Doubles
by EchizenRyo
"Naa, Oishi…"
He glanced up from his textbook, all thoughts of math vanishing at the sound of Eiji's voice. It was soft, serious—and upon turning his gaze to his friend, he felt the frown line between his brows deepen.
Eiji was sitting on the edge of the bed, textbook forgotten in his lap, his eyes staring sightlessly into the depths of the fish tank.
Oishi stood from his desk chair and instinctively closed the distance between himself and Eiji. He sat down on the mattress next to his friend, close enough to feel a whisper of body heat against his shoulder.
"What is it?" he asked softly.
Eiji didn't move for a long moment, then suddenly turned to look at him, as if just noticing him sitting there.
"Oishi," he said in the same quiet, serious voice, "do you ever think about death?"
He blinked, and found that he needed several tries before he could force any sound from his throat. "I…yeah, sometimes."
Eiji was quiet again, nodding, his expression sad and almost…desolate as he again turned his gaze to the wobbling world inside the tank.
He suddenly seemed so far away that Oishi reached out to rest a hand on his friend's arm, the fabric of Eiji's school uniform soft and warm under his fingers. He was just about to open his mouth to ask what had brought all this on when Eiji blinked, shook his head, and suddenly seemed to come back to himself. The life flooded back into his eyes, and as he reached over to cover Oishi's fingers with his own, he flashed a blindingly bright smile.
"Nya, you're a good friend, Oishi," he said, and then he was on his feet and complaining about how long they had been studying and wasn't it about time for an ice cream break, Oishi's treat?
Oishi gave him a frowning, "Sure…" but the whole way to the ice cream shop, he found himself studying Eiji intently, searching him for any sign of that soft, serious voice that had asked, Do you ever think about death?
Yet as the evening wore on and Eiji's cheerfulness never faltered, Oishi found his worry slowly melting away, his memories of that desolate look on his friend's face being happily erased by familiar grins and easy laughter.
Because…if it was something truly important, something Eiji was genuinely upset about, surely he would tell him. Surely…
Putting the strange conversation out of his mind, Oishi relaxed into the special warmth that only his doubles partner's presence could stir in him, and soon Eiji's moment of serious contemplation had all but left his memory.
He would not think of it again until many weeks later, and by then it would be too late.
"Kikumaru BEAAAM!"
Oishi couldn't help a grin as he listened to the slap of Eiji's racket hitting the ball, followed by the awed gasps of the onlookers and a fervent curse from their opponents.
Of course, it was only a practice match on Seigaku's courts, but Eiji was in top form, and Oishi couldn't blame the audience for their adoration. He had been watching Eiji play tennis for so long, and yet on days like this, matches like this when Eiji's moves were perfect and effortless, when he soared from one impossible acrobatic play to the next, even Oishi found himself watching with wide, adoring eyes and thinking, Amazing. He is absolutely amazing.
And then he would remember himself—that he was not part of the audience and was in fact supposed to be contributing to the match—and would swing back his racket just in time to catch and return the ball heading in his direction. But the awe for Eiji's abilities never left him in a match like that, and he always found himself thinking, as Eiji's palm clapped against his own, that he was the luckiest person in the world to be a part of the Golden Pair.
After this particular game ended—6 to 1, Oishi/Kikumaru Pair—he and Eiji headed back to the bench where their belongings rested, their shoulders making a gentle friction as they walked. Oishi reached up to swipe an arm over his forehead, brushing away the lingering sweat of what was turning into a long, hot practice. The afternoon sun beat down on him, heavy as a weight on his shoulders, and he was just thinking that Eiji must be twice as affected after so much acrobatic play—when he suddenly realized that the other boy was no longer walking beside him. Eiji had come to a dead stop a few steps back, one hand lifting slowly to press against his temple. He glanced over at Oishi, a confused frown on his face—
Then something changed in his expression—something went cold and blank—and suddenly he was falling, his knees buckling and his arms dropping limply to his sides. It was all Oishi could do to lunge forward and catch him, keep him from falling hard onto the concrete.
