Hikoichi - wait a minute, you wrote in canon?
Star - I can write canon!
Kogure - but you always write AU!
Star - not... not always...
Hikoichi - pretty much.
Star - but... I can write canon too, you know?
Kogure - that remains to be seen.
Star - sweatpour
One Thousand Dollar Bet
in which Rukawa Kaede does not have a gambling problem.
"I'm sorry, Hanamichi," the girl gave a small sigh. "I'm... in love with someone else."
Sakuragi's face dropped about twenty feet. He scratched the back of his head. "Oh uh - uh - I see." His eyes dropped to his shoes. "Would you mind telling me... who?"
The girl blushed and looked down as well. "Well... it's Rukawa Kaede, actually..."
Sakuragi watched her go. Then he turned and kicked the nearest bin viciously.
"Nevermind, do'aho," Rukawa breezed past him on the way to the gym, "they're all stupid anyway."
Sakuragi scowled at his back. "Don't call her stupid you rude, ugly, good for nothing..."
"Are you coming?"
Sakuragi paused. "Yeah," he said after a moment, and began dragging his feet dejectedly after his friend.
Sakuragi poured over the pages of Playboy after practise while Rukawa was busy in the showers.
"You always take too long," he grumbled when Rukawa emerged. He then waved the magazine in Rukawa's direction. "You wanna look through this? It's a good one. The girl on page six..." he let out a low whistle.
"No, thanks."
Sakuragi's smirk. "Still not hit puberty yet?"
"Aho."
Rukawa looked at himself in the mirror and tried to brush his fringe out of his face. It fell stubbornly down again.
"I wish I knew how to pick up girls," Sakuragi lamented quietly.
Rukawa glanced at him from the corner of his eye and shrugged. "Ask Mitsui-senpai."
Sakuragi frowned. "Do you think he's good at it?"
"He seems to think so."
Sakuragi stood up. "I'm gonna ask him."
88-75.
"Nice game!" the teammates congratulated each other, in a celebratory mood as they filed off the court.
Miyagi landed a heavy slap on Rukawa's back. "Damn!" he grinned, flashing his straight white teeth. "You're like a goddamn demon. Nice work."
Rukawa rubbed at his hair with the towel and nodded to him silently. That was about as expressive as he was liable to get.
"What about me?" Sakuragi demanded, right behind them, waving his arms for attention. "Didn't you see my rebounds? Did you count them? Haruko-chan... Haruko-chan...!" he turned around even as he walked, "Haruko-chan, did you count my rebounds?"
"Twenty two," he was informed with a sweet smile.
"Awwww yes!" Sakuragi punched the air. "Can't beat that." He put his hand on Rukawa's shoulder. "This is my lucky day!" he dropped his voice so only his teammates could hear, "I'm gonna ask her out. Today, I'm gonna do it, today!"
"Sure, aho."
"Teme," he shot back, although he was smiling.
"Five hundred yen says she shoots you down," Mitsui muttered.
"Six hundred," Miyagi upped the stake.
Rukawa joined him on the main steps of the sports centre, adjusting his duffel bag on his shoulder, tilting his head to the side.
Sakuragi's expression was unreadable. Rukawa sighed.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly after a moment.
Sakuragi rubbed his sleeve ferociously across his eyes. "Not your fault," he muttered.
Rukawa dropped his eyes to look at the floor, at a loss as to how to comfort him.
"Girl troubles?" a voice behind interrupted his thoughts.
They both looked up simultaneously to see the new captain of Ryonan standing on the step above them, looking amused. Behind him, a couple of his teammates were looking highly uncertain about his decision to approach the known-to-be-volatile redhead.
Predictably, Sakuragi got aggressively to his feet, snatching a fistful of Sendoh's jersey and getting right into his face. "Don't mock me, damn spikey."
Rukawa let out a small sigh.
Sendoh only smiled. "Maybe you need some pointers?" he suggested, tilting his head challengingly, a smug half-grin at the corner of his mouth.
Sakuragi opened his mouth to retort, but paused, and considered this.
"You..." he began suspiciously, letting go of Sendoh's clothes and taking a small step back, "...you... good at that kind of thing, are you?"
