To Want And To Wait ~ scene V.i
by the diggler
Warnings: This fic is YAOI [has explicit boyxboy homosexual content] and this part is rated PG15. Minor spoilers for events that happen in the manga after the anime ends.
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk and related characters are the property of Inoue Takehiko et al.
~
scene takes place some weeks after Hanamichi's return
~
Rukawa dressed himself slowly, his arms and legs dragging like lead and moving in what felt like slow-motion. It was finally the end of the week, and he was exhausted. Exhausted and annoyed. Not a good combination. It had been a rough week of training preparing for the upcoming Winter IH, and he was just about at his wits end. Well... it wasn't really the training that was the problem, in fact it had been more satisfying than ever. No, the problem, once again, had to do with a certain do'ahou.
Since Hanamichi had come back, the redhead had spent most of his time in basics training with Ayako, but in recent weeks he'd begun training properly with the team again. There were still some difficult moments between the two of them on court, but for the most part, working with Hanamichi was turning out really well. And deep down, he was proud of the stunning recovery the redhead had made... And he would've liked to tell Hanamichi this, but for some reason, the redhead had stopped talking to him in the last week! Every time Rukawa said something, Hanamichi would blush and stutter, or just stare at him blankly, before turning away and lapsing into silence. It was driving him crazy!
But most of all, he was starting to miss their conversations. True, Rukawa didn't really contribute much, but he liked to think he did where it counted, and he truly valued the talks they shared. He missed Hanamichi's noisy chatter, his laughter, the ridiculous comments he made, and the surprisingly insightful ones in almost the same breath... He missed the way they used to be comfortable in each other's presence...
Rukawa sighed as he heard the showers turn off, sitting down on the bench and waiting for Hanamichi to come out and get dressed. They were the last two in the locker room, as usual, and it had become an unspoken tradition that they would wait for each other to walk home together. But Rukawa couldn't stand the thought of another awkward walk home tonight. He was going to have to do something to get the redhead to talk to him.
Hanamichi rounded the corner wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. When he saw Rukawa he blushed, looked at the ground, and went to his locker. Rukawa frowned in consternation, his usual reaction to seeing Hanamichi half-naked quelched by his frustration at the redhead's strange behavior. He watched as Hanamichi slipped his underwear on under the towel, then his shirt, his pants, the silence thickening in the air as each moment passed without their usual locker-room banter.
Finally Rukawa just couldn't stand it anymore.
He cleared his throat, the sound extremely loud in the tense silence of the room.
Hanamichi stiffened at the sound, then slowly continued tying his shoelaces. Rukawa frowned as he was ignored, then took a deep breath to try again.
"How's your back holding up?" Rukawa asked softly, starting with something easy.
"Good." was the monosyllabic reply, the redhead barely pausing before he went back to tying his shoe.
"How was your appointment last week?"
"Uhh... the usual." Hanamichi replied, quickly standing up to get his things out of his locker.
"What did the doctor say?" Rukawa pressed. Hanamichi tensed.
"Um... he said..." Hanamichi stammered, clutching his bag as he stared into his locker, "he said everything's ready." he finished in a rush, shoving the rest of his stuff in his bag.
"Ready?" Rukawa repeated, confused.
"I mean, okay. He said everything's okay." the redhead quickly corrected. Rukawa resisted the urge to growl at the vague brush-off.
Hanamichi closed his locker door, stiffly turning to face him.
"Let's go?" he said, his eyes flickering nervously between Rukawa and the wall.
Enough was enough.
In an instant Rukawa had Hanamichi pressed against the lockers, arms on either side trapping the redhead, his face bare inches away.
"What's the matter with you?" Rukawa gritted out.
Hanamichi stared wide-eyed at the furious raven-haired boy.
"Dammit. Why won't you talk to me?" Rukawa demanded, slamming the locker door with his hand. Hanamichi flinched.
Rukawa sighed, hurt.
"Did I do something wrong?" Rukawa asked, searching the redhead's eyes for an answer.
Then before he knew what was happening, Hanamichi had flipped him around, slamming him against the locker door, and was kissing him for all he was worth.
Rukawa's eyes widened in shock, but it wasn't long before he responded, wrapping his arms around the redhead's back and pulling him close.
When they finally pulled apart, gasping for air, Rukawa stared at Hanamichi in confusion. The redhead was panting, staring down at his lips.
"You never kiss me anymore." Hanamichi said softly. Rukawa blinked in surprise, dumbfounded, his turn to be speechless.
"Don't you want me anymore?" Hanamichi whispered, looking up at Rukawa uncertainly.
"Are you kidding me?" he snorted. And in the next second Hanamichi was again pressed between him and the lockers, their lips locked together and hands clutching at each other for dear life.
In another moment needy for air, Rukawa pulled back, gasping while planting kisses down Hanamichi's neck.
"I want you Kaede..." Hanamichi whimpered.
"Hana..." Rukawa moaned, hugging the redhead close as he finally heard the words he'd waited to hear for so long.
"Kaede... I'm ready... I want to be with you... tonight..." Hanamichi whispered softly.
Rukawa pulled back, almost doubting he had heard correctly. He stared at the redhead, stunned at the sudden turn of events.
"Tonight?" he repeated incredulously. Hanamichi nodded, longing and sincerity in his eyes.
A smile began to creep up on Rukawa's face, his blood rushing with excitement as he fully registered what was happening. He leaned down to capture the redhead's lips again, but then he paused, suddenly remembering...
"What about your back?" he asked.
"It'll be okay... I checked with the doctor." Hanamichi said, blushing. Rukawa stared at Hanamichi in amazement, the redhead's behavior in the past week suddenly making sense now. He brought his lips to Hanamichi's, tasting him deep, relief and happiness and desire rushing through him all at once.
Finally they parted again, eyes locked and intense as they gasped heavily for air. They stared at each other, at the same time awed and almost disbelieving of what they had suddenly decided to do. Rukawa took a halting breath, summoning the courage to speak again.
"Let's go." he said, his voice barely a whisper.
Hanamichi nodded. Slowly they peeled themselves away from each other, disentangling from the spell they were in. They moved stiffly to pick up their bags, suddenly feeling awkward, and silently made their way towards the door-- when suddenly a loud sound grumbled through the air.
Rukawa stopped in surprise and looked down at Hanamichi's stomach. The redhead blushed for a moment, then let out a little sheepish laugh as his hand went to the back of his head.
"Anou..." the redhead started.
"Yare yare..." Rukawa sighed and shook his head in amusement, the tension in the air vanishing completely.
"All right. We'll stop by somewhere on the way home and satisfy that other appetite of yours."
Hanamichi blushed adorably again, muttering a shy thanks. Rukawa turned to leave, and the redhead caught up with him, taking his hand as they walked out together.
~
September 13 '04 ~ revised December 30 '04