A/N:
All characters belong to Konami Takeshi sensei
Seigaku has been changed from a middle school to a high school cos I can't imagine stuff like this happening to kids 13-15 years old…
Scenes may be a little confusing cos I wrote each part corresponding to a specific part of the lyrics
----
That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that
You and you alone can break my fall
---
Tezuka could barely believe that it was Atobe across of him on the sidewalk of Roppongi. It had been 5 years since he had last saw the latter when Atobe had uttered the fateful words, I'm tired. Let's end this. I can't play second fiddle for anyone. Not even for you, Kunimitsu.
He had planned to pretend not to see Atobe. Afterall, it was Roppongi. The streets were constantly crowded with office workers, delivery men and tourists that it was easy to walk pass a familiar face without noticing. But it was as if they had been connected by an invisible red, their eyes caught the other and there was no way to avoid the unexpected meeting. Tezuka had to school himself to remain stoic and casual. After all, it had been 5 years.
"Osashiburi. It's been a long time, Atobe." Tezuka's breath hitched slightly as he caught himself in the nick of time before he could address Atobe as Keigo. Keigo. That was no longer his name to call. They were now acquaintances at most and it wouldn't do to address Atobe so familiarly. He should have realized that there would be a chance he would meet Atobe along the streets. Tokyo was not a big place to hide if Fate was determined to make a fool of him.
"It's been awhile, Tezuka. Are you back for good?" Tezuka. So that was how it would be. Though he had been the first one to establish the wall between them, it hurt to know that Atobe had not forgiven him in the years they had parted. He should have known better. The Atobe he had known had been (and still is, judging from his current success) proud and determined. It was accurate to say that Tezuka has those traits too but they were concealed under his genteel veneer and he had always preferred to remain silent when provoked. Unlike the aristocratic man before him, who would blaze through others with his acerbic tongue and shred every ounce of self worth from anyone who dared oppose him.
He had been the only one to see Keigo within Atobe. The fierce lover who would fight to the death to protect what was his. The one, who pushed and prodded Tezuka to want to be a better person than he was - to not be content to simply realize the potential of others but also that of himself.
"I won't deny it but you played a great part in making me realize that there are more to life than tennis." Those words were the absolute truth. And the only honesty Tezuka could afford to give to the man who made him understand that. Only Atobe understood the Tezuka which the world saw was a scared little boy slowly crumbling under responsibility he felt towards his Seigaku team and the expectations of others to live up to the name of Tezuka Kunimitsu.
The only other individual who had seen through Tezuka had been his first love. The prodigy who shared the same fate of having to live up to an insurmountable reputation borne out of a simple desire to play tennis. It was fame neither desired. But while the other was able to treat the accolades lightly - only playing his best when it suited him - Tezuka was the captain. And his innate sense of responsibility made it overwhelming need to ensure that Seigaku would succeed under his leadership.
That was a side of him that only Atobe, a man who was born to lead, could understand.
Seeing the receding silhouette of the dark-haired man slowly become lost in the crowd, Tezuka could not bring himself to name the inexplicable feeling of loss that crept unbidden into his heart. Why was he still conflicted after all this time? He had been hurt and had hurt someone else in turn. It had been a conscious choice to set everyone free. So, why was it so heartbreaking to see Keigo again?
Tezuka was brought back to his high school days in Seishun Gakuen when it all began.