Disclaimer: Not Mine.
A/N: For LoveFujiTez, over at Liverjournal. Many thanks to her for beta-ing the first part! ^^
Alright girls and boys, the love starts here! XD (OMG I WROTE NON-CRACK! 8DDD)
~Love~
Fuji could easily distinguish the humid smell of early-morning dew as he deeply inhaled the air that was of Mt. Fuji. This year's early spring brought many flowers to bloom. Each variety shyly revealed its unique pigment as the warmth of the morning sunlight kissed its silky petals. As the sun slowly rose into the horizon, the previously dark sky burst into a cheerful shade of vermilion and the awakened birds sang their morning tunes. A soft wind blew and a playful swirl of leaves and petals danced around Fuji before landing gracefully on the Yamanako Lake. The photographer sighed, contemplating at the surreal surrounding. A soft classical music played in his head, adding a mystical effect to the already breath-taking landscape. And then…
"Oi stop daydreaming Fuji!"
…And then, there was Tezuka.
Fuji sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Why couldn't Tezuka's usually intelligent brain comprehend that he was a photographer paid to watch and observe endlessly before actually taking a photo? There was no time limit except on his deadline, but that was beside the point.
"Fuji, you'll be left behind," Tezuka warned, looking over his shoulder to see exactly what he expected. Fuji stood there not moving an inch.
Quickly snapping some photos, Fuji stolidly replied, 'haaaai…' before catching up with the skilled mountaineer's monstrous pace. He grumbled to himself along the way, lightly cursing Tezuka and his impatience.
"Alright, now we're taking the Subashiri trail up to the 4th post. There, we'll take a brake, before we continue our hike to the 8th post," Tezuka explained.
"How long does it take to reach the 4th post?"
"Irregardless of the time, you'll probably take pictures," the bespectacled man tried not to sound annoyed, "also considering that this is your first time mountain climbing, perhaps five to six hours."
Fuji held back a wail.
~oO~Oo~oO~Oo~
Fifteen minutes after they began their trek up the mountain, Fuji decided that the thick tension between them became slightly annoying. Fifteen minutes and he only managed to get a measly thirty two shots. He was so terribly annoyed that he couldn't stop to take a photo out of the fear of being left behind. He was an amateur, and all amateurs needed the comfort and security that their trainer brought them.
Wait, no. He did not just admit that Tezuka of all people brought him comfort and security. It was grand time to stop all this nonsense and pass to plan A.
"Ne Tezuka," he smiled merrily. "Why did you decide choose to be a mountaineer?" Plan A: Start a conversation to ease the atmosphere.
"Because I enjoy the fresh air," Tezuka immediately answered, who didn't bother to look at him.
Fuji couldn't help a small twitch. Okay, time for plan B.
"Do you have any other hobbies besides climbing?" Plan B: Get Tezuka to open up to help start a conversation.
"I used to play tennis," the tall man trailed off, staring far into the past.
But Fuji didn't notice such detail when he finally found a chance to start small talk. "Really?" he asked, sounding all a bit too eager. "Were you famous? Are you still playing?"
Tezuka stared at him, trying to figure out where the sudden outburst of curiosity came from. He decided to dismiss it after seeing Fuji flashing a keen smile at him. "I used to be the captain of a tennis team, and no, I no longer play. I injured my left arm and my parents forced me to quit."
There was a moment of silence. The sun was at its peak and the sounds of nature filled their surrounding. It was deafening to a point as the creaking cries of the cicadas pulsated noisily but in steady rhythms.
Fuji fought to keep his attention from wondering as he quietly murmured, "I'm sorry about your arm."
"It's fine."
It most definitely wasn't, because even from his view Fuji could see the hint of sadness and disappointment flickering in Tezuka's hazel eyes. For the first time, the photographer felt sympathy towards his newly acquired friend. Tezuka was, in his eyes, a very passionate and hard working youth, and his love for tennis had to be abandoned to commit himself in to becoming an excellent mountaineer.
Fuji warily reached out to grab the mountaineer's large hand and squeezed it lightly. When the latter threw him a half-embarrassed and curious look, the photographer flashed a genuine smile to show his quiet understanding.
In return, Tezuka held onto his smaller hand without letting go.
~oO~Oo~oO~Oo~
Much sweat, effort, and hours later, they had finally reached their first destination: the 4th post. Fuji felt satisfied, having not even once lost his breath along the way with his skilled guide's help. He looked up at said man and suddenly remembered that they were still holding hands. Blood rushed up his veins to color ever so slightly his cheeks and he quickly removed his hand from the taller man's grip. More awkward than embarrassed, Fuji just stared at his feet, knowing that Tezuka would be burning holes on his back anytime now.
And he did. Tezuka stared at him, uneasy and extremely puzzled by his actions. One moment Fuji seeks out for him and right after, he pushes him away. That left an unpleasant feeling tingling inside his chest. He decided to dismiss it and proceeded to sit himself on the grass, next to his smaller friend. A small break to help them catch their breaths wouldn't hurt.
They lied down on the soft lawn and for a long while listened to the sound of streaming water. Never had Tezuka shared such a comfortable silence and secret understanding with another. He closed his eyes, feeling the peace and warmth of the moment, letting it flow inside him endlessly. Birds chirped, cicadas did too, more loudly so. A small wind blew past them, ruffling their hair slightly as if to cool them down from the warm sunrays.
Too soon, Tezuka's logical and dutiful side took over and he slowly straightened himself and sat up. His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the brightness once again and when they did, he saw Fuji sound asleep on the grass, the sun already coloring his face a tad bit darker. His usual smile was gone, replaced by the most serene, untouchable expression Tezuka had ever seen. Fuji was indeed a lone soul, as swift as the wind, ungraspable as the stream flowing not so far from them. He lifted his hand and softly brushed away a strand of hair or two from the angelic face. The light touch was almost arousing and Tezuka hastily withdrew his hand from the sandy locks and proceeded to stare anywhere but at Fuji.
