A Beautiful Mistake
folder
Prince of Tennis/Tennis no Ohjisama › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
Views:
4,148
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Prince of Tennis/Tennis no Ohjisama › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
10
Views:
4,148
Reviews:
21
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Prince of Tennis (Tennis no Ohjisama), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 5
A/N: This fic may be rife with mistakes, but I’ll correct them as I go along (and as you point them out to me), OOC-ness (but please remember that this fic takes place about 11 years into the future), flashbacks and other clichéd plot devices (but I’ll try to write them well), and I’m afraid I’ll be dipping into that pot of gooey cheese every now and then. Oh, and if I’m seen to be slacking in updates, I give you permission to jab me with a sharp stick repeatedly:)
The angst and all the pretty horses they ride. Also, never write angst scene's to sad love songs:(
// denotes flashback
##
A Beautiful Mistake
//Four Years Earlier
“You’re a hard person to get a hold of lately, Tezuka.” Fuji chided with a laugh.
“Sorry, Fuji, things have been a little hectic lately with training, sponsor meetings and my English lessons.”
“Do you have time to talk now?”
“Yes, I have the rest of the day off. How have you been?”
“I’ve been good, a little lonely without you but good now that I can hear your voice again.” Fuji replied with a happy sigh.
“I… miss you, too.” Tezuka responded but Fuji caught the slight hesitation in his voice and his heart thumped painfully in his chest.
“Oh! Remember that job interview I told you about?” Fuji quickly filled in the awkward silence that sprang up between them.
“Yes, what happened with it?”
“I got the job, of course. They were so highly impressed with my portfolio, that I didn’t have to do a second interview.” Fuji answered, a hint of arrogance in his voice, then he laughed, “I knew a company called *Tensai* Portfolios could only be lucky for me.”
Tezuka chuckled, “Congratulations, Fuji. You’re good at what you do, you take pride in your photographs and that’s what shows.”
“Thank you.” Fuji blushed at the praise, glad for once that Tezuka wasn’t in the same room to see the color suffuse his face and neck, “That reminds me, I have a few weeks left before I start my new job, so I was thinking that now would be the perfect time for me to come and visit you.”
Tezuka was silent a few moments before he released a heavy sigh, ”Actually, Fuji…I’ve been mean…wanting to…oh, hell.”
Fuji could almost see Tezuka, glasses off, fingers pinching at the bridge of his nose as he grappled for words. He would have been amused if it wasn’t for the deep fear nearly choking him. He remained silent just bracing himself for the hammer’s fall.
“Fuji, this just isn’t going to work anymore. I…things…we…God, this is hard. Say something, Fuji.”
“What should I say, Tezuka?” Fuji was surprised at how calm he sounded.
“Fuji, we’ve been apart for so long and things have changed.”
“Not for me, I still want to be with you. I still...love you.”
Tezuka flinched, “We have to be logical, Fuji. This…relationship between us can’t really give us the things that we need. It’s time we both started thinking about getting married and starting families of our own.”
The rationality of Tezuka’s explanation finally broke through Fuji’s dazed shock. He gave a humorless laugh, “Tezuka, I’m gay.”
“Look just because we had a sexual…”
“No, I’ve known since the second year of high school that I was attracted only to men. I accepted that fact a while ago and even came out to my family.”
“You did?” Tezuka sounded surprised, “Did…did you tell them about us?”
“No, you never said anything to your family and I didn’t think it was my place to tell anyone about that, until you were ready.”
“Fuji,” the relief was evident in Tezuka’s voice, “thank you. I’m *not* gay. It was just a phase…”
“Now I’m reduced to a phase? That’s all I ever was to you, a *phase*?” Fuji’s tone was sharp with outrage.
“God, I didn’t mean it like that, Fuji.”
“Well, how did you mean it then? Explain this to me because I always thought we were more than just…fuck buddies.” Fuji grabbed for the least flattering description he could think of, taking a perverse liking to the pained wince it forced from Tezuka. What he didn’t like was the desperation that had sneaked into his voice and he was powerless to stop it.
“We’re friends, Fuji.” Tezuka’s own voice was tight, despite the calm delivery of his words, “isn’t that enough? Friends, because that’s all I can give you now.”
“Have you ever tried to give me more, Tezuka? Did you ever love me?”
“Please,” now the first strains of emotion leaked into Tezuka’s words, “let’s not do this now. I don’t want to have this conversation.”
“I don't know about that, now seems to be the perfect time.” Fuji picked at the wound with a single minded determination, no matter the hurt, “Did you ever love me?”
