Gather, Chapter One

Chapter: Homecoming or The EllipsesBandit... Fangirls Out

Author: The EllipsesBandit...

Disclaimer: Nothing here belongs to me. Blame Konomi Takeshi. I do.

Rating: T (and that's all Fuji's fault). Most of this fic will be K to K+

Pairings: TezFuji

Summary: Tezuka and Fuji never get their reunion scene at Senbatsu, so I made one up. Not much of a plot here, just some fangirling and an attempt at an introduction to this Senbatsu serial.

A/N: Okay, so after the epic that was Gentlemen's Wager, I thought I'd kill my boredom with some very loosely connected one-shots. Where better to do this than Bishounen Assemble? I mean ... Senbatsu. Welcome to Gather: A Senbatsu Serial. We're starting with Tezuka and Fuji because the EllipsesBandit... is somewhat biased. Fair warning, a lot of this series will be inside jokes that my few Tenipuri friends and I make. I hope you get them too, but I don't know how many people agree with my subtext. Anyway, these are all just for goofs.Some pairs, but mostly just conversations between people. Enjoy. Review if you have a minute. I need the self-esteem. And thanks Microgirl, Whisper, and CrimsonVictory for assuring me I'm not going to a very special hell for writing this drivel.

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Tezuka Kunimitsu stood outside the Senbatsu dormitories with an uncharacteristic expression of relief on his face. He closed his eyes and breathed the air, listening to the far off sounds of tennis balls against racquets. Months of physical therapy followed by eighteen hours of delayed and rerouted flights made tennis camp a unique sort of heaven. He permitted himself a small moment to take the environment in before returning to his normal stoicism; he had business to attend to.

Ordinarily, he would take the stairs, but he had been ordered to go easy on his shoulder, and if he wanted to play tennis later, he shouldn't stress it carrying bags up four flights of steps. Instead, he hit the up button on the elevator and waited, running through his agenda in his head: first, drop his own things off; then, phone Ryuzaki-sensei to let her know he was there and receive any instructions; then, wait until the players returned from afternoon practice to surprise Fuji. It was an elegantly simple plan ...

...that was immediately destroyed by the whisper-soft footsteps that followed him into the elevator.

Fuji smiled, startlingly blue eyes open and glinting, as he gracefully reached to hit the close door button and pinned Tezuka to the side of the elevator in a kiss that would have lasted the entire four story trip had either of them bothered to push the floor button. Tezuka knew that the current situation was both undignified and dangerous to his new position as replacement coach, but stopping Fuji at this point would be risky. If he pushed the tensai away, Fuji would become annoyed and likely work out some kind of revenge, and that would disrupt the camp and complicate the selection process. From such a perspective, it was his responsibility to wrap his arms around Fuji, his hands just under Fuji's shirt to touch his bare skin. Responsibility. Absolutely.

Eventually, Fuji pulled away long enough to ask, "So, when were you going to tell me you were coming back?"

"When were you going to tell me you knew I was coming back?" Tezuka countered, removing one hand from around Fuji's waist long enough to steady his glasses.

"I only found out this morning," Fuji argued, pointing an accusatory finger at Tezuka. "I overheard that woman discussing it with Hyotei's coach. It took a good deal of my breakfast time just figuring out when your flight got in."

"That woman?"

"The Jyosei woman. Tezuka, I know you'll be coaching with her, but she is repulsive. She flirts with Echizen. She has keychains of her own students. Couldn't we get someone else?"

Tezuka had not yet met Hanamura Aoi, but Ryuzaki-sensei did inform him there was a reason she put no Seigaku members on the Jyosei coach's team. "Apparently not."

"If she touches you, I'm planting some of Inui's new juice in her tea."

"Fair enough." Arguing would be futile at this point. Instead, Tezuka traced one hand up Fuji's spine, observing the shudder the tensai attempted to conceal as he did so. "Anything else I should be aware of?"

