no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 20

Chapter 20: S and E

Summary:

After spending a day bonding at their apartment unit, Eiji discovers more about Shorter.

Notes:

For everyone's guidance, Ash is 13 and Eiji is 15.
Anyways, enjoy the update!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was the weekend, and Shorter was practicing Kung Fu with Sing in their small garden. Ever since the young boy and his older brother started living with them a few months ago, the purple-haired boy has grown particularly close to him because they shared similar interests.
"How was that, Shorter?" Sing asked, a proud grin on his lips after knocking off the head of a mannequin with a roundhouse kick.
"Whoa, nice kick!" Shorter clapped the young boy's shoulder, smiling widely at him. "Keep this up, and you'll be better than me in no time."
Sing's grin widened at the compliment. "Really? Better than you?"
"Heck, you could even be the world's youngest Kung Fu Master ever!"
And with that, Shorter immediately lifted Sing on top of his shoulders, making the younger boy squeal in delight. Because being a member of the Martial Arts Club required a lot of physical training, it was no surprise that he managed to carry the ten-year-old boy so easily.
"All hail Master Sing Soo-Ling," Shorter proclaimed. "The world's youngest Kung Fu Master! Woohoo!"
"Oh yeah, bow before me!" Sing hooted, pumping his fist in the air. "I'm the best Kung Fu Master ever!"
The two boys laughed as Shorter let Sing down on the ground, this was one of those times in which he felt like he had an instant little brother. Because he was always the younger sibling all his life, he never realized that being a big brother could be so much fun, not until Sing came into the scene.
"Hey Shorter, can I use your PlayStation?" asked the young boy.
"You're playing already? But you have a lot of chores to do!" answered Shorter, a mischievous grin on his lips.
Sing frowned. "Hey, no fair! You told me yesterday that you'd let me play today! Hmph!" He folded his arms.
Shorter laughed, patting the boy's head. "I'm just kidding, little bro. Go ahead, knock yourself out. But don't play too long, 'cause we're gonna have a movie marathon later."
"Got it!"
With a playful grin, Sing quickly ran back inside the apartment unit. Shorter, on the other hand, wiped the sweat off his forehead and upper back with a towel and sat on one of the outdoor chairs. He felt a cool, gentle breeze blow as he enjoyed the view of the towering New York skyscrapers.
He couldn't help but wonder, what was Eiji doing right now? Perhaps he was hanging out with Ash like what they always did.
His forehead crumpled at the very mention of the American boy's name. How did Eiji manage to put up with someone like his so-called best friend? Ash did nothing but unconsciously hurt him, but despite that Eiji still chose to be with him. He was being too nice.
No, wait. Eiji loved him too much.
Realizing this, Shorter grimaced, running a hand through his purple mohawk. Both of them were hurting, but if there would be someone who was hurting more, it would be him. Other than Eiji loved someone else, it killed him to see the person he loved hurting.
Every time Eiji cried, it felt like a bullet was shot straight through his heart. His felt like his very soul was crushed whenever he saw the sorrowful look in Eiji's dark brown eyes. He wanted to take away all of Eiji's pain and at the same time beat the hell out of Ash so Eiji couldn't hurt anymore.
But the worst part was, all he could do was to be there for him whenever he was hurt or upset.
Why did he fall in love with someone like Eiji in the first place, anyway? It all started with a simple crush back in Middle School, but he never knew that it would evolve into something deeper after a few years.
But he couldn't be blamed either, who wouldn't fall for Eiji's cute looks, warm smiles and kind personality? That person would be considered a total idiot if he couldn't at least appreciate Eiji for who he was, like that stupid Ash Lynx.
Out of frustration, Shorter ran his hands through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. If only Eiji could love him back, then he would never have to hurt again.
"Hey Shorter, what's happening to you?" Nadia suddenly asked, trying not to laugh upon seeing her brother's frustrated look.
Shorter rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Nadia. Go away."
"Hey man, chill!" Nadia chuckled as she sat next to him. "I was just asking what was happening to you. Let me guess, you're thinking of him, aren't you?"
"What are you talking about?" Shorter tried to look as innocent as he could, but he wasn't able to stop the faint blush that began to color his cheeks.
"C'mon, don't deny it," Nadia said, nudging his arm with her elbow. "I know you too well, you're thinking about him whenever you're quiet like this."
And with that, Shorter let out a sigh in defeat. "Alright, you caught me."
"So what's your plan now? Are you just gonna sit there and do nothing?"
