A/N: sorry I made you wait so long but my humor muse escaped me. I hope this won't disappoint you. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: PoT belongs to Takeshi Konomi .
Separation Anxiety
Fuji never thought the day would come when he would feel desperate for a romantic intervention. But even geniuses made mistakes and here Fuji was, staring at his cell phone, trying to decide whether Inui's mathematical romantic strategy was a better choice than a well known playboy's suggestion after all. Slipping Viagra (who on earth had placed a bottle of that in the medical cabinet in the bathroom anyway?) into Tezuka's food had a highly dubious success rate though it would no doubt give him exactly what he wanted in an instant. Still, he'd rather both of them sober the next time they got around to do it. From what he had learned so far, their guilt trip needed a certain diva for a recovery and Fuji was sure that if Tezuka saw a glimpse of Atobe so soon after the liberating end of the cruise, the bespectacled young man would seriously snap and the cameras placed around the house would provide a major flaw in their alibis. So Fuji took a deep breath and dialed a set of number he never thought he would contact ever again.
"Hello?" A voice drawled out huskily when the call got through.
"Hello, Oshitari."
"Fuji?"
Fuji heard a distant indignant cry from the other side, followed by rustling of clothes, and a soft hiss. "Wait. Gakuto! …Dammit! Fuji, I'll call you back soon."
Fuji blinked when the phone call got disconnected. He shrugged while not really wanting to find out what had just happened, he had an idea about it anyway but would rather not pursue that particular line of thought.
Oshitari was one of Fuji's former 'boyfriend's. Their relationship was an odd one. He guessed they were both too smart and too eccentric for each other. Oshitari could only take so much of Fuji's spicy haute cuisine and Fuji vehemently refused Oshitari's idea of arty sex. They needed a certain semblance of normalcy that neither could provide. Fuji dumped him after he yet again attempted to tie him to his bed post, cans of paints sitting near the bed. Fuji hoped that the paint wasn't permanent; Oshitari's red, green, and yellow lower half was a rather unsightly thing to behold.
Half an hour later his cell phone rang. Oshitari's voice sounded lax and sated when he greeted Fuji. "I didn't think you'd ever contact me again."
"To be honest, I didn't think I would ever contact you again." Fuji confessed with a smile.
Oshitari chuckled. His rich voice reminded Fuji of why he was interested in the artist in the first place. Oshitari was definitely sexually appealing. Even Fuji, in his virgin days, was unable to reject his charms. But while he did remember why he had been interested in Oshitari, he no longer felt the slightest bit of attraction to him anymore. Fuji looked at the silver band around his left ring finger and felt elated.
"What's the occasion, then?"
"I'm engaged." Fuji announced boldly.
"Oh? I never thought you'd finally settle down, what's with your long resume of former lovers and all. Congratulation." Oshitari said indifferently. Clearly he had little interest in Fuji's private life now. Maybe it had to do with the aforementioned Gakuto or maybe because the sight of his colorful crotch had traumatized him for life.
"Thank you but that was exactly where I need your help."
"How so?"
"It's in your area of expertise. If you would recall, I was never very good at the game of seduction."
"Fuji, it's you. You just sit there and smile and everyone in the room gets aroused. Why would you need me?" Oshitari said, sounding amused.
"Well, this is a special case. You see, Kunimitsu seems to be immune to my… charms."
"Pardon me, but that doesn't sound like a very pretty girl's name to me." Oshitari said after a brief contemplative silence.
"Kunimitsu is a male, Oshitari." Fuji explained calmly.
There was another pause before Oshitari chuckled. "Now that's interesting. Engaged to a male? Is he someone I know?" Oshitari asked, sounding more interested in Fuji's situation now. Unpleasant memory of botched attempt at sex aside, Oshitari was always interested in matters of deviations. Who knew that Fuji could be tied down to someone? It's practically against logic and the law of sex! Someone with the amount of sex appeal Fuji was responsible to introduce the world to the wonders of 'self help', sexual tension, and turning pubescent teenagers into adults. Oshitari felt slightly cheated.
"Perhaps you know Tezuka Kunimitsu?"
"Isn't that your sister's fiancé?"
"He was."