“Fuji, you’re my best friend. I…”
“Kunimitsu, that’s not answering my question.” Fuji interrupted.
“Fuji, I don’t…”
“Just answer it!” Fuji shouted interrupting again.
A moment of audible silence, then Tezuka let out a heavy breath, “Yes! Dammit, yes, I did!”
“Then how can you…”
This time it was Tezuka’s turn to interrupt and the words left Fuji cold, “I just love Amy more. She can give me everything that I want in my life.”
The words opened a chasm before them, Fuji tried to speak but everything he wanted to say got caught around the lump in his throat. Amy, the mention of her name was the death toll to their happy time together that he had been waiting for. It made real what he knew, deep down in the part buried beneath denial, was happening all along in every email, letter and phone call that had carried her presence with it.
Game, set, match.
And once again, he loses to Tezuka.
“Fuji?”
“I have to go, Tezuka.” Fuji despised how weak he sounded.
“Wait, Fuji, please…I’m sorry.”
“Good-bye, Tezuka.”//
##
“Fuji-san, is everything okay?” Miyuka startled Fuji out of his dark musings.
I’m fine, Miyuka-san.” Fuji answered, the well worn smile slipping back into place.
“You looked…upset. I thought something happened with the pictures.”
Fuji laughed, his smile becoming genuine at his assistant’s assumption that the photos would be the foremost of his worries, “No, Miyuka-san, the photos are fine. Perfect, in fact.”
“Of course, they would be! Fuji-san, you only do the *best* work!”
“You flatter me way too much.” Fuji chuckled, “Hey, how about we knock off early and grab some dinner? I’m starving and it’ll be my treat.”
Miyuka played with the ends of her bright red braid and studied Fuji for a moment, then smiled, “Are you switching teams, Fuji-san.”
Fuji’s eyes widened at the cheeky question and he laughed again, “Maybe you’ve convinced me to give women, or at least you, a test drive.”
“Fuji-san! That could be considered sexual harassment!” Miyuka feigned shock, then she winked, “Let me grab my purse!”
Fuji watched her hurry off, he was still chuckling from the playful banter. His eyes fell on the calendar and the smile slipped, ten more days and they would be face-to-face again. Four years after that bitter phone conversation and three years since they last spoke in person, time passed that still blurred that thin line between love and hate. Despite all the pain and anger, the promises to just get over him and find someone else, Fuji couldn’t stop the thrill of anticipation, of *wanting* to see Tezuka again.
His heart just wouldn’t let go.
“Fuji-san, are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” He whispered.
TBC…
The angst and all the pretty horses they ride. Also, never write angst scene's to sad love songs:(
// denotes flashback
##
A Beautiful Mistake
//Four Years Earlier
“You’re a hard person to get a hold of lately, Tezuka.” Fuji chided with a laugh.
“Sorry, Fuji, things have been a little hectic lately with training, sponsor meetings and my English lessons.”
“Do you have time to talk now?”
“Yes, I have the rest of the day off. How have you been?”
“I’ve been good, a little lonely without you but good now that I can hear your voice again.” Fuji replied with a happy sigh.
“I… miss you, too.” Tezuka responded but Fuji caught the slight hesitation in his voice and his heart thumped painfully in his chest.
“Oh! Remember that job interview I told you about?” Fuji quickly filled in the awkward silence that sprang up between them.
“Yes, what happened with it?”
“I got the job, of course. They were so highly impressed with my portfolio, that I didn’t have to do a second interview.” Fuji answered, a hint of arrogance in his voice, then he laughed, “I knew a company called *Tensai* Portfolios could only be lucky for me.”
Tezuka chuckled, “Congratulations, Fuji. You’re good at what you do, you take pride in your photographs and that’s what shows.”
“Thank you.” Fuji blushed at the praise, glad for once that Tezuka wasn’t in the same room to see the color suffuse his face and neck, “That reminds me, I have a few weeks left before I start my new job, so I was thinking that now would be the perfect time for me to come and visit you.”
Tezuka was silent a few moments before he released a heavy sigh, ”Actually, Fuji…I’ve been mean…wanting to…oh, hell.”
Fuji could almost see Tezuka, glasses off, fingers pinching at the bridge of his nose as he grappled for words. He would have been amused if it wasn’t for the deep fear nearly choking him. He remained silent just bracing himself for the hammer’s fall.
“Fuji, this just isn’t going to work anymore. I…things…we…God, this is hard. Say something, Fuji.”
