Fic written for the Pointless But Original Talking Forum Holiday Fic Exchange.
Assignment # 2
Fandoms: PoT, Harry Potter, Hikaru no Go, Durarara!, Axis Powers Hetalia, JPOP+KPOP [Johnny's Ent (K/A/TTUN+NEWS+Arashi), DBSK, SuJu, SHINee/f(x) lol specifically KeyBer ]
Pairing/Groups You'd Like to Receive: TeFu, AtoRyo, AtoTezu, AtoSana for tenipuri. femslash for hetalia. gen is great too. : i'm already receiving something for hetalia/johnny's/fma in other exchanges, so consider those fandoms low-priority.
Squicks/Turn Offs in Fic (receiving): mpreg, noncon, rape, diabetes-inducing fluff, too many OC's
What You'd Like to See in Fic: bromance/girlmance, fluffy angst...?, happy end, AUs
Gen/Het/Slash/Smut/None/All-of-the-above?: gen is preferred this year, but porn is awesome as well
Your request:
+ i want to make these open to any fandom, so here's a list of ideas/scenarios that really cook my ramen. if you can incorporate more than one, more power to you!:
- use a prompt from the 30_kisses community at lj
- somebody is a taxi driver, somebody gets picked-up off the streets in a sketchy part of town
- pianoplayers!AU
- first kisses under the stars
- heartbreaking rain scenes involving dramatic death, with towels and steamy sex afterward ohohoho
- someone comes home from a really long journey. s/he has a lot of souvenirs and/or anecdotes to share with everyone else! can be angsty or cute or both. :
- cliff-diving and flying through the air (no suicidal thoughts; simply euphoria)
- melancholic apartment buildings and insomnia
Title Breathless
Pairings/Groups/Fandom TeFu, POT (because that's the only thing I can write. D| Forgive meh.)
Rating T, because it's Fuji!
Warnings N/A
Summary Tezuka had left Fuji completely breathless. (I'm sorry if the summary doesn't fit. ;~;)
Notes A lot of 'ands' and 'thens' will appear, so beware. Also, the transition through time might get confusing? though I hope not. Oh, and if you suddenly remember a J-drama or something because of this, shhh. I didn't mean to. ;O;
Beta Linny Kim (thank you so so much. ;A;)
A/N / Message to the Receiver I knew it was you. |D /shot (We should totally invite everyone to plurk. =)) ) ANYWAY, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, ezyl~senapi~ I had a lot of fun writing this (even though it's fluffy angst? lolwhut). I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. /hugs
Fuji wouldn't say a word. Even as the officers asked him questions, he refused to talk.
"Neighbors said that they heard a crash around twelve in the morning," said the officer who was scribbling down notes. "They weren't sure where it occurred, though."
Fuji merely nodded.
The officer tipped his hat at him and bowed. "We'll inform you if any more clues come up."
As the officers exited the apartment, Fuji bowed at them thankfully and shut the door close. He let out a heavy sigh, and before he knew it, he could feel the tears trickling down his face.
The week before, no one would've thought that something like this would happen. It was all too surprising, too unexpected, and too fast. They were young, and passing away was the least of their concern.
Before entering college, Fuji and Tezuka had decided to move in together. At first, it was for "friendship purposes" and a way to lessen their parents' load. But as time passed, their reasons for living together had changed. Now, in their second year of college, sleeping in each other's beds didn't seem so awkward anymore.
"Ne, Tezuka, what if I was to die tomorrow?" Fuji asked one night as they were having dinner.
Tezuka looked at him sharply, not liking the question at all. "Don't say something so absurd."
Fuji let out a soft chuckle and smiled. He then picked up his fork, and with that, he said nothing more.
Fuji wasn't one to forget things. But there are times when even he fails to remember to bring such simple needs. An umbrella, for example, was something he had forgotten one rainy day. He had been so stoked on his first day of college that he didn't even bother checking the weather report that morning.
