It was a beautiful, bright morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and Eiji was slowly dragging his feet towards school. His jaw nearly unhinged in a massive shuddering yawn that made little tears form at the corners of his sleep-droopy eyes. He blinked as the gates of Seishun Gakuen appeared before him. Just a few more steps, almost there...
"Eiji!"
He slowly turned his head towards the source of his name, his foggy brain only able to produce a vague, "Hmm?" then "Oishi?" as he slowly processed the identity of the distressed figure running towards him. He stopped to wait for a moment until his frantic doubles partner reached him, panting and bent over with his hands on his knees.
Eiji looked down at the team's vice-captain looking seriously undone, his wide blue eyes confused. "What's wrong, Oishi?" he questioned gingerly, "You look like you ran all the way from home."
When Oishi managed to look up, even though his breath was still coming fast, Eiji felt his face convulse in an expression of worry at the unnaturally stern expression on his partner's face.
"Eiji," he intoned gravely, "we need to...talk." His eyebrow twitched on the last word. His hand then shot out and grabbed Eiji's wrist firmly and began to drag the red-head to a secluded part of the school grounds; his feet stomping in frustration.
Eiji, whose head had been miraculously cleared of all sleep when he saw Oishi's expression, protested loudly as he was dragged away. "Wait! Stop! Oishi!"
His protests fell on deaf years, and "There'll be no waiting," was the only response he received.
"But..."
"No, buts," Oishi retaliated, eyes shut tight against his emotions. "I don't want to hear it!"
His sharp tone shocked Eiji into complete compliance and allowed the other boy to drag him along as the normally bouncy tennis player realized that Oishi really was upset.
As they reached their destination, a little spot somewhat hidden by the leafy trees, Oishi dropped his partner's wrist and turned to face Eiji with an unnaturally serious look in his eye.
"What were you thinking?"
Eiji, usually more deft at following Oishi's non sequiturs, felt himself reaching for an excuse until he realized that he wasn't entirely sure what he had done wrong.
"Look, Oishi, I'm sorry about...that," the red-head offered weakly hoping against all hope that his over generalized apology would appease his distressed partner.
Oishi's eyes flashed "I want an explanation. No," he interrupted himself, putting a hand to his face, fingertips resting lightly on his right temple, "there is no explanation," he lamented dramatically.
Eiji had to bite his lip to keep from snickering. Really, he thought to himself, Oishi is funny when he's so serious.
"This isn't funny," Oishi cried out in indignation, his face stretched comically.
Eiji pouted, he'd tried to hide his amusement the corners of his mouth must have twitched a little. "But, Oishi," he whined pulling out his best 'hurt' expression, the one that normally sent his partner into nearly convulsive fits of worry, "I don't even know what you're so upset about."
Oishi proved momentarily immune to Eiji's tactics and wide blinking eyes and simply reached into his duffle. "This," he said shortly, pulling out a slightly crumpled looking magazine and holding it up for viewing.
Eiji's eyes narrowed as he studied the smaller print. "Bishounen Magazine, Special Double-Thick Sports Edition..." he read absently then looked up at Oishi, confused, "What's that got to do with anything?"
Oishi flipped the magazine open to the most mangled section without looking. And right there on page twenty-eight Eiji saw his own blue eyes staring back out, trying to seduce himself.
"So that's what those photos were for." He snatched the magazine from the shocked vice-captain, his excitement palpable as he studied his picture and bio.
"Ehh! They used that picture?" He pouted again, "But I liked the straddle one so much better!" then he smiled at the photo, "though this one dose show off those fuzzy little red hairs that go down from my bellybutton." He put his hand to his mouth and gave a little snicker as he read his answers to the interview questions, then looked up when he heard a weird sputtering sound next to him, wondering what could possibly me making that horrible, inhuman noise. His face leapt in a parody of fear as his eyes met a glowing green gaze.
Oh, right. Oishi.
The dark-haired boy's clenched fist shook in frustration at his doubles partner's blasé attitude even as a beet red flush spread across the bridge of his nose. "Eiji," his voice was low and tense, "how could you?" He looked up, his eyes imploring as he asked the more important question. "Why would you?"
"Eh?" Eiji blinked at Oishi, confused for a moment, then hummed as he considered. "Because it was easy, I guess," he replied at length. "This guy in a white suit just came up to me in the park, he musta seen me practicing, and asked if I wanted to pose for a few pictures." He tapped an absentminded finger to his lower lip looking upward as he searched in his memory for further information. "It paid pretty well, besides..." he dropped his gaze to his partner and gave him a lazy grin and a look like he'd just made off with the cream, "it was a lot of fun."
"B-but..." Oishi mumbled as the red heat from his face began to creep down his neck, but Eiji simply pressed on.
