This is Tezuka's other birthday fic, but it's not really birthday-y... It's actually kind of sad. o.o

But anyway. Please enjoy. :3

The bell above the door dinged quietly as Tezuka pushed open the cafe door. It was a familiar sound, especially for someone like him, a traveling business man. It was a tough job that kept his away from his wife and kids, but it put food on the table.

There was a quiet guitar strumming from somewhere in the middle of the tiny cafe. The smell of coffee and blueberry muffins mixed in the air. The quiet murmur of people's conversations drew him in. It was a friendly, homey little cafe that he'd never gone to, yet it was nice.

He stepped up to the counter, smiling politely at the teenage waitress there that eyed him up and down. He ordered a coffee, because he'd honestly need it for the road, and a muffin. He hadn't had anything since last night's dinner at the hotel and it was almost noon now.

Tezuka sat down at a table. He didn't like eating in his car and he just wanted to sit and rest. It was another two hours to the next town and then another three to the airport.

"Hey everyone. Hope you guys are having a wonderful afternoon."

Tezuka blinked. That voice, a soft, whispery breeze, was very familiar. It made his stomach do a strange flip-flop. Images flashed through his mind. Images of tennis balls, rackets, matches, his team, rival teams, and his best friend.

He turned around to look at the clearing in the middle of the cafe. A boy stood with a guitar, a microphone on a stand in front of him.

He was full of familiarity. His face, his posture, those bright blue eyes, that small, cheerful smile. His long fingers touched the guitar strings carefully, yet with ease. Tezuka had to wonder when he took up playing the instrument.

Fuji Syusuke scanned the small cafe. "This one's dedicated to a very special someone. My tennis captain back in middle school." He let his gaze fall on Tezuka. He grinned widely, which was a rare sight to see back all those years ago. "It's been a long time, ne, Tezuka?"

His fingers strum over the strings once, letting out several chords before picking up a steady rhythm. After a moment, he leans into the microphone.

"Well it's been a long time, glad to see your face

I knew we'd meet again, another time, another place

Can't believe it's been so many years

You'd better grab a chair and a couple of beers"

Fuji's voice might of been gentle and soft, but it carried over the crowd. And just like back in middle school, he drew everyone's eyes to him. No matter what he was doing. When he was playing tennis, everyone stared. When he walked, when he talked, when he smiled, when he laughed, when he stared out the window for Christ sakes... Everybody always had their eyes on him. And it wasn't any different now.

"Lookin' good in your three-piece suit

You know I always knew you'd take the business route

You were always the one to follow the light

And you look like you're doing alright, yeah"

And even though All eyes were on Fuji, the honey-haired boy never took his eyes off of Tezuka. They were just as warm as they were when he last saw him. But they sparkled with a little more joy and were tinted with a little more maturity.

"Been singing for my rent and singing for my supper

I'm above the below and below the upper

I'm stuck in the middle where money gets tight

But I guess I'm doing alright"

Tezuka remembered what he came there for in the first place and lifted the cup of coffee to his lips. It wasn't as hot as it had been, but it wasn't cold either. But his stomach was dancing too much to eat, and he couldn't quite figure out why.

"I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright

It's a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight

So I guess I'm doing alright

I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright

I got a good old friend here with me tonight

And I guess I'm doing alright."

Fuji turned his head to clear his throat quickly and flipped his hair out of his eyes while still keeping the tune on the guitar. He smiled timidly at Tezuka before continuing.

"Well, we had a lot of dreams when we were younger

They thought we were crazy but we had the hunger

We kept a lot of friends, skipped a lot of class

Been on top of the world and knocked on our-

We lost touch, we lost in love

We lost our minds when things got tough

But beating time is a losing fight

And I guess I'm doing alright"

Tezuka took a deep breath and forced another sip of coffee past his lips and down his throat. It was getting colder and less pleasant, but he'd drink it anyway. For normality's sake.

"Oh, I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright

It's a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight

So I guess I'm doing alright

I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright

I got a good old friend where with me tonight

And I guess I'm doing alright

Well, I guess I'm doing alright"

The guitar quieted down and changed slightly in tune. It was an instrumental part. Tezuka couldn't tear his gaze away from Fuji's, and it was driving him insane. Fuji always had drove him insane. But it was usually by being a bit of a trouble-maker and by acting all innocent when he really wasn't.

