[Valentine's Day Fic -- FujiTezu] I'M YOURS
Title: I’m Yours
Author: a1y_puff
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: Fuji/Tezuka-ish. Hawhaw…
Genre: Fluff!! And… tiny bits of angst (they always managed to slip in somehow… *is an angst whore*)
Rating: PG-13 for kissing? XD
Summary: Fuji tries to let Tezuka know that, no matter what they are, he belongs to the captain.
Warnings: Just remember that they are only 14 and 15? (Tezuka turned 15 in October after the National, right?)
Disclaimer: Tezuka and Fuji own each other, and this adorable song is definitely not mine or I’d be a rich bastard by now, which I am not. Bleh.
A/N: Based on the song I’m Yours by Jason Mraz. For isumi_ilde who requested it. I didn’t put the excerpts of the lyrics like how I usually do songfics, just taking the essences from the lyrics (if anyone wants to know the lyrics of this song, just google it and you’ll find it immediately XD). I hope you’re fine with this, Isu. Sorry for the wait, but now this is your b’day present. I hope you’d get to sneak out of your dorm to read this, dearest sista :P
This is also a Valentine’s Day fic from me, so, Happy Valentines, all~!
P.S. Special thanks to lafuego for betaing this. You’re a really amazing and sweet beta, Reisan! *hugs*
- I’M YOURS -
/ Phase 1: COURTSHIP /
Fuji eyed the figure across the table, engrossed in a history book he was reading. The look on that stoic face betrayed no emotions at all, and Fuji wondered what was last week all about.
It had been after a rather private match they had in a nearby street court after school. Both of them were panting, sweating, despite the cold autumn wind. They had stood there, separated by the net. Fuji had reached out a hand to shake, and Tezuka took the proffered hand in his.
A few words of how their match had gone; ‘you’ve improved, it’s my defeat’ flowed out of his lips and a simple ‘You’ve only let your guard down’ uttered with a small smile in response had Fuji a little surprised.
They had stared at each other and Fuji’s eyes widened when gradually, Tezuka’s face was inching closer to him, and he thought Fuji saw something in Tezuka’s eyes. An emotion unknown to him; it was faint, but it was there, nonetheless.
Then, Tezuka’s lips moved, but no words managed to escape. Fuji searched into his eyes, but before he could catch anything, the stoic mask was back in place. Gone were all traces of lingering emotions, and there was nothing more Fuji could see.
And just like that, they parted on their way home.
He had started to notice since then, that Tezuka would occasionally look at him in such a way that Fuji was sure had some hidden meanings. It was like Tezuka had something he wanted Fuji to know, but couldn’t just say it outright. But the gazes he often caught from Tezuka had always sent shivers down his spine.
Fuji wondered if Tezuka knew he had that effect on him, and if the bespectacled boy was purposefully giving out that effect.
Judging by how the other behaved around him, Fuji knew Tezuka had feelings for him. Whether those were romantic in context or not, he decided he would have to make sure.
The squeaking sound of the chair scraping the floor as Fuji stood up from his seat caught Tezuka’s ears, and the dark haired youth looked up from his book. Smiling down at Tezuka, Fuji then walked around the table and sat down beside his friend.
“How do you solve this problem?” the fair-haired boy asked sweetly while pushing his physics worksheet to Tezuka.
A flash of doubt crossed Tezuka’s eyes for a brief moment, but then began explaining to his so-called prodigy friend the easy way to solve said problem. Fuji took the chance to lean in closer to Tezuka as he paid a really good attention to Tezuka’s explanation, and as his hand had somehow accidentally brushed against Tezuka’s, he could feel the stoic teen stiffen.
When Tezuka finished explaining, Fuji tilted his head up to face Tezuka, offering his friend a genuine, open-eyed smile. “Thank you,” he purred, a little too close to the other’s ear.
The way Tezuka kind of almost sulkily mumbled “No problem” as he fought down the blush that was starting to creep up his cheeks put a wide smile on Fuji’s face.
He definitely loved the effect he had on Tezuka.
* * *
It was a little bit like a game, Fuji had noted. Or maybe, it would be more enticing to Tezuka if he said it was just like tennis. It was as if both of them were in a long rally with the ball being hit back and forth, back and forth without them scoring. They were playing a bit too carefully that neither of them took the chance balls the other gave, for none of them dared to take up the challenge yet.
Or at least, it was how it had been all those times.
Fuji decided that if Tezuka wasn’t going to take the chance ball, then he would just smash the next time Tezuka gave him a chance ball, or else, the game would never end.
It was yet another friendly match they were having outside the school. Ever since the third years retired from the club, Tezuka had been occasionally inviting Fuji for a game of tennis, and this had somehow become a routine without a definite schedule.
It was somewhere during the match that the first snow of the year started descending, and Fuji just had to stop chasing the ball and look up.
Raising one hand up, Fuji let the snowflakes fall onto his palm and melted on his skin. Unconsciously, a soft smile formed on his lips.
“It’s the first snow,” Fuji heard it stated in a flat tone, and he turned his head to see Tezuka no longer in his tennis stance with his head tilted up to the grayish sky.
“Yeah,” Fuji replied, a nostalgic tone slipped its way into his smooth voice. “I was also with you when the first snow fell last year, wasn’t I?”
“Ah,” the bespectacled teen replied, before adding, “You said you wanted to photograph the first snow.”
“I do,” he began, “but unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera. I didn’t expect the first snow would be this early.”
“Is that so,” he heard Tezuka muttered softly. “Shall we continue the game?”
Tilting his head, Fuji offered an apologetic smile as he said, “Actually, could we call it a day? I’m a bit worn out since I stayed up all night playing video game with Yuuta,” he grinned sheepishly, and continued, “And I kinda want to watch the snow, for some reason.”
Tezuka gave him a weird look, to which Fuji responded with a childish smile. Sighing, Tezuka then walked a short distance to his bag and placed his racket back, while Fuji hurriedly added “I’ll make it up to you next Sunday, ne?”
After zipping his bag closed, Tezuka sat on the bench, and patted the space next to him lightly, signaling Fuji to sit beside him. When Fuji arched an eyebrow in question, Tezuka simply replied, “You said you want to watch the snow.”
At that, Fuji couldn’t help letting out a real smile.
A chance ball.
* * *
/ Phase 2: CONFESSIONS /
A pair of hazel eyes stared at him in an interesting spark of surprise, with those slightly parted lips as the cherry on top. Fuji wished he had his camera now, to immortalize the rare display of expression in Tezuka’s stoic face. Apparently, Tezuka really, really didn’t expect those words, and Fuji wondered if the other was aware of how dumbfounded he looked right now.
“As I said, Tezuka, I like you,” Fuji calmly repeated, secretly enjoying the sight of those lips opening and closing as they failed to form any word in response.
Three seconds later and there was still no response. Keeping his smile intact, Fuji then stood up and shouldered his tennis bag, and that was when Tezuka finally seemed to have found his voice and called out, “Fuji…”
Still smiling, Fuji turned to face Tezuka, and he noticed the troubled look in the other’s face. “Don’t worry,” he started, and before he could help himself, Fuji bent down to press a light kiss on Tezuka’s forehead.
The face Tezuka was making, along with the blush he might have forgotten to fight down had broken the theory that the words ‘Tezuka’ and ‘cute’ didn’t belong in the same sentence. Smiling, he let his blue eyes show and locked them with Tezuka’s hazel ones.
“You can answer me anytime, Tezuka,” he said, before walking a few steps back, and waved his hand lightly. “See you at school!”
Without glancing back, Fuji walked in an even pace until he was far from the street court. After he was sure Tezuka wouldn’t be able to see him, the smile slipped off his face, and he crouched down with a hand covering his heated face.
He never knew confessing to someone-and kissing said someone’s forehead, on top of that-could feel this embarrassing.
Fuji could bet his face was as red as a tomato, and despite himself, he chuckled at the thought.
* * *
It was normal for the seniors to be visiting the library whenever they weren’t in class. After all, High School entrance exams and their final exams were drawing really near. So it was really no surprise that Fuji bumped into Tezuka in the library. It was a coincidence, really.
“May I sit here?” Fuji calmly asked with his default smile in place. When Tezuka just nodded, the light haired youth pulled the chair next to his friend and sat down.
Tezuka didn’t say anything as he was seemingly absorbed with the book he read, but after a few minutes, Fuji noticed that Tezuka forgot to turn the page of his book and kept glaring at the very same page from, say, twenty minutes ago.
“Don’t be so tense, Tezuka,” he started with an amused smile. “It’s not like I’m going to bite you or something.”
When Tezuka just glared at him, Fuji responded with the most innocent grin he could muster.
