Silent Night
by ruji
Disclaimer: none of them are under my Christmas tree... sobs... so, they're still not mine.
Silent Night
24th December, 10:36pm.
Tezuka and Fuji walked out of the concert hall. The lobby was bustling with people whom had just watched the same performance. It was a concert featuring one of the best symphonic orchestras in the world, the London Symphonic Orchestra. Finally making their way through the crowds, the two boys hopped on to a bus which headed towards the Tezuka Residence. The both of them shared a two-seater even though the bus was pretty much empty, with Fuji sitting on the inside, next to the window. Fuji took out two ticket butts from his coat pocket and handed one to Tezuka. The taller boy took it and slipped it into his wallet.
“Did you enjoy the concert?”
Fuji turned to face Tezuka, smiling sweetly.
“Yes, very much. Thank you, Kunimitsu.”
Flashback…
Two weeks ago, Tezuka had specifically told Fuji to keep the 24th of December free. He didn’t say why then, but Fuji didn’t probe either. He knew Tezuka wouldn’t have asked him to do so for no reason. On the 23rd of December, Tezuka instructed Fuji to meet him at the restaurant they frequented at 6 the next evening. Because it was Christmas eve, the cozy restaurant was done up for the season. There was a Christmas tree standing in the corner, garnished with colorful blinking lights, red ribbons and strings of little gold-colored stars. The lights were dimmed and each table had a star shaped candle sitting in the middle, the warm flame seemingly flickering in beat with the Christmas carols that filled the place. Sweet scents of cookies and fruit cakes floated in the air, adding a light touch of sweet fulfillment to the romantic ambience. Fuji had thought that Tezuka specifically told him to ‘reserve’ this time so that they could have a nice Christmas dinner together. But that was not all. While waiting for their dessert to be served, the taller boy reached into the front pocket of his dark blue shirt and produced two slips of paper. Taking a closer look, they were tickets. Tickets to a concert that very evening, at 8pm.
“Merry Christmas, Syusuke.”
“It’s for me?”
Fuji looked at Tezuka with gleaming azure orbs. The bespectacled boy nodded. Fuji picked up the tickets and took a long look at it.
“The concert is tonight?”
“Hn. You wanted to watch it badly didn’t you?”
Fuji had always been a lover of classical music. He had a collection of classical music CDs, which were often listened to over and over again. To him, being immersed in the beautiful melodies were priceless experiences, such as being taken to another world. Every piece was a new adventure, a new culture, a new feeling, and from it he could realize different emotions and visualize different places.
“How did you know? I don’t remember telling you…”
“I know you well enough to know what you like. It’s my Christmas present to you.”
Fuji smiled brilliantly, like a child who had received a new toy from Father Christmas.
“Thank you, Kunimitsu. That’s so sweet of you.”
A pale shade of pink stained the taller boy’s cheeks as he gazed at his boyfriend’s beautiful aquamarines. The tensai looked even more gentle and angelic in the soft glow of the candlelight. His lips faintly tainted crimson by the strawberries from the strawberry cheesecake they were having for dessert. It was a wonderful sight to behold.
“Demo, Kunimitsu, the party…”
“Don’t worry. Oishi’s there.”