"Well, I hate to see this evening end

God only knows when I'll see you again

Just send me a fax or send me a letter

Or give me a call that would even be better

Give the kids a kiss for me

And say hello to the family

And tell them my future's looking bright

Well, I miss 'em but I'm doing alright

I said I miss 'em but I'm doing alright

Oh, I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright

It's a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight

So I guess I'm doing alright

I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright

Got a good old friend here with me tonight

And I guess I'm doing alright

Well, I guess I'm doing alright

I'm doing alright"

The last note lasted several measures before finally closing off. Fuji grinned as the small crowd clapped for him. People sat money in the guitar case off to the side.

Tezuka stood, straightening his suit before stepping forward and dropping a bit of money into the case as well. All the while, Fuji's eyes didn't leave him.

"Didn't know you could sing." Tezuka's voice was calm, even though his nerves were jumping everywhere. He still didn't know why.

Fuji sat the guitar down on a table behind him carefully. "Well, it's a newly found talent, actually."

Tezuka's lips turned up in his form of a smile. "I'm glad you're doing good for yourself."

"What about you?" Fuji gestured towards him. "All dressed up in an Armani suit. And that's your black 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe out there, isn't it?"

Tezuka's eyes twinkled a little. "Indeed it is."

It was about four hours later when Tezuka found himself sitting at one of the cafe tables, working his way through his seventh glass of tea and laughing more than he had in a long, long time.

"And then-" Tezuka's voice was cut off by the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He blinked and pulled out his BlackBerry Curve, examining the screen before smiling apologetically at Fuji. "Sorry, I'll have to take this."

"It's fine." Fuji leaned back in his seat and sipped on some water.

Tezuka put the phone to his ear. "Hello, Honey." There was a short pause. "I'm sorry. I'm not even at the airport yet... No... I ran into an old friend." He chuckled a little. "You remember Fuji Syusuke? From when I was in middle school? You would of saw him in the Nationals. He played Shiraishi Kuranosuke from your brother's team, I think."

Fuji arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah... Don't worry, I'll be home by at least tomorrow. I haven't seen Syusuke in years and we really need to catch up... Yes, thank you... I love you, too, Miyuki."

Fuji leaned back in his seat and smiled a little as Tezuka put his phone back into his inside jacket pocket. "Wife?"

Tezuka nodded. "Yeah. She was expecting me home today. But then I got... Well, held up."

Fuji smiled. "You missed your flight, didn't you?"

"Yes. Though I didn't realize that until now."

Fuji laughed a little. "If you need a place to stay, you can crash with me for the night."

A few more drinks, another phone call, and several hours later, Tezuka found himself being showed into Fuji's apartment.

"It isn't much," Fuji admitted, unlocking and opening the door. "But it's home."

The apartment was small and a little cluttered. Fuji's tennis bag was lying on the back of the couch, and Tezuka had to assume that the prodigy didn't just keep it there all the time.

"You still play?" Tezuka asked quietly, moving forward to touch the handle with his finger tips.

"Don't you?" Fuji walked into the kitchen, flicking on lights as he went. "When you were as serious about tennis as you were, Kunimitsu, it's not something you just drop. Besides," He turned around and smiled. "The calluses on your hands say you still play. Quite often."

Tezuka blinked once, unsure of whether to be mildly disturbed or slightly amused. But he just smiled, because it seemed that Fuji didn't change much at all. He turned to examine the rest of the small living room. The bookshelf on the other end was impressive, with books stacked high. They seemed to range from informational books to the books Tezuka knew were Fuji's favorite novels because of how worn they were and because they were literally falling apart, with the covers taped on and pages tucked inside. There were stacks of books sitting to the side of the bookshelf, and it seemed the boy had ran out of room.

"Oh," Fuji crossed the room to the shelf and examined it for a moment. "Remember when you were in Germany in middle school and we all came to visit you?"

Tezuka blinked a little and nodded. "Yes."

"You were reading The Big Bad City at the time. I thought I'd try it out. You've always had such wonderful taste in literature." He held the book up over his head, but didn't turn around. "But I really can't believe that you read it when you were fourteen."

Tezuka chuckled. "It is a good book though, isn't it? Despite the fact that it isn't necessarily a book for fourteen year olds."

Fuji turned and tossed a book over to Tezuka. He caught it and looked at the cover curiously.

"Just one of the more recent one's I've read. It seemed like your taste, and I have two copies, now. So you can have it." Fuji smiled and moved into the kitchen again, where he pulled open the fridge and pulled out a few beers. "Thirsty."

Tezuka set the book down near his briefcase and nodded. "Thank you. And yes."

Several hours later (When was the last time Tezuka stayed up that late?), they were ten (Or was it eleven? Twelve? No, definitely thirteen) beers in and sitting on the couch. Tezuka had his jacket off, his sleeves rolled up, and his tie loosened. They were both comfortable and relaxed, and Tezuka was perfectly content on listening to Fuji talk.

