Just a little story I thought of while reading Shin-teni.
I assure you, I own nothing. Except a laptop.
Title: Sweet Tooth
Characters: Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Yuuta(I'm sure, Yuuta)
It wasn't everyday that Fuji Yuuta opened the door and found his brother unconscious on his captain's shoulder. It was July. The nationals had ended last weekend. Today, Yuuta planned to go out and play practice matches with whomever he could get his sights on. What he hadn't planned on was that the moment he opened the main door to leave, he'd find Tezuka Kunimitsu holding up a very unconscious Fuji Syuusuke and with a straight-face, asking if he could bring him in. It took Yuuta all of forty seconds to realise he'd made the captain wait outside while he stood and stared at him and his unconscious brother.
"Ah, gomen!" he mumbled, reaching out to support his brother's weight. Tezuka nodded in acknowledgement. They both bore the weight of Syuusuke and stepped in, spent an awkward three and half minutes trying to get their shoes off and Yuuta led him to the living room, so his brother could be made to lie down in the sofa. Once he was put down, Yuuta heard Tezuka sigh, like a huge weight had been lifted off him. Yuuta knew, from experience, that Syuusuke was heavier than he looked. Most people would assume Syuusuke to be light as a feather due to his build, but tennis built his muscle strength and thus he weighed more than he looked.
"What happened?" Yuuta asked, a little worried about his brother. Syuusuke didn't lose consciousness for no reason.
"He hadn't slept well, I heard" Tezuka offered, "And had only two meals in three days" he added, "It's heat exhaustion" he concluded, in a voice void of any emotion, concern, or otherwise.
"I see" Yuuta said. Tezuka stood to leave.
"I shall leave him in your care, Fuji-kun" he said. Yuuta stood as well.
"Does Tezuka-san want to have juice?" he offered, knowing it would be bad manners to let a guest leave without offering them something. Especially when the guest had been kind enough to bring home his silly brother.
"Ah" Tezuka said. Yuuta wondered how to interpret that sound and stood awkwardly for a full minute before Tezuka sat down in a chair, indicating that he wasn't leaving any time soon.
"I'll bring some juice and cookies" Yuuta said, going into the kitchen. When he returned with two glasses of orange juice and a batch of Yumiko's latest choco-chip cookies, he noticed Tezuka was staring at the picture beside the TV, the one taken quite some time before the schism between the two Fuji brothers, when all was well with the world. Yuuta didn't need to vocalise his presence, the stoic captain turned to him and took the offered glass and nodded with gratitude, then turned back to the picture.
Yuuta didn't particularly dislike that picture. He was conscious that he was laughing like a little girl while being paraded around by his brother.
"It was in elementary" Yuuta said, sitting down on the ground beside the sofa, looking at his brother, "before all the hate" he concluded, swallowing down.
"I saw you were leaving before" Tezuka asked. Yuuta turned to him, not expecting the boy to speak.
"I was going to practice" he replied, "By myself, on the street courts" he continued. Tezuka looked at him.
"If you need a partner, I wouldn't mind practicing with you" he offered. Yuuta was surprised by the uncharacteristic offer from him. He frowned.
"Aren't you way out of my league?" Yuuta asked rhetorically.
"Only you would say that, Fuji-kun" Tezuka said. Yuuta coloured with embarrassment.
"Thank you, Tezuka-san" he said, "I would like to practice with you, if it's not too much trouble" he said. Tezuka stared at him.
"Tomorrow" Tezuka said, "seven am, Murasaki Park" he informed. Yuuta was surprised. Tezuka put his empty glass on the table and stood.
"Thank you for the juice" he said. Yuuta stood up, too confused to reply. Then, he watched as Tezuka showed himself out. Yuuta sank back to the floor and wondered what exactly had happened.
Fuji Syuusuke knew something was up. It wasn't just his genius intuition. It was the strangeness of Yuuta's expression and how Yuuta kept fiddling with his shirt and food.
"Yuuta, don't want dessert?" Yumiko offered. Yuuta looked up, cheeks coloured and demanded a slice of the cheesecake as loud as he could. Mother laughed a little and scolded a lot. Yumiko grinned. Yet, Syuusuke knew Yuuta seemed like he was over-compensating for something.
"What's the matter with Yuuta?" Yumiko asked, once they left him clean up.
