Title: Just for One Day
Author: Milai Sapphire

Rating: TezuFuji
Pairing: PG
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters. Just the ideas. ): Characters owned by Konomi-sensei and his brilliance.

Cold.

His hands were feeling numb at the tips as a gust of wind passed by him, through his layers of clothing. Bringing his gloved fingers to his lips, Fuji blew a gust of hot air in the hopes of melting the frigidity in even the slightest. A smile spread across his lips, as he heard the sudden click of the locker room door.

"I was waiting for you." Fuji shifted the edge of his tennis bag on his shoulder, extending the warmth of his smile to the stoic and 'frigid' Tezuka.

"I had told you to go on ahead..." Tezuka sighed, turning the lock of the door, before removing the key from the handle and slipping it in his tennis bag pocket. Every day it was the same routine, but Fuji still didn't mind the waiting, two years later.

"Hnn, so you say all the time. But I think you're the one most content with me waiting up for you." Fuji retorted walking alongside Tezuka. He couldn't tell whether he was feeding off the other's warmth or sharing his own. Yet, despite how small that warmth reserve was, it was a satisfying feeling. "Or perhaps just the most impatient to see me?" Fuji stepped in front of Tezuka, placing a hand against his chest. A sign for him to stop a moment. With nimble fingers, Fuji carefully secured one of Tezuka's shirt buttons in place. "You missed a button today..." He smirked at the small blush that appeared on Tezuka's face.

"Thank you..." had been the only words that left Tezuka's mouth apart from the blush in his cheeks. Walking a step closer to the exit of the school's grounds, Tezuka glanced over at Fuji. "We should hurry before the bus leaves without us..."

"Oh?" Fuji raised an eyebrow. Normally the two of them walked together to their respective homes, parting at the street a few blocks away. "Going somewhere special today?"

"Something like that." Tezuka gave Fuji a small smile. Recently he was putting more effort into breaking the wall around his feelings, at least around Fuji. If nothing else, that was enough to make him satisfied. Reaching forward, Fuji grabbed onto the edge of the tennis captain's sleeve, finding Tezuka's hand lock with his own until the bus appeared before them.

People poured in and out the doors of the bus, but only standing room remained as Fuji and Tezuka passed through the crowd towards the back of the bus. Fuji held onto the dangling strap above his head, while Tezuka stood directly behind him as if to shield him from other unwanted contact.

"Nee, not going to give me a small hint as to where we are going?" As he rested his bag between his feet and released the strap in his hand, Fuji leaned back against Tezuka. Curious eyes tried to ensnare at least a word or phrase from Tezuka's own eyes, but to no avail.

"You'll see when we get there..." Tezuka returned Fuji's glances with a soft stare of his own behind his glasses. Fuji pouted as he turned to face forward, observing the other people around him. The silence between the two of them continued for most of the trip, until the driver made an announcement of the next stop. Tezuka reached over Fuji to pull the cord. "Here's the stop. That much I can tell you as a hint." Tezuka smiled taking Fuji's hand in his own as they exited the bus.

The ocean front. Fuji allowed his tennis bag to drop to the pavement for a brief second, as he smiled. While the sunset hues painted the sky with a different arrangement of colors, it was almost the same as that time. "This place..."

Fuji had grabbed Tezuka's hand pulling him back towards him and away from the crowd of Seigaku regulars following the close of the team's evening practice. The captain look confused by the tensai's sudden actions. In his actions there was a certain urgency, a need to get something off of his mind. "Tonight, can you spare me some time?" Fuji asked with the same content smile usually found spread across his lips. "Just for a while...a little bit of your time." Fuji's eyes opened slowly, keeping their gaze off of the tennis captain. Yet at the corner of his eyes, he could see the confusion that spread across Tezuka's features. But despite any questioning thoughts that could be running through his mind, Tezuka agreed with a brief nod.

"It's something you can't tell me about right now?" Tezuka adjusted his tennis racket beneath his arm, while slipping his other hand in his jacket pockets. There was a shy air about Fuji that he was not accustomed to. The usually confident Fuji had disappeared for just a second under his scrutiny. "What time? Where?" Tezuka asked briefly fixing the edge of his glasses that had shifted down his nose slightly.

"Here..." Fuji handed him a perfectly folded piece of paper. The crease was perfectly pressed and Tezuka's name written carefully in kanji on the outside of the paper. Just as he was about to open it, Fuji placed a hand over Tezuka's own shaking his head. "Don't open it now. Open it later." His smile lifted for a moment replaced by a serious expression. "I'll wait for you then." Fuji spoke, an anxiety settling within his chest before he walked off catching up with Eiji who had also been heading to the locker room.