There was another silence before Oshitari laughed and demanded an explanation. Fuji patiently gave a brief summary of what had happened since his return to Japan. Oshitari was delighted to hear this unusual news, he was willing to meddle with Fuji's unique situation but had some question Fuji must answer first. His service never came for free. Besides, it wasn't everyday that one could get an inside scoop of Fuji Syusuke's private life.
"Have you slept with him?"
Fuji felt a flush crept to his cheeks and neck. He considered dodging the question but knew that Oshitari would persist. It was his favorite subject of conversation after all. "… yes…"
"After all the efforts from half the population of Europe to get into your pants, a geyser got lucky with you?"
"Well, we were drunk…"
"Drunk?" Oshitari guffawed. "I never thought… I should've tried that…"
"Oshitari." Fuji said in warning. But Oshitari was one of the few not affected by his silent threats. Perhaps it had something to do with his eccentricity which almost rivaled Fuji's. This proved that the two artists in a relationship had been a disaster in the making.
"How many times?"
"Oshitari…"
"I need to know to be able to help, Fuji."
Fuji couldn't tell if he was just teasing him or not but he decided to be truthful. He did need Oshitari's help though he couldn't really see how that information was going to help him any. "Three times." He answered bashfully.
"Three? Months of being engaged and you've only slept with him three times?" Oshitari laughed again. "Is he impotent?"
"Oshitari…"
"All right, all right. Now put that knife down and let's talk about this like adults…. Have you tried kidnapping him and locked him up in a sex dungeon I know your sister has somewhere in Japan?" Oshitari suggested. His voice revealed that he was grinning widely when he spoke. It was quite amazing the amount of information regarding people's perversion he could get. Fuji himself could live without knowing that he ancient looking cell phone his mother always had with her for so many years didn't serve as a communication device.
"I'm thinking of a more romantic approach."
"Fuji, you're engaged with him and currently living with him. Why would you need a romantic approach?"
Talking to Oshitari sometimes felt like talking to his inner pervert. Of course Fuji had thought of that. He had thought of that many times in fact. There were only few choices of thought you could entertain when Tezuka Kunimitsu was sleeping next to you, unaware and unprotected against your dirty plans. If thoughts alone counted, Tezuka had been molested nightly by Fuji.
"Kunimitsu is rather uptight. He wouldn't agree to just, well, do it. Our mothers' intervention wasn't helping us any, either." Fuji sighed softly in exasperation.
"What did your mothers do?"
"They installed cameras all over the house."
"Hmm, I'm sure I still have your mother's phone number somewhere. I hope she's willing to share. Those porn videos are getting boring. They should get women with real big boobs, not fake ones…"
"Perhaps this can wait until your logic returns after all. There's something else I want to…"
"No, this can't wait. Pent-up sexual tension must be cured immediately and effectively to ensure the desired effect shall last over ten seconds. So anyway, if you want to get laid again, listen to me…"
Perhaps Fuji should feel offended but he had to agree with Oshitari. He did want to get laid again, soon if possible. Besides, he had grown a certain wariness toward their monstrous bathroom –the potted plant there didn't seem to only serve as decoration, or was the mirror, or… So Fuji took a deep breath and listened carefully to Oshitari's innuendo.
Tezuka was confused and sexually frustrated. But that last part everyone who's had the misfortune of recognizing the lack of literal stick up his ass had known about so there's no point in discussing it. The biggest point here was that Tezuka was confused, about his fiancé to be exact
He wasn't entirely surprised when Fuji announced that he was going to make a photography exhibition. He had heard about Fuji's artistic skills, had seen samples of it, and was excited to see more. Fuji's enthusiasm in exhibiting his work for the first time ever in Japan was something Tezuka could not reject. He gave his permission despite knowing that it meant less time together, something Tezuka had grown accustomed to over the weeks they lived together. So, yes, he did expect to see less of his fiancé however he didn't expect Fuji's new habit.
Fuji now made as much physical contact as possible in the morning before Tezuka left, almost completely disregarding the new cameras being installed in their home on a near daily basis. Brushing hands and brief caresses were no longer uncommon. The physical distance between them had also decreased significantly to the point where Tezuka could swear that Fuji was breathing down his neck every time they're together.