As he pondered on what to do, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Quickly, he reached for it, flipped it open, and placed it against his ear.
"Hello?"
"Do you have an umbrella?" came Tezuka's voice.
Fuji chuckled slightly. It was surprising how Tezuka would always call at the right time. "It seems I forgot mine back at the apartment." There was a brief pause as he heard the sound of an umbrella opening from the other end of the line.
"I'll come pick you up," said Tezuka, his voice sounding distant as he tried to balance his phone over his shoulder. "Where are you?"
"In front of the library," Fuji replied.
It was pure coincidence that Fuji and Tezuka decided to go to the same college. It just so happens that the college they both chose specialized in the courses they wanted to take. Nevertheless, it was convenient. They could go to school together, and go home together as well.
The walk home was quiet, with only the sound of the rain splashing against the umbrella.
"What should we have for dinner?" Fuji asked, trying to bring up a subject.
"I bought ingredients for unacha1 yesterday," Tezuka answered.
Fuji nodded and gave him a smile.
Before they knew it, it had gotten late. The streetlights started to turn on as they walked pass by them. And at the end of the road, they could see the traffic light flickering on and off.
Now that wasn't right.
"It looks like there was an accident," Fuji said, feeling concerned as he looked over at the scene.
Out of curiosity, they stepped closer, only to be stopped by a strong gush of wind. Fuji covered his face as Tezuka struggled to keep his grip on the umbrella (which, in the end, he didn't succeed in doing). Upon opening their eyes, they could see the poor umbrella tumbling across the street.
"The umbrella—!" Tezuka said, almost inaudible.
Fuji grabbed his wrist. "Never mind the umbrella," he said, smiling. "Let's get out of this rain."
Their apartment was just around the corner, yet Fuji took the opposite way. They ran in the rain, their shoes getting soaked in the puddles. A normal response to a situation like this would be to ask the other person what they were up to, but Tezuka chose not to do so, wanting to enjoy a little adventure himself.
He was just full of secret wishes.
Out in the city, there wasn't really much place to hide from the rain. But as they neared the park, they thought a tree would do.
"You seem to love this place," said Tezuka.
Fuji smiled and let go of his wrist. They then set their backs against the tree's trunk. It was rigid and cold, but they didn't mind. They stood there, waiting for nothing. It was as if they were expecting some sort of miracle — one that was probably never going to happen.
As Fuji stared into the night sky, he felt fingers interlacing with his. He didn't mind it at first, but then thought of asking—
"Tezuka?"
And as soon as Fuji said his name, Tezuka's grip tightened, making him wince in pain. Tezuka stood in front of him, his fingers running through Fuji's wet hair. And without any second thoughts, he leaned down and planted a gentle yet passionate kiss on the boy's lips.
And after what seemed like forever, Tezuka pulled away, leaving Fuji breathless.
Fuji brushed his fingertips against his lips, the taste still lingering in them. He then smiled and held the boy's hand. And with that, he said nothing more.
"You can use the shower first," Fuji insisted, holding the door open for Tezuka.
Tezuka sighed. Whenever Fuji's being this persuasive, there's no use giving him a no. And so, he nodded, walked inside, and closed the door behind him.
Fuji smiled victoriously and went to get a towel from his room.
Knock. Knock.
When you're very much sure that you're the only two people in the place, and there's a door separating you both, there's no need to ask anything along the lines of, "Who is it?" Instead, one would usually reply with a grunt, a "Come in" or a "Go away".
In this case, Tezuka grunted, a signal telling Fuji that he was allowed inside.
"I brought you a towel," said Fuji.
"Thank you," replied Tezuka. "Just leave it on the counter."
But instead of simply doing as he was told, Fuji walked over to the shower, opened the sliding door, and stepped inside, fully clothed.
Tezuka took a moment to realize what had just happened. "Fuji—" he almost gasped, "What do you think you're doing?"
