It was still early, so the large crowds had not yet arrived. Sendoh spotted Rukawa at once, sitting alone at a table near the window. All the other tables and seats around him were empty, people choosing to sit elsewhere. A few curious eyes were turned his way, eyeing his sports uniform and powerful physique warily across the room. The tracksuit only made him stand out more, as if his handsome face and natural poise were not already noticeable enough. He did not blend in with the law faculty members at all.

He really was absolutely stunning, Sendoh thought to himself.

Sendoh felt a bubble of excitement lift in his chest just at the sight of him there, waiting. Waiting for him. He hurried eagerly through the tables towards him. "You made it!"

Rukawa glanced up through his fringe and gave a shrug.

Sendoh dropped into the seat opposite, throwing his book satchel carelessly onto the chair beside him. "I'm sorry I'm a bit late. My Professor held me back."

Rukawa considered him silently. His fierce eyes moving over Sendoh's smart, if slightly rumpled, clothing, and smiling face. "It's fine," he eventually said.

"Have you ordered something yet?" Sendoh continued excitedly. "I want to tell you all the best dishes."

Rukawa shook his head mutely.

"Then, do you mind if I order for us?" Sendoh asked happily. "Is there something special you want?"

"No. Anything is fine," Rukawa shrugged again, confused by Sendoh's enthusiasm over something as commonplace as lunch.

"Great!" The next moment Sendoh was up and fishing for his wallet. "Ok. Ok. Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." He high-tailed his way to the food counter and Rukawa watched him go silently, his head tilted slightly, considering.

How strange. Watching this boy jog through the canteen so happily to order lunch for him.

Rukawa was not used to company. Most people found him unpleasant to be around. He was serious, and awkward, and never knew what to say or how to carry a conversation. He had sought Sendoh out, that was true. But that was because of the game. He'd noticed Sendoh's natural ability. The simple beauty of his plays. The long loping bounds he made across the court, clever fingers that drummed the ball, and a brightness in his eyes that Rukawa couldn't remember seeing for a long time.

He played a game Rukawa had forgotten about. Something sincere and genuine in his movements. He did not play with great cunning or with deception. He was something… refreshing. A piece of a puzzle that Rukawa hadn't even noticed was missing. An energy that made the basketball court seem almost like…

…fun.

The thought was a strange one. It made Rukawa Kaede wonder to himself quite when basketball had stopped being something fun.

Now, he watched the way Sendoh lined up. The way he bounced a little on his heels. He watched the way he balanced the tray on his hands. The smile he had for the cashier. The way his hips twisted as he wove through the tables. The eager handsomeness of his face. The energy he seemed to impart to the world around him.

And for the first time in his life, Rukawa found himself interested in who this person was. He wanted to know… more.

Why is he like this?

Why doesn't he play on the team?

Why didn't I ever hear of him before?

Why is he studying such boring things when he clearly loves playing basketball very much?

"Here we go!" Sendoh announced, setting down the tray. "I hope you like them!"

Rukawa surveyed the selection critically. Then he reached out and grabbed one of the empty white bowls and a pair of chopsticks. "Thanks," he acknowledged.

Sendoh beamed, unperturbed by Rukawa's unfriendly manner, and he lowered himself into his chair. "Please eat whatever you like."

Rukawa was already helping himself to a heaped spoonful of egg rice followed swiftly by a chicken wing. He was hungry after training this morning, and more than ready to eat everything on the table.

He concentrated on biting into his chicken wing and perked up at once. It was good. The crisp skin and tender meat were cooked to perfection. The gentle honey taste was sweet in his mouth.

Sendoh saw his reaction and smiled again. "Ah – it's delicious, right? Why don't you try this one-?" he slid another dish across the table towards Rukawa. "It's my favourite."

Rukawa considered it curiously. It was a plate of sliced beef stir-fried with peppers. "You prefer meat dishes?" he enquired as he picked up a bit of beef between his chopsticks. Rukawa had very little red meat in his diet since the team manager insisted they eat cleaner foods.

"Well, yeah, I guess. But I like everything, really." Sendoh patted his stomach cheerfully, and Rukawa found his eyes drawn to his body. He looked tall and scrawny in his white shirt and blue tie. A little untidy. His fingers were long and his hands large. His eyes were friendly behind his ridiculously nerdy glasses.

As his eyes wandered appraising over Sendoh, Rukawa took an absent-minded bite of the beef.

He actually chewed a couple of times before he noticed that-

"Ah!" he exclaimed, his hand going up to his mouth as if in surprise. His eyes immediately started to water fiercely. He grabbed for a tissue and nearly knocked over the water in his haste. "It's spicy!"

"Oh, yes!" Sendoh agreed happily. "It's really hot. Isn't it delicious? Oh..." he trailed off as Rukawa spat the messy glob of food into the tissue. "You... don't like it?"

