[Fic] Draw A Dream for denshi_no_ultra
denshi_no_ultrabluewings_lagooDraw A Dream
Kikumaru Eiji hummed as he walked down the corridors of the third year classrooms hallway. In a couple of months, all the third years would be graduating and moving on to high school. The thought of the future beyond now was frightening yet exciting at the time.
While he would be sad to leave behind the place where most of his precious memories and friendships had been formed, the thought of new places, friends and experiences grew him too. He was glad that he and Oishi had made a promise to get into the same high school and university; he would give his utmost best to keep it. Almost everything was just as he would have wanted, except for one thing...
For a long time, Kikumaru knew that the feelings his best friend Fuji had toward their team captain went beyond that of the platonic kind. The petite boy had never once acted on them though, content to simply remain by the stoic youth's side rather than rock the boat and potentially lose even what friendship ties he had.
At the rate things were progressing, the acrobatic redhead was pretty sure that his best friend’s feelings would remain forever unrequited; Tezuka was amazingly slow in catching on to things when it came to matters like this.
He had to intervene fast if he planned on having them together before graduation day. Knowing that he would need help if he wanted things to be successful, Kikumaru considered sharing his plan with the rest of the regulars and asking for their cooperation.
“I will have to convince Oishi that it’s to help both Tezuka and Fuji otherwise he would just keep worrying about interfering with other people’s business. Inui would definitely help if only for the sake of gathering data nya~” The cheerful boy shivered a little at the thought of the data analyst and his dreadful concoctions and decided not to dwell on the thought for too long.
“As for Taka-san...I will just pass him his racket and he will definitely be geared up hoi hoi! That leaves Kaidoh, Momo and Ochibi…”
“…and that would be the plan. It’s brilliant, isn’t it!” Kikumaru grinned, proud of himself for having come up with the idea. He had called an unofficial meeting just among the regulars during lunch, sans Tezuka and Fuji and were currently huddled inside the club room.
In the end, most of the work would be done by Oishi and him; the rest didn’t actually have to do anything aside from making sure they were aware of what’s going on and to not mess up the acrobatic boy’s plans. He wasn't trying to be mean or anything but he preferred not to leave too much to chance; goodness knows what sort of havoc the team could wreck to his plans simply because of sheer ignorance. In addition, by getting everybody involved, he also hoped to have some assistance in the case that there was a sudden change in plans and he couldn’t execute them on his own.
“Eiji, I still don’t think it’s a good idea to meddle with people’s relationships and feelings.” Oishi cast a worried glance at his doubles partner.
“Mou, stop being such a worrywart! It’s horrible how everyone keeps making comments about how good they would be as a couple when in actual fact they aren’t; Fujiko may not show it but he’s really in pain because of this. Having to pretend that hearing such words don’t affect him when secretly in his heart he wishes they were true; it’s an awful feeling…” The bubbly redhead had a sorrowful look on his face.
“Eiji…” Oishi couldn’t help but think that part of the reason why his partner was so worked up over this was not simply because the boy was Fuji’s best friend but also due to their own only recently worked out problems. He could understand the other’s feeling if that was the case.
“I will help in whatever way I can, Kikumaru-senpai.” Kaidoh was the first to speak up, his eyes full of determination.
“It’s Tezuka-buchou and Fuji-senpai afterall; we can’t just leave them alone can we? Just can’t do that,” Momoshiro grinned, excited already at the thought of carrying out his senpai’s plans.
“It would be good data,” Inui chuckled evilly as he shifted his glasses.
“I don’t mind either way. Here you go, Kawamura-senpai.” Ryoma said with an air of disinterest as he tossed a racket over to his senior and watched the transformation of the other from a timid youth to a berserk Japanese boy who roared his speech out with ever so often a English word here and there.
“Burning! Let’s get Tezuka and Fuji together baby!” The rest paled at the power player’s choice of words in his outburst and quickly made a move to silence him for fear of anyone else hearing.
“I understand. For Tezuka and Fuji’s sake!” Oishi nodded as he turned to face his doubles partner with a smile.
