2 Overtime - Chapter 2

The two men reached their breakfast stop; a small cafe at the end of the office block that opened oddly very early and closed rather late too. It was as though it catered mainly to the needs of those overly enthusiastic workaholics who entered the office early and did overtime till they were shooed out of the office by security. It had been there for about two years now and didn't show any signs of closing anytime soon unlike the previous tenants before who had tried making a living out of it. Motioning towards the taller man, Fuji grabbed the table by the window while Tezuka went to place two orders of their breakfast sets.

While waiting for their food to arrive, the smaller man busied himself with the salt and pepper shakers that were placed right in the middle of the rectangular wooden table. After swirling the shakers around a couple of times, he then resolved to leaning back in his chair and directing his gaze outside the shop. The brown haired man placed their orders and was heading towards their table when he saw Fuji spacing out. It was most unlike him, Tezuka thought. The smaller man had his head rested on his hand and to Tezuka; he had the most peaceful expression he had ever seen Fuji make. It was always nice to catch him off guard when the porcelain smile was not shown on his soft features. It was one of those rare moments where you could see right into Fuji because for him, his eyes were the window to his heart.

He didn't want to intrude on Fuji's alone time so as he approached the table, he purposely cleared his throat loudly, pulling him out of his thoughts and back to reality. Syuusuke's smile grazed his lips immediately as he turned and settled on Tezuka. He mouthed a thank you and took his share off the tray. The smaller man wrinkled his nose as the smell of grease forced its way into his nostrils that came from the oily hash browns that sat on the edge of his colorful green plate. He disliked oily things and knew it was bad for his health if he ever wanted to maintain his small frame. Although Fuji was slightly bothered by his smaller build while back in high school, this was no longer the case. As he grew, he learned to physique even more. Deep down inside, he found himself quite sexy and erotic though he would never say it out loud. Besides, what would others say if they heard such a response from the tensai? Surely they would not approve of it.

"Tezuka, are you asexual?" The sound of choking coming from the other person made Fuji open his eyes in concern.

"What sort of question is that? Of course I'm not!" There was a pause before Tezuka muttered under his breath, "Not that it is any of your business".

"I was merely asking, because Tezuka always seems so unaffected by anything or anyone, that I was wondering if maybe you were never interested in anyone."

It took awhile for Tezuka to answer, his voice still soft, "That's not true."

"Ehhh? So does Tezuka really have someone he likes? Can that be possible?"

"Why is that so hard to believe? Am I really that bad a companion that nobody would want me?" The ex-buchou frowned at Fuji, feeling his ego on the verge of taking a hit.

"Oh no, it's really quite the opposite. Of course I know of the ever growing fan club Tezuka has in the office. How many girls' hearts he has broken each time he declines to go out with them. It's just like back in high school. Only now the girls are brave enough to approach the stoic buchou." A sheepish smile grazed Fuji's lips, watching eagerly for Tezuka's response to discussing such a topic so openly.

"Fuji, don't say things like that." That was Tezuka's way of ending the conversation. As to say 'end of discussion'. Drop the topic.

The rest of the meal was spent in silence. Each caught up in their own thoughts and each stealing glances at each other, thinking the other would not notice. It really was very sweet.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Fuji, what have you planned for Sunday?" Fuji jumped at the sudden appearance of a deep familiar voice from behind him as he was busily trying to clear and arrange some files on his computer.

"Eh? Pardon?" The smaller man swirled around in his easy chair to face Tezuka who had ventured into his work station which was highly unusual.

"Don't space out. The boss will get mad at you if you're caught. Anyways, I was asking if you were busy on Sunday". The taller man had a coffee cup in one hand and the other loosely on his hip while slightly bent over to meet Fuji's eye level. For a moment, the fair haired man was too stunned to move as he was still taking in the shock of seeing Tezuka appear right in front of him but thankfully he recovered his composure.

"No, I'm free. What do you have in mind?" Blue eyes looked up to meet brown ones with such hope and expectation it almost hurt. Of course it would not hurt as much, if only Tezuka would realise it.

"Great! The N-company's project deadline has just been moved up so a few of us in the department will have to return to the office for some overtime". The moment he said that, Fuji's heart shattered into a million pieces as his mind cursed Tezuka for being such an idiot and a workaholic. He had to stop himself from grabbing the mug out of Tezuka's hand and pouring it all over him. The nerve of him!

"But what does that have to do with me? I'm not involved. It's not even my department!". Fuji's voice rang out in annoyance as his ex-captain looked at him with a scowl.

"Fuji, as the company's best photographer, it would be in your best interest to listen to the boss's instructions to have the project out first thing Tuesday morning. The photos will have to be shot on Saturday, then edited and inserted on Sunday before being sent in for approval on Monday. You'll be working with my assistant on it. I expect to see you here at 9 am. sharp".

A fuming Fuji was left in his swirling chair while Tezuka turned on his heels and walked out of the room, right into the waiting lift. Fuji tried burning lasers at Tezuka as the doors of the lift closed slowly after him. While the elevator took him up to his floor, Tezuka took a deep breath. The taller man was slightly pissed that Fuji had even tried to get out of doing some overtime. Where on earth did his responsibilities lie? Did he not know that this project belonged to one of the most loyal and important clients of the company? It did not make any sense. Sure, he might be a little hesitant but this is the first time he had outrightly refused to come to work. He shook his head and stepped out of the lift as the doors opened. He had been muttering to himself and that rose more than a few questioning looks from his department colleagues and assistant.

What happened to the ever composed Tezuka?, all of them wondered.