Tezuka has long since given up trying to hide his birthday from his team-mates. Even in the busiest years, when everyone else forgets, Fuji is there to remind them that oh, isn't Tezuka's birthday coming up? Shouldn't we do something?
The ideas that they come up with get more extravagant every year. Tezuka has suffered through surprise parties, gaudily decorated tennis courts, and the kind of presents that can only be described as interesting. Last year the former Regulars had clubbed together to get him a ticket to the Japan Open, which Tezuka had appreciated very much. Coming home to find that someone had managed to bury his bed in tennis balls had been somewhat less satisfying. When he'd asked his mother what was going on, she'd taken one look through the door and fallen over laughing.
This year, Tezuka is steeling himself for the worst. Fuji has been smirking for weeks, and Kikumaru has been whispering to Momoshiro in corners. Inui has started a new notebook. During the first week of October, Tezuka feels eyes on his back everywhere he goes.
Oishi's expression has been refreshingly normal, probably because he worries too much to keep secrets. Tezuka assumes that the others haven't told him what they're planning, and is surprised when Oishi approaches him after practice on the sixth.
"Ah, Tezuka�" Oishi trails off, looking embarrassed. "Are you busy tomorrow night? We thought it would be nice to go out to Kawamura Sushi for your birthday."
A public restaurant contains very few opportunities for trouble, Tezuka thinks. Fuji is unlikely to have planned anything that might upset Kawamura. "Aa. That would be fine."
"Oh good." Oishi beams at him proudly. "We ought to celebrate your captaincy, as well � it'll be Nationals next year, ne?"
"Of course." Tezuka allows himself a smile; next year's team will most likely be made up of familiar faces. He won't allow them to aim for anything less than the best. "What time?"
"Ah, we thought seven?" Oishi glances around as if for confirmation, looking momentarily bemused as he remembers that the rest of the team are already changing in the clubhouse. The only people on the courts are the first years, sweeping and collecting balls.
"That's fine." Tezuka directs a sharp eye at Momoshiro, who is leaning on his broom instead of using it. "Please remind the others not to make trouble for Kawamura-san." It's as close as he'll come to a warning, and Oishi goes wide-eyed enough that it's obvious he's not in on any plans.
"Of course, of course."
"Good." Tezuka nods to him and moves away to supervise the clearing.
When Tezuka arrives at the restaurant, Oishi is pacing the pavement outside with his phone to his ear.
"� yes, but I don't understand why � ah, Tezuka's here!" Oishi looks momentarily guilty, then sighs and smiles. "I have to go � yes, see you shortly." He snaps the phone closed and drops it into his pocket. "Happy birthday, Tezuka."
"Thank you." Tezuka nods uncomfortably and raises an eyebrow. "Was that Kikumaru?"
"Eh? Oh no, Eiji's inside." Oishi laughs uncomfortably. "I was talking to Fuji; he'll be a little late is all."
"Ah." Tezuka knows better than to ask questions; he slides the door open and steps into the restaurant, Oishi following.
"Tezuka! Happy birthday!" Kikumaru bounds gleefully over to him, and Kawamura hurries out from behind the counter. Tezuka accepts their congratulations politely, intensely grateful that there appear to be no decorations, karaoke machines, or squealing girls this year.
"Come and sit down�" Kawamura leads the way to the back of the room, where Inui and a small group of other second and first years are sitting. Tezuka is glad to see that someone has thought to keep Momoshiro and Kaidoh separate; they are glaring at each other from opposite ends of the table.
Tezuka is about to sit down when Kikumaru pouts at him, tugging on his arm. "Tezuka, it's your birthday, nya! You have to take the best seat!"
"Ah, Eiji �" Oishi hurries forward to pry his partner off but Tezuka waves him away; letting Kikumaru pull him around to the other side of the table is easier than putting up with his protestations and sulking for the rest of the evening.
Kawamura hurries back over with a tray of cups and a smile. "Tea? Tezuka, you can order whatever you like on the house, since it's your birthday."
"Thank you," Tezuka begins, but Momoshiro interrupts, leaning over the table.