“It’s settled then!” Kikumaru grinned.
“Fujiko~ Eat lunch with me? My mum made some of her special wasabi sushi rolls especially for you today!” Kikumaru pushed back his chair and pounced on his best friend the moment the lunch bell rang.
“Oh my, your mother is too kind. I must thank her personally the next time I come over to your place. For now, can you convey my thanks to her when you get back today?” Fuji gave the bouncy redhead a genuine smile.
“Mmm, I got it! Leave it to me!” Kikumaru nodded, his bright smile reminding Fuji of a little boy who had just been given his favourite candy.
“Where would you like to eat? Here? The cafeteria? The grass patch near the soccer field?” The excitable boy bounced around as he waited impatiently for his friend’s reply.
Looking out of the window nearest to him as he noted the lack of sunshine, the clear azure skies that stretched out endlessly and the light cool breeze that blew into the classroom, Fuji turned back to face Kikumaru.
“Today seems like a good day to eat outside,” Seigaku’s tensai smiled gently
“Okay, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Kikumaru gave the other only enough time to take out his own bento before grabbing him by the wrist and making off for fields, pulling the petite brunette along behind him.
“Uwaah, I am hungry!” Kikumaru plopped down on the soft grass as he quickly unwrapped the bento box his mother had packed for him and tucked into his food after saying his thanks. Chuckling at his friend’s apparent famished state, Fuji sat down beside the other boy and leaned back on his arms as he took in the scenery before him instead.
“Fujiko, you are not hungry?” Kikumaru asked in between moments of stuffing himself with rice, tamagoyaki and ebi, his voice muffled by the food inside his mouth that he had yet to swallow.
“Just admiring the scenery for a little while since we did come out here after all,” the tensai murmured as his eyes traced outlines of the fluffy clouds and he imagined what they could possibly be for a minute or so before he finally looked back down and started opening his own bento.
Feeling it was as best a time he could find, Kikumaru began the first part of his plan. “Soon, we will be graduating in a few months time; are you sad about leaving?”
“Hmm? I didn’t know Eiji thinks about this sort of stuff as well,” Fuji said in a teasing manner as he gave thanks for his food before picking out a piece of heavily spiced katsu and placing it in his mouth.
“Mou, Fujiko!” The energetic boy pouted for a moment before scooting a little closer to his friend.
“Maa, I guess I would be. I would definitely miss the team and trainings.” The brunette’s usual mask gave way to a slightly nostalgic smile.
“Me too, we had so much fun this past three years, it’s hard to bid everything goodbye. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time and we can forever remain in this period of our lives.” Kikumaru’s face took on a serious contemplative look for once.
“Time waits for no one, Eiji. Everyone will have to move on but that doesn’t mean that the friendships we forged here will end when we leave for different places. I am sure we will all keep in contact and meet up again whenever possible, ne? I would definitely love to check on our little Echizen now and then to see what he’s up to.” Something in the other’s tone sent a faint shiver down Kikumaru’s spine and he uneasily nodded.
“Taka-san has already said that he will be quitting tennis and focusing on becoming a full-fledged sushi chef. Inui will probably take up a scholarship, go overseas to further his studies and become a sports nutritionist, what with all those weird juices he keeps on coming up with during practice which he claims will help improve our stamina and power.
Oishi and I have already promised each other that we will go to the same high school and university; isn’t that great Fujiko? I want to be a Physical Education teacher and he wants to be a doctor so our paths won’t divulge that much and we won’t have to be separated!” Still elated over the fact that he would not have to part ways with his doubles partner, Kikumaru grinned from ear to ear, his eyes practically sparkling.
“I am glad for you Eiji,” Fuji smiled, delighted by this piece of news. He had always known that the two of them shared a special bond beyond a normal doubles pair and to hear from Eiji’s own mouth that they had worked out their lives to accommodate each other already…He was honestly happy for them. However, seeing the two of them together simply reminded him of his own little secret and wish that he knew would unlikely ever come to past.
