Hey there! So here's chapter 2 of the epilogue and I hope you like it! It's super long so sorry. and it may or may not be boring... But that's okay! And yes... I pre wrote the first two chapters a week ago. so... Anyway, I hope you like this and thanks so much for reading! Love and all, AIR
"Fuji," The man looked up. Since he wasn't editing, his attention wasn't all consumed by his work. "This is Nikolai Alexandrov. He's our new intern and I thought you can teach him a few things."
Fuji observed the younger man next to the woman. He didn't look older than 21 that's for sure. His had a baby-face, blue eyes (though not as blue and sharp as Fuji's) and neatly combed blond hair that fell over his forehead. He was built lean and tall and Fuji swore he broke several hearts in the past just by looking at him.
"Of course." Fuji stood up and shook hands with the younger figure. "I'm Fuji Syusuke, head photographer and editor. It's very nice to meet you."
The woman excused herself and let the two gentlemen talk. "Please, have a seat." Fuji gestured towards the seat next to his chair. "So, what are you studying?"
"Commercial art. I'm in my second year. I figured I needed some experience in the field." He handed Fuji a portfolio. "Those are all projects from the past three semesters."
Fuji studied the pictures, noticing how all them seemed bright and dazzling even when the subject hinted for a more subtle tone. "I see you like bright lights." Nikolai tilted his head to the side. "You use similar lighting in your pictures, but some of these need a more dark and mysterious feel to them. Are you struggling with concept?" Fuji hoped his criticism wasn't hurting the student.
"Wow! I've never heard anyone say anything critical about my photographs before!" Now it was Fuji's turn to look confused. "Most of my professors like my work and always tell me they're great. But they don't necessarily tell me what's wrong in them. I'm so happy you caught something so minor!"
He couldn't help but laugh at the student's excitement. "Please excuse me. I did not expect you to react that way, that's all."
Nikolai's eyes brightened. "I'm so glad I decided to apply here!"
The two continued on their conversation about the student's photographs for another half hour or so before the door to Fuji's office abruptly opened. Tezuka stood in the doorway, a slight embarrassed expression on his face.
"Kunimitsu? What are you doing here?" Fuji excused himself while he walked over to the other man, hugging him sweetly. "It's okay, you're not being rude. Alexaandrov and I were just talking. Did you need anything?"
Tezuka glanced over to the young man sitting behind Fuji's desk. Nikolai shivered at the sight of what he perceived as a cold stare. Surprisingly, Tezuka smiled. "Do you mind if I have a talk with Syusuke for just a few minutes?"
The student quickly stood up and bowed his head respectfully. "No, of course not." He collected his portfolio and excused himself out of the office.
Fuji sat back down on his seat, watching his fiancé carefully. Tezuka wasn't himself. "Kunimitsu? Is something wrong?" He touched the taller man's hand, slowly entwining their fingers.
A small smile crept up Tezuka's face as he felt Fuji lace their fingers together. He touched the cold platinum ring on Fuji's smaller hand. Three years had past since he proposed to his angel, but no plans of a wedding ever came up after that. Tezuka was busy with his tournaments and sponsorships and Fuji with the company and projects.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" The blue-haired boy's soft voice interrupted Tezuka's pondering.
The tennis player simply scooted his chair closer and pressed his lips tenderly against his fiancé's. The kiss was soft but passionate at the same time. One of Tezuka's hands held Fuji's face while the other caressed his soft brown hair. Fuji wrapped both his arms around the taller man's neck, pulling him down onto him, their chests touching.
When Tezuka pulled back, he brushed his thumb across the other man's lips. "Nothing, I just wanted some alone time. You've been busy lately."
Fuji sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I'm sorry. But with your training becoming excessively long and my job being excessively demanding, we barely have time for eachother at home." He looked at Tezuka worriedly. "You're not here to break off our engagement are you?"
The taller figure nearly fell out of his chair. "And why the hell would I do that? Having little time together is a poor excuse to break off our engagement. If we can't see eachother as much as we want to, I'll just have to savor every minute we have together."
A wide grin spread across Fuji's face. He leaned forward and kissed Tezuka's lips, wanting to stay like that for a few more hours. When he pulled back, he heard a soft sad whimper escaping Tezuka's mouth. "I'll see you for dinner?"
"Like always." He stood up, kissing the feminine like man. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
As Tezuka walked nonchalantly towards the elevator, that boy, or young man, that Fuji held a conversation with leaned against one of the floor's many pillars.
"I'm surprised you turned down such a good offer." Nikolai whispered.
Tezuka stopped, staring deathly towards the student. "What do you mean?"
