A/N: Haha, so I lied about not updating my other stories with My Brother's Keeper still not done...but that's a good thing, right? (hopeful). This just begged to be written and my muse was kind. Cookies to hakkaisensei for being an awesome beta. And thanks for all your support, although the last chapter really wasn't much for TezuFuji.

Rating: I'm toying with the idea of moving the rating up to M, it's not concrete yet, as I haven't really written anything, but if anyone vehemently hates the idea, or vehemently loves the idea (if that's even possible?) now is your chance to let me know.

Bunny Adoption?: I have had this prompt plague me for like the last five months, I have attempted to write it eight times now, and failed eight times. But it's actually a fairly good bunny (at least I think so) so if anyone wants to take it and make it into an oneshot or something, please do so!! I'll attempt to glomp you in cyberspace, or I'll also write something for you. If anyone's interested, a PM would be nice.

Bunny: (Fantasy, features Atobe x Tezuka x Fuji OT3) In order to get Regent Tezuka into bed, Prince Atobe commissions a lust potion from the Apothecary Fuji. But because Fuji is Fuji, the lust potion turns out conveniently...faulty.

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Cheers!

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X

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Tezuka thought it was just like Atobe to saunter into his office without consulting his secretary, sit down, and ask: "When do you have time to go back to the brothel?" It was an abrupt question and it left Tezuka at a loss.

"What do you mean?" He put down his pen.

Atobe shrugged. "What I asked. It's your birthday soon, isn't it?"

Tezuka was suddenly alarmed. His eyes roamed his office, looking everywhere but Atobe and then he settled his focus on a calendar. It was October 6th. He had known that, of course; Tezuka was never the type to lose track of dates. But it rarely registered that his birthday was the following day.

And...

"...Are you angry because I missed your birthday?"

"Maybe I'm a little upset, but no, not angry. I had a nice birthday either way." Atobe shrugged. "Hikari outdid herself this year, I'll give her that."

Maybe it was the way that Atobe said it, but Tezuka looked over to see that Atobe's hands were folded neatly on the desk, and that he wore no ring. He shook his head. "But not enough for you to marry her."

"I can't marry her, you know that just as well as I do." Atobe seemed annoyed that Tezuka even thought to bring up the subject he most despised.

Tezuka let the subject go. If he pressed it further, Atobe would have told him he was too busy to get married; that would have been a lie, or maybe not. Atobe was too busy chasing after little prostitutes in high-caliber brothels to get married and lead a proper life.

He picked up his pen and turned back to his file.

"Your point is?"

"I don't really have a point." Atobe shrugged. "Even ore-sama is entitled to his moments, yes?" He leaned forward, as if sharing a big secret. "...Fuji wants to see you."

Tezuka paused, but before he could give too much away, he resumed writing, on a pad of paper, so it wouldn't mess up the file he was working on. "I know, he called me."

"Oh." Atobe seemed disappointed for a moment. "Well...what did he say?"

It never crossed Tezuka's mind to tell the truth; in short, he told the best lie he'd ever told. "He did and I told him I was busy. I told him I'd drop by if I had time."

Atobe looked surprised at first, but then his smirk found its way back to his face and he studied the man across the desk. "I can't tell if you're lying or not."

"Take a guess, you may get lucky," Tezuka said, pleased in spite of himself.

"If I gave you the day off tomorrow for your birthday so you have time, would you go see him?"

"Why does it matter so much to you whether I see Fuji or not?" Tezuka demanded quietly. "If anything, I'd rather you mind your own business."

"Because." There was an unexpected pause. Tezuka stopped writing.

Atobe looked down at his hands. "Just because, if you don't like him, you should tell him. I think he's fallen in love with you. You're a cruel man, Tezuka, and you know I respect that, but you don't want to just disappoint a boy like that."

Fuji was hardly a boy. He looked like one and smiled like one, yes, but...

Tezuka paused.

"He what?"

Atobe smirked at him; he knew he had Tezuka's attention now. "He's fallen in love with you, Lord knows how you did that. But I'm pretty sure you've done it." He stopped at that point to let it sink in.

This time, there was a long silence. Tezuka felt too much all at once, and it took effort to speak. "He is lying." The words sounded rather--no, very lame.

Atobe gave him a pitying look. "Both you and I know that it's not true."