They had a party to attend. Three parties, to be exact, all thanks to Kikumaru and Momoshiro. Beginning with a birthday party for Echizen, followed by a Christmas party, then finishing off with a farewell party for the third years’. The two party-goers had begged and pleaded for the ‘party marathon’. After a long discussion, the team decided to go on with it. And after an even longer discussion, they managed to persuade Tezuka to allow them to hold the parties at his house since his family would be away for the holiday. Of course, if it hadn’t been the persuasiveness of the resident tensai, Tezuka would have never agreed to that. So the plan was set. They would gather at Tezuka’s house on Christmas eve, where all three parties would take place. Naturally, Kikumaru and Momoshiro were put in-charge of organizing the ’party marathon’ that they had suggested. All the regulars were invited. They would first celebrate Echizen’s birthday, from 9pm to 11pm, then they would start the next party and have a Christmas countdown. They would stay over, and on Christmas day itself, they would have the final party. But of course, like any other deal, there were terms and conditions to abide to. General terms applied for all of them, simple things like not creating a mess, not blasting music, no playing of poppers and streamers in the house… But most of all, Fuji had to promise to behave himself. More specifically, he wasn’t allowed to call Tezuka Koi, darling, dear, or Mitsu-chan; he wasn’t allowed to hug Tezuka in the presence of the regulars, needless to say, no kissing as well; and most importantly, no skimpy Santarina outfits and lacy red underwear. These special terms were made solely between Tezuka and Fuji, of course.
Tezuka Residence, 11:23pm.
Tezuka opened the door to be greeted by a blinding sight of colored lights, glow-in-the-dark sticks, and Christmas tree-shaped candles. The music was on, the lights were on, the TV was on… obviously, the party was on. Before he and Fuji could fully step into the house, a red mass came bouncing towards them, and flew straight into Fuji.
“FUJI!! You came at the right time nya, we were just about to cut the cake! Ne, ne, is my outfit nice? HOHOHO MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
Kikumaru had his hands akimbo and talking as low as he could. He spun around in an attempt to show his best friend his Santa outfit. Tezuka could already feel a headache buzzing at the back of his brain.
“Kikumaru!”
The redhead jumped.
“Ah! Hai, Buchou!”
“Why is the TV on when there’s music playing? And why are all the lights on when you already have so many Christmas lights and candles to light up the room?”
The redhead was on the verge of sulking. He was having so much fun, and then that pokerfaced Buchou had to come and spoil the mood…
“Tezuka! Gomen, gomen. I’ll turn off the music now.”
Oishi put his hands around Kikumaru’s shoulders and ‘rescued’ him from Tezuka. Fuji chuckled lightly and gently tugged on Tezuka’s shirt.
“Maa… don’t be so strict on them for today will you? It’s Christmas eve, Kunimitsu. Lighten up a bit.”
Tezuka sighed inwardly. He really shouldn’t have agreed to this. He was doing a great job rejecting their pleads… until Fuji came into the picture. Damn Fuji and his charms.
Soon it was past midnight. They had their countdown, exchanged greetings and sang some Christmas carols, followed by more food. The living room was bright and noisy even at that hour. Kikumaru was still bouncing around and busy glomping on Echizen, Oishi trying to pry the redhead away from the suffocating year one. Momoshiro and Kaidoh were caught up in another of their usual arguments, Kaidoh complaining that Momoshiro ate too much, and Momoshiro complaining that Kaidoh sang out of tune. Kawamura was kindly trying to break up the argument, but Echizen had to hand a racket to the shy guy, and he instantly went into burning mode, shouting even louder than the two sophomores altogether. Inui was watching the whole scene from a safe corner, collecting his data, and not helping the situation at all. Well, at least it was good enough that he didn’t make the situation worse by bringing out his ‘Inui’s Special Christmas Deluxe Hyper Remix’. Tezuka would have made them run laps in the snow, but somehow Fuji had managed to stop him from doing that, again. He and Fuji sat in the kitchen, sipping on hot chocolate in silence.
What seemed like hours later, the chaos finally died down. The two emerged from the kitchen to see the regulars scattered across the living room. Oishi fell asleep on the couch in a sitting position, with Kikumaru comfortably snuggled up on his lap. Echizen was sprawled out on the other couch face down, Momoshiro was on the floor right below said couch, with his legs hanging off the couch. Kawamura fell asleep hugging his tennis racket. Inui was curled up in a corner, asleep, but still mumbling data. Kaidoh was blissfully hissing in his dreams in another corner. Fuji helped Tezuka bring out some blankets and dutifully draped them over their teammates. Oishi woke up when Fuji was putting the blanket over him.
