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Double rivalry sparks again — Lewis’ Buffalo and Matsumura’s Toronto neck to neck before spring season kick-off
Both Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs had a solid fall season in the NHL, the teams currently ranking second and third respectively in the Atlantic Division before the spring season kick-off this weekend.
The tale as old as time is the rivalry between these two neighboring teams, and this season the stark competition has gotten a new twist with the teams’ captains: Jesse Lewis of Buffalo and Hokuto Matsumura of Toronto.
These two hockey wonders with Asian backgrounds have been rivals since their rookie season seven years ago. Both have proved their worth time and time again since then, Matsumura having been selected as the MVP of the year three years in a row while Lewis has bagged multiple nominations and advertisement deals over the years. The two have also been on top of the goal stats for the past four years.
Both talented, popular, and treats for the eyes as well. Both captains of their respective teams. The fans love the ”HokuJesse” pair as they call them, and enjoy the endless competition between the two. But who will get the last laugh this season? Will Matsumura finally break Lewis’ goal record? Will we finally see a—
Hokuto lowers his phone and closes the ridiculous article. He doesn’t really know why he’s bothered with it in the first place. He knows more than well how the journalists write about him and Lewis, and he knows it always irks him. Yet he still always clicks. He can’t help it.
The perfect fan favourite Jesse Lewis, with an American name but exotic Japanese background. He’s met the other captain multiple times when they’ve played against each other, on countless award ceremonies and joint tournaments here and there. Hokuto's actually not that familiar with Lewis, but he thinks he knows enough. And what he’s gathered over the years is that the other is cocky and loud attention seeker. A total opposite of Hokuto himself, and thus slightly off-putting. And what irks him even more is how everyone’s always automatically pitted them against each other, and just because of their shared Asian background. Hokuto wishes he could decide for himself who to call his rival.
But no, the media decided that for him, years ago. And here he is, reading through that nonsense time and time again. He’s as bad with the stupid articles as he’s with social media and its comments: he knows they’re full of crap and just manage to annoy or frustrate him, yet he still can’t fight the urge to scroll and read, just a little. Well, now he’s had enough for the day—or for now, at least. He has a game to focus on.
Hokuto slips the phone into his pocket as he stands up and grabs his water bottle with him. He exits the gym and heads back to the locker room – he arrived at the rink a bit early today so he had time for some light warmup and stretching.
When Hokuto approaches the assortment of sofas and benches near the back entrance, he spots someone sitting there. There's a man on one of the sofas, and he's holding out his phone and talking. First Hokuto thinks he’s just facetiming someone, but soon the monologue reveals that the guy’s probably filming himself.
”—can’t wait to see y’all at the game tonight, it’s gonna be a blast again!”
Hokuto stops on his tracks now that he’s closer and recognition suddenly hits him. He sees the man’s colorful high brand hoodie and hates it a little that he knows the other just by that.
”Excuse me,” Hokuto says loudly, promptly walking closer. ”You’re not supposed to take pics or videos back here.”
Jesse Lewis turns and his stupid face spreads into a grin when he sees Hokuto.
“Matsumura! Wow, you’re here early. Getting ready to get your ass kicked again?”
Hokuto has to summon all his willpower not to snap at the annoying Buffalo captain. He doesn’t want to give Lewis the pleasure of getting under his skin. Or at least, not to let him know that he’s doing that. He breathes in and forces a polite smile on his face.
“At least I’m here for hockey and not playing some Instagram influencer.”
Lewis just shrugs. “Gotta give the fans what they want, they are cheering for me after all. Maybe you should also try some fan service at times?”
Hokuto feels another flame of anger inside him. How the hell does the asshole manage it, every single time?
“I’m good, thanks. And I repeat: you’re not supposed to film in here!”
With that, Hokuto starts off again; he doesn’t bear to look at Lewis for another second longer. Hokuto wishes he drops the phone on his face, or chokes on that sport drink of his.
