Nearsighted
Pairing:TezukaFuji
Genre: Romance/Humor
Rating: T for kissing
Warnings: this is probably the uncrackiest crack you'll ever read, shounen ai
Disclaimer: I don't own Tezuka and Fuji. They definitely own each other, though.
A/N: Did this when I was soooo bored in Physics lecture (I was late so I had to sit at the farthest corner of an Auditorium type room). I was supposed to be writing OYIF then. Oh, well. This is my own take at my glasses challenge. I must admit that I'm saddened by the fact that only a few people reviewed when this was under a different account name... –hint, hint- I know, moving fics like that is sometimes annoying, I'm sorry for my fickle-mindedness. But, well, the 'account name' should also hold crack and this isn't even crack. Lol. I don't even know what genre it falls under. Lol.
oOo
Slouched over the edge of the bench, Fuji fiddles with his Rubik's cube, turning and turning the tiles with notable dexterity. He berates himself (all the while, he forces himself to believe that the puzzle is more appealing than the pictures that are flashing in his brain - all pictures involve steamy water running against a certain someone's flushed skin) and he focuses hard on the squares. The puzzle gets solved in 56.4 seconds without much effort. Fuji messes the cube again just so he could redo it but he no longer considers the cube a challenge; he begins to contemplate a new hobby to occupy himself with. Last week, he spent the mornings working on the different levels of Sudoku and he found the puzzles too easy. This week, he masters the different patterns on all sorts of Rubik's cube and he's too bored already. Perhaps, next week, he should start with the hobby that he's been planning?
He drops the Rubik's cube to his side and un-pockets a lime-green tennis ball. He throws it to the air and catches it a split second later. He tosses the ball again and his eyes wander to the wall-clock. He notes that 5 minutes and 36 seconds are yet to pass before the bathroom door opens. Thereafter, he has ten minutes to spend watching and waiting before he sets off to class, where he'd be five minutes earlier than the warning bell.
Timing things, following a routine isn't quite like him, but he understands that Tezuka's life is made of habitual actions and he decidedly attaches himself to it – to both Tezuka's life and Tezuka's habits. Tezuka often tells him not to wait, in the mornings especially, but Fuji only smiles and says going to class alone is sad and uninteresting. He also adds that Eiji usually bounces away with Oishi every morning. Sometimes, though, he'd share that he revels in the fact that only he knows of Tezuka's morning rituals and that only he knows that Tezuka is actually the vainest of all regulars. (Fuji points out that Tezuka spends 20 minutes in morning showers, 15 minutes in grooming. Fuji also knows that Tezuka takes much longer in the afternoon). Whenever Fuji makes a lighthearted remark on this vanity, Tezuka defends that hygiene is never a trivial thing; one must always be neat and presentable to be respected. (He hardly ever uses the argument that he knows that, on usual days, Fuji bathes for 30 minutes and that Fuji takes at least an hour whenever he's upset.) Fuji just laughs off and agrees, saying, "That's just like you, Tezuka."
Fuji checks the time again and throws the green ball. His hand stops in mid-air as his eyes fall on Tezuka's locker. It's open, he realizes, and he chuckles inwardly; Tezuka rarely ever leaves his locker open mostly because 'one should never leave ones guard down'. Fuji, curious by the deviation, strolls to the lockers and pulls it further ajar. He reaches in and spots a neatly folded set of Seigaku uniform. But his attention is caught by the faint glimmer of a pair of rimless glasses lying on top of the white shirt. Fuji tries the glasses on and the world becomes doubled and blurred. But Fuji already suspects that Tezuka's prescriptions are very high compared to his slight case of astigmatism. He's relieved, however, that Tezuka wears those ultra-thin glasses and that Tezuka's spectacles, unlike Inui's, need no tinting. Otherwise, how would Fuji be able to see the intense amber eyes?
He strides back to the bench and picks up the Rubik's cube. Maybe he could try solving the cube wearing Tezuka's glasses. And he does, finishing the puzzle in 54.8 seconds. (He later realizes that the point of trying is moot since he solves the Rubik's with eyes half-closed.)
Fuji hears the bathroom door click, but he doesn't jump up in surprise. He casually takes the glasses off his eyes and tucks it inside the pocket of his shirt.
Tezuka assumes a usual air of silent dignity even as he enters the room wrapped only with a towel up to the waist. He goes straight to his now closed locker and begins pulling out his uniform.
As Tezuka bustles on, Fuji decidedly ignores Tezuka's lean back and twists his fingers around the Magic cube. Fuji looks up only when Tezuka puts the last button through the last hole and he grins silently as Tezuka's hands reach inside the locker and finds empty space. Fuji frustrates because he can't see Tezuka frown or twitch, but he chooses not to move and wonders what Tezuka would do.
But, of course, Tezuka is Tezuka and Tezuka never shows signs of panic. (Fuji sometimes gets as far as asking Tezuka whether or not the latter has the right amount of adrenalin. And he usually gets his silencing answer and he knows that Tezuka has adrenalin rush just like him.) Tezuka reaches inside the locker again and tilts his head slightly, but there is truly nothing in there.
Tezuka turns around and eyes the corner where Fuji is smiling innocently while absentmindedly twirling the Rubik's cube in his fingers. Brown eyes are full of determination as Tezuka walks up to the bench and bends down to locate his face a few inches from Fuji's.
Fuji smiles knowingly and he tips his head to the right a bit expectantly.
"You're Fuji," Tezuka says bluntly.
The smile on Fuji's lips dies and Fuji curls up his lips in disappointment and disbelief and he says, "Of course I am."
"I wanted to make sure," says Tezuka. "I'm nearsighted."
