Another Jude/Zero story and just in time for the new series too (I hope those of you who are able to watch it live enjoy it!). As ever, if you have a few moments to spare please, please leave a review and also, as ever, I hope you enjoy...

Zero walked out of the locker room on an adrenalin-fuelled high – it wasn't every time you scored the winning points against the league leaders after all, especially not when that win brought your team within two points of being the league leaders themselves. Then he saw Jude waiting for him outside with that look on his face, and his heart sank. He should have known nothing had changed when he hadn't come in straight after the game but had been trying to persuade himself that he must have just caught up in the post-match media scrum, even though that bloody little voice reminded him that 'that never stopped him last season'. He hated how things were between them now, just hated it, but buoyed up by his success on the court he was determined to front it out this time and by sheer force of will get things back to normal. "Sooo" he said, with his trademark drawl and a slow smile, "your boy did good, right?"

"You're not my boy," Jude said, matter of factly, turning away and starting to walk away from the locker room and Zero's heart plummeted, "But yeah you were good today. And not just that last basket either, you played great all the way through. If you keep this up you'll be a dead cert for MVP this season." He said smiling over at Zero.

"So, do you fancy celebrating?" Zero asked, somehow managing to keep on with his mission despite how bad he was, all of a sudden, feeling. At the same time wondering, fleetingly, how it was that last season being MVP had seemed like the most important thing in the world, but now when the prospect of it actually happening was right there in front of him, it just didn't seem to matter.

"Erm..yeah maybe," and Zero felt his spirits and natural confidence rise, before they were dashed again when Jude continued, "Lionel mentioned something about drinks at WP24 tonight…"

"I didn…" Zero began

"But you're going to have to put the celebrations on hold because I need to talk to you about some of your sponsorship deals, and we really need to sort out what you're going to ask for in your next contract negotiations. And I know what you're going to say but you need to start thinking about it now, especially whilst you're in such good form because the earlier we start the more chance I have of getting you everything you want."

'Not everything', Zero thought moodily 'because you won't give me what I want most! No, cos everything's got to be out in the open for you, and never mind what anybody else thinks or feels about it. Honestly, I don't know how you can be so sel…" His internal rant was interrupted by Jude stopping and saying,

"Sooo?"

"So what?" he asked.

"Have you thought about what you want to ask for?" Jude asked, a slight hint of irritation creeping into his tone. "Because I need to know that before I can formulate a plan for how I'm going to get it for you. So, any ideas, anything at all?"

"Erm no, not really," Zero said, distracted, now they were once again facing each other, by Jude's mouth. Managing, with a real effort, to switch his focus from his lips and say, "Anyway, I thought my contract was all settled when I signed for the club."

"Sunstantively yes," Jude said, "but there's always wiggle room. Fine tuning we can do to make sure you get the best deal possible and Holly and I have been discussing it and we think there's quite a few tweaks we can ask for, especially with regard to the percen…."

And Zero zoned out of the conversation, his attention once again caught by Jude's mouth, until the only things he could see were his lips moving. And he was suddenly aware of how very long it had been since he'd felt those lips on his, on him. And how very much he missed them, that. And how very resentful he was that he was in this situation. 'Well, you know what you have to do to get yourself out of it', the annoying little voice piped up. 'Oh shut up,' Zero thought angrily, 'it's not my fault Jude's being so unreasonable! He knows I can't do what he wants me to, that it's impossible – but he's still asking. He's so stubborn – he won't even give an inch, never mind meet me halfway. And he really is asking too much' he argued, 'he knows what will happen if we came out as a couple, how hard it would make things for me, but he still wants me to do it. I mean, can you imagine what the locker room would be like if all the other players were wondering, worrying if I fancied them or not. And who knows what that would do to Pete – I mean he could decide its more trouble than I'm worth and side line me. And that just doesn't bear thinking about – I need to play! And that's not even taking into account what the other team's players would say, and their fans too, our fans even. He has no idea what it's like being someone in the public eye – I mean the abuse I got last season was bad enough, but this… And l know there are rumours about me already, but rumours are very different to people knowing and it's nobody else's business anyway. Then there's the sponsorship deals and everything that goes along with them – the parties and the goodie bags and everything. Because I know they wouldn't be able to drop me, not like last time, but they just won't renew them and Jude worked so hard to get them back on side, and I've been sooo careful since then, so as not to rock the boat. I'm not going to waste all that just because Jude's being so stubb"

"Zero!" He was jolted out of his thoughts by the tone in Jude's voice. "Are you even listening to me?"

He was meant to be listening? God, didn't he know how tantalising his lips were? How hypnotic? "Erm, sort of" he somehow managed to get out.

