The Odd Couple

Chapter Five

There were several awkward days after that soft kiss that kept the two away from each other. The words that had been exchanged before that last fuck had been a joke, or at least perceived that way at the time. Now those words didn't seem so funny anymore. That kiss had shown them both there was something else besides just lust and that magnetic pull of attraction. It was something they couldn't ignore. It was also something they weren't sure if they wanted to face or could handle. After all they really knew nothing about each other except what got the other off. Both were desperate to avoid the truth that was staring them in the face.

Nakatsu should have been more cautious about whatever it was they had between them. He was an idiot not to be more careful when the whole situation had begun. He was not like the other guys who could date or fuck around and not get attached. He as to big hearted and to taken with the romantic notion of having only person that you loved and slept with the rest of your life. He'd let his lust and hormones get the better of him. He should have know his emotions would eventually catch up. He tended to say and do things rashly without bothering to think it all through. Some day he was going to have to learn from that mistake. Though this time around he was pretty sure he had thought it all through pretty well. He'd listened to Umeda's advice. He'd accepted that he might be starting to like the high jumper. He'd had a vague clue that the other boy liked him back. That was fine by him. Liking each other was all well and good, but that kiss showed it might be more than like too. And that was what made him nervous.

Kagurazaka, on the other hand, had been ignoring his feelings towards Nakatsu from the very beginning. He'd blamed his whole desire for the blond on hormones. He'd never really been to worried about his sexuality, dating, or any of that before Nakatsu. He'd been to caught up in his high jumping to really pay attention to all that crap that normal high school boys did. Sure he's fucked around with some people, girls and guys alike. Enough to know he leaned more towards liking guys. Still sex was not something he spent a whole lot of time thinking about. So it had been a shock to realize it was Nakatsu that had finally slammed his ignored hormones into gear; and it seemed they had been switched to overdrive, no less. He seriously wondered about his sanity in deciding to chase after that loud mouthed idiot. He had stubbornly refused to acknowledge what it was that kept drawing him back to Nakatsu for a long time. He had kept hoping it would go away at some point if he ignored it. It had to die out. At least he had hoped so. That first kiss between them had changed everything. Now that he'd had the blond his body was bent on getting more of him. He wanted more than sex now though. That was what worried him.

So while they tried to work out what they were feeling for each other, they avoided one another. Well, mostly Kagurazaka avoided Nakatsu. He stopped showing up to Osaka field. Nakatsu had to admit, even if only to himself, that he missed the guy. He missed looking up in the stands to see him sitting there. He always played better when the high jumper was watching. He missed the way the guy would come running down from the stands to grab him like he just couldn't stand not to touch the blond anymore. Fuck, he just missed Kagurazaka in general. That just confused him even more. He wasn't supposed to miss that scowl faced bastard.

Sano wandered over to where Nakatsu was looking up at the bleachers with a disappointed face. "So, uhhh, no Kagurazaka today."

"Nope." Nakatsu sighed. Then he realized what he'd just said out loud. His eyes widened in horror as he whipped his head around to stare at his friend. "Why do you think I'm looking for that asshole?" He tried to cover up his mistake.

Sano smirked. "Maybe, because the two of you have been meeting after practice several times in the last few weeks. Kinda hard not to notice. Didn't you guys hate each other?"

"Er…," Nakatsu mumbled.

"I've seen you two disappear into the locker room a few times together," Sano remarked casually, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Well, that's…uh," The blond rubbed the back of his head nervous. Fuck, his friend had backed him into a corner. It seemed like Sano had already worked everything out for himself anyways. He might as well just tell him outright. Besides it was only fair to let his best friend know.

"You're seriously gay, aren't you?" The black haired boy asked softly.

Nakatsu sighed. "Yeah."

"I figured that out a while ago."

"Why'd you say that?"

"Because once you found out Mizuki was a girl you treated her different. At first, I thought it was just because you knew she was a girl. Then I noticed that you weren't looking at her like a lovesick puppy anymore." Sano explained.

