A/N: OH MY…! Thank you thank you thank you so much for the warm reviews y'all had left for this fiction! I never really expected y'all to be so open to the idea and the feedback was so overwhelming that I got hooked on this myself! [what? s.g.o. not really hooked from the beginning?] Hahaha… honestly, I was having some uncomfortable feelings about imagining the two of them together at first, but I just, well, got kinda used to it, after reading what y'all had to say about it! Hahahaha!!! I'm really weird… don't mind, don't mind ^___^ *huggles everyone warm and tight*
CHAPTER ONE: HOLD ME
He could still remember the pain and the unbearable desolation as though it happened only yesterday…
It was his fault for loving her to the excess, but how was he to know she was only toying with his feelings? How was he to know it would all come to this? That the girl he had so generously given his love and full devotion to would end up being the bitch who mercilessly trampled and crashed his heart into shards of despair… Of what he thought was an irreparable ruin.
"A bar?!" he practically cried into the phone two nights after the agonizing break-up. "Mitsui, are you out of your mind? Y'know that's the last place I'll ever think of going to even if you drag me up in chains!"
"Hey, that's a pretty cool idea," the guy on the other line remarked in mock enthusiasm--as though he had just found out the answer to all of life's mysteries. "Y'know, we just might consider doing that."
"Baka," was all he was able to say as he felt the urge of slamming the phone down rush through his veins, yet was unable to conform to it.
"Oh c'mon, Akagi, don't be such a goody-goody @$$hole!" Mitsui chortled, amply stoking the fire of his wrath. "You need to go out once in a while and get a life!"
"I don't have a life anymore, okay?" Akagi snarled impatiently, gripping the receiver so hard he nearly cracked it into halves.
"Or so Kimi-chan has told me."
He had to remind himself rather uneasily that Mitsui's "Kimi-chan" happened to be his classmate and long-time buddy Kiminobu Kogure. Yes, Akagi, a GUY! He always would cringe at the mere thought of it, having believed himself straight and all. Heck, he even thought he liked the boyish manageress Ayako--who now happened to be Hanamichi Sakuragi's domineering girlfriend--for quite a long while. Now, who would've expected those two to hook up together?
Who would've expected him to hook up with that guy?
"I'm not going," he said calmly, subsequently igniting a series of disappointed whines from the guy on the other line. "And don't force me!" he added with more force and emphasis to make his point clearer than clear.
"Sheesh, don't turn yourself into a hermit now just because of that bitch!" Mitsui's tone was now harder, angrier. "DAMMIT Takenori Akagi! Here and we try all our best to cheer you up and you wouldn't even help yourself! Loosen up, will ya?!"
Akagi sighed loudly, roughly. "I would, but not in a bar." And not with the two of you, for that matter. He really didn't have anything against a guy-guy relationship, but… It's just that he felt a little too uneasy at the simple thought of it that he was rather afraid the uneasiness might deftly turn to shame once he actually saw them together.
"C'mon," Mitsui coaxed on. "I'm sure you're gonna meet someone new there. Or if not, you can just go and enjoy yourself with old acquaintances. There are many of them frequenting that place. Maybe you can even share a drink or two with your old rival, Jun Uozumi, eh?"
"No," he hissed, swearing to bash this certain guy's head to pieces the very next time he saw him. Damn, he may not be as attractive as most, but he wasn't THAT desperate either!
To add in his annoyance, Hisashi Mitsui even found the guts to laugh out loudly. "We're not gonna try to pair you up with him, baka! He's already taken!"
"And I'm almost afraid to ask by whom," he all but grumbled.
"Sendoh. Akira Sendoh. Shocking isn't it?"
Akagi's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his bean as the blow rendered him speechless for a few seconds. He found himself wondering how many more of those guys he always thought were straight had actually hooked up together…
"There are also women there, if you like," Mitsui, probably sensing his discomfort--and well, at last!--added. "So?"
"No," he replied, still a little too harshly nevertheless. But this "no" was shortly turned into a rather forced "All right!" when Mitsui passed the phone to Kogure [he didn't want to even think about what they could be doing together in one place] and his expertly cajoling buddy worked his irreversible and so-damn-irresistible magic on him.
And so, the very next night, he found himself moping over a bottle of beer in one corner of that slightly dimmed bar filled with different kinds of human species--bi, gay, straight… you name it and the place sure as hell had it.
He took one last gulp of beer before slamming the bottle a little too roughly on the table. He had actually intended to sort of break it and was a little disappointed when it didn't even crack. He didn't really need it anymore anyway since he already felt dizzy from the lights, the sounds and the sights of that place. Its general ambiance nettled him, suffocated him while at the same time nearly lulling him to sleep. He felt as drunk as a man who had been drinking the whole night when he hadn't even finished a single bottle yet.
