Title: Timing
Date: November 17, 2013
New chapter! Hope you all like!
Fuji Shusuke
Chapter 4
It was way too hot to be outside, playing tennis nonetheless… But his practice match against Hyotei's Oshitari Yuushi was done and over with and he was just glad to find a nice patch of grass under this wonderfully shaded tree to sit under. Using his teeth to pull the cap of his water bottle open, he tested the now lukewarm water on his tongue before swallowing. Despite the lacklustre temperature, it still felt the slightest bit refreshing and that was more than enough at this point in time.
He closed his eyes.
He could hear the faint sound of balls hitting against string, thumping and resounding in an almost musical beat. All mixed in with the cries from cicadas and the rustling from the trees after a welcoming gentle breeze. And he wanted to stay like that... Sitting under this tree, unnoticed and away from all the heated excitement of the tennis courts. He could feel his breaths steady, as if any second now he could fall into a nice relaxing...
"You played nicely against Oshitari." A stifling voice resonated in his ears.
Blinking an eye open he could see Hyotei's captain standing in front of him; tall and magnificent. That trademark smirk covering his face in a handsomely unintentionally mocking expression, and those slate grey eyes were as electrifying as ever. Penetrating and intrusive in an almost dangerously frightening manner.
"The real Higuma Otoshi is obvious next to an imitation." Atobe's smirk widened the slightest.
"... Thank you." He replied slowly. He realized that he had never spoken to the darker haired boy in a one to one setting before... the opportunity had never presented itself in the past and truth be told, Atobe Keigo wasn't the kind of person he'd go out of his way to make friends with. Of course, he had felt the other's almost invasive gaze smoulder through him during all his tournament matches from the moment he had made a name for himself as Seishun Gakuen's tensai... no, it was before then too... But Atobe wasn't the only one, and it was all in the matter of tennis anyways.
"I wonder…" Atobe's voice grew hushed, "Who would win in a match? You or… your captain?"
"He's not here." Fuji instantly replied, suddenly feeling the need to go defensive. It was uncomfortable… Something inside him, be it intuition, was telling him to avoid any further interaction with the boy standing in front of him. The same boy who further damaged Tezuka's arm… And there was no redemption from that.
"Hypothetical question." The Hyotei captain released a low chuckle, "I think, if the game didn't end in six maybe seven sets and there were no limits… you'd certainly come out on top."
"I'm glad you think so highly of me." He could feel his teeth unconsciously grit tighter together.
"Well, I should get warmed up." Atobe shrugged, "I'm playing against that little mouthy brat on your team."
"His name is Echizen." Fuji retorted.
"Whatever." Atobe replied flippantly, "He's just an unimaginative boy mimicking and stealing the moves of others… Wouldn't you agree?"
He wasn't sure what exactly the dark haired captain was implying, but he didn't like it.
"So little genius, just how far are you going to let this tiny brat get away with it?" The grin making its way onto the Hyotei captain's face was infuriating.
"I don't know what you're talking about." It was the truth.
"Or... Maybe you're okay with that snarky brat taking away everything that's yours." Atobe took a step forward before squatting down in front of him, the distance between them way too close for comfort, "That's very generous of you."
And he was met with a set of glaucous gray eyes. A colour one would expect to be dull, was nothing but wonderfully unique with its swirls of slate and traces of embedded cerulean. It was a surprisingly unique colour… but daunting, as they reflected his image… his own set of widened azure eyes. It was like staring into a mirror… a mirror with no one standing on the other side.
He could feel a shiver run down his spine…
… But he wasn't going to back down, "Are you worried that maybe… He'll steal your moves too?"
Atobe leaned back blinking, a pleasant look of surprise covering his face, "I was right! … You're very interesting Fuji Shusuke. But sorry to disappoint you, I have nothing worth stealing."
"Says the King of Hyotei." He pointed out.
A harsh almost bitter laugh escaped through Atobe's lips as the Hyotei captain stood up, the expression covering his face hidden and silhouetted by the scorching sun, and the words falling off his tongue indiscernible.
