei made a grab for the photo, but Bryan blocked him with his body. “Bryan!” Ignoring the cry, the lilac-haired blader looked at the photo and froze. Rei held his breath, eyes watching anxiously.

Bryan stared down at the photo, his mind racing. Finally, he looked at his mate and growled, “care to explain to me why you didn’t see fit to warn me that my lover had exposed himself for every perverted blading fan in the world to drool over.”

Rei felt the color rise in his cheeks, as he stared at the picture of himself – perched on the back of a chestnut Arabian; looking like all he was wearing was his hair. He reached for the photo, but Bryan jerked it back. “I’m waiting!” The angry Russian hissed. The younger boy winced at his tone.

‘I feel like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.’ Rei thought as he lowered his hand. “Look Bry, I did this before we started dating. And I honestly didn’t think you’d care. It’s not like I’m really naked.” The Chinese pointed out, hoping to calm the agitated falcon. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

“That is beside the point, Rei. People will think you are naked and that is what I object too.” Bryan snapped as he waved the offending photo around.

The tiger tried again to snatch the glossy from his mate and for a second time was unable to reclaim the photo, when Bryan held it out of reach.

“Bryan! Don’t you dare rumple that! I have to send it back!” Rei yelled, frustrated that he couldn’t reclaim his property.

“You’ll send this piece of trash back over my dead body!” Bryan growled as he tightened his grip on the glossy. “If they want that picture so badly, they can get someone else to do it!”

“You aren’t making this decision, I am! And I say that I’m sending it back!” Rei bared his fangs, as his pupils shrank into slits.

SLAP!

Rei’s head jerked to the left from the force of the blow, his cheek immediately turning red. Slowly, he turned back to look at his lover, for the space of a couple of heartbeats they looked at each other, then Rei slowly turned and walked away.

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“There’s not much more to tell.” Rei said quietly. “I ran upstairs and grabbed Driger, my passport and tossed a couple changes of clothes in a duffel. When I came downstairs, Bryan was nowhere to be seen, so I went straight to the BBA office and got them to book me on the first flight to China, they could get me on.

I noticed the bruise, when I went to the bathroom on the plane. That was when I decided to say that I had run into a door, just so I wouldn’t have to answer any awkward questions.”

He looked at Lee, tears slowly spilling down his cheeks. “Since then I’ve waited for Bryan to either show up or to send for me, but six weeks have passed, and now I don’t know what to think. Maybe, he’s found someone else and has forgotten me.”

The White Tiger was furious, but he put aside his own anger to tend to the raw pain he saw in his friend’s eyes, he’d think about dealing out retribution later. He walked to Rei and was reaching for the boy, when a noise from the kitchen attracted his attention. Placing himself between the unknown and Rei, he looked over his shoulder at the other boy and said softly, “get out. Run to the elders and get help.”

Rei looked at him-startled. “Lee?”

“Rei, there is someone in the kitchen and there shouldn’t be. Now, get out of here!”

“Lee,” Rei protested, “I can’t leave you.” He cast a nervous glance at the dark doorway.

“You can and you will.” Lee replied, never taking his eyes off the portal. “You have to think of your kitten. Now, obey me!”

“All right.” Rei didn’t like it, but he knew Lee was right, he had to think of his baby. So, he began to slid sideways toward the front door, and froze when a familiar monotone said from the shadows. “So, that’s the reason you left Russia. No one would tell me anything other than you had returned to your home village.”

Lee felt his jaw drop as Kai Hiwatari stepped out into the light.

Kai smirked at the two stunned neko-jins. “Now, what’s this about a kitten?”

“Kai!”

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Hmm, cliffy no. three. Wonder what Lee will come up with and any bets that Kai either plays Devil’s advocate or will he help Lee in whatever plot he comes up with.