Title: Beloved
Characters/Pairings: Seigaku regulars, Tezuka/Fuji
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Humour, Romance, Hurt & Comfort
Summary: The regulars hold a party at Fuji's house to celebrate Christmas and a prank initially played on two particular players reveals more than was expected and draws out unexpected reactions as things become clear.
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis never was and never will be mine.

Time waits for no one it is said and junior high school students were not exempted from it ether. Days and months came and went by with a blink of the eye as the regulars found themselves caught up with school, homework, tennis and competitions, only to realise with a start that the end of the year had sneaked up on them unknowingly once again. It was a time of holidays, festive cheer and spending time with close friends and family.

The regulars felt no different and hence, decided to hold a party on the 24th of December at Fuji's house to celebrate Christmas, the tensai having kindly offered his house as a venue for them to gather at. It was decided after some discussion that each person would be in charge of bringing one food item as a contribution to the night's meal and everyone drew lots to determine who would bring what type of food, with the exception of Kawamura who would obviously be supplying the sushi.

Both Oishi and Ryoma got the easiest task of bringing drinks, Kaidoh got snacks while Inui and Momoshiro both got finger food. That left Tezuka and Fuji to get ready the main courses. "The order was all for the best," the tennis captain thought, silently thankful that by pure luck Inui would not have the opportunity to poison anyone with his weird juices. The data player's concoctions were useful in motivating the regulars to perform to the best of their abilities but unfortunately left them incapacitated once they drank it.

While Tezuka was strict with himself and everyone else he was in charge of to the point that some might even view him as a little harsh and cruel, he wasn't so evil to spoil what was supposed to be a time of fun and celebration. Competition season was over, school had broken for the holidays and he had been told numerous times by an exasperated mother that he really should take the time to relax a little.

"Just a little then," the stoic teen told himself and surprisingly after some more consideration, the idea actually seemed rather appealing. "Now to take care of the food; I should check with Fuji as to what he will be preparing so that we do not end up bringing the same food. That reminds me, I probably should remind him that not everyone is capable of eating hot food," Tezuka unfolded his arms from their crossed position over his chest and reached for the phone lying on his desk.

The day of the party arrived and the regulars arrived in ones and twos with the various food, with a specific few coming earlier to help out with the decorations and arranging of food. 5 minutes to 8pm, Kawamura arrived at the house in his father's van with numerous trays of sushi.

"Taka san's outside with the sushi! Anyone want to help me carry the trays into the house? I doubt the two of us will be able to handle everything," Fuji called out as he snapped his phone shut and headed towards the door.

"Gomen Fuji senpai but I am kinda busy at the moment!" Fuji heard a muffled yell from Momoshiro somewhere from within the house. Thinking nothing of it, he called out again a second time but received more shouts from the others excusing themselves.

A little puzzled and suspicious, Fuji wondered if the regulars were up to something. Just then, he spotted Tezuka walking out of the kitchen and beamed at the boy as he briskly walked over to him.

"Tezuka, Taka san's waiting outside with the sushi van. Mind helping me carry the trays in?"

"Ahh," the stoic captain replied as he silently followed the tensai out to the driveway where Taka-san was waiting.

"Fuji, Tezuka! Sorry about the lateness," the soft spoken boy ducked his head in embarrassment as Fuji and Tezuka hurriedly reassured him that it was okay.

Moving to the back of the van, the bespectacled youth carefully lifted a few trays of sushi up while Fuji grabbed hold of a couple more, heaving it up and testing its weight. Comfortable that it was neither too heavy nor too light, the honey-haired teen nodded to Tezuka and they made their way back into the house, leaving Kawamura to guard the van and its contents.

Just as the two stepped through the door leading into the living room, screams and shouts of laughter were heard and the two boys looked around the room in puzzlement. Kikumaru was clutching his stomach while doing his best not to roll on the floor from the hilarity as he pointed to a spot above the two boys' heads while the youngest of the group tipped down his cap with a smirk as he mumbled, "mada mada dane."

"100% chance that Fuji and Tezuka would enter the room together. This will be good data," Inui grinned evilly as he held open a familiar green notebook, pen poised over a page and ready to begin his usual data collection.

"Fshuuu..." the endurance player shook his head as he shot a look of pity in the direction of his two senpais.

"Gomen na Tezuka, Momoshiro and Kikumaru insisted that it wouldn't be Christmas without mistletoe so we ended up hanging it over the entrance to the living room. Are you really going to do it?" the vice captain of the team asked hesitantly.

"Don't be such a spoilsport na, buchou?" Momoshiro shouted from his place at the couch.

"What shall we do, Tezuka?" the honey haired teen spoke softly in a lilting voice as he craned his head up slightly to the right, peering up at the bespectacled youth beside him. Said tennis player frowned, annoyed with the embarrassing situation he was caught in as he turned to look at the tensai upon hearing him speak.

The petite boy's eyes were closed and he had his usual smile in place though the russet haired teenager noticed that the curve of the other's mouth was a little higher than normal. Glaring balefully at Kikumaru and then Momoshiro as the two caught the look on their captain's face and gulped nervously, a low baritone resounded through the room.

"10 laps around Fuji's house!" the stoic youth ordered in a no nonsense tone that brooked no argument whatsoever.

"Ehhh?" Kikumaru's cries of dismay were echoed by the others as the boys dragged themselves up from their seats reluctantly and shuffled out of the room and house despondently to begin their punishment.

"Maa, did you have to be so harsh? It's Christmas after all and they just wanted to have some fun; it's not like they meant anything bad and honestly I don't think there's anything wrong about doing it for fun, ne? I kiss Yuuta pretty often too; it's fine to loosen up once in a while," Fuji spoke up once they were the only ones left remaining in the house.

