Warning: Saeki-Fuji-Yuuta triangle, so obviously, there'll be shounen-ai with slight incestuous hints. :P
Full Triangle
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They saw each other a few steps away from the dorm entrance.
"Fuji! What a coincidence."
Or not, Fuji thought, then smiled and asked, "You often come to visit, Saeki?"
Saeki caught on fast. "Oh, not really. Only once in a while."
"I see." Fuji approached the administration desk, but Saeki stopped him.
"I've called Yuuta when I arrived, he should be coming down to fetch us soon."
"Ah, all right."
They stood there waiting, as Fuji subtly inspected his companion's countenance, and Saeki cooked up emergency excuses in his head.
"Saeki-san," Yuuta's face appeared from the corner that led to the corridor. "Please come up-" His eyes widened. "Aniki!"
"Hi, Yuuta," Fuji smiled. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by."
Yuuta pouted. "You should've called earlier."
"Sorry," Fuji said, still smiling.
"Do you want to come up?" Yuuta asked, still forgetting Saeki's presence.
"If you don't mind. I bring you something to eat."
"Okay," Yuuta started to turn, then remembered his other guest and turned back. "Ah, Saeki-san, let's go upstairs."
"Right," Saeki forced a smile.
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It went pretty well considering everything - they talked and ate in companiable atmosphere, Saeki didn't get ignored by either brother, and Fuji asked to walk home with him.
That was, of course, cue for the confrontation.
"Saeki. What are your intentions with Yuuta?"
The straightforward question had him staring at Fuji for quite a while, the surprise giving him momentary strength to meet the accusing eyes.
Then slowly, he raked through his hair with a resigned smile.
"I got over him a while ago, Fuji."
The just-as-direct answer startled Fuji, as well.
"So you did see him as more than a friend," he said. "Have you honestly given up on him?"
Saeki shrugged. "You should be able to tell."
Fuji frowned slightly at the subtle challenge. "You still come to see him."
"Well, I want to stay friends, at least." Saeki returned his sharp look. "And what are your intentions with him? This protectiveness is going too far if you ask me."
He didn't get to see this very often, but Saeki thought, quite randomly, that ironic smiles looked better on Fuji than his usual ones.
"Maybe I'm just a little... worried, since the whole transferring to St. Rudolph incident."
"Maybe?" Saeki repeated. Fuji Shuusuke was never in doubt of himself.
Fuji caught his implication. "The alternative simply couldn't be, don't you think?"
Saeki slowed down his steps. "Well... he is obsessed with you. Though maybe not in the way you want it."
"He is obsessed with my tennis. That's different."
"No, it's with you," Saeki said. "It is different."
His tone held the confidence of years of unrequited love, and Fuji conceded. "All the more that I can't afford to trip now, isn't it."
If Yuuta wasn't going to stop him, there was no telling what would happen to his control.
Saeki sighed. "Frankly, I don't know if I should encourage you or tell you to forget it."
"Aha. The childhood friend or the love rival?"
Saeki frowned in offense. "The supportive friend or the concerned friend."
"I know," Fuji said quickly. "Sorry. I was bitter, I guess."
"At least you get to stay related to him."
"That's true," Fuji smiled his ironic smile again. Then suddenly he turned to face Saeki, looking him in the eyes. "You lied when you said you were over him, didn't you?"
Saeki blinked. The words were accusing, but the voice was gentle, and the tone was sympathetic.
"It... takes time," he said finally.
Fuji nodded, and didn't push further.
They passed a public tennis court on the way to the bus stop, and Fuji turned to him. "Shall we have a game before going home?"
"Okay," Saeki was rather surprised. "But you know, there's no point settling this over tennis."
"Of course. I just want to let out some steam."
Uh-oh, thought Saeki, but he followed nevertheless.
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It wasn't lost on Saeki how Yuuta's eyes briefly wandered around the lobby when he came to visit again.
"Should I have asked your brother along?" he teased, feeling rather ironic.