"You noticed too" Syuusuke said. Yumiko scowled a little.
"I'm not dense, Shuu" she scolded. Syuusuke smiled.
"Whatever it is, I'll fix it" Syuusuke said, more to himself than her. Yumiko nodded.
"He's in your care, in that case" she said, retreating into her room. Syuusuke knew. Yuuta would always be in his care.
"Kaa-san, I'm going out early tomorrow" Yuuta informed. She frowned.
"Why? Where?" she enquired.
"Just the park, tennis practice" Yuuta mumbled, "I'll leave by six thirty, so don't bother with breakfast for me" he said. She nodded.
"Alright, be careful" she said.
"Hai" he replied. Syuusuke grinned. Ah, he had a chance to go undercover. Cosplay was good entertainment, not better than Yuuta's facial expressions, but good enough to lift his spirits. Once Yuuta retreated to his room, Syuusuke skipped down to inform his mother he'd be leaving early as well. She smiled at him.
"Don't bother Yuu-chan so much" she warned. Syuusuke smiled brightly.
"However could I not?" he replied, then made his way to the room.
Yuuta sat on his windowsill, hands holding the prize slice of blueberry cheesecake his mom had offered in exchange for helping with the dishes. It was only half-eaten and it looked to Syuusuke as if it wasn't going to be devoured anytime soon. Yuuta was staring out the window, as if in a trance.
"Yuu-chan?" he said, entering the room. Yuuta's face turned dark.
"Aniki! Don't call me that!" he scolded, angry at his brother. Syuusuke smiled.
"Aren't you going to eat that?" Syuusuke inquired, sitting down on Yuuta's bed and looking at the cheesecake. Yuuta moved so that the plate was out of reach of his brother.
"I am" he replied and just to prove it, ate a mouthful.
"Do you want to have a practice rally tomorrow?" Syuusuke offered. Yuuta scowled.
"No" he refused, flat-out, "I'm going to practice in the morning" he added. Syuusuke's lips formed a thin line. He disliked it: people looking at his Yuuta, acting like they cared. Especially people like Mizuki, who didn't seem to care for anything but winning. He'd almost made Yuuta lose his good arm.
"I see" Syuusuke said, belatedly, "In that case, some other time" he said. Yuuta turned to his brother. It usually took a lot more yelling and fighting to convince the older Fuji to give up trying to make him practice with him. His early defeat only made Yuuta wonder what exactly it was his brother had planned for him.
Yuuta scowled. He had left home at 6:30 on the dot, he'd walked to the station, taken the train three stations up and walked out the south entrance of the stop. He'd arrived in Murasaki Park at 6:50 am. Yet, he saw that Tezuka had already arrived and was practicing his rally against a wall. Yuuta watched him in a trance. The way that Tezuka moved was very much like a dance and who better to dance than one of the most talented players in tennis history. After a full twenty minutes, Tezuka missed a ball and noticed Yuuta's presence. He looked at the boy and nodded in acknowledgement.
Syuusuke wondered if Yuuta had met his captain by coincidence. However, as time passed, Syuusuke realised that Yuuta had been staring at the boy, his mouth agape. Syuusuke pressed his lips together. Only he had been capable of making Yuuta look like that, in awe of the game.
"What is he doing with him?"
Syuusuke was surprised he wasn't the one who spoke that. He was even more surprised when he turned to his right and found the source of the voice. Atobe Keigo looked mighty displeased. Finally, Syuusuke was surprised that The Atobe "Ore-sama" Keigo was crouching in a bush, just like him and spying, just like him.
"Atobe" he said. The boy turned and pulled a face of dislike.
"Fuji" he said, "What brings you in Ore-sama's presence?" he asked. Fuji refrained from snorting. That sentence made no sense in any language.
"Looking after my Yuuta" Syuusuke admitted, "What brings your mighty arse into this bush?" he asked. Atobe scowled with displeasure at the language.
"Ore-sama always takes care of his belongings" he said, "Your brother is trying to make it dirty" he said. Fuji smiled. Ah, he knew all about the little crush Atobe had on his captain. Tezuka, despite being the super-smart guy that he was, was absolutely clueless about the man's affections. Pitiful, truly. Syuusuke would've enjoyed pulling buchou's leg.