Kikumaru who had plenty of experience watching Fuji and learning to recognise the other’s moods did not fail to note the shadow that crossed his best friend’s eyes for a moment. He carefully set aside his food, no longer feeling the urge to eat and casually asked, “So, that leaves you and Tezuka. What are you two planning on doing?”
There it was, the question he had been avoiding ever since he became aware of his own feelings. Tezuka had made clear his intentions to go pro and train in Germany. Fuji on the other hand had no wild ambitions that would allow him to follow after the stoic tennis captain; he intended on taking up a double major in journalism and photography before proceeding to wander the globe capturing the essence of nature’s natural beauty and architecture.
They would part ways and Fuji would likely only ever see him on the television or newspapers whenever he made the headlines with another stunning win, the brunette thought a little sadly to himself.
Unaware that he had unwittingly mumbled out his heart’s thoughts, the tensai remained lost in his own world as Kikumaru looked at his friend worriedly. He hadn’t made the wrong decision when he thought up of the plan and enlisted the rest of the regulars’ help; whether petite brunette wanted their help or not, the redhead was convinced that they needed to do something and fast.
“Fujiko, you like Tezuka don’t you?”
The brunette’s eye opened wide for a moment and the azure orbs usually hidden behind them flashed as his whole body went tense at the truth of the words that he had never dared to speak out but were finally voiced aloud by someone else.
“This isn’t good. Not now, not here,” Fuji thought as he desperately tried to rein his emotions in. After what felt like eternity, the boy exhaled and felt most of the tension flow out of him as he slowly began to calm down.
“Why are you hurting yourself like this?” Kikumaru’s voice had taken on a slight pleading tone as he tried his utmost to make the other see reason.
“Because it won’t work out and things are better this way. Better that he never has to leave for Germany with the burden of knowing that his friend had from the start, always had a crush on him weighing on his mind.”
“Better that he never has to look back at this friendship and wonder how much was really real and if things had really been that simple at the beginning.” Fuji mumbled even as he knew deep down within his heart that all these were just excuses; he was simply too afraid to confront the possibility that the other boy would reject him and even what little connection he had would be lost as well.
In the short three years that they had known each other, the stoic boy had somehow managed to fill practically the whole of his heart without his permission and yet have the audacity to not even know the he was responsible for the inner turmoil the azure-eyed youth was currently going through. Something about it made him both infuriated and yet also created within him the urge to laugh at hilarity of the situation at the same time.
“Fujiko…” The bouncy redhead’s eyes were sad as he shook his head. His friend was stubborn and utterly convinced that things wouldn’t work out. He had hoped that the other boy would at least be a little more receptive to his suggestions that he ought to just try; it appeared that he needed to tackle the problem from another angle.
“Oishi, I am counting on you to make Tezuka realise his feelings.” Kikumaru thought mournfully.
That evening as Tezuka locked up the student council room and was preparing to go home, Oishi approached him.
:”Tezuka, going home now?” Oishi smiled.
“Ahh, the meeting ran a little later than everyone expected and I stayed behind to settle some paperwork. Are you leaving as well?” The stoic youth asked.
“I was running some duties for Moriyama sensei and just finished them. Shall we walk out together?”
“Ahh,” Tezuka nodded as they made their way down the stairs, changed their shoes at the lockers and walked out of the gates together.
“I still can’t believe we will be graduating in a few months time; it feels like just yesterday that we stepped into the gates of Seigaku for the very first time.” Oishi mused as he thought back to the very first time he had walked into the school, never expecting that he would one day join the tennis club, eventually become a regular and be part of the team that would win the Nationals during their third and final year.
“Ah, it has been a long and fruitful journey; I have little regrets.” Tezuka could not help but smile a little.
“It’s finally time for us to part ways isn’t it? You will be going overseas after this to fulfil your dream and become a pro; Taka-san will be focusing on taking over his family’s restaurant after his father retires; Inui intends to go to MIT in the United States; Eiji plans on becoming a junior high school PE teacher and I will be following in my uncle’s footsteps as a doctor. I heard from Eiji as well that Fuji intends on becoming a photo-journalist.” Seigaku’s vice-captain commented a little wistfully.
