A/N: I have a long list of reasons why this wasn't done faster. Here's what happened though not necessarily in this order: fulfilling fic requests, exams, vacation (minus internet connection), start of new semester, family tragedy (no mood for fluff), assignments, attempt to write chapter, realizing loss of rough version of this chapter, more pre-midterm exam assignments. I got and then lost a beta in the process so I email and waited for her to appear for about a month before giving up -.-;; Anyway, I have a feeling that there's more to this chapter. I think it's supposed to be longer especially on the conversation scene but I can't remember anything T.T I'll try to finish the next chapter before I have to go on field trip (for two months!! That'll kill my muse for sure!) but I can't promise you a thing because I lost the beginning of the next chapter, too, and I was sure I wrote interesting dialogue there *weeps*… Thank you to my beta and enjoy the chapter…

Disclaimer: the reason why Tezuka and Fuji didn't make out in the series is because I am not the original author. Oh, and KKM isn't mine either or else I would have Conrad speaks all the time *runs to worship MoriMori*

The House of Love

Breakfast was tense to say the least. Tezuka and Fuji wouldn't risk even a single glance in the presence of Taka-san. They knew that the young butler was secretly watching them while performing his duty around the cottage. The leaves of the potted plant would turn white if he kept dusting them like that.

Finally realizing his error and determined to slow global warming, Taka-san left them briefly to water some of the plants in the cottage, leaving Tezuka and Fuji alone. Tension gripped them tighter now and they still dared not even glance at each other's direction. Fuji smiled at his pancake, hoping it would speak in his place. But even the mind of a genius couldn't force a piece of food to talk so he lifted his eyes slightly, fearing what he would see in Tezuka's face. Well, not that the tall young man had that much expression; he'd probably still look blank in the face of an enraged tensai, which wasn't his case actually. Fuji sighed, tired of the unsaid already. Damn Tezuka and his limited vocabulary.

"Tezuka…"

"Fuji…"

"Fujiko!!"

Eiji burst through the door, jumping Fuji before the brunette had the chance to dodge. Behind him, Oishi looked uncomfortable, glancing at both Tezuka and Fuji apologetically and tried to pry the redhead from Fuji. Finally, with much coaxing he unglued his lover from the brunette and pulled him out of the range of Tezuka's icy murderous look.

"I was so worried! Are you all right? I wanted to come immediately but Syuuichiro told me to let you rest. Did you get a fever? Or flu? Or…" Eiji babbled on, mentioning every disease known to man.

"Maa, I'm all right, Eiji. Thank you for worrying about me." Fuji said, putting a stop to his friend's panic tirade.

"Are you sure? You were out there for so long! And I know how much you're afraid of thunder storms."

Fuji glanced at Tezuka who looked at him with a hint of surprise (he was capable of human expression after all!). They really needed to talk soon. This misunderstanding had gone a little beyond control and Fuji's backside was protesting now. "I'm fine, Eiji." He said with a smile.

Eiji opened his mouth again, perhaps to voice more of his concern, but the knocking on the door stopped him. Taka-san rushed to open the door for the visitor. Eiji rolled his eyes when he saw a blur of purple, red, and silver. Fuji forced himself to keep smiling despite wanting to throw his knife to the diva's head. It was an ill mannered thing to do. Poison would be better.

"Be awed by my presence!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know the drill." Fuji heard Eiji muttered under his breath. Oishi nudged his side a little and gave a small lecture on the side while the diva approached his victim.

"Good morning, Atobe." Fuji greeted as politely as possible.

"Good morning, Fuji, Tezuka." Atobe mentioned the second name with a malicious glare to Tezuka who replied with a cold look that could help slow the melting of polar ice.

"Good morning."

The temperature dropped for several seconds as the rivals stared each other down. Fuji watched with some interest but was more concerned about his well being to show support to either of them. He waited until Atobe turned his attention back to him and ended what could be the beginning of World War III.

"How are you doing? I was very concerned about you last night."

At the mention of last night, Fuji tensed slightly. Tezuka immediately shifted closer to Fuji, glaring daggers at Atobe but Fuji managed to maintain his composure and kept smiling. "I'm well thank you. Kunimitsu has taken excellent care of me."