"How do they even know each other?" Atobe asked aloud, peeking through the bushes. Tezuka was watching while Yuuta rallied against the wall and occasionally stopped him with words. Yuuta nodded and seemed to understand where it was he was making mistakes.
"My question exactly" Syuusuke mumbled.
Yuuta was grateful for the practice session with Tezuka. Honest. He liked how Tezuka spoke, no judgement, no condescision, just plain suggestions. He wondered if he could do so more often. Practice with Tezuka, that is.
"Good job" Tezuka said, as he packed his things. Yuuta nodded, smiling and feeling flustered. They'd spent most of their morning there. Now, it was time to part ways and have breakfast.
"Tezuka-san" Yuuta said, suddenly, "Would you like to have breakfast together?" he asked. Tezuka looked at the youngest Fuji, who was unlike the two older siblings. "Ah" he replied, "sure" he said, a heartbeat later. Yuuta beamed.
"My treat" Yuuta said, grinning, "There's this cafe I know by the station" he said, guiding the stoic man out of the park.
It was easy, Yuuta realised, being in this man's presence, even when he had played earlier, he was focused and he wasn't worried about disappointing him. It was probably the way Tezuka had held his gaze. As he was holding it now, Yuuta realised, his eyes growing wide, making him look away in embarrassment. Yuuta could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks as he tried to keep a straight face. He wondered why his heart was racing and why he felt like he was drowning in his own sweat, when there was nothing to be emabarrassed about.
They took a table by the large window, sitting down and looking around the shop. It was a decent place, not overly girly, and Yuuta thought he saw a few guys on the other side of the shop too.
"Do you come here often?" Tezuka asked, as Yuuta mumbled the menu to himself, making him look up.
"No" Yuuta admitted, "Aniki brought me here once, a few years ago"
Tezuka's face seemed to harden at the mention of Syuusuke's name, Yuuta noted. Yuuta off-handedly wondered if the rumours about his brother and Tezuka were true, so many people talking about it couldn't be wrong, could they?
When the waitress came to take their order, Tezuka asked for pancakes, Yuuta for waffles and a strawberry milkshake, making her smile at him and leave. Yuuta fidgeted in his seat, glancing at Tezuka occasionally. Tezuka's eyes, it seemed to Yuuta, were fixed on him. The man was watching him like a hawk.
"Do you practise in the park often, Tezuka-san?" Yuuta asked, deciding that awkward conversation was far better than awkward silence.
"Only on Sundays, when we don't have team-practices at school" Tezuka answered shortly. Yuuta nodded. What could he talk about next?"
"Do you practise alone on weekends?" came the question from Tezuka, making Yuuta look up in surprise.
"Mostly" Yuuta admitted, "I go to tennis courts and find some people there too, from other schools. I usually meet the Fudomine team, and I've met Echizen and Momoshiro from Seigaku several times too" Yuuta rambled, hoping he could find more things to say before the awkward silence came again. He frowned, ducking his head down and looking away from the steely gaze of the captain.
"Do you want to practise with me?" Tezuka asked, making Yuuta's head fly up and his eyes widen at the man opposite him.
"Would that be ok? Won't I be pulling you back?" he asked. Tezuka's eyes narrowed at Yuuta, making Yuuta frown at the expression on the man's face. Tezuka hadn't looked at Yuuta like that before. Somehow, Yuuta disliked that look on him, at was almost anger, but not quite.
"Fuji-kun" Tezuka said, "Didn't I tell you not to say that yesterday?" Tezuka scolded, or so it sounded like to Yuuta. Yuuta coloured a little with embarrassment.
"You did" Yuuta admitted, remembering how he'd been reprimanded by Tezuka just the day before.
"So, do you want to?" Tezuka asked. Yuuta looked up and nodded earnestly.
"Yes, please" he said, "I would be honoured to practise with Tezuka-buchou of Seigaku" Yuuta admitted.
Tezuka frowned a little, but didn't say anything, for the waitress had brought out their order. When she left, Yuuta clapped his hands together in 'Idatakimasu!' before pouncing on the waffles. Halfway through his sugary meal, when he looked up, Tezuka's eyes were still on him and the captain's pancakes were only half-eaten, a tad more delicately than Yuuta's own plate, which looked like an explosion had occurred on it. Yuuta wiped his cheeks with his napkin and decided to eat less like he'd been starved all his life. Tezuka was still staring when Yuuta glanced up at him again. Yuuta wondered why the captain chose to stare at him with his intense eyes, it made Yuuta self-conscious as he ate next.