"Right, so what do you think?"

"Erm, I, umm, I think…" he began, before admitting defeat and saying, "Sorry, what do I think about what?"

"Oh for god sake," Jude snapped, and suddenly beginning to walk away from him. "No, don't worry about it – I'm just trying to sort out your future that's all. No biggie! You just keep ignoring me and well I'm sure everything will just magically work itself out without you doing anything. Because of course, you're Zero and that's just what happens when you're around"

"Hey," Zero, tried to defend himself whilst also trying to catch up with him

"You just stand by and let everybody else work their bloody socks off for you, whilst you do what you like. Do you have any idea how hard I've been working to get you that Coca-Cola contract? No, of course you don't, because you're too busy having a good time doing god knows what with god knows who to pay any attention to that. I mean you haven't returned any of Holly's call. Do you have any idea how rude that is? How insignificant it makes people feel? I don't even know why I'm surprised – you think I'd know better by now. Because why would you care that someone's been working around the clock to try and sort so…."

"Oh god, please, can you not just shut up?"

"What?" Jude said spinning around. ('Oh shit, did I just say that out loud?') "What did you just say?" he demanded, advancing towards him. "Please, tell me you just didn't say that to me."

And at that moment there was nothing Zero would have liked more than to say that that assertion was true, but unfortunately for him, he couldn't. "Erm, look I'm sorry I didn…" he began.

"Jesus, I really don't know why I bother," Jude said, totally ignoring Zero's attempts to apologise. "If that's the only thing you can think to say, well, it says it all doesn't it? And you know what? Yes, I can! I can, as you so eloquently put it, shut up. In fact, I think me shutting up is probably the best idea you've ev…"

"Oh for god sake," Zero suddenly exclaimed….

oooooo

And then there was silence…

oooooo

And suddenly he was kissing him. And, after a moment's hesitation (maybe even resistance?) Jude responded. And then the world fell away, and it was just him and Jude, and this kiss – his hands on Jude's face and the feeling of his lips on Jude's, and Jude's on his. Then as the kiss deepened and his tongue gently parted Jude's lips, he felt Jude's hands on his face too, and he realised, just before his mind was filled with the flashes of light, like fireworks, that he was seeing and his body was overtaken by the glorious sensation of kissing Jude again, just how much he had missed this.

And when he started to think again he knew he should stop this, that he should draw apart from Jude before it was too late. There was still a chance that no-one had seen them – they had walked to a part of the arena where nobody else had cause to be – so his secret could still be safe. But the longer the kiss went on for the more likely it was that somebody would happen along. So he really should stop this.

But he found that he couldn't, that he didn't want to –that he suddenly didn't care who saw, who knew. And it was partly because he suddenly realised how stupid all his objections were. The team wouldn't, couldn't fire him, even he knew that, and if he played well Pete would have no choice but to play him, whatever the rest of the team thought. And, as for that, he'd borne the never disguised contempt of Budd and Darla for years when he was growing up, so the suspicions of his team mates would be as nothing. It might even be fun – seeing just how uncomfortable he could make them, might give him another edge over them. And most of the fans wouldn't care who he slept with – this was L.A not the bible belt after all. And those that did care – well they'd put up with it if he played well. Which was what would also silence the comments of the other team's players, and their fans. And Jude had negotiated most of his sponsorship deals to be at least two years long, so by the time they were up for renewal the fuss about this would have died down, and even if it hadn't, it wouldn't be the end of the world. He wouldn't be penniless and although the freebies and parties were nice you could, after all, only wear one watch at a time and he'd realised, when he hadn't been able to do it for the past few months, how much more he'd enjoyed just hanging out at Jude's than going anywhere else. And, anyway in his experience, sponsors always cared more about how, than who, you did. And he knew he'd play well from now on – how could he not, with Jude to play for?

But mostly his inability, unwillingness to break off the kiss was because it was Jude he was kissing. Jude - who was sweet and good and kind. Jude - who would always be Team Zero. Jude - who would never leave him. Jude - who knew him better than anyone else, and loved him even so. Jude who was good for him - who believed he was better than he was and made him want to be that person. Jude - who was where he should be. Jude - who he loved. Jude- who was home.

So he knew that he wouldn't be the one to break the connection between them. That it wouldn't be him who broke off the kiss. He had missed this too much; wanted it too badly, for too long to stop it now. And he felt himself being pulled away from his thoughts again, his mind quietening, the sensations of kissing Jude once again over-taking him – and in surrendering to the feeling, in finally letting go of everything that had stopped him doing this before he was suddenly flying.

And then it was once again just him and Jude, and each and every moment of their kiss. And it was good!

xxxxxx