At the counter, Fuji and Eiji sipped their respective smoothies. One was an orange pineapple flavor, the other something that was listed as 'Special Mix #1' out of 3 variations. It was clear who was drinking what.

"Are you sure he'll come, Fujiko?" Eiji looked over at his best friend, an uncertainty in his eyes. "Does it have to be out here? Plus it's already getting dark." Looking behind him, Eiji could feel the slight coldness threaten to break through the windows.

Fuji nodded, "It's a bit out of the way but I had to run an errand out here for my sister. He'll come for sure." His gaze shifted to what lay beyond the window. Nothing but sea lay beyond the fenced off cliff far away. To tell the truth, he wasn't sure. He didn't know if he would be taken seriously, but it was better to try and find out than not know at all. Still, such a roundabout method...he chuckled under his breath returning to his drink. It didn't feel like himself all. But then again, around Tezuka, he never did. He didn't know how to react. He couldn't read what was behind that stoic mask of his, and while it made him curious, he was nervous just the same.

The sound of a ringtone invaded Fuji's thoughts, as Eiji's chant of "hoi hoi" and an extremely vivid smile brought him back to reality for a brief second. "Call from Oishi. He's here it seems. I'll be back!" Just before Eiji could leave his seat, Fuji reached over the table to the redhead grabbing onto his sleeve.

"Go on ahead. Don't keep Oishi waiting. Thanks for coming out with me. See you tomorrow at practice?" Eiji pouted at the suggestion, but nodded taking his tennis bag.

"I'll keep an eye for Tezuka-buchou outside! We won't leave until he comes, okay?" Turning back to the table, Eiji put down his payment for half of the bill before waving briefly and setting off to the exit.

Fuji sighed, speaking softly to himself as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Really...what am I thinking? Reaching in his pocket, Fuji pulled out his wallet and cell phone glancing at the time that was vividly highlighted on a cactus background. Really the time had gone. While opening his wallet and pulling out the approximate change, a bill fell to the floor beneath the table. As he leaned down beneath the table to pick up his money, he heard a deep voice call to him from above.

"Fuji?"

In surprise, Fuji rose too suddenly hitting the top of his head in the process. "Tezuka?" As he slowly lifted his head up this time around, he emerged rubbing the top of his head in hopes of dissipating the pain. "You came..." He placed the retrieved cash atop the bill.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up behind you like that. Are you okay?" He asked, clearly a bit worried for all but a brief second until Fuji nodded in reassurance. "You called me out to meet you?"

"Bad timing?" Fuji inquired, slipping his phone in his pocket as he stood up next to Tezuka.

"No. Not at all."

"Good...walk with me back home then? We can talk along the way..."Fuji took a small breath before smiling, "...about Tezuka and Fuji. You thought about it didn't you?" The tensai glanced back at the tennis captain whose foot steps seemed to slow down in the slightest. Behind slit eyes, Fuji felt a frown emerge on his lips. Hesitation.

"It's complicated."

"You either thought about it or not...I let you know my answer two weeks ago. I want to be serious about this relationship. I can't be with anyone but you. Is it that hard to accept? Or is it simply because..."

"No it isn't you Fuji. Aren't you afraid that the camaraderie we have now will change, will dissipate? Hasn't it already?"

"No. It wouldn't. While I can't be 100 percent sure, if we work on not making the mistakes we made before, it can work. I can't think of it any other way." As they boarded the train, the discussion between them fell to silence. Fuji watched Tezuka's actions through the glass window. He wouldn't keep eye contact for more than a second, but still Fuji looked. If not at Tezuka, then at his reflection.

After exiting the train car, the walk back to Fuji's place was short in comparison. A few steps away from the entrance to his house, Fuji halted pulling out his house key from his pocket and turned around. "Thanks for walking me back, Tezuka. Good night." The tensai turned his back away from him, opening the front gate to his house. A melancholy expression touched his features as his hair turned with his motions hiding the change all but for a brief second.

"Fuji..." Before he could retire to his home, Tezuka grabbed onto Fuji's hand and embraced him for a few seconds that seemed to last longer than they did. "If you're confident that it will work out. No, even if you weren't, it's still okay like this. The two of us I mean. If you're still willing to give it a chance again." Fuji nodded against Tezuka's chest, hearing the keys he held in his hand jingle as he circled his arm around the other's waist.