For a long moment after it happened, he just sat there, his arm muscles straining, staring into Eiji's pale, slack face as if expecting him to grin and open his eyes and say, Just kidding! A quiet voice in his mind wondered what had happened, what he should be doing, why he was just sitting here, frozen, holding Eiji tight in his arms and not moving, not getting help…
Then came the panic.
"Eiji!"
As if his voice had broken a spell, suddenly there were other voices, anxious and questioning, but Oishi couldn't make sense of their words. His entire world seemed narrowed to the still body in his arms—the body he lowered gently to the ground but didn't let go of, needing to maintain the contact, to keep the warmth of Eiji's body real and unfading against him. The fear was like a cold, choking hand around his throat.
He was dimly aware of people crowding around, concerned questions hanging unanswered in the air, and then one voice cut through the rest, reassuringly calm despite its gruffness.
"Everyone, get back—give him some space."
Ryuzaki-sensei, some dull part of his mind informed him.
A feathery softness tickled his hand. He looked down to see a few wisps of Eiji's hair sliding against his skin, and inexplicably closed his fingers over them, holding the silken strands as if to keep them still, keep them close.
"What happened?" Ryuzaki's voice was pitched low and right in his ear.
He shook his head wordlessly. He knew he shouldn't be falling apart like this, that by all logic this was just another mid-summer case of dehydration or heat exhaustion, but suddenly that day a few weeks earlier was stingingly bright in his memory, flashing through his mind on endless, maddening repeat.
Oishi…do you ever think about death?
Do you ever think about death?
Do you ever think about…?
Do you ever…?
Death?
Suddenly it was all he could think about. The hush of the house after his grandfather passed away. The cloying scents of too many flowers, their petals slowly wilting. The cold dead thing that was his grandfather's hand, not even a lingering hint of warmth left to comfort him, remind him of chilly winter nights spent snuggled under a blanket while a kind voice read to him and that very hand smoothed against his forehead.
And now, suddenly, he was there again, only this time the still body was Eiji's, and even though he knew that he was overreacting, something in him had broken and could never be repaired. His indestructible partner was suddenly just as frail and human as the rest of the world, just as capable of being injured or getting sick or dying, and something about that didn't seem right or fair, but Oishi suddenly knew that it was true. Had always known, on some level, but until this moment had never truly believed it, had never had it whispering so near that he could feel its icy breath on the back of his neck.
"Oishi." It was Ryuzaki again, her voice back to its usual commanding gruffness. "Are you able to carry Kikumaru to the nurse, or do you need someone to help you?"
The words broke into his dark thoughts and snapped him back to the present, bringing him back to himself with the knowledge that Eiji needed him, and he wasn't doing his friend any good by sitting here agonizing.
"Iie," he said, and in a smooth, careful movement, he got his arms around Eiji and lifted him, cradling the limp body against his chest and taking comfort in the fact that he could feel Eiji breathing. "I can carry him."
Ryuzaki got to her feet and nodded, genuine worry and affection in her eyes. "He'll be fine," she said, quietly enough so only Oishi could hear. "Probably just needs to get some fluids into him."
He nodded, and with his teammates parting obediently in front of him, he carried Eiji off the courts and began the long, slow hike to the nurse's office. He had covered about half the distance and was just entering the coolness of the school when he realized that Fuji was a few steps behind him, and likely had been so the entire way. He didn't say anything at this realization, and Fuji didn't acknowledge his notice but with a brief nod, but when they reached the nurse's office, Fuji held open the door for him. As he passed, just for an instant, Oishi glimpsed the worried, serious blue of Fuji's eyes, their gaze locked on Eiji's still, pale face.
But when he turned his head to look, Fuji was smiling gently, not a trace of concern on his features.
Before he could find time to worry over that, the nurse was hurrying over to him and asking him what had happened, and Fuji had slipped back out into the hallway as if he had never been there at all.
"Nya, Oishi, I told you—I'm fine. You don't have to—"
"I want to," Oishi said firmly. He was sitting in a chair next to the bed, having arranged to take the day off school to keep an eye on Eiji, whose family was off on vacation for the week. Despite Eiji's protests, he had carried him up the stairs, helped him into his pajamas, tucked him in, and then made something for him to eat—which he was now cutting into bite-sized portions on the serving tray.
