Apologies for the long wait!
Chapter 8 of this series is too hot to be posted on , and thus is only available on my Livejournal account. Please do head over there if you're interested.
Disclaimer: None of the boys mentioned belong to me.
Enjoy!
Resolution
Reality slapped right into their faces the following Monday when they returned to their respective offices.
An underling had made a mistake with the numbers on a quotation to their client and Tezuka was assigned to clean up the mess. It was just his luck that the client was one of their regular customers, and one of the most troublesome ones at that. Not only that, the company's quarterly review was around the corner and he had to make preparations for it, compiling reports and statistics and preparing for a whole week of meetings with the board of directors. He barely had time to even eat outside his office.
As for Fuji, a colleague of his had to take emergency leave as his pregnant wife was hospitalized due to premature labor, and being the next most senior journalist on their team, he had to pick up from where his senior left off, on top of finishing his own projects. For two full days he was shuttling in and out of the office, only managing to take short naps in between while he was waiting for the editors to work on his articles. Not to mention he was still aching from their wild tryst at the Golden Butterfly.
It wasn't until Thursday that they finally got to have a meal together, and could go to bed at the same time. Tezuka thought Fuji looked somewhat pale, but the latter just brushed it off saying he was just tired. He curled up under the blanket and was asleep even before Tezuka could take off his glasses, switch off the side lamp and get comfortable under the sheets.
Tezuka didn't think too much into it, thinking that Fuji could take care of himself. But his thoughts were proven wrong just ten minutes before his meeting with the managers of the other departments when he received a call from Fuji's assistant telling him that Fuji had come down with high fever after they got caught in the rain. Tezuka looked out of his office window, brows furrowing as he noticed the downpour outside. He had been so absorbed in his work that he failed to notice the pelting raindrops hitting against his window for the whole afternoon.
He was about to text Fuji when Miyajou came into his office to call him for the meeting. He stared at the half-typed message on his phone and hesitated for a moment, before hastily putting it in his drawer and gathering the documents he needed for the meeting. "What's up? You look odd." Miyajou commented, staring hard at the bespectacled man. "Nothing's up. Make a move or we'll be late for the meeting." Tezuka said curtly, straightening himself. "Did anyone ever tell you that you suck at lying?" Miyajou said with a laugh, turning on her heels to exit Tezuka's office. Tezuka had already tuned his mentality for the meeting, but Miyajou's comment made him think of Fuji again. Fuji did. Fuji always knew when he was lying.
Realizing that Tezuka wasn't behind her, Miyajou turned around again to find Tezuka still rooted to the same spot, staring at the drawer as if trying to burn a hole in it with his glare. "Got a problem?" she asked, folding her arms as she waited for Tezuka's reply. Knowing Tezuka, it had to be a big problem for him to fret over it like that. If it was any ordinary issue he would have put it aside till after the meeting. "Did something happen to him?" she asked, having a hunch that it involved Fuji. She hadn't known Tezuka for a very long time, but so far it seemed to her that the only thing that could make him distracted was Fuji. Lifting his gaze to stare at the woman at his doorway, Tezuka then picked up his documents and moved out of his seat. "His colleague called to say that he's down with a fever. I'll call him after the meeting." He said in a cold tone as he moved out of his office, closing the door behind him and walking ahead of Miyajou.
"Do you think you can wait till then?" She suddenly asked. Now it was her turn to stay on the spot. "Of course. We're late, let's go." He answered calmly, though his brow made a twitch in annoyance. "You stupid man." She muttered under her breath, and pulled Tezuka back into his office to avoid attention. She took the files from Tezuka's hand and stared up at the taller man.
"You can wait doesn't mean he can wait. Fever can be serious! Especially since it was his colleague who called, it must be pretty serious. You should go home now."
"Don't fool around now, Miyajou-san. We have a meeting to attend."
"It's just a weekly meeting; it's not a very big deal. And you've already prepared all the documents. I'll handle it, just go."
Tezuka stared at the woman and saw the kind of determination and defiance in her eyes that reminded him of a certain troublesome child prodigy he once had on his team. Before he could form up a sentence in rebuttal, Miyajou had walked over to Tezuka's secretary and told her that Tezuka would be leaving the office early today. She then smirked and gave the bespectacled man a little wave, before she headed to the conference room with Tezuka's documents in tow.
Heaving a sigh, Tezuka turned and returned to his office to pack up, wondering if it was his destiny to meet such defiant characters wherever he went. But right then he couldn't thank Miyajou more for making him go home; he was indeed very worried about Fuji. Though, he wouldn't admit it himself.
