Eiji took a deep breath and removed his arm in front of his face. He had helped his parents with the udon shop and went to bed after 4 a.m., but, even though he was terribly tired, he still couldn't sleep properly. Looking to the alarm clock on the dresser, it was almost 1 p.m. already. His father's words keep coming to his mind.
Was Oishi only that kind with him because he was a doctor? Because he felt like a duty?
Did he really spend the night hugging him so tightly because of his job?
"I'm probably nothing but a problematic brat for him." He said to himself, before turning around and hugging his pillow tightly, feeling incredibly sad.
Suddenly his stomach started to growl and he was annoyed with the need of leaving his bed.
He stood up and was crossing the hallways to go to the kitchen when Chiho saw him. She was sitting on the sofa with Masayuki.
"Ah, Eiji!" she had a big smile on her face. "You're up already! Come here, come here!"
"Yes, Chiho-nee?" he asked, uninterested, coming close to them.
"We have something for you." Masayuki said, giving him a plastic bag with a small box inside.
"What is it?" he asked, opening slowly.
Chiho and Masayuki smiled at each other when Eiji finally found the wireless headphone set. It had a red out layer and it was black on the inside.
"A headphone?"
"It's a noise cancelling headphone!" Chiho said, excitedly. "It will help you with the thunders."
"What do you mean?" the blue eyes were wide in surprise.
"Chiho and I talked about what you've told me and we researched a little. Back then, the doctor said your panic attacks were trigged by the thunder sound, so we bought it for you." He said, gently. "It's not a fix, but it can at least help you to deal with it."
"I cannot accept it!" he said, nervously. "It must be expensive! You shouldn't be spending such money with me!"
"What are you talking about?" Chiho smiled at him. "Our hands are tied since you're in Tokyo now, but this much we can do. I'm sorry we didn't think about this sooner."
"Chiho-nee…" he looked at his father. "Masa-nii… I…"
"Isn't cute?" Masayuki stood up and placed it around his son's neck with a smile. "It matches your hair."
"Thank you!" he hugged his parents tightly. "Thank you so much, both of you!"
##########
Oishi opened his eyes heavely. He was naked on Tezuka's bed. He was worried and frustrated for the whole day and he used sex as an attempt to divert his thoughts about Eiji's behavior towards him. His thoughts were a little blurry and he turned his head, looking at a deep asleep Tezuka. He felt guilty for using his body. It was the first time he had sex without his mind filled with Kunimitsu.
Looking at the clock, it was almost 8 p.m. It was the time Eiji said he would arrive at the station. He had sent him a message after lunch time. He needed to go home and wait for him.
He sat down slowly, not wanting to disturb Kunimitsu, but when he heard the sound of the strong rain, he stood up from the bed quickly, opening the curtains. Oishi's heart raced when seeing the lighting, before the thunder echoed on the apartment, waking Tezuka as well.
"What are you doing?" he asked, sleepy, sitting down and seeing Shuichirou dressing in a hurry.
"I need to go!" he said, putting his shirt on.
"You can't go now, look at the rain." He said, calmly, totally unaware of Oishi's desperation. Kunimitsu held his hand gently. "Wait a little more so…"
"I need to go!" the green eyes looked at him seriously and Tezuka was surprised when he removed his hand from his abruptly. It was the first time Shuichirou raised his voice towards him. "I will talk to you later, I'm sorry!"
He left the room and the apartment in fast, hard steps and before Kunimitsu could say anything else, he heard the door being closed.
##########
Eiji was quietly sitting inside the train station. He looked at his cell phone and it was almost 9 p.m. He could see the rain falling through the glass panels. He was using his new headphones and found it incredibly how they actually worked.
"I really can't hear anything." He thought to himself. One of his favorite songs was playing on his cell phone and it isolated him from all the thunder noises outside. It was something entirely new and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. "I can't wait to tell Oishi-san about this. I won't be a hassle for him anymore."
There he was, thinking about Shuichirou again. He wondered if he was upset because he left without telling him in advance. No, he probably wouldn't mind. He was rarely home on weekends lately. Eiji wished he could make going to Osaka on weekends a habit as well, so he wouldn't be alone in the apartment, waiting for Oishi to return from his girlfriend.
"I wonder what kind of person she is. If he dated Kono-san, he probably liked extremely beautiful women with curves." Eiji took a deep breath, closing his eyes and looking up.
############
Shuichirou could feel the cold water coming down his hair to his face while he was running on the train station. He had seen the platform from Osaka when he arrived and was desperately looking for Eiji.
"He's probably hiding on a corner, scared to death!" the thought crossed his mind before another thunder crashed on the building. He didn't call, knowing Eiji was unable to answer the phone or talking properly when in a panic attack.
"Where are you, Eiji-kun?!" Eiji asked himself, continuing to run. Why was that station so big?! He was about to ask for directions to one of the security guards, when he skidded when finally seeing the similar figure.
"Eiji-kun!" he screamed, seeing him sitting with his eyes closed. "Is he crying?!"
From afar, Oishi couldn't notice his headphones and that he was fine.
The blue eyes were wide in shock when feeling the weight of Oishi's arms around him, hugging him tightly. It took him a while to understand what was happening.
"O…Oishi-san?"
"Eiji-kun, are you all right?!" he asked, cupping his face, but since Eiji was with the headphones, he couldn't hear him at all, just seeing his terrified face.
He pushed him away a little, before taking his headphones off.
"Oishi-san, what happened? Why are you here?"
"I came after you, of course! In the minute I saw the rain, I…" he finally noticed the headphones. "What are these?"
"My parents gave it to me!" he smiled happily. "It's a noise cancelling headphone, this way I won't hear the thunders. Isn't great?!"
"Really?" he picked it up and looked at the object. "Does it really work?"
"Yes!" he grinned happily. "You won't have to worry about me anymore, I won't be a hassle for you anymore. I know you only care about me because you're a doctor, and..."
"What are you saying?" he touched his face and the green eyes were terribly serious. "It's nothing like that. You're not a hassle, Eiji-kun. I worry about you because you're already someone very important to me."
"Really?" the blue eyes looked at him seriously.
"Of course." he smiled gently. "I'm so glad you're okay." Oishi took a deep breath, before leaning on the wall and putting his hand over his chest. "I don't remember the last time I ran so much! I think my heart will stop!"
"Oishi-san, you're drenched!" he finally realized it. "Let's go home! Otherwise you'll get sick!"
"Yes, yes." He smiled gently after finally catching his breath.
######
"You know, I was so worried when you said you left to Osaka. I thought you were angry with me." Oishi said when they were already on the apartment's door.
"I'm sorry. It was not my intention."
"I know. I just… felt it. Things were not great between us lately." He opened the door and walked first, removing his soaking wet shoes. "I'm sorry if I did something that upset you."
"You did nothing wrong." He said, sincerely, while taking off his shoes as well. Eiji felt horrible for the way he treated him and it took him a while to enter the living room. "I'm sorry I behaved like that. I had things on my mind I needed to deal by myself. I'm very sorry."
"That's okay." Oishi turned around and smiled at him. The green eyes were filled with care and warmth. "Welcome back, Eiji-kun."
Eiji's heart was tight inside his chest. Even though he still didn't understand his own feelings, he always felt better when Shuichirou was around. It was like his green eyes and gentle smile were able to fix everything.
"I'm home, Oishi-san!" he grinned happily, before finally returning to his side.