Sendoh gave a noncommittal shrug. Rukawa finally got to his feet and turned to observe them. He considered Sendoh's tall frame, the slight wilt of his hair, the blue amusement in his eyes, the confidence of his stance. Rukawa's eyes narrowed with disapproval, though he made no comment.
"Ah!" Sakuragi seemed to reach a conclusion, pointing an accusing finger at Sendoh's chest. "I bet you've never even been with a girl! You're just trying to make a fool of me!"
Sendoh's smile didn't falter.
"You've got to be kidding," one of the Ryonan players behind him gave a roll of his eyes. "Sendoh here is the biggest playboy around."
"Playboy?" Sakuragi repeated, aghast.
"Different girl every weekend," another teammate commented disapprovingly.
"Every weekend?" Sakuragi's mouth was hanging open.
Sendoh turned to them and scratched his head with his long, artistic fingers, "Ma... I'm not that bad."
"Yes," Koshino eyed him scathingly, "Yes, you are."
Rukawa shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm leaving," he said.
No one paid any attention to him. He made his way down the steps to the bus stop.
Do girls really fall for such shit? he wondered to himself.
"I'm telling you," Sakuragi enthused the next day, "he's a genius!"
"Huh," Rukawa replied disinterestedly, flipping the pages of his maths book back and forth, staring out of the window.
"He told me about this time that he... and then he... and the girl said... so you know what he did...? He..."
Rukawa tuned him out.
Girls.
He turned his head to look at his classmates wandering in and out of the classroom during the lunch period. The girls wore cute ruffled socks, short skirts, little black shoes, clips in their hair. Most of them had budding breasts. Many of them were considered beautiful. Some of them had even confessed to him.
I don't care.
He considered his hands thoughtfully. His long fingers were rough and calloused from handling a basketball every day.
I don't care about that at all.
I wonder why I just don't care about any of that stuff...?
He looked up at Sakuragi who was continuing happily.
"Seriously..." he was saying, "...I didn't think that he would have..." he dropped his voice to a whisper, "...really, you know, slept with them, but apparently..."
Rukawa turned his eyes back to the window.
Any girl stupid enough to entertain these idiots must be a damn fool.
"Come on!" Sakuragi's enthusiasm was unabated as he ran ahead in bursts of excited speed, only to be forced to wait for the others to catch up with him. He hopped from one foot to another as his teammates followed him up the darkening street. The sun was low now, the sky a deep red, soon to be black.
"Will you settle down?" Mitsui demanded irritably.
At the back of the group, Rukawa stifled a yawn.
"But it's my first time," Sakuragi expounded excitedly. "To hang out with you guys. I will show you the tensai's great singing voice!"
"Oh, I don't think there's karaoke, Hanamichi," Kogure consoled him gently. "It's mostly just drinking and dancing."
"Oh-" Sakuragi's face fell for a brief moment, but just as quickly he recovered and smiled infectiously, "dancing, then! I will show you my great dancing!
Rukawa stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. They'd forced him to come. A victory celebration, Myagi had arranged it. He'd tried to refuse, but listening to Sakuragi berating him for a solid fifteen minutes over his lack of 'team spirit' had finally forced him to concede. Even if it was only to get him to shut the fuck up.
He stepped heavily through each brightening circle of the street lights. He thought a little wistfully about the basketball court near his home. It would probably be empty now. He could have got in another thirty minutes of practise before the lack of light would have made him stop.
Ahead of them, a small crowd of people were milling around outside the club, chatting and scuffling and waiting to get in.
The basketball team walked to the front of the group and crowded around the bouncer who looked up at them all a little anxiously.
"There's six of us," Akagi told him, as if he was booking a table in a restaurant. He showed six huge fingers.
From behind the closed door came the muffled thump of the beat. Rukawa scuffed his feet against the ground, bored.
He didn't feel comfortable in these unfamiliar clothes. A new shirt, short sleeved, a little snug, navy blue and open at the collar, over dark jeans and smart white branded trainers. The silver chain at his neck had been Ayako's touch. As was the very light quantity of gel in his hair that pushed his fringe back from his forehead stylishly. Just enough to reveal his face and eyes a little more clearly. He hadn't intended to dress up, but Ayako had seemed to be enjoying herself, and he hadn't really minded all that much.
Finally, the bouncer relented and allowed them inside. Rukawa followed after the others, dragging his feet a little.