“Just worry about your team and the game, Matsumura!” Lewis calls after him, and Hokuto can hear the laughter in his voice. “We’ll beat you.”
“We’ll see about that,” Hokuto mutters to himself.
The Sabres win 3–2.
Hokuto makes sure not to glance anywhere near the opposing team when they skate off the rink, and hurries to drown his annoyance and disappointment in the shower.
Back home, huddled on the couch with herbal tea and the phone in his hand, Hokuto feels better already. He rereads the notes their coach sent to their team chat about tonight’s game, making mental notes to discuss a couple of mishaps at the next practice. Then, he opens his social media feeds, allowing himself some unwinding time before bed.
When he’s scrolling on his Instagram feed, Hokuto suddenly remembers the stupid video Lewis was taking before the game. His annoyance spikes again, but so does his curiosity. He scrolls past a couple more posts and reels before giving in and opening the search bar.
It’s been quite long since his last stalking spree, so when opening Lewis’ Instagram page, Hokuto takes a quick look at his feed. Lots of selfies, images and videos of him in the rink, brand endorsements. Hokuto hates to admit that Lewis’ pictures look good and interesting, and that he clearly knows how to cater to his fans and followers.
Hokuto opens the stories, where he finds the exact clip he saw Lewis filming at the arena today. He watches how the Sabres captain smiles and waves at the camera, looking friendly (fake) and annoyingly cool. There are other clips as well, of Lewis with some of his teammates before the game, and a bit blurry selfie after it, with him smiling and showing a thumbs up.
Great game tonight, thank you for cheering for us!!
Hokuto presses on the screen to stare at the selfie, wondering how the other manages to be so effortlessly cool even with a blurry selfie after a match. Frustrated, he’s supposed to swipe left to the next story, but for some reason, his touch brings up the emoji reactions, and before Hokuto knows what happens, he sees the fire emojis on the screen.
His stomach drops.
Shit, shit, shit.
Hokuto quickly clicks himself out of Lewis’ profile, but the mistake’s already made. He knows those stupid reactions send a message to the recipient, so now Lewis will see that Hokuto has reacted to his story with a fucking fire emoji. He drops his phone on the couch and stuffs his face into a nearby pillow, groaning aloud. His whole body tingles with embarrassment.
The only sliver of hope is that Lewis never checks the reactions and messages. Which is totally possible with so many followers.
Hokuto lowers the pillow, staring at the ceiling. He chooses to believe that Jesse Lewis never checks his notifications and thus will never see Hokuto’s fire emoji reaction. Yes, that’s what he chooses to believe. Otherwise he can never look at Jesse Lewis’ direction again.
—
The Maple Leafs win the next two games, which puts Hokuto in a better mood and allows him to enjoy his next full day off a lot better. After a light morning stroll, he heads to his favorite café in Kensington Market, a cosy and peaceful place with a great tea selection. Hokuto usually likes to sit on the corner table with a tea pot and a good book.
Today, Hokuto’s usual table is occupied so he sits down by the window instead. He’s rarely recognized out in the city, so he almost never bothers with hats or sunglasses or the like, not today either. He takes out a book and thanks the waiter when she brings his herbal tea. Hokuto sips the tea, opens his book and feels bliss only a quiet moment like this can bring.
Half a cup and some dozen pages later, Hokuto’s peace is interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. He takes a peak on the screen and is surprised to see messages from a dating app he’s been using on-off. It’s been at least a month since he’s last even opened the app.
Hokuto opens the messages that are from a guy called Kai, a random fling from last year. They never messaged each other after the last hookup, which Hokuto was fine with, so why now, suddenly…? They weren’t that compatible in his opinion, with Hokuto wanting something more stable and serious while the other guy was in it only for the sex.
heyyy, how r u? ;)
ive been thinkin bout u lately
wanna meet up tonight?
Hokuto snorts at the messages. Frankly, his dating life is very nonexistent at the moment, and has been for a while already, thanks to hockey and him being gay tightly in the closet. Not the best combination. But still, he’s not desperate enough to try this guy again. He puts the phone away, and goes back to his book.
