A/N: I love TeniPuri to death, and the pairing of EijiOishi (or anything with Eiji, really...). This is my first fic, so hope you like!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tennis no Ohjisama, though, like many others, I wish I did...

Warning: Shounen Ai, anyone?

The Lost Present

by Ming Leung

Eiji laughed aloud in delight.

"Oishi-kun! You really got this for me? Just for me?" he squealed. "Nyaaa, Oishi, thank you!"

The duo walked down the street, bundled in wool scarves and fleece overcoats. The cold drew lazy fingers over their bodies, searching for a hold. She had grown more persistent as the sun ended its drawl through the deepening sky, the last rays of crimson dying slowly.

Oishi watched his closest friend bounce along on little cat feet, and grinned to himself. Eiji Kikumaru could be so predictable sometimes, with all his quirks and antics. There had been no hesitation in his mind when he was deciding on what gift to get his tennis partner for Christmas, and had spent some time going around to different local stores to put it together. Of all the presents he had bought for other people, Eiji's was the only one who he had put so much effort into.

Eiji looked down at the lumpy bundle he held in his arms, with Oishi's gift on top, and sighed contentedly. Never before had he received such a wonderful gift. Inside a wicker basket nestled a brand new toothbrush (with the latest bristle technology for removing pesky bacteria and plaque), mint toothpicks, a fluffy cotton hand towel, and... could it be? Matching strawberry toothpaste and floss!

"Oii, Oishi, only you could have gotten a gift like this for me! You truly understand my passion for ridding the world of odorous mouths and stained dentures. If everyone could be free of rancid morning breath and...what?" Eiji turned glowing eyes toward his friend, noticing he had slowed down.

Oishi shook his head and was about to reassure the springy youth that nothing was wrong, but Eiji's eyes held his. He felt a sudden surge of heat flow through his body, for some odd reason, making his body involuntarily gasp. He felt as if he could lose himself in those gentle, feline eyes.

"Hoi hoi, you're turning pink! Are we walking too fast? Is it too cold? Do you need a toothpick?"

That last comment drew forth a chuckle from Oishi. What was he thinking? Maybe he was coming down with the virus that was recently making its way around? He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and caught up with Eiji. "It was nothing. Sorry to have worried you, Eiji-kun."

But the crimson-haired tennis player was worried. These things seemed to be happening quite frequently with Oishi lately. Could something be up? He didn't want anything bad to happen to his best friend. He cared too much for him.

A question from Oishi snapped him back to reality. "So, Eiji, how much farther is it to reach Fuji's home? We're going to be late if we don't get there soon." They had all agreed it would be a nice change away from Kawamura's sushi place, after avoiding Inui's suggestion to hold the little get-together at his house.

"What? I thought you knew...aren't you leading the way?" Eiji replied, confused.

"No. I thought you were." Oishi frowned suddenly. "So you're saying that we've just been walking along with no idea where we're heading? You told me earlier that you knew where it was!"

"Ahh, did I?"

"Yes!" Sighing, Oishi decided to let it go. "Could I use your cell phone to call Fuji then? I don't want us to be too late to the Christmas party."

"Oiii, Oishi, my cell phone is broken. What about yours?"

"No batteries."

"Uhoh."

"Yes, 'uhoh' was right," he thought. "Well, I suppose I better find a pay phone then. Wait here okay?" Oishi said. He turned around and spotted one at the end of the block. He started toward it, leaving Eiji standing where he was. This was great, just great.

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Eiji felt terrible. Now he had gotten Oishi mad at him. He watched the back of his double's partner as he walked away under the lamps, which had started to flicker on. The glowing light illuminated Oishi's form, casting multiple shadows over the grainy sidewalk. Close by, the traffic of city cars and busses rumbled on. Hmmm. He must have agreed to whatever Oishi had requested of him earlier, as he always did, but probably wasn't paying much attention at the time. He liked paying attention to Oishi himself more.

Eiji shocked himself as he realized what he had just thought. But it was true, wasn't it? He couldn't ever stop basking in Oishi's attention. It was almost like a drug, and a drug that he would give anything to enjoy. Eiji was a people person, who loved to touch and hug others. With Oishi, every bit of physical contact was like ecstasy. But that was because they were the best of friends, right? So close that nothing could come between them. Nothing.

"That's right," Eiji said quietly, as he sat on some steps. So he would have to make things better between them. It was as simple as that.

"Oii, what could I do?" he mused, looking back up at the small figure at the end of the block. Oishi was talking on the phone now, most likely getting directions from Fuji. He pulled his eyes away from him and his glance fell on the pile of presents. "Of course! I'll just give Oishi his present now! There's no need to wait until the party. After all, he already gave me mine, right? He'll love it, and all will be forgotten!"