Rukawa looked up at him with a cold expression that channelled all his remaining dignity into one drop-dead glare. His eyes had turned a bit red. His nose was beginning to run. Despite his annoyed look, he had become quite pitiful suddenly. The famous Wildcat basketball ace, defeated by spicy beef. He snatched up his glass of water, and Sendoh couldn't help but grin.

"You can't eat spicy food?" he asked innocently.

"Obviously not!" Rukawa spat out indignantly, taking a mouthful of the water.

Sendoh began to laugh. It was not unkind. It was a warm sound, filled with affection that made Rukawa eye him suspiciously. It was not the sort of sound Rukawa was used to hearing. Certainly not directed at him. Laughter. People didn't normally laugh at Rukawa Kaede. He couldn't quite decide whether he minded it or not.

"You're so funny," Sendoh chuckled, and Rukawa – who was truthfully not even the least bit funny – felt something strange and unfamiliar momentarily constrict his chest.

"Here," Sendoh continued. "Eat this. This will help take away the heat."

It was a small steamer containing four pale, round dumplings. Beside it was a small bowl of black sauce.

"That's vinegar," Sendoh explained helpfully, pointing at the sauce. "It'll take away the heat. Dip them in there." Rukawa peered at him suspiciously. Sendoh held up his hands. "It's not spicy!" he promised.

Rukawa, still hanging onto a tissue and dabbing at his nose, treated the dumplings warily as if they might turn out to be a trick. Sendoh gazed at him in lingering amusement, forgetting even to eat himself as he propped his chin upon one hand and stared.

Rukawa dipped the dumpling into the mystery sauce and nibbled the smallest possible amount. A little soup leaked out from inside the morsel. It was rich and tasty. So he ate a little more. And then he popped the whole thing into his mouth.

The dumpling was delicious. Warm broth and minced pork subtly flavoured, accented with the vinegar. Rukawa licked his lips. Sendoh made no move to eat anything - the idiot was just sitting there smiling inanely - so Rukawa pulled the whole steamer over to his side and began to eat all four dumplings jealously.

Sendoh only smiled, not minding at all.

It was at that moment that an unexpected voice said, "Sendoh Akira."

Rukawa looked up at the newcomer at the same time that Sendoh's chin slipped out of his hand in surprise and he only narrowly avoided face-planting the table.

"P- P- P- Professor!" he said in surprise, scrabbling to rise to his feet. "Did- did I forget something?"

"No," the criminal law lecturer said slowly, his face frowning and his eyes narrow. He stood behind Sendoh's chair carrying a lunch tray of his own. "I saw you eating here, and thought I would say hello."

"Oh. Oh, really? Uhm-" Sendoh, who had never before been approached by a Professor outside of a classroom, scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "H- h- hello?"

The Professor gave an enigmatic smile. His eyes turned down to Rukawa who was staring up at the Professor in quiet annoyance.

"Kaede," he greeted him by his first name.

Rukawa remained silent.

"Will you be home for dinner?" the Professor asked.

"...yeah," Rukawa answered reluctantly.

"No training today?"

"Mn."

"I'll tell your mother, then."

Rukawa shrugged. "...k."

Sendoh blinked confusedly a couple of times before abruptly reanimating. "Ah!" he said, lifting a finger to point at the Professor. "Ah!"

The Professor lifted an eyebrow, "Well, I need to eat so I'll leave you two alone."

Rukawa gave a cool nod and looked away.

The Professor sent Sendoh a final glance. "And, oh yes," he added. "A very impressive likeness, by the way. You are quite an artist, young man."

Sendoh turned red to the tips of his ears, recalling his secret drawing of Kaede that the Professor had seen. "Not... not really," he quickly stammered.

The Professor gave a knowing smile and did not wait for him to continue. He turned and strode away.

Slowly, Sendoh recovered his breath and lowered himself back into his chair.

Rukawa was eyeing him curiously, wanting to know more about the comment. "Artist?" He enquired.

"Oh! That's nothing," Sendoh shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "But you... you two are related?" he asked.

Rukawa nodded. "My dad."

"I knew it!" Sendoh congratulated himself, bringing his hand down against the table with a celebratory thump. "I tried to tell Koshino that he looked like you!" But then he paused, and slumped a little in his seat. "But I can't believe it," he mumbled, closing his eyes."Your dad is Professor Grump?"

Rukawa's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Professor... what?"

"Oh!" Sendoh opened his eyes abruptly. "Oh. That's just something we call him because he's always so grumpy." He paused. "Wait, I probably shouldn't have told you that." He looked over at Rukawa in a sudden panic. "Please don't tell him."

Rukawa held Sendoh's stare, his face entirely blank, looking very serious.

Sendoh paled rapidly.

Rukawa took enjoyment from every moment of Sendoh sweating in his seat. But eventually he couldn't hold it any longer, and the shape of his lips became a taut bow as he let out his breath and sniggered a little.