Fuji didn't answer immediately, still distracted by Tezuka's movements. It wasn't too long before he decided to take some control back. He ran his palm through the back of Tezuka's hair, using the movement to pull himself up to Tezuka's ear and whisper his answer, punctuating each piece of gossip with a kiss against his neck. "The usual situations. Oishi's giving himself an ulcer. Inui is having a crisis over Yanagi and Kaidoh being in the same building. And I suggest a crowbar to separate Ohtori and Shishido; they're on your team."

"Fantastic," Tezuka replied once he remembered how words were formed. "And you?"

"Have missed you very much." Fuji returned his attention to Tezuka's mouth, attempting another distraction. It worked for a while, but eventually they needed to breathe.

"And you're not involved in any schemes I am going to regret?"

"Ne, Tezuka, you'd think you didn't trust me."

"Fuji."

"I've been perfectly civil with both Atobe and that San Rudolpho boy, thank you. Atobe's been busy annoying Sanada, and I arranged for Yuuta to stay with Taka-san, so he's well protected. I've had my own matches to attend to."

Tezuka nodded. "And you have no matches now, of course."

Fuji beamed innocently. "I would never skip out on a practice for my own personal gain."

Tezuka fought valiantly to ignore the hands currently twining through the strands of hair at the back of his neck and sending sparks of electricity through his entire nervous system. "I have the schedule, Fuji. I know where you're supposed to be."

"Assuring that you received a proper welcome home is certainly not for my own personal gain."

"I am not going to cost you your chance on the team. Go back to practice."

Fuji smiled, ignoring the comment. "I'm not on your team list here, you know. You can't be held accountable for my actions off the court."

"Tennis, Fuji." Tezuka felt very proud of maintaining his buchou voice against fingers that had started to trace down the front of his shirt, absently teasing apart the buttons.

The tensai rolled his eyes. "Hai, Buchou." He let go of Tezuka, his usual smile replaced by a somewhat terse frown. Tezuka reasoned that sending Fuji back to practice like that would mean he wouldn't play with enough skill to truly impress the coaches and thus would actually harm Fuji's chances more than not attending practice at all. A simple goodbye kiss would not delay him too much longer. So Tezuka grabbed Fuji's wrist before it could open the door, spun him around, and--

--the door opened anyway to an exasperated shout of "Jesus!"

Tezuka did not blush. Blushing was undignified, and he absolutely would not fall prey to it even if Fuji's younger brother was currently standing outside the elevator door, head turned to the side and one hand covering his eyes. "Coach says you've been in the bathroom areally long time, Aniki," Yuuta managed to say.

Fuji never faltered for an instant. "Mn. Thank you, Yuuta. I'll be along in just a moment."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm just going to go disinfect my eye sockets. I'll take the stairs." Yuuta turned, not removing his hand, heading for the stairwell as the doors started to close.

Fuji stepped one foot out to keep them open. He looked up at Tezuka, good-natured as always, but somewhat disappointed. His voice sounded far away as he said, "I'll see you at dinner then, Tezuka."

Tezuka wasn't sure how he should respond, so he only answered, "Ah." Fuji left, and as the doors began to close, Tezuka knew he'd messed that up. Something had gone missing from that exchange. He was still trying to figure out what when a hand gently pushed the doors open again, and Fuji grabbed him in a fierce hug. This time, the embrace held a different kind of passion from the first attack. Fuji held Tezuka as though the buchou had been away at a war from which he had little chance of returning. The coyness disappeared, replaced by a sudden, naked honesty. Not knowing anything else to do, Tezuka just held him back.

"Ne, Kunimitsu, I'm very glad you're back," he whispered into his ear, before darting out through the closing doors.

Tezuka leaned back against the railing, dimly remembering to push the fourth floor button after a few minutes. It was good to be home.

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A/N: I promise most of the chapterswon't be as cavity-inducing as this one, but if you've read my stuff before, you know I have a weakness for this pair. I don't write fic to not fangirl out. Next plan is for Shinji vs. Mizuki so stick around!