“I see. So Fuji doesn’t intend on continuing playing tennis…I had hoped that one day he would stand alongside Echizen and me in the pro circuit. Being a photo-journalist suits him though,” Tezuka smiled softly at the thought of the petite brunette who hated being bound more than anything else travelling around the world taking photos on a casual whim.
Oishi could see why his partner though there was still hope. “It’s for both Tezuka’s and Fuji’s sake,” the boy thought as he prepared himself to share one of his most personal secrets.
“Tezuka, will you listen to me? I have something important to share,” Oishi continued walking alongside his friend but his voice had taken on a seriousness that the bespectacled man only occasionally heard.
“Ahhh,” Tezuka nodded.
“Ever since the formation of Seigaku’s golden pair in our first year, Eiji and I had a complex relationship.
It started off simple, with both parties wanting to know more about the other. We were determined to make a good combination that Seigaku would be proud of; back then I didn’t have the guts to say it by Eiji would go all out and yell out our secret dream. It was embarrassing but because of that, it motivated us.
I was attracted to Eiji’s sunny personality and optimistic nature; I couldn’t believe that there existed someone who could constantly be so happy and energetic all day long, apparently free of worries. I know now that he simply disguises it better than others but despite that, it was amazing how he could just walk in on a group of people and start laughing and joking around with them.
He was a complete contrast to me but yet we somehow clicked. We would find each other naturally without having to think about it and spend lunch breaks talking about tennis, our interests, families and honestly anything under the sky.
We would walk home together every day and I would fret over whether Eiji had reached home safely until I receive a mail from him saying that he was preparing for dinner or going to take a bath; he would tease me relentlessly about being such a worrywart but never mock my concern for him.
We would spend weekends over at each other houses or walk around the shopping district searching for the latest music game released and hunting about for good tennis shoes. He would drag me to MOS Burger and cajole me into giving in and paying for his meals and I would in turn bore him to death with my talk about fishes.
That wasn’t to say that our relationship was a bed of roses; we fought at times, even over the smallest of things and it often resulted in periods where we ignored each other and pretended the other person never existed. Thankfully they never lasted long since either one of us would eventually give in and decide it was too hard to remain angry with each other since it meant that we would not be able to have our usual talks.”
Oishi paused halfway through his narrative, glancing at his friend with worry written across his features; perhaps he had been too long-winded and had lost his friend along the way. Tezuka merely looked back, contemplative and willing him to continue.
“This continued until the middle of our third year when one day while walking back with Eiji, I randomly thought to myself,”I did like to spend the rest of my life with him.” Immediately after that, I was stunned; what possessed me to have that sort of thought? We were best friends and I definitely liked him a lot but this was entirely new. It unsettled me and I went home that night confused and full of doubts.
Things became awkward between us after that mostly because I started to jump at the slightest affectionate gestures that I wouldn’t have minded in the past. Eiji picked up on my discomfort and thought that I did not like him anymore. This carried on for awhile until things came to a head when he finally couldn’t take my avoidance and change in behaviour anymore.
It was a messy quarrel and some harsh words were spoken that neither party actually meant; the damage was already done however and for one whole week, we each fumed in silence. I think you would probably remember that one whole week when Eiji pretty much monopolised Fuji and clung to him all day? It was because of that.
Fuji wasn’t happy about the way things were; I am not too sure what Eiji told him but near the end of the week, he clearly managed to figure out the truth of the matter and confronted me one day after lesson. He told me to be honest about my feelings and stop running away because my cowardice was hurting not only me but also Eiji.
It was a slap to my face as I realised that all this while, I had been unconsciously refusing to acknowledge the signs that told me what I really desired deep down. Sometimes, the transition from a simple friendship to something more happens so slowly that we end up missing the signs that indicate things have actually changed.
When our brain finally starts to catch up with what our hearts know all along, in our struggle to stay within our comfort zone, we deny the truth and search for other plausible reasons to explain our actions and thoughts. It took me some time to settle out my thoughts and finally seek Eiji’s forgiveness for putting him through all that.