When he got home, the apartment was dark, except for the faint glow of light coming from their bedroom. Carelessly tossing his briefcase on to the couch, Tezuka then strode across the hallway towards the bedroom, as quietly as he could just in case Fuji was asleep.
True enough, Fuji was asleep. Sitting down on the side of the bed as lightly as he could, Tezuka then reached out to touch Fuji's forehead to check if his fever had subsided. Fuji was still slightly feverish to the touch. Tezuka couldn't explain the kind of anxiety and worry he was feeling then, even though the rational side of him knew that it was probably just a cold. Without even realizing it, his breathing had quickened as he stroked Fuji's hair and caressed his cheek. As far as he could remember Fuji had never fallen ill. Ever since they started living together, Fuji had nursed him back to health through two bouts of cold and one serious ligament injury, but Fuji had never even come down with the slightest of a cold.
Sleepy eyes drew open and a soft sigh of relief escaped Tezuka's lips as azure orbs looked up at him, and then crinkled into a smile. They were a little hazy and not as sharp and bright as usual, but those were the eyes he loved.
"Why are you home so early?" Fuji asked, his voice a little soft.
"Miyajou-san sent me home upon learning that you were down with a fever."
"As I thought, someone from my office called you. I told them not to call…"
"Were you planning to give me a shock when I got back then?"
"It's just a cold… I didn't want to worry you." Fuji muttered, trying to sit up a little, but Tezuka made him lie back down.
"I would rather worry about you… at least that means I still have you around." Tezuka said after a short span of silence.
Fuji smiled and reached out to caress Tezuka's face, "Silly. There are other nicer and better ways to know that I'm around."
Tezuka held the slender hand against his face, then bringing to his lips to press a kiss to it. "I want you to be around for a long time more, you know."
"Don't make it sound like I'm about to die. It's just a cold." Fuji said with a chuckle.
"I'm serious. You've never fallen ill, so I never knew how it felt like to worry about you like that. It's kind of nerve-wrecking, for a first timer."
"You're supposed to be the calm and logical one in this relationship, I thought?" Fuji teased softly, giving Tezuka's hand a gentle squeeze.
"Promise me, that you'll call me when something like this happens again? It's scarier to be told by someone I don't know."
Fuji couldn't help but chuckle, "All right. I promise."
"And I think I know now… what you wanted." Tezuka muttered, eyes turning serious. Fuji looked up at him with a puzzled gaze, not quite getting the drift.
"You are already an irreplaceable part in my life, Syusuke." Tezuka started, holding Fuji's hand tightly as he looked into blue eyes, "Will you… allow me into your life... until time makes it impossible…?" he asked, that sensation of his heart clenching and breathlessness coming to him again.
Fuji's eyes widened and he stared wordlessly at Tezuka for a good long minute.
"Is that… a proposal, Tezuka Kunimitsu?" he asked, feeling his heartbeat quicken.
"Not a very good moment, but… yes. Even if it's not legal in Japan, will you marry me, Fuji Syusuke?"
Tears welled up in Fuji's eyes and he chuckled at how cliché it was to cry while being proposed to. Being ill and tired probably accounted for most of the reason behind his tears, but also because Tezuka had finally realized what he wanted. He didn't want Tezuka to marry him because he felt responsible for him. He didn't need a caretaker, or a nice house, or an expensive ring. He wanted Tezuka to want it as well, and not because he questioned him about it. Marriage wasn't a responsibility or a commitment, to him it was a bonding of two souls and two lives.
Fuji sat up and threw himself at Tezuka, hugging him tightly. Tezuka could only wrap his arms around Fuji as well, hoping that indicated a positive answer since the other hadn't answered him yet.
"Yes… yes, I will. I will marry you." He whispered into Tezuka's ear, tears rolling down his cheeks as his eyes closed into a warm smile.
"You will..?" Tezuka asked, his eyes widening, wondering if he was hearing things.
Fuji pulled away slightly to look at Tezuka, nodding in response. "I love you, Mitsu…" he muttered, leaning in to kiss Tezuka, but stopped just short of his lips, remembering that he was sick.
"What's wrong?" Tezuka asked tenderly, looking at the shorter man, his fingers moving to wipe away Fuji's tears.
"I don't want to pass it to you…"
Tezuka smiled softly and responded by leaning forward to claim Fuji's lips in a deep kiss.
-end-
-for now-
[A/N: Yes, I am still alive. Still writing, yes. But veeery slowly though, evidently. My apologies. Thank you so much for reading, especially if you've been following this series right from the start. Comments and reviews much appreciated.
It's not over yet!! XD]