"Hey, hey, Taka-san, what about us?"
"Momo!" Oishi admonishes while Kawamura laughs, rubbing the back of his head.
"You'd eat the whole restaurant, nya," Kikumaru chimes in, bouncing over to smack Momo on the head. On Tezuka's other side, Kaidoh hisses.
"Fssh. Pay for your own food, idiot."
"Hey, you�!"
"Enough, enough!" Oishi jumps in hastily before the disagreement can turn into a fight. Tezuka sips his tea, deciding that it's probably better to ignore the whole thing. Moments later Kawamura hurries back over with a tray of sushi rolls, which is enough to distract Momoshiro entirely.
Tezuka has more or less managed to reconcile himself to the situation when the door slides open with a rattle. On the other side of Oishi, Kikumaru looks up and grins.
"Hoi, Fujiko! You're late!"
"Ah, I'm sorry." Fuji steps through the door with a smile, then pauses and looks over his shoulder. "Oh dear � wait a second�" He disappears outside again, and returns with one hand firmly wrapped around the arm of�
Tezuka cannot help but stare. Fuji is dragging Echizen into the restaurant, a task complicated by the fact that Echizen has dug his heels in and is attempting to remove ribbons from his arms and torso. There is a purple bow around his neck.
Fuji beams, pulling Echizen over to the table. "Happy birthday, Tezuka. I brought your present." Echizen slants a dark glare at him, then ruins it with a yawn.
Eventually, Tezuka manages to find his voice. "�Fuji. That's Echizen."
"Mm." Fuji smiles angelically. "He makes a good present, ne?"
"Senpai," Echizen protests, pulling his arm free and yanking at the ribbons disgustedly. "You said you wanted to surprise buchou, not give me to him." He's taller, Tezuka realises; almost as tall as Fuji, and his voice has deepened. Their eyes meet for a moment, and Echizen flushes and looks away.
"Well, I thought about having you jump out of a cake, but that would have been an awful waste." Fuji smirks as Echizen finally manages to unpick the purple bow.
Echizen mutters something inaudible, scowling at the ground. He starts a little when Momoshiro yanks off his cap and rubs his head, then breaks into a reluctant smile. Tezuka watches as the rest of the team surround their prodigal, grinning and slapping him on the back � or in Kikumaru's case jumping onto his back. He doesn't realise his face has softened out of impassivity until Fuji smirks at him.
"Maa, everyone, it's Tezuka's birthday. He should get to play with his present first, hmm?"
"Fuji!" Oishi protests, scandalised. Tezuka chokes on tea.
"Well, something like that." Fuji smiles, genuinely this time, as Kawamura hurries over.
"Che." Echizen wriggles out of the cluster of Regulars and team members, face bright red, and skirts the table to slump down next to Tezuka. "This wasn't my idea, buchou."
"I'd gathered." Strictly speaking, Tezuka isn't the captain yet, but he can't quite bring himself to protest. "It's a long way to come, just for a birthday," he observes quietly instead.
Echizen looks up at him, and Tezuka realises that his new height puts them far closer than they had been at twelve and fourteen. Echizen's eyes are still the dominant feature of his face, wide and startled. "Fuji-senpai didn't tell you? I'm coming back to Seigaku for high school, buchou."
"Ah." Fuji hadn't told him, Tezuka thinks, but none of the others seem much surprised. Words form instinctively in his throat, twenty laps, but he swallows them; Fuji is at the counter, talking with Kawamura. "It's a little early for that."
Echizen just shrugs, eyeing a plate of sushi. "My parents are coming back next week."
"I see." Tezuka slides the plate along the table, and Echizen helps himself as though he is starving.
"Thanks �" he breaks off into a yawn, eyes squeezing shut. Across the table, Momoshiro laughs.
"Oi, are you jet-lagged?"
"The time difference between New York and Tokyo is fourteen hours," Inui remarks, flipping open his notebook. "Or alternatively, ten."
"Eh?" Momo stares open-mouthed. "How can it be both?"
