When he finally got back home late that afternoon, Rukawa pushed open the door to his family home and dropped his bag and shoes tiredly in the entrance way. Sendoh had run him ragged playing one against the other, and now he wanted nothing but to collapse and watch TV.

"Kaede, is that you?" his mother's voice drifted from the kitchen. Since his father worked at the university, his family lived nearby, and he had no need to use the student accommodation.

"Yeah, I'm back," he replied, kicking off his shoes and noticing the sweet scent on the air.

"Good! Come and try these!"

He made his way to the back of the house and ducked into the kitchen to see his mother fanning a tray of freshly baked cupcakes with a dish towel.

She was a short but athletic woman with a body that was all wire and sinew. Yet despite the strength in her, she had a face that was gentle, and a motherly nature that filled the whole house with welcome.

Rukawa held a tender pride for his mother. He admired the combination of her competitive grit with her warm domesticity.

"Cupcake?" she offered. "Put a bit of buttercream on the top if you'd like. It's in the bowl."

He did as told, using a serving spoon to place a large dollop of cream on top of the still-warm cake. He'd always had a fondness for cream. He took a seat at the kitchen table, watching his mother tidying away the mess she had made.

"What are these for?" he asked, his mouth full.

She turned and fixed him with a look. "For my darling son, of course."

He frowned at her and she laughed. "Don't glare at me, dear. It's just for us. Nothing special."

He looked down at the half-eaten cupcake in his hand. "Mum," he complained, "You know I'm trying to-"

"-keep in shape, I know! I know!" she flipped out her dishcloth and hung it on a peg. "More cream?"

Rukawa sighed resignedly and held out the remaining half for his mother to deliver a second spoonful of buttercream.

The flesh is weak, he lamented, eyeing the delicious pile of calories. His mother loved to bake. And Rukawa had a very sweet tooth.

"It's fine," his mother chirped cheerfully. "I'm going for a run later; you can come."

"Great," Rukawa grumbled, although his words were muffled by cake.

"Is there one for me?" Rukawa's father – Professor Grump – entered the kitchen and eyed the tray. He put his arm around his wife and kissed the top of her head. He was head and shoulders taller than she was.

"Absolutely!" she eagerly slathered cream onto another cupcake and handed it over. "Extra cream for you!"

"Perfect," Rukawa's father smiled warmly, squeezing her shoulder affectionately and accepting the cupcake. Rukawa rolled his eyes unseen. He often felt embarrassed by his parents' lovey-dovey moments.

"How was your day?" his mother asked him.

"Mm," he hummed, noncommittally.

Then his father said unexpectedly, "He's made a friend."

His mother turned towards him at once, clutching her hands together in delight. "Really? That's great!"

Rukawa only kept his eyes on his cake and chewed. "Hn."

It wasn't like having friends was something remarkable. Really. He felt embarrassed that his parents were so worried about him. He could make friends if he wanted to. Probably.

For a moment he recalled the reactions of the students when they'd seen him walking in the law faculty and he frowned to himself.

Probably.

But the truth was that even his teammates kept a distance from him. He didn't mean to intimidate people or make them uncomfortable, it just happened like that. And it didn't bother him much. He wasn't out there looking for friends, that was for sure. So what if no one chit-chatted to him about the weather? A waste of time, anyway.

It was just that sometimes it might be more convenient if there was maybe… just one person.

"Although," his father was continuing thoughtfully. "I think he's less of a friend, and more of a hopeless admirer."

"Oh," his mother's joy deflated a bit. "Just a fan, huh?"

Rukawa looked up, eyebrows furrowed. "He's not a fan," he heard himself say defensively.

They had played all afternoon. Sendoh hadn't played in a few years, so it wasn't a big surprise that he couldn't keep up with Rukawa. But even so, what he lacked in strength and fitness he made up for with surprising skill and quick-thinking brilliance that could easily threaten Rukawa if he let his guard down. It was obvious that, had he chosen a different route and kept up his game, Sendoh Akira could have been one of the elites. Playing against him, Rukawa found, was both valuable and exhilarating.