The music immediately became intrusively loud, thrumming right through his chest, making his lungs vibrate. Ahead of him, Sakuragi's face was a picture of over-excitement.
"There'll be girls here, right?"
"Tons of hotties!" Miyagi promised him.
"Ah!" Sakuragi grabbed Rukawa's arm. "I bet you a thousand yen I can kiss a girl before you can."
Rukawa rolled his eyes.
Great. Just great.
The dance floor was crowded with enthusiastic dancers. The team squeezed their way to the side to claim a rather sticky table and then sat around it, watching the goings on and flashing lights in bemusement, the two first years not entirely sure what to do next.
"That one," Myagi pointed out a stunning passing beauty and slammed a thousand yen bill onto the table in front of Mitsui.
Mitsui followed her with his eyes. "That one?" he looked momentarily anxious. For once Rukawa could see why. She really was particularly beautiful. He followed her with his eyes curiously.
"Can't do it?" Miyagi taunted mockingly.
Mitsui scowled and got to his feet. "Just to dance?"
Miyagi held up three fingers, "dance, your hand on her waist, one kiss on hand or cheek... or better if you can manage it," he smirked.
Sakuragi leaned forward in excitement at this new kind of sport.
Rukawa crossed his arms and legs and sighed.
"Rukawa, you're the spotter," Miyagi announced.
Rukawa looked up. "What-?"
Miyagi grinned at him. "You go follow Mitsui and judge whether he manages it or not."
'Why me?" Rukawa demanded in dismay. But the rest of the team were already pushing the two of them away from the table.
As they followed the girl towards the dance floor, Mitsui leaned closer to whisper in Rukawa's ear. "Listen, if you just say I did it, I'll give you all the money."
Rukawa rolled his eyes.
"I've got a reputation to uphold," Mitsui pleaded.
"I'm sure you'll do fine," Rukawa muttered in response, ...as long as she's a total moron.
They tracked the girl all the way to the far side of the room where she joined a handsome man who was standing with a drink in his hand and laughing at something she'd said.
"Shit, she's with someone," Mitsui swore crossly. He watched the two for a moment, then he frowned. "Hey, isn't that Sendoh from Ryonan?"
Rukawa looked, and realised that he was right. The man on whose arm the beautiful woman was hanging was none other than Ryonan's supposed playboy himself.
At least that confirms it, he thought. She's an idiot.
Mitsui seized his arm tightly. "I can still do this," he realised, and began to push the reluctant Rukawa towards the couple. "You talk to them. Distract him or something. And try to talk me up a bit, I'll come soon."
"Why should I?"
Mitsui gave him a final shove in their direction. "Just do it!" he hissed.
Of all the bloody stupid things... Rukawa grumbled irritably to himself.
He found himself standing right before the handsome couple. The girl was in a gorgeous red dress that clung to her form and flatteringly revealed the rise of her breasts. She wore it with the kind of confidence that people have when they know they are absolutely stunning. Sendoh himself didn't look much worse. His hair stylishly tussled, his simple light jacket over t-shirt and branded jeans only served to emphasise the handsomeness of his face. They looked, Rukawa noted, rather good together.
They both turned their faces towards Rukawa as he arrived, probably wondering why the hell he was interrupting them. He gritted his teeth.
The woman dropped Sendoh's arm. "Oh-" she began, looking at him with a curious expression on her face. "Oh, my. Akira, is this a friend of yours?" She reached up and tucked her long silken hair behind her ear, tilting her head, her full lips instantly curving upwards into a delicious smile. The lights from the DJ made her hair flash in hues of blue, red and green. She took a step closer to Rukawa, reaching for his arm before he could really process what was going on.
Sendoh, he realised, was also staring at him. "Oh, uhm-" Sendoh began, eyeing Rukawa's clothes and face, a welcoming smile appearing on his face.
The woman pressed herself softly against Rukawa's arm, the shape of her breasts moulding gently around his bicep. Rukawa turned his head to stare at her, distracted by her actions.
What on earth does she think she's doing?
"I'm sorry," Sendoh's eyes were oddly appreciative as he considered him. "But for some reason I can't seem to recall your name..."
Rukawa turned his head and stared at him in amazement. Is he joking?
"You don't recognise me?" he asked.
