Well, I've been meaning to write another FujiTez for awhile now, mostly because my other one sucked, but I couldn't for the life of me think of a decent prompt. So what do I do? I turn to an online word generator to help inspire me (I must be really desperate for ideas). And the first word I got that wasn't completely weird, like 'spigot', was 'shirt'. So, that will be the subject for this story. Beware of a little OOCness.
And now, I present my pointless story. Who knows? Maybe it'll actually end up making sense.
Disclaimer: I own Tennis no Ouji-sama: Stylish Silver for the Gameboy Advance, but not Prince of Tennis itself.
"Thanks for going shopping with me today, Tezuka," Fuji Syusuke said, smiling as he stirred his hot coffee with a spoon.
"Hn," Tezuka Kunimitsu replied, taking a sip of his tea. Fuji had tried to convince him to get some coffee of his own, but the stoic captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club disliked the taste of coffee and preferred tea instead.
Fuji tasted his drink, looking thoughtful for a moment before reaching over and grabbing another sugar cube from a bowl in the middle of the table. He dropped it in the cup and resumed stirring. "Still not enough," he muttered as Tezuka watched with slight disgust. It was the fourth sugar cube the tensai had added to his coffee, and just thinking about how sweet it must have tasted at that point made the captain cringe.
They had been shopping for almost two hours now, and only had one bag to show for it. Fuji had spent an hour and a half looking at cameras, going to multiple stores until he found one that satisfied him. Tezuka didn't know why Fuji had even asked him to come; all the cameras looked the same to him, so it was impossible for him to give an opinion on which one his friend should buy. All he had done was stand out of Fuji's way, obediently following when he decided it was time to visit another store.
Why did I even agree to come? Tezuka asked himself for the umpteenth time that day. After Fuji was done dragging him around camera stores, he announced that they would take a quick break at a nearby café before starting the afternoon activity: shopping for shirts. Shirts, of all things. Tezuka resisted the urge to sigh as he drained what was left of his tea. And, to top the day off, they would stop and buy yet another cactus for Fuji to add to his collection. Really, Tezuka thought, what was the point of inviting me in the first place?
"Are you sure there's nothing you want to buy while we're out, Tezuka?" Fuji asked as he dropped yet another sugar cube into his coffee.
"I'm sure," Tezuka replied. "There's really nothing I need." I guess if he can't make it spicy, he has to settle for sweet, he supposed, musing over his friend's obsession with weird foods and drinks.
"Ah, but just because you don't need something doesn't mean you can't buy it," Fuji said, finally satisfied with his coffee. "After all, I don't particularly need another cactus; I just have some extra space on my windowsill and felt the urge to get one to fill it. And, since I would be out, I decided to get some other things as well."
And why did I have to come shopping with you just because you had a sudden urge to get a new cactus? Tezuka wanted to ask, but refrained from doing so. Knowing Fuji, he would only get some vague answer anyway.
The ice cream they were waiting for arrived a few minutes later. That was another thing Fuji had insisted: if Tezuka wasn't going to get coffee, he at least had to get ice cream, because there was nothing like ice cream while shopping. Tezuka was beyond protesting, and when Fuji ordered a sundae with extra fudge, the stoic captain had done the same.
"You know, they have some really nice shirts at this store," Fuji said as he scooped up some whipped cream with his spoon. "It's a shame that you don't want to get one. I'd even buy it for you as thanks for coming with me today."
"Thanks for the offer, but I really don't have any need for a new shirt," Tezuka replied as he took a bite of his own sundae. "I wear my uniform most of the time, anyway." That day was a rare exception, however; Tezuka had worn one of his nicer shirts, a light brown one with darker pants to match.
"That's too bad," Fuji said with a smile, indicating that he wasn't going to let the matter drop; for whatever reason, he seemed obsessed with getting Tezuka to buy a shirt.
A minute later, Fuji began to laugh. "Tezuka, you have some chocolate on your face," he said; he reached across the table and wiped the substance from Tezuka's cheek, then popped his finger in his mouth. "It's gone now."
Tezuka just stared at him for a moment before returning to his ice cream. They ate in silence for awhile, and Tezuka was starting to like the quiet. He just wanted to get the afternoon shopping out of the way so he could get home and plan the next day's tennis practice.
As he was thinking, a waitress that was walking by tripped, and the coffee she was carrying splashed on his shirt as the cup dropped into his lap.
