Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ High School Never Ends ❯ Pardon Me As I Celebrate ( Chapter 1 )

Author: La Tensai

Rating: R for now. That'll change.

Author's Notes: For Emma! This was conjured up on a day of zoning out at work and listening to my hip-hop playlist. And God bless the Rockets for being one of our only good sports teams here in Houston! *singing the yao ming song with shake-it-buddy, who is singing it differently* There will be 3 or 4 parts, I believe. Oh and even though I believe Slam Dunk started in 1990, I am going to tweak it a bit for my own purposes. Let's just say Sakuragi and crew were 16 in 1993. Thanks for playing along, kids.

This has been revised once I became annoyed at some inconsistencies in timelines. I was forcing an NBA draft in January, which is actually right in the middle of the season. D'oh!

High School Never Ends

Part 1: Pardon Me As I Celebrate

"Talk to me."

"Can't you answer the phone like a normal person?"

"Moshi moshi."

"Whatever. What are you doing, Sakuragi?"

The young man flopped back onto his couch and stretched to pull his shoes off. "Nothing much, Nori-chan. Just got home."

"If you try calling me that to my face you know I'll smash your head into the pavement."

"Ooh, just like high school, thanks for the flashback, Gori."

On the other end of the phone line, Akagi sighed and rolled his eyes. Sakuragi Hanamichi could practically hear the eye roll. He grinned to himself and stretched out on the couch completely. "So the Lunar New Year starts tomorrow. What we doing?" the younger man asked.

"Well, that's why I called. I was talking to an old friend and he's in town for a few days. We were thinking of heading to Metro."

"Works for me. What old friend? B-boy? Anyone I know?"

Sakuragi heard his friend chuckle very slightly. "If you remember a baka kitsune."

With this the younger man's eyes went wide. In English, he said, "Shut the fuck up."

"What?"

In Japanese: "Shut the fuck up."

"Swear to God."

Sakuragi shook his head and spaced out for a moment. Hell yes he remembered a baka kitsune. Now that he thought about it, he blushed at the thought of always calling Rukawa Kaede a `stupid fox' after his friend Danny had given him a heads-up on an American meaning for calling someone a `fox.' Whoops.

Thinking of the baka, he realized that he had not seen the other man since high school. How long is that? I was 18 when we graduated…26 now…8 years? "I have not seen that boy in eight damn years," he finally spoke again.

"I figured as much. But you never saw him on TV?"

"Yeah a couple times, but it's hard to get an American basketball game on TV around here."

"You know they got the All-Star break right now…so the kid's coming home for a visit."

"I'll be damned. This is going to be weird."

"Heh, well, I would say he hasn't changed, but…well, really he hasn't since being in Houston. But I can tell you, he's probably nothing like you remember from high school."

Sakuragi laughed. "Well, the same could be said about me."

"True, true. You know two of Rukawa's teammates are in the All-Star game? Yao Ming and Steve Francis."

"Aww, no playing time for the rookie, huh?"

"He'll be in there next year. Sounds like he's got an even bigger cheering section these days."

"I can imagine," Sakuragi murmured. This should be interesting. Rukawa Kaede was in the middle of his first season playing with the Houston Rockets. At the age of 26, the rookie was actually older than some of his teammates, but it appeared that the years of becoming the best in Japan had paid off. Sakuragi had indeed been following the other man's progress, mainly through the Internet, and Rukawa was already being discussed as a possible MVP.

Akagi retrieved him from his thoughts. "So tomorrow at Metro, eh?"

*************************************

Rukawa Kaede walked up the busy street, humming a new favorite song, something by Linkin Park, a title he couldn't remember. Something in English. Over the last eight months, he'd had a crash course in English (Texas style, of course) and could really only keep up with the essentials. If only he could stay awake during his English lessons…he learned more of a practical lingo, he decided, from the other players.

He now wished he had agreed to meet Akagi and Sakuragi somewhere beforehand. He didn't know how he was going to find them in this mass of people. The line for the club was winding down the street. But Akagi assured him if he went to the door, the bouncers would know who he was.

He wondered if he would even recognize his former teammates. He'd seen Akagi before leaving for the US, but hadn't seen Sakuragi since high school. Hard to imagine he'd first met him ten years ago. Made 26 seem old.

He was also hard-pressed to believe what Akagi had told him about the (former???) redhead. He had actually gone to college and was now working for a computer consulting company, apparently making good money. He worked at an international company and his American friends were apparently a major influence on his musical taste, if one could judge by the bass that pounded the pavement outside the club. Rukawa wondered vaguely if Sakuragi was still taller than him. Rukawa had grown a few inches since high school. While he was usually the tallest in a room in average company, at 6'5" (feet and inches were something he felt he had to remember) he was a bit short for an NBA player.

