THE PLAYBOY AND THE WHORE

CHAPTER 3

*Sighs* H-hey.. Uh… it's been so long since I last updated a-and i-I know t-that s-some of you a-are getting irritated… *dodges can* Okay, it's here! Don't throw anything at me any—ooof!

"You're what?!" Kikumaru exclaimed after Fuji dropped the A-bomb information in front of him.

"I'm pregnant." Fuji repeated casually as he kicked his shoes off of his feet.

Eiji stared at his friend who seemed not to care about his current situation. "Is it Tezuka's?" he asked.

Fuji removed his sweat-soaked shirt and tossed it to his bag before pushing down his jogging pants. "None other." He answered. His eyes and voice were emotionless. They look and sound cold as hell and it scared Eiji big time.

They had just arrived to school after their jogging session every morning. It's still early—5 am—so they are quite confident that nobody might be eavesdropping to their conversation.

Fuji walked into the shower cubicle and turned the knob and let the warm water clean his body.

"What will you do then?" Eiji asked as he, too, removed his shirt.

"What should I do?" Fuji asked back.

"I mean, will you tell Tezuka?" He knows the answer but he still wants to listen to his friend's answer.

"Nope. Why should I? Technically, he had rejected me. I don't want that to happen to my child. She deserves better." Fuji's voice had turned gentle at the mention of his child. He touched his still-flat tummy. "My baby should not feel abandoned like the way I feel right now."

"Fujiko…" Eiji sounded worried.

"You don't have to worry, Eiji. I can do this." Fuji turned the shower off and covered his body with his bath towel. He stepped out of the cubicle and faced the red-head. "Graduation is just around the corner anyway." He smiled.

"What's your plan after graduation?" Eiji asked as he entered the shower cubicle.

"I'm going to New York. My uncle is already waiting for me there with a good job and an apartment for me and baby to stay in."

Eiji sighed. "Can I visit you then?"

"Of course." Fuji said as he put on his tennis uniform and wore his shoes. He had admitted to himself that he was hurt when Tezuka abandoned him but he doesn't have time to drown himself in tears. He needs his energy for his pregnancy. His heart constricted in pain as he realized that his baby might grow up without a father. He touched his tummy again and whispered, "Mommy is always here for you, baby. I love you very much."

Eiji came of the cubicle and saw how Fuji caressed his tummy lovingly.

Tezuka watched as Fuji and Eiji rallied against each other. The red-head really has an interesting way of playing with the use of his acrobatic moves while Fuji uses his triple counters when he has time. His heart still constricted in pain whenever he thinks about Fuji thinking of him as just one of his customers. He had worn his usual stoic appearance to hide the pain he was feeling.

The game ended with Fuji being the winner, 6 games to 4. The two shook hands and walked together out of the court past their captain without bearing him a second glance. It sent daggers to his heart that slowly came as the reason for his near death.

A hand on his shoulder took his attention. He looked at Oishi who smiled at him with an understanding smile.

The school year ended in a haze—as if in a dream. Fuji and Tezuka had never talked to each other again except if it is important like when they did their project for the graduation.

Fuji immediately flew to New York just as he said to Eiji. He had never told his parents about it. He had only mentioned it to Yuuta who had been excited about becoming an uncle. His brother had comforted him when he told the younger that he had been abandoned but when he said that he was pregnant, Yuuta had turned into a child-like mess. He had always wanted younger sister before anyway.

After 4 months…

Fuji walked around the supermarket, looking for new things for his baby. He had just gone to the doctor who had told him that he was having twins—a girl and a boy. He had been overwhelmed with it that the moment he got out of the hospital, he went to the mall to buy new stuff. He saw a pair of shoes at the top of a counter that appealed greatly to him. So he walked towards it and was about to take it when another hand reached for it the same time he was to take it so they were holding it at the same time.

He looked at the owner of the hand and was socked at who he saw. It was Tezuka who also looked taken aback.

"I'm sorry." Tezuka said as he let go of the material. He looked lost, though. He looked at the huge belly of Fuji who already has a shoulder-length, brunet hair that made him more beautiful. The tensai was wearing a white maternity dress that made him look like an angel.

"T-thanks…" Fuji answered at the loss of words to say to the father of his children. He turned back from the man who looked like shopping baby stuffs too. So he has a family now, huh? He thought painfully as he touched his rounded belly.

Fuji sat on the rocking chair inside the nursery that he had fixed for his babies. Two names were written on the cribs—pink and blue—with the lettered wood—Kunisuke and Syuumitsu. He smiled at the names. He wanted his children to have at least a part of Tezuka in his children's lives. He had chosen cute nicknames for his children too—Nisu and Syuumi. He giggled when he remembered Tezuka's reaction when he had called the stoic man Nimi from Kunimitsu.