"Fuji is a good liar." His argument became more and more futile as Atobe's knowing smirk grew wider. Tezuka was starting to understand what a cornered rat felt like. It was by no means a pleasant feeling.

"I'm a better liar." Atobe sounded proud.

Tezuka simply looked at him. "That's not something to be proud of."

"I'm not proud of it," Atobe shrugged. "Just stating a fact." He stood up then and gave the other man a good hard stare. "Mull it over, Tezuka, and take the day off for tomorrow; think of it as a birthday present. Happy birthday."

-

Tezuka did end up mulling it over; he mulled it over so much that his head hurt as he climbed into bed that night. He mulled it over so much that every time he closed his eyes and tried to sleep he saw blue eyes.

Fuji couldn't have fallen in love with him. Impossible. Illogical.

It was impossible. Atobe had sounded so smug when he said it.

"Just because, if you don't like him, you should tell him. I think he's fallen in love with you. You're a cruel man, Tezuka, and you know I respect that, but you don't want to just disappoint a boy like that."

Tezuka couldn't have given him a straight answer even if his very life was dependent on it; love was such a complex emotion to bestow upon one human being. Love gave Tezuka Kunimitsu more than his fair share of headaches. So he liked to leave love well alone. Very much alone.

But the same could not be said for love. Love refused to leave Tezuka alone. No matter how hard he tried to keep the emotion at bay.

Tezuka's eyes found the luminous dials of his watch. It was inching on towards midnight. A few more minutes, and he would be a year older. He debated whether or not to get up and make coffee.

That debate was interrupted when his phone buzzed. Tezuka turned towards the flickering screen with bleary eyes, already knowing who it was going to be.

Still he held the phone in his hand and stared at the name that blazed back at him.

Fuji Syusuke.

A sweet boy with his white kimonos and blue eyes.

With his sweet tongue and light kisses. Even if it had only been one kiss.

Tezuka sighed, flipped the phone open and lay back down on the bed.

"Hello?"

There was a pause, then a timid voice: "Tezuka-sama...?"

"Yes, this is Tezuka." Tezuka made sure his voice was even, that it gave nothing away. "Hello, Fuji."

"Were you sleeping?"

"No."

"Oh, that's good." The boy sounded relieved. "I mean, it's not good that you're not getting enough sleep, but it's good that I didn't wake you, that's what I meant. You should sleep, you know, Tezuka-sama."

"I was about to go to sleep." That was only a half-lie.

Fuji's voice promptly deflated. "Oh."

Tezuka stared up at the ceiling. "...But...I'm glad you called me." He meant it.

There was a silence, a dark reverent silence. Tezuka closed his eyes and saw a beautiful smile. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

The smile grew. Tezuka felt his own face grow warm in the dark. He was glad it was dark.

There was another long silence before Fuji said, "I'm happy."

Tezuka was too, but for some reason he couldn't just blurt it out loud.

Fuji spared him. "Ne, Tezuka-sama, what's tomorrow?"

A smile almost touched his lips, but Tezuka willed it away. When he raised his wrist, the luminous dials of his watch read 12:12. "You mean today. It's after midnight."

It was a light laugh that reached his ears. "You do remember, then. I was afraid that you'd be one of those people who forgot their own birthdays."

"If Atobe hadn't reminded me, I suppose I would have become one of those people," Tezuka said.

There was a pause.

"Oh." Fuji's voice dropped a few notches. "Did he give you something nice?"

"He gave me a day off."

Fuji took a deep breath. "...Tezuka-sama, actually, if you come see me tomorrow, I'll give you something better than a day off...would you come see me, please?"

"I..." Tezuka trailed off. He suddenly remembered that being busy was not a viable excuse for tomorrow. "Aren't you angry at me?"

"No," Fuji laughed. "Do I sound angry?"

"No, but..."

"Or is it just a bad excuse not to see me?" Still, the voice was light and Fuji laughed again.

Tezuka sighed. "No, I'll come tomorrow." He lay on his side and breathed in the scent of freshly-laundered cotton. Tezuka vaguely wondered if Fuji's bed smelled the same. "What time are you available?"

"I'm...available after four." Somehow, Fuji had managed to make the word sound mocking. "Shiraishi-sama booked me for the morning."

Shiraishi. It was the second time he had heard that name, and Tezuka wasn't pleased to hear it. Even if he did know the nature of Fuji's...work, if one could even call it work.

"Ah, I'll come after four then."

Fuji smiled, "See you then. I'm hanging up."