Turning his gaze back to the book, Tezuka sighed, and then he softly muttered, “I don’t have an answer…”
Fuji’s hand froze in the process of flipping a page on his book. He turned to face Tezuka, and locking their eyes, Fuji calmly uttered, “Your eyes say that you do.”
“I don’t even know what is it that I have to answer, Fuji.” Tezuka sounded exasperated. “If it’s about being friends or being lovers, I…”
“Do you like me, though?” Fuji cut in.
Tezuka took his time staying quiet, while Fuji just folded his arms across his chest and leaned back to his chair as he waited patiently for Tezuka to say something.
The reply came out as barely a whisper, but Fuji did hear Tezuka answer, “I do.”
And so, Fuji smiled.
“That, Tezuka, is an answer,” he said softly.
The look on Tezuka’s face told Fuji that, apparently, it wasn’t as simple to Tezuka as it was to Fuji. They both liked each other, yes, but then what? Did it mean that they were boyfriends now? Fuji could imagine Tezuka cringing if he heard that word were to be applied on them.
“I’ll make it easy for you,” Fuji closed his book, and smiled up at his friend. “We can stay where we are now, but please remember that I like you, and you like me too. Is that alright with you?”
Tezuka just stared at him with kind of an uncomfortable look, with a hint of blush threatening to color his cheeks.
At that, Fuji brought a hand to cover his face as he turned away from facing Tezuka. “Don’t look at me like that,” he complained, “It’s not like I like to say such embarrassing things… I’m just trying to simplify things for us, so yes or no?”
A few seconds of silence, and then a hesitant “yes…” escaped Tezuka’s lips.
“Good,” Fuji muttered as he brought his hand away from his face and proceeded to open his book again.
“Human feelings are complicated,” Tezuka suddenly mused out loud.
“I know,” Fuji replied as he absently flipped a page, “We’re young, so they might be a bit too complicated for us, so I’m trying to make things simple between us.”
“…and that came from a fourteen-year-old kid.” Fuji turned at the hint of subtle humor in Tezuka’s voice, and the flicker he caught in those hazel eyes made him smile.
“You tell me,” Fuji retorted playfully.
“I’m fifteen,” Tezuka deadpanned, and Fuji chuckled in amusement.
Toning down his mirth, Fuji then teased, “You and your sense of humor,” and he laughed a bit harder when Tezuka’s expression didn’t budge.
It wasn’t all because of Tezuka’s dry humor that he laughed like that. Maybe part of his laughter was that of relief. He was relieved that the awkwardness has passed, and that now, both of them knew they had feelings for each other.
Even that could be considered progress, right?
* * *
/ Phase 3: TRANSITION /
“Is it safe to assume that the two you of are now officially dating each other?”
Fuji nearly choked on his bread, and Tezuka stopped sipping his oolong tea and coughed uncomfortably at the comment, before the two of them glared at the figure of a certain tall teenager with square glasses glinting in such a way that it was really annoying.
Gulping down his canned coffee, Fuji then mildly reprimanded his friend, “I’d appreciate it if you would stop sneaking up on people, Inui.”
Said teen walked closer to the two boys and sat down on the floor of the rooftop. “It’s not my fault you were surprised; my data indicates that both of your sensitivity to other presences are at ninety-two percent on average. I did not take into account the eight percent possibility of you being too intent on each other to notice my approach,” Inui commented flatly, but something in his tone told the other two that they were being teased.
“We were discussing some math,” Tezuka informed, but Inui dismissed it by saying that it made no difference anyway, making Tezuka scowl at the ex-team manager.
“So,” Inui started again, ignoring the glare he received from the other bespectacled teen. “Is it safe to assume that the two of you are now officially dating each other?” he repeated.
“Too bad, but we’re not,” Fuji replied calmly.
Scratching his hair, Inui mumbled to himself, “That is weird. According to my data, both of you should’ve been going out by now…”
“Your data is always useless against us, if I may remind you,” the lithe boy cut in with a mockingly sweet smile.
“But you are both exceptionally fond of each other, are you not?” Inui insisted, refusing to be defeated.
“How did you know?” Tezuka finally asked, looking all cool, but they all knew it was no use to put on such demeanor in front of each other, for the three of had been the most perceptive people in the team.
Giving a light shrug, Inui answered, “Both of you had been rallying for too long that almost everyone had started to notice.”
Fuji wanted to comment on the tennis metaphor Inui was using-and probably asked if chances are high that tennis players tend to use tennis term as metaphors in their daily life-but Tezuka spoke first, in a rather uncomfortable tone, “almost everyone?”
“The ex-regulars, at least,” Inui provided, “Most of us had thought that you would have been official by now, but as always, both of you defy predictions.”
Silence filled the air for a moment, before Tezuka uttered another question, “Aren’t any of you bothered with that?”
Fuji couldn’t deny that Tezuka’s question hurt a bit. Of course he knew that the fact that love between the same gender was seen as abnormal, but he thought that they were in this together… was he wrong? The apologetic look Tezuka threw him as soon as that question was uttered didn’t help to make him feel better.
He kept his smile intact, though.
“Are you bothered by this, Tezuka?” Inui threw back the question, as if on Fuji’s behalf.
They could only hear silence for the first few seconds, before Tezuka answered, “I was… at first. I’ve stopped questioning myself some time ago.”
“That’s good to hear,” Fuji blurted out, and for a moment the atmosphere was a bit awkward…
…until Inui interrupted by clearing his throat. “To answer your question, Tezuka,” Inui started, “Some of us had felt awkward at first,” Inui admitted, “but then we thought that whoever you both are in love with, you’re still you. Besides, chances are little for either of you to fall in love with just any boy, so I assured everyone that we have no reason to be bothered.”
Fuji was the one to respond to the statement. “That’s a relief,” he simply said, but the glimmers in his eyes said that he really meant it.
The door to the rooftop was opened, and the trio turned their heads to see Oishi, Kikumaru and Kawamura coming from inside the school building. “Nyaaah, there you are!” Kikumaru immediately launched himself at his best friend and tackled Fuji until he nearly knocked the tensai to the ground, if not for Tezuka’s hand preventing the fall.
“Eiji, you’d hurt Fuji someday!” Oishi chastised his redhead friend mildly as he sat down near Inui.
“Don’t worry,” Fuji smiled at the mother hen, “I won’t get hurt from Eiji… somehow,” he grinned.
“Of course I won’t hurt him, Oishi,” Kikumaru pouted, and reasoned, “earlier, I knew Tezuka would be there to prevent Fujiko from hitting the ground, nyaaah!”
Somehow, Fuji caught the teasing tone in Eiji’s cheerful voice, and he just smiled at that while Tezuka, for the nth time, coughed uncomfortably.
“Err,” Kawamura began as he unwrapped the huge lunch box he was bringing, “do you guys mind trying these and tell me what you think?” he asked shyly.
As the content of the lunch box was revealed to be a set of sushi, the boys started to make appreciative sounds, and before long, they helped themselves to the food.
It was pretty much a fine day in December, despite the sun just barely peeking from between the grayish clouds, the temperature wasn’t so low that it would freeze the boys. Eating lunch with their friends on the rooftop right now, enjoying the occasional jokes they made, the sudden turn of topic to the dreadful exams, then jumping to the days they were still in the club-Inui was right, Fuji thought, none of them treated either Tezuka or Fuji differently. And this had somehow warmed Fuji’s heart.
They felt like a family.
Glancing at the ex-captain, Fuji knew Tezuka felt the same.
* * *
“Where’s your scarf?”
Fuji sheepishly grinned at the taller boy next to him as he replied with “I forgot to bring one.”
The look Tezuka gave him was one of those ‘what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you’ looks, which Fuji dismissed with another smile, as he reasoned, “With this many people, I could barely feel the cold, Tezuka, don’t worry.”
“If you say so,” Tezuka resigned as he slipped his hands into his pants’ pockets, and Fuji was back to absently observing the throngs of people waiting in line to pray at the shrine.
None of them uttered another word, because Tezuka was probably organizing in his head about what he would ask from the deities, and Fuji himself was busy pondering on what Tezuka might be thinking at that moment. After what seemed to be hours, they were now in the front of the line, right before the shrine. Tezuka was already throwing a five hundred yen coin into the box, and then he solemnly put his hands together and closed his eyes as he prayed. That was when Fuji realized he forgot to bring some small change with him. Fishing out a one thousand yen, Fuji then slipped the money through the bars into the box, and said his own prayer.
When both of them were done praying, together, they pulled the rope dangling in front of them to ring the bell and left the shrine.
“What did you pray for?” Fuji attempted to start a conversation.
“To pass the exam and to be able to go pro,” Tezuka answered matter-of-factly.
At that, Fuji chuckled. “Figured,” he commented.
“What about you, then?”
