CHAPTER 12

Rukawa was shocked to find it was morning when he opened his eyes. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have been wiped out after the game and the mind-blowing sex.

Damn, and the edging. That had been hot as hell.

He could hear Sendoh snoring softly behind him, one strong arm draped loosely over Rukawa's waist. Rukawa smiled and snuggled back against him, sighing happily. He was hard, and he could feel that Sendoh was too, but he could ignore that for now. Sex was great, but moments like this one, where they could cuddle and caress and just exist alone together in a quiet room, were Rukawa's favorite thing.

Rukawa was normally an early riser, and followed a strict routine every morning. But instead of jumping out of bed and into some running clothes, this morning he succumbed to the comfort of being held by the man he loved, and dozed off.

He was awoken sometime later by Sendoh trailing kisses along his shoulder.

"Good morning," Rukawa mumbled.

"It is," Sendoh agreed.

Rukawa rolled to his back and gazed up at Sendoh, rumpled and sleepy and gorgeous in the morning light. "We have the whole day together."

Sendoh smiled. "And night."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want you to brush your teeth, because you won't let me kiss you until you do."

"You have to brush yours too," Rukawa was quick to add.

"Yes, yes." Sendoh lifted Rukawa's hand to his mouth and kissed his knuckles.

"And we have to shower."

"I know. But then I want to make you a gross, healthy breakfast." He kissed Rukawa's palm. "And I want to spend the whole day touching you."

"Okay."

They brushed their teeth, then made out in the shower together. They were both in good moods, smiling and laughing easily. Sendoh made poached eggs with sliced up fruit while Rukawa made protein smoothies and coffee.

"That ESPN doc about us airs next week," Rukawa said.

"Yes."

"You think it'll be weird watching that?"

Sendoh shrugged. "Maybe."

"I think my interviews were terrible. I was so awkward."

"Of course you were."

"Answering so many questions about you, and our, y'know, professional relationship. While hiding our actual relationship. It was tough."

"Mm."

Rukawa held out a mug of coffee, which Sendoh took. Then, as casually as possible, Rukawa asked, "What did you say about me?"

Sendoh chuckled and went to the fridge to get some of the coffee cream that Rukawa had bought specifically for him. "Watch the documentary and find out."

Rukawa let out a long, exasperated breath. "Just tell me one thing."

"No."

Rukawa glared at him, then stomped angrily over to the kitchen table. "Fine."

Sendoh put the cream away and headed for the sugar bowl. "I said you come really fast when I suck your balls."

Rukawa threw a strawberry at him. "You're an idiot. And it's not even that fast."

"Okay."

They sat at the table together, and Sendoh sniffed his smoothie with open disgust on his face.

"It's packed with protein and nutrients," Rukawa promised him. Sendoh didn't seem to think that was a good enough reason to drink it. He set it aside and went for the eggs instead.

"I said nice things about you," Rukawa said as he watched Sendoh devour his eggs.

"Did you?" He sounded disinterested, but Rukawa knew it was a front.

"Yeah." Rukawa sipped his smoothie, and waited.

"What did you say?" Sendoh said.

Rukawa smiled. "You'll have to watch and see."

Sendoh huffed. "Fine."

The triumph of victory didn't last long. Rukawa poked at his eggs and said, somewhat pathetically, "I wish you'd tell me one thing you said."

"Why?" Sendoh snapped, his voice loud and sharp enough to startle Rukawa. "Was boring. I could not say any of the things I wanted to say. I said you were a great basketball player. A nice guy. Very competitive. All of the shit that any of your teammates could have said." Sendoh sighed loudly, then continued in a quieter tone. "When you watch it, this is what you will see. Me saying nothing. I wanted to say you are fucking everything to me. Everything. Okay?"

Rukawa swallowed hard. "Oh."

He wasn't sure, after years of being together, how he could still be surprised by the depths of what Sendoh felt for him. By the plain, unguarded way Sendoh would occasionally reveal what he held in his heart. Sendoh's wasn't good with fancy words, but the raw honesty left Rukawa thunderstruck every time.

Sendoh let out a shaky breath. "But I am still not drinking that smoothie."

Rukawa smiled, glad to be rid of some of the tension that had built inside him. Then, quietly, he said, "You're everything to me too."

Sendoh held his gaze for a long moment, and Rukawa thought his eyes looked a bit sad. Then Sendoh said, "Of course."