"We must not let our guards down," Tezuka responded calmly.

"I see...I guess this kind of actions disgust you…"

The taller youth picked up the strange tone in the other's voice as well as the odd choice of words and gave the brunette a questioning glance, noticing that said boy's usual smile was still in place but for some reason it seemed a little strained now.

"Let's get this trays of sushi into the kitchen quickly ne," Fuji said to no one in particular as he shifted his grip on the load in his hands and made a move to walk towards the kitchen.

Tezuka blinked in confusion at the strangeness of the situation and he could not help but feel that something was amiss as his heart all but screamed at him to do something. Struggling to comprehend his emotions, he watched the distance between him and his closest friend widen with a sense of helplessness, a silent plea springing up from the depths of his heart. The words that echoed in his head resounded with the incomprehensible feelings he felt and suddenly as if a fog had lifted from his mind and everything became crystal clear, understanding dawned on him and he hurriedly placed his own load gently on the floor and called out.

"Fuji!"

"What?" the tensai turned around wearily before he found himself pulled towards the taller teen and pinned against the nearby wall before he found his lips claimed by another pair of soft ones hungrily. The honey-haired youth gasped at the contact and Tezuka took this opportunity to slip his own tongue into the other's mouth, relishing the feel of the velvety flesh beneath his tongue.

Fuji could not help but shake uncontrollably as he took in the new sensations that his body and most importantly his mouth was feeling. His knees buckled, giving way and the slender teen would have fell to the floor had not Tezuka supported him by grasping him by the waist and holding him close to his own body.

Their lips remained locked for what seemed like eons to the tensai before the lack of air forced them apart, leaving a flushed Fuji gasping for breath as he gazed at the serious boy in front of him through half-lidded eyes that allowed the stunning blue irises behind them to shine through.

"Tezuka..." he stuttered, for once at a loss for words as he took in the passionate expression on the other's face, noting the rectangular glasses that had been knocked askew from the sudden movement, the messy spread of russet brown hair and the swollen lips that looked so tantalizing and was just begging to be kissed again.

"I am sorry for not realising earlier," the bespectacled youth whispered as one hand came up to brush away the bangs covering the tensai's eyes before caressing the side of his face, a tender smile softening the sharp and stern features that Fuji had grown to love over the years ever since they met in year 1.

"Baka Mitsu," Fuji's voice cracked as tears rolled down the sides of his cheeks and he tried to blink them away, embarrassed by the fact that Tezuka had seen this side of him.

"It's alright to cry; just like how you continue to smile even when inside of you everything is falling apart, I want to be able to see you express your feelings properly for once even if it's that of sadness and hurt. Don't hide behind a mask anymore, don't hide from me," the gentle way in which the words were spoken did not fail to convey the emotions and silent imploration and the slender boy felt the last of his defenses crumble as his inner self hesitantly reached out towards the extended hand and grasped it hesitantly. "It is said that one's inner beauty shines through the clearest when the person truly smiles. Will you show it to me?" He tilted the other boy's chin upwards to meet his gaze and the petite teen found himself drowning in the mesmerizing amber eyes of the one he loved.

"You really are a softie and romantic at heart aren't you, saying such cheesy words with that straight face of yours and meaning every bit of what you say," the honey-haired boy chuckled as he finally let down all his defenses for once and allowed the other to see his true self, an unrestrained smile breaking out on his features.

Wrapping his arms around the taller boy's waist, he pulled the taller boy into an embrace as he thought silently, "I have to thank Kikumaru and Momoshiro for this though I somehow doubt this was what they had planned when they came out with the idea of placing the mistletoe at the living room entrance."

Resting his head on the stoic youth's shoulder as they simply stood there and cherished the silent moment, Fuji closed his eyes in happiness and enjoyed the warmth that radiated from the body pressed against him, allowing his fingers to languidly trace random patterns across the back of his beloved.

Hiding a smile as he felt feather light touches on his back, Tezuka marveled at how well the other boy's body fitted against his own and could not help but acknowledge just how complete he felt now that Fuji was his. The sounds of footsteps led them to reluctantly pull apart as they hurriedly adjusted their slightly rumpled clothing.

"It's freezing cold outside," Momoshiro complained as he staggered into the warmth of the living room before blinking at the sight in front of him.

"Did anything happen while we were gone? Fuji senpai looks a little flushed," the black haired second year commented as Tezuka barely suppressed a chuckle and the person in question twitched before staring at the power player, his eyes completely open as the younger boy shuddered at the evil look on his senpai's face that promised much pain if he did not drop the subject.

"Gomen Fuji senpai I won't ask anymore so don't kill meee~!" the brash teen squeaked out before dashing away with a sudden burst of energy.

Satisfied that he had gotten the point across, the slender youth reverted back to his smiling facade as he picked up the tray that he had dropped when Tezuka suddenly grabbed him previously.

"Thank goodness Taka-san wrapped the trays securely with cling wrap, ne?" he smiled at Tezuka and turned on his heels as he made his way to the kitchen, this time uninterrupted. Arching an eyebrow, Tezuka picked up his own tray and followed, his eyes all the while firmly fixed on the tensai's back.

Feeling the intensity of the other's gaze, Fuji could not help but smile happily as he began humming a tune under his breath. The future suddenly seemed so much brighter and full of hope now that he had someone he dearly loved to share it with and the slender boy wished silently with all his heart that no matter what happens, even if they were to get separated, fate would lead them back into each other's arms.

My smile grows brighter with each day

I know that it's because you are here with me

Even if ten, a hundred or a thousand years have come and gone

My feelings will never change

I love you

So stay by my side forever, my beloved

~~Neverending love~~