A Golden Opportunity

Words: 839

A/N: Not my longest thing ever, but I'm pretty happy with the way it came out. I find that a lot of the time Eiji is the totally epically Uber Wimpy Uke that is all "stutter-blush-etc." and I don't see him that way (at least not in this scenario; I totally see him bottom in their relationship ;)) so this is my take on them. Let me know if I actuall conveyed that or not... Enjoy!

Dedicated to Makayla! Happy birthday!! :)

Kikumaru Eiji was generally straight-forward. Unless there was some top secret plan – that was normally being moderated by Fuji – involved, Eiji would blurt out whatever was on his mind, especially to Oishi.

So the older boy really shouldn't have been surprised when Eiji had come up to him one day after class at the beginning of their second year, looking just as cheerful as ever, and proudly proclaimed, "I really like you!"

But he was. He had stared for a second or two, trying to figure out what exactly Eiji meant by that, because "I really like you" from Eiji could mean "you're a good friend," "you're my best friend ever," or "I really kind of sort of want to go out with you."

Sensing that he should clarify, he did, still bizarrely chipper. "That is, like like you." When Oishi still had no response, Eiji waved a hand in front of the other boy's face, shrugged, and called, "See you at practice then Oiishi!" as if nothing significant had just happened.

Oishi had sat there for a few seconds, still dazed, and then he had decided to take the long way to practice, still insanely confused but also bizarrely calm. Had he been anyone else he probably would have run off confused, or yelled at someone, or been completely freaked out, but this was Oishi and despite the fact that nobody really knew it, Oishi was one of those people – sort of like Inui, though Inui was an extreme – who was logical in everything he did. He was methodical and had his own set, steady pace that he didn't like to differ from, unlike the sporadic Eiji. So he had taken a walk around the school, knowing there was a good half an hour before practice started, and pondered over everything – though, in all honesty, it wasn't much – that Eiji had just told him, swirling the concept of him and Eiji together around in his mind and collecting his own thoughts on the issue.

Finally he had decided, coming around the corner nearest to the tennis courts, that while he wasn't completely sure if he liked the redhead like that, he had some sort of bizarre emotional attachment to him, and he would be willing to give it a shot.

"I don't know if I like you," Oishi told him calmly after practice after everyone had left, hoping it would go over well; after all, the boy had been as unnaturally perky as ever at practice that day. Eiji studied his face for a moment, a split second of seriousness crossing the younger teen's face.

"Would this help?" the acrobat asked and before Oishi could ask what "this" was Eiji was only an inch from his face, his warm breath tickling Oishi's throat and face, and his curious blue eyes staring into Oishi's forest green ones, before their lips met.

It was an interesting experience, really, kissing the boy he had called his best friend for a little over the past six months. In all honesty he had never really thought about it, possibly because he had never really thought of himself as anything but straight – or, really, he had never really thought about himself as anything, because he had never really thought about himself in any sort of relationship; as far as he was concerned there were more important things like schoolwork and tennis to attend to.

Still, he was finding he liked it – or didn't not like it, at least, because he wasn't pulling away. Slowly, tentatively, he was kissing back, matching the pressure Eiji had on his lips. When Eiji had gently pressed his tongue against Oishi's lips, light and questioning – are you okay with this? – Oishi faltered for a moment, thinking it through, before allowing the boy into his own mouth, feeling Eiji run his tongue slowly along Oishi's bottom lip, then his top, before tracing all of the older boy's teeth and continuing on to explore the rest of his doubles partner's mouth.

A few seemingly-long moments later Eiji broke the kiss and looked Oishi in the eyes, still piqued with curiosity; he didn't look the least bit like somebody who had just decided to kiss their male friend for the first time; instead, he looked like somebody who had merely asked a rather philosophical question: wanting an answer but knowing that it might not come, though there was no fear or shock or confusion like the former would hold.

Oishi ran the experience through in his head, replaying what had just happened and surveying all of his emotions; Eiji seemed to sense this as he sat back on the bench opposite, looking around the clubroom and out the window for something interesting to fill the time that it took the older boy to process.

And Oishi decided that maybe he did like Eiji like that. Or at least he could learn to.