"Professor Grump," he repeated quietly to himself in amusement, and Sendoh was relieved at his reaction.

"Ahahaha, yeah. I'm sorry about that."

"It suits him."

"It does!"

Rukawa took another mouthful of his omelette rice, looking pleasantly diverted as he chewed.

Sendoh, still staring, held his breath. Rukawa was not smiling as such. But there was something in his face that was light. The smallest evidence of good humour. And Sendoh could have stared at him all day.

He let out a soft sigh, his chin dropping back into his palm. "So you take after your dad, huh?" he queried. "I mean, you're both pretty tall."

But Rukawa shrugged. "Not really. I'm more like mum. She's the athlete."

"Really?" Sendoh was curious.

Rukawa nodded.

"Does she play basketball?"

Rukawa shook his head. "No, she's on the national badminton team."

Sendoh's eyes went wide. "Wow. Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Rukawa acknowledged with a shrug.

Sendoh dropped his arms in amazement. "So your dad is a professor, and your mum is an athlete? That's really cool. You've got like, perfect genes!" He gave an easy laugh.

"Well, I'm not… really good at… like, academic stuff," Rukawa said.

Sendoh smiled brightly. "But you're good at the thing you love," he said.

Rukawa lifted his head and met his eyes.

"You..." he began, and frowned, "…why don't you play?"

"Play what?"

"Basketball."

"Oh! Right. That." Sendoh cringed, and then scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well - I used to play a lot. But I quit during high school."

Rukawa blinked at him. "Why?"

Sendoh's eyes took in Rukawa sitting there, with his pile of tissues and reddened nose. "It was too much time commitment. My grades were not as good as they should have been. I knew I needed to do better and so I… quit the team in my sophomore year. To be honest with you… I haven't played since then. You know, until our game, that is."

Rukawa frowned. He could not imagine a life without playing basketball. "So now you… study law instead?"

Sendoh pursed his lips a little. He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Yeah," he said. "I want to be a human rights lawyer."

"Human rights?"

Sendoh smiled a little wistfully, his eyes turning to the window. "It bothers me, you know? That the law is so money oriented. Because, you know, it's the the most vulnerable people who are the ones being bullied. By businesses. And by governments. The people who the law is supposed to protect always seem to be losing out to it. So I want to... do something. For people who need it. Not just sit back while the judiciary works only for those who can afford to pay…"

He trailed off. Then he suddenly blinked and sat up straighter. "Oh!" he said, his eyes fixing on Rukawa who was still watching him attentively. "Sorry I... got a bit carried away. You don't wanna hear about that kind of stuff." He chuckled in embarrassment.

Rukawa remained silent, just watching him.

It felt almost like Rukawa was looking through him. Taking careful note of him - the things he said, did, thought, felt. Everything. Like nothing was invisible to those fierce eyes of his.

"I see," Rukawa finally said.

Sendoh realised that although it had been Rukawa's basketball skill that had caught his attention at first, there really was a lot that he didn't know yet. After all, despite his unfriendly manner and reputation, Rukawa was not quite what Sendoh had expected. He was softly spoken, thoughtful, and attentive. He was not arrogant or attention-seeking. He had come to seek him out. Had wanted to play basketball with him. Was sitting with him, now. Him. Just another student from law. It didn't seem likely at all. And yet… it was.

He didn't really know much about Rukawa Kaede. His thoughts. His dreams. How he saw the world.

But he wanted to.

He truly did want to.

"Kaede, I like you," he said plainly, causing Rukawa to blink and look into Sendoh's face in surprise. Sendoh smiled, guileless. "I really really really really..." he took an eager breath, "...want to be your friend."

Rukawa blinked at him slowly, his eyebrows knitting slightly in puzzlement.

"Okay," he said simply.

"Ahhhh... really?!" Sendoh let out his breath in a rush, and leaned forwards to seize Rukawa's hand on the tabletop. Too quick for him, Rukawa pulled it out of the way, and Sendoh missed, his hands closing around nothing, though he didn't seem to mind. "I'm so happy," he declared, leaning right across the table, his eyes practically disappearing into creases with his smile.

Rukawa frowned at him. "You're getting vinegar on your tie," he pointed out, wrinkling his nose.

"Oh!" Sendoh straightened, lifting the end of his tie out of the sauce in dismay. "Oh..." he sighed, "…crap."

But in the next moment, the corners of his lips prickled as if it were a joke. A little moment of... something. Shared between the two of them. The sort of thing that, in ten years time, they would look back upon. And the dog would say do you remember when I asked to be friends? And the cat would say yeah, you got vinegar on your tie.

After that, the two of them went together to the faculty court, the cat walking with smooth elegance, the dog practically bouncing from foot to foot, to spend a long and pleasant afternoon chasing a ball.

-tbc