All too soon, another distraction emerges when a couple of noisy customers enter the café. Their chatter and laughter is way too loud for him, and Hokuto doesn’t even look up when grabbing his headphones from the bag. He puts them on and activates the noise cancelling. It helps a little. He takes a sip of the tea and tries to find the row he was on.
In the corner of his eye, Hokuto vaguely registers someone walking closer. He assumes the person is heading to the vacant table next to his, but then that someone stops near him. Hokuto waits a couple of seconds to be sure the person’s not moving elsewhere before quickly glancing up at him. He almost flinches at the sight.
Jesse Lewis is standing next to his table, a takeout coffee in hand, grinning at him. If Hokuto hasn’t bothered covering himself up, neither has Lewis. He’s wearing a bright red puffer jacket, colorful patterned pants and a black wide brimmed hat.
Hokuto pulls the headphones down, the clamor of the café surrounding him again and just stares mutely at Lewis. What the hell is he doing here? In Hokuto’s favorite café?
“Yo,” Lewis greets him. “Didn’t think I’d find you here.”
“Well, that makes the two of us,” Hokuto retorts. He doesn’t like the way Lewis is eyeing his tea and the book.
“So this is how Hokuto Matsumura spends his days off?” Comes the sneer like clockwork.
“Yes, and I was having a great time before you showed up.”
Lewis raises his hands in surrender. “Just wanted to say hi. But alright, I’ll leave you and your book alone. See you at the next game.”
Hokuto doesn’t answer. He promptly raises his book up as Lewis walks away, but steals glances at the other captain over it, watching how he and his supposed friend exit the café. Just before stepping out Lewis looks at his way again, and Hokuto hurriedly lowers his gaze to the pages again.
Damn it. So much for being sneaky.
Just then, someone approaches his table again. This time it’s the waitress. She places a delicious looking piece of matcha cake on the table.
“The earlier customer bought this for you,” the waitress says with a smile.
“Oh… Thank you?”
Hokuto feels puzzled for a second before realization hits him. He glances out of the window as if he could still see Lewis walking on the street. Did he really…? Why? Has he poisoned the cake perhaps? Hokuto looks at the pastry dubiously. It looks perfectly normal and tasty matcha cake to his eye. And anything matcha flavored is his favorite, damn it. Letting the cake go to waste just because an annoying asshole bought it for him feels wrong.
In the end, Hokuto eats the cake, and likes it very much. He’ll never tell that to Lewis, though.
—
“Try to look like you’re enjoying yourself.”
Upon hearing the whisper, Hokuto immediately fixes his posture and makes a face at Kochi, who gives him a pointed look before striding off. Undoubtedly towards some bigwigs he wishes to win over. Kochi is Maple Leafs’ assistant coach and also a natural at social gatherings, especially the charity ones like this particular gala.
Meanwhile, Hokuto is anything but. He feels awkward in the fine suit, a drink in hand, among all these important people. He knows this is also part of their job, and quite an important one, too. Like this night: a fundraiser for youth sports initiatives in the nearby area. He fully supports the cause, and has already decided to donate some money for it. And yet. He’d still rather be anywhere else.
Hokuto takes a nervous sip from his champagne (he doesn’t really like it) and tries to smile at the people who walk past. While he’s scanning the banquet hall where the gala is held, his eyes land on a figure across the wide space. Hokuto’s stomach jumps unpleasantly. There’s another who’s like a fish in water at these kinds of mingling events.
Jesse fucking Lewis.
Hokuto watches grudgingly how the Sabres captain walks among the crowd, a dazzling smile on his face, and chit-chats easily with whoever he comes across. Naturally. A darling of any event, red carpet or not, as Hokuto remembers reading on some bullshit article just a day or two past.
