Danny's was only half full that Sunday morning, the other half of the population probably still in their beds as they should on the last day of the weekend. Yohei looked around the place as he sipped on his warm drink, a packet of fries and a warm bun with butter and honey waiting for him on his tray in front of him. He rarely wakes up early on Sundays and when he does he merely goes back to sleep, waking up only if it's near to twelve in the afternoon.
Yohei was at a loss at what he should do that morning when he decided that he should go to Danny's and see if any of his pals were up and about, though he doubted it, so he was not at all surpised not to see them there when he reached the diner. After a moment's thought, he ordered breakfast and took a seat by himself, enjoying the Sunday morning at Danny's and listening to the comfortable buzz of conversation around him. He had not thought that he was a person who could tolerate being alone with nothing to do but as he sat there he could not help but admit that some peace and quiet by himself sometimes was not so bad after all.
As he picked up his cup to take another sip from his drink, he saw someone he would not think would be up early in the morning, walking through the door of the diner.
"Hanamichi!" Yohei called, waving at his friend. The redhead looked around, spotted his best-friend, grinned and waved back before going over to the counter to place his order. A few minutes later Hanamichi walked straight to Yohei's table with his own tray of food in hand.
"Fancy meeting you here early this morning," remarked Yohei as Hanamichi laid his tray on the table and sat beside him.
"Speak for yourself," Hanamichi pointed out.
"Hey, I haven't seen you much, y'know. 'Funny that this Sunday morning be the time that I have a chance to hang out with you," the dark-haired boy said.
Hanamichi nodded as he started to swipe Yohei's fries from under his nose.
"Hanamichi..." Yohei warned.
"What, you wanted these?" Hanamichi asked with an innocent expression on his face as he popped the fries into his mouth.
"Never mind." Yohei sighed before noticing that Hanamichi's breakfast looked tastier than his own. He proceeded to follow Hanamichi's tactic, stealing his friend's breakfast, feigning innocence when he was being glared at.
After eating each other's breakfast they sat back sipping their still warm drinks from their cups, feeling satiated and relaxed.
Hanamichi's eyes lit up and began to tell Yohei about the happennings in the basketball team, calling Akagi the 'Gorilla', Rukawa the 'Baka Kitsune' and grumbling about Ayako's paper fan which always has a tendency to land on his head. It never bored the brunette to listen to his best-friend talking. Sometimes one could just close his or her eyes and see the bright soul of the redhead, not from his words, but from his voice. But Yohei would rather watch and listen to the redhead just the same. Not only does the redhead project his personality through his words and gesticulations, he also makes the listener be transported into the tale as well.
Yohei continued to listen and watch Hanamichi with a small smile on his face, his chin resting on his hand as he watched the redhead's animated features and gestures. As Hanamichi talked, the redhead's collar jacket which was pulled up high slipped down to reveal something that made Yohei stare.
"What's this?" Yohei asked pulling at Hanamichi's collar jacket, trying to get a better look.
Hanamichi stopped talking and fixed his best-friend with a confused look. "It's my jacket."
"Not that, baka," Yohei said, gesturing at the mark on the redhead's neck with his other hand, "there's something on your neck, a bruise of some sort."
Hanamichi was about to bop Yohei a bump on the head for calling him baka when he suddenly realised what Yohei was talking about. The redhead blushed and quickly pulled his jacket back from the other boy's grasp, fixing the collar so that it covered the mark discreetly.
"Ummm... its nothing," Hanamichi mumbled looking down on his empty plate, still busy fussing with his jacket.
"What do you mean, it's nothing? Wait - it is a bruise! Someone's being hitting you, Hanamichi? What aren't you tell me?" Yohei demanded. Anger slowly surfaced as he realised that the redhead was starting to keep his problems to himself. The brunettte reasoned that it was probably because they rarely had time to hang out often compared to before but it hurt because Hanamichi was his best-friend after all.
"I wasn't in a fight!" Hanamichi denied, "it's...it's..." the redhead suddenly faltered, blushing furiously, ".........nothing."
"You call this nothing?" Yohei pulled again on the redhead's jacket emphasising his point when he noticed that the mark did not look like a bruise he has ever seen. Wait a minute, how can a bruise that big land itself on Hanamichi's neck? And it also has an odd shade of red... . Is it a......a.......
"It's a HICKEY?!" Yohei cried in amazement.
