Chapter 5
As they walked into the house, Fuji called out, "I'm home!"
A soprano voice answered from a back room. "I'm in the kitchen, Syuusuke. Are you hungry? Dinner's almost ready."
"Hai, Okaasan, I'm starved," he replied as the couple headed towards her. "I also brought a friend with me," he said entering the kitchen.
"Why, hello, Kunimitsu-kun. Would you like to join us for dinner?"
"Arigatou, Fuji-san."
"Okaasan," the tensai continued, "we're going to the movies with Eiji and Oishi at 6:30. And then I'm going to stay over Kunimitsu's house again tonight. His family is out of town. Do I have enough time to go change before the food's ready?"
"If you hurry. Dinner will be done in five to ten minutes," stated his mother sweetly.
"Alright then, we'll be fast. Come with me, Mitsu," he said, motioning to his friend.
After bowing politely, Tezuka followed his partner up the stairs. As they entered the bedroom, Fuji hurriedly changed out of his warm-ups and into a pair of jeans. He next put a few items in an overnight bag, then decided on a black T-shirt for the evening. Suddenly, he turned to Tezuka with a twinkle in his eye, "Should I bring my camera?"
"Um," replied Tezuka snapping out of his muse where he had been relishing the sight of his lover's ivory coloring and well-toned torso and how the black material contrasted so beautifully with his skin and his eyes. "Uh, no. I'd rather not have Eiji be able to blackmail me later."
Fuji sprang over and planted a quick kiss on warm lips. "This is another reason why I like you so much. You can keep up with me." He then paused and surveyed his room. Getting one more item from a drawer, he said, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go eat."
During dinner, Tezuka felt a little uncomfortable, but didn't let it show, being a master of stoicism in public. He had previously told Eiji he didn't care who saw them together, and that was true, but parents, he now considered, were a different matter. He didn't know how Syuusuke's would react to their son having a boyfriend, so he kept his face neutral and answered all questions politely, yet succinctly.
Fuji was pleased that neither Yuuta, nor Yumiko, were home to have dinner with them, since his sister might ask some prying questions and he wasn't yet ready to divulge all information to her. He was also glad she wasn't there because he noticed how tense Tezuka had become and, again, her questions might rattle him. Fuji knew his family was pretty liberal and open on a lot of subjects, but his buchou did not. He grinned to himself and decided to not stress his lover further by teasing him in front of his family, or under the table. Instead, he supplemented all of his buchou's answers to keep the conversation light and on two topics; tennis and school. To speed things along, he, also, ate as quickly as possible. Upon finishing his meal, Fuji reminded his parents about the movies. He then asked Tezuka if he was ready to go. Indicating yes with a nod and thanking Syuusuke's parents, Tezuka stood. The two then said their good-byes and left to meet their friends.
They made it to the first station just as the train they needed opened its doors. Hopping on with the other passengers, they subsequently found a place to stand, since it was still early on Saturday and the train was crowded. Two stops later, they departed and went to another platform for the next line. Again, it was standing room only. Of course, the two didn't mind the close quarters. And they didn't mind, either, each time the train's movements brought them into closer, physical contact.
They finally arrived at the movie theater a little after the appointed time. As they approached the ticket window to read the titles, they heard a shout, "Hoi, Hoi! Fuji! Tezuka!" Turning, they saw Eiji energetically waving. Fuji returned the wave and the two began walking over to their friends. Eiji bounded up to them, meeting the couple halfway, a huge grin on his face. Oishi followed his partner, his smile just as broad.
"Yay!" the redhead exclaimed, "You're here." His voice got a little softer as his head moved closer to Fuji's, "What did you guys do after I left? I want all the details."
The tensai chuckled, while hearing Tezuka 'hmph' quietly. "Later," he whispered back.
"So, what movie are we seeing?" Tezuka asked his fukubuchou.
Oishi replied with a slight hesitation, "'Ju-On: The Grudge'...Eiji really wants to see it."
"Great," thought the buchou. "One of my least favorite genres."
Overhearing the movie title and aware of Tezuka's lack of response, Fuji leaned in and nudged him with his shoulder. "We could just do what I mentioned earlier," he said suggestively.
"What, what?" questioned Eiji.
With a sly smile, Fuji replied, "Sore wa...himitsu desu."
As the redhead began to pout, Oishi interrupted before anything else was said, afraid of where the teasing could lead. "We should go in. We already bought the tickets."
"Yeah," chimed in the energetic regular, bouncing back quickly, "it's our treat for your coming out with us."
Everyone reacted swiftly to the comment: Fuji laughed loudly, Tezuka just stared, and Oishi cried out, a bit horrified, "Eiji!"
"Wha...?" Eiji thought, puzzled at the reactions. "I thought it was funny. Fuji and I are always teasing each other about our sexual preferences. And we are guys dating guys. And they did tell me they didn't care and that they weren't going to hide it. So, why is Oishi so upset? Maybe Fuji...is Tezuka's first boyfriend!" He looked sheepishly in his buchou's direction.
"I really need to start carrying my camera around with me more," Fuji said, still laughing, "I keep missing the funniest faces!" Taking hold of Tezuka's hand and turning, he said, "Come on, let's go in before there aren't any seats left together."
"Coming out?" mumbled the buchou staying immobile. "That was a pun, right? Does it mean I'm finally being social or that I'm gay? Hmm...I'm perfectly fine with either one, or both." While trying to look bewildered, he said louder, "I'm confused, Syuusuke. Enlighten me."