"Ooh Akira, how rude!" the woman pouted mischievously. "Who could forget a handsome face like this one?" She reached up and trailed her palm along Rukawa's jaw, drawing his attention back to her. "Please forgive my little brother. He's a fool." She touched her teeth with the tip of her tongue. "I won't forget you, I'm sure."
Siblings. He realised. I... see.
Now that he thought about it, they did look somewhat alike.
Rukawa was just about to shrug her off when Mitsui finally arrived.
"Rukawa! I was wondering where you'd gone!" he said in a painful, falsely cheerful voice, glaring daggers at him for the fact that his target woman seemed to be attached to his arm.
Sendoh did a double take. "Rukawa?" His eyes flashed over him again rapidly, reconsidered his sharp and casual style, the handsomeness of his face under his styled hair. "Wow, it really is you!" He looked momentarily confused. "I'd never have thought to see you here. You look-"
"Dance with me, Rukawa-kun?" the elder Sendoh sibling interrupted, purring enticingly, trailing her fingers lightly over his chest and shoulders.
This time he really did shrug her off, and stepped away. "No, thanks."
She looked surprised. Opposite them, Sendoh did too. Then he cracked a grin. "Oh no, Mayu, you've been refused. Seems like you've finally met your match."
She turned her head and glared at her brother.
"Typical of me to try to pick up the only gay man in the whole damn club."
Rukawa started slightly. "I'm not-" he began.
He felt Sendoh's eyes on him, and it irritated him.
Mitsui took that moment to step swiftly between Rukawa and Mayu. "I'd love to dance with you," he quickly interjected with a handsome smile. Mayu considered him for a long and awkward moment.
Which got longer.
And longer.
Sensing Mitsui's confidence faulting under the critical stare, Rukawa resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead commented quietly, "Senpai is really a great dancer".
"Huh," not looking entirely convinced, Mayu finally took Mitsui's offered hand. "Alright then, I guess."
Mitsui kissed her hand with a gentlemanly smile and drew her out into the dance floor, throwing a grateful look Rukawa's way.
Guess I'll get the money from him later, Rukawa thought with a shrug, and then turned to leave.
His arm was caught by a curious-looking Sendoh.
"You're not really gay, are you?" he asked, his eyes unexpectedly serious.
Rukawa stared at him. "Of course not" he refuted, irritated.
For once Sendoh didn't smile. "But you don't like girls." It wasn't framed as question.
"So what?" Rukawa retorted. "I don't like boys either."
"So you're like... asexual or something?"
Rukawa glared at him. He'd had enough. "Let go of me," he demanded icily, before turning on his heel and walking away.
What the hell does he think he's doing, asking me something like that?
They watched Sakuragi fail hard for the third time as he attempted to approach one of the girls at the bar.
"I can't watch this," Kogure admitted finally, covering his eyes with his hands, "I just can't watch."
Mitsui and Miyagi were laughing themselves into fits.
"I'm gonna be a millionaire at this rate!" Miyagi wheezed between bouts of laughter.
Sakuragi stomped his way back to the table and slammed a hand down on it, sending the bottles rattling and falling away. "I can hear you laughing-" he thundered "-from over there!"
Mitsui clutched his stomach helplessly. "It hurts," he gasped, unable to hold back his laughter, kicking his feet against the chair in hysteric distress, "oh my god it hurts so much."
Miyagi held out a hand, and Sakuragi crossly slapped a another thousand dollar bill into it.
Rukawa watched the exchange of money thoughtfully.
"Look at that smooth bastard." Mitsui swirled the shot around his glass before downing it in one. His speech came out slightly slurred. "Bastard," he repeated.
Rukawa's eyes watched Sendoh curiously as he chatted to the girl at the bar. She was blushing and looking at the floor while he leaned forward to whisper something in her ear. He drew back and smiled, and she put her hand to her lips shyly.
"A thousand dollars says she goes home with him," Miyagi declared.
"No bet," Kogure answered. "She's practically eating out of his hand."
Mitsui snorted, "Three more minutes and she'll be sucking his cock."
Sakuragi shook his head too.
Akagi was already passed out on the table.
Rukawa leaned forwards. "I'll take that bet."
They all looked at him.
"All right, you're on." Miyagi met his eyes. They shook hands.