"Oh."

"So what's up with Kagurazaka?" Sano inquired after a moment of awkward silence.

Nakatsu cleared his throat. "We're…uh…" Fuck, what were they? They didn't really have a relationship. Sure, he was started to like the guy. He was pretty damn sure Zakie liked him now. They met up for sex. So, lovers? Nooo. Friends with benefits? He didn't really know if they were even truly friends. Fuck buddies? Yeah, that was pretty much it. "We're fuck buddies." He felt rather weird saying that aloud. It also felt a little liberating.

Sano made a surprised noise. "I mean I kinda figured, but for you to admit it…damn."

"It just sorta happened." Nakatsu shrugged helplessly. "It was kinda sudden and completely out of the blue."

"If it's just about sex, why do you look so disappointed that he's not here though?" The other boy asked pointedly. The blond flushed in response. Sano sighed heavily. "Look, man, just be careful. Kagurazaka's a great athlete, but you know as well as I do that he's an asshole."

"Yeah," Nakatsu agreed, but he was beginning to wonder about that. "So you don't have a problem with me being gay and screwing your high jumper rival?"

"When you put it that way it's a little weird," Sano smiled a little. "No, I don't mind you being gay. I'm not to sure about Kagurazaka though."

"Me either," Nakatsu sighed. Then he froze. "Wait a second! You saw us going into the locker room! What have you seen!"

Sano just gave him a flat look. "Enough to figure out you guys are more than friends."Come on. Let's go get dinner." Sano turned and began to walk off the field. "And we're not mentioning this ever again."

Nakatsu stared at his back for a moment in stunned silence. Then he jogged after the other boy to catch up. Well, at least Sano was still his friend. He shoulda known he could count on the guy to accept him no matter what. They'd been through so rough areas in their friendship but always came out the other side still talking to each other. He was really glad he had a friend like Sano.

Kagurazaka showed up the next day to Osaka field, because he just couldn't stand to stay away any longer. Not just because he missed having sex, but because he actually missed the blond idiot in general. He watched Nakatsu practice and was happy when the blond looked up to notice he was there. They both exchanged a brief wave before Nakatsu focused back on the game. Kagurazaka stared at his hand like it had betrayed him. He'd just acted like some love struck girl waving to her boyfriend. He actually flushed in embarrassment at the thought. He looked up when he felt someone looking at him. He turned his head to see Sano watching him. When Sano caught his gaze, he tilted his head towards the soccer field and smirked knowingly. Kagurazaka's eyes widened in shock when he realized what the other boy was trying to get across. He knew! That blond bastard! If he told Sano he was dead! He scowled at Sano and crossed his arms over his chest. He turned his head away, ignoring him completely, or at least trying to give the impression he was. He stood up and walked down to meet Nakatsu when the soccer practice was over. The blond ambled towards him as if he wasn't quite sure about wanting to come over. They stood awkwardly in front of each other for a minute.

"Hey," Nakatsu finally broke the weird silence.

"Hey, blondie," Kagurazaka made himself smirk like always.

The blond rolled his eyes. "I haven't seen you for a few days, Zakie."

"Yeah, I was busy."

"The track team is gonna be out here late tonight. They have a meet coming up this weekend they are preparing for." Nakatsu told him, ignoring the last comment. "I can't do anything tonight anyways. I have a soccer match on Saturday too."

Kagurazaka shrugged. Well, if the blond didn't want him around then he wasn't staying. He got the message. "I guess I'll go then…"

Nakatsu grabbed his arm. "Hold on!"

They stood there staring at each other for a few seconds.

"You wanna just sit and talk?" Nakatsu asked quietly. He tried not to sound to eager or hopeful, but he knew he hadn't been able to hide it very well.

Kagurazaka actually smiled a little. Apparently, he had misinterpreted the blond's earlier words. They hadn't been a rejection, just an explanation like they had sounded. "Alright."