Hokuto turns away and takes another gulp of his drink. He hadn’t realized Lewis would also be there, and suddenly he feels even greater need to just get out. He knows he can’t, not while Kochi’s watching from somewhere with his hawklike vision, so Hokuto retreats to the drink counter at the far end of the hall. He ditches the champagne and asks for a ginger ale instead.
With his new, much better drink, Hokuto stays by the counter, taking a moment to gather strength for returning back into the crowd.
“Good evening. I’ll have what he’s having.”
Someone’s appeared next to Hokuto, and his stomach jumps again when that someone leans against the counter and Hokuto sees his face. He gives Lewis a quick side eye glance.
“Ginger ale, sir?” The bartender confirms.
“What? Eww, then no.” Lewis looks at Hokuto’s drink again and scrunches his nose, and Hokuto wants to walk away from the damn asshole. But he doesn’t.
”A GT, please,” Lewis orders.
When the bartender starts mixing the drink, Lewis turns properly towards Hokuto, the annoying smirk on his face as always. With his slicked back hair, golden accessories and a perfectly tailored navy suit he looks so flawless it’s irritating. It also seems the soft lighting in the hall highlights his cheekbones and sharp jawline just so. Even more irritating, Hokuto thinks as he promptly looks away.
“Enjoying yourself?” Lewis asks.
“Sure.”
“Hmm.”
Lewis gets his drink and waits for the bartender to walk away before leaning a bit closer to Hokuto.
“Did you like the matcha cake?” he asks in a low voice.
Hokuto looks at him, incredulous. “None of your business!” he hisses back. ”Especially not here.”
“Aww. And I thought that’d be just right for you.”
Hokuto doesn’t answer Lewis but instead takes a sip of his drink, hoping the other would take the hint and go away. Unfortunately, he seems to be too dense for that.
”Just wanted to be friendly,” Lewis says after a short silence.
”Well I don’t need that.”
”Oh, you want to keep up this rivalry thing, huh?” Lewis makes air quotes around the word rivalry, sounding amused.
Hokuto gives him a withering look. “I couldn’t give a damn about the rivalry thing, thank you very much. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
Hokuto has spotted Kochi pacing around nearby and that is his escape. Without another word, he strides away from the counter and Lewis. Kochi raises his brows questioningly when Hokuto walks up to him and sticks to his side.
“What is it? And what were you talking with him?”
“Nothing,” Hokuto mutters and grabs Kochi’s arm, turning him away from Lewis. “Just… keep walking!”
And just like that, he’s escaped the annoying Sabres captain, but tagging along with Kochi means Hokuto will now have to mingle and small talk with the important folk. Kochi’s already walking determinedly towards a big cluster of people in the middle of the hall. Hokuto swallows a sigh, plasters a friendly smile on his face and dutifully follows Kochi on his mission.
By the time Hokuto’s glass is empty, his cheek muscles feel like cramping and his small talk quota for the day is filled three times over. Nearby, Kochi’s still talking enthusiastically with Mr. and Mrs. Something, and while he’s not paying attention Hokuto tries his best to inch away unnoticed.
He doesn’t get far before a reporter approaches him with a camera. “Mr. Matsumura, it’s so amazing to see you here tonight! Could I get a photograph?”
“Um…” is all Hokuto manages, but the reporter is already ushering him away from the crowd for a better shot. “Here could be good—Oh, wait just a moment. Mr. Lewis! Could you come here, please?”
You’ve gotta be kidding me, Hokuto thinks when Lewis walks up to them.
“Could I get a photo of you two together? If that’s alright with you?” the reporter asks, eyes gleaming. Hokuto knows exactly what he’s thinking.
“Of course,” Lewis agrees easily, and squeezes closer to Hokuto upon the reporter’s request.
Hokuto stands still on his spot, feeling a bit like a deer in the headlights. Suddenly he feels Lewis wrapping an arm around him, feels his hand on his shoulder, and Hokuto stiffens. Lewis presses close to his side as if they’re buddies, smiling dazzlingly at the camera. Hokuto tries his best to smile as well, a horrible and forced smile, but still.