Overkill, maybe, but it made him feel better to be doing something. Especially since the tests they'd run at the hospital wouldn't be back for another week, and until then, they would have no idea what it was that had caused Eiji to collapse. But Oishi was trying not to dwell on it, since worrying himself to death would probably not help matters much.
Eiji, meanwhile, was sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed, his arms folded over his chest. "Naa, you're not going to feed it to me, are you, Oishi?"
The thought had crossed his mind, but he decided to pretend it hadn't. "Iya, of course not. I just…" He shook his head, trying to find words that wouldn't make it seem silly. "I just…I guess I just want to…"
A warm hand settled on his arm, and he glanced up to see Eiji smiling softly at him. "Hai, I know. But ne, I really am okay. I just felt a little dizzy, but I'm fine now. Honnnto."
"Maybe so," Oishi said, perhaps a bit too suspiciously. "But the doctor said you should rest today, so that's what you're going to do. And resting means that you let me do what I can for you, and you lie in bed and take it easy, and you do not under any circumstances start bouncing around like usually do."
"Nyaaa, but Oishiii…"
"I'm serious. You're going to get some rest today if I have to sit on you to keep you still!"
Eiji laughed. "Ne, I don't think I'd be getting much rest if you were sitting on me."
He wasn't sure why, but he felt his cheeks warming at the words. "Well, all right," he said with a slight smile, "but I'll do whatever I have to short of sitting on you to make sure you get some rest. We're not taking any chances, not when it could be something serious."
The second the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. Eiji's smile faded, and a flicker of fear entered the dark blue of his eyes.
"Do…do you really think it's something serious?" he asked quietly.
"Eiji, I didn't—"
"Because it didn't feel serious. It didn't feel like anything at all, just like…like I got dizzy for a second, and I looked over at you…and then the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the nurse's office and you were there…"
As Oishi sat there, scarcely daring to breathe, Eiji's fingertips reached out to brush against his forehead, tracing a line between his brows.
"You looked so worried," Eiji murmured, "and I couldn't figure out why." His gaze flickered away from Oishi's after a moment, and he pulled back his hand. "But it didn't…it didn't feel serious, Oishi. It really didn't."
"It's…I'm sure it wasn't, then," he forced himself to say, trying to ignore the tingle of warmth that Eiji's touch had sent through him. "You heard what the nurse said—it was probably just that you were dehydrated, or…or something like that. But I'm sure it wasn't…"
His words faded away as Eiji lay down on his side, his back to Oishi and his arms curling over his middle. "Then why did I have to go to the hospital?" he asked softly. "Why did they…why did they run all those tests?"
Damn it, he cursed himself. All this time I've been worrying and fussing over him, and I didn't even bother to notice that he was upset about this. That he's just as scared as I am…
He reached over, caught Eiji's shoulder, and rolled him gently onto his back. When he knew he had his partner's attention, he took the other boy's hand tightly in his own and said, "Listen to me. Those tests…they run them just to make sure that you're okay, just as a precautionary measure, not because they really think anything is seriously wrong with you. Trust me, you have nothing to be worried about."
Eiji's voice was little more than a murmur, his eyes fixed on Oishi's face. "You're worried."
"I'm always worried," Oishi replied with a slight smile. "I'd be worried if you'd stubbed your toe or sprained your ankle."
Eiji matched the smile, the fear in his eyes fading at last. "Or got a papercut…"
"Hey, I'm not that bad."
"Hoi-hoi, you are. You were fussing over me that day I cut my thumb on that envelope."
"You were bleeding. I was just trying to give you a band-aid so it wouldn't get infected…"
"Oishi?"
"Hm?"
Eiji squeezed his hand. "Thanks. For…for always taking care of me. …but nyaaa, I'm gonna go nuts if you make me stay in bed all day! At least let me go downstairs to the couch so I can watch TV!"
"Hai, all right. But you're not walking down there."
"Oishiiiiii."
"All right, all right. But I'm staying right beside you in case you feel dizzy again."
Eiji, who had been climbing out of bed with a grin, paused with his legs dangling off the side of the mattress, the grin softening into something warmer, deeper. "Hai," he said. "Because that's where you belong anyway, na, Oishi? Beside me."