They turned and climbed the bleachers until they were about near the middle before sitting down. Kagurazaka sprawled out, stretching his legs over the back of the seat in front of him. Nakatsu sat down beside him, close enough so that their shoulders touched. Below them the track team continued to run around and neither one of them envied the poor suckers. Kagurazaka looked down to see Sano walking out of the locker room with his gym bag. The black haired boy looked up and saw them sitting together. Kagurazaka gave him the finger. Sano just smiled before walking back to the dorms.

"Sano knows about us, doesn't he?" The high jumper growled.

Nakatsu sighed. "He figured it out."

"Bastard's acting real smug about it too."

"He's surprised you're gay."

"I'm not gay. I'm bi."

Nakatsu looked over in surprise. "So you've actually been with girls too?"

"Yeah, it wasn't to bad," Kagurazaka replied. "I assume you haven't then."

"No," the blond flushed. "You're the first I've really done anything with."

"I figured," the high jumper grinned.

"Never hear you complaining about my lack of experience," Nakatsu grumbled.

Kagurazaka actually laughed. The blond's eyes widened in surprise. "That's 'cause there was nothing to complain about. You're an awesome lay."

"Thanks, I guess," the blond smiled a little. "Why did you take an interest in me anyways?"

Kagurazaka hesitated before answering. He decided it wouldn't hurt to tell the blond. "Well, it definitely wasn't intentional," the high jumper scowled. "Like I said before I just came to watch Sano jump at first. That Mizuki pest started bothering me until I started to keep tabs on when she was with Sano so I could provoke her. Then you started tagging around too. I thought you were just annoying. You still are." Nakatsu glared at him, which made him smile again. "I noticed you following Mizuki and it was hard to watch you being that pathetic. You irritated me with that lovesick attitude. Once I noticed you, I couldn't stop watching you. I don't know why. You were just to hard to ignore."

Nakatsu shook his head. "That makes no sense."

"I know that!" Kagurazaka snapped then calmed when Nakatsu rolled his eyes at him again. "You should understand though. Wasn't that how it was with Mizuki for you? Wasn't it similar?"

"No," Nakatsu answered automatically. He paused as he thought about it. It really had been. It was little things that had drawn his attention to her. It was her smile, her laughter, and her passion that had caught his interest. Things that seemed so small now had turned into true attraction and then love. It felt like it happened over night. He did understand how the high jumper felt. Sometimes you just couldn't explain why attraction struck the way it did. "Yeah, I get it," he admitted after a moment.

Kagurazaka sat back with a satisfied smirk.

"But whatever this is between us…I don't get it," the blond confessed quietly. He had no idea how he really felt about the high jumper beyond the sex they shared. He knew he liked the guy. He knew the sex was fucking awesome. Sometimes he thought he almost had the answer then his mind would shy away from the truth. Maybe he really didn't want to know or understand what it was that kept him drawn to the high jumper. It was twisted. It was confusing. The last few days hadn't helped solve the issue.

"I don't get it either," Kagurazaka said, but Nakatsu didn't entirely believe him.

They were quiet for a few minutes. The track team were all gathered around the coach listening to him give instructions and encouragement.

"It's kinda funny. I've never really talked to you despite that we're fucking," Nakatsu remarked.

Kagurazaka sighed. "Yeah, we don't really need to for that."

"Yeah, but I really don't know anything about you except that you're a high jumper and you've got sisters. It just seems sorta wrong." Nakatsu pointed out.

The high jumper shrugged. "There's really not a whole lot to know. Why do you care?"

"Because I'm interested in you."

They both looked at each other in surprise. Nakatsu blushed a little in embarrassment. Kagurazaka licked his lips before asking. "What do you want to know?"

Nakatsu thought about it for a minute. "Where do you live?"

"Taisho-ku ward. Not to far from here."

"Why don't you go to Osaka High then?"

