Title: Dreaming On Court
Characters/Pairings: Seigaku regulars, Tezuka/Fuji
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Humour, Romance
Summary: Fuji suffers a heatstroke during a particularly sweltering summer training session and has a intriguing dream while unconscious.
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis never was and never will be mine.

"Fsssh, boomerang snake!" the bandana teen swiped at the ball and the power player on the opposite side of the net scrambled to get it.

The sweltering heat of summer was getting to everyone as a familiar whine drifted across the courts towards Fuji's ears, confirming his thoughts.

"It's so hot; I will die of heatstroke soon if this continues!" Seigaku's acrobatic player complained to his doubles partner, Oishi. Smiling gently, the mother hen of Seigaku handed the other a cold wet towel and received a grateful hug from the redhead.

Unfortunately, the added heat of another person's body against his combined with the flush most clearly observed on his cheeks, the result of Kikumaru's blatant display of affection caused a steam of smoke to emerge from the vice-captain's head.

Upon noticing the smoke and how the other's eyes had rolled up in their sockets, the happy sounds turned distressed as Kikumaru clutched the other's jersey tightly, yelling for help while frantically wiping the bowl-haired teen's brow with the previously proffered wet cloth.

Fuji smiled as Taka and Inui ran over to help carry the unconscious vice-captain into the shade and pour cold water over him with the hopes of reviving the knocked out teen. Beside him, an audible sigh was heard as Seigaku's captain massaged his temples, a frown etched into his features. The team's youngest regular lounged under a tree, currently on his fifth can of Ponta, his golden eyes staring off in the direction of the vending machine.

"It's hot today isn't it, Tezuka?" the tensai commented as he turned his head towards the youth on his right. There was no indication that the other felt the heat as he watched his friend stare ahead through the fence at the pair running about on the court, stoic and unmoving. The only response the honey-haired boy got was a grunt and apparently satisfied with the reply, he turned his focus back to the match playing out in front of him.

As the match dragged on with neither player willing to yield to the other, the unrelenting sun beat down mercilessly on the players and Fuji squinted under its glare as the scene before him blurred and became hazy.

"Uggh…" the tensai rubbed his eyes, his other hand tugging at the jacket zipper as he pulled open the jersey and sighed with relief as cool air flowed in and came into contact with his feverish skin. His vision blurred again and an airy feeling came over him. "The heat's affecting me more than I thought it would," the tensai mused to himself, closing his eyes for a while.~

The two sat on the rooftop of the school under azure skies, eating their lunch in comfortable silence. Smiling at his older sister's thoughtfulness in packing all his favourite dishes and also including some that Tezuka would be able to enjoy, Fuji picked up a slice of tamagoyaki and hid it behind his back, the other hand moving to tap Tezuka on the shoulder.

Twisting his head around, the hazel-haired boy found his face encountering a finger pressing into one side of his cheek while another hand held to his lips a slice of ordinary enough tamagoyaki. Eyeing the food before glancing up at Fuji in question and receiving a smile in return, the teen looked back down and resignedly opened his mouth, allowing the other to pop in the offering in one fluid motion.

Chewing on it slowly, the thoughtful expression on his face turned into a slightly amused smile as he commented, "No wasabi or any other unusual forms of food." Chuckling, the tensai replied, "It's for you so of course it's perfectly normal. Do you doubt me, Tezuka?"

"Would I have eaten it if I was unsure?" the captain arched an eyebrow. "I will take that as a compliment then; thank you for trusting me," the cerulean-eyed teen's smile was genuine this time round.

Returning back to his original spot, the shorter boy retrieved two can drinks from a plastic bag with the logo of a nearby convenience store printed on it's side and tossed one over to Tezuka's side, the latter catching it deftly.

Pulling the tab, he took a long dreg from his own before leaning back, using his elbows to prop him up as he watched the clouds drift by contentedly, closing his eyes as he breathed in the fresh air and relaxed, dropping his guard completely.

The click of a tab being pulled alerted him to the fact that Tezuka was done with his meal too and was currently sipping his drink. A light tap was felt on his shoulder and puzzled that the other boy had not simply spoken to get his attention, Fuji opened his eyes and turned around, only to fall for the same trick he had played on Tezuka but a moment ago.

"I didn't know you were the type to play such tricks," the tensai chuckled as the corners of the other's mouth tugged upwards. "Your hand?" the captain extended out his own and waited.