As he approached the door he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Seeing the caller as Akagi, he stopped and answered. "Yo!" he yelled.

"You people need to stop talking to the Americans," he heard his former team captain yell. Rukawa almost smiled…he had a sudden thought of Akagi yelling at him…and now yelling at the fresh blood of Shohoku high school, as their current coach.

"What's going on?"

"I'm at the bar. You here yet?"

"Just outside, I'll find you."

A few minutes later Rukawa finally spotted the coach. They met in a bear hug and Akagi patted Rukawa so hard on the back he almost fell over.

"Drink," Akagi insisted, shoving a tequila shot into the younger man's face. Rukawa threw it back and winced ever so slightly.

"More of a sake man myself," he hollered into Akagi's ear. "So where's your friend?"

"Hanamichi's out there somewhere," he motioned toward the dance floor. "This is really his kind of music. All he listens to is rap. And Linkin Park." At this Rukawa actually grinned and Akagi almost fell over in shock. He's got good taste. Rukawa was actually grinning because he was remembering his first time seeing Linkin Park on MTV. He had almost fallen off the couch laughing at Mike Shinoda with his flaming red hair and big-ass grin…it reminded him a lot of someone he knew.

"So where's the new fiancé?"

"Hm, Ayako is still such a club girl…she's out there somewhere with Sakuragi…"

Rukawa raised an eyebrow at this comment and was about to make one of his own when Akagi yelled over the music, "Oh there he is!" He pointed out to the dance floor. Rukawa almost jumped as a song he recognized came on. He'd been dragged to a Black Eyed Peas concert when the team played…somewhere. He couldn't remember. Rock was more his style but this was a good dance song.

"I just know Sakuragi requested this song," Akagi yelled. "No one else would know what this is!"

"I do…" Rukawa began.

But he froze and almost dropped his jaw at the man before him. He had a feeling Sakuragi had had to lose the red hair to get his job. But he had a little bit of his former look left. His black hair had bright red streaks and was messily styled to perfection, toward his face. He kept having to shake his long, straight bangs out of his eyes.

Sakuragi was dressed nicely, more sophisticated than Rukawa would've imagined. Nicely tailored dark gray pants, a black button-down shirt tucked into the pants but with the cuffs rolled up slightly and the top 2 or 3 buttons undone. Rukawa was most amazed that Sakuragi could dance. Put him in a skirt and he could fit in the with NBA dancers…yes, Hanamichi would make a really bootylicious cheerleader.

Akagi stifled a laugh as his former teammate stared slack-jawed at the other man. "Has he been watching Queer Eye for the Straight Guy?" Rukawa mused. Akagi did laugh then. He shook his head and smiled knowingly at the man next to him. Rukawa raised an eyebrow and took another shot of tequila. Then he proceeded toward Sakuragi.

*When I step in the room I bring the heat like the month of June
crank the volume make the bass go boom*

It took him a moment to see that Sakuragi was indeed dancing with Ayako. He was dancing around her, every now and then sliding down almost to his knees.

*Wile out like we some wild baboons
we go bananas to the tune
I wanna throw bows gimme elbow room
when I'm out my cocoon I'm ready to consume
let's hit the saloon cuz...

It's a holiday

Pardon me as I celebrate*

Ayako noticed him and screeched, "Rukawa-kun!" She dove into his arms and attempted to entice him to dance.

*And that's the way we do it we get a lil loopy off the ignorant fluid
and act a lil stupid just in case didn't knew it and that's how we do it don't ask why we do it*

To Rukawa's surprise, before he could even get the other man's attention, a man who had been dancing nearby shuffled up behind Sakuragi and wrapped his arms around his waist. Rukawa raised an eyebrow as Sakuragi and Ayako grinned at each other. The other man was tall, though a few inches shorter than the former basketball player. He had longish hair and was rather feminine looking, with a sharp-looking, open-ended ring through his full lower lip. But Rukawa was certain it was indeed a male.

*When I party in Hollywood VIP I don't understand that's TOB cuz
we party forever n get down together we don't stop n we don't quit
lets get it goin' cuz we know we gon' celebrate cuz its a holiday*

Sakuragi finally noticed Rukawa, who stood still while Ayako swayed around him. All he could do was stare at the other man. Damn. He looks…really…

Sakuragi was still focused on his former teammate while Ayako returned to dance in front of him, her back to his front. He wrapped an arm around her waist mindlessly as he stared continually at Rukawa. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. Rukawa Kaede all grown up…in person. His blue shirt emphasized the blue of his eyes. He could see a small Armani tag on the shirt. He figured the black pants were the same, judging from how well they fit and how fine the material looked.