"I didn't figure that anyone would ever see any of those pictures, so..." he trailed off and shrugged vaguely, then stopped his eyes narrowed as he concentrated on piecing a thought together. "By the way..." he questioned tentatively, "why do you have that magazine, Oishi?"
Oishi's face turned bright crimson. "T-that's not the issue here! Completely b-beside the point!" He nearly burst into flames as he attempted to stammer out some type of response. "The point is that you're going to get into trouble."
Eiji seized the opportunity to change the subject. "No, we're going to get in trouble, "he replied, flipping over his hand and studying the watch on his wrist, "if we don't get to class soon." He latched onto Oishi's arm making the already flustered boy nearly explode at the contact.
"Let's go." Eiji beamed at his doubles partner, then gave the blushing boy a small grin. "It's alright, no one else is gonna find that picture."
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In class that day, at lunch hour, Fuji pulled his camera from his bag. He continued his normal conversation, smile careful affixed, pausing every few minutes to snap another a picture of Eiji. Only after the fifth flash directly in his eyes did Eiji politely ask Fuji what the hell he was doing. Fuji merely smiled back pleasantly and replied that he only recently noticed how photogenic Eiji was. Eiji only noticed that the tennis genius seemed particularly thrilled about something.
That afternoon, when Eiji took break from study hour to visit the water fountain, he ran into Kawamura...literally. In his current, more reserved mode, i.e. sans racket, Taka couldn't look the red-head in the face and his cheeks glowed bright pink. Eiji noted that the other boy seemed a bit preoccupied.
As he made his way to practice after school, Inui cornered him behind the locker room. The data player had leaned in close as Eiji pressed himself as tightly against the wall as possible. The taller third-year mentioned that he had come across some particularly...tantalizing data, and extended an invitation to the acrobatic player to accompany him home after practice to...study it further. Eiji realized that when the light gleamed off of Inui's glasses in just the right way he looked really scary.
After changing and leaving the clubhouse, Eiji walked by Kaidoh who hissed at his passing. While this was entirely normal, the faint blush that colored Kaidoh's face was not. Eiji paused to wonder at that for a moment before he put in out of his mind.
Upon entering the courts Tezuka looked the redheaded half of the Golden Pair up...then down...then quickly ordered Kikumaru to do ten laps. About the time he hit seven Eiji wondered why he was running laps, then lamented privately that the Captain never needed reasons for anything he made them do.
While walking back to the locker room, wiping some hard earned sweat from his face with a towel, Momo ran up and slapped Eiji on the back, nearly sending him flying, while laughing long and loud and shouting something about the red head just being one of the guys and going out and doing 'guy things' together. Eiji wondered what the hell that was about.
And just as he was finishing zipping his bag and preparing to leave, he heard himself addressed and looked up towards the doorway. Ryoma was standing there with a wicked grin and a knowing gleam in his eye as he called back at Eiji "Sempai, yaru jan!" before escaping out the door. Eiji tilted his head in confusion as he stared out the door where Ryoma had disappeared and wondered what he had done right.
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"Nya, Oishi?"
The vice-captain didn't break stride as he tilted his head to look at his partner. "Hmm?" he responded gently.
"You don't think anyone on the team saw that...picture...do you?"
"Oishi?"
The boy pasted a smile to his face and he stared down a the red head. "I'm sure nobody saw it."
Eiji made a little humming laugh as he looked up into the trees shading the school path, "You're probably right. I mean...why would anyone on the team look at a magazine like that?"
Oishi chuckled nervously.
"Ah!" Eiji jumped a bit and turned his body to face his partner. "That's right, you never did tell me why you had that magazine!"
The back of Oishi's neck got bright red in an instant, but the taller boy said nothing.
Taking advantage of his partner's passive resistance, Eiji sprund into action and wrapped both arms around Oishi's bicep, shouting across the mostly abandoned school yard, "Oishi's got a secret!"
In response the vice-captain just kept walking, but made no attempts to shake his partners hold.
Eiji pouted for a moment then looked up at his partner's profile against the waning sunshine. He sucked in a deep breath and let his voice grow serious. "Just tell me one thing, Oishi." He paused for a long moment, then, taking Oishi's silence for concent, asked, "Did you like the picture?"
Oishi felt his heart stop then start beating again in double time. "Ahh...it...um..."
"Yes?"
"It was...nice."
Eiji let out a little 'he-henn' chuckle as he gave the other boy a sly, sideways look, but decided to let it rest at that...for today.
"Ahhh! I'm so hungry!" he whined loudly. He was still holding Oishi's arm and tugged it gently to get his attention. "We should go grab a bite together."
Oishi smiled gently at the boy who held his arm so tightly to his chest. "Yeah, that would be nice."
Eiji smiled and turned his head forward as they continued to walk together, and as the made it past the school gate, neither boy realized they were walking into the sunset together.