Hanamichi who was struggling to push Yohei's hand away looked aghast and pounced at Yohei to clamp the boy's mouth shut. Unfortunately he had also shut off Yohei's other passage of oxygen (his nose) and the poor boy was now turning to a pale shade of blue as he tried to pry Hanamichi's hands from his face.
"AHAHAH!! It is nothing! Don't mind us! We're just fooling around!" Hanamichi laughed out loud trying to assure the other patrons around them when they stared at him and Yohei in puzzlement and a little bit of worry. The diners found it hard to believe the redhaired boy's words that he and his friend were just 'fooling around' because they saw that Yohei's face had now turned to purple. Neverthelss, they turned back to their own breakfast, not wanting to make any trouble with the intimidating-looking boy.
With a scowl, Hanamichi released Yohei and the redhead did not even feel guilty as Yohei gasped, trying to take in great gulps of air. After Yohei was done with his gasping, Hanamichi grabbed the boy by the collar and hissed angrily, "Idiot! Why don't you tell the whole world while you're at it!"
Instead of being contrite, Yohei laughed and slapped his friend at the back heartily. "Why you lucky dog you! Who's the aggressive girl?"
Again Hanamichi turned red refusing to answer.
"C'mon, Hanamichi, you hafta tell me! I'm your friend!" Yohei argued jabbing his friend's arm with his elbow. To his surpise, Hanamichi did not retaliate with the jab but instead winced, rubbing the part of his arm where Yohei's elbow came into contact.
Huh?
Without warning Yohei attacked at Hanamichi's jacket again, pulling so that the lower part of the Hanamichi's arm, which was uncovered by the t-shirt's arms, were exposed to Yohei. Hanamichi struggled, tugging back his jacket again from Yohei's hands, growling at the surpised brunette.
"What's the matter with you?" Hanamichi growled, about to hit Yohei for real this time when the brunette suddenly said, "Now I'm SURE that that was a bruise."
Hanamichi's angry expression turned to startlement and then embarrassment as he unconciously rubbed at his arm.
Yohei sighed. "C'mon, Hanamichi. You gotta stop keeping secrets with me. I'm your best-friend remember? What, you forgot that I am since we don't see each other much anymore?"
Hanamichi looked at Yohei, seeming to want to tell him something. "It's not that, Yohei. I...I..." The redhead stopped for a moment before saying, "I only got one secret, Yohei, and I promise that when I'm ready to tell someone about it, you'll be the one I'll go to."
The brunette looked at his friend, wanting to object but when he saw the look that Hanamichi gave him, he sighed again and nodded. "Alright, alright. You owe me for this," he grumbled. Shaking his head, Yohei continued, "This is the first time I've seen you this serious about something before. And not knowing about it is driving me nuts! You better not go back on your word and tell me this secret of yours ASAP. "
Hanamichi gave Yohei a grateful smile and then grinned.
Yohei nearly dropped his cup that he had just picked up. "Baka"
"Who are you calling baka, Baka?"
"You."
"What?! Temme!!"
Each boy was then seen trying to strangle the other. The patrons of Danny's just pretend ignorance.
After breakfast they had walked around the streets, met with the rest of the gang and hung out at the arcade with them. Since Hanamichi's father was out of town for three weeks, he invited the gang to his place but the three boys declined leaving Yohei and Hanamichi to walk alone to Hanamichi's house to do more 'hanging around' while they raided the fridge. It was already late when Yohei decided to go back home.
Yohei was only a few yards away from Hanamichi's house when he began to get the nagging feeling that he has forgotten something. Upon instinct, he quickly patted his pockets and soon realised that he has left his wallet behind. He slapped his forehead cursing himself for being so careless and immedietly turned back to his friend's house. Goodness knows what would happen to his wallet when Hanamichi finds it. The redhaired boy would feel that it was his duty to spend the money for take-outs if a friend thoughtfully left it there.
As Yohei rounded the corner of the wall beside Hanamichi's house he accidentally tripped on his loose shoe-lace, landing face first on the concrete.
Rukawa? What's he doing here? Yohei wondered when he realised who Hanamichi's visitor was. As he strained to listen to what the two basketball players were talking about, his fingers were busy tying his shoe-lace.
"... tried calling you when I got back home. Where did you go to early in the morning?" the dark-haired boy asked, hands in his pockets.
"I was at Danny's with Yohei. We did this and that..... well, y'know," Hanamichi replied waving his hand lazily.
" 'Got something to do," shrugged Rukawa, then asked, "So how's Yohei?"
Yohei arched an eyebrow in surpise that Rukawa would ask about him.