The warmth seemed to spread through his entire body, filling and completing him, making him whole. He smiled. "Hai. …now make sure to tell me if you feel dizzy, all right? Tell me right away, especially if we're near the stairs."
"Hoi-hoiiii."
"And speaking of the stairs, make sure you take them one at a time."
"Hoi."
"Don't try to jump down them like you usually do."
"Hoi."
"And maybe you should take off your socks so you'll have better traction on the—"
"Oishi."
He blinked, coming out of his worried thoughts to see Eiji standing right in front of him, an exasperated look on his face.
"What?"
With an overly dramatic sigh, Eiji took Oishi's arm and wrapped it around his shoulders in a supportive grip. "There. Compromise, nya?"
He found that he could feel Eiji breathing against him, could even feel the dull rhythm of his heart beat thrumming through his arm. He nodded, cherishing the contact, wishing irrationally that he could always keep his arm here—always have this solid, irrefutable proof that Eiji was alive and okay.
Then he realized how silly that was and forced his attention back to the present moment. "Hai," he said, and together, they left the room and headed downstairs.
Once he'd gotten his friend set up comfortably on the couch, remote control in hand, he went back up to Eiji's room for the tray of food—and Eiji's stuffed bear, just in case he wanted to hold onto it. He found himself moving quickly as he started back downstairs, not wanting to leave Eiji alone for too long despite knowing that he was almost certainly okay.
And perhaps that was why, as he jogged down the steps, his foot hit one of the stairs at just the wrong angle, twisting painfully underneath him and flinging him off-balance.
He ended up in a pained heap at the foot of the stairs, still holding onto the tray although the food was scattered all over the bottom steps, Eiji's teddy bear caught in a fierce headlock under his right elbow. Before he had quite gotten his breath back, there came the pounding of footsteps from the living room, and a moment later Eiji was standing in the doorway, staring down at him with wide eyes.
"Oishi! Nya, what happened!"
He tried to pick himself up, not wanting Eiji to have to worry about him, but ran into trouble the moment he tried to put weight on his left ankle. He let out a hiss of pain and sank back down to the floor, noticing that his ribs were hurting him too, though not nearly enough for him to worry that they were cracked or broken.
"Oishi…" Eiji knelt down beside him and shook his head. "You fell on the stairs, huh?"
Remembering his earlier warnings , Oishi couldn't help the flush that crept into his cheeks at the words. Before he could say anything, however, Eiji wrapped an arm around him and helped him to his feet.
"You're…supposed to be resting," he managed, wincing as he accidentally put some weight on his ankle.
"Iya, not anymore. Now it's my turn to fuss over you, nya? Come on, let's get you over to the couch. Then I'll get you some ice for your ankle…"
He opened his mouth to protest, but Eiji silenced him with an uncharacteristically stern stare.
"You're hurt," he said firmly, "and I'm not. So I'll take care of you, ne?"
"But Eiji—"
"Iya."
"But you shouldn't be—"
"Don't make me sit on you."
The words were said so seriously that he couldn't help but smile, shaking his head in exasperation. "Fine, I'll rest for a little while. But only if you do, too. The doctor said you shouldn't overexert yourself today."
"Hai, hai, I'll rest too. But only if you promise not to try to get up by yourself. You'll hurt your ankle more."
"Eiji, I'm supposed to be taking care of you."
"Ne, Oishi. We're doubles partners, right?"
He raised an eyebrow, momentarily confused. "Uh…yes…"
"Hoi. Well when we play a match, is it just you playing? Or just me playing?"
"No…"
"Right. It's both of us, because we're a team. Partners, nya? If I let you do all the work, then it'd be singles, not doubles. Well, it's the same here. It's doubles. You don't just take care of me, and I don't just take care of you. We take care of each other. Ne?"
He smiled, the words wrapping around him like a warm blanket—or a friend's arm. "Aa."
Eiji helped him onto the couch, which was long enough so he could sit on it sideways, his leg stretched out in front of him and his back to the armrest, and only take up two of the three cushions.
