Happy spring, esrafil!
Title: Fixation
Recipient's name: esrafil
Rating: G
Pairing: Fujicest (possibly gen)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created by Konomi Takeshi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warnings: spoilers for manga to chapter 322
Author's notes: For esrafil, I hope you like it. You said you liked manga canon, so I tried. :) Thanks to J for the beta. <3
He's never seen his brother like this before.
"I've finally got it," Syusuke says, and Yuuta can hardly breathe for the beauty of the tennis that follows-This is his goal, and he's never been so sure of it in his life.
Mizuki is saying something, and Yuuta knows with the certainty of a ball thrown in the air falling back down again that Mizuki will never in a million years be his brother's rival.
Or maybe he doesn't know, because his brother is that ball, soaring, and Yuuta has always believed his brother defied such laws.
Balls thrown in the air fall back down again. Syusuke loses the match.
*
"Aniki, don't mind. Nice game!"
Syusuke isn't listening to him.
*
Yuuta goes home without Syusuke having to bribe him with pie. Syusuke is quiet, and Yuuta doesn't even know if his brother would have tried to bribe him, doesn't know what he's supposed to say to a Syusuke who doesn't seem to be thinking about him, doesn't know what to do. Yuuta is completely unused to seeing his brother upset over something that doesn't have to do with him.
Yuuta doesn't know how many times he's wished his brother weren't so fixated on him. Tonight, Syusuke doesn't even joke about getting Yuuta to take a bath with him. Yuuta should feel relieved but instead he's just confused, so after dinner he goes to his room and doesn't come out. Their walls are thin and voices carry; he can hear Yumiko talking in Syusuke's room and wishes for a second that he didn't always feel off-balance around Syusuke, that he could be there for him properly, the way their sister is.
When he hears her leave, he walks down the hallway.
"Aniki?" He knocks, but Syusuke doesn't open the door. Yuuta tries the knob anyway, but it's locked. Yuuta isn't used to Syusuke wanting to be alone, so he sits on the floor with his back against his brother's door until he hears Syusuke's footsteps.
"Aniki."
"Not now, Yuuta."
Yuuta has no idea what he's supposed to do when Syusuke says that.
*
In the morning Yuuta notices that even while moping his brother is good-looking. Yuuta is used to being the only non-gorgeous Fuji and he's learned to deal with being normal, but maybe that was just because, for some reason, Syusuke seemed to think he was special. Syusuke's beauty is even more unfair when he's sad, and Yuuta feels more graceless around him than he usually does. He hates everything about this, so he exaggerates the amount of trouble he's having with his math homework, but Syusuke doesn't invade Yuuta's personal space to point out how to solve the problems. He doesn't even offer to help and Yuuta wonders for a second if this is maybe just a plot to drive him crazy.
Of course, Syusuke drives him crazy all the time, so if it's a plot, it's a pointless one, and Yuuta has never seen his brother do anything pointless.
*
This is a chance, Yuuta thinks, to find a sort of balance. Syusuke has always been the one with bandages for Yuuta's skinned knees. Yuuta can help his brother. It's only fair. Yuuta has always tried to believe in fair.
*
"Aniki, let's have a match." Yuuta holds out Syusuke's racket but Syusuke doesn't look up from his Shonen Jump and since when did Syusuke read manga anyway and fine, Yuuta gets it. He's not even good enough to beat into the ground now, but being a super genius doesn't mean Syusuke has to be a jerk so Yuuta punches Syusuke in the arm on the way out of his room and hopes he understands.
*
Syusuke's moping around is bothering Yuuta more than it has any right to. Peace, for once, Yuuta thinks; this is being left alone, and he's on the stairs when he realizes he has never for one second been normal. For some reason that realization attacks his knees and suddenly he's falling.
And suddenly he's not, because his brother is there to catch him.
"You should be more careful, Yuuta." It's the first thing he's heard Syusuke say since they got home and he's so surprised that he doesn't bother pushing Syusuke off and then Syusuke lets go on his own.
"Aniki!" he calls, but Syusuke is walking up the stairs like nothing has happened, and Yuuta has been saying aniki all day long and has never been more annoyed in his life.
"Aniki." Syusuke doesn't say anything, but Yuuta hears him pause at the top of the stairs and then forgets what he was going to say. "I'm going to defeat you one day" is not it, but Yuuta supposes it will have to do. He hears Syusuke laugh and hates that he doesn't know what it means.
*
At dinner, everything is normal. Syusuke is smiling and talkative and polite and the rest of his family is acting as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened at all. Yuuta knows better than to say anything; he can wait.
*
That night, Syusuke's door is open. The light is off, but Yuuta walks in anyway; he can see that his brother isn't asleep.
"If you wanted my attention, Yuuta, you could have just said so. There really wasn't any need to throw yourself down the stairs." Yuuta doesn't need the light to know his brother is smiling.
"Aniki!" he protests, and wonders exactly how much of Syusuke's depression was just for show. Then he hears the quiet "Thank you," and watches as Syusuke moves over just a little, watches as he pulls back a corner of the covers.
For a few seconds, Yuuta does nothing but stand there, watching Syusuke watch him. Then he thinks, Okay, just this once, and climbs in. Things aren't quite the way they were before, but Yuuta thinks he can learn to be okay with that.
*
The next morning when Yuuta has Syusuke's limbs slung over him, trapping him in bed, he wonders why he even bothered.
Syusuke smiles in his sleep like he knows what Yuuta is thinking.
