Title: Smile: Let Me
Author: Arithion
Disclaimer:
If they were mine, the series wouldn't just be implied shonen-ai in
certain bits… trust me... not mine
Rating:
PG13
Genre:
Angstish, bit of drama… um… yeah
Pairing: TezxFuji …
Chapter:
28/45
Summary:
What's
behind a smile…?
Warning: Well yes… bit of angsting, bit of ep 53, another analogy snuck in… don't look at me…don't blame me, it was Tez this time… honest!
Note: Please note, this fic has been finished for a long time, I just keep forgetting to upload it here as well as well as my LJ =x
But I'd like to thank everyone who's enjoying for taking the time to read
Smile: Let Me
Fuji stood watching Tezuka and Momoshiro and tried not to smirk with too much self satisfaction. He loved being right at the best of times, and well, this was definitely the best times. His eyes never left Tezuka, watching the way the older boy held himself intently. Tezuka's shoulders were stiff, arms crossed, face grim. He wasn't impressed in the least, but at the same time Fuji could see the undeniable sense of relief that ran through him. It was almost palpable.
The others were watching too, though Fuji doubted that they saw quite what he did. He had to stop himself from laughing as the bets started around the court. It really was mildly amusing.
Takashi started them off. The look of concentrated disbelief obvious on his face. "Twenty time, or thirty times?"
And they continued to watch. Fuji needed to swallow the laugh at the look on Arai's face, as the boy was standing right next to him, and had to stop himself from speaking out loud. If Fuji had said something, it would have simply been that thirty laps wasn't nearly enough to satiate Tezuka's mood.
Fuji almost felt sorry for Momoshiro. Tezuka was looking at him with that look, that one look that Fuji hated being looked at with. Somehow it made you realise just how irresponsible you were being, how juvenile, and made you feel dreadfully guilty on top of it. Fuji had gotten adept at avoiding that look or else ignoring it completely, but it took a lot of practise, and judging from the look on Momoshiro's face, he wasn't being successful in either evasive tactic.
Just as Fuji's concentration was centred nicely on Tezuka, Inui spoke, and Fuji had to stop himself from glaring at the other teen.
"To predict based on the data so far…probably fifty times…"
Fuji only vaguely heard the answers to that statement, due to the fact that he was too busy correcting them in his head. Fifty time… he'd be surprised if Tezuka gave less than seventy-five laps.
The next thing that wrested his attention away from Tezuka was the fact that Eiji actually said Oishi's name. After the fight they'd had the prodigy found that rather intriguing and actually listened as they spoke. He smiled when he saw them actually apologise to each other, and wondered briefly why he and Tezuka seemed to have so much trouble with such a simple thing. If he was correct in his recollections, then he'd never actually said sorry to Tezuka, just as the older boy had never said the same to him.
In a way he envied what they seemed to have. Neither of them danced around the other, putting up walls only as fast as the other could rip them down. Yet, it made him wonder if they had something deeper than friendship, if they shared the same type of bond that he and Tezuka seemed to. With that thought the envy fell away, leaving just a little smile on his face as he watched the two clap their hands together. Such a simple gesture, and yet it said so much.
They definitely had a close friendship, and Fuji couldn't say just how deep its nature went, but he did know that it made him value what he had with Tezuka all the more. Not that he'd ever say that, but it did anyway. He watched as Eiji and Oishi laughed, having finished their apologies, old wound healed, and it made Fuji chuckle slightly. "Golden Pair regrouped."
He mumbled as he turned back to face Tezuka and Momoshiro. "Now then…what happens over there…"
Tezuka's face was still grim, still determined, and Momoshiro actually looked as if he seriously regretted not having come to training. Which was probably a good thing considering Tezuka's current mood. The captain's voice was rough when he spoke, one hand in his pocket the other by his side. "I can't tolerate anyone who breaks the rules. You're not going to use your racket for a while. Pick up balls. It's terrible for you to miss club activities for three days. Okay?"
Fuji could see the tension in Momo's body as the boy answered affirmatively, and the slight hint of doubt that shadowed Tezuka's eyes. He'd have to do something about that later. Frowning a little he continued to listen as Tezuka spoke.
"One hundred times around the court."
And all Fuji could do was stand and smile as the others gaped in astonishment at the high number of laps Momo had been instructed to take. Fuji had been right again. It could get to be a habit if he wasn't careful.
As practice continued, Fuji's eyes strayed back to Tezuka a few times. If he wasn't mistaken, the older boy had rejected the study offer that morning. Ryuzaki-sensai probably hadn't said anything derogatory, knowing her, she definitely hadn't. However, knowing Tezuka as well as he did, Fuji knew the other boy would be giving himself a slight guilt trip.
Practice over, Fuji chose to wait in the locker room this time, giving Tezuka no illusion that he was gone. He watched the captain get dressed, not quite slowly, yet as meticulously as ever. Fuji allowed himself a small smile at the sight. It was strange. He never felt an overriding need to be anything but near Tezuka. Although he enjoyed it when the other boy touched him, it was something Fuji could live without. What was almost overwhelming was the feeling of needing to be near Tezuka, in physical proximity. However, Fuji didn't let himself get overwhelmed, so it was definitely only an almost.
He was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to find Tezuka already ready to go and looking down at him. Fuji hadn't heard the other boy get up, and frowned slightly at the fact that he'd managed to lose himself in his thoughts and somehow let down the guard he usually kept up. It was Tezuka he'd done it around, but still, there was the fact that he'd done it after all.