Fuji noticed that the street they were walking was really crowded, probably because it was New Year and everyone just had to get out of the house and flooded the streets. “You want to know?” Fuji flashed Tezuka a playful grin.
When Tezuka nodded, Fuji signaled Tezuka to bring his ear closer. Tezuka obliged and bent down a little so that the smaller boy could whisper to his ear.
Fuji could bet the other didn’t expect him to nibble on his ear instead.
“Fuji!” Tezuka practically hissed, his face flushed to the ears. “What if anyone sees us?” he chastised.
Shrugging lightly, Fuji gave him a naughty smile and said, “I don’t think there’d be someone who’d scrutinize us so much that they could tell if I was whispering or nibbling your ear.”
Tezuka glared at him, with his face still tinted with a reddish hue. Apparently, it was a sensitive spot to Tezuka. Fuji made a mental note to try that again when he could steal a chance.
“Let’s hurry. I think everyone’s waiting for us in Taka-san’s store,” Fuji said as he reached out a hand for Tezuka to hold.
Maybe Tezuka thought that the street was too crowded that no one would notice two teenage boys holding hands, so he obliged to the unspoken request. None of them wore gloves that day, and the warmth created from the skin-to-skin contact, and maybe, the warm feeling from the holding hands itself had made Fuji felt really comfortable.
“So what did you pray for?” Tezuka asked again, bringing Fuji’s focus back to the real world.
“Mm, the usual. To graduate without problems and get into a good high school, and just generally get a good life,” he replied lightly, and his companion just nodded.
The thing he didn’t tell Tezuka was that included among his prayers was for their feelings to remain unchanged, even when they would be separated by space and time soon after graduation.
But hey, he had made a one thousand yen offering to the deities. That’s twice the usual amount people would offer, so the chances of his prayer being answered should be bigger, right? Holding the hope dearly in his heart, Fuji tightened his hold on Tezuka’s hand, as if never wanting to let go.
* * *
/ Phase 4: KISS /
Fuji examined his figure in the bathroom’s mirror. His focus was especially on his face, his lips, his tongue… The blue-eyed boy stuck out his tongue and checked how long it was. He tried to reach the tip of his nose with his tongue, but kept on failing even after several attempts.
Feeling exceptionally silly, Fuji glared at his own reflection.
Blame Yumiko-neesan for making him watch romances until this late at night, Fuji thought to himself. It seemed like his sister was in need of a new boyfriend soon, or Fuji would have to suffer through those sappy romance movies Yumiko was currently into. He didn’t even know his sister was into sappy romances before. Or perhaps it was just due to her frustration over not having a boyfriend for more than six months.
If there was something Fuji had learned from those movies, it was about kissing.
Fuji had no idea before, that a kiss could take a full minute or more. He also had just discovered that you could use your tongue in a kiss. Now, he was left wondering on how one would actually do that. This was what being seriously involved in a sport club during his puberty had done to him. He had never kissed anyone before.
He would bet that at least the regulars who had participated in the Nationals were just as clueless as him about kissing, all thanks to Tezuka who had led them to always be tennis-oriented.
Fuji pondered on the idea of just trying the kiss on Tezuka. Maybe he could reason it was Tezuka’s responsibility that Fuji never really kissed someone.
And that was the reason he was now facing the mirror so close while twirling his tongue left and right, in and out while glaring at the soft organ, trying to take a really good look; to learn how to kiss someone like in those movies.
Apparently, his face had become too close to the mirror that the glass got fogged up by his breath. Absently, Fuji used his forefinger to draw a chibi-version of Tezuka’s face, and the possible blush the older boy might have if he decided to try the kiss. Seeing both the mental image in his head and the drawing on the fogged-up mirror, Fuji couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.
Shaking his head in amusement, he then walked out of the bathroom and went straight to his room. Even as he drifted to sleep, he was still wondering about that kiss.
That night, he dreamt of trying the kiss with Tezuka, which led to some other things that when morning came, as he grumpily changed his sheets, Fuji knew his mother and sister would be giggling at him all day long.
* * *
Fuji never tried kissing Tezuka before. Even after they confessed to each other, little had changed between them. There were times that Fuji showed his affection with little touches or such, and at those times, Tezuka never seemed to mind. Most of the time, though, Tezuka was as cool as ever.
Fuji thought that if he was at least special to the other, Tezuka would at least let Fuji kiss him, right?
The prodigy was now standing in Tezuka’s room, beside his bed, watching as the dark haired teen slept with such an innocent and peaceful face. Ayana-san had told him that Tezuka had to accompany his grandfather playing igo all night long, and maybe that’s why he hadn’t woken up even when they had an appointment at seven o’clock to play tennis.
Bending down, Fuji lightly shook Tezuka’s body while whispering his friend’s name, but the older boy didn’t budge. He tried shaking a bit harder and calling a bit louder, causing Tezuka to stir in his bed, but he still didn’t wake up.
“Ne, Tezuka, wake up now or I’ll kiss you,” Fuji said half-jokingly. When Tezuka still gave no significant reaction, Fuji grinned and whispered, “You’ve been warned,” before bending even lower.
Fuji stopped a few inches from Tezuka’s face, realizing that his heart was now beating faster and he could feel his face grow a bit warmer. Willing himself, Fuji slowly inched closer and closer…
And suddenly, a hand was clasping over his mouth.
“What were you trying to do?” Tezuka asked, eyes wide in horror while his cheeks flushed a little.
Backing away from Tezuka’s hand, Fuji calmly replied, “You wouldn’t wake up, so I was going to kiss you awake,” then, he put on a teasing smile, and added, “Now that you’re awake, shall I give you a morning kiss?”
“No, thanks,”
“Eh, but-”
“No,” Tezuka repeated, giving as much force as he could to the word.
Standing straight, Fuji folded his arms as he watched Tezuka put on his glasses and stood from his bed. “You know, you don’t have to reject me so whole-heartedly,” Fuji complained, inwardly resenting the pained tone that managed to slip into his voice.
Sparing the smaller boy a rather soft glance, Tezuka said, “I haven’t brushed my teeth.”
Fuji blinked once, before reminding himself not to burst out laughing then and there. He settled for a chuckle instead, as he replied, “I don’t care.”
“But I do,” Tezuka firmly uttered, before walking out of his room and disappeared into the bathroom.
Sitting down on Tezuka’s bed, Fuji let out a silent laugh as he clutched on his stomach. That was so Tezuka-like to refuse kissing because he hadn’t brushed his teeth, Fuji thought. But then, that also meant that Fuji would get a chance to kiss him after he brushed his teeth, right?
Fuji smiled widely at the prospect.
When Tezuka came back to his room a few minutes later, Fuji cornered him on the door and lightly pressing his lips on Tezuka’s. The kiss was nothing like in Fuji’s dream. It was a simple, feather-light touch of their lips, but having Tezuka allow the kiss, in and of itself, had made Fuji feel content.
Despite the minty aroma of Tezuka’s toothpaste, their first kiss was sweet.
* * *
/ Phase 5: TOGETHER /
“Germany… far isn’t it?”
Fuji glanced up to the grey sky, and smiled at the nostalgic feeling the words had caused him. They were currently on the school’s rooftop again, leaning against the fence, and Fuji just felt like saying those words, again.
After all, Tezuka would be leaving in less than three months.
“Fuji,” Tezuka called out, and at the wistful tone the taller teen was using, Fuji immediately put on a cheerful smile.
“I’m sorry, I’m just feeling nostalgic,” he reasoned. “It’s only been a few months when I said those words here, but it felt like ages ago, and-” Fuji cut his words when Tezuka kept silent with a heavy aura enveloping him.
For a moment, he let the silence hang around them, as Fuji fixed his gaze on the vast, cloudy sky.
“I might be lonely when you’re not here anymore,” Fuji began, almost as if he was whispering to himself. Then, he turned his head to face his companion, and threw a wistful smile as he continued, “but I won’t bind you with my feelings, Tezuka.”
The bespectacled boy seemed like he was about to say something, but Fuji raised a hand, stopping whatever words Tezuka was about to say from escaping those lips.
“I’ve always believed that everyone has their own paths, and while we’re starting on the same road, the road may branch out and we’d have to take our separate ways,” he continued to muse out loud. Letting his eyes fluttered open, Fuji then threw his gaze to the sky once more, and added, “But it doesn’t mean that we’d never see each other again, does it?”
“Of course,” Tezuka responded and Fuji once again turned his head to his left, where a pair of brown eyes gently searched into his cerulean ones. “The roads we take will keep branching out, so as long as we continue to walk, we’ll eventually cross paths again.”
Fuji kept silent for a few seconds, absorbing every single word Tezuka had said, before a genuine smile forming on his lips. “Oh my,” he commented lightly, “I didn’t know you were fond of using metaphors.”