But wasn't there more than that? Thinking that Sendoh's interest in him might be so limited caused an unexpected feeling of discomfort in his chest.

He said he wanted to be friends.

Doesn't that mean..?

I don't think I'm wrong, but...

But suddenly he wasn't too sure.

Sendoh was handsome. And smart. And friendly. He probably had a lot of friends. Wasn't it a little odd that he'd want to spend time with someone as awkward and antisocial as Rukawa Kaede?

He saw his parents exchanging meaningful glances, and that just made him more irritated.

"He's not a fan," he insisted again, grabbed another cupcake from the tray and exited the kitchen.

He thumped his way up the stairs to his room.

"Oh-" his mother said once he'd gone, turning to her husband. "So it's like that, is it?"

"I thought it was one sided," Professor Grump was also staring after his son. "Well, that's a bit of a surprise."

"What's he like, this boy? Is he on the basketball team?"

"No," Rukawa senior frowned. "He's a law student. Very good one. He's in my criminal law class."

"Oh." Rukawa's mother squinted confusedly after her son. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess."

"Mm."

"Do you think we should talk to him?"

"And say what?"

She twisted her hands together. "I don't know," she admitted.

"Are you worried?" her husband queried gently.

"I- I'm not sure. Maybe."

"What's the problem?"

"Well, I always hoped Kaede would find someone, you know… who had things in common with him."

"You mean an athlete."

"Not… necessary. But," she pouted a little, "Okay, yes."

Rukawa senior gave a soft chuckle. "Really? Is this the same woman who dumped her coach and married a lawyer?"

"That's different!" she protested.

"How is it different?"

"Because... because..." she turned her face up to him. "Because it's Kaede. You know he doesn't have many friends. What if this boy is not serious about him? What if he gets hurt?"

Her husband smiled and pulled her into his embrace. "Kaede will be fine," he promised.

Rukawa flopped onto his bed, holding up the cupcake above the sheets with one hand. He was already regretting his stroppy exit from the kitchen.

They're bound to get some stupid ideas.

Really, his parents drove him crazy sometimes.

He rolled onto his side in agitation, and then got up and placed the cake on the bedside table. He examined his own hand as he did so. His nails were getting long, he noticed. He needed to cut them again, or risk injury with a badly thrown ball. He straightened, lifting his arm and twisting his hand before his face as if he'd never seen it before.

Sendoh had large hands, he thought to himself. They seemed larger than his own. He could hold a basketball, Rukawa had already noticed that. His fingers were long and straight – not bent as Rukawa's were. After all, Rukawa had broken more fingers than he could count due to accidents on the court. Sendoh's knuckles were a little pronounced, the skin pulling tight, and there was a pleasing largeness about the joints of his fingers. His nails were clipped short and tidy and a little bit square. He seemed like the kind of person who took care of himself…

Rukawa stopped his thoughts in their tracks.

Was he really thinking about Sendoh's... hands?

Had he taken so much notice? Why? When?

He let his own hand drop to the bedsheet in bemusement. His fingers curled into the fabric, and for a moment it was as if the bunching fibres were fingers interlaced with his own.

I'm going mad, he decided.

There was an unfamiliar ache in his chest.

"Ugh!" Suddenly frustrated he stood abruptly upright, motionless in the middle of his room, unable to process whatever the hell was going wrong with him.

He only said I was funny. Which I'm not.

He wanted to eat lunch with me. He was nice to me. We played a bit and it was fun.

He didn't seem...

...to dislike me.

But was he really so stupid as to fall for someone just because they didn't dislike him?

That was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

He wasn't that desperate, surely? He liked keeping to himself. Being alone. So one small exposure to friendliness, one tiny offer of companionship, one person who didn't shy away from him like he was going to bite, shouldn't have him collapsing into a soft and soggy mess.

And yet...

He turned his head, snatched up the cupcake, and ate it crossly.

Hell.

-tbc

The next chapter contains some swear words. I think it's okay but I'll probably raise the rating a bit because of that. I hope no one minds ^.^" Thanks again for your comments and encouragement! Addicted to SD and RokudaimeLove :D I really appreciate it.