Kei quickly rounded the corner and saw Rena sitting on the curb with her arms around her knees, head down, sobbing quietly. He slowly walked over to her and quietly sat down. She didn’t move a muscle as she continued to release her emotions.
Kei wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her in. As he did, she looked up and met his gaze through her watery eyes. She moved her arms to wrap around his waist, and he pulled her into his chest. He gently rubbed his hand up and down her back, letting her know he was there. He wasn’t sure what to say, so they just stayed quiet until Rena calmed down.
“K-Kei…” she whispered through her sniffles.
“Yes, my dove?” he whispered back.
“Do… Do you think he’s really…” she tried to ask but couldn’t bring herself to finish.
Kei didn’t want to give her false hope, but he knew what MIA meant. It’s very rare for a missing agent to be found, let alone found alive. He didn’t know the details of the case or why Clark was even undercover in the first place, but what could he say? He didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want her to be burdened with any more hurtful information.
“You know Clark, he’s stubborn as hell. If… If he is out there somewhere, I’m sure he’s fighting to get back to you.” Kei tried to sound confident, but he wasn’t. He was a bit heartbroken at his own words. His little crush on Rena might be a little stronger than he thought, but if Clark was her happiness, then he’d let her go. It’d hurt like hell, but he knew Clark and he knew Rena. They were both his best friends, and they both deserved all the happiness in the world.
Kei’s phone pinged, alerting him to a message.
FireFuck: Saw the old man. He’s sending me the files. There’s more you need to hear.
BirdBitch: Tomorrow. Little busy at the moment.
FireFuck: She might be in danger. Stay with her, not that you wouldn’t take up the opportunity anyway. 😏
BirdBitch: What kind of danger!? And shut up. 😑
FireFuck: I’ll tell you tomorrow once I get the files. Take care of your little ~dove~.
Kei felt a surge of worry about what danger Rena could be in. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered, but right now she needed comfort. Someone to be there for her, someone who understands.
“Hey, dove? Let’s get you home, okay? I’ll drive you. We can pick your car up later,” he said, leaning back to give her space to collect herself.
She didn’t say anything as she wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. Kei stood up and reached his hand out to help her up. She grabbed it and stood up, but she didn’t let go like he thought she would. He held her hand as they walked to his car. Just before they reached it, one of her coworkers appeared from around the corner.
“Hey, wait man. Is everything alright? What’s going on with Rena?” Grayson asked.
“She’s not feeling the best. I’m taking her home. Can you let them know she’s taking the rest of the night and likely tomorrow off? Thanks, man,” Kei said as he helped Rena get in the passenger seat.
“Uh, sure I guess. Make sure she gets home safe,” Grayson replied as he turned to go back inside.
Once Rena was in the car, Kei got in the driver’s seat and began to back up. Rena was just staring ahead, her eyes unfocused. He had never seen her like this. It was starting to worry him.
They arrived at Rena’s apartment, and Kei helped her inside. He led her to her room, noticing she seemed to be in a daze. Not wanting to seem creepy but knowing she needed to get out of her work clothes, he guided her to the bed.
“Hey, Dove, we need to get you out of your work clothes. I’m going to get you some pajamas and step out to let you change.” Kei grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt from her closet, setting them next to her. He bent down and took off her shoes, setting them aside. He stood up to leave, but Rena’s hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
“Please… Don’t go…” she whispered.
“I… I’ll just step out so you can change,” Kei said, looking towards the door.
“No. Please stay… I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered so softly it was hard for Kei to hear, but he did.
He let out a sigh of defeat. “Okay. I’ll stay, but I’ll face away so you can change.”
He felt her release her grip on his wrist and heard the rustling of clothes indicating she was changing. Once she was done, she stepped forward and grabbed Kei’s hand. He turned to look at her, noticing she still had a blank expression.
“Come on, lay down. I’ll tuck you in.” Kei said, leading her back to her bed. She climbed in and he pulled the covers up to her chest.
Again, he tried to walk away, but she gently caught his arm. He turned, already knowing what she was going to ask.