Fixing his glasses with a middle finger, Tezuka answered, “You started it.”
“Yes, I did. Nice follow up, though.”
“Thank you,” Tezuka flatly responded, enticing a silvery laugh from the honey-haired youth. Between his mirth, Fuji could see the rare smile playing on Tezuka’s lips, and Fuji’s smile got wider by several millimeters.
* * *
“Today’s Valentine’s day, Tezuka!” Fuji beamed as soon as they were left alone in Tezuka’s room for a (supposed) study session, and the lithe boy could feel the other eyeing him suspiciously because of the overly cheerful tone he was using.
“What about it?” Tezuka asked, trying to focus on the set of English worksheets he was currently working on.
“Where’s my chocolate?” When Tezuka just gave him a blank look in response, Fuji faked a pout and said, “I was just kidding. You’re no fun, Tezuka. By the way, number nine is wrong,” he added while pointing on Tezuka’s worksheet.
Erasing his answer, Tezuka then informed, “Mother will be back to bring us some hot chocolate.”
“Really? Then I should give something for your mother on White day,” Fuji replied cheerfully. Tezuka deliberately ignored the statement, so Fuji started again, “I have a gift for you.”
That got Tezuka’s attention back to the smiling boy once more. “Chocolate?” the dark haired youth asked uninterestedly.
“Nope,” Fuji lightly shook his head, then he eyed the pile of colorful boxes and paper bags on a corner of Tezuka’s room and continued, “I’d bet you’ve gotten sick of chocolate just by seeing the mountain of chocolate you got today.”
“Haven’t you?” Tezuka mildly retorted, referring to the huge paper bag containing Fuji’s share of chocolates which was just as much as Tezuka’s.
“Saa,” Fuji simply said, before standing from Tezuka’s bed where he had settled earlier, and walked a short distance to Tezuka’s desk. “Here’s your gift.”
Without further warning, Fuji tilted Tezuka’s face up with a finger, before proceeding to bend down and capturing Tezuka’s lips with his.
Ever since their first kiss, they had kissed several times more, but, to Fuji’s amusement, Tezuka would always stiffen whenever Fuji kissed him. He never refused, though, and so this time, Fuji dared himself to gently nibble on Tezuka’s lower lip, before slowly darting out his tongue to pry those lips open.
Fuji could feel Tezuka gasp, and he took the chance to slip in his tongue into the other’s mouth. One hand moved to stroke the dark brown locks, while the other snaked towards Tezuka’s back and started gently caressing in small circles to soothe the tension away from the stiff body. It wasn’t long before Tezuka started to relax and started responding to the advance. He started to kiss back, a little clumsy at first, but as Fuji led him with strokes and caresses on the insides of his mouth, Tezuka began to fight for dominance.
The sensations of exploring and being explored as their tongues met and danced together were foreign yet familiar due to the dreams Fuji has had before. Slowly, the heat was building inside him, as his heart beat faster and the need for air began to surface. Pulling back, Fuji rested his forehead against Tezuka’s as both of them tried to catch their breaths. That was when Fuji absently noticed how flushed Tezuka’s face was, and he wondered if his face was also as red as Tezuka’s
Fuji just barely touched his lips to Tezuka again, when a knock was heard from Tezuka’s door. “Kunimitsu, I have your hot chocolate here,” Tezuka’s mother called out, and both boys froze.
Fuji practically jumped back onto the bed, while Tezuka straightened his shirt and tried to even out his breathing before replying, “I’m coming, mother,” and stood up. He briefly glanced at the mirror and, making sure the blush had subdued, he walked to the door to let his mother in.
By the time Ayana stepped into the room, Fuji already had his serene smile back on his face. Ayana put the tray containing two mugs of hot chocolate and a jar of cookies on Tezuka’s desk and smiled at the boys. “What are you studying today?” she asked with a smile.
“We’re working on English and Math, Ayana-san,” Fuji politely responded.
Ayana looked at her son’s expressionless face, and then to Fuji’s smiling one, before letting a knowing smile form on her lips. She lightly hit both of the boys’ heads, and said, “Don’t get too distracted, ne?”
Still with the knowing smile, she excused herself from her son’s room, and gently closed the door behind her, leaving both teens befuddled.
“Distracted?” Fuji pondered, and when his eyes fell to the Shonen Jump manga near his worksheets, he let out an “Oh,” before slipping the manga back to his bag.
Tezuka let out a breath he seemed to have been holding, and threw himself in a rather ungracious manner to his chair. Fuji grinned sheepishly, with a ‘that-was-close’ look plastered on his face. “Let’s go back to studying,” Tezuka told him, and Fuji smiled before grabbing his Math book.
“Your mother is really nice, ne,” Fuji casually commented.
Keeping his focus on his English worksheet, Tezuka replied, “Maybe because you’re the only friend that I often bring home.”
“Is that so?”
“Ah,” Tezuka absently replied, “Before you, I think I’ve never had a friend this close. Oishi’s close enough, but he’s different.”
“A friend,” Fuji repeated, his voice low, almost like he whispered to himself. Keeping his eyes away from Tezuka, he then wondered, “I’m really just a friend to you… am I?”
The detached tone he was using caught Tezuka’s attention, and the bespectacled teen sighed. “Do you really think I’d let you kiss me if we’re just friends?”
“Oh, so we’re not friends?” Fuji’s smile widened for a bit, but then he asked again in an almost inaudible voice, “But we’re not lovers either… so what are we?”
Tezuka turned on his swivel chair so that he was now facing Fuji on the bed, and their eyes met. Uncertainties lingered in the air, and Tezuka cast his gaze downward. “Do we really have to label our relationship with either ‘friends’ or ‘lovers’?” the question was uttered quietly, with a hint of doubt in his voice.
“Well, I just thought it would simplify things for us,” Fuji replied, and as he caught the troubled look on Tezuka’s face, he added, “but apparently it makes things more complicated for you?”
Lining his hands on his lap, Tezuka began, “Where we stand now, it’s certain we’re more than just friends, but…”
“We’re not really… qualified to be called lovers either,” Fuji calmly smiled as he finished for Tezuka.
Tezuka’s lips moved, but no words came out. He was never good with words, Fuji knew, and that was why Tezuka spoke so little. It had always been one thing he prided himself on: being able to make Tezuka speak for more than one sentence.
It was amusing to see Tezuka struggled for words. There were more frown lines forming on his face, lips slightly parted as if ready to launch the words as soon as he found them. A few seconds passed, and Tezuka brought a hand to rake his own dark locks. Fuji thought he saw an imaginary smoke forming from Tezuka’s head.
“I’m sorry, Tezuka, forget that I asked,” Fuji gently smiled as he stood up and walked to where Tezuka was seated, before bending down to press his lips lightly to the latter’s forehead. “I’m fine with how we are now.”
“Can’t we…” Tezuka paused to look up and meet Fuji’s eyes, “Can’t we just… stay as ‘Tezuka and Fuji’?”
Blinking once, Fuji spent a few seconds pondering on what Tezuka was implying on the way he spoke their names earlier. Then, a genuine smile formed on his face. “Yes, we can,” he answered, before his smile turned into a teasing one, and he added, “We can just stay as ‘Tezuka and Fuji who are bonded by love’. Sounds good, don’t you think?” Fuji asked in a teasing tone.
Tezuka merely gave the tensai a ‘what-the-hell-is-that’ kind of look, and Fuji had to repress a laugh.
“Don’t be so cold,” Fuji lightly slapped Tezuka’s shoulder twice, and putting on his brightest smile, he continued, “Don’t you love me?”
Tezuka tilted his head upwards to glare at the smiling boy, a faint blush tinted his cheeks. “Do you really need me to say every single thing?”
Grinning, Fuji stepped back and sat down on the bed as he replied, “Nope. I just like teasing you.”
Tezuka regarded the statement with a scowl.
“We don’t have much time to be together like this,” Fuji suddenly continued with a wistful tone. “Graduation is coming soon and we’re bound to walk our separate ways. So let’s not make things complicated and enjoy what we have now?” he finished with a cheerful façade.
Another small nod accompanied with a barely audible “ah,” was Tezuka’s reply.
“Whatever we are now,” Fuji started again, his tone was a mix of tease and sincerity, “Do know that I’m yours,” he finished with a smile.
And for once, for the first time in their ambiguous relationship, Tezuka initiated a kiss.
~NeverEnding~
A/N: ...I hope I made sense...