Atobe stiffened but didn't lose his arrogance. "I see." He said, glancing at Tezuka menacingly. Fuji had no doubt that he caught the underlying message in his words but apparently it wasn't enough to dampen his determination. "Well, you must let me make it up to you then." He said, clicking his fingers to order his butler to step forward and showed a bottle of wine. "I have brought nice drink. I insist that we all enjoy it."

The tone that Atobe used left no room for refusal. Fuji glanced at Tezuka who nodded his assent. Deliberately he invited Eiji and Oishi to join them and help stop possible bloodshed. Atobe didn't mind and acted civil (or as civil as he could be) throughout the day. Eventually he returned to his cottage, not wanting to disturb Fuji's rest. This cued Eiji and Oishi to follow his lead and they, too, leave for their love nest. Taka-san was the last to leave. The butler excused himself with a bow and a concerned yet curious gaze before closing the door firmly.

"I'm sorry." Tezuka said after several seconds of silence, turning to Fuji who was sitting beside him on the couch. When Fuji gave him a confused gaze, he continued quietly. "I didn't know about your problem. I shouldn't have done what I did last night." He bowed slightly as he said that, reflecting how he truly regretted his action.

It made Fuji uncomfortable. Not only because he disliked formality but the idea that Tezuka regretted what they did hurt him somehow. Still he forced on a smile, not wanting to let Tezuka know his thoughts before they clear everything up. "It's all right, Tezuka. You really didn't know."

"I should have asked." Tezuka insisted, still bowing in apology.

Fuji sighed at his fiancé's stubbornness. "It's all right, Tezuka. I don't mind." He said, making sure that Tezuka understood what he implied.

Hearing that, the bespectacled young man lifted his head. His eyes widened a little in surprise so Fuji smiled to calm him. He took a deep breath, preparing himself mentally for the conversation that had been waiting to happen. Perhaps they should have done this long ago after that night of drunkenness but Atobe's arrival had distracted them from what needed to be done. Fuji must admit the diva was good at drawing attention to himself.

"We can't just ignore the fact that this didn't happen just once. We both know that it means something." He paused, searching for a reaction in Tezuka. The latter stiffened in nervousness and Fuji immediately realized what he had implied, the ground they yet wanted to thread. "I'm not saying that it's… that… But let's be honest, something's happened, something's changed."

Tezuka lowered his eyes for a while, needing time to absorb the truth Fuji presented. When Fuji called his name softly, he spoke up, lifting his eyes to meet Fuji's. "What do you propose we should do?"

"Well," Fuji started, licking his lips in nervousness. When was the last time he felt this nervous? Did he ever feel this nervous at all? "first of all, don't the idea of… this… repulse you at all?"

Tezuka looked at him questioningly, as if he couldn't believe that Fuji had to ask that question at all. "If it did, I would have firmly refused this engagement in the first place."

Fuji had the sudden urge to jump onto Tezuka's lap this moment but he cleared his throat instead. Jumping into Tezuka's lap must wait, besides his backside was still in sweet agony now. Damn, nerds and their unexpectedly great libido. "I think we should start all over again and do it right this time." No more getting drunk, no more getting caught in a darned thunderstorm with a horny heir, no more awkward mornings... When was he going to get some again then?

Tezuka nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea." He said. Then much to Fuji's surprise, he leaned close to Fuji to kiss his cheek. "Let's do it right this time." He whispered as he looked into Fuji's startled blue eyes with a tiny smile that sent the genius's heart racing.

Seriously, when was he allowed to get some again?

*

The vacation ended quickly and the families were preparing to once again return to Japan and leave the newlyweds in their honeymoon. Surprisingly it had been quite peaceful ever since the incident in the cave. Tezuka seemed to look less murderous and Atobe actually gave Fuji some private time although Fuji was sure that there was something else behind his apology gifts that Fuji would intentionally throw away or give away in front of Tezuka. It wasn't to say that Tezuka and Fuji had a lot of time spent together, though. They had constant stream of visitors, starting from their best friends to their concerned/nosy family. The only time they could be alone was at night when they were too tired to even say good night to each other. So perhaps returning to Japan was a good idea after all. Perhaps that way they would have more opportunity to actually spend quality time with each other without murdering anyone due to unresolved sexual tension.