In the younger boy's ear, Tezuka whispered three words before breaking their embrace. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

As he closed the door on Tezuka, Fuji walked up to his room shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. His desk light was lit shining upon a small carefully wrapped box. Walking over, he picked up the small card on which was written "from: tezuka". Opening the gift box, he noticed an even smaller box. Flipping the top of the small box open, his eyes caught hold of an simple silver chain with a key pendant on the end of it. Embroidered on the inside of the box were those three same words: Happy Birthday Syuusuke.

The air was refreshing, atmosphere calm as the sun faded ray by ray beyond the ocean's horizon. Fuji hovered above the edge of the tide, letting some of the water run through his fingers. "Nee, Tezuka. Can you believe we're graduating already?" There was a melancholy sound to his voice, as Fuji shook off the stray water droplets on the tips of his fingers. The sound of shoes shuffled across the sand behind him filled Fuji's ears. There was an uneasiness in the air.

"It was bound to happen either sooner or later. Do you regret it?" Tezuka asked, seating himself not too far behind Fuji, at a place where the tide wouldn't reach him.

"The later half was irreplaceable. But at the beginning I think I regret doing some things and not doing others. I never regret being by your side for this long, as teammates, friends, and later more than that." Assuming his position next to Tezuka. Fingering the silver key necklace about his neck, Fuji found himself lost in his own thoughts until Tezuka's voice brought him back to reality.

"We should start heading back now before it gets too late..." Tezuka stood up dusting the sand from the surface of his pants and his hands before outstretching his hand to Fuji.

Although the tensai pouted at the short amount of time they got to spend there, he happily took a hold of Tezuka's hand holding onto it for a long while. "Saa...shall we go then?"

Fuji unlocked the door of his empty house, dropping his tennis bag to the floor and removing his shoes at the entrance. "Make yourself at home." The tensai echoed back at his tennis teammate, who simply followed Fuji's lead into the darkened hallway. As Fuji stepped out into the open living room, lights flashed on followed by the sudden sound of poppers.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUJIKO!" Eiji's voice was the loudest out of the group of people gathered in his house, as the acrobatic tennis player jumped forward to greet his best friend wearing a crazy birthday hat and other party trinkets.

"Happy Birthday Fuji!" The rest of the regulars followed suit scattered across the room, each giving a salute of their own.

"Eiji...?" Fuji had been taken aback by the unexpected surprise, and turned back at Tezuka noticing the smile spread across his lips. Eyes that inquired whether or not the older boy was a part of this plan were answered with a slight nod. Tezuka's hand found itself against the small of Fuji's back, as he looked down at the tensai.

"Happy birthday...Syuusuke." He leaned forward whispering Fuji's name in his ear, before walked past him and into the crowd of Seigaku regulars and Fuji's family. His mind calming down from the surprise, Fuji allowed a smile to replace the look of a 'gasp' on his face.

"Fujiko, surprised? Thank your onee-san and Tezuka-buchou for putting it all together." Eiji wrapped his hands around Fuji's shoulders, ushering him further into the party.

"Just a little unexpected." The tensai took notice of the gaudy decorations hanging from his ceiling, All vivid colors, surely Eiji's choice. At the appetizer table, he could see a pitcher of Inui's surely updated Aozu Mix. At the side, a variety of presents were all nicely folded fully equipped with birthday paper and ribbons. One even donned evidence of the scratch of a cat's claw against the paper as if the creature had found a new scratching post, at least until its master pulled the box away from it. Surely Echizen's gift. From behind, Fuji's sister placed a hand on the tensai's shoulder.

"Happy birthday nii-san." A mumbling could be heard from next to his sister, Yuuta's voice. Fuji reached out and brought Yuuta into an embrace.

"Yuuta, thank you." The younger boy fidgeted in his older brother's hug, trying to remove himself from his grasp.

"Aniki!" His protests were silenced when Fuji placed a brotherly kiss atop his head, turning Yuuta's face bright red. Once Fuji released his arms, he chuckled thoroughly amused at the turn of events.

"Thank you everyone. This means a lot to me..." Fuji thought back to the last time he experienced such an event, and no memories truly surfaced in his mind. Perhaps that would make this the first real celebration? Of course there was always family, but somehow this felt different. As if they were a second family to him. Irreplaceable, each one of them, despite their difference in years.

