Title: Never Again
Author: Hareta
Rating: PG-13 to be safe...
Genre/s: Humor/Angst (???)
Summary: Winning at the Butoukan Cup, the Tobita team is now qualified to join the Asian Cup! At Kaoru's prodding, the boys relented to holding a victory party at Kyousuke's house, with the gearmaster dreading the very idea for some weird phobia he got out of a similar party before. He soon forgets it as things get wild that night...and then Kaoru comes, bringing with her something that will give the rest of poor Kuroudo's evening a bittersweet twist...
Dedication: This is to yuki-chan, one of the reviewers of my previous CGT fic, Pretense. Flames don't bother me (cause I have received too many of them to care anymore) but they do give me the writer's blocks whenever I remember them. So thanks for your message. It cheered me up a lot!
Disclaimers: Standard Disclaimers Applied. I don't own CGT, its characters, gears, and other elements, and can anyone please tell me who does? I really have no clue as to who its creator is...
Notes: Another wild fic, focusing on Kyousuke and Kuroudo again (deliberate shounen-ai this time, be warned), and as senseless as the previous one. By the way, you'll notice that I've used a different writing technique in this fic (I've lossened up a bit), as well as it is relatively shorter than Pretense. If it's not too much of a bother, please tell me which style is better either via review or e-mail and I'll use it in my CGT fics hereafter. Oh, and since this is my second CGT fic, yes, you may now proceed to tying me to a stake like a witch and burn me alive with your flames. LOL

Part 4 : Jirou's 'original' games...

"What now?" Kouya asked as he absent-mindedly picked on the chocolate cupcake, thoroughly bored. Beside him on the dark green leather couch Jirou sat, contentedly eating red bean buns. The Tobita Club's other two gearfighters sat across from them in identical armchairs, the colors of which were not unlike the couch they sat on, both silent. He stifled a yawn, returning his food to the myriad on the low wooden table with a glass top.

"Well, we can start playing..." Jirou started, mumbling almost indistinctly around the food in his mouth. He swallowed, then announced clearly: "…Truth or Dare." The other three stared back at him with large sweatdrops on the back of their heads. He shrugged. "Well, anyone else has a better idea?"

"Nope, let's start," Kouya spoke for the three of them, looking eager to do anything besides sitting there and stuffing himself.

"Okay then…Kouya, truth or dare?" Jirou asked him with a grin.

"Truth," Kouya answered, deciding to play it 'safe'.

"Alright," Jirou answered, his grin widening. "Do you like Kaoru or not?"

"W-w-what?" Kouya stuttered, a faint pink strike appearing across his cheeks. "Um, of c-course I l-like Kaoru! She's our…f-friend!"

"Come on, Kouya," Jirou pressed, trying to feign an annoyed look but not really succeeding as a snort of suppressed laughter escaped him. "I mean, do you like her? As in like her more than a friend would?"

Kouya just stared back at him, reddening a little more...

"It's not like it's a secret, you know," Kuroudo spoke up, the first time he has for awhile now that it made the two jump. "It's obvious that you like her and she likes you too."

"Kuroudo?!" he almost shrieked, not really expecting such a statement from the Kuroudo Marume. He was blushing so furiously now that he looked like he had just eaten a bowl of red chili peppers.

"Well, it is," Jirou backed up, still grinning. "And if it wasn't, you won't be looking like an oversized tomato with a tuft of brown hair at the top right now, you know."

"Jirou!"

And the older gearfighter promptly started to josh the other, each statement rewarded by a different shade of scarlet, each one darker than the last, a distraction of the two Kuroudo took advantage of.

"Gear Master, loosen up…"

Kyousuke blinked and turned to his side to look at the one who spoke. One of his dark eyebrows arched into a question, which was replied to with only one word –"Relax", cerulean eyes showing worry fixed on him.

"Okay, I'll try," he whispered back, giving him a small rare smile. Kuroudo returned it with a charming one of his own.

"Okay, Kuroudo, truth or dare?" Kouya asked the flaxen-haired youth.

"Truth," Kuroudo answered with finality.

"Okay…how many girlfriends have you had already?" Kouya asked with a slight smirk on his face

"None," he replied curtly and calmly, much to the brunette's disappointment.

"Oh come on! I'm not that naïve! Really, how many, Kuroudo?" Kouya insisted.

"Yeah! With such good looks, I'm sure pretty girls have been swarming around you!" Jirou added gleefully.