Lewis is so close. Hokuto can smell his perfume and hears his soft chuckle by his ear when the reporter cracks a joke at them. It’s too much, all too much.
As soon as the reporter gives them an OK sign, Hokuto steps away from Lewis, muttering something about needing to use the bathroom. Hokuto turns around and dashes away. He wades his way through the people, placing his empty glass on a random table on the way. He heads out of the hall, and down the corridor on the right.
Luckily, the men’s bathroom is empty when Hokuto storms in. He walks to the sink and looks himself in the eye through the mirror, exhaling a shaky breath. His cheeks are slightly flushed and a couple of strands of hair hang loose on his forehead. Hokuto haphazardly combs them back with his fingers. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself.
Hokuto flinches when the door bangs open and Jesse Lewis stomps in. He twirls around and stares at Lewis, speechless. What the hell? Why on earth does he keep pestering Hokuto? Couldn’t he just go and play the perfect heartthrob hockey star as always and leave him be—
“What is your problem?” Lewis spits out just then, glaring at Hokuto.
What…? Even more dumbfounded, Hokuto looks at Lewis again and realizes that he is also angry. “Huh?”
Lewis takes a few steps closer, still staring daggers at Hokuto. “I get that we’re not buddies and there’s the rivalry narrative from the media, but still! That just now was plain rude.”
Hokuto gapes at him. He’s being rude? “Well, excuse me! This event is burdening enough in itself, I don’t feel like parading in front of reporters any more than necessary. Especially with you.”
Lewis utters a laugh, joyless and mocking. “Especially with me. Am I really that repulsive to you?
The question surprises Hokuto, as does the hurt he thinks he hears in Lewis’ voice.
“Uh, well…” He doesn’t know what to say.
Lewis snorts. “Wow. Okay. I didn’t think it’s this bad.”
Hokuto feels his face heating up and irritation flaring inside him, and gets defensive. “You’re one to talk, as if you don’t dislike me, too.”
“I don’t,” Lewis says. He shrugs and steps closer. “I never have.”
“You’re lying,” Hokuto mutters. He remembers their early days, when they’d meet here and there at different tournaments and finally at NHL. His experience was always that they tolerated each other at best. Lewis is always quick to sneer at Hokuto, to mock him…
”I’m not. You’d be surprised how much I don’t dislike you.”
“What—”
Hokuto’s heart speeds up at the unexpected words, embarrassingly much, and suddenly he’s aware of how close Lewis is. The other has walked up to him and is looking down at Hokuto, his gaze weirdly intense. He’s so close that Hokuto smells his perfume again and sees the sculptural cheek bones and jawline at close range.
Damn, Hokuto thinks, he’s so annoying… And also annoyingly hot.
“I don’t dislike you,” Lewis repeats in a low voice. “And I wish you didn’t dislike me so much.”
“I—I don’t” Hokuto stammers, his mind reeling and heart hammering. “Well, not like that. I just think you’re an annoying asshole, that’s all.”
Lewis snorts, but amused this time. “I am?”
He leans a bit closer, their faces only some inches apart anymore.
“Yeah. Very annoying,” Hokuto breathes.
He could pull back. He should pull back. But he doesn’t. Lewis raises his other hand, his knuckles ghosting over Hokuto’s jaw and cheek. Hokuto turns his head ever so slightly, towards the touch. He locks his eyes to Lewis’ lips and is about to lean in—
They hear the approaching clamor before the bathroom door flies open, so Hokuto has time to jump away from Lewis and turn hastily towards the sink. In barges a loud group of men who claim the stalls and urinals, chatting and laughing loudly with each other.
Taking advantage of the sudden clamor, Hokuto turns stiffly and hurries out of the bathroom, not daring to look at Lewis’ direction. With shaky feet, he walks back to the hall and again navigates his way towards Kochi.
He doesn’t see Lewis for the rest of the evening.
