Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Patience ❯ Chapter 1

Patience
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: I don't own the Prince of Tennis boys, Konomi-sensei does.
Pairing: none, unrequited Taka/Fuji, Fuji/Tezuka
AN: An offering to the one true Pix!

Slender fingers slid up the side of the tea mug, a solitary tip tracing the rim of the ceramic, mesmerizing Kawamura with its languid grace.
"Taka-san?"
Jerking his head up, Kawamura’s wide brown eyes met Fuji’s inquisitive blue.
"Ah!" a light blush and sheepish smile spread over Kawamura’s face, "Sorry, Fuji. I wasn’t listening…"
"Hmmm…" A hand wrapped fully around the teacup, the second joining the first, "It’s fine, would you prefer to talk about something else?"
"Oh, no. I was just thinking about something…" Kawamura trailed, he focused once more on Fuji, "I really like hearing about what’s going on at Konan. I don’t see you very often and Eiji- Well, it’s been a while!" Kawamura chuckled sadly. "It’s been tough keeping in touch since we graduated from Seishun."
Fuji nodded with a small smile, "We’re long over due for one of Ooishi’s bonding trips."
Kawamura smiled in fond memory as he recalled the various outings the tennis team had made under the excuse of morale boosting.
"But Ooishi and Tezuka are really busy aren’t they? Inui too. Meio Academy isn’t an easy school."
"No it isn’t," Fuji’s smile faded slightly. "Eiji often says Ooishi never has time for him anymore. They still go out every Sunday though." Fuji paused for a moment, smile fading completely, "I haven’t seen Tezuka since last spring."
Gritting his teeth, Kawamura’s hand flexed around his tea mug, eyes fixed on the wistful look that crossed Fuji’s face. But then it had always been this way. The pair finished their tea in comfortable silence broken occasionally by inconsequential banter. It wasn’t long before Fuji stood at the door, trading his good night for another invitation to come again. He accepted with the same nod he always did before leaving Kawamura Sushi for the night. Kawamura began to gather the cups and pot, teeth still clenched tight enough to hurt his jaw. The menial task of washing dishes could not hold his focus, allowing his thoughts wander over the years he’d known Fuji, befriended him, loved him, and waited for him.
Kawamura sighed remembering how Fuji’s face softened while thinking of Tezuka. He wasn’t sure how long he’d waited for Fuji to look at him that way. Sliding the clean dishware into the cabinet, Kawamura wondered how long Fuji would wait for Tezuka. He’d watched Fuji waiting patiently almost as long he'd been waiting. The blue-eyed man must have felt the same heartache and frustration of things left unsaid, growing tired of being ignored unintentionally or not. Sometimes Kawamura got so tired… The young man slid the tea set away in a nearby cupboard for use another time. He paused momentarily, the thought of Fuji never realizing what Kawamura felt for him arresting his movement.
"Maybe I should stop waiting." Shaking his head, Kawamura closed the cupboard, realizing the futility of his actions. Fuji would never see him standing at the sidelines. He wasn’t waiting anymore.
Glossary:
-san: An odd honorific added to a cute shortening of Takashi’s name denoting respect.
Konan, Meio- Fictional high schools, Konan can found in Hands Off, Meio comes from Imadoki. Both wonderful manga. ^_^
Seishun- Middle school or Junior High that the PoT characters attended.