They had been walking a few hundred meters away from the tennis courts but Fuji had not said a word since. And neither did Tezuka break the silence between them.
Fuji's gaze remained on the ground, feeling very aware of Tezuka's hand on his waist and the close contact between them. A frown began to crease upon the tensai's forehead as his eyebrows drew together. Unconsciously, he slowed down to a stop.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Tezuka's voice that obviously filled with worry and concern broke in, snapping Fuji out of his thoughts.
"Erm…No…" Fuji shook his head slowly, gathering his thoughts as he looked at the taller boy, "Thanks for saving me. And…you can let go of me now," he gave a weak smile as he began to move away from the Seigaku captain.
Immediately, an awkward silence followed as the pair recalled what had happened earlier.
"Fuji," Tezuka began as he pushed his spectacles against the bridge of his nose, "Why are you playing tennis against Sue? Tell me the truth," he added quickly, knowing very well that the tensai would probably just give him excuses.
Fuji shifted his gaze away from Tezuka, feeling his face heat up. 'It was so embarrassing! How am I supposed to tell Tezuka that I fought against Sue over him?'
Tezuka sighed. It was obvious to him that Fuji was not going to tell him the truth at any moment yet. "Let's go to your house to clean up. You need a change of clothes," he suggested, pointing to Fuji's clothes that smelled of sweat, not that Tezuka minded anyway.
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Seated comfortably on the sofa of the living room, Tezuka took off his spectacles massaging his temples tiredly as he waited for Fuji to change his clothes.
'Okay, Syusuke is not going to tell me why he played the match against Sue. I'm sure it is not because they just want to match to pit their skills. There must be another reason behind it. Could it be…' Tezuka's brows gradually drew together, a frown beginning to crease on his forehead, '…could it be because of me?'
That possibility made Tezuka feel flattered, yet embarrassed at the same time. "What if it was not because of me? That would be so embarrassing if I ask Syusuke directly and he says "No". But…" he mumbled to himself as he adjusted his spectacles, staring off into space, "…it will show that Syusuke loves me if I was the reason that he played the match against Sue. No matter what, I must make Syusuke tell me the truth then."
"What were you saying, Tezuka?" Fuji's sudden whisper into Tezuka's ear startled the captain, who immediately turned to find himself looking into the angelic, yet playful face that took his breath away for a moment.
"Well, I…" Tezuka began slowly, taking in a deep breath to calm his racing heart. An idea suddenly popped into his mind. 'Now I could make Syusuke tell me the truth!'
Fuji swore that he saw a slight curl at the corner of Tezuka's lips but he was distracted when Tezuka continued, "Do you want to know what I was saying earlier?"
Fuji nodded, sensing a challenge coming from the captain.
"Well, I saved you from Sue's flying racket earlier. So…" he looked right into the tensai's blue eyes, at once finding himself drawn into them, "…so you need to grant me a wish unless," Tezuka added quickly, "…Unless you aren't sincere about thanking me for saving you at all."
Fuji took in a sharp breath. The tensai was dumbfounded. Never did he expect that Tezuka would employ the same tactic. Curious to know what Tezuka had in mind and unable to resist a challenge, Fuji leaned in slightly closer to Tezuka, tilting his head as he gave a playful grin, "Of course I am sincere. So, what is the captain's wish?"
'Great! Syusuke has taken the bait!' Tezuka thought as he unconsciously gave a smile of triumph.
"Well," Tezuka replied hesitantly, focusing his attention on the tensai, "This is a difficult wish. But you must promise that you will grant me that wish."
Fuji nodded quickly, now feeling very curious than ever about what Tezuka's wish was.
"Okay," Tezuka nodded, feeling pleased with himself for tricking the tensai as he gave a tiny smirk, "I wish to know the real reason you played against Sue."
Feeling Tezuka's eyes on him, Fuji immediately broke off the eye contact. Running a hand through his hair, Fuji felt a blush creep up his neck.
"I…Well…" Fuji trailed off, his mind now searching to find the most convincing reason to tell Tezuka. He was absolutely caught off guard by Tezuka's wish. 'I never think that Tezuka would request this wish! How am I going to answer him?'
"Syusuke, look at me," Tezuka said in a gentle tone as his warm hands cupped the confused face of the tensai, "Tell me. I promise that I will not laugh or criticize you. Just tell me the truth." He pleaded softly, staring earnestly into the immense blue eyes of Fuji Syusuke.
Fuji sighed in defeat. Tezuka genuinely cared for him.
"Well," Fuji started slowly, pressing his hands together, "Sue challenged me. If I lose, I will have to stay away from you forever." He finished quickly, his face turned on at an alarming shade of red.
"Thank you." Tezuka said simply, feeling very touched that his Syusuke was willing to fight for him despite yesterday's incident that obviously upset the tensai.
Fuji stared at the taller boy in a puzzled fashion. 'Huh? Thank you? What was that suppose to mean?'
"About your third wish…" Tezuka cleared his throat, now his turn feeling slightly awkward.
"What is it about my third wish? It is easy for you to fulfill," Fuji commented, looking at the bespectacled boy curiously.
'Well, here goes,' Tezuka thought. He heaved in a deep breath, taking Fuji's smaller hands into his as he faced the tensai with a soft smile, "I can't fulfill the third wish without your help, Syusuke." Fuji's eyes widened when he realized that Tezuka had called him by his first name, "I can take care of myself, but it is only with you that I can stay happy."
The words sank in Fuji's mind. A silence followed and Tezuka began to worry that Fuji was going to reject him.
"I mean, only when you are my boyfriend, no," Tezuka shook his head as he corrected himself, "Only when you are my lover, then I can stay happy and fulfill the third wish."
Fuji gave a soft chuckle, "So what do you want me to do? Change the third wish?" He teased.
"Will you be my lover?" Tezuka asked bravely, as he gave Fuji's hands a gentle squeeze.
"Well, I can only say 'Yes', right? If not, you can't grant my third wish at all," Fuji replied with laughter bubbling in his voice as his eyes twinkled.
Sighing in relief, Tezuka managed a small smile as he looked at the tensai who had a mischievous grin etched on his face. Without replying, Tezuka leaned in to capture those soft lips of the boy who held his affection as he brought the tensai into his warm embrace. The kiss was chaste and simple, ye it conveyed the love that the couple had for each other.
"Well, Tezuka," Fuji whispered as he broke off the kiss for air, "I'm surprised that you just ask me to be your lover without giving me any present or ring. How insincere of you."
Tezuka gave a soft smile as he leaned in to kiss the playful tensai once more before replying, "I did. I gave you my love and…my first kiss."
A/N: How was this last chapter? I enjoyed writing this story very very much and I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter too!
To all who reviewed the previous chapter, thank you very much:D
Lastly, to all who reviewed the story, I would like to thank:
Vierblith, masi, yoshikochan, acantabloom, CriticismWiz.NeedAnOpinion-Ask everlastingdeath, Riyoku-kun, shadowgirl35, lovewritermaiko, maldita08, mvpsashi, Beautifully-Broken-Athena, icy sweet candy, LunaLocket, Salsal The Bad Girl, SheilaLuv, sempai-sama, shinjuku041, fujilovesme, secret25, TristainMontmorency, Jingy5, mesmerizedbyceruleaneyes, Fujima Priss, RussiansNekojinlover, a1y-puff, MysticBlood
Although this is the last chapter, please review ne?