And DAMN! Did he just see Sendoh mauling that short, brown-haired guy who used to be… what was the name of that school again? Shoyo. Right. That ex-playing-coach from Shoyo whom he once thought was too beautiful to be a guy! Heck, he didn't know what he was thinking at that time! He must've been a little off or something…
And speaking of off, Akagi turned bug-eyed when his brain slowly processed the actuality of what he was seeing. Sendoh was indeed mauling that guy up. And, what were they doing, for christsake? They were madly lapping each other up and… and… That hedgehog even had his hand inside the other guy's pants. What the-- his mind cried out in shock as he was instantly numbed all over and yet was unable to pry his eyes from off that shameless couple making out in the middle of the bar. And he thought Akira Sendoh was already with--
"Hey," the low, amiable greeting was instantly followed by a gargantuan being looming before him and blocking his view of the bar's latest spectacle that he was left with no other choice but to snap his eyes up to the imposing 2-meter frame of…
"Uozumi," he mumbled, suddenly feeling discomfited by the mere presence of the guy who could easily pass for his big brother.
"Can I join you?" Uozumi asked, slumping down on the seat opposite from him before he could even think of whether to nod in agreement or shake his head 'no'. "So, it's been a while since we last saw each other. How are you, Takenori Akagi?"
"Uh, I've been fine," Akagi nearly stammered as the jitter charged him up completely from head to toe. A great part of this uneasiness was due to the fact that he had just been watching this guy's supposed boyfriend humping up another guy and-- He suddenly found himself searching for a trace of sadness… of bitterness in that face that had always been likened to his and was a little amused to find none. The guy was even grinning widely as though he wasn't aware of what was currently happening behind him…
"Akira's kinda busy, eh?" Uozumi said, shifting in his seat to stare at tonight's star couple. "Damn, and he's enjoying himself, too," he mumbled before casually taking a sip of red liquor from the half-filled wineglass in his hand.
"You don't seem to be bothered in the least bit," Akagi remarked at a venture, keeping off the sympathy welling up in his heart from touching his voice, and that which was immediately dispersed by Uozumi turning to him and chuckling nonchalantly.
"That meddling Mitsui's told you, ne," he asked to which Akagi simply shrugged and grabbed his bottle to gulp down more strength to get him through this. Uozumi sighed and, turning his eyes back to the licentious display of un-patented affection, stated rather cheerfully, "That libertine can't stand a minute without kissing somebody and grabbing a resilient @$$ that I let him run around after someone else once in a while." Akagi nearly choked on his drink and decided to spare the rest of it for his own safety as Uozumi went on, "Anyway, he would always be running back to me whenever he needs someone to warm him up, so… He could go both ways, y'know… He can be top or under…"
Akagi's grip on the bottle tightened as he fought off the urge of smashing it into that big monkey's sorry face. He didn't know why this guy was telling him all this like he gave him permission to. Well, okay, and so he did intrigued him and induced him to speak up. And hell, he must admit he did want to find out the deal, too. He just didn't expect it to be this… er… absurd.
"HECK!" Uozumi chortled on after sipping more of that red liquor that looked like strawberry juice to the non-alcoholic Akagi. "He was even after Rukawa a while ago, but that snob only snarled at him and pushed him away!"
"Rukawa," Akagi muttered, suddenly perking up at the mere mention of the name. He was here. That guy he had been so fond of ever since… ever since… GOD! This was the last place he had expected to see him in. What is he doing here?
"Don't crane anymore," Uozumi told him teasingly before pointing to the door. Akagi, having been made aware of his unconscious reaction instantly blushed as he slowly put his bottle down on the table. "I heard him tell Kogure he needed some fresh air." Then, turning to him with a wide mocking grin, the big, slightly tipsy ape added, "I didn't think you fancy that snoot, though, Akagi. Then again, everybody fancies him anyway…"
"Shit!" Akagi snarled, pushing his chair off a little too violently before angrily jumping up to his feet. "It's not what you think, okay?!"
"Sure, sure! Whatever…" Uozumi mumbled, standing up himself to probably find a new, innocent soul to annoy.
Akagi snorted and almost literally flew toward the door in his eagerness to get out of that place--and utter delight to have found a good excuse to actually do so…
He found him at the parking area, leaning against the bumper of a white Mercedes and looking up dejectedly at the star-speckled midnight sky. This was exactly how the guy had looked when he saw him at the park about a month ago. When he first comforted the guy who had finally opened up to him and even ended up crying in his arms. That was when he knew he had seen the real Rukawa. That was when he grew so fond of the guy and had since then thought of him as a younger brother--
How was he to know their relationship would go even deeper than that?
"Hey," he greeted in a soft voice so as not to startle the glazed guy. He leaned on the bumper beside him and managed a smile when the foxy lad turned a rather delighted look at him.
"C-Captain," he said, his lips quivering in a hesitant smile. This kid had never really gotten over his habit of calling him 'Captain' even after almost a year of his retirement from basketball. And he actually liked hearing that… Sort of spoke of the intimate respect the younger guy had for him.
"What are you doing out here?" Akagi asked affectionately, almost like how a father would to his son, as he turned his gaze to the random patterns of sparkling dots contrasting with the dark firmament.