Rukawa also seemed to be growing his hair out again. When Sakuragi saw his first game with the Rockets on TV, Rukawa had shorter, spiked up hair. That seemed to be the American style at the moment. But now it was actually a bit longer in front than he'd always had it in high school, and was kept flat by some sort of gel or wax. Nice, Sakuragi thought.

He was suddenly reminded of the others around him when he felt the man behind him pushing his hips into Sakuragi's ass. Great, he sighed inwardly, feels like I led someone on again.

"I don't work today or the next 3 days so lets celebrate!" Sakuragi sang along with the song loudly. Some girl attempted to dance with Rukawa but he didn't seem too receptive. Sakuragi wondered why he was just standing there…he'd apparently been looking for them…but was he not going to dance?

*Cuz it's a holiday I don't work today naw pardon me as I celebrate*

Ayako pulled away from Hanamichi and practically forced Rukawa to dance with her. Sakuragi decided he needed to stop gawking at him, so turned to his remaining dance partner.

*Don't stop it just push it don't stop it just push it
move yo' body `n push it get naughty n' push it
we gon' party `n push it we gon' party n' push it
move yo' body n' push it get naughty n' push it*

For some reason he suddenly felt like being his late-night club-hentai self, even though he knew he should stop encouraging this guy. He dropped to a crouch and then slowly slid back up the other man's body.

Ayako felt Rukawa stiffen up next to her. She looked up at him and smiled. "You okay, hon?" she asked. He looked a bit disturbed and surprised. She was amused by the fact that he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Hanamichi and his gorgeous dance partner.

Ayako gave an odd look when Rukawa frowned and gingerly touched his nose, then looked at his hand. "Um…you okay?" she asked. "I don't think anything's wrong with your nose, kiddo."

He frowned even more, feeling his nose again. "That's really weird…"

By now Sakuragi had turned back around. He felt the other man's hands sliding up his thighs. In front of him, Rukawa was staring like a deer caught in headlights. Sakuragi leaned his head back but kept his gaze on Rukawa. With the hands so close to his pelvis and Rukawa standing in front of him, Sakuragi could almost pretend that-

"Shit…" he muttered suddenly. Rukawa looked a little alarmed when Sakuragi clapped a hand over his nose. What the hell…?

Once the song was done, the three returned to Akagi at the bar. He grinned at Sakuragi, though Rukawa was not sure why. Sakuragi rolled his eyes and ordered two vodka tonics, giving one to Rukawa.

"So does Metro stand for metrosexual?" Rukawa demanded, pulling at Sakuragi's finely textured shirt. The psuedo-redhead threw back his head and laughed.

"Not really."

"You've got a lot of style for a straight guy," Rukawa observed. Sakuragi smiled and pulled at Rukawa's own sleeve. "Matches your eyes," Hanamichi smiled sweetly. "And I think you're a lot straighter than I am."

Ayako just laughed and wandered off, her fiancé in tow. Rukawa watched this retreat with confusion and a very small feeling of impending doom.

"You've changed a lot," he mentioned to the shorter man.

"You have…and you haven't. When did you get so tall?"

Rukawa smiled. "Hm, let me see…the guys in Texas would always look at me like I was crazy when I'd talk metric to them. Apparently I am six-foot-five."

"That means nothing to me."

"Means I'm short. I guess you're something like…6'4"?

Sakuragi shrugged and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not exactly obsessed with that kind of thing anymore."

As Sakuragi started another thought, he was interrupted by pounding bass. "OHH! I love this song!" he squealed. He grabbed the taller man's hand and dragged him out to the floor.

The song was a mid-tempo song with a hip-hop beat and a seductive bass line. "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, it's better than yours, damn right it's better than yours, I could teach you but I'd have to charge…" Sakuragi sang as he pulled the other man closer to him. That last vodka tonic had helped him out a little, somehow without affecting his reflexes or balance. Rukawa felt a large hand on the small of his back and another set of hips very close to his. Recalling how Hanamichi had been dancing with the other man before, Rukawa's mind began formulating a theory. Oh shit...is he gay? And what makes him think I'd be the same way??

Rather belatedly, Rukawa realized his own reflexes had been affected. He flinched a bit upon noticing Sakuragi's nose skimming along his cheek. Then he felt his breath along his ear, and felt his own breath catch in his throat.