Truly puzzled now, Fuji placed his left hand in Tezuka's outstretched palm and watched in awe as the other slipped on a can tab onto his third finger. "Tezuka…" the boy whispered, too surprised to say anything else. "Will you do me the honour of going out with me?" the hazel-haired teen asked in such a serious tone that Fuji couldn't help but laugh, shattering the tense atmosphere.

"Just now, you really sounded like you were proposing to me and the look on your face was just priceless!" Fuji choked with laughter.

Hurriedly, in case the other took things the wrong way, Fuji clasped his other hand around Tezuka's and smiled the most brilliant smile Tezuka had ever seen coming from the honey-haired boy. Rewarded with a true smile from the usually stoic captain, Fuji leaned in to capture the other's lips.

"…ji...Fuji...Fuji!" Eyelids slowly opened to reveal cerulean orbs as the shorter teen blinked owlishly at Tezuka, a small part at the back of his mind noting with pleasure the worried expression on the captain's face.

Helping him sit up, the first words out of the tensai's mouth were, "How long was I out?" Shaking his head in disbelief, the other mumbled, "five minutes. How are you feeling?" "Hot and bothered but happy?" the shorter boy grinned, a glint noticeable in his eyes.

Sensing an underlying meaning behind the words but being unable to guess it, the captain simply kept quiet, the only outward sign of irritation at Fuji's behaviour showing in the twitch of his eyes.

Sighing in defeat when the answers remained unforthcoming in what appeared to be yet another mystery the prodigy planned on keeping, the captain stood and turned back as he offered his hand.

Looking up as he reached out to accept the assistance, the tensai noted how he no longer felt the scorch of the sun's rays nor did he need to squint in order to see Tezuka; the other youth's entire body conveniently shielded him from the sunlight. Fuji was left to speculate in his mind if the positioning had been intentional or was he simply reading too much into things as he gripped the proffered hand firmly and pulled himself up.

Passing the honey-haired teenager a bottle of mineral water, Tezuka began to walk back to the clubroom. The tensai, used to the subtleties of which he had grown accustomed to and familiar over the years as a close friend, took it as an indication to follow his captain back into the cool shade and take a rest. A soft chuckle was heard as Fuji thought to himself amusedly.

"It's a good day."

Omake:

Tezuka was not one given to being paranoid and hence, it was with some hesitance that the tennis captain considered the possibility that he was not merely imagining things. Unable to shake off the feeling that someone has been watching him the whole day, a shiver ran down his spine involuntarily as he firmly tells himself to resist the urge to turn around quickly and scan the surroundings in a bid to catch the 'stalker'.

As he stride down the hallway as he headed towards the student council room, for once paying less attention to his surroundings than he usually did, the statuesque youth failed to notice the presence of another walking in his direction, his mind too occupied with uncomfortable thoughts.

Shaken out of his self-induced trance rudely upon collision with a warm body, Tezuka staggered back in a bid to regain his balance and reached out to steady the other student. Upon hearing the familiar light laughter that sounded like soft chimes to his ears, he looked properly for once at the person whom he had collided into and was startled to see piercing azure eyes peering out at him from behind honey brown bangs.

"My apologies, Fuji. Are you alright?"

"I am fine. It's partially my fault as well for not be careful," with a smile, the tensai brushed off his apologies and Tezuka noted the way in which the other boy quickly scanned him for any injuries silently before nodding slightly in relief, a gesture that would have gone unnoticed except to the most observant of people.

"Ah."

"I will get going then." His usual close-eyed smile back in place, Fuji took a few steps forward before he turned about and called out to Tezuka.

"Don't let down your guard, right?" Flashing a mysterious grin at the other, the petite boy waved and continued down the corridor, disappearing in a matter of seconds.

A sigh escaped from between his lips as Tezuka stared in the direction where Fuji had headed in for a moment longer before turning back and resuming his walk to the council room, muttering indiscernible words under his breath that may or may not have anything to do with evil tensais and sixth senses that warned him of the headache-inducing problems that he would eventually face.

So another day in the life of Tezuka passes by uneventfully.

~Neverending love~

Author's comments: Oh my god, I am finaly done with this fic and I have a hard time believing it myself. It's amazing how lack of inspiration can cold storage one's fics for ages In any case, the promised bday fic for ka3nahimesama is done! Sorry for the long wait and hope you like it!:

Thanks for reading! Reviews are much love!