Raidou was tired of dancing around the issue. He was tired of the whole damn charade, and of the blurred lines he was never sure which side he was on. He was tired of the way Genma never directly addressed the issue, giving something priceless of himself and yet never naming it. Raidou wanted to give the same in return, and have it acknowledged. He wanted Genma to give a name to what they had.
So when Genma pinned him in the darkened alley, liquor-sweetened lips soft and incessant on his own, Raidou responded with a low growl, switching their position with enough power to surprise Genma as he was pressed against the wall. Discarded newspaper crumpled beneath their feet, and in the dim light Raidou could see the excited gleam in Genma's eyes, and the lopsided smirk tugging at his lips.
"Mm, I love it when you're rough with me," Genma murmured, trying to pull Raidou in again so that he could grind against him in completely sinful, shameless way, one leg hooked around Raidou's. Raidou's body reacted, but his heart and mind were set.
"Stop that," Raidou bit out harshly, pushing Genma's thigh away from his own and denying him a kiss. "What the hell is this to you, Genma?"
Genma's laughter surprised him. Raidou had expected annoyance or dismissal, not laughter Still, despite it catching him off-guard, he could hear just how sober Genma was: there was too much tension in his voice for him to be as intoxicated as he was acting.
"'S just a little fun between friends," Genma said coyly, reaching out to toy with Raidou's hair.
Annoyed with his avoidance, Raidou snatched Genma's hands and pinned them against the wall. "We're not just friends, and you fucking know it!" he argued, leaning in even closer. He could feel Genma's rushed breath against his own lips, and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He could feel the excitement there, but also the apprehension, and knew he had to take the plunge.
"If that's all we are, then I'm leaving."
They had been making out in an alleyway, with every intention of working through their pent up tension, going to the bar for a few drinks, and then going home together, where they could then take their time to revel in every touch and caress before falling asleep next to each other. Yet again they were going to end up wrapped around each other in the morning, smiling almost shyly while gravitating closer together, because that's where they both longed to be. They weren't friends. They hadn't been friends for a long time. All those stolen glances, casual touches and secret moments added up to much more than 'just a little fun'. To Raidou, it was serious, and he could feel in Genma's echoed heartbeat and see in the uncharacteristic flush of his cheeks that it was for him too.
"Say it," he pleaded, his voice a soft whisper. "Tell me what this is, Gen. Tell me what I am to you."
The last ounce of tension left Genma's body as he gave himself over to the truth they'd been dancing around for far too long. Raidou's chest tightened with apprehension, heart beating wildly as he waited for Genma's answer.
"Love," Genma managed at last, his voice choked and cracked with emotion. "We're lovers."
Raidou let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, his hands releasing Genma's wrists and instead moving to caress him. He closed his eyes against the wave of relief that left him so startlingly vulnerable, and nodded. His nose brushed against Genma's as he leaned in, his lips ghosting over the other man's.
"Lovers," he echoed, the weight and feel of the word almost as perfect on his tongue as Genma's name. He didn't kiss Genma, instead revelling in the sweet pull of growing anticipation, knowing they were on the cusp of something brilliant and wonderful; something he'd longed for for far too long. His fingers stroked tenderly over Genma's cheeks and jaw, and Raidou tested the word again, gazing at Genma in the dim light as he did. "Lovers…"
A hiccup of relieved laughter bubbled up in Genma's chest, his hands mirroring Raidou's and tracing the twisted contours of Raidou's scarred cheek while the other tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. That happy little sound of laughter left Raidou dizzy with relief, and his heart soared.
"I love you, Genma, you know that?"
Now starting to mould his body to fit the contours of Raidou's just as Raidou was doing to him, Genma nodded, giving Raidou the most fleeting of kisses.
"I know," he breathed, sounding as if he couldn't believe it. "And I, I…"
Genma trailed off, the words seeming as if they'd lodged somewhere in his throat. The promise of them was sweeter than anything Raidou had ever known, and he struggled not to fall apart right there and then.
"Let's go home," he suggested, feeling the shiver that cascaded through Genma's body. Genma's hand slid lower, finding Raidou's and slipping into it, their fingers lacing together.
"Home," Genma agreed, giving Raidou a smile and a look that promised so, so much more than Raidou thought he'd ever find.