He watched as the Hyotei captain retreated towards the tennis courts, his shoulders and back awfully broad and upright… Their short conversation running through his head again and again warding off whatever small nap he was very much looking forward to. He shouldn't have been this disturbed... And as much as he didn't want to admit it, Tezuka's absence did affect him. It took away a piece of him and completely threw him off balance.
"It's... hot!" Eiji waved him over, "Ooh! Pass me your water bottle!"
He took a seat next to the redhead overlooking the tennis courts.
"Ew! It's warm!" Eiji stuck his tongue out in disgust, yet continued to drink, "Check out Inui all the way over there. He's twitching all over; I bet he can't wait to write down as much as he can off of these two."
He glanced over to their bespectacled teammate before turning his attention back onto the courts. Their youngest regular was doing some light stretches; while across the thin net Hyotei's captain was doing similar.
"I think that..." He stopped himself, struggling to find the right words.
Eiji's sky blue eyes turned towards him, staring intently and patiently.
"... I may have matured a little inside..." He concluded softly.
"What do you mean?" The redhead arched a brow, light blue eyes held steady.
He watched as Echizen Ryoma served the first ball.
"I can't bring myself to hate him."
Eiji followed his gaze, "… Ochibi?"
"He really grows on you." He could feel a smile forming on his lips, "I'm actually quite fond of him… I can't help but respect him a little."
Their youngest freshman was locked in a rally with Hyotei's captain.
"I get it." He turned towards the redhead, a bright smile plastered onto his face, "I honestly get it. And I don't feel so angry losing Tezuka to someone like that."
"Wait…" Eiji looked puzzled, "Are you saying-?"
He nodded his head, "I feel like… maybe I can be a little happier."
"Chiro would like to make a toast!" Kikumaru Eiji announced loudly, as he prodded his boyfriend to stand up.
It took a while, but the Seishun Gakuen vice-captain offered a small wave and an almost sheepish smile, "Through hard work, we managed to place first in the Kantou Regionals with our team win over Rikkai Dai Fuzoku. We have all struggled with our own hardships and overcame many obstacles together. I think I speak for all us third years, but losing Tezuka brought back some bad feelings from our freshman year. But in the end, it brought us all closer together and made us into a stronger team. Tezuka, we're glad to have you back!"
Fuji could feel his attention pulled onto their team captain, as Tezuka offered a firm nod.
"A-And I think I speak for us all when I say how truly blessed we are for having Echizen join the team." Oishi turned towards the youngest of the regulars, "We're counting on you for Nationals too."
"Here, here!" Momoshiro vigorously patted the golden eyed boy on the back.
Next to him, Fuji could hear Eiji's deafening laugh, "Momo! You're killing ochibi!"
Almost an instant later, Echizen spat out a half-chewed sushi roll before glaring at the second year. And a thunderous wave of laughs filled the Kawamura Sushi restaurant.
"Fujiko. More of your favourites." Kawamura offered a warm smile.
His eyes landed on the plate of wasabi sushi, "Thanks Taka-san!"
"… How can you eat so many of those?" Eiji was eyeing the plate warily.
"Eiji, need I remind you that I didn't say anything when I caught you eating that tube of toothpaste." Fuji recalled.
"Hey!" The redhead stuck his tongue out, "It was strawberry flavoured! I couldn't help it!"
"You shouldn't do that." Oishi tilted his head to better engage himself with the two other people in the conversation, "You'll get sick from all the fluoride."
"But strawberries!" Eiji whined.
And across the room, Momoshiro was still apologizing to their freshman who looked about ready to smash the other across the head with a tennis racquet. And in the next table over, their team data specialist was hunched over in what appeared to be an in depth conversation with Kawamura's father while ominously showing him an unlabelled bottle of a strangely coloured liquid. And next to Inui sat Kaidoh, who was looking a little paler than usual. It was oddly heart-warming how close the third year and junior have gotten since the beginning of the year. He would have never bet on Inui forming any sort of affectionate relationship any time soon, let alone managing to find himself a boyfriend. But it happened.
