After practise was over, Rukawa collapsed on the bench, breathing hard. Sawakita collapsed close beside him.

"Drink?" Sawakita offered, holding out a bottle of Pocari that he'd pulled from the cooler.

Rukawa took it with a mumbled word of thanks, unscrewing the cap. Sawakita took another for himself and did the same.

"You kids looked like you were having fun," a deep voice rumbled nearby, and they both looked up to see the Warriors' captain Tyrone standing over them.

Sawakita grinned up at him. "Yeah. This kitty gave me a challenge but I think I beat him in the end."

Rukawa shot him a glare, but there was no venom in it. Just a kind of tired resignation.

"Well," one of the twins came over to join their small group. Not the one Mitsui had been paired with. The other. The power forward. Rukawa couldn't remember his name. Mick? Mike? Something?

"Since it's our first night in town," the large man said, "we're all gonna head out for a drink this evening after dinner."

Hanagata was close behind him. "Yes," he confirmed, "it will be a good opportunity to get to know each other better."

Rukawa noticed Mitsui looking unhappy at the news, and saw the other twin - Darius - leaned a little closer to speak something into his ear with a smirk. Mitsui scrowled visibly and stepped away from him.

Sawakita turned towards Rukawa, his whole body twisting in the seat. "Sounds like fun!"

Rukawa tsked audibly. It did not sound like fun. It sounded like a nightmare.

"Everyone will attend," Hanagata told them strictly, giving Rukawa and Mitsui in particular a no-nonsense glare that made it clear he was talking primarily to them. "See you all at 8pm."

The teams headed for the locker rooms. As expected, Sawakita followed Rukawa's heels closely, nearly standing on his feet.

"So-" he began again. "Will you bring a special girlfriend along tonight?"

What the hell is this idiot still following me for?

"No," Rukawa informed him with a flat stare, pushing open the door to the changing rooms.

"Then, a boyfriend maybe?"

Rukawa hesitated. The smallest moment of confusion crossing his face at Sawakita's so-casual mention of a boyfriend.

Sawakita noticed his hesitation at once. "Ah-!" he remarked, seizing the moment. "Who is he?"

Rukawa recovered himself enough to glare. "No one. Nothing. Go away." He felt cross with himself. He'd managed not to think about Sendoh for a whole two hours, thanks for Sawakita's plays. But now that friend of his was back at the front of his thoughts. Again. And it was annoying him.

He grimaced to himself.

"No, no," Sawakita skirted around him, moving to Rukawa's front to block the way. "I'm curious now. You have to tell me more."

Rukawa shook his head in aspiration, turned and went the other way. Sawakita followed his heels.

"Ahh, a crush, huh? Does he know?"

Rukawa blew air irritably through his nose, his patience wearing thin, but Sawakita took no heed of it.

"Are you going to confess?"

Rukawa finally stopped, turned, and glared at him. "Mind your own business," he growled out.

Sawakita did not mind his own business. He gave Rukawa a sympathetic smile. "It's hard, I know. Especially when you're the same gender."

Rukawa opened his mouth to snap something back, but paused.

"What do you mean by that?" he finally demanded, curiosity winning out.

"I'm bi," Sawakita revealed. "I've chased a couple of guys in the past. It can be messy, sometimes. Specially when you don't know for sure which way they swing." He closed his mouth, considered Rukawa's expression for a moment, and then nodded and headed for his locker.

Rukawa stared after him, feeling offence frothing inside his chest at being so easily read by this near-total stranger. How could Sawakita so easily assume that he was becoming weirdly and embarrassingly obsessed with some guy?

"He's my friend," Rukawa spat out reluctantly at Sawakita's retreating back, feeling the need to defend himself. He didn't bother to mention only friend. "Not that it's any of your business."

Sawakita glanced back, and his smile was inscrutable. "As you say."

Rukawa threw him a last irritated look, before storming off to the showers. This time, Sawakita let him go.