Fuji was packing his clothes into his suitcase while plotting a romantic rendezvous when the telephone suddenly rang. He picked it up, wondering who the caller might be. They didn't have many phone calls during their stay in the island. Fuji didn't tell anyone about his whereabouts while Tezuka didn't seem to be social enough to expect many phone calls (except from some courageous fan girl/stalker if what Oishi said was true).

"Hello?"

"Hello, dear, have you begun packing? We're leaving tomorrow morning, remember? Where's Tezuka-kun?"

"I'm packing my clothes, Okaa-san. And Kunimitsu is out to visit Oishi."

"Oh, okay. I just want to let you know that your house is ready to be lived in!" Yoshiko announced happily.

"My house?" Fuji asked, confused.

"Yes. You know, the house that your father bought for you and Tezuka-kun as engagement present? They're done with the decoration so you could move there as soon as we arrived to Japan!"

Smart mouth be damned, Fuji forced himself to smile as he answered. "Great!" Oh, Tezuka is so going to murder someone for this. Maybe he should suggest doing it during the cruise. It's easier to get rid of the body while they were in the middle of a vast ocean and get away with murder. Providing that no merman or mermaid would testify against them in court later, of course.

"Isn't it great? You could meet more often when you live in the same house! Oh, I could just hear the sounds of tiny footsteps running around there… But then again, that is not possible…" Yoshiko trailed off, sounding a little disappointed that she wouldn't have grandchildren with the combined genetic advantages from Tezuka and Fuji's gene pools. Her fantasy world of genius sex gods and cool nymphs practically shattered in the face of biological facts of male anatomy. It lasted only a second though and very soon she cheerily continued. "Oh, well, I'm sure Yumiko could take care of that part very well. Did you notice how good Shouri looks in a suit? Ayana and I think that he'd look spectacular out of it…." Yoshiko stopped when someone shouted something in the background. "No, honey, that's my pantyhose… Sorry, Shuusuke, I have to go help your father. Don't forget to tell Tezuka-kun about the house, ne?"

Fuji stared at the telephone after the call ended, wondering how to break the news to Tezuka. While they had, indeed, agreed to get to know each other better, this hadn't entered their minds. Fuji had thought of dinner dates and maybe even occasional vacations. But living together? He didn't think they're ready for it.

"Fuji?"

Fuji looked up when he heard the voice that had become very familiar to him. He smiled at Tezuka who was standing at the door, looking mostly expressionless though Fuji could see concern lingering in his eyes. He knew that Tezuka realized the slight strain in his smile and braced himself to begin the explanation.

"My mother just called. Our house is ready so we could move in as soon as we could."

Tezuka seemed confused at first but then seemed to recall the arrangement their parents have made. "I see." He paused, frowning thoughtfully. "Is there no way to delay that?" he asked quietly, as if worried that Fuji might lash out at him for questioning that.

"I think it's safe to assume that, knowing how excited our mothers are, we are going to be sent to the house as soon as we step foot onto Japan and be locked in the bedroom to somehow try to produce children."

Tezuka stared at him then sighed softly in resignation. "Great."

*

For the most part, Fuji was correct. They were immediately brought to their new house after they arrived in Japan early in the morning. Tezuka had half expected it to be a grand estate and was relieved that it was just a simple mansion (by their mothers' standard). Taka-san and two young butlers named Momoshiro and Echizen were assigned for them though Tezuka had a suspicion that they weren't there to merely care but also to spy on them. This suspicion was proven correct when they toured the new house.

"Mother." Tezuka growled menacingly toward the two women smiling innocently to him. "Video cameras?"

"It's for security purposes." Ayana beamed happily.

"In our bedroom?"

"Well, you'll never know." Yoshiko said with a shrug that could almost pass as indifference if not for the face-splitting smile on her face.