Anyway, Isu, I don’t know if this is what you’ve expected (I doubt that it is >.>) but I hope I don’t disappoint you much. Also everyone who loves the song “I’m Yours”. *bows low* but I honestly had fun writing their awkward moments and their “discussion” about friends and lovers, so I sincerely hope it was at least enjoyable ^___^
Anyway if anyone gets cavities from reading this fic, please go to your dentist ASAP XD
Author: a1y_puff
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: Fuji/Tezuka-ish. Hawhaw…
Genre: Fluff!! And… tiny bits of angst (they always managed to slip in somehow… *is an angst whore*)
Rating: PG-13 for kissing? XD
Summary: Fuji tries to let Tezuka know that, no matter what they are, he belongs to the captain.
Warnings: Just remember that they are only 14 and 15? (Tezuka turned 15 in October after the National, right?)
Disclaimer: Tezuka and Fuji own each other, and this adorable song is definitely not mine or I’d be a rich bastard by now, which I am not. Bleh.
A/N: Based on the song I’m Yours by Jason Mraz. For isumi_ilde who requested it. I didn’t put the excerpts of the lyrics like how I usually do songfics, just taking the essences from the lyrics (if anyone wants to know the lyrics of this song, just google it and you’ll find it immediately XD). I hope you’re fine with this, Isu. Sorry for the wait, but now this is your b’day present. I hope you’d get to sneak out of your dorm to read this, dearest sista :P
This is also a Valentine’s Day fic from me, so, Happy Valentines, all~!
P.S. Special thanks to lafuego for betaing this. You’re a really amazing and sweet beta, Reisan! *hugs*
- I’M YOURS -
/ Phase 1: COURTSHIP /
Fuji eyed the figure across the table, engrossed in a history book he was reading. The look on that stoic face betrayed no emotions at all, and Fuji wondered what was last week all about.
It had been after a rather private match they had in a nearby street court after school. Both of them were panting, sweating, despite the cold autumn wind. They had stood there, separated by the net. Fuji had reached out a hand to shake, and Tezuka took the proffered hand in his.
A few words of how their match had gone; ‘you’ve improved, it’s my defeat’ flowed out of his lips and a simple ‘You’ve only let your guard down’ uttered with a small smile in response had Fuji a little surprised.
They had stared at each other and Fuji’s eyes widened when gradually, Tezuka’s face was inching closer to him, and he thought Fuji saw something in Tezuka’s eyes. An emotion unknown to him; it was faint, but it was there, nonetheless.
Then, Tezuka’s lips moved, but no words managed to escape. Fuji searched into his eyes, but before he could catch anything, the stoic mask was back in place. Gone were all traces of lingering emotions, and there was nothing more Fuji could see.
And just like that, they parted on their way home.
He had started to notice since then, that Tezuka would occasionally look at him in such a way that Fuji was sure had some hidden meanings. It was like Tezuka had something he wanted Fuji to know, but couldn’t just say it outright. But the gazes he often caught from Tezuka had always sent shivers down his spine.
Fuji wondered if Tezuka knew he had that effect on him, and if the bespectacled boy was purposefully giving out that effect.
Judging by how the other behaved around him, Fuji knew Tezuka had feelings for him. Whether those were romantic in context or not, he decided he would have to make sure.
The squeaking sound of the chair scraping the floor as Fuji stood up from his seat caught Tezuka’s ears, and the dark haired youth looked up from his book. Smiling down at Tezuka, Fuji then walked around the table and sat down beside his friend.
“How do you solve this problem?” the fair-haired boy asked sweetly while pushing his physics worksheet to Tezuka.
A flash of doubt crossed Tezuka’s eyes for a brief moment, but then began explaining to his so-called prodigy friend the easy way to solve said problem. Fuji took the chance to lean in closer to Tezuka as he paid a really good attention to Tezuka’s explanation, and as his hand had somehow accidentally brushed against Tezuka’s, he could feel the stoic teen stiffen.
When Tezuka finished explaining, Fuji tilted his head up to face Tezuka, offering his friend a genuine, open-eyed smile. “Thank you,” he purred, a little too close to the other’s ear.
The way Tezuka kind of almost sulkily mumbled “No problem” as he fought down the blush that was starting to creep up his cheeks put a wide smile on Fuji’s face.
He definitely loved the effect he had on Tezuka.
* * *
It was a little bit like a game, Fuji had noted. Or maybe, it would be more enticing to Tezuka if he said it was just like tennis. It was as if both of them were in a long rally with the ball being hit back and forth, back and forth without them scoring. They were playing a bit too carefully that neither of them took the chance balls the other gave, for none of them dared to take up the challenge yet.
Or at least, it was how it had been all those times.
Fuji decided that if Tezuka wasn’t going to take the chance ball, then he would just smash the next time Tezuka gave him a chance ball, or else, the game would never end.
It was yet another friendly match they were having outside the school. Ever since the third years retired from the club, Tezuka had been occasionally inviting Fuji for a game of tennis, and this had somehow become a routine without a definite schedule.
It was somewhere during the match that the first snow of the year started descending, and Fuji just had to stop chasing the ball and look up.
Raising one hand up, Fuji let the snowflakes fall onto his palm and melted on his skin. Unconsciously, a soft smile formed on his lips.
“It’s the first snow,” Fuji heard it stated in a flat tone, and he turned his head to see Tezuka no longer in his tennis stance with his head tilted up to the grayish sky.
“Yeah,” Fuji replied, a nostalgic tone slipped its way into his smooth voice. “I was also with you when the first snow fell last year, wasn’t I?”
“Ah,” the bespectacled teen replied, before adding, “You said you wanted to photograph the first snow.”
“I do,” he began, “but unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera. I didn’t expect the first snow would be this early.”
“Is that so,” he heard Tezuka muttered softly. “Shall we continue the game?”
Tilting his head, Fuji offered an apologetic smile as he said, “Actually, could we call it a day? I’m a bit worn out since I stayed up all night playing video game with Yuuta,” he grinned sheepishly, and continued, “And I kinda want to watch the snow, for some reason.”
Tezuka gave him a weird look, to which Fuji responded with a childish smile. Sighing, Tezuka then walked a short distance to his bag and placed his racket back, while Fuji hurriedly added “I’ll make it up to you next Sunday, ne?”
After zipping his bag closed, Tezuka sat on the bench, and patted the space next to him lightly, signaling Fuji to sit beside him. When Fuji arched an eyebrow in question, Tezuka simply replied, “You said you want to watch the snow.”
At that, Fuji couldn’t help letting out a real smile.
A chance ball.
* * *
/ Phase 2: CONFESSIONS /
A pair of hazel eyes stared at him in an interesting spark of surprise, with those slightly parted lips as the cherry on top. Fuji wished he had his camera now, to immortalize the rare display of expression in Tezuka’s stoic face. Apparently, Tezuka really, really didn’t expect those words, and Fuji wondered if the other was aware of how dumbfounded he looked right now.
“As I said, Tezuka, I like you,” Fuji calmly repeated, secretly enjoying the sight of those lips opening and closing as they failed to form any word in response.
Three seconds later and there was still no response. Keeping his smile intact, Fuji then stood up and shouldered his tennis bag, and that was when Tezuka finally seemed to have found his voice and called out, “Fuji…”
Still smiling, Fuji turned to face Tezuka, and he noticed the troubled look in the other’s face. “Don’t worry,” he started, and before he could help himself, Fuji bent down to press a light kiss on Tezuka’s forehead.
The face Tezuka was making, along with the blush he might have forgotten to fight down had broken the theory that the words ‘Tezuka’ and ‘cute’ didn’t belong in the same sentence. Smiling, he let his blue eyes show and locked them with Tezuka’s hazel ones.
“You can answer me anytime, Tezuka,” he said, before walking a few steps back, and waved his hand lightly. “See you at school!”
Without glancing back, Fuji walked in an even pace until he was far from the street court. After he was sure Tezuka wouldn’t be able to see him, the smile slipped off his face, and he crouched down with a hand covering his heated face.
He never knew confessing to someone-and kissing said someone’s forehead, on top of that-could feel this embarrassing.
Fuji could bet his face was as red as a tomato, and despite himself, he chuckled at the thought.
* * *
It was normal for the seniors to be visiting the library whenever they weren’t in class. After all, High School entrance exams and their final exams were drawing really near. So it was really no surprise that Fuji bumped into Tezuka in the library. It was a coincidence, really.
“May I sit here?” Fuji calmly asked with his default smile in place. When Tezuka just nodded, the light haired youth pulled the chair next to his friend and sat down.
Tezuka didn’t say anything as he was seemingly absorbed with the book he read, but after a few minutes, Fuji noticed that Tezuka forgot to turn the page of his book and kept glaring at the very same page from, say, twenty minutes ago.
“Don’t be so tense, Tezuka,” he started with an amused smile. “It’s not like I’m going to bite you or something.”
When Tezuka just glared at him, Fuji responded with the most innocent grin he could muster.