An hour later, they were tangled up together on Rukawa's couch. Rukawa couldn't even remember the planned activity that had brought them here- watching a movie? video games?- because it had been instantly shoved aside in favor of kissing. Rukawa was straddling Sendoh's lap, facing him, and kissing him while he held his face in both hands.

"I missed you so fucking much," Rukawa murmured against Sendoh's lips.

Sendoh squeezed his ass, and kissed him hungrily. They were both fully clothed and hard as hell, but neither was in a hurry to escalate things. Maybe they'd keep kissing and caressing each other until neither of them could stand it anymore, then Sendoh would bend him over the sofa and rim him and finger him until Rukawa was begging for it.

Rukawa groaned thinking about it, which made Sendoh laugh.

"What?" Sendoh asked.

"Nothing." Then, he gathered up some courage and said, "Thinking about you fucking me."

Sendoh licked Rukawa's Adam's apple. "I am thinking about it too."

Rukawa's phone rang on the coffee table behind them.

"Don't answer it," Sendoh said.

Rukawa turned and grabbed the phone. "It's Sakuragi."

"Then definitely don't answer it."

Rukawa noticed that he also had a bunch of missed texts from Sakuragi. He answered the phone while Sendoh thunked his forehead against Rukawa's chest.

"What's that, doaho?"

"Thank God," Sakuragi said. "Listen, Haruko broke her ankle."

"No, I didn't!" Rukawa heard Haruko yell in the background.

"Well, it's sprained or something. She tripped on a toy and I have to take her to the hospital."

"Shit," Rukawa said. "Sorry to hear that. I hope she's okay."

"Me too. But, like, can you babysit the kids until we're back?"

Rukawa's gaze met Sendoh's. He could tell immediately that Sendoh had heard the entire conversation. Normally Rukawa loved hanging out with Sakuragi's four kids, but today was supposed to be just for him and Sendoh.

But Sendoh smiled excitedly and nodded.

"Sure, no problem. But, um...Akira is here."

"Oh," Sakuragi said. "Sorry. You're probably, like, making up for lost time, right?"

Gross. "No it's fine. We can do it. I'm just saying, Akira is coming too."

Sakuragi exhaled loudly into the phone. "How soon can you get here?"

Sendoh had been to the Sakuragi' house only once before, for an olive branch in the form of a barbecue. He'd suspected at the time that it had been Haruko's idea more than Sakuragi's.

Haruko, who at the moment was lying on the Sakuragi' large sectional sofa with her right foot resting on a stack of pillows. An ice pack was draped over her ankle. "Hi, Sendoh," she said.

"Tripped over a toy?"

She rolled her eyes. "I tripped over Hanamichi's stupid remote control car."

Sendoh laughed, delighted by this new and important information. "It was Sakuragi's toy?"

"One of the kids left it out," Sakuragi insisted from the other side of the room. "It wasn't me!"

Sendoh shared a look with Haruko.

"Come on." Sendoh offered her his hand. "I will help you to the car."

She tried to move her swollen ankle, then winced.

"Are you sure it is not broken?" Sendoh asked.

"It's not broken. It just hurts."

She reached for his shoulder, and Sendoh decided to make this easier for her. He bent and hovered one hand near her bent knees. "May I?"

"Go for it."

Sendoh lifted her into his arms. She wasn't a tall women, but she was fit and strong. He was still able to lift her easily.

"Hey, I can do that!" Sakuragi insisted as he strode across the room.

"Good grief, husband," Haruko said. "Just get the door."

Sendoh carried Haruko to the Sakuragi' SUV and helped her get comfortable in the back with her leg elevated across the seat. Rukawa exited the house with all four kids trailing behind him.

"You good?" Sakuragi asked her as he got into the driver's seat.

"Do you have her health card?" Sendoh asked.

"Shit."

"It's in my purse," Haruko said. "On the kitchen counter."

"Got it," Rukawa said, jogging back to the house.

The kids swarmed the car, asking a million questions at once.

"I'm fine," Haruko assured them. "Mommy just needs a doctor to look at her ankle. He'll patch mommy up and mommy will be good as new!"

"But mommy were going to paint our nails," one of the twin girls- Anya, Sendoh was pretty sure- said with a pout.

"Mommy can do that later," Haruko promised her.

"I can do it," Sendoh said. He looked at Anya and tapped a finger against his lips. "Wait. What color?"

"Purple. With sparkles. And pink. And blue."

He smiled. "No problem."

Rukawa returned with the purse, and handed it to Haruko.

"Thank you for doing this," Haruko said. "I know we ruined your day."

"Not ruined," Sendoh said honestly. "Just more interesting."