“Eh? Fuji… The place is in a mess, I’ll clean up…”
“Shh… it’s alright, Tezuka and I can manage. Go back to sleep.”
“But…”
Fuji pointed to Kikumaru and smiled.
“How are you going to get up anyway? Don’t worry, Oishi. Goodnight.”
2:10am
Having done the dishes, Tezuka walked out of the kitchen to find the main door slightly ajar. Through the window, the silhouette of the tensai could be seen standing outside in the freshly fallen snow. Noticing that Fuji was not wearing his coat, the bespectacled boy hurried out of the house. He stood beside the slender figure and gently held it in his arms.
“What are you doing out in the cold?”
“Looking at the stars. I made a wish. Do you think it’ll come true?”
Tezuka looked at the lithe form in his arms, staring at the sky and smiling serenely, the cold and monotonous snow surprisingly complimentary against his smooth porcelain skin.
“What did you wish for?”
Fuji looked up at Tezuka, throwing him a sweet smile.
“Saa… It won’t come true if I tell ne?”
That was a mere superstition which Fuji never took to heart before. He just couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth, the selfish truth that he wished for Tezuka to be by his side forever. Tezuka was leaving the next day. He had been offered a chance to further his studies and potential in tennis in Germany, where his once injured arm could be well taken care of in the meantime. Fuji had encouraged him to go for it, knowing that Tezuka would benefit from it, even though he resented the fact that Tezuka and him would be miles apart.
“Let’s go in. I’ll bring you to a place where you can see the stars.”
Tezuka led the honey-haired boy up a flight of stairs, and they walked down a long corridor, finally stopping at a door hidden at the corner. The door was smaller than any of the other doors in the house. They stepped in and Tezuka flicked the switch, a hand-crafted light hanging from the ceiling ignited, minimally lighting up the room with a dim glow. The room was small, and cluttered with boxes and shelves. No one lived there, it was mainly used for the storage of things. Fuji looked around and spotted an old piano resting in a corner.
“You have a piano?”
“Aa. I used to have lessons when I was young, but I stopped after I picked up tennis.”
“Why haven’t you mentioned it before?”
“It’s beenalmosteight years since I last played on it.”
Tezuka walked over to the window and scrolled up the blinds. Fuji moved to the window sill and stared into the boundless starry sky. It was indeed a great view. Twinkling stars laced the vast expanse of pitch darkness, bringing out the beauty of nightfall. He then heard the beautiful melody of ‘Silent Night’. He spun around to see Tezuka sitting in front of the piano, playing with uncertain hands. The long fingers grazed across the keyboard slowly and carefully, trying to avoid hitting any wrong notes. Fuji drank in the rare sight. He had never thought Tezuka was musically inclined since the captain had not mentioned anything about it, but suddenly everything seemed to fit together. Tezuka, the piano, and music. The slender fingers which were usually wrapped around a tennis racket looked just as natural floating above the keyboard. The melody died away, and Fuji found himself staring into stunning hazel orbs.
“Gomen… That was all I can remember.”
Fuji shook his head profusely.
“No… it was beautiful. Can you play it again?”
Without saying anything, the bespectacled boy turned to face the piano again and lightly placed his hands above the keyboard.
“Ano… Kunimitsu. Can you sing it too?”
“…”
“Please?”
The long fingers started to dance across the black and white keys, and the melody started to flow. Then, the deep, rich voice joined in with the melody, softly but smoothly. Fuji stood by the side and stared with fascination. He never knew Tezuka could play the piano, and he never knew the stoic captain of Seigaku could sing so well either, since most of the time that voice was only heard commanding laps. His voice blended it with that of the piano’s in perfect harmony, just like the way angels sang along with the music from their harps. It all seemed so right, as though the piano was tailor-made for Tezuka, the keys to fit his fingers, and the tone to suit his voice. The song came to an end and Tezuka turned back to face his boyfriend. Fuji stood still, not an expression on his face, not even the usual smile. A second later, a falling star glided down his flawless cheek. The taller boy stood up immediately and held the tensai in his arms.