"Let's go…"
Fuji blinked, but followed the other boy out of the locker room, waiting for him to lock up and trying to bat away the curiosity that was threatening to drown him right about then. When they began walking, he glanced over at the taller boy, and surmised that Tezuka was definitely walking with a purpose in mind. More than likely, he had somewhere he wanted them to go. Finally giving into his curisotiy , Fuji spoke softly. "Is it important?"
With a glance at Fuji and a slight upturning of his lips, Tezuka nodded and spoke just as softly. "It is… for me."
Biting back a laugh, Fuji just continued to smile, suddenly comforted by the sense of Déjà vu he had.
A bus ride and a little more walking later, they came to stop outside a very large builing. Fuji shielded his eyes against the light and looked up to note that it was in fact a very tall building. He glanced over to find Tezuka doing the same.
With that same almost there smile, Tezuka turned to Fuji and spoke. "We're here…"
"Ahh," was all Fuji said at first. He had to bite down a lot of answers that were almost making fun of Tezuka, but instead he chose to continue the play. "Lead the way…"
And this time he was quite certain of it, Tezuka chuckled as he turned and walked into the building. With a glance up at the Indoor Rock Climbing Centre's sign, Fuji sighed. This was definitely going to prove interesting.
From the way Tezuka handled booking them in and getting the equipment they would need, Fuji realised his friend probably didn't just have that picture of the Matterhorn on his wall for kicks and because he liked hiking. It really amazed him sometimes, just how much he didn't know about Tezuka, and it made him feel almost guilty, because Fuji never felt guilty, except for that once.
Fuji's training shoes were deemed good enough, as were their tennis uniforms which they'd changed back into. Tezuka led Fuji to a far corner, where a rope was attached to something that looked like a pulley to Fuji, which would later be explained to be a belaying and rappelling device. There Tezuka handed him a harness and showed Fuji how to put it on, by putting on his own. Taking a step closer, the older boy helped Fuji make sure the harness was correctly in place.
Pointing at the walls, Tezuka spoke, his voice low. "See the different coloured holds?" He barely waited for Fuji's nod before continuing. "The different colours are different degrees of difficulty. You could just chose to take the colours as the most convenient one comes and climb the wall that way. However, if you play by the rules, its not only more challenging, but more satisfying in the long run." Brown eyes flickered briefly as if thinking something over before locking with Fuji's once more. "It's a lot harder, and you can make it as difficult for yourself as you want to. But at the end of the day, if you give in and take the easy way out, you're only cheating yourself."
Fuji nodded and walked to the wall, feeling the grips that jutted out, running his fingers along the grooves in them. Not only were the colours that were farther apart, well, farther apart, but their grips were smaller as well. Turning to face Tezuka, he asked a question. "Hands and feet to the colours?"
Tezuka nodded, beckoning to Fuji to come back over to him. Hooking the harness into place, he continued his instruction. "You can use chalk to help you get a better grip on the holds. It's like having a way to hold onto what it is you're aiming for." He finished making sure Fuji's harness was safe before continuing. "This," and he tugged on the harness a little gesturing to the rope it was attached to. "This is the support. You need to trust your support fully, because without it, if you lose your hold and your support isn't worthy of that trust, you can fall forty feet to the ground."
Tezuka's eyes were so intense, Fuji didn't realise he was holding his breath until he started to run out of it. The other boy was speaking softly, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear what he was saying, and Fuji found himself almost leaning forward to hear it.
"It's not as easy as it looks, to climb that wall. You can tire easily, or lose a grip if your hands become too sweaty, so this is needed." Tezuka tugged on the rope for emphasis. "It doesn't make you weak because you use it. It makes sense. You can't do it alone without a high risk factor, because you can't fly, and you won't be able to save yourself if you fall." He took a breath, eyes never leaving Fuji's face, looking so hard, as if searching for something. "Using your weigh, you can act as an anchor for the person on the wall and guide them down should they need you to do so."
"Ahh." Fuji glanced up at the wall, and reached out to test the rope, understanding what Tezuka meant, but wanting to make sure. "So, you'll give me enough rope to allow me to move up freely without it tugging against me and restraining me. But it won't be enough to be a danger to me, should I fall." He looked to Tezuka for confirmation that he was right in his train of thought.
The taller boy nodded. "I'll give you enough rope for you to move without constraint, but never enough so that I can't pick up the slack should you fall."
~Never enough to hand himself…~ Fuji smirked a little at the thought, but didn't say it out loud. There was something missing, something that he felt the need to say, yet wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. Looking up, he realised what it was. "And I'll do the same for you in return?" Fuji smiled, eyes locking with Tezuka's once more.
The tiny smile that creased Tezuka's face was worth it, and the words he spoke were barely audible to anyone but Fuji. "You always have."
Fuji's smile softened a little, and he spoke just as softly, not wanting anyone else to hear what he was saying, what he was sharing with Tezuka. "Then you should climb first, and I'll ground you…"
Tezuka shook his head, and Fuji was slightly surprised but the older boy spoke before he could say anything. "No. You always come second. This time you go first." And the underlying words were so clear Fuji could have sworn he heard them fall from Tezuka's lips. You're not my follower, you never have been. I won't let you act like it here.
All Fuji could do was nod. And he turned to face the wall, chaling his hands in the process to help his grip. Glancing at the wall for a second, he chose the white grips, about medium difficulty, not too far apart and not too close. Clapping his hands together to free himself of the extra substance on them, he began climbing the wall without a glance back at the other boy, knowing that Tezuka would catch him, support him and save him if he fell.
Because Fuji knew he would do exactly the same for Tezuka.
~~**~~
*nods* That was it… hope you liked the chapter… Other Mind 7 – takes place in Tezuka's mind at the end of this chapter.
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Next chapter coming soon!