"It's to expensive. I have to help my mom with my sisters as much as possible too." He sighed when he saw the unspoken question in Nakatsu's eyes. "My parents run a small temple. It's been losing business lately so we don't make a whole lot of money. I help to take care of Kyomi a lot. I have to keep Tamami in line or she'd probably turn into a slut. I have a part time job to help pay for food and clothes too. I don't want them to feel obligated to take care of me since I'm older now."

"Wow. I never would have guessed you had a family situation like that. No offense. You just don't act like you do," the blond said.

The high jumper chuckled a little. "I don't like people to look down on me. I don't want to be pitied or be a charity case. Whatever I get in this world is gonna be by my own hands."

"So…why high jump then?" Nakatsu asked. "It seems like you're pushing yourself really hard for your family. High jumping has gotta be extra pressure on you."

"It makes my mom happy. It makes me feel free like I'm flying over that pole. I like to see the pride in her eyes when I make a new record. Why do you play soccer?"

"I like being part of a team. I don't have any siblings so my team is kinda like my family. I like the thrill of scoring a goal. I love winning a game because it's about the only thing I can do with success." Nakatsu laughed. "It makes me feel free."

"It's not the only thing you can do with success," Kagurazaka gave him a teasing grin.

Nakatsu shoved him. "Dirty minded bastard."

"Why'd you come to Osaka?" the high jumper asked curiously.

"To get away from my mom. It sounds horrible, but it was the only way I could continue to play soccer without her interfering. I love her but she wants me to take over the family business. I don't want to obviously. I wanna be a professional soccer player. I want to make it all the way to the top. Do you have a goal like that?" Nakatsu looked over at the high jumper with keen interest.

"I'm gonna make it to the Olympics." The high jumper replied boldly.

"Wow, that's pretty awesome. I bet you can do it."

Kagurazaka smiled fiercely. "I am gonna do it. And I'll win a medal."

"How about we go together? I'll meet you there when I get on the Japanese soccer team. We'll both get medals," Nakatsu grinned excitedly.

"Now you're just being crazy."

"What? You think I can't do it? I'll show you! I'll make it!" He exclaimed determinedly, raising his fist in the air in a challenge.

Kagurazaka laughed helplessly. This was the side of Nakatsu he liked the best. He loved the boy's passion. "Alright, blondie. Deal. We'll meet at the Olympics. We'll win our medals and celebrate together."

Nakatsu put out his hand for a shake. "Deal."

The two clasped hands and shook firmly. Kagurazaka glanced down at the field to see it was cleared of all the students finally. He couldn't resist leaning forward to exchange one of those new slow, soft kisses with blond. He felt Nakatsu smirk against his lips before returning the kiss. Kagurazaka drew back enough to murmur against the blond's lips. "So you wanna do it out here on the bleachers?"

"No!" Nakatsu gasped, scandalized. "Someone could see us!"

"So?" the high jumper grinned wickedly.

The blond shoved him back. "No. Not tonight. You're gonna have to wait. I have to save my energy."

"Yeah yeah, for the game. Spoil sport."

"I don't mind making out though," Nakatsu remarked casually.

Kagurazaka sighed in mock dejection. "I guess that'll work for now."

"Are you gonna come to my game?" The blond asked hopefully.

"Do I look like your girlfriend?" The high jumper snorted. Nakatsu looked slightly hurt. "Fine, I'll come to the damn game."

Nakatsu rolled his eyes before leaning forward to kiss the high jumper again. He knew he was getting into deep now. Way past that point in fact. He didn't really mind right at the moment. The more he got to know about the high jumper the more he liked him. He wanted to know everything about Kagurazaka. They lost themselves in the exchange of lips, teeth, and tongue. And it was perfect. Neither one noticed Sano, who was standing around the corner of the locker room to keep a look out for them. He stayed until the couple parted ways for the night and then he hurried away before Nakatsu could find him there.

Be a responsible reader and review!

Ok, so it was fluff. I couldn't help it. They were begging for it. I'll get back to the sex next chapter. I promise. :D