Fuji doesn't say anything. He refuses to believe that Tezuka wouldn't know him. He takes all his resolve not to ask whether or not Tezuka is expecting someone else to be present.
Tezuka straightens himself and asks, "Did you see my glasses?"
Fuji is aware that Tezuka can't see anything and so he glares, but he manages to make his tone neutral and mellow as it always is. "No."
"Did anyone else come in?" Tezuka inquires further.
"I didn't notice," Fuji responds. "I was playing with my Rubik's cube… Don't you have a spare pair of glasses?"
"I didn't bring it," Tezuka says honestly.
Fuji chuckles. "Whatever happened to 'let's not get careless'?"
Tezuka tries to shoot a sharp gaze at Fuji. Fuji understands that losing things is impossible with Tezuka so he smiles cheerily. (Inui often says that the probability of Tezuka misplacing something is 1.09 per cent.)
"How would you manage in class?" Fuji asks thoughtfully. "You also have council meeting today..."
"We need to go to class," Tezuka says curtly, pretending not to listen to Fuji.
"How would you take down notes?"
"..."
"How can you watch the practice?" asks Fuji in a voice that is full of concern. "I can stay with you for the day."
Tezuka's brows twitch and Fuji marvels at the sight of it.
"I'll take your notes, sit on the council meeting, become Buchou for the day..."
Tezuka doesn't say anything and his brows twitch some more as Fuji takes his hand and leads him to Class 3-1. He doesn't know what to think when Fuji presents himself to the teacher and says, "Good morning, Sensei. My name is Fuji Syusuke. I'm here to give Tezuka some assistance."
The teacher glances at the blank look in Tezuka's eyes and she nods, convinced by Fuji's friendly smile.
Irritating giggles follow as Fuji pushes Tezuka down the chair and the noise, to Tezuka's annoyance, continuously rises as Fuji interacts with the girls. Through the class, Tezuka listens to the lecture and hopes that Fuji, who is making a lot of scratching sounds with the notebook and pen, is taking down reliable notes because Tezuka's eyes aren't seeing anything but indistinct lines on the board.
Tezuka suspects something as he hears Fuji chuckle and wave goodbye to class 3-1 but he has nothing to prove his suspicions with. And nothing has gone wrong... yet, he adds mentally.
Submitting to his misfortune, Tezuka allows Fuji to assist him to the council meeting. Tezuka is confident enough with Fuji's suggestions on the council meeting. He approves with most of what Fuji says about school fairs, school regulations, school food but he still wonders what Fuji is doing with the paperwork. Tezuka doesn't know whether to be pleased or troubled by the council secretary's praise that Fuji does Tezuka's work so well.
"What do you want us to do, Buchou?" asks Fuji, hovering around Tezuka as the latter rests his tired eyes later once they're in the club room.
"Run 20 laps and train hard," Tezuka grunts in disdain. But he is thankful that after practice he can go home, grab his glasses and do things that need to be done. "And make everyone quiet." He rubs his nose bridge. Fuji asks what's wrong and Tezuka replies "headache."
"Well, then, I'll make sure everyone runs laps, trains hard and that no one will make any noise," Fuji swears. "And get some rest or your headache will get worse."
Tezuka isn't sure whether he likes Fuji's all-too-cheerful tone, but he is left with little choice. But, at least, after some time, no noise reaches the clubroom. The clubroom is very quiet, indeed.
"Tezuka."
The Captain wakes up to the sound of Fuji's voice in his ears. But his eyes flutter close as he feels soft warm fingers massaging his throbbing temples. Tezuka asks what time it is and Fuji replies half-past six. Tezuka says that he expects everyone to have gone home and Fuji assents.
"We should go home," says Tezuka pointedly, opening his exhausted eyes. He stops and frowns. Fuji is bending over him and he sees something glinting in Fuji's pocket. "You found my glasses."
"These ones?" asks Fuji, slipping the spectacles to Tezuka's eyes. "I borrowed them, actually."
A line forms on Tezuka's forehead. And he begins to be keenly aware of Fuji's face closing in on his.
"I'm nearsighted as well, you see," says Fuji in a low voice and Tezuka could see the sharp flash of light in the opened blue eyes.
Tezuka opens his lips to react and reprove but Fuji's molding lips deadens the words. Tezuka kisses back and pulls Fuji to him.
When they break up for air, Tezuka asks, "Why did you do that?"
"Why?" asks Fuji, tipping his head in thought. "I'm nearsighted just like you."
Tezuka frowns. He shakes his head; his understanding of Fuji sometimes just fails him.
-owari-
Omake:
Tezuka is settling down on the chair before his desk when his mobile phone rings. He hears Oishi's complaints about practice that day and his brows begin to gain a frightening twitch. Fuji did this, Fuji did that, Oishi says. And Inui's name gets dragged once, twice... Tezuka isn't surprised that he didn't hear any noise during practice.
Suspicion whirrs in Tezuka's head and he rummages inside his bag as soon as he puts down his phone. He finds Fuji's notes written from bottom to top and some hearts between his name and Fuji's. No wonder Fuji seemed to have been writing a lot of things that day.
Tezuka goes to school early the next day, hoping to get some decent explanation from Fuji. But he fails as he stops dead upon finding the form of his own face on the white piece of cloth at Fuji's hand. It seems that Fuji has found a new hobby. It concerns mainly of stitch work and Tezuka's countenance.
At once, Tezuka realizes his mistake. He makes a mental note of the things he should never do:
1) leave his locker open
2) let Fuji 'borrow' his glasses
3) fail to give Fuji a morning kiss.
oOo
A/N: reviews will be loved seeing as this is my first uncracky crack and this is the first time I wrote in this style…