"N-no, what makes you say that?" Yuuta replied quickly.
You obviously miss him, Saeki decided not to say, in consideration of his own feelings.
Yuuta scratched his head. "It's only that... uh, Mizuki-san challenged him to a game the last time he came, and Aniki simply ignored him. Mizuki-san keeps asking me when he's coming again."
"Oh," Saeki raised an eyebrow. "That should be quite interesting."
"Yeah, but Aniki will of course be difficult about it. It's not like we haven't seen how he plays..."
Saeki smiled, having seen the obvious. "Yuuta, if you want to watch him play, you can always-"
"No," Yuuta scowled.
"Why not? He is your goal, after all. You're entitled to stalk him a little."
Yuuta glared. "I'm not going to stalk him!"
"All right, all right, no stalking... just scouting, then. Why not ask your teammates to go with you? Or if you prefer to go with me, we can arrange a time."
He wondered how the suggestion came quite easily. The supportive friend or the concerned friend, indeed...
"I'm not getting anywhere near him unless it's an official tournament," Yuuta said. "Besides, when he sees me he always bugs me with questions like how's school and practice and all that stuff."
"He's worried because he doesn't get to see you often, that's all."
"Still, is there a need to embarrass me in front of my friends by mentioning our dates-"
Saeki sat up straight. "Your dates?"
Yuuta had a murderous look on him. "Which are really just the few weekends I promised to go home!"
Saeki struggled to keep bitterness out of his laughter. He had to hand it to Fuji for managing to crack such jokes, when deep inside he must be feeling... more or less the same as what Saeki was feeling.
"Don't just laugh!" Yuuta sulked. "Tell him to stop, or something!"
"I'll try," Saeki promised in between chuckles, rather certain that he wouldn't keep it.
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"Saeki?"
"Fuji?" Saeki caught the ball that he'd been bouncing off the wall. "We've sure been coincidentally meeting recently."
It was the nearest public court to St. Rudolph's dorm, after all.
"You just went to see Yuuta?"
"Nah. I planned to, but then I decided to just come here."
Funny that on this one occasion when he wanted to avoid dealing with Fuji in conversations with Yuuta, he would bump into him in person.
"Are you on your way there?" he asked Fuji.
"I was. I called him on the way, but he told me he couldn't meet up. Their team is celebrating someone's birthday later."
"I see," Saeki said sympathetically.
Fuji dropped his bag on a nearby bench, looked up at him and smiled. "A game, then?"
Feeling strangely in the mood to confront him, Saeki returned the smile. "Sure."
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The noisy chatter died away as the main door closed behind the group of boys. They were pushing each other around, teasing the drenched birthday boy and laughing at Yuuta who somehow got implicated in the splashing that ensued.
Yuuta was enjoying himself, his habitual pout quickly replaced by bouts of carefree laughter, something that would probably disappear around him.
Fuji turned to make his way home.
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A few steps before he got to the wayward ball, someone's hand picked it up and held it up to him.
"Exactly one week," the newcomer commented with a smile.
Fuji smiled back as he took the ball. "It's a convenient time."
"For me too," Saeki said. "It's not a coincidence after all, then?"
Fuji shrugged. "Not many other players around at this time."
"Ah. Am I in the way?"
"Not you," Fuji answered, and Saeki could tell it was sincere. Without waiting for the invitation, he positioned himself on the opposite half of the court, and they started the game.
They packed up their bags almost two hours later. Saeki hesitated, but Fuji turned to him and asked lightly, "Will you be here next week?"
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"I thought I should tell you..."
Fuji returned the hit. "Yeah?"
"They're having a camp for the whole of next week, St. Rudolph's tennis team."
"Oh, I've heard it from Yuuta too."
"Ah. Good then," Saeki's answer was delayed as he chased the ball. "I wasn't sure if you've been in contact."
The ball went out of bounds, ending the game, and Fuji walked to the side to pick it up. "I haven't visited since two or three months ago, but I call him every few weeks."