"You like sweets" Tezuka noted aloud, making Yuuta look up to meet his eyes again. Yuuta coloured red.
"Simple sugars are the enemy, I know, Tezuka-san" Yuuta admitted, almost guiltily.
"Ah" Tezuka said in response and Yuuta looked up at him, wondering what that meant. Yuuta looked down at his shake again, wondering what the captain was thinking.
It was then that the two were interrupted by their respective stalkers, appearing as if they'd only just arrived and had happened to gfind them there. It was Atobe Keigo that spoke first.
"Tezuka! Fancy seeing you here" he exclaimed, grinning widely and seating himself down beside the man, meaning he barely just missed placing his butt on Tezuka's lap, had the Seigaku player not moved away in time.
"Yuuta! Kaa-san said you were going to play tennis! How are you doing that in this cafe?" Syuusuke exclaimed dramatically, sitting down beside his younger brother, who had just coloured red on Atobe's arrival, and was now frowning at his brother's.
"Aniki, what are you doing here?" Yuuta managed to stutter out, hiding his embarrassment behind a frown. Syuusuke grinned, which looked malicious on him.
"Atobe and I came here to have a lunch date" Syuusuke answered. Atobe frowned at his "date", but having decided this would be their best course of action, forced a smile.
"Indeed, Ore-sama does not simply come to such petty places" Atobe claimed, his nose hair in the hair as he flicked his hair, "Only for those that are worthy of it" he added, looking at Tezuka. Yuuta coloured at his brother's claim and glanced at Tezuka, who was now, frowning, or so Yuuta believed.
"So, Tezuka, care for a bite?" Atobe enquired, making Tezuka turn his death-glare onto the Hyotei captain.
"Excuse me" Tezuka said, "But Fuji-kun and I were eating in peace" he informed, "If you'd be so kind as to excuse us" he stated. Atobe turned red with anger and embarrassment and Syuusuke frowned at his Captain. Yuuta looked up from his plate, surprised at the captain's claim.
"Is that how it is, Tezuka?" Syuusuke asked, looking at his captain seriously, frowning, or rather, glowering. Tezuka, surprisingly, returned his glare with one of his own.
"It is" he confirmed, "Now excuse us" Tezuka stated firmly. Syuusuke pressed his lips together and stood, allowing Yuuta to get up and out. Tezuka did the same and they both left, after Tezuka had paid at the counter and given their waitress a fancy tip. Yuuta didn't notice the firm grip of Tezuka's hand on his wrist that had tugged him out of the way of several automobiles as they walked. It took Yuuta a long time to realise he was being lead away from the cafe like a little child. When he came to his senses, Yuuta pulled his arm out of Tezuka's grasp and coloured red with embarrassment as he looked up. Tezuka pursed his lips as they came to a halt. They'd arrived at the train station.
"Gomen nasai" Yuuta managed to stutter out, "Aniki's a bit of a weirdo"
"Hn" was Tezuka's response, making Yuuta look up. Tezuka seemed to be frowning, or squinting hard behind his glasses, Yuuta guessed. Yuuta bit his lip. What now? He wondered.
"Every Sunday" Tezuka said, making Yuuta look him in the eye, "Seven am, Murasaki Park"
Yuuta smiled suddenly, glad that this man didn't not want to practice with him because Syuusuke was a weirdo.
"Yes, Tezuka-san" Yuuta said, "I will remember" he affirmed, still grinning like a fool. It took Yuuta a moment to realise that Tezuka was bending down to his eye level. Then, quite uncharacterically, Tezuka reached out his free hand and wiped at Yuuta's lips, or rather, under them.
"Syrup" Tezuka informed, pulling his hand away. Yuuta coloured bright red. How could he have not noticed that till then?! Then, without making eye-contact, Yuuta bowed quickly and excused himself, rushing to get into the train that had arrived at station. Had he paused and looked back, Yuuta would've been even more embarrassed to see Tezuka lick his finger that had wiped off the said syrup and the faint smile form on his lips before he went home as well.
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