Inertia
They sip their tea and think silent thoughts, enjoying the other's company.
It's always been like this, one classmate whispers, Tezuka-san is always with Fuji-san, they know each other better than even siblings.
It's easy, when you think you know someone very well, to fall into a routine habit. You start assuming things, and, in the beginning, you are entirely correct, in fact, you may be so right you scare yourself. You start communicating entirely by body language, because it's just so much easier that way. Tezuka likes this because it saves him the trouble of talking and Fuji wants to have his little secrets.
Other friends are still important, and of course Tezuka has Oishi; Fuji has Eiji. However, that feeling of being with someone who knows you so well becomes addictive, you don't want to do without it for even one day. It takes much less effort to maintain a friendship like that.
One day Fuji leans over casually and kisses Tezuka.
He understands, and kisses back.
They communicate in gestures, in silences that don't break themselves. Tezuka comes to visit and gently caresses the cacti; Fuji comes over and completely adapts himself into the household. So the routine continues, unbroken.
In time, they meet new people, become busier with other interests. (Fuji has quit tennis and Tezuka knew all along that he saw it as just a game.) Still they are always together. In stillness.
It's the end of high school and Fuji approaches Tezuka. There is a scholarship for artistically inclined students, he says, it's in New York. He doesn't say more and Tezuka understands that he has accepted.
Fuji, on the other hand, knows exactly what accepting means.
Tezuka rarely makes mistakes and Fuji never looks back and that's how their story ends.