“What should I say, Tezuka?” Fuji was surprised at how calm he sounded.
“Fuji, we’ve been apart for so long and things have changed.”
“Not for me, I still want to be with you. I still...love you.”
Tezuka flinched, “We have to be logical, Fuji. This…relationship between us can’t really give us the things that we need. It’s time we both started thinking about getting married and starting families of our own.”
The rationality of Tezuka’s explanation finally broke through Fuji’s dazed shock. He gave a humorless laugh, “Tezuka, I’m gay.”
“Look just because we had a sexual…”
“No, I’ve known since the second year of high school that I was attracted only to men. I accepted that fact a while ago and even came out to my family.”
“You did?” Tezuka sounded surprised, “Did…did you tell them about us?”
“No, you never said anything to your family and I didn’t think it was my place to tell anyone about that, until you were ready.”
“Fuji,” the relief was evident in Tezuka’s voice, “thank you. I’m *not* gay. It was just a phase…”
“Now I’m reduced to a phase? That’s all I ever was to you, a *phase*?” Fuji’s tone was sharp with outrage.
“God, I didn’t mean it like that, Fuji.”
“Well, how did you mean it then? Explain this to me because I always thought we were more than just…fuck buddies.” Fuji grabbed for the least flattering description he could think of, taking a perverse liking to the pained wince it forced from Tezuka. What he didn’t like was the desperation that had sneaked into his voice and he was powerless to stop it.
“We’re friends, Fuji.” Tezuka’s own voice was tight, despite the calm delivery of his words, “isn’t that enough? Friends, because that’s all I can give you now.”
“Have you ever tried to give me more, Tezuka? Did you ever love me?”
“Please,” now the first strains of emotion leaked into Tezuka’s words, “let’s not do this now. I don’t want to have this conversation.”
“I don't know about that, now seems to be the perfect time.” Fuji picked at the wound with a single minded determination, no matter the hurt, “Did you ever love me?”
“Fuji, you’re my best friend. I…”
“Kunimitsu, that’s not answering my question.” Fuji interrupted.
“Fuji, I don’t…”
“Just answer it!” Fuji shouted interrupting again.
A moment of audible silence, then Tezuka let out a heavy breath, “Yes! Dammit, yes, I did!”
“Then how can you…”
This time it was Tezuka’s turn to interrupt and the words left Fuji cold, “I just love Amy more. She can give me everything that I want in my life.”
The words opened a chasm before them, Fuji tried to speak but everything he wanted to say got caught around the lump in his throat. Amy, the mention of her name was the death toll to their happy time together that he had been waiting for. It made real what he knew, deep down in the part buried beneath denial, was happening all along in every email, letter and phone call that had carried her presence with it.
Game, set, match.
And once again, he loses to Tezuka.
“Fuji?”
“I have to go, Tezuka.” Fuji despised how weak he sounded.
“Wait, Fuji, please…I’m sorry.”
“Good-bye, Tezuka.”//
##
“Fuji-san, is everything okay?” Miyuka startled Fuji out of his dark musings.
I’m fine, Miyuka-san.” Fuji answered, the well worn smile slipping back into place.
“You looked…upset. I thought something happened with the pictures.”
Fuji laughed, his smile becoming genuine at his assistant’s assumption that the photos would be the foremost of his worries, “No, Miyuka-san, the photos are fine. Perfect, in fact.”
“Of course, they would be! Fuji-san, you only do the *best* work!”
“You flatter me way too much.” Fuji chuckled, “Hey, how about we knock off early and grab some dinner? I’m starving and it’ll be my treat.”
Miyuka played with the ends of her bright red braid and studied Fuji for a moment, then smiled, “Are you switching teams, Fuji-san.”
Fuji’s eyes widened at the cheeky question and he laughed again, “Maybe you’ve convinced me to give women, or at least you, a test drive.”
“Fuji-san! That could be considered sexual harassment!” Miyuka feigned shock, then she winked, “Let me grab my purse!”
Fuji watched her hurry off, he was still chuckling from the playful banter. His eyes fell on the calendar and the smile slipped, ten more days and they would be face-to-face again. Four years after that bitter phone conversation and three years since they last spoke in person, time passed that still blurred that thin line between love and hate. Despite all the pain and anger, the promises to just get over him and find someone else, Fuji couldn’t stop the thrill of anticipation, of *wanting* to see Tezuka again.
His heart just wouldn’t let go.
“Fuji-san, are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” He whispered.
TBC…