A few minutes later (and after a suspicious amount of noise from the kitchen), Eiji returned with a bag of frozen broccoli, which he promised could be exchanged for carrots or green beans when the broccoli started to get soft. Before Oishi could come up with an intelligent response to that, Eiji had taken a gentle hold of his injured leg and lifted it just enough so he could sit down on the couch. Once he had done so, Eiji lowered Oishi's leg so it rested on his lap, then gently applied the makeshift ice pack to his ankle.
"Is this okay?" Eiji asked him softly. "Let me know if it's not in the right place."
"A…a little to the left, actually. There on the side."
"Here?"
He winced at the sting of the cold against his flesh, then sighed as the ice began to numb his ankle. "Yeah, there. That's perfect. Thank you."
Eiji beamed at him and, keeping the broccoli in place with his right hand, grabbed up the remote control in his left. "Nya, so what do you want to watch?"
Oishi smiled and leaned his head against the back couch cushions. "You pick."
"Okay, then…cartoons! …hoi, Oishi, don't groan—you told me I could pick."
"Eiji…"
Eiji glanced over at him, his eyes leaving the colorful flashes of the commercials. "Hoi?"
"I…I wanted to ask you. Do you remember that day a couple weeks ago, when we were studying in my room and you… You asked me if I'd ever thought about death?"
Eiji was quiet for a moment, then nodded.
"Why did you ask me that?"
Eiji's gaze dropped almost shyly, focusing on the icy package he still held to Oishi's ankle. He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was just in a weird mood that day."
He wished he could move closer, but the position of his twisted ankle, still propped on Eiji's lap, forced him to stay where he was. "Eiji," he said softly, trying to put all the gentleness and comfort of a touch into his voice. "If something was bothering you then—if it's still bothering you—you know you can tell me."
Eiji nodded, still not looking at him.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Careful not to jar his ankle, he drew it out of Eiji's grasp and let his legs hang over the side of the couch. A moment later, he had managed to slide over on the cushions, so he sat within inches of his friend—close enough to rest a hand on his arm.
"Na, Oishi, your ankle…"
"Daijobu. It's numb; it doesn't hurt anymore."
"But you shouldn't move it around like that, you—"
"This is more important." His voice was low, fervent, his fingers tightening on Eiji's arm for emphasis. "Eiji. Listen… You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But I want you to know…well, that you can trust me."
Eiji blinked at him, surprise widening his eyes. "I do trust you. More than…more than anybody else." His gaze slid away again. "And I guess…it's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that… Nya, I don't know. It's stupid."
"I'm sure it's not."
A few more moments of silence stretched between them. Finally, Eiji sighed and glanced over at him with a half-hearted smile. "You're not going to let this go until I tell you, are you?"
Oishi's voice was soft. "If you don't want to tell me, I will let it go. You have a right to keep it to yourself if you want. But…if you need to tell someone, if you want to talk about it… I'm here."
Eiji sighed and leaned his head back against the couch cushions. "I had a dream," he said after a few seconds. "Nya, see? I told you it was stupid."
"What kind of dream?"
Blue eyes flickered over to meet his own, something dark and cold, like fear, trembling in their gaze. "A dream about you. It…I guess it scared me. And it made me think…it made me think about…"
"About death?" He drew a deep breath and forced himself to say the words. "About my death?"
Eiji nodded. "Hoi, I told you it was stupid. But after I woke up, it was like…like I couldn't stop thinking about it." His voice faded to almost a whisper. "About what it would be like. If Oishi wasn't with me anymore."
The images flashed through his mind before he could stop them—Eiji's eyes sliding closed, his face going pale and blank, his legs collapsing underneath him…
"Na, Oishi!" Eiji's concerned voice snapped him out of the memory, and he opened his eyes—when had he closed them?—to see his friend peering worriedly into his face, his fingers gripping the cloth of Oishi's shirt. He was close enough that Oishi felt a whisper of breath against his lips when Eiji spoke. "Na, what is it? Daijobu?" As he had earlier, he brought his fingertip to the center of Oishi's brow, tracing the path of the frown line that had formed there.
"What were you thinking about?" Eiji asked softly. He was so close now that a strand of red hair tickled Oishi's cheek. "What were you thinking about that made you look so sad?"