Recipient's name: esrafil
Rating: G
Pairing: Fujicest (possibly gen)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created by Konomi Takeshi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warnings: spoilers for manga to chapter 322
Author's notes: For esrafil, I hope you like it. You said you liked manga canon, so I tried. :) Thanks to J for the beta. <3
He's never seen his brother like this before.
"I've finally got it," Syusuke says, and Yuuta can hardly breathe for the beauty of the tennis that follows-This is his goal, and he's never been so sure of it in his life.
Mizuki is saying something, and Yuuta knows with the certainty of a ball thrown in the air falling back down again that Mizuki will never in a million years be his brother's rival.
Or maybe he doesn't know, because his brother is that ball, soaring, and Yuuta has always believed his brother defied such laws.
Balls thrown in the air fall back down again. Syusuke loses the match.
*
"Aniki, don't mind. Nice game!"
Syusuke isn't listening to him.
*
Yuuta goes home without Syusuke having to bribe him with pie. Syusuke is quiet, and Yuuta doesn't even know if his brother would have tried to bribe him, doesn't know what he's supposed to say to a Syusuke who doesn't seem to be thinking about him, doesn't know what to do. Yuuta is completely unused to seeing his brother upset over something that doesn't have to do with him.
Yuuta doesn't know how many times he's wished his brother weren't so fixated on him. Tonight, Syusuke doesn't even joke about getting Yuuta to take a bath with him. Yuuta should feel relieved but instead he's just confused, so after dinner he goes to his room and doesn't come out. Their walls are thin and voices carry; he can hear Yumiko talking in Syusuke's room and wishes for a second that he didn't always feel off-balance around Syusuke, that he could be there for him properly, the way their sister is.
When he hears her leave, he walks down the hallway.
"Aniki?" He knocks, but Syusuke doesn't open the door. Yuuta tries the knob anyway, but it's locked. Yuuta isn't used to Syusuke wanting to be alone, so he sits on the floor with his back against his brother's door until he hears Syusuke's footsteps.
"Aniki."
"Not now, Yuuta."
Yuuta has no idea what he's supposed to do when Syusuke says that.
*
In the morning Yuuta notices that even while moping his brother is good-looking. Yuuta is used to being the only non-gorgeous Fuji and he's learned to deal with being normal, but maybe that was just because, for some reason, Syusuke seemed to think he was special. Syusuke's beauty is even more unfair when he's sad, and Yuuta feels more graceless around him than he usually does. He hates everything about this, so he exaggerates the amount of trouble he's having with his math homework, but Syusuke doesn't invade Yuuta's personal space to point out how to solve the problems. He doesn't even offer to help and Yuuta wonders for a second if this is maybe just a plot to drive him crazy.
Of course, Syusuke drives him crazy all the time, so if it's a plot, it's a pointless one, and Yuuta has never seen his brother do anything pointless.
*
This is a chance, Yuuta thinks, to find a sort of balance. Syusuke has always been the one with bandages for Yuuta's skinned knees. Yuuta can help his brother. It's only fair. Yuuta has always tried to believe in fair.
*
"Aniki, let's have a match." Yuuta holds out Syusuke's racket but Syusuke doesn't look up from his Shonen Jump and since when did Syusuke read manga anyway and fine, Yuuta gets it. He's not even good enough to beat into the ground now, but being a super genius doesn't mean Syusuke has to be a jerk so Yuuta punches Syusuke in the arm on the way out of his room and hopes he understands.
*
Syusuke's moping around is bothering Yuuta more than it has any right to. Peace, for once, Yuuta thinks; this is being left alone, and he's on the stairs when he realizes he has never for one second been normal. For some reason that realization attacks his knees and suddenly he's falling.
And suddenly he's not, because his brother is there to catch him.
"You should be more careful, Yuuta." It's the first thing he's heard Syusuke say since they got home and he's so surprised that he doesn't bother pushing Syusuke off and then Syusuke lets go on his own.
"Aniki!" he calls, but Syusuke is walking up the stairs like nothing has happened, and Yuuta has been saying aniki all day long and has never been more annoyed in his life.
"Aniki." Syusuke doesn't say anything, but Yuuta hears him pause at the top of the stairs and then forgets what he was going to say. "I'm going to defeat you one day" is not it, but Yuuta supposes it will have to do. He hears Syusuke laugh and hates that he doesn't know what it means.
*
At dinner, everything is normal. Syusuke is smiling and talkative and polite and the rest of his family is acting as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened at all. Yuuta knows better than to say anything; he can wait.
*
That night, Syusuke's door is open. The light is off, but Yuuta walks in anyway; he can see that his brother isn't asleep.
"If you wanted my attention, Yuuta, you could have just said so. There really wasn't any need to throw yourself down the stairs." Yuuta doesn't need the light to know his brother is smiling.
"Aniki!" he protests, and wonders exactly how much of Syusuke's depression was just for show. Then he hears the quiet "Thank you," and watches as Syusuke moves over just a little, watches as he pulls back a corner of the covers.
For a few seconds, Yuuta does nothing but stand there, watching Syusuke watch him. Then he thinks, Okay, just this once, and climbs in. Things aren't quite the way they were before, but Yuuta thinks he can learn to be okay with that.
*
The next morning when Yuuta has Syusuke's limbs slung over him, trapping him in bed, he wonders why he even bothered.
Syusuke smiles in his sleep like he knows what Yuuta is thinking.