He heard a soft sigh from the other guy and was a bit stunned when he said in a mere whisper which was so full of affection and sympathy that he almost couldn't get himself to believe the foxy lad had actually said it.
"I heard."
Akagi turned to look at the younger guy and was instantly swallowed by the warmth he saw in those beautiful blue eyes gazing intensely back at him. He almost felt like crying but realized the tears now refused to come. It was just nice and comforting enough to be there with someone whom he knew could understand him more than anybody else.
"She's a bitch. Forget her."
Akagi couldn't help but smile at the authority manifested in that small, quiet voice. "I'm trying."
Rukawa once again turned his gaze up to the stars. "You didn't tell me."
"I didn't want to bother you," Akagi said, darting his eyes to the small eddy of dirt and dried leaves swirling on the ground. This guy had never really been fond of asking questions. He would either state or accuse instead of asking 'why', 'how' or 'what'… He found it both amusing and disturbing, though had somehow learned to just put up with it. "I know you've got your own troubles to worry about." There was no reply from the other guy. The eddy dispersed after a while as Akagi decided to tread on a new topic to break the silence. "How's the team?"
"The team's doing fine," the guy all but mumbled, eyes still stuck on the vastness of space.
Akagi stared at him for a long while before asking quietly, almost cautiously, "And how about the Captain?"
"The Captain," Rukawa wheezed and turned his gaze down on the cherry blossom tree to his left. Right then and there, Akagi felt like hugging the guy close to his chest again as he had done so before… when the very same guy broke down in the park… He knew Rukawa's silence meant things weren't going well for him yet. Yes, he had just been appointed new captain of Shohoku High's basketball team. A little earlier than expected, but he and the team were left with no other choice…
"Still thinking about him," Akagi had meant that to be a question, but the unspoken answer was so clear that the words instead came out as a statement of fact.
Another sigh, this time louder and more forceful was all that was heard from the younger guy. Akagi could almost feel the desolation within what he used to think was a callous heart. The pain… The misery… The pressure of being tasked with a responsibility he had least wanted to have especially after--
"Captain," the quiet voice cut through his thoughts, and subsequently seeped through his soul. He turned to look at the other guy and found himself once again drowning in the emotion dwelling in those beautiful blue orbs. That of yearning… Of a desperate longing… "Hold me."
The statement came as a plea, yet manifesting an authority that Akagi found himself unable to ignore. His arm instantly coiled around the younger guy's shoulders and pulled the warm, slender body close. Rukawa leaned against him and sighed complacently.
That was when he realized how good it felt to have him close. How perfectly that lithe, muscular body fitted his. That was when he knew and finally recognized the fact that this was the person he wanted to be with for the rest of his life…
-----------0-----------
"Akagi," the call sounded distant, far off, yet so real. "Takenori Akagi!" His eyes suddenly snapped open at the sheer harshness of the voice and he suddenly found himself sitting in a huge lecture hall with a triple dozen pair of eyes staring and frowning intently at him. He could even hear the faint sound of snickers behind him but only had a second to bother about them before the enraged professor appeared in front of his desk. He then realized this was the excruciating present and he had just been dreaming of the glorious past…
"Care to answer my question?" the professor snarled tauntingly. "Or are you too sleepy to stay for the rest of my class?"
The snickers all but grew louder much to Akagi's growing discomfort and annoyance. It had been three days since he last saw his Kae-chan and he had since then been having trouble controlling his temper. If this didn't stop soon enough, he just might end up bawling all these stupid people's heads from off their necks.
"S-Sensei," he heard Kogure stammer beside him. "He's not been having enough sleep lately, so--"
"So…? That's supposed to calm me down?" The professor regarded Akagi with a scrutinizing frown that nearly nettled the already fuming guy to a violent frenzy. The old, bespectacled man ended up shrugging after a while before saying, "You're excused from the class today, Mr. Akagi."
Akagi eased up a little and could've even smiled, had not the frisky professor added, "But you're not sleeping tight tonight yet since I expect you to pass a ten-page essay on Shakespeare tomorrow morning. Typed and double-spaced. Understood?"
Half of the class hooted while the other nicer half looked pitifully at him. He sensed Kogure was about to speak up in his defense again and quickly overrode him by saying a low, submissive "Hai," before gathering his things up and stalking out of that blasted class in a hurry. DAMN, who cared about Shakespeare when he still had Kaede to bother about?
He made his way down the hall a little too hastily, mind all set on one determined purpose. It had been three days. Three long days that he had to suffer the throe of not having even a momentary sight of his beloved. How dare these old folks make life so hard for the two of them! This wasn't the first time he felt so hurt… so agonized… And he had even expected himself to pull through after a while, but unlike before, he just knew he couldn't live this one down. He needed to see his Kae-chan… And he needed to see him now…
"Hold me," the quiet plea echoed through his head over and over like a recalcitrant wind in autumn, making him more desperate than ever to once again feel that warm, slender body against his own…
==tbc==
A/N: And so I ended up introducing more non-conventional pairings that I really find interesting--and I hope you'll be open to accept too ^____~