He couldn't think, could barely breathe. The fear was still cold and clenching in his chest, but the warmth of Eiji's nearness was letting it melt, drain away. He found himself reaching up to catch Eiji's hand, pulling the slim, callused fingers into his palm and holding them to his heart. Scarcely daring to breathe, he leaned forward until his forehead rested against Eiji's, until the tips of their noses pressed lightly together and all he could see was the blue of Eiji's eyes.
"I was thinking about what it would be like," he whispered. "If Eiji wasn't with me anymore."
His breath came soft and fast, keeping tempo with the pounding of his heart. He wondered how long Eiji would allow him to hold him here—how long he could get away with this closeness before it stretched the bounds of friendship and Eiji pulled away.
The thought hit him like a splash of cold water and he pulled back, suddenly ashamed of himself. God, what was he doing? He had never been in such intimate contact with anyone, let alone his male doubles partner. What was he thinking, inflicting that kind of close contact on Eiji just to give himself a selfish moment of comfort?
He had been pulling away, sitting back to give Eiji a decent amount of space—but suddenly he couldn't move any farther. There was a hand cradling the back of his head, long fingers buried in his hair, and for some reason they weren't letting him pull back.
He opened his mouth, not sure what he was going to say but knowing he had to say something—
And then warm, soft lips pressed against his own, and that was the end of rational thought.
He sat there in utter stillness for a full five seconds after Eiji released him, trying futilely to understand what had just happened.
He had been kissed.
He had been kissed by Eiji.
It hadn't been much of a kiss, just a brush of lips against his own—the kind of kiss his parents exchanged, warm and familiar after so many years together.
But still. A kiss.
He blinked, realizing he hadn't done so in awhile, and let his eyes focus on Eiji's face.
Eiji was watching him. Closely. Curiously. He realized he should probably say something, but he couldn't seem to coax any sound from his throat. So instead he leaned in to press their mouths together again, his free hand brushing along the curve of Eiji's jaw and then sliding into a mass of soft red hair.
He closed his eyes, letting himself drift in the sensations for a moment. Warmth. Heat. Soft lips massaging his own. The faint, candy-sweet taste of Eiji's toothpaste. The flutter of eyelashes against his cheek. The way Eiji's fingers tightened and loosened on his hand as they kissed.
Finally he pulled back, tingling, trembling, his eyes still closed, and spent a long moment trying to catch his breath.
When he opened his eyes, Eiji was watching him again, only this time there was a hint of a smile on his lips. For the first time, Oishi noticed that morning sunlight was streaming in through the living room window, bathing them in golden light.
Suddenly Eiji grinned at him. "Nya, you kissed me."
"You," Oishi pointed out, "kissed me first."
He didn't want to ask. He wanted to leave it alone, just bask in the warmth of the kiss for awhile longer, but the question spilled out anyway.
"Why did you?"
Eiji shrugged. "I wondered what it would be like. What it…what it would feel like." He smiled and sank back against the cushions. "It felt good, nya, Oishi?"
He smiled. "Hai."
Eiji was suddenly right there in front of him, peering curiously into his face. "Why did you?"
"Why…did I…" he managed, for some reason having trouble thinking clearly with Eiji so close. He drew a deep breath and forced himself to focus. Even so, he couldn't find the concentration to finesse or find just the right words. What came out was raw, simple truth. "Because I wanted to."
Because when you're so close to me that I can feel you breathing, I know you're okay. I know you're not going anywhere.
And because…
Because I love you.
"Ne, Oishi?"
The thoughts drifted away slowly, leaving him warm and smiling when he met Eiji's gaze. "Hai?"
Eiji chewed on his lower lip for a moment, looking suddenly nervous, and Oishi felt his smile slowly fading. Now, he knew, was when reality pierced through the happy cocoon that had formed around them. Now was when Eiji voiced one of the thousand difficult questions this new closeness presented.
Is this weird? Is it wrong? What does it mean? Are we dating now? Was this just a one-time thing? What will we do at school? How should we act? Should we tell anyone? Will people figure it out even if we don't? What's the rest of the tennis team going to think?
