Disclaimer: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e is the sole property of Nakajo Hisaya-sensei. Seriously, if the story was left up to me, Nanao would be loads happier. And I won't need to write any fanfiction guiding Nakatsu and Kayashima to their happy end, XD. In any case, no infringements intended.

Domino Effect

First Fall

Nakatsu was drunk. Although he was now laughing and leaping around like a monkey, Kayashima knew that he would fall asleep abruptly, completely oblivious to the place. He still remembered his old roommate's habits well. He eyed the bottles and glasses warily, knowing that they would do a lot of damage if Nakatsu were to make a bed out of the table all of a sudden. He briefly wondered dragging him out of the place.

Nakatsu chortled at some joke (it was impossible to make out who was talking to who among the din), lost his balance, and fell flat on the floor. Kayashima had made his decision.

"You've had enough to drink for today," he told the football player sternly, grabbing hold of his arm.

"ONE MORE!" shouted Nakatsu, starting a chorus of 'one more' around the party that had gone bar-hopping after the wedding reception.

Kayashima shook his head at the stupidly grinning face. Nakatsu was obviously exhausted – he could barely keep his eyes open. Moreover, he was making no effort to pull himself from the ground and seemed to prefer his current position.

"Come on, Nakatsu!"

Kayashima did not remember talking to this guy before. So Nakatsu was still good at making friends, was he? He had had no reason to doubt it in the first place. Nakatsu hadn't changed much since they had last met. In fact, he had only transformed into a more attractive person with a touch of suaveness no one could have expected of the brash guy from Osaka.

"He's stoned," Kayashima answered for Nakatsu. He wasn't heard over the noise but it made no difference. The person had already gotten busy yelling and talking elsewhere.

Kayashima sighed. He did not know where Nakatsu was staying. His own apartment was too far from this place and he didn't think he could drag around Nakatsu to the train station and home from thence. Moreover, he had had one too many drinks and was beginning to feel ill himself. He would get a room for them in the hotel for the night.

He woke up to the whirring sound of the hair-dryer. It was an unfamiliar noise. He lived alone in his apartment and his neighbours, who were all senior citizens, preferred tranquillity in the early hours of the day. Kayashima always woke up to quiet mornings.

Before he opened his eyes, the dryer was switched off and familiar scent of a soap wafted up to him.

"Hey! Good morning!"

Nakatsu stood at the table near the window, only a towel around his waist. He was pouring himself some water.

"Me too," groaned out Kayashima. "And good morning."

"Sorry for all the trouble – I don't even remember when we arrived at the bar in this hotel," said Nakatsu, handing him the cool glass. He sat down at the foot of bed. "My body's aching like hell. Man, I'm never going to drink like this again. Seriously, if you're around, kick me before I put the third one to my mouth."

Kayashima's mind drifted off to the excuse why Nakatsu had gotten so drunk in the first place – Sekime's wedding celebrations. There would be a chance for him to get mad drunk again in near future. He had a feeling Nakatsu would forget all about his resolve then. And Kayashima won't be the one to stop him from drowning in alcohol then – at that time, Nakatsu would actually need it.

"I threw it all up last night but my head's still heavy."

Nakatsu grinned at him. "Yeah, you are not compatible with alcohol at all."

His breath caught in his throat and his heart beating for a moment. The sun lit up Nakatsu's body and with the beautiful smile in place again, he really looked like the sun Kayashima had always thought him to be. Magnificent, glorious and unforgettable – Nakatsu had always held a special place in Kayashima's life.

"You must be really happy to see him again," Nakao remarked lazily, sipping his oolong tea. He claimed that alcohol was bad for his skin.

The comment startled Kayashima. Nakao Senri, although self-centred, was quite a good guy at heart. However, he wasn't particularly observant and Kayashima did not think that he had ever let on any indication of his feelings towards Nakatsu.

"I wish I could see Nanba-senpai again!"

Kayashima was on red alert again. He could absolutely not reveal the fact that Nanba-senpai often stopped by his workplace. It would be the end of him. There were too many reasons to avoid Nakao for the evening. Because he wasn't like Nakao – his feelings were mellow, something left over from his school days. He wasn't in love with Nakatsu or anything of that sort. It was simply that he felt more… kindly… towards him than towards anyone else.

Kayashima had strayed clear of alcohol after that. He didn't know what sort of drunk he was and wasn't about to test it among the present party.

"It's great that I have two more days off. But I guess playing football is what's going to put me back in shape again." Nakatsu jumped off the bed and stretched his arms.

Kayashima drained the remaining water.

"I'll take a bath, too," he said, getting out quickly. Too quickly, in fact, because his legs were unsteady and gave away as soon as he took the first step.

"Watch out!"

Being a sportsman, Nakatsu's reflexes worked really well. Kayashima fell, not on the hard floor, but on sinewy arms that held him up against a warm body. The scent of soap overpowered him. His cheeks were hypersensitive to the fresh dampness of his chest.

"Still suffering from after-effects?" Nakatsu laughed.

He could feel the vibrations and it was not amusing – in fact, they just made him more unsteady and his heart beat faster. Even so, he felt a dreary emptiness as Nakatsu lowered him back onto the bed and went off to put on his clothes. His face was still flushed when Nakatsu returned.

"I'm really sorry about this," he said sheepishly, running an agitated hand through his hair, "but I think I left my wallet in the car – back at the church." He looked positively crestfallen. "I am so troublesome, aren't I?"

Kayashima knew that. After all, it was he who had paid for Nakatsu at every bar the previous night.

"Don't bother!"

"I'll pay you back later…"

"You don't have to!"

Nakatsu shook his head. "You still live at your apartment in S-, right? So I'll come down to meet you tonight – you don't have work, do you?"

"I've got work from six till midnight, actually."

"Oh, midnight's early enough," assured Nakatsu. "See you later then – I'm really sorry."

You don't have to be.

It was hopeless because… because his feelings weren't quite the same as… as Nakao's. Even so, he could not help feeling elated at the prospect of seeing Nakatsu so soon again.