There was a loud crash on the other side of the restaurant; Ryuzaki-sensei (the only one of legal drinking age) had a sake bottle at hand, her face a jovial red and her proud grin wide. If anyone had the right to celebrate, it had to be Ryuzaki-sensei who had supported them throughout all their trainings and tournaments. And almost unconsciously, he could feel his gaze drawn over to where Tezuka Kunimitsu sat… or where he was supposed to be sitting.
He stood up.
Eiji was offering him a questioning look, "Toilet?"
He shook his head, "I need some air."
"Okay! Don't stay out too long!" Eiji grinned before turning back towards Oishi.
He pushed the restaurant doors open, a gust of warm air carrying the scent of summer hitting his face.
"It must have been an inconvenience, but thank you for keeping an eye on things while I was gone." A familiar deep voice caught his ear, and he turned to meet magnificently bronze eyes hidden behind oval glasses.
The Seishun Gakuen captain gave him a small nod of acknowledgement, before turning his attention back to the phone he held against his ear.
He leaned back against the brick walls to Kawamura Sushi, debating whether to go back inside and not disturb the other boy. But he was already outside, and it was refreshingly nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of a team who just qualified for Nationals. He was never one for big parties and celebrations, a trait he shared with the boy standing just a few feet away.
"Let me know when you need this favour repaid." Tezuka replied curtly into his handheld before hanging up, turning to arch a brow at him.
He reacted with a small smile, "Who was that?"
"Atobe Keigo." Tezuka shrugged.
And he could feel his smile dimmer. He wondered how the hell Tezuka could associate himself with the heartless bastard who exploited his old injury… the creep who didn't blink an eye as he aimed the ball in a precise perfect smash over the handle of his injured arm's racquet. And he could only give his captain a questioning look.
"Don't worry about it." Tezuka wasn't going to give him an answer.
So, he let the issue drop.
And they settled into a comfortable silence.
"I'm glad you made it back for Nationals." And he could feel his voice almost crack from his own sincerity.
There was the smallest, rarest of smiles covering Tezuka Kunimitsu's face and he could feel his chest tighten.
"Oishi told me you did well while I was away."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He could feel his smile widen.
"You were serious. You played properly." Tezuka explained.
He laughed, "I didn't want another Tezuka Lecture for when you got back."
"I wasn't going to give you one." Tezuka replied honestly.
And maybe it was the frankness in Tezuka's voice, or the way those bronze eyes held steady and unmoving. But there was always that certain quality about him that constantly reminded him why Tezuka Kunimitsu was so special. That invisible attraction, that grew into a love that grabbed his heart so wholly and completely. And even though Tezuka was in love with someone else, he couldn't help his own feelings.
He was in love with Tezuka Kunimitsu.
… And that wasn't going to change overnight.
Heck, it might never change.
He knew for certain that he would always hold a torch for the boy he fell so utterly in love with the moment their eyes met in their first year of middle school in that busy hallway. Yes, he was in love and despite how painful it was to admit it… he wanted Tezuka to be happy. And he wanted to support Tezuka. He wanted to do everything in his power to ensure that everything would always be perfect for Tezuka. And maybe it was his way of giving up… or perhaps his love for Tezuka had finally if possible grown even bigger, and large enough to engulf his jealousy for Echizen… but a sense of closure was falling over him.
He broke the silence, "… I have a really good feeling about Nationals."
"Me too." Tezuka's expression was soft.
And he could feel his lips curve into a painless smile.
To be continued.
Note: So to avoid any confusion, this story is going to be moved into the M section. I should have written it there to begin with, but I felt that the first 10 chapters weren't really M material and the pace was just going by so slowly because until now I've just been trying to tie up events to fit the PoT storyline. Hopefully this story will get a little more exciting… So up until this point, thank you for dealing with me and sticking by me!
I especially want to thank Lexy the Thief, fujiyuki, Hijackergal, White Ensigma and supremekikay24 for reading and for the repeat reviews. I don't get a lot of reviews for this story, but I have a handful of consistent readers which I am super grateful for. And every time I write out a new chapter, I always keep you guys in mind. Honestly, I feel almost obligated to update this fic as quickly as possible because I don't want to leave you few hanging! Thanks for all the motivation and I really hope you all stick around until the end! Happy faces!