However all these changed when the evening came and Tezuka arrived to a quiet house. Fuji was almost always nowhere to be seen. He returned home very late at night when Tezuka was half asleep on their bed to immediately doze off. Tezuka had tried to ask in the morning many times but almost no human on earth managed to make the grand achievement of talking to a wet, topless Fuji Syuusuke and he was actually proud to be a part of that majority.
He tried to understand the unusual behavior. He google-d it, Wikipedia-d it but there was no explanation on the dual behavior of a Fuji Syuusuke. In the end, he turned to his last resort; romance novels and yaoi mangas. After searching up and down for any other case of the irregularity on a male lover for days on ends and only finding the fictional wonders of gay sex, he finally gave up, resigned himself to the sexual torture, and saved the files on carefully-stored DVDs.
Therefore he was relieved when the exhibition was finally coming though to be honest a part of him bemoaned the possibility of less physical contact. Still, he was happy to see Fuji's exhilaration and hoped that his hormones were listening when a sappy part of his brain told him that seeing Fuji's smile was enough.
The opening day of the exhibition was attended by many critics, Fuji's father's business partners, as well as art enthusiasts. While Fuji seemed to be indifferent toward what the critics' comments, Tezuka was anxious. He had heard that they could be harsh and while he had full confidence on his fiancé's talent, he couldn't help but worry about the chance that the exhibition was not as well accepted as they hoped.
All of his worry disappeared, however when he entered the gallery. Tezuka might not know much about art but he knew beauty when he saw one. The photos captured the sights associated to Japan; historical buildings, festivals, nature, and the harmonious clash between Japanese and Western culture. Fuji successfully showed little details people barely noticed due to the gradual change over time. Tezuka knew he wasn't the only one awed by the images, people began to murmur their admiration around him and felt proud of his fiancé.
Tezuka busied himself watching the photos as Fuji entertained the guests and answered the critics' questions. It was a picture of a the coast of Japan, most probably taken during the cruise. Brilliant blue dominate it, reminding Tezuka of Fuji's eyes. He sighed when he remembered that they hadn't had much time to sit down to talk. Sure it was nice to have all that physical contacts but something else could not be replaced by suggestive moves.
"What do you think?"
Tezuka turned to see Fuji smiling at him. He recognized a subtle change in the way Fuji brought himself. He seemed more at ease, happy. Perhaps Fuji wasn't as indifferent as Tezuka thought after all. He wanted acknowledgement for his art.
"It's beautiful." Tezuka replied honestly.
Fuji hummed, pleased by the answer. "This picture reminds me of you." He suddenly said absently.
"How so?" Tezuka asked, slightly surprised.
"It's the color blue, I think. Quiet, calming, captivating." Fuji stopped to look at Tezuka who was staring at him. "Very much like you to me."
Tezuka's heart felt like it's about to burst. There was heat seeping into his body, making his skin tingle. There was a surge of a strong, unnamed emotion, sweeping over him. Fuji had never seemed more beautiful than this moment.
"Syuusuke…"
Fuji opened his mouth to say something but a certain voice stopped him. "Be awed by my presence!"
Tezuka took a deep breath to calm himself lest he'd commit homicide. The critics didn't deserve that much entertainment. Fuji didn't look so pleased either but somehow managed to keep smiling. The brunette turned to the unwanted guest and greeted him pleasantly. "Atobe. What a great surprise."
"I can't possibly miss your exhibition, can I?" Atobe then spared a glance to his rival, losing his friendliness in an instant. "Tezuka."
Tezuka nodded his greeting. "Atobe."
Fuji smartly positioned himself between them to prevent bloodbath so Tezuka could only glare at Atobe from over Fuji's shoulder. It's really too bad that Tezuka's super eye beam could be deflected by Atobe's inflated ego.
"The photographs are wonderful. I have seen several of your works before but you have truly outdone yourself this time." Atobe complimented Fuji generously.
"Thank you very much." Fuji bowed his thanks.
A smirk begin to spread on Atobe's face. Tezuka knew the diva was up to something then but before he could say anything, Atobe had beaten him up to it. "That is why I'm offering to be the sponsor of our next exhibition."