As a friend who truly cares for you, I really hope that you won’t make the same mistakes as me; it would pain me to see both you and Fuji suffer because of that. I will see you tomorrow then,” Oishi’s smile was slightly pained as they reached a road intersection and the vice-captain bid him farewell before heading off in the direction of his own home, leaving Tezuka to walk back on his own house, head filled with many unanswered questions.
He understood the part about being true to oneself, but why did Oishi choose to tell him something clearly so personal and how did he and Fuji exactly fit into the picture?
After that talk with Eiji the previous day, Fuji couldn’t even hold a simple conversation with his captain or look him in the eye without feeling the urge to just run away and hide somewhere where he would not have to be reminded of how some things were just impossible to obtain no matter how desperately one wished for them. Fuji cursed inertly at the awkwardness that appeared to only be felt by him and did his best to stay away from the stoic youth.
Unable to get the previous evening’s conversation out of his mind, Tezuka felt himself unconsciously following his close friend’s every move, observing the other boy and noticing things he never did previously. When the tensai spoke to him, even if it was for a brief moment, he would find himself being drawn in sheerly by the other's voice. It felt like as if he was hearing the other for the first time; that soft lilting tone causing him to stop paying attention to the words themselves and just listen to the voice that spoke them.
“Tezuka? Tezuka, are you all right?” Fuji asked a little worriedly as he noted the captain’s seemingly distracted state today.
“It’s nothing, continue your training.”
“Okay…”
”Yudan sezu ni ikou,” the stoic captain chastised himself inwardly as he turned his attention back to practice and tried his best to ignore the soft lilting voice in his mind calling his name.
Kikumaru sighed. At this rate, he was going to turn into Tezuka, all frowny and never able to have fun. Extreme circumstances called for extreme measures; Fuji was going to owe him big-time if this worked out.
Making his way unobtrusively over to Seigaku’s data analyst, the energetic redhead pouted for a moment as he was reminded of the difference in height between them. Inui simply smiled as he bent down and allowed Kikumaru to whisper into his ears.
“Fuji, have you seen Kawamura-kun anywhere? He was supposed to play a match against me now.” Fuji tried his best not to appear startled as he turned to face Tezuka and noted the frown that indicated the captain wasn’t in the best of moods.
“I haven’t seen him,” the tensai answered truthfully; he really did not have any idea where Taka-san had disappeared to.
“I see,” the captain stalked off and Fuji couldn’t help but pray that wherever the mild-tempered power player was, that he avoid meeting Tezuka at all costs.
I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.
No matter how hard he tried to ignore them, that particular sentence kept coming back to haunt him. He was honestly getting a little fed-up with those words constantly echoing in his head and to add to his annoyance, Kawamura had yet to make his appearance, leaving him with no way to release some of his frustrations through tennis.
“Inui, it seems that Kawamura-kun is currently unavailable. Is there anyone else who is free at the moment?”
“At the moment, everyone has been paired up; Ryoma is playing Kaidoh, Kikumaru is playing Oishi and Fuji is playing Momoshi-“
Inui was abruptly cut off when Seigaku’s second power player straggled up.
“Gomen, Fuji-senpai, can you play with Tezuka-buchou instead? I don’t think I am able to do so at the momen-“ The boy’s face turned ashen grey and he quickly turned and made a beeline for the restroom, leaving his sentence incomplete.
“Inui, go after Momoshiro and see what’s wrong; I will play against Fuji and help to keep watch over the rest as well.”
“I understand,” the data collector nodded and hurried off in the direction of the restroom. Tezuka sighed. Nothing seemed to be going right today and he could feel a pounding headache coming on. “Fuji, get on the court now,” the bespectacled youth ordered in a voice that brooked no argument.
Fifteen minutes into the game, Tezuka was close to his limit; one more push and he might just explode. The young teenager couldn’t understand what was making him so restless and snappish and his opponent on the other side was not making things easier for him.
Fuji clearly wasn’t interested in this match; Tezuka could tell from the lacklustre attitude the tensai displayed. It was worse than the other times when he had lectured the petite boy; at least in those times, while he wouldn’t use his full strength, he would still put in enough effort at least to avoid a reprimand. The Fuji playing against him right now wasn’t even trying one bit to win, his focus and attention clearly somewhere else.