"He never had a girlfriend," Kyousuke finally spoke up, drawing all attention immediately to him. "I would have known if he had one," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Well, that clinched it in. Who can outdo a best friend's word? The two gave up on their interrogation, sighing.

"Jirou…truth or dare?" Kuroudo asked, watching Kouya's mischievous grin out of the corner of his eyes.

"Truth," Jirou answered nervously.

"Do you like Lilika Tobita or not?" he asked.

"O-of course!" Jirou stammered, face turning a bright shade of magenta. "S-she's our m-manager and f-friend, isn't s-she?"

"I mean, do you like her? As in like her more than a friend would?" Kuroudo quoted, rather enjoying his friend's embarrassment. Jirou was reddening more by the minute.

"That's a nonsense question, Kuroudo," Kyousuke told him, joining the fun. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"I suppose so…" Kuroudo replied, pretending to be thinking hard. "He stares at her an awful lot…"

"He always blushes when we're at the Club…"

"..and he's always extra polite to her…"

"…and so wary of other guys…"

"Yeah, especially Takeshi…"

"Kuroudo? Kyousuke?" Kouya called uncertainly. He could be laughing at how Jirou's face looks like a big blown-up red balloon right now, but he was too stunned with how his two friends were acting. He has never heard them talk this much, much less tease someone this mercilessly.

Jirou shook his head. The red tinge dissipated after awhile, but his ears remained a hint of pink. "Er…truth or dare, Kyousuke," he asked the gear master.

"Dare," Kyousuke answered bravely, still smirking.

"Okay, I dare you to take off the topmost part of your outfit," Jirou told him. Kyousuke calmly took the dark red bandana from around his neck. He looked different without it. "Fine, that'll do."

"Kouya, truth or dare?" Kyousuke asked.

"Dare," answered Kouya.

"Same dare. Take off the topmost part of your outfit," Kyousuke said. Kouya mumbled something about leaving his white jacket at some fated rack before taking off the strip of dark material that held his yellow shirt.

"Truth or dare, Kuroudo," he asked the gearfighter in a sing-song, like asking 'trick or treat' during Halloween.

"Dare," Kuroudo responded, calm as ever.

"Take off your vest...and the ribbon," Kouya stated, taking note of the black leather jacket that hung at the back of his friend's chair cheerfully. Kuroudo did so without a word, the violet vest found its place beside the said jacket along with the length of red lace he has untied from around his neck. Now he just wore the long-sleeved button-up white shirt.

"Jirou, truth or dare," he asked, turning towards the one addressed.

"Dare," Jirou almost automatically replied.

"Take off your vest," Kuroudo told him. Jirou saw it coming and easily took off the black vest with the white number zero at the back. He now wore an orange jersey-like T-shirt.

"Dare," Kyousuke said without even waiting for Jirou to ask him. He didn't really know why he chose that though…

"Shirt," Jirou said curtly. Undoing the metal clasps on his jumper, its top half fell over to rest on his lap as he pulled the T-shirt over his head, revealing the long-sleeved maroon shirt. He blinked, his vision suddenly blurry. Kuroudo handed him back his spectacles that had been knocked to the floor and the gear master thanked him as he slipped on the glasses.

"Kouya, shirt," he told the youngest of them. Kouya shrugged and pulled the yellow sleeveless shirt over his head. He wore a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath.

"Kuroudo, shirt." Kuroudo unbuttoned it and took it off, leaving him sporting a sleeveless white undershirt.

"Jirou, shirt." Jirou took the orange shirt off, wearing a fitted shirt.

"Kyousuke, shirt." Kyousuke took off his glasses first and asked Kuroudo to hold them for him before pulling the maroon shirt over his head. He wore an undershirt not unlike Kuroudo's. He reclaimed his glasses and put them on.

"Kouya, shirt." Kouya took it off, he was left with a dark-colored tank top.

"Kuroudo, undershirt." Kuroudo took it off, still composed. He was now bare-chested, his skin a perfect porcelain white and his upper body looking lithe but well-developed, from kendo practice most probably. He almost raised an eyebrow when Kyousuke looked away, but instead looked straight at Jirou.

"Jirou, muscle shirt." Jirou took it off, now also bare-chested. He was slightly chubby but obviously fit like Kuroudo. He was, after all, a former baseball player, an athlete.

"Kyousuke, undershirt." Kyousuke took it off. For someone who spends 3/4 of his day sitting in front of the computer, he had an unbelievably well-toned figure. It was now Kuroudo's turn to look away. Kyousuke didn't notice since he still wasn't looking at the blonde's direction.

