Itsuki couldn't help but second guess himself. Really, he has no business going to this party. He should be reviewing strategy, or attending off-season practice with a few other members of his team, but the call of some much needed socializing and a cold glass of something deadly calls his name, so here he was. Knocking on the door of his upstairs neighbors. After a moment of delay, Mitsuko opened the door. He had met her and her brother Takeo a year before, when he ran into them in the stairwell as they attempted to move a ridiculously heavy couch up the stairs. After he accepted a bribe of beer and pizza, he had helped them move that monstrosity, and they had been friendly ever since.

After entering, Mitsuko took him around, introducing him. Just as he was halfway to the kitchen, Takeo joined them, and started steering them towards the balcony. Just as they neared the door, he felt their eyes fixating onto his face.

"Hey, what are you guys looking at? Do you -" Itsuki began, before being cut off by the sight in front of him. It was him. He had no idea what he was doing here. He had just so happen to believe that Tokuchi had run off after the championships, and was off skulking somewhere with seedy casinos and cheap liquor. But no. He was here at this party, smoking a cigarette on the balcony looking as nonchalant as ever. Just as he was about to turn around to question his hosts, Tokuchi made eye contact, and for that one moment, the earth stood still.

These moments, however, never last long, and the world quickly descended into chaos.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tokuchi asked, just as Itsuki whipped around to face Mitsuko. "What the hell is this?" He demanded, ignoring Tokuchi in favor of demanding answers from his "friends".

Mitsuko and Takeo took one last moment to drink in the shocked and disturbed reactions from the men in front of them before they rushed the door, and spun inside just as Tokuchi reached it, and attempted to shut it in their faces. Tokuchi however, didn't seem to like having his only escape route disappear, as he stuck his foot in the door to prevent Mitsuko's attempts at locking it, and got in Takeo's face.

"You think that this is equivalent to losing ten thousand yen?" Toa demanded, nose scrunching up in annoyance. "You think you can bother me by throwing that guy in my face?" Itsuki decided it would be best to back off at this point. It looks like Tokuchi is only getting started. "You obviously are obviously much more fixated on this than I am" Tokuchi continued. At this point, all eyes in the room were on them, and Itsuki felt that this is as good a time as any to leave. Booze be damned, he had had enough Tokuchi drama to last him a lifetime.

Just as he was about to really get started on Takeo, Toa heard a door slam. The source of his ire had done everyone a favor, and removed himself from the situation. It would be best if he did the same to spare himself from any more of this embarrassment these people called entertainment.

"Just so you know" Toa muttered, "I will be leaving" he looked around for a way to exit without making a scene. He spotted the liquor table. He got it. "And I will be taking these with me." He finished, scooping up all the bottles he could carry, and scurried out the door, ignoring the horrified cries of his former "friends".

Toa made his way down the stairs, only to come across Takami Itsuki standing in the stairwell, muttering to himself and pacing as he searched his pockets. The idiot had obviously forgotten something. Keys, probably. He had to get around him in a dignified manner. Just as he was about to breeze past him, Takami looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Don't let the door close-" Itsuki began before he heard a resounding clang behind Tokuchi. Well fuck. Judging by the startled look on Tokuchi's stupid face, he obviously had no idea what he had done. "You idiot!" Takami shouted "You let the door close!"

Toa was done. He had been run out of his friends' apartment, and now he was being shouted at by the root of the problem. "What are you talking about, you idiot?" he asked. "Why shouldn't I let the door close?"

To this, Takami let out a frustrated growl. "I don't have my card key to open the door, and they automatically lock after 10" He moaned. "We can get into the stairwell, but not out". Toa felt his stomach sink. Oh god, no. Not this. Takami ignored Toa's desire for him to shut up and continued "Unless you want to call those assholes and beg them to come get us, we are trapped until six".

Itsuki took a breath, and collapsed into a squat, cradling his head in his hands. He took this as an opportunity to take in the sight of Tokuchi. He is now slumping against the wall, gazing up at the ceiling, as if to question God, asking him why they were cursed. Then, his gaze fell to the copious amount of booze Tokuchi had probably taken from their hosts. This was most likely his idea of revenge. It was then his mood fell to "fuck it" levels, and he grabbed a bottle, opened it, and took a swig.

Toa stared openly at the madman before him. They were stuck in a stairwell together, and all he could do was drink copious amounts of alcohol. But then again, there was the alternative, and Toa could not see himself spending eight hours alone with this man sober. So Toa did one thing he did very rarely. He gave up. Grabbing an unopened bottle of something amber that singed his eyebrows when he opened it, he sat a few steps up from Takami. They sat in silence for another ten minutes before the threat of alcohol poisoning became a very real fear for the both of them, forcing them to abandon their bottles in favor of silence. And silent they were, for at least another half hour. Just as his ears started to ring from all the silence, Toa felt the weight of Takami's gaze. Glancing down, Toa made and maintained eye contact.