But Eiji didn't ask any of those questions. Instead he wrapped his arms around Oishi's chest and pillowed his head on one broad shoulder, closing his eyes and all but purring in contentment.
"Could we just…sit like this for awhile?" he asked softly.
The swirl of doubting questions crumbled away, and Oishi reached down to circle his arms around Eiji. "Aa," he said, the word little more than a soft exhalation of breath.
Eiji snuggled closer, his body relaxing, melting into the embrace.
"Oishi," he whispered.
"Hm?"
The arms around him squeezed gently.
Oishi leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Eiji's head.
"I know," he murmured back. "I love you, too."
They never announced their newfound relationship to their teammates, but somehow the others seemed to know. Oishi was sure his public behavior towards Eiji was no different than usual, however, so one day between classes, he pulled Fuji aside to ask him.
Fuji's smile was warm and genuine. "Don't you know?" he asked, a twinge of amusement in his soft voice. "It's the way you look at each other. Your eyes give it all away."
While Oishi was still pondering that, Fuji's hand closed over his arm. When he glanced up, the other boy's eyes were open and staring into his own, and he was struck breathless by the depth of emotion reflected there.
"You can't hide what's in your eyes," Fuji said quietly. He let the words hang in the air between them for a moment, then let out a soft breath. "How is Eiji? Have the tests come back yet?"
Oishi smiled. "Aa. All clear. It must have just been heat exhaustion or dehydration, like the nurse originally thought."
Before Fuji's eyes closed in the familiar smile, Oishi watched them flood with relief, then something distant, lingering, and sad, like regret.
Understanding trickled in, and before Fuji could pull back his hand, Oishi wrapped his own over it and squeezed gently.
Fuji nodded, even though he hadn't said a word. "Take good care of him," he murmured, "ne, Oishi?"
He promised that he would, and watched as Fuji walked off down the hallway, his steps easy and unrushed, his bookbag slung over one shoulder.
He was still standing there, lost in thought, when two familiar arms closed over his shoulders and he was hugged enthusiastically from behind.
"Hoi-hoiiiii!"
He turned, managing a sputtered, "Eiji!"
Eiji grinned at him and, to his shock, ducked forward to kiss him quickly on the lips.
He opened his mouth, ready to stammer out that they were in school, in the middle of the hallway with classmates and teachers milling around…
But then he realized, suddenly, that he didn't care. The only opinions that mattered to him were those of his friends and teammates, and it was clear that they already knew—and, as far as he could tell, were neither surprised nor disgusted.
So before he could come to his senses, he wrapped his arms around Eiji and pulled him close, kissing him gently and slowly, as if they had all the time in the world—as if they were not, in fact, in imminent danger of being late for class.
When he broke the kiss, Eiji actually stumbled back a half-step, his shoulder coming to rest against the wall of lockers beside them. He just stared at Oishi for a long moment, his eyes wide, and slowly brought a hand up to brush against his lips. His smile, when it came, was blinding.
"Doubles," he said, grinning. "Na, Oishi?"
Oishi matched the smile and slid his arm around Eiji, even as Eiji did the same to him. Supporting and being supported. Kissing and being kissed.
Loving and being loved.
"Hai."
They walked arm in arm to class, sunlight pouring in through the windows and tracing them in golden light.
owari.
japanese glossary
aa / hai - yes
honto? - really?
na/ ne? - right?
iie / iya - no
daijobu - it's all right / I'm all right
daijobu? - are you all right?
owari - the end
author's notes: yeah, okay, slightly schizophrenic fic. angst and drama at the beginning, light humor in the middle, pure fluff at the end. sue me. ...speaking of which, i should mention that neither prince of tennis nor any of its characters or situations belong to me, and i made no money off this fic. which is a shame, 'cause i've blown way too much cash on this series already, what with mangas and various other imported ebay goodies.
anyway, thanks for reading, and i'd love to hear your thoughts on the fic if you have a sec to spare. don't let the fact that i agonized over this fic for long, thankless hours--hours that i can never, never get back, and which i gave up gladly in the pursuit of granting you, the reader, an eiji/oishi fix--influence your decision in any way.
heh. okay, kidding. but still. reviews are good.
ja,
echizen