"They're offering you more than Adidas, yet you decline? Why is that?"
"How the hell did you know? You don't even work here." Venom laced Tezuka's voice as he spoke. The kid was getting dangerously close to the man's personal life.
"The boss says everytime you're offered something, you visit Fuji Syusuke to see if you really want to accept it or not. It seems like your dear fiancé's holding you down. What a shame. If I were you, I'd just leave him and find someone better who actually cares about your career and not his."
Tezuka really wanted to punch the boy. Who does he think he is, butting himself in other people's lives? He wasn't even a graduate and Tezuka was positive Nikolai hadn't been in a serious relationship. Leaving Fuji? He couldn't do it. He simply stuffed his hands in his pocket, growled and pushed the elevator button going down. As the doors closed, he watched as a sneaky grin appeared on the younger man's face.
Nikolai knocked on the glass door before re-entering Fuji's office. The photographer was busy scrolling through pictures other employees sent him.
"It must be nice having a man like Tezuka love you so much." He smiled innocently, taking a seat next to Fuji again.
The blue-eyed man grinned at him happily. "I'm lucky to have him. He's really too perfect for me."
"Isn't it also sad how you're holding him down?" Fuji stopped studying the pictures and glanced towards the young man sitting next to him.
"Excuse me?"
Nikolai grinned mysteriously. "Tezuka always gets offers from other companies, better offers than what Adidas can give him, yet he still stays here. I wonder why."
Fuji was flabbergasted. He wasn't aware other companies out there wanted to sponsor Tezuka. It wasn't a surprise since his fiancé was one of the best tennis players in the circuit, but why hadn't he told Fuji about them? "I don't know. I'll ask him about it later." Fuji tried to stay calm as he answered Nikolai's question. How'd the child know but not him? Did everyone but Fuji knew about the other offers?
Tezuka could have more than one sponsor, so why'd he turn them down? "Nearly all of them want Tezuka to leave Adidas and just focus on their company. All of them are really good deals, but he isn't interested." Okay, he definitely knew more than he should. "How does it feel to be dragging one of the best athletes down?"
He would've said something to comeback the comment, but Fuji couldn't find the right words. Questions suddenly filled his mind and the feeling of betrayal and sadness erupted inside him. If a new intern knew about the offers, other employees would know of it as well. Everyone but him… But him…
Before jumping to conclusions, Fuji had to know himself. He called Tezuka before his shift ended, saying that he had somewhere to go for a while so the tennis player could eat dinner without him. The tone of Fuji's voice worried Tezuka. It sounded angry, mellow, and tearful at the same time. He wanted to ask what the problem was, but questioning an upset Fuji wasn't a good idea. Tezuka just said okay and to take care and that he loved him.
"I love you, too." With that, Fuji ended the call, packing his things and closing down his office.
He pulled another man from the commercial arts department aside. They called him Alexander. Out of all his co-workers, he and Fuji got along really well and even considered themselves close friends.
"Something wrong?" The other man asked, seeing those deep blue eyes in distress.
Fuji stared into the pair of emerald green eyes. "Can you take me out tonight? I need to talk to you."
Alexander raised his eyebrows in confusion. But didn't ask any other question regarding the strange request. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"
"Any good bars open?"
Alexander stared worriedly at his friend. "Umm… Fuji? Maybe you should stop." He lowered the shorter man's arm, forbidding him from drinking his eighth glass of vodka. "You've been binge drinking for an hour now. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"
Fuji drank the shot anyway. "Do you know about it?" The words slurred as he talked. "About the offers Kunimitsu's been getting?"
"Well sure. Everybody does. It's not new news, Fuji. It's been going on for some time now. Why?"
"Because… I didn't know about them until now. So," hiccup, "tell me, 'Xander, why would," hiccup, "my own fiancé keep that from me? I mean, I had to hear it from our new intern!" He asked for another shot.
Alexander's eyes widened in shock, hearing his friend say that Tezuka never mentioned other offers with the love of his life. "It's not really my place to say, Fuji. And I don't really know why Tezuka would keep it from you. I thought the two of you always talked about them."
Fuji drank his ninth shot, looking down at the glass with glazed gloomy eyes. One bye one, tears fell from those beautiful pools of sapphire. He pressed his face down on his arms and cried. He usually wouldn't cry in a public area, but the alcohol and the feeling of distrust just didn't mix well.
Alexander rubbed his back gently, looking at him with sympathy. It was almost eleven o'clock; Tezuka would be wondering where his fiancé was. Fuji immediately straightened, taking out his phone from his pocket. Kunimitsu displayed on the screen.
"That bastard has the nerves to call me does he?!" Fuji pressed the red button. "How'd you like that jerk?!"