Kaya, the youngest Sakuragi' child, started crying when Sendoh tried to close the car door.

"Oh, sweetie." Haruko said. "It's okay. Mommy will be home soon and you'll have so much fun with uncle Akira."

"Uncle Akira?" Sakuragi grumbled.

Sendoh picked Kaya up and smiled at her. "Uncle Kaede told me that you are a great chef."

The three-year-old stared at him with wide, wet eyes, then nodded.

"If you like plastic food," Sakuragi said, "you're in luck."

"Better than what Kaede eats," Sendoh said, winking at Rukawa.

Sakuragi actually laughed at that.

"Sparkles on all of them?" Sendoh asked.

Anya nodded without hesitation and Sendoh got to work. He'd already painted her nails a bold combination of dark purple, neon pink, and light blue, but obviously the sparkles were necessary.

"How's it going?" Rukawa asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Amazing. Look at this great job I am doing."

Rukawa bent over the table and inspected Anya's manicure. "Wow. I'm jealous."

"I'm next," said Anya's twin sister, Hana, claiming her spot before Rukawa tried to butt in line.

"Is Kaya asleep?" Sendoh asked.

"Yeah. Conked right out after a solid hour of preparing food for us."

Sendoh smiled, remembering how seriously Kaya had presented each of their plastic meals. "Was surprised you ate the hamburger. Red meat, you know."

Rukawa lightly punched his shoulder. "Idiot."

"That's not nice," Hana said.

"You are right," Sendoh agreed. "That is not nice, Kaede."

"Sorry." He sat at the table between Hana and the middle child, Daichi. The junior Sakuragi' only son was a remarkably quiet kid, seemingly content to watch whatever was happening around him. He seemed to be fascinated by his sister's nails.

"Do you want nail polish, Daichi?" Sendoh asked.

The five-year-old blinked at him, then nodded.

"He can't!" Anya insisted. "He's a boy."

"Boys can wear nail polish," Sendoh said. "Watch." He carefully brushed a coat of the pale blue color on his thumbnail. "See?"

"Dad said it's just for girls," Hana said.

"Well, Dad is a-"

"Your dad doesn't know a lot of boys who wear nail polish," Rukawa cut in just in time. "But plenty do."

Sendoh painted the rest of the nails on his left hand and admired his work. "This is nice. I should have sparkles too maybe."

"Here," Rukawa said. He took Sendoh's hand in his, then grabbed the bottle of glitter polish. "It's easier if someone else does it. Probably."

Everyone watched as Rukawa bent over Sendoh's hand, concentrating intensely as he brushed polish on each nail. Sendoh's heart fluttered at the sweetness of it.

"Is he your husband?" Anya asked.

Sendoh flinched, nearly making Rukawa's brush slip. "No."

"Are you his husband?"

"That's not how-" Rukawa said, then stopped himself. "We're not married."

"Are you going to get married?"

Rukawa locked eyes with Sendoh, and Sendoh saw the silent plea for help in them.

"Do you think we should?" Sendoh asked.

"Do you love each other?"

"We're friends," Rukawa said stiffly at the same time Sendoh said. "Yes."

Hana grabbed her sister's arm. "We could have a wedding today!"

Anya jumped and clapped, probably making a mess of her nails. "Yeah! Can we?"

Sendoh grinned at Rukawa. "What do you say, sweetheart?"

Twenty minutes later, Rukawa was standing in the Sakuragi' living room wearing a magician's cape, a top hat, and holding a pink plastic heart-shaped ring. Sendoh was standing next to him wearing a red sequined bow tie and a headband covered in flowers. He was holding an identical purple ring.

Across from them stood two seven-year-old girls wearing princess dresses, and behind them was a large assembled audience of stuffed toys and Daichi (wearing a firefighter costume and a freshly painted blue manicure).

Daichi pressed a button on a toy that played fifteen seconds of a song from Moana, and they were ready to begin.

"This is the wedding of Kaede Rukawa and Akira..." Hana narrowed her eyes at Sendoh.

"Sendoh," he supplied.

She nodded. "Sen-rose."

Rukawa snickered, and Sendoh nudged him. "Kaede. Keep it together. Is our wedding day."

"Uncle Kaede, do you promise to love Uncle Akira and be his husband forever?" Anya asked.

Rukawa gazed at his ridiculous-looking boyfriend, who smiled back at him. One of the flowers on his headband was holding on by a thread, dangling in front of Sendoh's raised left eyebrow. Suddenly-absurdly-Rukawa's throat felt tight.