—
The next couple of weeks pass by in a blur for Hokuto. He tries his best to concentrate on the games but his playing is a bit sloppy. He’s annoyed with himself because of that. He also tries not to think about Jesse Lewis. About his scent, his stupidly handsome face, his low voice, his lips. About how he doesn’t dislike Hokuto after all…? Hokuto tries, but manages equally badly at that and is even more annoyed with himself.
The real challenge comes with a game against the Sabres in Buffalo. Hokuto won’t accept a defeat against them again, especially not now, and he pushes his team accordingly. He feels like he needs to win to prove something to himself, to Lewis, to everyone. Buffalo’s played well lately and is now in the lead in the Atlantic Division, so all the more reason for Toronto to beat them tonight.
They’ve just had a quick strategy meeting prior to the game and are now back at the locker room, everyone starting to slowly gear up. Hokuto sits down on the bench and scrolls brainlessly through his Instagram feed while he still can.
Suddenly, he gets a notification.
Jesse Lewis reacted to your story: 🔥
Hokuto almost drops his phone.
With a shaky finger, he clicks to his notifications to be sure, and there it is. Lewis has reacted to his earlier story. With the damn fire emoji. The same emoji that he used—It can’t be. Hokuto doesn’t have time to panic about what it all means since he gets a new message.
Hi.
Could we talk after the game?
Hokuto stares at the words on the screen. His heart is suddenly pounding like he’d run a mile.
why?, he types and sends.
Because I think we should. About what happened at the gala.
nothing happened
I disagree. Could we?
I’d ask you over to my place but I know you’d never agree so… at the hotel?
I assume you’re staying at the Marriot
Hokuto gapes at the screen and starts typing.
“Hey, Matsumura! We’re having a game here?” one of his teammates calls to him, snapping Hokuto out of his panicky thoughts. He glances around, noticing that everyone else is almost ready to leave for the warmup.
“Yeah, just a sec!” He says, gets up and types quickly.
are you crazy?? you’re not coming anywhere near the hotel
Why not? I can sneak in unnoticed.
we’re not doing this! besides, we’re about to play. stop messaging me.
I’ll stop as soon as you’ll agree to meet up
Please?
Hokuto sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. Again, unprompted, in his mind he sees Lewis’ face close to his, the lips that are almost hovering over Hokuto’s…
Damn it.
Hokuto looks at his phone and sees a new message.
I’ll stop asking if you can honestly say you haven’t been thinking about me at all these past weeks.
Hokuto scoffs. He stuffs the phone on the shelf and starts putting on his gear. He has a game to concentrate on.
—
And there comes Matsumura! One minute and five seconds left of Toronto’s powerplay, and their captain is eager to put the puck in. He passes to Williams, Williams skates around Lewis, and passes back to Matsumura who shoots—And it’s a gooooal! At 17:26 in the third period, Matsumura puts Toronto in the lead with his goal, assisted by Williams. The Sabres will now have to hurry if they want to catch up…
–
And that’s the buzzer! Toronto Maple Leafs wins against Buffalo Sabres 2–1. Good game from the Maple Leafs, and especially their captain Hokuto Matsumura, who’s been a bit tame during the last couple of games. But tonight, he gets points 1+2—
When the buzzer sounds, Hokuto cheers heartily with his teammates. Winning always feels good, but it feels especially good today. As he’s surrounded with his team, Hokuto notices Lewis who’s skating past them. Their eyes meet for a split second and Hokuto thinks he sees Lewis raising his brows at him. And then he’s gone, stepping out of the rink.
When Hokuto finally gets back to their locker room, he picks up his phone, opens Instagram and sends a message.
Room 811 at 11.30pm
—
Hokuto can’t remember the last time he’s been this nervous. Not even in the Cup finals. He’s pacing around in his hotel room, still not believing what he’s about to do. He’s willingly invited Jesse Lewis to his room. Hokuto would laugh if he wasn’t so horrified. He’s afraid that Lewis will actually come. But as the clock creeps closer to eleven thirty, he also finds he’s a little afraid that Lewis won’t show up.
