Oishi had never been one for wordy declarations, Eiji had learned early on, and while prone to random outbursts of mothering and fits of nurturing, he had always been the calm, staid one in their partnership. That was probably why the redhead found himself staring openmouthed at what was quite obviously an angry and fuming Oishi one winter afternoon their last year of junior high. This Oishi was currently pacing back and forth in front of the noodle stand they'd agreed to meet at, looking quite grumpy to say the least. It was true Eiji was late, well, a bit more than late, he admitted silently to himself, but he'd gotten distracted on his way over. Looking down at his watch, he winced and hurried forward.
"Oishi!" he called out, waving his hands wildly in the air as he raced to cross the last bit of distance between them. "I'm so sorry! Have you been waiting long?"
His partner paused mid-pace and spun, fixing him with a glare the likes of which Eiji had never received from the other boy, before crossing his arms over his chest and thus stopping Eiji mid-fling, halting his normal greeting process which involved hanging all over his partner. Eiji skidded to a halt in front of Oishi, panting slightly. He knew he shouldn't have stopped at the pet store, or the candy store, or the music store, but they'd been so bright and cheerful, and there'd been so much to see, and he'd had so much time when he'd left early for their meeting.
"I've been waiting for two hours, Eiji." Oishi stated grumpily, still glaring. "Two hours in the cold. I tried to call you, but your phone is off. I called your house and your mother said you left hours ago. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? You called me, asked me to meet you here, and then disappeared."
"Nya, Oishi," Eiji pleaded, his eyes widening sadly, "I got distracted on my way over. Don't be angry!"
"It's just very inconsiderate of you, Eiji," Oishi snapped, turning away unhappily. "I have homework and chores to do, and I left them all to meet you here and you didn't show up."
Eiji's eyes widened further at that. Oishi was really mad this time, and he wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't thought, and that was probably the source of the problem in the end. He never seemed to think about how the things he chose to do would affect other people, but that didn't mean he didn't do them with the best of intentions. This had to be fixed, right away, he decided, before it went any further.
"I'm sorry," Eiji stated, his voice somber for once. "You're right, Oishi. It was inconsiderate of me. I never meant to leave you waiting for me in the cold."
Moving closer, he noticed that Oishi didn't move away as he wrapped his arms around his partner's waist and pressed his forehead against his back. Giving him a tight hug before letting him go again, Eiji sighed unhappily. He hated making Oishi upset, because things were so much better when Oishi smiled at him.
"I'll make it up to you, Oishi," he promised, crossing his heart even though Oishi couldn't see it and closing his eyes with devotional sincerity. "I'll never let you down again!"
Eiji jumped as an ice-cold hand wrapped around his, tugging him forward and into a tight hug, stunned for a moment before he managed to respond properly, snuggling into Oishi's arms. He wasn't sure when hugging like this had become part of their friendship, but he enjoyed it. The comfort, the security, the feeling of being somehow connected to Oishi in a way no one else was. When Oishi finally let him go, he peered up, puppy eyes firmly in place, just in case Oishi was still mad and simply humoring him.
"You can start with hot chocolate, your treat." Oishi stated calmly, before dragging him down the street to the coffee shop, all thoughts of noodles and lunch forgotten. He never could stay mad with Eiji, after all.