Itsuki could not believe the situation they were in. It was like a bad American sitcom. Tokuchi has nice eyes. He never seemed to notice that on the field, but then again, he had other things to worry about, like crushing Tokuchi and grinding the Lycaons into the dust. That was still a pretty attractive option, but they still had a good seven hours left stuck in this hellhole, and a good fight would only last a good seven minutes. Maybe three due to their intoxication. Maybe those Americans had it right. Maybe they should talk to each other and get to know one another. If anyone would extend the olive branch, it would be him. "So" Takami began, racking his mind for what to say next. "How did you meet Mitsuko and Takeo"? He asked in a poor attempt to make conversation.

Oh god no. Just no. Toa would be having none of this drunken bonding shit. None of it. He declined to answer, and instead stared at Takami with dead eyes. He would not blink until Takami looked away. That was sure to establish his dominance, and fix him up with another seven hours of sweet, sweet silence.

"So this is the way it is going to be" Itsuki thought to himself as he maintained eye contact with Tokuchi. No way was he going to look away first. This was going to stop now.

They maintained their stand off until both men were red eyed and irritable. Huffing, Toa looked away just as Takami lowered his head into his hands. This was going to be the longest six hours and fifty-five minutes of his life.

Tokuchi's silence lasted for another hour. One agonizing hour of them refusing to look at each other, pacing, drinking, and twiddling their thumbs. Itsuki allowed his previous buzz to wear off before sipping a bit more of the potato alcohol he so enjoyed. He was just drunk enough to tolerate Tokuchi, but not enough so to start talking about his college years. After ten more minutes, Tokuchi's strong will finally snapped.

"We used to play poker together back in high school" Toa muttered, choking back his pride. "I used to let them win every once in a while so they would keep bringing in fresh meat who didn't know how to win".

Itsuki looked up, startled out of his tipsy haze. He was sorely tempted to ignore Tokuchi's attempt to make conversation, but the threat of boredom was enough to make him reply. "You've known them since high school"? He asked, "How have you kept friends for that long"? He finished. Noting Toa's curled lip, Itsuki had moments to dodge the misplaced kick directed at him. "That's not nice" He said lamely.

"I have friends, moron". Toa stated. "They just aren't close friends, as you can tell". Takami seemed to consider this. "So why did they pull this stunt"? He asked, seeming genuinely curious. Toa considered his answer before replying "Because I humiliated Takeo. He was getting a bit too stuck up, so I took all of his cash in a game. He was probably more offended to learn I'd been going easy on him than he was about the money".

Itsuki could not comprehend the idea of Tokuchi going easy on someone, especially when money was involved. "So why did you do it"? He asked "Why were you going easy on him"? The corners of Tokuchi's smug mouth twitched when he replied "Because he was still useful at the time". Itsuki fixed his gaze behind Tokuchi's left shoulder. Of course that was it. There was not an ounce of compassion in this man. And he used the term "man" loosely.

"So," Toa begins "How do you know them"?

Takami replied immediately. "They're my neighbors. I helped move them in" How pedestrian. He could at least have made an effort to come up with something more interesting than that. They sat in silence after that. He couldn't think of anything he wanted to say to that man, and it seems that neither could he. It was after a pregnant pause that Takami asked "So how are the Lycaons doing?"

Toa let his head fall to the side and thud against the wall. His buzz was wearing off way too fast to be discussing this. "No idea" He said. "That's behind me now".

Itsuki couldn't believe this. He had heard about how Tokuchi had gotten on the team, and how he had been made to stay. What he couldn't comprehend however, is why left. He had led a team to the championships, and was beloved by the team and its fans, so how could he leave? "You are kind of a rotten bastard, you know"? Takami muttered, casting a dead eyed gaze over Tokuchi, who merely shrugged in acknowledgement.

Toa needed a cigarette, common courtesy be damned. He let his eyes fall on a chip in the plaster of the far wall as he lit up. A little less than four hours left to go. "How is your team doing"? He asked, trying his best not to sound smug. "Better" was the other man's reply. "We are finally getting back on track to where we need to be. But what some of us really need is a kick in the ass". Toa hummed in acknowledgement. He needed to change the subject. But before he could think of another asinine topic, he felt a hand rest on his knee.

"Hey," the other man began, "how about a bet?"

Thank you so much for reading my first fic. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Thank you so much to KatenissEverdeen for being an amazing beta, and for all the wonderful ideas!