"I do," he said quietly, and with an embarrassing amount of feeling.

"Uncle Akira," said Hana, "do you promise to love Uncle Kaede and be his husband forever?"

"I do," Sendoh said. "Forever."

There was a slight tremor in Sendoh's voice, which surprised and relieved Rukawa. At least Rukawa wasn't the only one getting inappropriately emotional.

"Okay," Hana said. "Do the rings now."

Sendoh took Rukawa's hand, and slipped the child-size purple heart ring onto his pinkie, down to his second knuckle. Rukawa huffed out a small laugh.

He took Sendoh's hand and smiled at his painted nails. He wiggled the ring onto the end of Sendoh's pinkie, barely able to get it past the tip. He glanced up, and caught Sendoh blinking rapidly.

"I now pronounce you husband and husband," Anya said.

Hana elbowed her. "I was supposed to say that!"

"No you weren't! You say the kissing thing."

"Oh yeah. You may now kiss."

Rukawa raised his eyebrows at Sendoh, silently asking You wanna?

Sendoh leaned in and kiss him quickly on the mouth while the kids whooped and threw handfuls of paper they'd ripped up into the air. Daichi hit play on the Moana song again.

After the kiss, Sendoh pressed his forehead against Rukawa's, and they just stood there like that, frozen in the moment.

"Does this mean tonight is our honeymoon?" Rukaw asked quietly.

"Let's pretend it is."

Rukawa was having a difficult time getting his key to work because Sendoh wouldn't stop kissing his neck.

"Quit it for a sec, would you?" Rukawa said, tipping his head to the side to try to block Sendoh's attacks.

Sendoh wasn't deterred. He switched to the other side and nibbled under Rukawa's ear. Rukawa let out a childish-sounding giggle and pretended to try to get away when Sendoh wrapped an arm across his chest from behind.

"Give it to me," Sendoh said, snatching the key from Rukawa's hand. He deftly inserted the key in the lock and turned it while continuing to makr a meal of Rukawa's neck.

"Show-off," Rukawa complained.

"Always." Then Sendoh scooped Rukawa into his arms, bridal style. The same way he'd carried Haruko to the car earlier that day.

"What the hell?" Rukawa said, though he knew he sounded more delighted than outraged. "Put me down!"

Sendoh grinned at him, and nudged the door open with his foot. "Is our wedding night."

"This can't be good for your knee."

"My knee is fine," Sendoh scoffed. "And you are very light."

"I'm one hundred sixty-five pounds!"

"Sure you are."

"I am!"

"Like you are five-ten."

"Shut up!"

Sendoh shook his head and stepped over the threshold.

The Sakuragi' had been at the hospital for hours, but thankfully Haruko's ankle was, as she'd repeatedly told her husband, only sprained. She'd hobbled through the door on crutches around dinnertime, Sakuragi hovering close behind looking exhausted and concerned. Sendoh, Rukawa, and the kids had been gathered on the sofa, watching Frozen. Sendoh's arm had been wrapped snugly around Rukawa, which had been nice, in the presence of others. Sakuragi hadn't even seemed bothered by it, but that may have been because he'd been distracted by the floral headband Sendoh had still been wearing.

It had been a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Sendoh carried Rukawa to the living room, then stopped and glanced around. "Now what?"

"Now you put me down!"

"This is how it works? I thought maybe I put you on our bed? With rose petals?"

"Fuck off." Rukawa squirmed until Sendoh had no choice but to release him. Rukawa landed on his feet, but stumbled forward and almost collided with the coffee table. When he turned around to glare at Sendoh, he found him smiling at him with the same soft expression Rukawa had seen on his face during their make-believe wedding vows.

"What?" Rukawa asked.

"Nothing." Sendoh scratched the back of his own neck. Looked away. Looked back at Rukawa. "Today was nice."

"It was." Rukawa took his hand and tugged him closer. "I mean, not the part where Haruko sprained her ankle, but the rest of it."

"She is lucky it was not broken."

"Sakuragi is lucky," Rukawa said. Sakuragi was his best friend and a wonderful father, but Haruko took care of about ninety-nine percent of everything that went on in that family.

"I like those kids," Sendoh said. "I can't believe Sakuragi made them."

"You're great with kiddos." Rukawa brushed their noses together, then kissed Sendoh's mouth. He tasted like the lemonade Rukawa had declined at the Sakuragi' house but that Sendoh had happily drank two glasses of. Rukawa guiltily enjoyed the taste now, sweet and tangy.