"What makes you think you can win this one, Rukawa?" Mitsui questioned him in the same slurred voice, his whole body weaving drunkenly where he sat.
Rukawa shrugged. "There's a practise game tomorrow morning. He's gotta be there at nine."
Mitsui's eyes widened. He leaned forward to look into Rukawa's face in disbelief. "My god, can you really be that innocent?" he demanded.
Rukawa tilted his head as if he didn't understand, and ignored him.
The night was getting tired, and the club much less crowded than before. They were all dancing - or staggering, in Mitsui's case - around the dance floor. Sakuragi's fist was pumping the air with gusto to the anthem while Kogure had his fingers laced into the hair of a beautiful girl and was kissing her gently despite the pounding beat of the music. Miyagi was apparently lost in a trance-like delirium, sloshing his drink onto the floor as he moved. Akagi remained stupefied at the table.
Sendoh, however, somehow found him leaning back against the sticky wall mirror. He pushed a glass of something alcoholic into his hand.
"Here. For you."
Rukawa glanced down at the clear liquid.
"What's this for?"
"Dutch courage?" Sendoh answered with a shrug and downed his own shot in one go. Rukawa sipped his tentatively. It tasted awful, and it burned like fire. He set it quietly aside.
"I'm sorry if I was too nosy before," Sendoh said, offering him a peaceful smile. "It's not really my business, I guess."
"Right," Rukawa gave a short nod.
"But you look really good tonight so I thought it would be kind of a waste for you not to hook up with a nice girl."
Rukawa cast him an irritated look.
"I'm not interested in that kind of stuff."
"A nice boy, then."
Rukawa's expression turned hostile. "I told you I'm not-"
"How do you know?" Sendoh turned towards him, his handsome face striking in the lights, "You've never tried it before, right? Sex is good for you, you know? It's not healthy to keep it all pent in. You should just go and find a girl and see what I mean. You could get any girl in here, easy. They'll be so stunned by your face they probably won't even notice your shit personality."
Rukawa's scowl became dangerous. But before he could speak, Sendoh thumped a thousand dollar bill against his chest, drawing close, his words hot against Rukawa's ear. "A bet. One thousand dollars. Kiss someone."
Rukawa pushed him off. "Go to hell."
"You scared?" Sendoh smirked.
"No."
"Then do it."
Rukawa glared at him. "I just need to kiss someone in this room, and you'll give me a thousand dollars?"
"Right,"
"Anyone I want?"
"Anyone."
"Right now?"
"Right now."
Rukawa took hold of the front of Sendoh's shirt and stepped right up to his face. He didn't take the time to examine Sendoh's expression. His lips pressed softly against Sendoh's. One soft, chaste, and simple kiss, direct and honest, right there on his mouth. It was momentary. A quick brush of lips, that was all. A distant thrill of the illicit seemed to prickle on the far edge of Rukawa's senses. He ignored it.
He stepped back while Sendoh stared at him, mortified.
"What... what the hell was that?" he demanded angrily.
Rukawa plucked the thousand dollar bill from between Sendoh's slack fingers and gave a shrug, "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested. In girls," he jabbed his finger provokingly into Sendoh's chest, "or guys, either."
He turned and strode off, crumpling the money into his pocket.
No reaction.
A little part of him felt disappointed.
I should have known it would be nothing special.
Just a kiss.
Shouldn't kissing someone mean... something? Shouldn't I feel something more than this?
Oh, well.
He began his count down.
5, 4, 3, 2... 1.
As expected, a strong hand grabbed his arm and spun him around. He came face to face with Sendoh's ferocious expression.
"Oh, no, no you don't," Sendoh placed two firm hands heavily on his shoulders. "Don't you walk away from me."
"What now?" Rukawa grumbled back at him. Is he really angry about it? It was nothing serious. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
"If you're gonna go ahead and challenge me like that, you'd better be prepared for the consequences," Sendoh warned him in a low voice.
Rukawa balled his hands into fists, wondering if Sendoh was going to punch him in the middle of the dance floor.
Sendoh moved closer, his hands clutching Rukawa's clothes tightly. "You don't just get to blow off your sexuality with the sort of kiss you give your mother." He snarled. "If you're going to kiss Sendoh Akira, I guarantee you're going to feel it."