Turning his gaze back to the book, Tezuka sighed, and then he softly muttered, “I don’t have an answer…”
Fuji’s hand froze in the process of flipping a page on his book. He turned to face Tezuka, and locking their eyes, Fuji calmly uttered, “Your eyes say that you do.”
“I don’t even know what is it that I have to answer, Fuji.” Tezuka sounded exasperated. “If it’s about being friends or being lovers, I…”
“Do you like me, though?” Fuji cut in.
Tezuka took his time staying quiet, while Fuji just folded his arms across his chest and leaned back to his chair as he waited patiently for Tezuka to say something.
The reply came out as barely a whisper, but Fuji did hear Tezuka answer, “I do.”
And so, Fuji smiled.
“That, Tezuka, is an answer,” he said softly.
The look on Tezuka’s face told Fuji that, apparently, it wasn’t as simple to Tezuka as it was to Fuji. They both liked each other, yes, but then what? Did it mean that they were boyfriends now? Fuji could imagine Tezuka cringing if he heard that word were to be applied on them.
“I’ll make it easy for you,” Fuji closed his book, and smiled up at his friend. “We can stay where we are now, but please remember that I like you, and you like me too. Is that alright with you?”
Tezuka just stared at him with kind of an uncomfortable look, with a hint of blush threatening to color his cheeks.
At that, Fuji brought a hand to cover his face as he turned away from facing Tezuka. “Don’t look at me like that,” he complained, “It’s not like I like to say such embarrassing things… I’m just trying to simplify things for us, so yes or no?”
A few seconds of silence, and then a hesitant “yes…” escaped Tezuka’s lips.
“Good,” Fuji muttered as he brought his hand away from his face and proceeded to open his book again.
“Human feelings are complicated,” Tezuka suddenly mused out loud.
“I know,” Fuji replied as he absently flipped a page, “We’re young, so they might be a bit too complicated for us, so I’m trying to make things simple between us.”
“…and that came from a fourteen-year-old kid.” Fuji turned at the hint of subtle humor in Tezuka’s voice, and the flicker he caught in those hazel eyes made him smile.
“You tell me,” Fuji retorted playfully.
“I’m fifteen,” Tezuka deadpanned, and Fuji chuckled in amusement.
Toning down his mirth, Fuji then teased, “You and your sense of humor,” and he laughed a bit harder when Tezuka’s expression didn’t budge.
It wasn’t all because of Tezuka’s dry humor that he laughed like that. Maybe part of his laughter was that of relief. He was relieved that the awkwardness has passed, and that now, both of them knew they had feelings for each other.
Even that could be considered progress, right?
* * *
/ Phase 3: TRANSITION /
“Is it safe to assume that the two you of are now officially dating each other?”
Fuji nearly choked on his bread, and Tezuka stopped sipping his oolong tea and coughed uncomfortably at the comment, before the two of them glared at the figure of a certain tall teenager with square glasses glinting in such a way that it was really annoying.
Gulping down his canned coffee, Fuji then mildly reprimanded his friend, “I’d appreciate it if you would stop sneaking up on people, Inui.”
Said teen walked closer to the two boys and sat down on the floor of the rooftop. “It’s not my fault you were surprised; my data indicates that both of your sensitivity to other presences are at ninety-two percent on average. I did not take into account the eight percent possibility of you being too intent on each other to notice my approach,” Inui commented flatly, but something in his tone told the other two that they were being teased.
“We were discussing some math,” Tezuka informed, but Inui dismissed it by saying that it made no difference anyway, making Tezuka scowl at the ex-team manager.
“So,” Inui started again, ignoring the glare he received from the other bespectacled teen. “Is it safe to assume that the two of you are now officially dating each other?” he repeated.
“Too bad, but we’re not,” Fuji replied calmly.
Scratching his hair, Inui mumbled to himself, “That is weird. According to my data, both of you should’ve been going out by now…”
“Your data is always useless against us, if I may remind you,” the lithe boy cut in with a mockingly sweet smile.
“But you are both exceptionally fond of each other, are you not?” Inui insisted, refusing to be defeated.
“How did you know?” Tezuka finally asked, looking all cool, but they all knew it was no use to put on such demeanor in front of each other, for the three of had been the most perceptive people in the team.
Giving a light shrug, Inui answered, “Both of you had been rallying for too long that almost everyone had started to notice.”
Fuji wanted to comment on the tennis metaphor Inui was using-and probably asked if chances are high that tennis players tend to use tennis term as metaphors in their daily life-but Tezuka spoke first, in a rather uncomfortable tone, “almost everyone?”
“The ex-regulars, at least,” Inui provided, “Most of us had thought that you would have been official by now, but as always, both of you defy predictions.”
Silence filled the air for a moment, before Tezuka uttered another question, “Aren’t any of you bothered with that?”
Fuji couldn’t deny that Tezuka’s question hurt a bit. Of course he knew that the fact that love between the same gender was seen as abnormal, but he thought that they were in this together… was he wrong? The apologetic look Tezuka threw him as soon as that question was uttered didn’t help to make him feel better.
He kept his smile intact, though.
“Are you bothered by this, Tezuka?” Inui threw back the question, as if on Fuji’s behalf.
They could only hear silence for the first few seconds, before Tezuka answered, “I was… at first. I’ve stopped questioning myself some time ago.”
“That’s good to hear,” Fuji blurted out, and for a moment the atmosphere was a bit awkward…
…until Inui interrupted by clearing his throat. “To answer your question, Tezuka,” Inui started, “Some of us had felt awkward at first,” Inui admitted, “but then we thought that whoever you both are in love with, you’re still you. Besides, chances are little for either of you to fall in love with just any boy, so I assured everyone that we have no reason to be bothered.”
Fuji was the one to respond to the statement. “That’s a relief,” he simply said, but the glimmers in his eyes said that he really meant it.
The door to the rooftop was opened, and the trio turned their heads to see Oishi, Kikumaru and Kawamura coming from inside the school building. “Nyaaah, there you are!” Kikumaru immediately launched himself at his best friend and tackled Fuji until he nearly knocked the tensai to the ground, if not for Tezuka’s hand preventing the fall.
“Eiji, you’d hurt Fuji someday!” Oishi chastised his redhead friend mildly as he sat down near Inui.
“Don’t worry,” Fuji smiled at the mother hen, “I won’t get hurt from Eiji… somehow,” he grinned.
“Of course I won’t hurt him, Oishi,” Kikumaru pouted, and reasoned, “earlier, I knew Tezuka would be there to prevent Fujiko from hitting the ground, nyaaah!”
Somehow, Fuji caught the teasing tone in Eiji’s cheerful voice, and he just smiled at that while Tezuka, for the nth time, coughed uncomfortably.
“Err,” Kawamura began as he unwrapped the huge lunch box he was bringing, “do you guys mind trying these and tell me what you think?” he asked shyly.
As the content of the lunch box was revealed to be a set of sushi, the boys started to make appreciative sounds, and before long, they helped themselves to the food.
It was pretty much a fine day in December, despite the sun just barely peeking from between the grayish clouds, the temperature wasn’t so low that it would freeze the boys. Eating lunch with their friends on the rooftop right now, enjoying the occasional jokes they made, the sudden turn of topic to the dreadful exams, then jumping to the days they were still in the club-Inui was right, Fuji thought, none of them treated either Tezuka or Fuji differently. And this had somehow warmed Fuji’s heart.
They felt like a family.
Glancing at the ex-captain, Fuji knew Tezuka felt the same.
* * *
“Where’s your scarf?”
Fuji sheepishly grinned at the taller boy next to him as he replied with “I forgot to bring one.”
The look Tezuka gave him was one of those ‘what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you’ looks, which Fuji dismissed with another smile, as he reasoned, “With this many people, I could barely feel the cold, Tezuka, don’t worry.”
“If you say so,” Tezuka resigned as he slipped his hands into his pants’ pockets, and Fuji was back to absently observing the throngs of people waiting in line to pray at the shrine.
None of them uttered another word, because Tezuka was probably organizing in his head about what he would ask from the deities, and Fuji himself was busy pondering on what Tezuka might be thinking at that moment. After what seemed to be hours, they were now in the front of the line, right before the shrine. Tezuka was already throwing a five hundred yen coin into the box, and then he solemnly put his hands together and closed his eyes as he prayed. That was when Fuji realized he forgot to bring some small change with him. Fishing out a one thousand yen, Fuji then slipped the money through the bars into the box, and said his own prayer.
When both of them were done praying, together, they pulled the rope dangling in front of them to ring the bell and left the shrine.
“What did you pray for?” Fuji attempted to start a conversation.
“To pass the exam and to be able to go pro,” Tezuka answered matter-of-factly.
At that, Fuji chuckled. “Figured,” he commented.
“What about you, then?”
Fuji noticed that the street they were walking was really crowded, probably because it was New Year and everyone just had to get out of the house and flooded the streets. “You want to know?” Fuji flashed Tezuka a playful grin.