"Sorry about that," Fuji said as the waitress began apologizing profusely, rushing back to grab a towel. "It seems my foot happened to be in her way. It's a good thing we're going shirt shopping after this, isn't it?" The waitress returned with a towel, handed it to Tezuka, and, still apologizing, scooped up the fallen cup out of his lap. Tezuka wiped the coffee off as best he could, his chest tingling from the hot liquid, but it was clear that it would leave a stain.
It had been one of his favorite shirts, too.
Tezuka was positive that Fuji's foot hadn't been there on accident. For whatever reason, the tensai was set on getting Tezuka a shirt, whether he liked it or not. Sighing slightly, he turned back to his ice cream, wanting to leave as soon as possible. "I suppose I'll be getting a shirt, then," Tezuka said as he scooped the last bit from his bowl.
"That's great!" Fuji said happily. "It'll be a lot of fun!"
Tezuka wasn't sure he was going to like what Fuji's idea of 'fun' was.
"As an apology for accidentally tripping the waitress and getting coffee spilled all over you, I'll buy you whatever shirt you want, as long as it's not overly expensive," Fuji said as they walked into the store. Tezuka didn't ask what Fuji's idea of 'overly expensive' was; he wasn't planning on getting anything fancy, anyway. He probably would have picked something off of the clearance rack if it was up to him, but he knew that Fuji wouldn't have gone to so much trouble just to have him get something cheap.
Tezuka faced a new dilemma, however: he wasn't the least bit prepared to go shirt shopping, and in a large clothing store full of different kinds, he had no idea how to find one without spending time in the store; time that he would much rather spend elsewhere. The only alternative, though, seemed to be letting Fuji pick one out for him. The tensai had seemed dead-set on getting Tezuka to buy a shirt, and the obvious conclusion was that he had a certain one in mind.
Tezuka just didn't trust Fuji enough to let him choose what he would have to wear home.
"Is there anything in particular you want?" Fuji asked, already knowing the answer. There was no point in asking, really; why would Tezuka have something in mind to buy when he didn't even want to go shopping in the first place?
"Not especially," Tezuka answered, shivering slightly. The wet spot on his shirt, once warm from the coffee, was now cold, and made him a bit chilly as well. This, of course, was immediately noticed by Fuji; he grabbed Tezuka's arm and began pulling him towards the Men's section of the store, not even bothering to look at any of the shirts that lined the aisles.
"I saw one the other day that I thought would look good on you," Fuji was saying as he dragged Tezuka through the store. He stopped in front of a rack and began sifting through the various colors; Tezuka was silently pleased when Fuji passed a bright pink one. In fact, the one that the tensai finally pulled out was so normal that Tezuka wondered in Fuji had grabbed the wrong one.
The shirt was a deep shade of purple, with buttons down the front and short sleeves. It wasn't something Tezuka would have picked out on his own, but he had to admit that it probably wouldn't look bad on him. Still, it was Fuji who had picked it out, and Tezuka was weary as he reached out and took it from his friend.
"Any certain reason you picked this one?" he asked, looking for a changing room so he could try it on.
"Saa…" Fuji replied with his usual smile. "I just thought it would look nice on you. Why don't you go try it on?"
"Hn." Tezuka went into the first changing room he found, closing the curtain behind him. He hurriedly took off his shirt, and was just reaching for the new one when he suddenly saw a flash of light. Tezuka quickly turned around, only to see Fuji, who was holding the curtain aside with one hand and had his new camera in the other.
"Smile," Fuji said with a grin as he snapped another picture, this one with the shirtless Tezuka facing him. "I think that'll do. Oh, but do you mind if I take another one of you in your new shirt?"
"Fuji. Get out." Tezuka's voice was as emotionless as ever as he grabbed the curtain and pulled it closed again. He silently pulled the purple shirt over his head, only because he didn't want to wear his wet one again, and left the changing room, where Fuji was waiting for him.
"It looks great on you," Fuji said, holding his camera at his side.
Tezuka sighed. "Fuji, why did you do that?"
"Because you wouldn't have let me take a picture like that if I had just asked you," Fuji said, pouting slightly. "Are you mad?"
Tezuka resisted the urge to sigh again. "No, I'm not mad," he said. He just couldn't tell Fuji that he was when he was pouting like that.
"So do you like that shirt, then?" Fuji asked, his smile back on his face; though Tezuka thought it was a bit more genuine than usual. "It really does look good on you." Tezuka nodded, which made Fuji's smile widen as he began walking toward the front of the store. "Great! And like I said, I'll buy it for you. After all, I've caused you a lot of trouble today."