The taller man sighed deeply. A drunk and upset Fuji was not a very illogical Fuji. "You can't help him for worrying about you. It's almost eleven. You usually would be home by what, seven? You've been running away for nearly four hours." He should've known better than to sass a drunken genius.
"So! Now you're taking his side. I see how it is! Go ahead and leave me alone, I don't care! Go take his side! Why don't-" before the brown-haired man finished the sentence, he passed out. Alexander caught him before his body his the ground.
"Alright, Prince. Let's get you home. Your fiancé's going to kill me." He paid the bartenders and called one of his friends to drive his car while he drove Fuji in the photographer's own car.
Tezuka glanced at the clock again. It was fifteen minutes past eleven and Fuji wasn't home yet. He called the man ten times and not one phone call was returned. Apprehension stirred inside of him as he thought of every possibility on why Fuji wasn't home next to him.
When he heard the doorbell ring, Tezuka immediately rushed to open the door. Alexander greeted him with his angel on the other man's back.
"Good evening, Tezuka. Sorry I couldn't take him home sooner. He just wanted someone to talk to. Also, sorry I couldn't stop him from taking his ninth shot." Alexander explained, handing over his friend's body to Tezuka.
"He passed out drunk?" Alexander nodded.
"Car's parked outside of the garage." Tezuka caught the keys and waved good-bye to Fuji's co-worker.
He glanced down on the sleeping form in his arms. Fuji rarely got drunk. It happened once before, but that was it. Why did he suddenly have a craving for strong alcohol? Tezuka sighed, locking up the house and resting his Syusuke on their bed.
He changed the other man's clothes into more comfortable ones. Then, he joined Fuji on the bed, admiring the angelic flushed face. Tezuka grinned and kissed the pale forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Syusuke. I love you."
Fuji rolled to his left and suddenly felt something hard hitting his left side. He groaned at the impact. Tezuka woke up hearing a loud thud next to him. He realized Fuji wasn't anywhere on the bed.
"Syusuke?" He kneeled beside the face down body next to the bed. "Syusuke, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" He helped Fuji sit up and lean against the bed frame.
Fuji's eyes were half-closed and blood-shot. Nine shots of vodka is not for the weak hearted. He felt so nauseaus as Tezuka carried him back up the bed.
"Just rest for the day. I'll call the company and tell them we'll both take the day off." Fuji wanted to argue, but his head spun to fast for him to keep up.
He grabbed the trashcan next to their bed and threw up in the plastic bag. Tezuka sat next to him, running his hands down the soft brown hair.
By late afternoon, the younger man could comprehend the world around him and hold a decent conversation. He didn't want to face Tezuka, but the man would not let Fuji escape.
He stood by door, watching the beautiful figure lying down on the bed. "Are you going to tell me now?"
Fuji sighed, holding out his hand. Tezuka walked closer. And when he was an arm distance away, he felt a sharp pain on his cheek and tears staining Fuji's face.
"Syusuke?"
"How dare you…" His voice whispered in anger. "How dare you keep things from me? Do you think I wouldn't care? Or perhaps maybe you've already made your decisions without me? Which is it Kunimitsu? Why didn't you tell me about the other offers you got?"
Tezuka's broadened, then narrowed at the thought of that college student he met. Had he told Fuji? "Syusuke. You know it's not like that. I turn them down because I'm happy with my life. I'm happy being here with you."
"But all of them can better your career, Kunimitsu! You can get paid more, travel more, become even more well-known!" Fuji argued, his headache slowly coming back.
Tezuka gently brushed a hand against Fuji's cheek. "And none of them give me you." He smiled at the surprised expression of his lovely fiancé. "Yes. I turned them all down because they wanted me to leave Adidas and move out of Munich. They all wanted me to go on tours and recreational tournaments and live life as if I don't have anyone else with me. We're already spending little time together, I don't want to be able to only see you during holidays."
"But… why are worried about me? This is what you've always wanted. I'm just getting in your way."
Tezuka wrapped his arms around Fuji's feminine body. "You're not getting in my way. You're my motivation at every thing I do. Without you… it's like saying what's the point of even trying? Besides…" he pulled back, looking deep into those sapphire eyes. "After what happened ten years ago, I'm not letting anyone else take you away from me." He wiped away the tears from Fuji's eyes and leaned down to kiss him.
"I love you, Kunimitsu."
Tezuka just kissed him deeper in response. He didn't care if his career wasn't as extravagant as it could've been. As long as Fuji was there next to him, supporting him, and loving him unconditionally, nothing else mattered.
Now if they only can keep the public out of their lives, everything would be perfect.