"Really, it was only possible 'cause Tezuka-buchou was nice enough to let us out early from practice." Momoshiro Takeshi commented, throwing his hands up behind his head. Even threatened us with 100 laps around the tennis court for a month if we didn't come. Wonder why he didn't do that for my birthday. The expression on Momo's face turned to a frown for a brief second at that thought, before Eiji spoke up.

"Then again we only get this chance every 4 years, ne? All the other times it's confusing when to say happy birthday, the day before or after." Eiji added with a goofy smile, "So happy 4th birthday Fuji!! Kaoru-chan! Oishi!" Eiji called over to his kouhai who mumbled a "kaoru-chan ja nai no…" in the kitchen, and his doubles partner turned out the lights just as Taka-san stepped out the kitchen with Fuji's birthday cake. Songs of happy birthday accompanied the entrance of the cake before Fuji blew out the candles upon making a brief wish. Not too long after, quite a few knives and forks hurriedly delved into the cake. As every one took a bite, faces turned green then red.

"!!" A surprised expression emerged on Ryoma's face before it turned completely red. Reaching for a large glass of punch, the first year tennis player quickly moved his fingers to the safer bottle of water not trusting the random green swirls in the blue "punch". As he downed some water, Momo's hand reached for the same glass he avoided early. A move that only added fuel to the fire.

Fuji looked at everyone strangely, especially his overreacting teammates, as he plopped a corner of the cake into his mouth.

"Ahh…interesting taste. Spiced cake…spiced with wasabi?" Fuji turned around to Yumiko, who nodded sweetly at her younger brother.

"You requested it last year but I never got around to trying out that recipe you showed me. So what better time than now?" Smiles were exchanged between the two siblings, and to everyone else in the room, for some reason the aura around the two grew darker. Something even Yuuta noticed.

"Onee-san! Wasabi flavored cake is NOT normal." Yuuta glared at his older brother and sister. But then again, neither is my brother. He started to feel that he should have suspected this all along the minute he knew it was Fuji's birthday. Placing the fork back onto the plate, he decided to pass on this round.

"Well for those of you who don't want any, there is normal cake. You guys just jumped in before I could say anything." Yumiko smiled watching as Taka-san walked out from the kitchen with the second cake that had written on the top "Happy Birthday Fuji! The normal version…"

With that said, everyone (minus a Momo that seemed to be passed out from the mixture of wasabi flavored cake and Aozu in his stomach) reached for the second cake. The looks on their faces showed much more comfort than before, as Fuji finished off his "special" cake.

The evening passed faster than Fuji could imagine. Not a single moment had been left silenced. Recollections of Fuji's mischievous childhood courtesy of his sister. Laughter filled the room with a warmth that rivaled the cold outside, and even that emerging from the well lit fireside. Constant protests from Yuuta at any chance Fuji took to embrace his younger brother. Hidden smiles from Tezuka, which he concluded were only half smiles really. But the small gestures of his warm presence were confirmed with small brushes of their fingers next to each other. Ryoma looked over from his side, taking notice of the exchanges yet kept his silence as Momo tried to get his attention halfway across the room. At one of the sofa, Inui listened intently to Yumiko's stories, taking small notes here and there as all details about Fuji were spilled.

After the last person stepped out the door, Fuji's sister smiled placing her coat over her shoulders, Yuuta right behind her doing the same. "Nee, Fuji, I'll be back later. I'm going to take Yuuta back to his dorm. I'll call if anything comes up."

"Okay nee-san. Don't worry about things here. I'll clean up the rest. It's only a little bit anyway." Fuji smiled an expression that faded once he caught the wink from his sister before she closed the door behind her. As the door licked, Fuji brushed his hands on his apron about to turn until he felt Tezuka's embrace around his shoulders. "Te...zuka?" Fuji questioned feeling the other nuzzle his face into his neck. "I should finish..." A finger reached up from being wrapped around him to touch his lips in silence.

"I'll do it." He said softly against Fuji's neck sending a sudden pulse through his body in response. "It's your birthday anyway...rest. Plus there's still one present left unopen."

Fuji's looked up at Tezuka with a questioning look on his face, until he was turned around to face the living room area. On the table, there was a small rectangular shaped gift with soft pastel colored ribbons lavishly decorating the top. Tezuka released his hands from around Fuji following closely behind as his boyfriend walked over to the box. Sitting down and bringing the box into his lap, Fuji slid the ribbons off and removed the wrapping paper to reveal a small treasure box. "What's this?" He asked curiously, lightly fingering the edges of the box.