"I'm kind of drunk," he murmured in the taller man's ear, "But you look so hot…"

"You look…so good," Rukawa muttered in English, a bit breathlessly, running a hand down Hanamichi's chest. The shorter man looked surprised for a second and then smiled shyly.

"Thanks," he responded, also in English. Rukawa ducked his head in embarrassment. He hadn't thought he'd be understood. Sakuragi would have none of that. He grabbed the waistband of Rukawa's pants and pulled him to his body. He flattened his hand against his partner's face and brushed his lips against his jaw. Rukawa gasped and tilted his head back a bit. He felt light flicks of wet warmth against his neck. A tongue was a tongue, but this was not like the few girls he'd met. He felt those lean muscles against his own body…no doubt that Hanamichi still worked out. Rukawa found himself imagining the other man minus his shirt…in baggy jeans like he always used to wear…hanging low enough to see defined hipbones…. That had always attracted him to a girl, those defined lines that came with a cut body. He'd never thought about the possibility that it was a bit masculine. But the thought of what Hanamichi might look like was bringing up interesting ideas to lower regions of his body.

All at once, Hanamichi was running his tongue slowly across Rukawa's lower lip and clutching at his ass. They were definitely putting on a show. Didn't seem like anyone in this place would be offended though. Well, what do you want? What do you do now? Rukawa asked himself.

Once you get involved,
everyone will look this way, so,
you must maintain your charm,
same time maintain your halo,
just get the perfect blend…

Hanamichi was pushing his hand through the hair at the back of Rukawa's head, placing teasing, almost-kisses against his lips. "Kaede…" he murmured against his lips, effectively taking any decision out of Rukawa's hands. There was no choice after that. He grabbed Hanamichi's head and pressed their lips together fiercely.

The shorter man was not about to complain. He wrapped his arms around his friend's waist and managed to partially wedge a knee between Rukawa's legs. With a gasp, Rukawa tried to pull back. Shit, what did I do?

Rukawa's brain was a mess. How did he turn into such a lightweight? Too much training had trained the boozing right out of him. He could have tried harder to get away from Sakuragi, but he was paralyzed by the other man's suddenly frenzied kisses and his own panicked thoughts.

Wait…wait what happened? I just wanna talk, I wanted to talk to you tonight…oh God…I don't do this…not with guys…wait what is his hand…

"Wait, wait, I just…Sakuragi, I wanted to…mmfhh…I wanna talk to…what the hell is that?"

"Huh?"

Rukawa eyed the psuedo-redhead suspiciously. "What is in your mouth? Stick out your tongue!"

Hanamichi giggled a bit and stuck out his tongue, red metal stud and all.

"Oh…man," Rukawa murmured. He smiled slowly. "That's interesting."

"You likey?" Sakuragi teased.

"Come here. Just…keep doing that."

Sakuragi raised an eyebrow. It was getting kind of annoying to keep his tongue hanging out…he was getting cottonmouth. The fox in front of him leaned down a bit and…

Licked his tongue. The piercing, to be more precise. Rukawa just leaned over and licked his tongue stud. Sakuragi didn't even bother trying to hold back a soft moan. He let the other man continue to taste his tongue with his own. When Rukawa pulled away with a satisfied smile, Hanamichi grinned crookedly at him.

"Thanks for the porn star kiss."

Rukawa actually laughed. Sakuragi figured he should be more alarmed by the other man's newfound good humor throughout the night, but he decided he liked it. "Is that what that was?"

"What, you never watch porn? Hell, that's from straight porn and even I've seen that."

"Okay," Rukawa shrugged and generously gave Hanamichi another porn star kiss.

"Jesus Christ, get a room!" someone yelled behind them.

Sakuragi turned around and raised an eyebrow, eyeing the man who'd spoken, while at the same time running his tongue around Rukawa's ear. He paused long enough to say, "There aren't any around here."

"You don't have a fucking house?"

"Too far away," he smiled, lifting his head up for Rukawa's teeth to slide down his throat. "Huh….mmm…Kae-chan, do we need to get a room?"

"For what?"

"Uh, I guess to preserve the virgin eyes of these good people…" Sakuragi giggled as Rukawa turned around in his arms so that he too was facing the offended club-goer. Rukawa lifted his arms up and reached back to wrap them around Sakuragi's neck. This caused his back to arch and his hips to extend forward. What Hanamichi couldn't see was the biggest shit-eating grin that had ever graced the other man's face as Sakuragi ran his hands down his chest. Rukawa nuzzled into Sakuragi's body when his hands reached Rukawa's belt. Rukawa felt himself shiver momentarily as Sakuragi whispered in his ear, "What do you want to do, baby?"