When Tezuka nodded, Fuji signaled Tezuka to bring his ear closer. Tezuka obliged and bent down a little so that the smaller boy could whisper to his ear.
Fuji could bet the other didn’t expect him to nibble on his ear instead.
“Fuji!” Tezuka practically hissed, his face flushed to the ears. “What if anyone sees us?” he chastised.
Shrugging lightly, Fuji gave him a naughty smile and said, “I don’t think there’d be someone who’d scrutinize us so much that they could tell if I was whispering or nibbling your ear.”
Tezuka glared at him, with his face still tinted with a reddish hue. Apparently, it was a sensitive spot to Tezuka. Fuji made a mental note to try that again when he could steal a chance.
“Let’s hurry. I think everyone’s waiting for us in Taka-san’s store,” Fuji said as he reached out a hand for Tezuka to hold.
Maybe Tezuka thought that the street was too crowded that no one would notice two teenage boys holding hands, so he obliged to the unspoken request. None of them wore gloves that day, and the warmth created from the skin-to-skin contact, and maybe, the warm feeling from the holding hands itself had made Fuji felt really comfortable.
“So what did you pray for?” Tezuka asked again, bringing Fuji’s focus back to the real world.
“Mm, the usual. To graduate without problems and get into a good high school, and just generally get a good life,” he replied lightly, and his companion just nodded.
The thing he didn’t tell Tezuka was that included among his prayers was for their feelings to remain unchanged, even when they would be separated by space and time soon after graduation.
But hey, he had made a one thousand yen offering to the deities. That’s twice the usual amount people would offer, so the chances of his prayer being answered should be bigger, right? Holding the hope dearly in his heart, Fuji tightened his hold on Tezuka’s hand, as if never wanting to let go.
* * *
/ Phase 4: KISS /
Fuji examined his figure in the bathroom’s mirror. His focus was especially on his face, his lips, his tongue… The blue-eyed boy stuck out his tongue and checked how long it was. He tried to reach the tip of his nose with his tongue, but kept on failing even after several attempts.
Feeling exceptionally silly, Fuji glared at his own reflection.
Blame Yumiko-neesan for making him watch romances until this late at night, Fuji thought to himself. It seemed like his sister was in need of a new boyfriend soon, or Fuji would have to suffer through those sappy romance movies Yumiko was currently into. He didn’t even know his sister was into sappy romances before. Or perhaps it was just due to her frustration over not having a boyfriend for more than six months.
If there was something Fuji had learned from those movies, it was about kissing.
Fuji had no idea before, that a kiss could take a full minute or more. He also had just discovered that you could use your tongue in a kiss. Now, he was left wondering on how one would actually do that. This was what being seriously involved in a sport club during his puberty had done to him. He had never kissed anyone before.
He would bet that at least the regulars who had participated in the Nationals were just as clueless as him about kissing, all thanks to Tezuka who had led them to always be tennis-oriented.
Fuji pondered on the idea of just trying the kiss on Tezuka. Maybe he could reason it was Tezuka’s responsibility that Fuji never really kissed someone.
And that was the reason he was now facing the mirror so close while twirling his tongue left and right, in and out while glaring at the soft organ, trying to take a really good look; to learn how to kiss someone like in those movies.
Apparently, his face had become too close to the mirror that the glass got fogged up by his breath. Absently, Fuji used his forefinger to draw a chibi-version of Tezuka’s face, and the possible blush the older boy might have if he decided to try the kiss. Seeing both the mental image in his head and the drawing on the fogged-up mirror, Fuji couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.
Shaking his head in amusement, he then walked out of the bathroom and went straight to his room. Even as he drifted to sleep, he was still wondering about that kiss.
That night, he dreamt of trying the kiss with Tezuka, which led to some other things that when morning came, as he grumpily changed his sheets, Fuji knew his mother and sister would be giggling at him all day long.
* * *
Fuji never tried kissing Tezuka before. Even after they confessed to each other, little had changed between them. There were times that Fuji showed his affection with little touches or such, and at those times, Tezuka never seemed to mind. Most of the time, though, Tezuka was as cool as ever.
Fuji thought that if he was at least special to the other, Tezuka would at least let Fuji kiss him, right?
The prodigy was now standing in Tezuka’s room, beside his bed, watching as the dark haired teen slept with such an innocent and peaceful face. Ayana-san had told him that Tezuka had to accompany his grandfather playing igo all night long, and maybe that’s why he hadn’t woken up even when they had an appointment at seven o’clock to play tennis.
Bending down, Fuji lightly shook Tezuka’s body while whispering his friend’s name, but the older boy didn’t budge. He tried shaking a bit harder and calling a bit louder, causing Tezuka to stir in his bed, but he still didn’t wake up.
“Ne, Tezuka, wake up now or I’ll kiss you,” Fuji said half-jokingly. When Tezuka still gave no significant reaction, Fuji grinned and whispered, “You’ve been warned,” before bending even lower.
Fuji stopped a few inches from Tezuka’s face, realizing that his heart was now beating faster and he could feel his face grow a bit warmer. Willing himself, Fuji slowly inched closer and closer…
And suddenly, a hand was clasping over his mouth.
“What were you trying to do?” Tezuka asked, eyes wide in horror while his cheeks flushed a little.
Backing away from Tezuka’s hand, Fuji calmly replied, “You wouldn’t wake up, so I was going to kiss you awake,” then, he put on a teasing smile, and added, “Now that you’re awake, shall I give you a morning kiss?”
“No, thanks,”
“Eh, but-”
“No,” Tezuka repeated, giving as much force as he could to the word.
Standing straight, Fuji folded his arms as he watched Tezuka put on his glasses and stood from his bed. “You know, you don’t have to reject me so whole-heartedly,” Fuji complained, inwardly resenting the pained tone that managed to slip into his voice.
Sparing the smaller boy a rather soft glance, Tezuka said, “I haven’t brushed my teeth.”
Fuji blinked once, before reminding himself not to burst out laughing then and there. He settled for a chuckle instead, as he replied, “I don’t care.”
“But I do,” Tezuka firmly uttered, before walking out of his room and disappeared into the bathroom.
Sitting down on Tezuka’s bed, Fuji let out a silent laugh as he clutched on his stomach. That was so Tezuka-like to refuse kissing because he hadn’t brushed his teeth, Fuji thought. But then, that also meant that Fuji would get a chance to kiss him after he brushed his teeth, right?
Fuji smiled widely at the prospect.
When Tezuka came back to his room a few minutes later, Fuji cornered him on the door and lightly pressing his lips on Tezuka’s. The kiss was nothing like in Fuji’s dream. It was a simple, feather-light touch of their lips, but having Tezuka allow the kiss, in and of itself, had made Fuji feel content.
Despite the minty aroma of Tezuka’s toothpaste, their first kiss was sweet.
* * *
/ Phase 5: TOGETHER /
“Germany… far isn’t it?”
Fuji glanced up to the grey sky, and smiled at the nostalgic feeling the words had caused him. They were currently on the school’s rooftop again, leaning against the fence, and Fuji just felt like saying those words, again.
After all, Tezuka would be leaving in less than three months.
“Fuji,” Tezuka called out, and at the wistful tone the taller teen was using, Fuji immediately put on a cheerful smile.
“I’m sorry, I’m just feeling nostalgic,” he reasoned. “It’s only been a few months when I said those words here, but it felt like ages ago, and-” Fuji cut his words when Tezuka kept silent with a heavy aura enveloping him.
For a moment, he let the silence hang around them, as Fuji fixed his gaze on the vast, cloudy sky.
“I might be lonely when you’re not here anymore,” Fuji began, almost as if he was whispering to himself. Then, he turned his head to face his companion, and threw a wistful smile as he continued, “but I won’t bind you with my feelings, Tezuka.”
The bespectacled boy seemed like he was about to say something, but Fuji raised a hand, stopping whatever words Tezuka was about to say from escaping those lips.
“I’ve always believed that everyone has their own paths, and while we’re starting on the same road, the road may branch out and we’d have to take our separate ways,” he continued to muse out loud. Letting his eyes fluttered open, Fuji then threw his gaze to the sky once more, and added, “But it doesn’t mean that we’d never see each other again, does it?”
“Of course,” Tezuka responded and Fuji once again turned his head to his left, where a pair of brown eyes gently searched into his cerulean ones. “The roads we take will keep branching out, so as long as we continue to walk, we’ll eventually cross paths again.”
Fuji kept silent for a few seconds, absorbing every single word Tezuka had said, before a genuine smile forming on his lips. “Oh my,” he commented lightly, “I didn’t know you were fond of using metaphors.”
Fixing his glasses with a middle finger, Tezuka answered, “You started it.”