When they broke the kiss, Sendoh said, "You will be a good dad."

Rukawa rested his forehead on Sendoh's shoulder and smiled. "Not as good as you."

Sendoh huffed. "Not everything is a competition with us."

"We'd find a way to make parenting a competition."

Strong arms tightened around Rukawa. "No. It will be together. Peaceful."

Rukawa, feeling brave, admitted, "There were moments today where I felt like I was looking into our future."

Sendoh pulled back to meet Rukawa's gaze. "And it was okay?"

"It was amazing."

Rukawa saw joy flash in Sendoh's eyes, and then he didn't see anything because Sendoh was kissing him thoroughly. Rukawa lost himself in it enjoying the familiar but still exhilarating heat of Sendoh's mouth. Rukawa touched him everywhere: the rough scratch of Sendoh's ever-present stubble, the hard spikes of his black hair, the long line of his neck and the mounds of his muscular shoulders. He slid a hand up under Sendoh's T-shirt and glided his palm over Sendoh's abs, his perfect bellybutton, and the neat trail of hair beneath it. Then up to his broad chest, over his chest and stiff nipples, finally resting over his heart and his stupid bear tattoo.

"I love you," Sendoh murmured against Rukawa's lips.

"I love you too."

"But we are not having four children."

Rukawa chuckled. "Of course not."

"It would be too much. With the dogs."

"Um. I think you mean cat."

"I did not mean cat. Definitely not."

"How many dogs exactly?"

"Some. Maybe one, to start. And then he needs a friend, so two. Maybe they don't like each other so we get number three to be, um..."

"A mediator?"

"Okay. Maybe, yes."

"And if they don't like that one?"

"The fourth dog will-"

Rukawa stepped out of Sendoh's arm. "No."

Sendoh laughed. "One dog."

"One dog," Rukawa agreed.

"You will want more. Just wait."

Just wait. The words rang in Rukawa's ears as he made his way to the kitchen. He believed in their relationship, and was confident that they would have everything they wanted when the time was right. But sometimes he wished the right time was now.

"Are you hungry?" Rukawa asked.

"Yes."

"I have a premade lasagna. I just have to bake it."

Sendoh's face lit up with interest. Then, just as quickly, his face fell. "What are the noodles?"

"Zucchini."

"No!"

"It's good, I swear. You won't even notice the difference," Rukawa lied. He turned on the oven, and decided not to tell Sendoh what the stand-in for the cheese was.

Sendoh grunted as he sat on Rukawa's sofa, and Rukawa glanced over with concern. "How's your knee?"

"It fell off," Sendoh said dryly, clearly done with Rukawa asking the same question over and over.

"Let me look at it."

"You saw it this morning." Sendoh had his sore leg stretched out on the sofa. "Is still just bruised."

Rukawa was already at his side. He tried to slide Sendoh's pants leg up, but the tapered cut of the fancy jogging pants made it impossible. "Pull your pants down."

"You are terrible at foreplay," Sendoh said, but he lifted his hips and slid his waistband down to his shins. The outer part of Sendoh's left knee was entirely dark purple and swollen.

"God," Rukawa said. He brushed his fingers over the bruise. "Maybe you should have seen a doctor today."

"I saw the team doctor last night. Is bruised. Have you not ever had a bruise?"

"I'm getting you some ice."

Sendoh made a vague grunting noise that Rukawa translated as Ice would feel amazing but I am absolutely not going to admit that.

Rukawa left and returned with an ice pack, some ibuprofen, and a glass of water. He carefully placed the ice on Sendoh's knee while Sendoh took the pills.

"Thank you, moy gazonokosilka."

This was a game Sendoh liked to play where he used random Russian words as pet names, to test Rukawa. Rukawa thought hard for a moment, trying to guess the word's meaning, but ultimately surrendered. "No idea what that one means."

"Is, um...for cutting the grass."

"Lawnmower?"

"Yes."

"Weird."

Rukawa felt something digging into his hip when he bent to kiss Sendoh quickly, then remembered the plastic heart rings that the kiddos had insisted he and Sendoh keep. He took them out of his pocket and placed them on the coffee table, and was about to return to the kitchen when Sendoh said, quietly, "The kiddos didn't care."

"About what?"

"About us. They knew, and they did not care."

"Yeah. That was a surprise." Rukawa had no idea how Anya and Hana had been so certain that Sendoh and Rukawa were a couple- he was sure their parents hadn't told them, it would be risky giving young children that information- but they'd known and accepted it and had insisted on making honest men of them both.