“What’s wrong?”
He gently brushed away the stream of crystals slowly falling down the smaller boy’s face. Blue met brown, and a charming smile drew across Fuji’s face.
“It was so beautiful… Thank you, Kunimitsu. That was the loveliest song I’ve ever heard. I’ll never forget it.”
“Baka…”
The taller boy pulled the other into a strong embrace, appreciating the existence of the other.
“Syusuke, I have something for you.”
“Hmm? You’ve already given me so much…”
Tezuka broke away and took out a wooden box slightly bigger than his palm.
“I wanted to give you something that you could keep by your side, while I’m away.”
Fuji took the box. He instantly recognized the exquisite carvings on it. He opened it and the melody of Franz Schubert’s Serenade sung melancholy. It was that music box. The exact one which he saw when he and Tezuka went Christmas shopping a week ago. He loved that music box, but he didn’t buy it seeing that he had no purpose for it. At that time, Tezuka saw how much Fuji liked that box. The very next day, he went back to the shop and bought it, keeping it as a surprise gift for Fuji. The honey-haired boy took out the ticket butt from his pocket and put it carefully into the box.
“I didn’t buy it because I didn’t have a purpose for it. But now I do. It keeps my memories.”
Tezuka took out his ticket butt and put it into the box as well.
“Keep mine for me will you? I’m afraid of losing it in Germany. This way, my memories will be safe too, and I’ll come back for it.”
Fuji smiled lovingly and put the box down. He then took out a neatly wrapped box from his pocket and presented it to Tezuka.
“I haven‘t given you your Christmas gift ne... Merry Christmas, Kunimitsu. Open it.”
Tezuka cautiously peeled off the layer of wrapping and opened the box. A watch sat firmly in the box. Fuji then took the watch and put it around Tezuka’s wrist.
“It can tell local time and global time. So you can keep track of the time in Japan while you are in Germany. I bought one too, so I’ll know when I can call you.”
Tezuka looked at his watch, and looked at Fuji’s. The designs were the same, but he noticed a significant difference in the two watches.
“Yours is brown. I never knew you liked brown.”
The tensai smiled sweetly.
“I’ve loved brown ever since the day I fell in love with you. It’s the color of your eyes…”
Tezuka looked at the watches again. His was blue. The exact blue of Fuji’s eyes. The tensai spoke again.
“It’s meant to remind me of you. And you of me.”
“It’s purpose won’t be met… because, I already have you in here.”
Tezuka placed his hand over his heart. Fuji’s eyes twinkled with happiness and love. The taller boy gently tilted his boyfriend’s chin and claimed the tender lips passionately.
Tezuka sat against an old bookshelf, facing the only window in the room, Fuji lying comfortably in his arms, smaller hands in his bigger ones. Fuji rested his head on Tezuka’s broad chest, hearing his steady heartbeat and savoring his body warmth. Tezuka leaned his head against Fuji’s, feeling his silken brown strands and inhaling the sweet scent from his hair. They gazed at the stars through the little window, and admired the dancing snowflakes descending from the sky, asking for nothing more than the presence of the other. Unknowingly, they both fell into a sweet slumber.
25th December, 8:47am
Half the members were already up and packed with energy. Kaidoh and Inui had went out for a morning run even though it was freezing cold since it snowed last night, offering to buy some fresh milk and bread from the convenience store on their way back. Oishi and Kawamura were bustling around in the kitchen, whipping up some breakfast for the everyone.
9:34am
Breakfast was ready, and Kaidoh and Inui had returned from their run with the promised items. Their only problem now was the rest of the team, who were still snoozing soundly. Kaidoh and Kawamura were assigned to wake Echizen, Momoshiro and Eiji up, while Oishi and Inui went to look for Fuji and Tezuka, who were obviously not anywhere in the living room. They checked, Tezuka’s room. Empty. Guest room. Empty. Study room. Empty. Oishi was starting to get worried, wondering where the duo could have been. It couldn’t have been Tezuka-ojiisan’s room since the old man had locked the room before he left.