"Your birthday was last week, wasn't it?" Fuji reached up and tugged on Tezuka's tie lightly. "Don't look at me with that confused look. S'not like I'd ever forget."

Tezuka smiled softly and nodded. "Yes. I turned thirty-five."

"Y'don't look thirty-five." Fuji giggled and shifted on the couch. He leaned up and, without even pausing, pressed his lips against Tezuka's. "Happy birthday."

He was drunk. Much too drunk. He'd never drunk this much before, and it was totally screwing up his judgement. But he didn't care. He liked it. He wanted it to go farther. He brought Fuji's lips back to his and kissed him again. And in between kisses and pants, they managed to stand up and shed their clothes on the way to the bedroom.

The next morning, Tezuka awoke with a hangover. He also woke up in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, completely naked, and with his memory from the night before still totally in tact. He sat up in groaned and realized with a small sinking feeling (although he couldn't begin to explain why), that he was alone.

But once his senses cleared (that took longer than he would have liked), he could smell and hear food being made in the kitchen. He threw the blankets away from his waist, and despite his pounding head, he pulled on the shorts and shirt Fuji had obviously left out for him. He walked out into the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair and trying not to wince at the light. Fuji was bustling around the kitchen, making a breakfast of what seemed to be eggs, bacon, and toast.

"How do you not have a headache?" Tezuka muttered, leaning against the counter.

Fuji smiled, but didn't look up. "I do. But I have a higher alcohol tolerance level than you do, and besides." He pointed over to a glass on the counter. "Hangover remedy. Take some Aspirin, drink that, you'll feel better."

Tezuka eyed the glass on the counter suspiciously. "What is it?"

"Just drink it."

"How do I know you're not trying to poison me?"

"Now, would I do that?"

"...Yes."

Fuji scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, yes, maybe. But that's just baking soda and lime. Drink it."

Tezuka took the Aspirin with a glass of water, then drunk the strange mixture. He refrained from choking, but he couldn't stop from crinkling up his nose and making a disgusted face. "Ugh... How did you manage to choke this down?"

"The same way I managed not to feel guilty about having sex with a married man. I just gritted my teeth and did it."

Tezuka leaned against the counter, rolling his eyes at the comment. Strangely enough, things weren't completely awkward. They weren't awkward at all, actually. It was normal, calm bickering and bantering, teasing comments passed here and there and quiet joking. Very easy and smooth, just like it was back in middle school. Just like it had been back in the coffee shop.

"Your clothes are in the dryer." Fuji informed as they sat down at the table to eat. "You can leave once you get changed. I'm sure your wife misses you terribly. And you can tell her that I apologize for holding you up."

"She's used to it." Tezuka said offhandedly.

Fuji raised an eyebrow, Tezuka blinked, and then shook his head. "No, no, I mean she's used to me coming home late. She's not used to me meeting friends and going home with them."

Fuji nodded and smirked, and they finished their breakfast in a comfortable silence.

After Tezuka's clothes dried and he'd changed, he called Miyuki and told her he was on his way.

"So this is goodbye then?" Fuji asked softly, leaning in the doorway of his apartment.

Tezuka shook his head. "Of course not. We'll get together again. And now I have your number and you have mine. We'll keep in contact this time."

Fuji nodded. "But this..." He trailed off and looked down at himself, only wearing a white dress shirt with his hair still slightly tousled and messy.

"Won't happen again." Tezuka finished for him. "I'm a married man, and I love my wife. This was all a-"

"Please don't say mistake. I'm tired of hearing that."

"I wasn't going to say mistake. I was going to say accident. A happy accident. It was a wonderful one-night stand, but it won't happen again."

"I know." Fuji smiled. "Now go. I'm sure your wife misses you."

oOoOoOoOoO

That night, Tezuka lie in bed with his wife, her bare body pressed flushed up against his. She was sleeping soundly, peacefully, and she had no clue what her husband had done the night before.

Tezuka loved his wife. He loved Miyuki. He loved her tan skin, and dark hair, and wide grin. He loved her loud, adventurous personality that was totally different from his own.

But at that moment, he found his heart craving pale skin, soft tones, honey-brown hair, and soothing smiles. He missed the subtle flirting and the musical voice. He missed the wonderful taste in literature and the comfortable silence.

He missed Fuji Syusuke. He found his heart aching for the prodigy and just wanted to touch him again. To hold him.

He wasn't sure what to do with this new-found feeling of... of love.

Once upon I was falling in love

But now I'm only falling apart

There's nothing I can do

Total eclipse of the heart

The original song that Fuji was singing was I'm Alright by Jo Dee Messina and the last bit there was Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler.

Thanks for reading!