"You'll see..." Tezuka told him, taking a seat next to Fuji, who had just found a keyhole in the front side of the box. "Assuming you still have what I gave you last year?" He asked, eyeing the key that was hanging around Fuji's neck.

"This? Full of surprises aren't we, Tezuka?" Fuji smiled, as he lifted the box and used the key to open it. Fuji's eyes opened wide, as he turned to face a complacent and smiling Tezuka. "This is...?" Inside was a simple ring. A promise ring. No, two rings. The one that he had pointed out when they had gone window shopping months ago. At the moment it had been all a joke, the simple thought was something he had laughed off at that time. Despite that, for a brief second, he had hoped that something like this could also serve as a symbol of their relationship.

"Do you still like them?" Tezuka asked, his smile slowly fading as he wondered about Fuji's reaction. Silence ensued for a brief second before Fuji turned and unexpectedly kissed Tezuka on his lips. If nothing else, that was the clearest answer he would receive, Fuji reasoned, as Tezuka pulled Fuji into a deeper kiss until both were left breathless.

Taking Fuji's hand, Tezuka placed the ring on his finger. A perfect fit. In return, Fuji did the same for Tezuka. As the tensai looked down at their matching rings, there was a deep glimmer in his eyes that rivaled the shine of the newly worn rings. An emotion surpassing happiness.

Removing the box from Fuji's lap, he placed the item on the table. "I take it you like your gift?" Tezuka placed an arm around Fuji's shoulder, placing a kiss in the tensai's hair. The small nod was his confirmation, "I'm glad then." Just then the clock struck, causing Tezuka to look down at his watch. "It's already midnight. I should go finish cleaning up." The tennis captain spoke firmly before standing up, but Fuji's hand remained locked onto his.

As he turned down, Fuji looked up with a large smile across his lips, "You'll be fast about it?" He asked.

"I'll be back after I finish..." Tezuka's response yielded a pout from Fuji's lips, "...quickly?" The tennis captain continued. As the smile returned, Fuji released his grasp. It was just the response he had wanted to hear.

Within a matter of minutes, the remaining mess was cleaned up looking as clean as Tezuka could remember seeing it all the times he had been at Fuji's place. While untying the bow of the apron he was wearing, Tezuka looked outside the kitchen to find Fuji curled up on the edge of the sofa, head dropping every minute as he wavered between being awake and sleeping. A small smile emerged on the edge of his lips, as the tensai finally gave in to his lack of energy and changed his position curling up on the sofa instead. Tezuka hung the apron on the hook at the entrance of the kitchen, taking a quick detour up to Fuji's room to retrieve something.

He walked down the stairs and over to Fuji's position on the couch. Reaching down, he brushed a strand of hair away from Fuji's face then draped the blanket over his small curled up frame. As he stood up to walk away, Fuji's hand grabbed his own. The temperature difference was obvious, one cold and one warm hand trying to find the balance between the two until it was perfect. "Sit…" The sleepy one spoke demandingly as he sat up and pulled the other down next to him and draped the blanket over the both of them. A moment of silence passed, one where Fuji's head found itself resting on Tezuka's shoulder. "Thank you."

"For what?" Tezuka asked, resting his head atop of Fuji's and leaning back into the comfort of his seat.

"For everything. For today, yesterday, every day. For unexpected surprises." Fuji started to explain, letting go of his thoughts.

"Un…" Tezuka nodded listening to his words, sounds that somehow serenaded him to sleep, or a world near it.

"For being with me." Fuji mumbled, shifting his head to rest again Tezuka's chest. As his vision began to drift into darkness, the last words on his lips were all but loud. "For loving me."

--END--

Author's Note: Made up the thing about Fuji's house layout since I don't have my references on hand right now. XDD;; Yeah. Thought there was a manga chapter about a typical morning at their houses. Anyway, I wanna read the last of tenipuri manga soon :) Can't believe it's over. D: D: D: D: Never wanted it to end, but that's why there's fanfiction and doujinshi. XD; Konomi is amazing. Tenipuri Love. Yah. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Started writing it 2 weeks ago when I told my roommate to give me a prompt. A word to get me started with writing for Fuji's birthday (same day of my midterm D: ). Got it done...March 1st. XDD;; 14 hours late, but hehe. It was fun to write. Hope you enjoy it still. Please read and review. :)

Ahh and special thanks to yoshikochan for giving me the prompt to write, and for betaing it for me too :) -hearts-