Hokuto keeps stopping in front of the mirror to check himself, to comb a hand through his hair that’s flat after the shower, and then continue pacing.
The clock comes eleven thirty. It comes thirty-five. Then forty.
Hokuto hates the sinking feeling in his gut. Hell, he should be relieved if the asshole has decided to ditch him after all. And yet… He starts wondering if he should try sending Lewis a message?
There’s a faint knock at the door which makes Hokuto jump a little. He rushes to open, and Lewis slips in quietly, bringing in a whiff of the night air and something citrusy. This time his outfit is more lowkey with black winter jacket and light grey sweats.
Lewis looks at Hokuto, looming awkwardly by the door, looking weirdly hesitant.
“Congrats on the win,” he says finally. “The last goal was nice.”
“Thanks.”
The silence stretches on after that, and Hokuto feels so awkward he’d want to scream. He also doesn’t know what to say.
Finally, Lewis speaks up.
”So yeah, I just wanted to apologize about what happened at the gala. The way I talked to you and snapped at you… I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. And of course you’re free to dislike me, if you feel like it. I know I can be annoying at times.”
Okay, Hokuto didn’t expect that. Who knew Lewis could own up to his actions and be so self-aware.
”Apology accepted,” he says. He hesitates a moment before continuing: ”At the gala… What did you mean when you said something like, how much you don’t dislike me? How I’d be surprised?”
”Nah, forget about it,” Lewis says evasively.
”I can’t,” Hokuto admits. ”Believe me, I’ve tried to forget. So, spill.”
Lewis doesn’t answer right away. He’s not meeting Hokuto’s eyes anymore, suddenly a complete opposite of the self-confident, even arrogant version he usually presents to the public. He’s quiet for a long while.
”I like you, alright?” Lewis finally gets out. ”I know it’s ridiculous, that’s why I’ve tried my best to forget about the whole thing, but every time I see you somewhere, it just hits all over again. And I know it’s hopeless, with you hating my guts and probably having a perfect girlfriend somewhere…”
Wait, what?
Hokuto’s rendered speechless by Lewis’ confession. A whirlwind of feelings rushes through him, leaving him even more confused than before. Is this really happening…?
Lewis glances at him, looking nervous, and clearly takes Hokuto’s silence the wrong way.
”Shit, this was a bad idea. I—I better go…”
He’s turning and reaching for the door handle.
”No, wait!” Hokuto exclaims.
He grabs Lewis’ arm and makes him turn back towards Hokuto.
”Wait. Let me… let me see something.”
Hokuto’s feeling lightheaded and breathless, but he’s been playing the what ifs in his mind endlessly since the gala night, and this is finally his chance to put an end to it.
Hokuto stands on his tiptoes and presses a quick, tentative kiss on Lewis’ lips. He pulls back a bit, slowly, waiting for the other man’s reaction. And when Lewis takes his face into his hands and pulls him in for another, longer kiss, a whine escapes from Hokuto’s throat and for a moment, he forgets everything else.
Jesse fucking Lewis knows how to kiss alright.
Hokuto pushes Lewis’ coat over his shoulder, helping him shrug it off before he pulls Lewis further into the room.
“I can stay?” Lewis asks between the kisses. He presses himself flush against Hokuto, hands resting on his hips.
“For a bit,” Hokuto answers. Then something occurs to him, and he pulls back enough to look up at Lewis.
“Wait, this changes nothing out there, right?”
“Of course not,” Lewis agrees.
“We’ll still have to continue this rival bullshit or it’ll be suspicious.”
“Sure.”
“And play against each other normally.”
“Meaning I’ll get to kick your ass like I usually do?”
Lewis squirms and giggles when Hokuto pokes him in the rib for that.
“Watch it, asshole,” Hokuto says, but full of fondness this time.
He pulls Lewis to the bed, very eager to find out what else that mouth can do besides sneer and kiss like that. He’s all but ready to take their rivalry to the next level.