"Kouya, tank top." Blushing slightly, Kouya took it off. He had the body of a small young boy, the fact that he was a small young boy.

"Kuroudo, pants." Kyousuke's and Jirou's eyes immediately zoomed in on Kouya. Kuroudo just raised an eyebrow before slipping off his pants. He was now only wearing a pair of navy blue boxers.

"Jirou, jeans." Jirou, glad that he had chosen boxers and jeans instead of briefs and shorts when he saw how cold it was tonight, slipped off his jeans. He's now down to his boxers like Kuroudo, a bright red one.

"Kyousuke, jumper." With a little struggle, Kyosuke managed to get out of his jumpersuit. Like the other two, he wore boxers, his a forest green.

"Kouya, pants." Kouya whipped his pants off, he wore light blue boxers underneath.

"Kuroudo, boxers."

There was a pause. Three eyes bore into Marume as he hooked his two thumbs into the sides of his waist band. They tightened and he started to pull them down...down until...

"Wait, I choose truth."

"Ne?"

"I haven't even chosen dare yet!" Kuroudo told them. "And I haven't in the other dares too!" he added, starting on putting all his clothes back on.

"Yeah," Kouya and Jirou answered in a duet, laughing a little as they re-dressed too. Kyousuke said nothing, but asked Kuroudo to hold his glasses again for him before making a start on the pile of clothes in front of him.

"Now we can play...Spin the Bottle!" Jirou announced when they were all completely dressed again. The others stared back at him blankly again. "You know how to play that, don't you?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes, we do, Jirou," Kuroudo answered, shaking his head. "But have you realized that we are all boys here?"

"So? Come on, guys, we're just having a bit of fun and it's not like we're suddenly gay if we kiss another boy," Jirou told them, a smirk forming again. "Only cheek-kissing. I dare you three to play it."

"A dare? Fine, the whole team is playing!" Kouya stated, leaving Kuroudo and Kyosuke no choice but to play.

"Okay. Then you go first, Kouya," Jirou told him, picking up an empty soda bottle and placing it on the center of the table. Kouya reached over and spinned it. It stopped, pointing...

Kuroudo!

Kouya looked frozen to the spot. Kuroudo, determined to make Kyousuke forget and have some fun if it kills both of them, mentaly heaved an exasperated sigh before leaning over the table...and kissed Kouya on his left cheek.

"Wha-?" Kouya muttered and then closed his mouth. Jirou was staring at Kuroudo, dumbstruck. Kyousuke looked rather surprised and awed, but there was a small amused smile on his lips. The blonde felt slightly pleased with himself for that, but remaied composed, looking like he hadn't done anything more unsual for him.

"Let's move on," he muttered, one hand already on the bottle. Spin it did and stopped at...

who else but Kyousuke!

Kuroudo freezed. What now?

Kyousuke gulped. Huh-uh, no way!

"Hey, do it, guys!" Jirou cheered them on.

"No, I'm not going to do it," Kuroudo declared calmly.

"Why not? You kissed Kouya, didn't you?" Jirou pointed out.

"That's the different," Kuroudo replied.

"How so?" Kouya asked, wishing to see Kuroudo nervous even for once.

"Well-" He was cut off by the sound of the doorbell.

Kyousuke decided to just get it over with and started to lean closer to kiss Kuroudo on the cheek...

"Hey, maybe that's Kaoru!" Kouya exclaimed, jumping down from the couch. He left the room and ran down the hall with Jirou right behind him.

"Well, that was close. Saved by the be-" Kuroudo said, turning his head to look at the gear master. Big mistake. His words were cut off by soft lips pressed against his own.

For a few seconds they stayed that way, kissing each other and forgetting everything else. And then...

"Oh my, I'm sorry!" Kyousuke said, his words close to a shriek, pulling away and clamping both of his hands over his mouth.

"Uh-huh," Kuroudo muttered dazedly, blinking and shaking his head clear. Did he just..?

"Really, Kuroudo! I was just-well-on your cheek-but you turned your head-lips," Kyousuke stuttered rather incoherently but Kuroudo got the message.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it, Kyousuke," he reassured his friend, nodding his head. Heck, all for fun...

"Worry about what?" a girl's voice said from the doorway. Both heads turned towards its direction. Kaoru stood there with Kouya next to her and Jirou behind them.

"Nothing," Kuroudo easily answered for the two of them. "So what it is you brought us, Kaoru?"

to be continued...