The fog was thick, making it difficult to get a glimpse of the boy. What made it worse were the two hands over his eyes, robbing him of his sight.
Fuji chuckled. "Complain later." He then proceeded to give Tezuka kisses—first on his lips, then down on his neck and back.
"F-Fuji—"
Tezuka's voice was quivering.
"It's not fair that only I get kissed, right?" Fuji said slyly.
In the mist, he could've sworn that he saw Tezuka blush. But he couldn't be so sure. Maybe it was just his imagination. He let out a soft laugh and gave Tezuka another kiss. And after he had finished, he opened the door and walked out, leaving the other boy stunned.
Tezuka stared at the figure standing at his bedroom door. It was two in the morning, and he didn't like the idea of someone randomly opening his door.
But this was an exception.
"I can't sleep," said the figure. "Can I sleep with you?" he then asked.
Tezuka nodded his head slightly. The figure smiled and crawled into his bed, snuggling near him as he pulled on the covers.
"You're warm," the figure said as he wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling the other's shoulder.
Tezuka couldn't help but stay still.
"Just don't make this a habit, Fuji."
Fuji chuckled.
As all these memories flooded his thoughts, Fuji began to cry. People would often tell him that boys should never shed tears, but he knew that that was something impossible. He believed that it wasn't something to be ashamed of. And so, he clenched his fists and let the tears fall, trembling at the thought of Tezuka gone forever.
"What crashed through the window was a shotgun," the same officer told him the next day, "We suspect that it came from inside the building."
Fuji nodded, still as quiet as before.
"We'll ask around the apartment for clues," the officer added before exiting the room.
Fuji could still smell Tezuka's scent on his bed. He gathered up his sheets, bringing them close to his body as to let the scent drown him. He closed his eyes, reminiscing their last few days together.
The same officer came up to him later that day, with only more distressing reports to bring. "The people next door told me that they were throwing a party the night of the incident," he started off. "Apparently, some drunkards got out and started running lose."
It sounded stupid, Fuji thought, but it was possible.
"And?" Fuji asked, speaking up for once. "Is there anything else?"
"A-ah, that's all I have for now," said the officer, quite shocked to hear the boy talk. He then tipped his hat at him and said, "I'll let you know if you we find out anything else."
Fuji would visit the apartment every single day, and the officer would do the same, thinking that the boy would be there whenever he had something to report.
"The time of death was 11:58 PM, December 31. He was shot in the chest. Cause of death was blood loss. It was a drunkard who threw the shotgun out the window," the officer said, revealing everything.
"A drunkard?" Fuji repeated.
The officer nodded tensely.
Fuji looked at him suspiciously. "I went to the station yesterday and asked about this case," he said suddenly. "They told me that the identity of the killer was—" he stopped midway, pausing to give the officer a glare. He could feel his blood boiling just by looking at his face.
"I-I, u-umm."
Fuji gave him a look in the eye and furrowed his eyebrows. He bit his lip, looking away to hide his tears. "I know it was an accident, but—" he stopped to breathe in deeply. "Why'd you have to pretend you didn't know?"
The officer kneeled down on the ground, shaking, and offered his sincerest apology. "I-I'm sorry!" he said, his eyes welling up with tears. "I-I'll turn m-myself in."
But no matter how sincere an apology is, it can never bring the dead back to life.
Fuji didn't have the heart to forgive this person, but he could try.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," Fuji said softly, rubbing his fingers along the frame of one of his favorite photos. "I'm sorry we couldn't start the New Year together."
He had moved on. He had forgiven that person. But he could never forgive himself for not being there that faithful night.
Fuji held the picture in his hands and stared at it for a few more moments. He chuckled, looking at Tezuka's ever-so-stoic face. As he opened the door to the said boy's room, a cold breeze gushed out. The same breeze he had felt that night in the rain.
He placed the picture on top Tezuka's bed and smiled faintly.
And with that, he said nothing more.