“They might be in Tezuka’s parent’s room… there’s a double bed in there and maybe last night they decided to have --”
“Inui!”
Oishi interrupted Inui with cheeks slightly blushed at the thought of Inui’s words.
“Tezuka… Tezuka is very self-disciplined…”
“Aa… But Fuji is capable of creating miracles. The percentage of Fuji successfully persuading Tezuka into doing something is… 84.”
“But still…”
“But still, we should be checking the room, just in case.”
“Mm… I guess so.”
Inui opened the door leading to Tezuka’s parent’s room… only to find it empty. A sigh of relief escaped from Oishi’s mouth. But he soon got worried again, because they had already checked all the bedrooms in the house, and the two aces had yet to be found.
“According to my data, there is only one room left in the house. At the end of the corridor. Let’s go.”
Inui led the way to the small door hiding at the corner. Oishi slowly pushed open the door, and stopped without stepping in. The room was small enough that he could see the entire space without stepping in. There, against a bookshelf by the wall, was Tezuka. Fuji soundly snuggled up in Tezuka’s arms, their fingers entwined. Gentle rays of the winter morning’s sun lit up the room through the small window they were facing. Oishi smiled calmly at the loving sight. After all, it was a rare chance to see Tezuka displaying his affections for Fuji, though he was only doing so in his sleep, not knowing people were watching him.
“Ii data…”
“Shh… let’s go, Inui.”
“Aren’t we going to wake them up?”
“Let them sleep. Tezuka rarely sleeps in that late, so they must have slept late last night. And Tezuka’s leaving tomorrow, let them spend more time together.”
“Ii data… Tezuka and Fuji slept late last night… They must have been making --”
Oishi stopped Inui by covering his mouth with his hand. He hurriedly closed the door silently and dragged the lanky boy away.
“Oishi! Ne, where’s Fuji and Buchou nya?”
“Erm… they’re still asleep.”
“Ano… Both of them?”
“They’re sleeping together.”
“Nani?! Inui-senpai, what did you say?”
“Inui!”
“He said they’re sleeping together nya! Hontou? Oishi!”
“Fsshh…”
“Where? Let’s go see, Eiji-senpai!”
“Hoi hoi! Let’s go, let’s go! Come too, ochibi!”
“Eto… I don’t think we should be disturbing them…”
“According to their speed and this house’s area, they will find the room in approximately… 3minutes and 15seconds…”
“Inui! Stop it, they’re getting out of hand!”
“Mada mada da ne.”
Oishi was desperately holding on to Kikumaru to stop him from bursting into the room, waking Tezuka and Fuji up in the process. Momoshiro was trying to get Echizen out of his seat to go search for the room. Kaidoh was just hissing in his chair, and Kawamura was busy trying to prevent an outbreak of chaos. Inui was happily taking down data. The next moment, Kikumaru broke free and bounced off towards the stairs, Momoshiro following closely behind. Oishi panicked and rushed to stop the energetic redhead, but someone managed to do it before him.
“Creating a racket early in the morning! Everyone 30 laps now!”
Kikumaru came to an abrupt halt and Momoshiro crashed straight on to him, both of them crumbling into a heap on the floor. The rest of the regulars just stared, not knowing what to do. A lithe figure appeared from behind the captain seconds later, stretching lazily with a satisfied smile on his face.
“Aa… Ohayo, minna. Merry Christmas!”
-owari-
Merry Christmas, folks! By the way... I've got a sidetrack written for this chapter, titled Everyone is a Star. Pls do check it out, it's quite a short chapter. And please, make my Christmas a merry one by clicking the nice little button down there and leave me a note ne? Sankyuu!