Saeki nodded. He hadn't been dropping by at Yuuta's as often either. Once in a while he would pay a short visit before coming to the court, but it never disrupted their schedule, and Fuji never asked.
In turn, he knew Fuji sometimes went to the dorm after their games, as he caught him outside the gates once.
"Why don't you go in," he'd told Fuji back then, "or you'll really turn into a stalker."
Fuji had laughed in response, a surprisingly genuine laughter, which made Saeki believe him when he said it had more to do with the late hour rather than any inhibition on his part.
They had been talking more of other topics than just Yuuta, and Saeki found himself trying to recall the last time he saw those ironic smiles on Fuji.
His mind half-occupied with those thoughts, Saeki headed for the bench. As he sat down, his hand pressed down where Fuji's hand had been, and he drew back immediately, startled. "Ah! Sorry."
"It's fine," Fuji replied, sounding just a little confused.
Something had changed, Saeki realized, and he glanced sideways to his renewed childhood friend, the shoulder and arm just inches beside him, the closeness so inoffensive now.
"Fuji," he said, and that one word was enough.
Fuji returned his look, no doubt having seen the same light. "...Are you sure about this?"
"...Yes."
An excruciating minute passed before Fuji finally spoke again, his volume soft, but his tone firm.
"Go on, then."
Saeki hadn't quite expected this, but he certainly had no complaints. Placing his hand on Fuji's deliberately this time, he leaned in and kissed him.
It felt liberating, somehow, and he let his forehead thud on Fuji's temple when the contact was over.
"I wonder what Yuuta would think of this," Fuji said, breaking the silence.
"I'm pretty sure you'll still be his personal god," Saeki responded.
Fuji smiled, the brightest Saeki had ever seen.
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They met up at the dorm entrance, each having come from their respective team practices.
"-Your brother's with me here," Saeki said into the phone. "We're thinking of eating out, so if you don't mind... Okay, great. We'll wait for you at the gate... Yeah, see you."
"He's much nicer to you, isn't he," Fuji commented.
"You still haven't gotten over that?" Saeki laughed. "Half our nice talks are about you. Think about my jealousy."
Fuji punched his shoulder lightly. "Now whom is that jealousy for, I wonder?"
"Saeki-san. Aniki."
"Whoa, that's fast," Saeki said cheerfully, saved by the proverbial bell. "Let's get going, then."
"How's school?" Fuji asked.
"Not much," Yuuta answered. "We're having the annual cultural festival next weekend."
"Ah, shall we drop by then? Shuu-" Saeki quickly corrected, "-Fuji."
"Sure," Fuji smiled, keeping his attention on Yuuta. "Is your class coming up with something special?"
Yuuta looked between them. "It's fine," he said, with his usual little pout. "You don't have to hide it."
"Eh, what?" Saeki tensed slightly.
"Yuuta," Fuji's eyes widened. "You... know?"
Yuuta scratched his head, blushing a little. "Sometimes... I jog at night. At the nearest park."
Fuji tilted his head, not understanding the connection.
Yuuta coughed. "...The park beside the public tennis court."
"Oh," was all the other two could say.
"Idiot. Do you think I cannot handle that?" Yuuta huffed. "Just don't hold hands around here, because if Yanagisawa happens to see, he'll never stop bugging me to get the full story."
"If that happens you can tell him to ask me directly," Fuji said, a glint in his eyes.
"...Aniki, he's still my friend. (What are you planning to do to him?)"
"Does that mean I should hold your hand, then?" Saeki asked Fuji, pointing at the gates they just passed.
"I feel like a third wheel," Yuuta muttered.
"No such thing. In fact, isn't this more like a double date?" Fuji proclaimed cheerfully.
Saeki looked at him in horror, but Yuuta wasn't catching on. "Aniki, stop it with the date jokes already! You too, Saeki-san, do something about it!"
"Really..." Saeki sighed. "You brothers are going to be the death of me yet."
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