Title:Project Glacier, Part One
Author: Neerod in ffnet/ dhorz in LJ
Ship: TezuFuji
Genres: Romance, a little angst
Rating: PG, for now
Summary: An ordinary school project turns into a challenge of melting a certain cold, stoic buchou. Or so Fuji thinks. TezuFuji.
For vierblith. -huggles-
Disclaimer: I would be stinking rich already. But I'm not. I can only barely afford my lunch. In other words, the Prince of Tennis is NOT mine.
"Tezuka." Fuji sat himself down on the empty seat beside the captain's. "Can we be partners for the class report? I don't have one yet."
"Aa," Tezuka answered.
"Good." Fuji grinned. Tezuka would be the best partner when it came to schoolwork. He was very thorough, very school-smart. He also finished things early enough. "Sensei! Tezuka and I will be partners."
The teacher nodded and promptly noted it. "Fuji-kun, Tezuka-kun, your topic will be about glaciers and glaciation."
"Hai! Thank you, sensei!"
Tezuka was writing the topic down on his notebook. Fuji peered at it. "Tezuka?"
"Hm?"
"What are glaciers?"
Tezuka gave him an odd look. "Glaciers are large bodies of accumulated ice that moves with gravitational influence," he said.
"Ah! So they look like ice cubes too?"
"…Don't pretend you don't know, Fuji."
Fuji's grin widened. He knew this was going to be fun.
Immediately after practice Tezuka called to him. "Have you borrowed books?"
"Huh? No."
Tezuka's eyes narrowed, a detail that never failed to catch Fuji's attention. "All right. Tomorrow, you shall have borrowed books."
"Eh? What about you?"
"I already borrowed some."
Fuji feigned surprise. He'd known Tezuka would start preparations early, although reporting was a good month away. It was good, though, because they would be sure to finish early. "Good, then."
"We'll work at the library tomorrow."
"Why not at your home?"
Tezuka's eyebrow went up almost unnoticeably. "The library, Fuji."
"It might close early."
The captain was silent.
"Besides, we'll need a computer, right?"
Tezuka never sighed, and he didn't now. But he relented. "All right. My house, tomorrow. Bring the books."
Fuji nodded and grinned at Tezuka, who just turned and walked away without returning it. Fuji would have rubbed his hands together with glee, but he did not.
Inui would absolutely kill to get inside Tezuka's house.
Fuji didn't need to.
-0-
Fuji wasn't a diligent student; he crammed just like most of us, but he crammed good.
That evening, though, he looked through encyclopedias and Web sources for 'glaciers' and 'glaciation'. He skimmed through the information, not really close-reading it, but enough so that he could bombard Tezuka with good and stupid questions tomorrow.
He found it amusing that if all the glaciers in the world would melt, they would flood the earth.
Maybe he'd ask Tezuka about it tomorrow.
The next day in class, Tezuka was silent as usual. Fuji thought of throwing crumpled-up notes at him just to disturb him, but then their teacher might notice and reprimand Fuji for that.
All throughout the day, he stared at Tezuka's back and thanked the heavens that he decided to sit behind his captain, and that the teachers didn't pick him to answer their questions. Which he couldn't respond to.
Actually he could. He wasn't a genius for nothing.
Like a diligent student he went to the library in his spare time, borrowed books and printed out Internet articles. He was good today.
So good, though, that he got to the locker room before Oishi or even Tezuka could. Fuji thought of setting up a trap for the regulars.
He dismissed the thought when minutes later the door opened and announced that Tezuka was in.
"Hello, Tezuka."
Tezuka nodded to him. He stowed his bag inside his locker and began changing. Fuji watched him, eyebrow raised in appreciation, eyes ghosting along Tezuka's neck, his shoulders, his abdomen, and eventually to his waist, where his shorts were, sadly, already there. Tezuka didn't notice.
"We're still doing glaciers today, Buchou?"
"Yes."
"At your house?"
"Yes."
Fuji grinned. Then he would have to get inside Tezuka's room no matter what.
"Fujikooo! We're going for burgers today, nya!" Eiji tugged insistently at Fuji's sleeve.
Fuji glanced at Tezuka, who was eyeing him meaningfully (and not trying to make it obvious), considered saying yes and dragging Tezuka in too, but for now he had to make a good impression. "Not today, Eiji. Tezuka and I will be doing a project."
"Nyaaaaa…" Eiji wailed. He yanked Fuji's sleeve. "But I'm treating you today! Hoi, wait, Buchou can come along!"
Tezuka shook his head.
"Mou! You're always so busy!" Eiji accused, pointing a finger at him.
Tezuka blinked, looked clueless.
Fuji chuckled. Apparently Tezuka did not notice that he seemed 'always so busy'. It was one reason why the regulars rarely invited him to hang out. And, yet, Tezuka never said anything about being busy; he only walked away, offering no explanations why, and the regulars never bothered to ask further.
Fuji decided to help him out. "Saa, Eiji," he began, "tomorrow. I promise. And Tezuka will come along."
Tezuka's eyebrow rose. "Who says I will be?"
"I say so!" Eiji cried out in triumph, and he glomped Tezuka. When Tezuka shot him a warning look he let go and bounced away.
Fuji grinned for the umpteenth time that day.
Beside him, an unsuspecting Tezuka closed his eyes, pushed up his glasses, and said, "Fuji, we're going. It's almost dark."
"Of course! We're partners!"
"…"
"You don't like being with me?"
"…No."
"YOU DON'T?"
"No, I mean yes, but no. It depends on the situation, really." Tezuka's eyebrow was twitching. Or if it wasn't, both his brows were knitted together. He was rattled.
Tezuka would be a good project, Fuji mused to himself. He was just the right person to unnerve, to soften. And to melt, like the glaciers they would be talking about.
Well, he wasn't sure if 'glacier' would be a good metaphor for Tezuka, but who cared. They were partners in this project.
A/N: So, there WILL be a next chapter. Do NOT be afraid to tell me what you think. I love comments.
It's very hard to write a story about glaciers and Prince of Tennis, but, well, here it is. I did my best.