Sendoh's hands fisted tightly in his hair, holding him in place. Rukawa's eyes went wide.
"Hey, no, stop. Get off m-"
Rukawa's protest was cut off as Sendoh's lips pressed firmly against his own.
Rukawa tried to pull back but Sendoh did not let him go. He pushed deeper, his mouth opening, warm and moist and smooth against Rukawa's. A tongue touched his lips, smoothing and flickering at him. Rukawa heard himself give an astonished moan, and before he knew it, Sendoh's tongue was inside his mouth, coaxing him and teasing him, and stroking him earnestly.
A feeling like a thousand butterflies bursting from his stomach assaulted him. He moaned again, and brought his own hands up tentatively up to touch Sendoh's back, eventually fisting in his clothes pressing himself forward into Sendoh's embrace.
Skillful, Rukawa noted appreciatively. He's actually really, really good at this.
I guess it wasn't all just bravado.
It was diabolically good.
His eyes drifted closed.
Now I know what all those girls have been chasing him for.
After what felt like an age, Sendoh pulled back, his lips shimmering in the lights. He stared accusingly into his face. "Tell me again you're not interested," he challenged.
Rukawa only stared back at him, breathless. A gentle flush rose over his cheeks.
He gradually became aware of the fact that several pairs of eyes were watching them from the dance floor. He turned his head to see Mitsui, Miyagi and Sakuragi's shocked faces. Then he looked back at Sendoh's expectant expression.
"I guess it was... nice," he admitted reluctantly.
Sendoh's hands encircled his waist, dragging him close, bringing their stomachs flush together, their twin arousals butting together through their clothes suddenly notably obvious.
"Nice?" Sendoh queried, his eyes sharp. He lowered his head until his lips were millimetres away from Rukawa's, his voice dropping to a low husk. "Your body says it was more than nice."
Rukawa found himself straining to lean in, to bring their lips together again. Sendoh didn't let him.
"You want more?" he smirked. "Then tell me."
"I..." his eyes flickered to Sendoh's lips, tracing them hungrily. His heart hammered frantically. Such strange sensations. He'd never realised, never known that it could feel... like this. "...I want more," he whispered.
"Then come home with me," Sendoh's eyes were alight with something quite beyond Rukawa's experience. "And I'll give you everything you want."
"But I..."
Sendoh's lips brushed over his own once again, teasingly. "I know you've a virgin. I'll go real slow for you."
Rukawa shuddered. Sendoh smiled.
Do girls... really... fall for this... shit...?
Rukawa gave a small roll of his eyes. "Alright, just... just give me a moment."
With a slightly smug look, Rukawa drew himself out of Sendoh's hold and wandered over to the three stooges who were looking at him utterly gobsmacked.
Rukawa paused before Miyagi and held out a hand expectantly.
Very slowly, Miyagi extracted the thousand dollar bill from his pocket and placed it into Rukawa's palm. As did Mitsui, and finally Sakuragi who glared at him crossly, muttering the injustice that the bet had been to "kiss a girl".
One by one they parted with their money, and Rukawa's fingers closed around it all with a sly smile. Sendoh could only look on in confusion.
"Let's go," Rukawa informed Sendoh as he breezed past towards the door.
"What- what was that about?" Sendoh asked him, his face turning a little uncertain in the face of this new revelation. "Wait a minute. Did you... did you actually bet on... seducing me?"
"So what if I did?"
"You-" Sendoh stared at him. "-but how could you tell that I-?"
Rukawa gave him a commiserating smile.
"But no, wait..." Sendoh hurried to catch up with him as he strode on ahead, "...wait a minute... are you even... even actually a virgin?"
Rukawa stopped abruptly and turned to face him. A seductive smile crept over his lips as he leaned in real close and put his lips to Sendoh's ear.
"Well, I don't know," he whispered. He trailed his hands softly down Sendoh's chest. "How much do you wanna bet?"
-The End
AN: As usual, I started out trying to write something sweet and touching, and then managed to end up twisting it into my usual nasty brand of cynicism. Written in one day so not spectacular, I'm afraid. I'm so sorry. Happy rusen day nonetheless :)
This story was greatly inspired by rainbowsindecember's fantastic story Saturday Tea & Lemons where she caught the moment way better than I did.