Tezuka glanced at Fuji who had a less than amused expression on his face. As soon as their mothers left after dinner, they searched the house for hidden recording devices. Two hours later they sat in the living room with a pile of various types of video cameras, motion sensor devices, voice recording devices from about all rooms in the large mansion. Security purposes? What security purposes? Who would, in their right side of mind, place cameras in the bathroom facing the shower and Jacuzzi for security purposes?

"I think that's about it." Fuji sighed in exhaustion, leaning heavily against the soft cushions of the sofa.

Tezuka hummed an answer, glancing warily at the silver chandelier above them. They had left several cameras in some part of the house, those that actually served its purpose as security devices. This one stayed for a different reason, though. God knows how their mothers were going to react when they found that the carefully arranged cameras were all gone. A little peek at their personal life should appease them though maybe it's only wise to sweep the house every two weeks or so.

"They are far too excited about this." Fuji peered from under lowered eyelids at the camera as well. He frowned slightly, displeased at the measures their mother took to ascertain the development of their relationship. Tezuka shared his sentiment very well. They've had it better now though still tentative in making the steps. Having nosy parents would only make things awkward and possibly even drive them apart once more. "Maybe we should talk to them."

"I doubt they would care." Tezuka replied warily. Knowing their mothers, they would possibly double their effort it spying on their children.

"You're probably right." Fuji said, yawning.

"Tired?"

Fuji nodded. "A little. Mother dragged me here before I had the chance to rest." He rubbed his eyes childishly, almost making Tezuka smile in the process.

"Why don't you go to bed?" Tezuka asked while resisting the urge to draw Fuji into his arms.

Fuji shook his head in refusal. "I'll watch TV for a while. There's a rerun of a series I wanna watch." He turned on the large plasma TV and changed the channels a couple of times until he found what he's looking for. He smiled in satisfaction then and settled comfortably on the sofa as he enjoyed the show.

Tezuka tried to watch it but soon lost interest in the obvious plot, cross-dressing female lead character, and the army of cool but foolish gorgeous young men. He began reading a newspaper, trying to catch up with whatever news he was missing. He was relieved when he found an article about Yumiko's wedding (next to a news about the arrival of world famous shape shifting illusionist, Niou Masaharu) minus his engagement to Fuji. If it was already disastrous with one Atobe Keigo knowing, it would have been apocalyptic to have the rest of the world finding out.

A light weight on his side roused him out of his counter-measure planning. He looked at the source of the distraction to find Fuji sleeping peacefully. Apparently it had been quite a day for the genius. Tezuka smiled slightly, marveling on Fuji's innocent sleeping face. When asleep, the brunette lost all his nymph-like allure and turned into a charming fallen angel. Tezuka wasn't sure which image he preferred more for both had its own irresistible attraction.

His eyes locked onto tempting plump lips and he immediately felt a craving for a kiss. When was the last time they kissed? It felt like centuries already. He wished for nothing more than to taste Fuji again. Feel him. Have him at his complete mercy…

But now wasn't the time. Tezuka glanced at the camera with a murderous scowl. Well, at any rate, he'd rather have Fuji fully conscious under him (or above him… Hmmm, they hadn't tried that one yet). With a sigh, he turned off the TV and proceeded to pick his fiancé up bridal style. Fuji murmured in his sleep and leaned his head on Tezuka's shoulder in a way that was undeniably cute. Tezuka stared, arguing mentally about his next course of action. After a lengthy mental argumentation that last a millisecond, hormone won ("Aha!" He could practically hear his mother exclaimed triumphantly as she ogled over the monitor) and after sending an annoyed glanced to the camera, he dipped his head to brush his lips against Fuji's cheek.

He wished for nothing more than to claim the tempting lips but pulled away instead. He wasn't feeling particularly exhibitionistic tonight. He stood up and brought Fuji to their shared bedroom. That little fan service should be enough to make their mothers leave them alone for a week at least. Either that or Inui would have a crime to cover up.

^___^

A/N: can you guess what TV show Fuji wanted to watch? The hint is that it involves one of Tezuka's actors *wink wink* Now I know I've been a lazy author but R&R, please?