There was a soft click.

-

White light spilled through his curtains without permission and Tezuka kept his eyes closed.

After a moment or two, he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, vision hazy as always without the aid of his glasses.

He rubbed his eyes. What had Fuji said?

"...Tezuka-sama, actually, if you come see me tomorrow, I'll give you something better than a day off...would you come see me, please?"

Tezuka suddenly remembered he was a virgin. And before his nonexistent imagination ran too wild, he went to take a long cold shower.

-

Outside of the office, Yukari was no longer homely. His secretary, outside of the office, was actually quite an attractive girl. And the sad thing was, Tezuka had gone around with Atobe long enough to develop an eye for attractive women (unoriginal as his tastes may be.) The fact that he was willing to admit that within the deeply private recesses of his mind meant something.

Her shoes were designer heels and they looked hazardous. Tezuka wondered if Atobe bought them for her.

"How does it feel to be twenty-seven, Tezuka-san?" She asked him, with a small smile curling about her lips.

"Old," Tezuka admitted.

This made Yukari laugh, and Tezuka felt older. "It's all right - no matter how you look at it, you'll always be three days younger than Atobe-san. That should make you feel better."

"Well, I don't know if it does or not." Tezuka shrugged. "Would you like something to drink before we go?"

"No, I'm fine, Tezuka-san." She smiled at him, and her teeth glinted like her earrings, which also looked expensive. 'Expensive' brought Atobe to mind again. "Why did you call me? You weren't very specific about it over the phone." Which probably confused her because Tezuka was always specific.

Tezuka had thought about it beforehand. It was just unacceptable to say he was going to shop for a present for a...for paid company in a brothel. For Atobe maybe it was acceptable, but for Tezuka, definitely not.

"I have to go to my cousin's wedding anniversary at four o' clock. It's not good taste to show up with nothing, but I'm terrible at this type of thing," Tezuka said, turning away from her to walk into the kitchen. He poured himself coffee; it really was easier to lie to someone when he was not looking at them. "So I was wondering...if you could help me a little."

"Help you?" Yukari thought for a minute. "I suppose I could Although it is your cousin, Tezuka-san. What does he like?"

"I was thinking of buying him a kimono. He collects them." He was really getting better at this lying business. Tezuka wondered if Fuji would be proud of him.

"Really? Well, kimonos aren't hard to pick out." Yukari smiled. "Come on."

-

Tezuka ended up buying more than he intended, partially because Yukari was a little too helpful for her own good, and that perhaps in his fervor to please someone for once, he went too far. The quest for one kimono became four kimonos; three of them were white, one of them in a blue that Tezuka knew matched Fuji's eyes.

In addition to that, there was an assorted collection of random jewelery that Yukari deemed proper for 'his cousin's wife', so that she wouldn't get jealous of his cousin. Tezuka briefly wondered what to do with all the jewelery. He couldn't remember if Fuji had pierced ears, and he didn't recall the boy wearing any jewelery the few times they did meet.

He insisted on buying Yukari burgers for lunch. If they didn't stop for lunch, he figured that she was young enough to go on shopping until four o' clock. She seemed rather surprised.

"I didn't think Tezuka-san liked burgers."

"Yes, well, I was young once a few hundred years ago," Tezuka said with a shrug. "I know it's hard to believe."

Yukari smiled. "I meant no offense, Tezuka-san. You should try to be young more often. It suits you."

With that, she picked up the tray with their burgers and drinks and headed towards the corner where there was a table open. Lugging more bags than he should, Tezuka followed. If this was what young people did nowadays, he'd rather stay old.

He sat down across from her, depositing the bags on the chair next to him. Yukari ate her burger like a lady should, dabbing at her mouth every five seconds.

There was a silence, then she said, "You must really like your cousin."

Tezuka promptly choked on his soda and that earned him a strange look. "...You think so?" He asked, his voice as even as he could manage it.

"Well, it's rare to see you go out on a limb for something other than business." She picked up a fry and squeezed out the excess oil on her napkin. "It's a nice change in Tezuka-san."

"Really?" He was still dumbfounded.

Yukari nodded. "Of course it is. Or did you secretly get a girlfriend without telling me? Are these presents for her instead?"

"I..." Tezuka paused perhaps a minute too long, and then he shook his head. "Of course not." His tone was neutral as he took a bite of his burger, since he was telling the truth, after all.