He stood up and walked towards the bed and started fixing the new things he had just bought for his children. He is already six months pregnant and he looks like any minute soon, he'll pop. He's now the Manager of the New York branch of his uncle's Japanese Restaurant so he doesn't really worry much about his children's future. He had started saving for them after all.

He saw the pair of shoes that he had held with Tezuka. He looked at it. It's blue and it's cool for the eyes. He held it against his chest. He felt a slight stab of pain in his heart.

"Seems like your daddy had found a family of his own, babies." He said as he caressed his belly. Tears started flowing down his cheeks. "I'm sorry that I can't fulfill your need to have a father…"

He wiped his tears away but they won't stop coming. He lay down on the bed and held the shoes against his chest. He cried and cried but he stopped when the doorbell rang. He sat up as he wiped his tears away. He looked at the mirror to check his looks. It might be Eiji… He thought.

He walked to the door and opened it without looking who it was. He gaped when he saw Tezuka standing at the door with bags.

"T-Tezuka?" His face showed shock and confusion. He really doesn't have any idea why the man is here at his home but he won't push Tezuka away, that's for sure.

Tezuka simply stared at Fuji who had looked shocked.

"W-what are you doing here?" Fuji asked with a shaky voice.

The taller brunet sighed as if gathering his courage to talk. "Can we talk?" he asked.

Fuji opened the door wider and let the stoic man enter his apartment. He doesn't know what to do or say to the man who broke his heart to pieces. He walked ahead of Tezuka towards the living room. "Please take a seat. I'll prepare some refreshments."

Tezuka just nodded as he put the bags down on the floor but instead of sitting down, he walked around the living room. He saw some of Fuji's pictures displayed on the walls and the tables. He stopped in front of a photo of their team. They had looked happy except him who had always had that poker face of his. Fuji looked like he never had any problem in life. He sighed due to the sudden sadness he felt. He wished that life was just an easy problem to solve but it's not; it never was.

"Some memories, huh?" Fuji said from behind him, holding a tray with two glasses, a pitcher of orange juice and two sandwiches.

"Hnn…" Tezuka reacted as he walked towards Fuji. "Let me help you with that." He said as he took the tray from the smaller brunet and laid it down to the center table.

Fuji sat on one of the sofas carefully and waited for Tezuka to sit down.

As Tezuka sat, he couldn't help but stare at Fuji's swollen belly. He had this raging feeling that Fuji's child is his though he's still unsure about it. He cleared his throat as he started to talk. "Syuusuke…" one word. It's one word that immediately dispersed all his worries and pains.

Fuji flinched at Tezuka's word. It's been so long since he last heard the stoic man call him by his first name. A total of 5 months, 2 weeks and 3 days. He missed it.

Tezuka took a deep breath and continued. "I want to become the father of your children and I want you to become my wife. Syuusuke Fuji, will you marry me?" For the first time in a long time, he felt that his face grow hot. He knows that he's blushing hard but he doesn't care anymore. He pulled out a ring from his pocket—his mom's wedding ring—and showed it to Fuji. "I know, you don't trust me now but please give me a chance to correct my mistakes. I want to be with you! I love you!"

Fuji couldn't seem to absorb what Tezuka had just said coz he just stared at the bespectacled man. "W-what?"

Tezuka gulped. This was what had been stopping him from approaching Fuji. 4 months that he has been following Fuji around, stalking him but he never had the guts to approach his beloved because he was afraid that he'll get rejected. But he was not yet rejected, was he? He smiled a little. "I'll do everything for you to forgive me…. You do not know but I have been following you around these few months after graduation…. I want to believe that the baby inside you is mine…. No, I've believed that your baby is mine since I first found out that you were pregnant but I was scared that you'd reject me. I was afraid that you'll laugh at me… but now, I'm ready. I don't want my child to grow up without a father. I want her to grow up with a complete family. I'm sorry for what I did that night. I never meant to abandon you. I was scared. I was hurt. I was stupid."

Tears started to form at the sides of Fuji's eyes. This is what he had been waiting but is he ready to give his heart totally to this playboy in front of him? Warm tears now wet his cheeks. He wiped them away but they still came. "You'll never know the pain that I've gone through because of loving you, Tezuka Kunimitsu. You'll never know how much time I've waited for you to notice me even just once without any trouble from the bitches around me." He said bitterly. "Yes, I love you but I'm not sure I'm ready to give you my trust just yet. Please get out."

Tezuka watched helplessly as Fuji cried. "I'll do everything, Syuusuke."

"I don't care! Just, please, leave me alone!"

Tezuka stood up. "I'll leave for now but I'll be back, Syuusuke." He said with a tone of promise. "I promise you that."