"Maybe more people would not care," Sendoh said. "If they knew."

"I think most people would care way too fucking much," Rukawa said dismissively.

Sendoh's expression shuttered, then he began to aggressively adjust his ice pack. Rukawa felt like he'd said something wrong, but what else could he have said? He didn't honestly believe that many people would accept them as a couple. They could only stick to the plan, which was continuing on in secret until they were both retired. Or at least until one of them was, but Rukawa hoped they would retire together. The idea of playing in a league without Sendoh seemed strange and hollow.

Rukawa put a tentative hand on Sendoh's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Sendoh crossed his arms over his chest and mumbled something in Russian.

"Huh?"

"I think you care too fucking much."

"About what? Us?"

"No. About everyone else. Opinions."

"Aren't we both concerned about that?"

Sendoh didn't answer, and Rukawa felt like he was missing something important. "We can talk about it if you-"

"No," Sendoh grumbled. "Is nothing."

"Okay." It wasn't the first time Sendoh had seemed randomly upset about something he refused to talk about. Rukawa worried, sometimes, that there were a lot of things Sendoh wasn't telling him.

Sendoh sighed. "Sorry. I am tired. Forget what I am saying."

Rukawa brushed a thumb across Sendoh's cheek. "I love you."

Sendoh's lips quirked up. "Good. Because we are married now."

Still not sure what any of this was about, Rukawa picked up the remote from the coffee table and handed it to Sendoh. "We can eat on the sofa. Find a movie or something."

He got to work making a salad to a soundtrack of heroic music and loud explosions coming from the living room. Sendoh loved action movies. The lasagna still needed to bake for a while after Rukawa finished the salad, so he joined his boyfriend on the couch, letting Sendoh rest his feet in his lap.

"What movie is it?"

"I don't know," The movie was take a break, and showing the advertisement. "Is Luna."

Rukawa squinted at the TV and wished he had his glasses. "Yeah."

"Luna looks beautiful."

"She always does." They watched in silence the advertisement of Luna, while Rukawa absently rubbed Sendoh's feet.

"You could have had it all," Sendoh teased when Luna was on the screen in a particularly sexy evening gown.

Rukawa snuggled closer against him. He'd had a question on his mind since they'd woken from their nap. He didn't want to ruin this cozy moment, but he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Akira?"

Sendoh must have heard the caution in Rukawa's voice, because his body tensed. "Yes?"

"Are you...okay?"

"Fine. Is just a bruise."

"No, I mean..." Rukawa gnawed on his bottom lip, unsure of how to proceed.

"Kaede?"

He decided to just go for it. "I feel like, maybe, you're not okay. Sometimes."

Sendoh removed his arm and turned toward him. "Not okay how?"

Rukawa sat up and faced him. "You've been through a lot, and I know our...thing...isn't easy. And I'm just wondering if you maybe need to deal with some of that." He steeled himself. "Professionally, I mean."

Sendoh narrowed his eyes. "Why are you saying this?"

Rukawa put a hand on his arm, and Sendoh flinched under his touch. Shit, Rukawa was fucking this up. He tried again. "I'd never thought much about, y'know, mental health stuff, before we started the charity. But sometimes you seem...sad. Or, I dunno, withdrawn."

"Withwhat?"

"Withdrawn, like, um, quiet."

"Everyone is quiet sometimes." Sendoh turned back to the TV. "You should try it."

Rukawa huffed out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. We don't have to talk about it. Just know that if you want to talk, or want to maybe see someone about it, I'll support you. And if you don't want to, I'll support that too. But I'm worried sometimes."

For a long time, Sendoh didn't say anything. Rukawa watched the hinge of his jaw twitch. His lips were a hard line.

"You should not worry," Sendoh finally said, his gaze staying on the television. "I am okay."

Rukawa took his hand and squeezed. "You don't have to deal with anything alone, all right?"

Sendoh swallowed hard. "Yes. Fine." His hand was trembling.

"I'm serious," Rukawa said.

Sendoh stood, pulling his hand away. "If there is something, I will tell you. But there is nothing. So let's eat bad lasagna and shut up about it, okay?"

That really didn't sound like nothing was bothering Sendoh, but Rukawa had promised to support him if he didn't want to talk. He stood too. "It's not bad lasagna."

Sendoh managed to smile a bit at that. "We will see."

TBC

Treeviaseesaw: Oh my gosh! You're bomber my story with nice reviews!! I really appreciated! I was happily to know that you're still following this story. And I hope each chapter wouldn't disappointed you. Love you!