CHAPTER 6

October

"How many men have you been with?"

Sendoh glanced up with interest from the coffee mug he'd been spooning sugar into. Rukawa had blurted the question out and was now staring fixedly at his poached eggs. His ears were bright red.

"This week, you mean?" Sendoh asked calmly.

Rukawa turned his gaze up, his annyonce radiating across the breakfast table in grumpy waves. "No, asshole. I mean ever."

Sendoh took a long sip of coffee, his eyes locked on Rukawa's over the rim of his Okinawa teams mug. He very slowly lowered the mug back to the table, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Why?"

"Because you've never told me."

"Maybe I don't keep track."

Rukawa glared at him, then turned his attention back to his eggs. "Never mind."

Sendoh's mouth quirked up. He let a silence hang between them, just long enough for Rukawa to perhaps believe that Sendoh was going to let this go.

He wasn't.

"How many are you hoping it will be?"

Rukawa shook his head. "Forget it. I don't care anymore."

"Bullshit."

It was clear from the tightness in Rukawa's jaw when he looked back up at Sendoh that he cared a lot. "You said there was one guy in Moscow. The, umm..."

"Yes. He was one."

"The first one?"

"I said he was. Yes."

"You never said that. I mean, it was implied, I guess, but-"

"He was the first." Sendoh bit the inside of his cheek, then added, "Possibly the best too."

"You're such a giant dick."

"You know who had a giant dick?" Sendoh asked wistfully.

Rukawa's chair screeched across the kitchen floor as he stood up. He snatched his plate off the table and stormed off toward the sink. Sendoh continued eating his breakfast.

"Was I the second?" Rukawa asked, after he had finished rinsing his plate.

"Biggest dick?"

"Stop it."

Sendoh made a show of picking up a point of toast, chewing thoughtfully as if he couldn't quite recall how many men he'd bedded before Rukawa. "Maybe."

Rukawa folded his arms. "I didn't think this would be such a difficult question to answer."

"Can you remember every goal you have a scored?"

"Oh, is it a similar number?" Rukawa had scored over five hundred goals in the JBL alone.

"Give or take."

Rukawa left the kitchen.

Sendoh gave him a one-minute head start, then sauntered off after him. He found him near the front door, already wearing his jacket. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

Sendoh leaned back against the wall. "So soon?" Rukawa did have to drive back to Shohoku that morning, but Sendoh certainly wasn't going to let him go like this.

"I told you my number," Rukawa said.

As if Sendoh had ever forgotten. "Yes. Two men besides me. Both terrible."

"Not terrible. Just not..."

Sendoh waggled his eyebrows.

"I'm leaving." Rukawa put his hand on the doorknob. Sendoh put his hand on Rukawa's shoulder.

"You were the second."

Rukawa didn't turn around. "And after me?"

"Is there a wrong answer to this question?"

Rukawa exhaled, his shoulders slumping. "No."

"A few. Not many. Was dangerous, right? A rare treat."

"Yuck."

Sendoh let his hand slide off Rukawa's shoulder and down his chest. Rukawa took a small step backward, and almost relaxed against him. Sendoh dipped his head and kissed Rukawa's neck, and Rukawa relaxed more. "None of them matter. Not anymore."

Rukawa sighed. "I know."

"Then why ask?"

Rukawa turned. Sendoh kept his arm draped over him, his hand now resting on Rukawa's back. "I don't know." He thunked his forehead against Sendoh's chest. "Sorry."

Sendoh wrapped his other arm around him and held him close as he nuzzled Rukawa's dark, glossy hair. It smelled like expensive shampoo. "I will miss you."

Rukawa exhaled loudly. "Are you ready to do another season of this?"

Sendoh's heart stuttered. What did that question mean? "Another season of what?"

Rukawa pulled back enough to look him in the eye. "Hiding."

It would be, altogether, their eleventh JBL season of hiding. Seven seasons of being in a mostly secret committed relationship. It had been a lot of hiding.

"Sure," Sendoh said.

"I hate it."

"I know. Me too."

"I can't believe no one has figured it out yet."

"Well," Sendoh said, brushing a thumb over Rukawa's cheek. "I am way out of your league."

"Right."

"Who would believe you if you told them?"

Rukawa punched his arm, then captured Sendoh's lips in a sweet kiss. He tasted like coffee and home, and Sendoh really wished he didn't need to leave.

"You should quit basketball," Sendoh murmured. "Send them a text. Say you quit. Stay here with me."

"I'm not ending my career via text."

"Email, then."

"I have to go."

Another long kiss, this one a little less sweet. A little more urgent. By the time they broke apart, Rukawa was pressed against a wall, and Sendoh's T-shirt was rucked up to his chest. Both men were breathing heavily, with flushed skin and semi-hard dicks.

"I have to-" Rukawa said again.

"Go. Yes."

"Three weeks and you'll be in Shohoku, right?"

"Three weeks."

"Not so bad." Rukawa smiled sadly at him. Three weeks wasn't such a long time, but Sendoh was so goddamned tired of having their relationship sliced up into single nights with weeks between them. Two nights in a row if they were lucky.

Except the summers, when they were together almost every day, and Sendoh's soul lightened as he soaked up Rukawa's proximity the same way his raven-black hair lightened in the sun. Sendoh love basketball, but he lived for the summers now.

Summer was over. The JBL regular season officially started in two days. His soul would have to live on sun-drenched memories and the anticipation of stolen nights of explosive sex and tender kisses.

"I love you," Sendoh said between the deep breaths he was taking in an attempt to cool his blood.

Rukawa slipped out from between Sendoh and the wall and squeezed his arm. "Love you too." Rukawa exhaled, and Sendoh politely ignored the tremor in it. "Okay. Three weeks."

"Three weeks. Text me when you get home."

"Of course." Rukawa kissed him one more time, and then he was gone.

TBC

Treeviaseesaw: Hey Dear, Thank you so much for leaving a review! I'm really glad you liked it. I feel what you felt for Sendoh :( I'm sorry for hurting you through their stories. hehe. TQ so much once again for taking time to reading and comment. I look forward to your support. Muahh! this chapter was a bit short, but, I promised the upcoming chapter would be more longer. (depending on my situation later, hehe.)