“Yes, I did. Nice follow up, though.”
“Thank you,” Tezuka flatly responded, enticing a silvery laugh from the honey-haired youth. Between his mirth, Fuji could see the rare smile playing on Tezuka’s lips, and Fuji’s smile got wider by several millimeters.
* * *
“Today’s Valentine’s day, Tezuka!” Fuji beamed as soon as they were left alone in Tezuka’s room for a (supposed) study session, and the lithe boy could feel the other eyeing him suspiciously because of the overly cheerful tone he was using.
“What about it?” Tezuka asked, trying to focus on the set of English worksheets he was currently working on.
“Where’s my chocolate?” When Tezuka just gave him a blank look in response, Fuji faked a pout and said, “I was just kidding. You’re no fun, Tezuka. By the way, number nine is wrong,” he added while pointing on Tezuka’s worksheet.
Erasing his answer, Tezuka then informed, “Mother will be back to bring us some hot chocolate.”
“Really? Then I should give something for your mother on White day,” Fuji replied cheerfully. Tezuka deliberately ignored the statement, so Fuji started again, “I have a gift for you.”
That got Tezuka’s attention back to the smiling boy once more. “Chocolate?” the dark haired youth asked uninterestedly.
“Nope,” Fuji lightly shook his head, then he eyed the pile of colorful boxes and paper bags on a corner of Tezuka’s room and continued, “I’d bet you’ve gotten sick of chocolate just by seeing the mountain of chocolate you got today.”
“Haven’t you?” Tezuka mildly retorted, referring to the huge paper bag containing Fuji’s share of chocolates which was just as much as Tezuka’s.
“Saa,” Fuji simply said, before standing from Tezuka’s bed where he had settled earlier, and walked a short distance to Tezuka’s desk. “Here’s your gift.”
Without further warning, Fuji tilted Tezuka’s face up with a finger, before proceeding to bend down and capturing Tezuka’s lips with his.
Ever since their first kiss, they had kissed several times more, but, to Fuji’s amusement, Tezuka would always stiffen whenever Fuji kissed him. He never refused, though, and so this time, Fuji dared himself to gently nibble on Tezuka’s lower lip, before slowly darting out his tongue to pry those lips open.
Fuji could feel Tezuka gasp, and he took the chance to slip in his tongue into the other’s mouth. One hand moved to stroke the dark brown locks, while the other snaked towards Tezuka’s back and started gently caressing in small circles to soothe the tension away from the stiff body. It wasn’t long before Tezuka started to relax and started responding to the advance. He started to kiss back, a little clumsy at first, but as Fuji led him with strokes and caresses on the insides of his mouth, Tezuka began to fight for dominance.
The sensations of exploring and being explored as their tongues met and danced together were foreign yet familiar due to the dreams Fuji has had before. Slowly, the heat was building inside him, as his heart beat faster and the need for air began to surface. Pulling back, Fuji rested his forehead against Tezuka’s as both of them tried to catch their breaths. That was when Fuji absently noticed how flushed Tezuka’s face was, and he wondered if his face was also as red as Tezuka’s
Fuji just barely touched his lips to Tezuka again, when a knock was heard from Tezuka’s door. “Kunimitsu, I have your hot chocolate here,” Tezuka’s mother called out, and both boys froze.
Fuji practically jumped back onto the bed, while Tezuka straightened his shirt and tried to even out his breathing before replying, “I’m coming, mother,” and stood up. He briefly glanced at the mirror and, making sure the blush had subdued, he walked to the door to let his mother in.
By the time Ayana stepped into the room, Fuji already had his serene smile back on his face. Ayana put the tray containing two mugs of hot chocolate and a jar of cookies on Tezuka’s desk and smiled at the boys. “What are you studying today?” she asked with a smile.
“We’re working on English and Math, Ayana-san,” Fuji politely responded.
Ayana looked at her son’s expressionless face, and then to Fuji’s smiling one, before letting a knowing smile form on her lips. She lightly hit both of the boys’ heads, and said, “Don’t get too distracted, ne?”
Still with the knowing smile, she excused herself from her son’s room, and gently closed the door behind her, leaving both teens befuddled.
“Distracted?” Fuji pondered, and when his eyes fell to the Shonen Jump manga near his worksheets, he let out an “Oh,” before slipping the manga back to his bag.
Tezuka let out a breath he seemed to have been holding, and threw himself in a rather ungracious manner to his chair. Fuji grinned sheepishly, with a ‘that-was-close’ look plastered on his face. “Let’s go back to studying,” Tezuka told him, and Fuji smiled before grabbing his Math book.
“Your mother is really nice, ne,” Fuji casually commented.
Keeping his focus on his English worksheet, Tezuka replied, “Maybe because you’re the only friend that I often bring home.”
“Is that so?”
“Ah,” Tezuka absently replied, “Before you, I think I’ve never had a friend this close. Oishi’s close enough, but he’s different.”
“A friend,” Fuji repeated, his voice low, almost like he whispered to himself. Keeping his eyes away from Tezuka, he then wondered, “I’m really just a friend to you… am I?”
The detached tone he was using caught Tezuka’s attention, and the bespectacled teen sighed. “Do you really think I’d let you kiss me if we’re just friends?”
“Oh, so we’re not friends?” Fuji’s smile widened for a bit, but then he asked again in an almost inaudible voice, “But we’re not lovers either… so what are we?”
Tezuka turned on his swivel chair so that he was now facing Fuji on the bed, and their eyes met. Uncertainties lingered in the air, and Tezuka cast his gaze downward. “Do we really have to label our relationship with either ‘friends’ or ‘lovers’?” the question was uttered quietly, with a hint of doubt in his voice.
“Well, I just thought it would simplify things for us,” Fuji replied, and as he caught the troubled look on Tezuka’s face, he added, “but apparently it makes things more complicated for you?”
Lining his hands on his lap, Tezuka began, “Where we stand now, it’s certain we’re more than just friends, but…”
“We’re not really… qualified to be called lovers either,” Fuji calmly smiled as he finished for Tezuka.
Tezuka’s lips moved, but no words came out. He was never good with words, Fuji knew, and that was why Tezuka spoke so little. It had always been one thing he prided himself on: being able to make Tezuka speak for more than one sentence.
It was amusing to see Tezuka struggled for words. There were more frown lines forming on his face, lips slightly parted as if ready to launch the words as soon as he found them. A few seconds passed, and Tezuka brought a hand to rake his own dark locks. Fuji thought he saw an imaginary smoke forming from Tezuka’s head.
“I’m sorry, Tezuka, forget that I asked,” Fuji gently smiled as he stood up and walked to where Tezuka was seated, before bending down to press his lips lightly to the latter’s forehead. “I’m fine with how we are now.”
“Can’t we…” Tezuka paused to look up and meet Fuji’s eyes, “Can’t we just… stay as ‘Tezuka and Fuji’?”
Blinking once, Fuji spent a few seconds pondering on what Tezuka was implying on the way he spoke their names earlier. Then, a genuine smile formed on his face. “Yes, we can,” he answered, before his smile turned into a teasing one, and he added, “We can just stay as ‘Tezuka and Fuji who are bonded by love’. Sounds good, don’t you think?” Fuji asked in a teasing tone.
Tezuka merely gave the tensai a ‘what-the-hell-is-that’ kind of look, and Fuji had to repress a laugh.
“Don’t be so cold,” Fuji lightly slapped Tezuka’s shoulder twice, and putting on his brightest smile, he continued, “Don’t you love me?”
Tezuka tilted his head upwards to glare at the smiling boy, a faint blush tinted his cheeks. “Do you really need me to say every single thing?”
Grinning, Fuji stepped back and sat down on the bed as he replied, “Nope. I just like teasing you.”
Tezuka regarded the statement with a scowl.
“We don’t have much time to be together like this,” Fuji suddenly continued with a wistful tone. “Graduation is coming soon and we’re bound to walk our separate ways. So let’s not make things complicated and enjoy what we have now?” he finished with a cheerful façade.
Another small nod accompanied with a barely audible “ah,” was Tezuka’s reply.
“Whatever we are now,” Fuji started again, his tone was a mix of tease and sincerity, “Do know that I’m yours,” he finished with a smile.
And for once, for the first time in their ambiguous relationship, Tezuka initiated a kiss.
~NeverEnding~
A/N: ...I hope I made sense...
Anyway, Isu, I don’t know if this is what you’ve expected (I doubt that it is >.>) but I hope I don’t disappoint you much. Also everyone who loves the song “I’m Yours”. *bows low* but I honestly had fun writing their awkward moments and their “discussion” about friends and lovers, so I sincerely hope it was at least enjoyable ^___^
Anyway if anyone gets cavities from reading this fic, please go to your dentist ASAP XD