Eiji pulled out Oishi's gift lovingly, and stood up abruptly to go give it to him.

"Hey! Watch it!" a voice yelled, right before he got bowled over by a speeding bike. The redhead looked up in time, with a new bruise on his cheek, to find the rude stranger already far down the road.

"Nyaaah, how rude!" Eiji cried, before realizing what he just saw. He did a double-take, and looked back at the direction where the stranger had sped. Was that...Kamio? No, it couldn't be. More importantly, where had Oishi's present gone? He had felt it flung from his grasp before he landed on the dirty sidewalk.

Frantically, he searched around him, before spotting it lying in the road. "Phew, I thought I had lost it," he said, relieved. He stood and started to go pick it up, when –

"RRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" A car barreled around the corner and ran over the present. It was ripped to pieces. Eiji stood there, shocked, as he watched the shredded package bounce away down the street. A second later, another car ran over it. He stared at the place where the present, whole and perfect, had been but moments before.

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Oishi was walking back to the place where he had left Eiji. He thought it odd that his friend was standing so still, looking at the road. Was there some left-over toothpaste on there or something? He started walking a bit faster toward Eiji. His companion didn't always have the best common sense.

Before he had taken five steps, however, he saw his friend turn toward him and start running. Were those tears in his eyes?

"Eiji! What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Nyaaa!! Mengo mengo! I messed up and made us late and got us lost and I didn't know what to do so I tried to cheer you up by giving you your present but I was run over by a bike and the present fell into the street and a car ran over it and –"

Oishi was arrested by the emotions and words pouring out of his partner's mouth. "Eiji, calm down, and tell me everything slowly," he told him. "Hush, it's all right..."

He led his friend over to the worn steps that Eiji had been sitting on before, and sat him down. A few minutes later, with the story fully revealed, Eiji sat next to Oishi, and looked at him with moist eyes. "I'm so sorry, Oishi, I'm nothing but trouble, and I always am. I'm sorry for getting us into this mess, and all the other times that you pulled me out of situations like this. I'm really sorry for your present being ruined, I had worked so hard on it...I'm sorry..." He snuggled into Oishi's warm arms, and rubbed his head against him. "Mengo..."

Oishi felt as if something had grabbed a hold of his insides, and that warm flush came again. His skin felt electrified, and he suddenly had trouble breathing. "Ei-Eiji, everything's fine." He looked down at the lithe body curled onto his, and felt his cheeks grow hot. Could this be the virus again? He shook his head, and continued. "I talk-talked to Fuji, and told him where we are. He said he'll just have his sister pick us up and drive us over, since we're pretty far away." Eiji still didn't sound reassured. "And he said it's perfectly fine if we are a bit late, nobody will mind."

Nothing from Eiji. Oishi sighed. "Eiji, it doesn't matter about the present, okay? Jus hearing how you cared enough about it and made it for me was enough. We're the Golden Pair, after all. I shouldn't need material gifts to be able to see how much you cared for me."

He awkwardly stroked the other boy's hair, surprised to feel how soft it was. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn Eiji was making a purring sound.

They sat there for a while, listening to each other's breathing. Oishi occasionally glanced down at the boy, his eyes lingering on the band-aid they had put on Eiji's bruise. The crimson-haired youth couldn't believe how incredibly comfortable it was to be held in his partner's arms. It seemed as if everything was right with the world, as long as Oishi held him. Everything else seemed to blur away.

After a time, Eiji looked up at Oishi. "I suppose you're right," he whispered. After all, hadn't he said that nothing could come between them? "We don't need material presents to show our affection."

Oishi smiled back at him, as their gazes locked. He suddenly felt like he couldn't move. Eiji seemed to be moving closer.

Softly around them, snow began to fall in swirls, drifting slowly around their heads.

"But I do want to give you something for Christmas. It's the only thing I have right now, and I know it's not much...but..."

And Eiji leaned forward and kissed Oishi.

It felt like the world was spinning around them. The gentle caress of his warm, soft lips, the electric feeling of their bodies against each other, the sharp contrast of the fluttering touches of snow, the scent of strawberry toothpaste. Everything was so...right. If only they could lose themselves like this always. Neither of them wanted this glorious feeling to end. Ever.

But it did, and all too soon. They heard Fuji's older sister pull up towards them in her car. They scrambled to get their things, each blushing and slightly embarrassed. Had she seen them? They both started toward her.

But at the last possible moment before they entered the car, Oishi leaned toward Eiji and whispered softly, "Thank you for the present."

And Eiji whispered back, "Merry Christmas."