"He's fine. He's........hey, why are you asking about him?" Hanamichi asked suspicious. Yohei was equally suspicious.
"Nothing, just curious," Rukawa replied nonchalantly.
"Jealous?" Hanamichi asked cheekily.
Rukawa snorted, turning his head away.
"He did ask about this," Hanamichi said revealing his marked neck to Rukawa.
"And?"
"Dammit, Kaede! I told you someone would notice!" Hanamichi glared at the brunette furiously, the redhead guessing that the kitsune did not feel as strongly about it as he did.
From Rukawa's tone, Hanamichi's guess was not far off. "So?"
"S-so...I'm still not ready to tell anyone about it yet, and I know you aren't ready too!"
"I don't mind if you tell Yohei about it," Rukawa said.
Yohei blinked. It was hard to believe that his name was uttered more than once from Rukawa's mouth, the person who he had no close acquaintance to, except knowing that he was Hanamichi's rival in basketball and Haruko's affection.
"It's not only Yohei! I........ wait a minute........ YOU ARE JEALOUS!" the redheaded boy crowed.
Rukawa only kept silent when suddenly Hanamichi laughed and pulled the boy close by the collar.
Yohei's mouth dropped open. Even as he was taking in the scene with disbelief a thought came to him, Now I know where he gets those bruises from.
When the two boys stopped, both were breathing hard and still leaning against each other.
"We should continue this inside," Hanamichi suggested, releasing Rukawa's collar and looping his arms around the dark-haired boy's waist.
Rukawa released his hold on Hanamichi's arms to rest his hand on the red-haired boy's shoulder and the other free to carress his cheek.
"I told you he's away for a couple of weeks. Are you coming in or not?" Hanamichi asked impatiently.
"Hn. Of course, do'aho," Rukawa replied, nuzzling the redhead's neck.
"Who are calling do'aho, kit.... mmph," Hanamichi's words were cut off by Rukawa's kiss which the redhead responded eagerly. Still in lip lock, Hanamichi reached back and opened the door, pulling the brunette inside with him and Rukawa helped by shutting the door with his foot.
Outside, Yohei was still hunched on the pavement, still stunned. After he managed to shake himself out of his stupor, it was then he realised that he had his finger tied up together with the knot of his shoe-lace. Slowly he proceeded to tug them free. When he did, he stood up and scratched his head.
That was what Hanamichi was trying to keep a secret from. Not that I blame him, Yohei thought to himself wryly. If Hanamichi knew that Yohei had seen what he saw, the redhead would be so embarassed!
Yohei's life was occupied in fights, games, girls and trying to keep his grades satisfactory. He has not thought much on homosexual relationship and he would not know what to say if someone asked his sincere opinion about it.
That was the last thought that came to Yohei's mind when he suddenly remembered about his wallet. But then he shrugged, deciding that he should not disturb Hanamichi and his 'beau' at that moment.
*THE END*
But on that Sunday morning his eyes simply refused to close back. Maybe it was one of those mornings, he mused to himself, when your body thinks that it has enough sleep even if your mind knows that it isn't so.
"So," Yohei began, "how's basketball?"
"Never doubt the Tensai!" the redhead exclaimed, thumping Yohei on the back.
****************************
"Shit!" he groaned lowly, touching at his bruised face gingerly. Grimacing, he then hunched on his ankles on the pavement to tie up his shoe-lace back, when he heard two voices over the wall which he knew came from Hanamichi's house.
Still hunched down he peered around the wall and saw the redhead standing outside the door talking to a tall dark haired-person.
" ' haven't hung around with him and the gang much anymore when I joined the team," Hanamichi mused, leaning against the door, "You left early. Why?"
That was what I thought Rukawa was to Hanamichi, Yohei thought, hurt that it was Rukawa who knew about Hanamichi's secret and not him.
"Baka Kitsune," the redhead berated Rukawa, kissing the boy fully on the lips. Rukawa responded by kissing him back and as their kiss grew heated, the brunette gripped Hanamichi's arms and pushed the redhead forcefully against the door, pressing more closely to mold their bodies together.
"How about your dad?" the brunette asked.
But one thing for sure, he would stand by Hanamichi on anything. His best-friend should not doubt his loyalty.
"He better not touch my money, though!" Yohei grumbled as he turned to walk back to the direction of his house. As he walked, he smiled and whistled a tune to the enjoyable sight of the setting sun. That Sunday has turned out to be most bizzarre.