"Not really," Tezuka muttered. "But aren't you going to buy something?"
"Oh, I don't really need anything," Fuji said, nearly quoting what Tezuka had said earlier. The captain wondered if the sole reason Fuji had asked him to go shopping with him was to get that picture. They bought the shirt, with Fuji explaining their situation to the sales clerk so Tezuka could wear it out of the store.
"Fuji, what was the point of inviting me shopping today if all you're going to buy is a camera and a shirt for me?" Tezuka asked when they were outside. The sky was covered in grey clouds, and Tezuka was glad he was wearing a jacket.
"Ah, but we're also buying a cactus," Fuji said, putting his new camera back in its bag; either he wasn't going to take a picture of Tezuka in his new shirt, or he was saving it for later. He grabbed Tezuka's arm again and once again pulled him towards their destination. "The flower shop that I like to go to is really close by."
"You didn't answer my question," Tezuka said under his breath, but he went along anyway. After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at the flower store, and Tezuka had never felt more out of place in his life. Being surrounded by brightly colored flowers wasn't exactly something he was used to.
"Which one do you like, Tezuka?" Fuji asked after he had dragged Tezuka over to the cactus section of the store. The stoic captain looked around at all the different kinds of plants, wondering how there could possibly be so many different kinds of cacti in the world.
"I don't know, Fuji. I don't know anything about cacti," Tezuka replied, silently wishing Fuji would hurry up so he could go home. There was one cactus, though, that caught his attention. It was simple, just a small round ball with the spines cacti were famous for, but what made it stand out to Tezuka was the one small flower that bloomed on top. The tips of the petals were a light violet, while the inside was white. The plant was plain compared to some of the others, but it was, at least to Tezuka, very pleasant to look at.
Fuji saw Tezuka staring at the cactus and smiled to himself. "I like this one," he said, carefully picking up the pot the plant rested in. "What do you think, Tezuka?"
"It's nice," Tezuka said simply. It was enough for Fuji; a few minutes later they were walking out of the store, the tensai holding the cactus with care.
"Thanks for coming shopping with me today, Tezuka," Fuji said as they began their walk home. "It was fun, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Tezuka said, though he wouldn't have necessarily classified the day as 'fun'. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Fuji abruptly stopped. "What is it, Fuji?"
"It's starting to snow." Sure enough, a few tiny snowflakes were drifting down from the sky, and after a minute they got bigger. The two stood in the snow for a minute or two before Fuji held the cactus out to Tezuka; it was only then that Tezuka noticed the large red ribbon tied to the pot. "Merry Christmas, Tezuka."
"For me…?" Tezuka asked hesitantly. Fuji nodded, and Tezuka reached out and carefully took the plant.
"You liked that one, didn't you?" Fuji asked, putting his hands in his pockets to warm them. "I thought you would like it. I wasn't sure if you would want a cactus, though, so I asked you to come with me today so I could make sure."
So that's why…Tezuka thought. "But you already bought me the shirt," he said, feeling guilty about all the things Fuji was buying for him.
"That was because I spilled coffee on you. This is different." Fuji looked at Tezuka anxiously. "Or do you not like it?"
"Of course not," Tezuka said. Fuji was starting to pout again, and it was making him uncomfortable. "I…love it."
"Really? I'm glad!" Fuji said happily, latching himself to Tezuka's arm as they continued their journey home.
"Be sure to keep it somewhere where it'll get plenty of sunlight," Fuji was saying, giving Tezuka instructions on how to care for his cactus. "Oh, and they're happier if you name them, so don't forget to do that…"
Tezuka nodded, only half listening. He looked down at his gift, smiling so slightly that no one would have noticed unless they were paying extra close attention. He would make sure his new cactus had a special place in his room when he got home.
The next day, Fuji went to the store, got his film developed, and stuck the pictures he took of Tezuka up on his wall, making a silent vow to get one of him in his new shirt. "I've already got my Christmas present, Tezuka."
Well, there you go. It ended up being somewhat of a Christmas story because I took so long to get this up that I ran out of time to do a proper one. And why did Tezuka agree to go shopping with Fuji in the first place? The world will never know.
I hope this at least made some sense, or at least as much sense as a story based off the word 'shirt' can. Who knows? Maybe I'll write about a spigot next time. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out!