As the ball rolled silently towards the net on Fuji’s side after Tezuka executed a zero-shiki drop shot, the bespectacled captain lowered his racket and wordlessly stepped off the court, making his way over towards the taps.
“Tezuka…” Fuji knew he wasn’t exactly playing his best and how that was often a point of contention between the two of them but he never would have thought that the stoic youth would actually abandon a match because of that and simply walk off without saying a word. Something was off.
“I need to know what I did wrong that had Tezuka so infuriated,” the petite brunette thought as he hurried after the other boy.
Tezuka heard footsteps coming up quickly from behind and pointedly ignored them; he was not in a mood to talk at all. Placing his spectacles on top of the sink, the youth bent down and allowed the cool water to run all over his face and soak into his hair for awhile before standing up straight again and using a towel to lightly dry himself. If Fuji wanted to wait, he would grant the tensai’s wish.
“…”
Unbeknownst to Tezuka, Fuji was fast losing his patience as well; he hated being ignored and with the previous day’s happenings weighting heavily on his mind, the tensai was well on his way to lashing out at anyone who so much as provoked him a little.
Fine, if Tezuka stubbornly wanted to ignore him, he would just state his piece and then leave; he didn’t have to take this lying down.
“I don’t know what’s making you so agitated but it would do you good to know this; tennis isn’t my everything, unlike you. I play for the thrill and the enjoyment it brings me but it isn’t something I will dedicate my whole life to. I can’t fight if I don’t have a reason to and it’s nothing something you can obtain just by willing it. I just can’t play at the level you ask of, I am sorry for disappointing you.” Fuji gritted his teeth as he spoke the last words; it was a wound to his pride to admit that there was something he wasn’t capable of doing. Done with saying all that was necessary, the petite youth turned and began to walk away.
“Stop there, Fuji!” The commanding voice caused him to halt in his tracks. He hated himself for obeying despite knowing how the confrontation would just hurt him more. He refused to turn around and just stood there with his back faced to Tezuka as the other walked up behind him.
“I heard from Oishi that you intend to major in both journalism and photography in university. I won’t say anything if that’s what you truly want. I am not asking you to continue playing tennis for my sake or the team.” The voice that spoke held no trace of anger or accusation.
“All I want to know is if you are truly satisfied leaving things like this. Are you fine with knowing that you never tried and gave your all, never pushed yourself to the limit to see how far you could go and never pursued the potential and endless possibilities only you yourself can discover? I am asking you Fuji, are you fine leaving things as they are right now?”
“Why do you even care? Is it because you can’t stand to see someone with so much talent throw it all away? Is that all that matters to you?” Fuji retorted back. Hidden in his words was another message.
Do I not matter to you?
“I don’t want you to regret making this decision.”
“Save your breath Tezuka. I think I am better off elsewhere. Right from the beginning, this was all a mistake,” Fuji’s eyes were hidden behind his hair as he started forward in the direction of the clubroom to retrieve his things and leave.
Just as he was about to the turn the knob, a hand placed itself against the door and another roughly spun him around. Tezuka’s face then was a sight to behold; a mixture of anger, sadness and hurt warred for dominance on his usually stony features.
Part of the tensai recoiled at the thought of inflicting pain upon the other boy but another darker side of him that he rarely let out could only think of taking revenge. He glared defiantly back at the bespectacled youth who was preventing him from leaving.
“Do not stop me, Tezuka.” Clear azure orbs cold and sharp enough to cut deep, striking fear in the hearts of many clashed with tawny brown ones that burnt bright with barely restrained fury.
“Are you saying that joining the tennis team was a mistake?” Tezuka’s voice was soft and dangerous. Fuji refused to answer, making another attempt to open the door. The door creaked open by a bit and he made a move backwards into the coolness of the dark room only to be grabbed roughly by the collar and pulled back.
“Are you saying that meeting us all was a mistake? Was getting to know me also a mistake?” The last sentence was barely a whisper.