"Idiot," Kaidoh mutters, scowling down the table. "Depends which way you go."
"But then it's tomorrow�" Momoshiro trails off, shaking his head. Inui opens his mouth to begin what Tezuka already knows will be a long, overly-involved explanation. He tunes it out with the ease of long practice, watching Echizen eat. His eyes are low-lidded and sleepy, and when he drinks tea his throat moves slowly.
"Tezuka?" Fuji's too-amused voice brings him back to the present with a start. Tezuka blinks and tries to pretend that he hadn't just been staring.
"What?"
"You've been holding that piece of sushi in the air for the last five minutes." Fuji smiles, leaning against Kawamura's shoulder. "I see you like your present after all."
Tezuka looks down at the cucumber roll in his fingers, then up at Fuji. Suddenly, his appetite is gone. "Fuji. Twenty laps, tomorrow."
Fuji just laughs. "Tezuka, you're not the captain yet, remember?"
"I'm still the vice captain." Tezuka sets the roll back on the plate, where it's immediately swiped by Momoshiro. Echizen makes a disgruntled noise and looks up at Tezuka sleepily.
"What?"
"Nothing," Tezuka says firmly. Fuji turns his face into Kawamura's arm, shoulders shaking.
"Oh." Echizen shrugs, and rubs at his eyes. For all that he's grown, Tezuka thinks, he is still so very Echizen. When Kikumaru bounces over to ruffle his hair, he just makes a grumpy noise and bats at his senpai's hands half-heartedly. Tezuka isn't at all surprised when his head starts to sag while Oishi is expounding on the prospects for Nationals next year.
"Hoi, Ochibi's falling asleep," Kikumaru remarks in a loud whisper, slinging a careless arm around Oishi to keep his balance as he leans over to look. Inui mutters something about probabilities, and Momoshiro pokes Echizen experimentally in the arm. Echizen shifts and mutters something, and then slumps sideways onto Tezuka's shoulder with a sigh. Tezuka freezes, cup in mid-air, then carefully transfers it to his other hand while everyone is still staring.
"Oh dear." Oishi is the first to break the silence. "He really must have been tired � maybe we shouldn't have�"
"Heh." Momoshiro exchanges wide grins with Kikumaru, punctuated by the scribbling of Inui's pencil. Tezuka closes his eyes, thinks about tennis instead of the warm weight against his side, and drinks the rest of his tea. Then he sets the cup down carefully and scoops Echizen into his arms, getting to his feet. Echizen mutters and stirs but doesn't wake; after a second he turns his face into Tezuka's shirt.
"Fuji, get his shoes," Tezuka orders calmly, trying to give the impression that this is a perfectly normal situation. Echizen is heavy and solid; Tezuka wonders what it will be like to play him, now.
They walk back to the Echizen house in a cloud of whispers, Oishi making hushing noises whenever anyone gets loud or Echizen stirs. Tezuka leaves them at the corner and goes on ahead; Echizen's cousin Nanako giggles when she answers the door.
"Poor Ryoma-san; he must have been tired. Thank you for bringing him back, Tezuka-san."
"It's nothing." Tezuka hitches Echizen carefully in his arms, stepping out of his shoes. "With your permission, I'll take him upstairs."
"Of course." Nanako-san beams at them both, and Tezuka decides that he probably doesn't want to know what she's thinking. "His room is at the top of the stairs."
The stair treads creak under Tezuka's feet, and Echizen's room smells empty and un-lived-in despite the breeze from the open window. There is a single holdall on the floor by the door, and a racquet bag in a corner. Tezuka sets Echizen carefully down onto the bed and moves to close the window. When he turns back, Echizen is lying curled up on his side with both hands clutching his pillow.
Tezuka stands for a moment, watching, then sighs and pulls the blanket up around Echizen's shoulders. His hand moves without conscious thought to tuck Echizen's hair back out of his eyes; it is soft against his fingers, and Echizen's mouth tilts into a tiny smile. Tezuka takes a deep breath, composes his face, and shuts the door gently behind him as he leaves.