Atobe's triumphant look gained blank surprised look from Tezuka and Fuji. They were quick to recover though, with Tezuka coming up with a hundred ways to torture Atobe and Fuji with a rejection. "That's too kind of you…"
"Your exceptional talent should not be confined only in Tokyo; perhaps this time a national exhibition should be in order. I think the critics would agree with me."
Tezuka narrowed his eyes. He wanted to reject the offer –Fuji's family and his were able to sponsor any exhibition if Fuji would only ask- but he could sense that Fuji was interested in the offer. Tezuka could understand, after all, Atobe's family's company already had experience in the business of art. Also, the prospect of gaining national acknowledgment was tempting indeed. Despite his reluctance to allow Fuji got near to Atobe, Tezuka couldn't bring himself to tell Fuji to refuse.
Atobe immediately sensed this and with a victorious smile ushered Fuji to join him in a business meeting. "Why don't we talk about this in private, Fuji? I can assure you it won't be a waste of time."
Fuji looked at Atobe then Tezuka. Tezuka could only give him a nod then watch him leave with Atobe. He hated to admit it, but Atobe had won this time.
Fuji arrived home late at night, tired and troubled and guilty for being pleased with the result of the conversation with Atobe. Of course he wanted national acclaim and he could have done so earlier with his parents help but wanted to make it on his own. He did hesitate to take Atobe's offer. He knew it was just an attempt to charm him so that he would leave Tezuka but it was a golden opportunity he couldn't possibly miss even after getting so close to the result of torturing himself for week with Oshitari's advice to raise the unresolved sexual tension between him and Tezuka.
"Tezuka." Fuji greeted his fiancé who was waiting for his arrival in the living room. Tezuka merely nodded, showing that he was less than pleased by the development. He sat down heavily next to Tezuka on the couch, sighing in exhaustion. "Atobe is a very persistent person, isn't he?"
"He is." Tezuka replied quietly.
Fuji smiled warily. "He offered me a national photography exhibition in the near future but before that he asked me to join a certain project with other photographers."
"What project?"
Fuji turned to Tezuka in slight trepidation, unsure how Tezuka would take this news. "It was a project to capture the effect of climate change to raise awareness toward global warming." He paused, trying to read Tezuka's reaction but couldn't see anything past wary expectation. "I'm going to the Amazon."
Tezuka stared at him for a while longer then let out a long sigh. Fuji could definitely see why he would be upset but it was something he had always wanted and not to mention that tropical forests always fascinated him. He did want to spend time with Tezuka to work on their relationship and sexual tension but who knew when he would have such an opportunity again? Fuji could only do his best to avoid more conflict between Tezuka and Atobe by refusing the diva's attempt to accompany him in his expedition. He was immensely grateful that Atobe had thick schedule to attend to that didn't allow him to go with Fuji. Who knew what would happen if they were left alone in the middle of nowhere again? He could only hope that Tezuka would understand his selfishness.
"When are you leaving?" Tezuka finally asked.
"Around a week from now." Fuji replied with an apologetic smile.
"For how long?"
Fuji shrugged, feeling more and more guilty by the moment. "I'm not sure… but it could be as long as a month."
Tezuka sighed again. Fuji could only wait for his response quietly. He was sure that Tezuka would not throw a tantrum but an enraged Tezuka wasn't easy to deal with no matter how good the sex that might follow. He watched rather fearfully when Tezuka turned to him, not sure what to expect.
Fuji didn't expect, however, for Tezuka to lean forward and kiss his forehead. He looked up at his fiancé in wonderment as Tezuka stared back at him calmly. "This is what you want, isn't it?" He waited as Fuji continued to stare for a moment before nodding his answer. "Then so be it."
Fuji swallowed and lightly leaned his head on Tezuka's shoulder, relieved yet disappointed at the same time. He thought he knew what the theme of his next exhibition would be: the Merry Murder of Atobe Keigo.
^____^
A/N: Ugh, I have so much to say… The comment about impotency had been in my head since last year. I wanted it to be in the sequel of Demonic Love but I don't have enough sense of humor to make something like that again *is an emo* -__- Also, the last part was mostly inspired by… uh… real events *blushes*… yeah… Uh… Well, there are two more chapters to go. I hope to finish AES this year! Thank you for reading and please leave a comment ^^
