A/N: Hey there! This is my first anime fanfic, and I am pleased to present this although it took me no more than 1 hour to figure the plot out insert shame cough impromptu yell spur of the moment but anyway, I really ship fujiryo despite the fact that they don't really have much moments in the anime but whatever. I can be as imaginative as I want. Reviews are very much appreciated, follows and faves, too.
Practice ended the way it usually did at Seishun Gakuen's tennis club. It was almost 6 in the evening when the regulars exited the school campus, deciding on which place they should have their dinner. They took the cheapest way to the best burger joint they could think of so as to spend more money on the food. While they were walking, some heads turned to look at them. Some even whispered to each other.
"I knew it... We should have taken the train." Momoshiro sighed, feeling uneasy with the stares.
Eiji nodded. And the other members followed suit, of course excluding Kaidoh who just hissed..
Ever since the day they won the National Tournament, Seigaku's popularity has increased tenfold. Despite being known as one of the strongest tennis teams even before their victory, it was only after the National Tournament that their abilities were acknowledged by the entire country. Every two weeks if not every month, reporters would come to the school to interview them regarding their way of training and their lifestyle. The experiences had been fun—it could blatantly be seen just by looking at their genuine smiles—but deep inside of them, they knew something was missing. Someone rather.
"Oh, we're here," Kawamura muttered after they crossed the street. Momoshiro dashed his way through the senpais and went into the burger joint with the sound of his rumbling stomach resonating. The other members couldn't help but laugh.
Once Fuji sat down on the high chair facing the big window, he propped a hand under his elbow. His eyes opened and his orbs of a shade in between azure and cerulean revealed themselves. "Senpai, what are you gonna eat?" Kachirou asked from behind him, and he turned slightly to answer the new regular.
"I'll have fries. Thank you." He smiled as Kachirou nodded, his tone calm and gentle. Turning toward the window again, he sighed with his eyes closed. Beside him, Oishi sat a few minutes later.
"You look sappy, Fuji." The vice captain commented, giving him a pat on the shoulder. He could only chuckle to prove Oishi wrong. He didn't look at the other, he didn't say anything, he just chuckled. "Anyway, here are your fries." Oishi cut the conversation and handed the fries to Fuji instead, knowing the tensai's timid answers would lead them to nowhere.
Fuji placed the fries in front of him but he never ate, he just stared at the passing cars and walking people while the others ate and joked around. He didn't know why he was quiet all of a sudden, but maybe he just wanted to think. It was only after thirty minutes did he realize that all he had been doing was staring out the window and into the streets. Oishi looked at him apologetically, lips pressed into a fine line. "Fuji..."
The mentioned man didn't look at him, but did respond. "I'm not hungry, that's all," the tensai smiled before averting his gaze. He wasn't in the mood for any of Oishi's emotional counseling.
Oishi put down his soda. Tracing the logo on it with his index finger, he asked, "You miss him, don't you?" Beside him, Fuji froze. Got you.
Fuji tensed, but eventually he got over the feeling of constant reminders. His shoulders heaved downwards slowly, and as he tried to stay calm, he stared into nothing in particular. "I was just wondering if he's doing fine right now. If he's asleep or still practicing, if he's got new friends or he's still antisocial. I was just wondering if he ever—"
Oishi stopped him, completely aggravated by the fact that it had already been nearly two years and his friend still was not over the past. "I thought you were a sadist, Fuji?" He hissed, motherly vibe disappearing. Fuji looked at him. "But look at yourself right now, worrying and hurting yourself with your own pathetic what if's." He sighed.
Fuji, on the other hand, cringed because the words stung. They really did. But he still listened.
"Before he left, he asked you if you'd be okay. You said yes because that's what you always do," Oishi continued, standing up. "You pretend to be okay."