“I’ll stay out on the couch tonight. I’m not leaving, I’ll be right out there,” he said softly.
“Please stay here. I don’t want to be alone. Please,” she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper.
He sighed, feeling the weight of her words, and made his way to the other side of the bed. He climbed in, leaving a respectful space between them. She reached out, her fingers searching for his hand. When she found it, she held on tightly.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice filled with gratitude. Slowly, she let herself drift into the comfort of sleep, still holding his hand.
Kei just watched her drift off. Once he was sure she was asleep he whispered back “Anything for you my dove.” his eyes also drifted closed.
A few hours later, Rena began thrashing about in her sleep. Kei sat up quickly, trying to keep her from hurting herself.
“Rena, hey! It’s okay! I’m here. It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream,” he said, his voice calm but urgent as he tried to wake her.
Rena jolted awake, her eyes wide and sweat dripping down her forehead. She blinked a few times, trying to gather her bearings. When she saw Kei next to her, her face scrunched up, and she started to cry. She leaned forward, collapsing into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. He held her tightly, gently rubbing her back to soothe her.
“Shh, it’s okay. It was just a dream. I’m here, little dove. It’s all going to be okay,” he whispered, his voice soft and reassuring.
Once she had finally calmed down, she sat up and wiped her tears. She brought her legs to her chest and rested her head on her knees.
“T-thank you, Kei. For staying. I’m sorry to be such a burden and a crybaby,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Rena, you are anything but. Well, you are a crybaby, but you are not a burden. Not to me. I’ll always be here for you,” he replied, a gentle smile on his face.
Rena sat quietly for a moment, trying to adjust to her surroundings. She focused on the things she could feel and hear: Kei’s comforting presence, her own sniffles, their breathing, her heartbeat, his…heartbeat? She suddenly realized where they were—in her bedroom, late at night. She jolted up out of bed, leaving him stunned.
“Kei! Oh my god. I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think… I put you in such—” she started to panic, holding the sides of her face with her hands.
“Rena! It’s okay!” Kei quickly got up and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug.
“You were in no position to get yourself home. I don’t mind, really. You’re my friend, Rena, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. You needed me to stay, so I did. Anyone else would have done the same. Please don’t stress yourself out about it.” He tightened his arms around her as his voice softened. “And if anything, I didn’t want to be alone either.”
Rena suddenly realized she had gotten all emotional over the news, but it wasn’t just her. Kei knew Clark too, before she did. How could she not have thought about his feelings? She pulled back to look up at him.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think about how you feel, Kei. I’ll be here for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t earlier. I just got so lost in my thoughts I shut down.”
He looked down at her and gave a lopsided smile before looking away, avoiding her eyes.
“I’m okay, Rena. I prom—” he started to choke out.
“No. You’re not okay, Kei. He was your friend too. It’s okay to be not okay. We can support each other through this, together, okay?” she smiled.
He looked down at her, feeling a warmth fill his chest. His eyes flickered to her lips for a split second. Kiss her. His thoughts tried to betray him.
He quickly glanced away before she noticed. No, idiot. Now is definitely not the time. She’s hurting, and so are you.
“Yeah, together. Thank you, Rena.” He composed himself, hiding behind his famous smile. He released the hug and stepped back. “Together, but tomorrow. It’s really late and we both need some sleep. I’m going to sleep on the couch, alright?”
“Of course. Thank you for staying, Kei.” She grabbed a blanket and pillow for him to use. He got comfy, and she headed back to her room. Pausing in the doorway, she glanced back.
“Kei?” she whispered.
“Hm?”
She paused, not really sure what she was going to say. Something felt different, but she wasn’t sure what it was. All she knew was that she was happy he was here. He might not be Clark, but he reminded her of him so much. Maybe it was because they grew up together. It might not have been very long, but it was enough. She wanted to hear their story. To hear about him, from Kei.
She looked at Kei and smiled. “Goodnight.”
He smiled back. “Goodnight, little dove.”
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