When Fuji was sure the bespectacled boy had stood up and walked off, he slowly opened his eyes and let out a blush he was desperately holding in. Without thinking, he raised his hand and skimmed his fingers over his forehead to that same spot where Tezuka had touched him so delicately, as if afraid of breaking him. And he surprised himself yearning for that touch, for that pleasant feeling, for his heart to pound uncontrollably in his chest, for no one else but Tezuka. Everything was for Tezuka… And Fuji flushed a deeper shade of red.
"You were awake."
It wasn't a question but rather a statement. The commanding voice made Fuji's heart thump faster and faster as its owner approached him and sat down beside him for the second time. They stared at each other –or rather Tezuka stared at him— and the uncomfortable, awkward stillness came back. "You were awake when I…"
"… I was," the photographer admitted.
Tezuka said nothing.
When the muteness was becoming unbearable, Fuji felt like he should do something, anything to cut in. Unfortunately his brain was turned into mush the second he had admitted to himself that Tezuka was… well, no less than irresistibly sexy. He couldn't bring himself to pronounce anything more intelligent than "Tezuka I —"
"Here, drink this before we continue the ascension."
Fuji stared at the bottle of water and rapidly reminded himself to accept it. Having nothing better to do, he gulped down the entire liquid, finally realizing how thirsty he was. When he handed the empty container back to Tezuka, he caught the man staring at him, as if completely fascinated. And they entered another round of intense staring contest, before the mountaineer turned away, commanding him to get going too.
Quickly gathering their stuff, Fuji ran to where Tezuka was waiting for him, a contented smile stretching across his face.
And maybe, just maybe Atobe had made the right choice to pair them together.
~oO~Oo~oO~Oo~
The second half of the trip was nothing like the first. Having reached a concededly high altitude, the oxygen that used to be abundant was not so much anymore. Sweat and pain were visible across Fuji's face, as he constantly tried to breathe in enough air to keep his muscles going. Three times he almost tripped over rocks and three times Tezuka had caught him before he landed. Three times he had apologized –not mentioning damaged his pride along way—and three times the mountaineer assured him it was nothing.
That was how they ended up climbing the rest hand in hand, which Tezuka claimed was for 'precaution'.
As midday turned into late afternoon, Fuji finally understood why the bespectacled youth refused to take a break. By the time they had reached their destination, the sun was setting and mosquitoes flew about, feeding themselves mercilessly on the blood they sucked out from their preys. Despite the annoying flies, Fuji insisted they watched the sunset before settling for the night.
It was so, as Fuji's camera's shutter consistently snapped away pictures, as Tezuka stood motionless beside him, hand in hand, they had watched the sun slowly leave its throne to the cold night.
When all was over and Fuji satisfied, Tezuka proceeded to set his tent up and start a camp fire (Tezuka preferred sleeping outside, having done so almost every time he went mountain climbing with his father). Fuji, who had insisted he would rather sleep with him than stay alone in his hotel room, watched him work. It was after they had finished eating their dinner that they noticed they were one sleeping bag short. Fuji pouted and seeing that expression, Tezuka was sure the photographer would do anything in order to get what he wanted.
"You can sleep with me, if you don't mind sharing the sleeping bag," it was ruse, but Tezuka decided it was the only way he could send Fuji inside.
"Alright. I don't mind." Fuji grinned.
"You do." Tezuka frowned at the thought of being stuck with another fully grown man in a sleeping bag.
"I don't, at all." Fuji insisted.
"You do."
"I'll show you that I don't!" and Fuji ran for the tent, making sure he would be inside the sleeping bag before Tezuka could pull him out. He giggled to himself when he felt Tezuka slowly approaching him, with the biggest frown he had ever seen.
"Fuji, don't be unreasonable. We can't both fit in this," Tezuka reasoned when he was almost leaning on top of Fuji.
"We can if we squeeze. I promise you it will be comfortable!"
"You don't know what you're asking for…" the mountaineer sighed, knowing that he had lost this debate. "Alright, you win." He unzipped the sleeping bag before slipping in, pushing Fuji to the side along way. It was his only option, or he would be sleeping outside in the cold. He couldn't count on the other man to withdraw and listen to him.
Fuji began to panic when Tezuka wrapped his arms around him and hugged him close to zip the sleeping bag up again. Surely, it was cramped but the smaller boy found it rather… comfortable. Beside his flushed face, his ragged breathing and his heart that was beating a mile a minute, all was well. At least, Tezuka didn't seem to mind the proximity at all…
"Hum, Tezuka, I think I should go…" Fuji no longer knew what he wished for.
"Sleep," the mountaineer pulled him closer. "Or you won't have enough energy to continue climbing tomorrow."
He didn't know what was wrong with him, but Fuji complied. Circling his arms around Tezuka's waist, he closed his eyes and tried to find sleep. And to his surprise, after some time, having the taller man's body pressed against every inch of his, feeling the warmth he emitted, tasting his cool breath… everything became so natural, as if they were meant to stay just like that for eternity. Fuji closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. This mountain trip was indeed worth it, very much worth it. He was about to fall asleep when Tezuka whispered in his ears.
"Are you willing to become mine?" it was so soft Fuji wasn't sure if he had dreamed it.
Maybe he was too happy to refuse, or even too tired to think, but Fuji scooted up, captured Tezuka's lips in a chaste kiss and fell asleep.
~To be Continued~
A/N: Reviews fill my soul. This is my attempt at Romance, again for LoveFujiTez. ^^
Thank you very much for reading this far!