"Funny, Mistu," quipped Fuji while giving his hand an appreciative squeeze. "You should just stick with your captain's duties and leave the jokes to me and Eiji. Okay?"
"Hai," he answered. Then looking at the other two, he shrugged, then grinned, "Well, that seems to be settled. We're out. You're out. I guess all that's left is to watch a movie. So..." Tezuka turned and walked hand in hand with Fuji towards the entrance. The Golden Pair followed, faces registering relief mixed with mirth.
Theater 2 was less than three-quarters full, so they found four seats in a line without too much difficulty. Eiji and Fuji sat next to each other in the middle, while Tezuka and Oishi sat on either side. Within minutes of settling in, the lights dimmed. Fuji leaned closer and rested a hand on his buchou's leg, while Tezuka put an arm around him. The Golden Pair snuggled together as much as the seats would allow them
The movie, thought Tezuka, was not as bad as he was afraid it would be. It wasn't a masterpiece, but at least it wasn't a slasher and blood-spurting-everywhere kind of horror movie. The premise was believable enough, vengeful spirits cursing people coming in contact with them, as well. It was nice, too, that in a couple of the scenes designed to make one jump, Tezuka felt his leg squeezed by Fuji. Maybe that was part of their appeal, couple-wise at least, he considered, and decided he shouldn't completely cross them off his list. He smiled inwardly and tightened his arm around his lover.
As the credits rolled and the houselights came on, the four made their way to the exit. When they got outside, Fuji leaned into Eiji and said eerily, "Pretty creepy, huh?"
"Yeah," the redhead answered. "Good thing Oishi's staying with me tonight. I'm already a little spooked."
"That's a good idea. But I'm sure if you get very anxious, he's got a really nice remedy to help you relax," Fuji said wickedly.
Within seconds, Oishi's cheeks turned crimson and Eiji snickered..
"Syuusuke," Tezuka groaned. "I really didn't need that visual of my fukubuchou at the moment."
"Why? You don't like hugs?" he asked sweetly, then feigned shock. "Mitsu, I'm speechless! Where is your mind?"
"We'll see about that later," he grinned, then turned his attention to the other two. "Anyway, it's only a little after 9. How about ice cream or something?"
"Sounds enticing," said Fuji smugly, not missing a beat. As he wrapped his arms around Tezuka's waist, he added, "Ice cream sounds good, too." The taller male responded by encircling his friend's waist and giving him a soft kiss, then looked at his teammates. "Any other thoughts?"
Oishi piped up. "I know of a place near here that's really good. It might be crowded, so we may not be able to get a table."
They all agreed that sitting in the shop didn't matter and made their way over. When they arrived, it wasn't as busy as Oishi predicted. They placed their order and then sat in one of the two available booths. They chatted for awhile about the movie, school and tennis. After a few minutes, Eiji realized that Oishi's face held some concern again and he was just stirring the ice cream around with his spoon.
"Nya, Oishii. What's the matter?" the redhead asked tenderly.
"Tezuka," the well-groomed male said seriously. "I'm really happy that you and Fuji are dating, but I'm still a little worried about it. Shouldn't you keep it more of a secret? At least until the school year is over?"
"I really don't want to. No matter who I go out with, someone will having something to say about it. And I know there will be "talk" because we're both male, but I'm not going to hide it. It's an issue I have to deal with anyway. I want to be with Syuusuke and that's that."
"Actually," Oishi said regretfully. "I meant the remarks people might make because you're the team captain and Fuji's a regular. Some are going to accuse you of playing favorites once they find out you're a couple."
"I did think of that," replied Tezuka with a sigh. "But it could be worse if we try to be secretive. I see it as a trust issue. If they find out about us and that we were keeping it a secret, then they might wonder about what other important things I could be hiding and not have faith in me anymore. That's not to say, your fears are unfounded, Oishi, but it's better to be up front with the members On the other hand, practices and matches are just that. We understand and agree with it. It's not the time or place to showcase our romantic feelings for each other. It's akin to playing a match with a friend. You're friends before and after, but you do your best on the court because he's your opponent. You're social life is off the courts."
"But not everyone is going to understand that," fretted the fukubuchou.
"We know that," Fuji added soothingly. "But I agree with Mitsu. We're not going to hide our feelings for each other, but we're not going to broadcast them or use them as an advantage over another member, either.We're a "we" now and people are going to notice. It's up to them on how they decide to judge us. I can't change that. But we will always do what's best for the team. Although, I don't think we'll have problems with the other regulars."
"See," Eiji chimed in giving his partner a big hug. "It'll be okay. They have it all under control."
Oishi's smile returned. "Alright. I won't stress out anymore." He made a face as he saw Tezuka raise an eyebrow and heard Fuji chuckle, then continued, "On this, but I'll still keep my ears open to head off anything early."
"Good," Tezuka said as he looked down at his watch. "We better start heading back to the station, though. It's getting pretty late."
The foursome finished their ice cream and began their return home. They walked leisurely, not needing to rush, and caught the second to last train of the night. They said their good-byes at Oishi's and Eiji's stop and disembarked at the following one. Strolling hand in hand, they made their way to Tezuka's house.
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a/n: Fuji reminds me somewhat of Xelloss from Slayers, so I couldn't resist putting Xelloss' trademark phrase "sore was...himitsu desu" which means "it's a...secret" in the story!