“It hurts so much damn it. I didn’t ask for this feelings; I didn’t ask for things to turn out like this. I didn’t ask for any of this!” Fuji cried out as he yanked himself away from the other boy, tears slowly streaming down his cheeks.
By then all the regulars, sans Momoshiro and Taka-san had gathered around the two, with Eiji and Oishi right at the front, worried and ready to jump in and restrain them if need be. Tezuka just stared at the brunette crying in front of him in shock as the words spoken by the other boy dimly registered in his mind.
“Feelings? What is he talking about?” The bewildered captain thought. He reached out automatically to comfort the boy but stopped as he heard another voice speak out.
“Baka buchou, baka Fuji-senpai, you are disrupting practice what with all this commotion.” With a hard shove, Seigaku’s first-year pushed both Tezuka and Fuji into the clubroom, closed the door and locked it.
“Don’t try and leave until the both of you have settled things. Seriously, they need someone to knock some sense into their heads, mada mada dane,” Ryoma snorted, his last sentence a mumble as the short first-year pulled his cap down over his eyes and strolled off as the rest of the regulars stared after him with eyes as round as saucers.
Stunned by the Echizen’s sudden actions, Tezuka stared at the door that had slammed in his face for a second before turning to face his best friend who was struggling to stop the tears and hiccupping in the process. Guiding Fuji over to one of the benches at the side of the room, he made the other boy sit down before kneeling down in front on him.
“Fuji, talk to me. I won’t know what your feelings are unless you tell me…” The stoic captain asked in a gentle pleading tone.
Slender pale hands reached up to grip his jersey tightly. “You will hate me if I told you,” the tensai murmured.
“I can never hate you Fuji,” Tezuka whispered as he tilted the other’s face upwards and allowed himself to peer into the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, full of expression. Though red and puffy from crying, he still could not help but be mesmerised by them.
“Idiot…” The other boy’s shoulders slumped and his grip on Tezuka’s jersey slackened as all the bottled up anger drained out of him.
“What would you do if I said I like you?” Tezuka could barely hear the words that his best friend mumbled.
“Fuji, speak louder.”
“What would you do if I said I love you!” Fuji shouted a little, his eyes tightly closed as he finally spoke out the feelings that he had kept secret for three long years.
Tezuka blinked and stared at the blushing teenager seated in front of him. “You love…me?” His mind had gone absolutely blank upon hearing the other boy’s confession and he remained frozen, just staring at the in silence.
Taking the silence as a rejection, Fuji sighed. “It’s all right, I knew this was how things would turn out; you don’t need to feel guilty about rejecting me, I understan-“
“Who said anything about rejecting you?” Jolted into reaction by the apparent misinterpretation and wanting to clear it up as soon as possible, Fuji’s eye snapped open in surprise just in time to see Tezuka’s face hovering inches away from his own and feel his mouth claimed by another pair, warm and slightly wet. Moaning into the kiss as a rush of unknown emotions shot through his body, he opened his mouth and Tezuka’s tongue slipped in and slowly explored the damp cavern.
Closing his eyes, the tensai allowed himself to let go off all his worries, forget everything and simply feel.
It was only after some of the post-coital glow had wore off that Tezuka slowly pulled himself out from Fuji and sat up, helping the other boy whose rear end was no doubt bearing the brunt of the effects of their first coupling as well.
“Are you all right, Syuusuke?” Tezuka asked a little worriedly.
“My bottom has never felt so sore before…” Seeing the guilt flashed on his lover’s face, Fuji smiled playfully and gave the other a quick peck on the cheek.
“Don’t feel bad; I wanted it as much as you did and I must say; that really felt great.” The tensai winked as he gingerly placed his arms around the other’s midriff and leaned his head on the other’s shoulder. “Ne Mitsu, can we remain like this for a little while longer?”
“Ahh.”
Outside the clubroom…
“Nyaa someone get the nurse, Kaidoh’s passed out! Oh my god, Inui, your nose is bleeding! Ooooishi, heeeelp!”
Owari