"I couldn't do anything, Nadia." Shorter's shoulders slumped. "He likes someone else."
"And so? The feeling isn't mutual, you know. Ash and Eiji are just best friends, you still have a chance."
Shorter sighed again. "I don't know, the only thing I could do right now is to be there for him whenever he needs me."
"You know Shorter, if you really love him, you need to be there whether he needs you or not."
The purple-haired boy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you still need to be there even if he doesn't need you."
"How?"
Nadia raised an eyebrow. "C'mon man, seriously? Are you really my brother? You're so slow!"
Shorter rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You're not my sister anyway, Nadia."
"Tsk." Nadia let out an exasperated sigh before talking again. "What I meant to say was, whether he's happy, sad, excited or what, you should be right beside him. But while you're at it, don't show him that you only want to be his friend."
"And how would I do that?" Shorter asked.
"Make him feel special," Nadia answered. "Show him that you like him. Drop hints every now and then. That way, he wouldn't be surprised anymore if you decide to confess to him."
"Nadia, are you sure this is the right time to do this?"
"If not now Shorter, when? When Eiji's already badly hurt because of Ash? Or what if Ash suddenly falls in love with Eiji and eventually date him?"
Right then and there, Shorter's eyes widened, suddenly feeling enlightened. Nadia was definitely right this time, he needed to make a move on Eiji now before it would be too late.
"Thanks, Nadia!" he exclaimed, hugging his older sister before standing up from his seat. Without waiting for his sister's response, he quickly left the apartment unit.
For some reason, he now had an idea on how to make Eiji feel special.
***
As Shorter walked down the sidewalk, holding a plastic bag full of chips and other snacks in one hand, he fished his phone out of his pocket and dialled Eiji's number. He planned to head over to Eiji's apartment unit to surprise him, he didn't care whether Ash was there or not.
(Shorter! Good thing you called---Hey, Ei-chan!---Shut up, Aslan!)
Shorter was surprised when he heard not one, but two voices on the other line. And it seemed like they were in the middle of an argument, basing from the angry tone in their voices.
"Eiji, where are you?" he asked, stopping in front of the Okumuras' apartment unit.
(I'm at Ashu's place, how about you? I'm coming over to your place, I like talking to you better than Ash---C'mon Ei-chan, don't be like that. You know I couldn't say no to her, right?---Whatever, Aslan. Ugh. Sorry about that Shorter, where are you?)
"Um, I'm actually at the door of your apartment unit," Shorter answered. "But I'll just wait for you at your apartment instead."
(Okay, I'll be there---Hey, no!---)
It looked like Ash was about to say something in the background but Eiji immediately ended the call. Were the two best friends fighting again? He noticed that they've been arguing a lot these past few days.
"Oh, hello there," a girl greeted a few seconds after Shorter knocked on the door. She was young, pretty, and more importantly, she resembled Eiji a lot.
"Hello," Shorter replied, smiling at the girl. "May I come in?"
"Ibe-san!" the girl suddenly called out, looking over her shoulder. "We have a visitor!"
From the dining table, Shunichi looked over to where Shorter was standing, and his eyes widened upon seeing the purple-haired boy. He set down the newspaper he was reading before rising from his seat and walking over to the door.
"Oh, Shorter," he said. "I'm sorry, but Eiji's not around. He's over at Ash's place."
"Don't worry, Mr. Ibe," Shorter replied. "I called Eiji earlier and told him that I would wait for him here. May I come in?"
"Sure thing, make yourself at home."
And with that, Shorter entered the apartment unit as Shunichi went back to the dining table. He sat down on the sofa, setting down his bag of snacks beside him.
"You know, I've never seen you before," the girl from earlier suddenly said, sitting next to Shorter. "What's your name?"
"My name's Shorter, Shorter Wong," the purple-haired boy replied.
"And I'm Eika Okumura," the girl responded, smiling as she extended out her hand.
Shorter couldn't help but smile as he shook Eika's hand. No wonder she looked like the female version of Eiji. She looked younger than him, so he guessed that she was Eiji's younger sister. And it seemed that she also had her brother's adorable looks and warm personality.
"Are you here for my brother, Shorter?" Eika asked.
"Yeah," answered Shorter. "He told me awhile ago that he was at Ash's place, but he said that he'll be coming back here."
"Oh, I see. How do you know Eiji, by the way? Are you his boyfriend?"
In that instant, Shorter swallowed a lump that formed in his throat as a deep blush formed on his cheeks. Eika looked so innocent while asking the question, but the mention of the word 'boyfriend' was enough to make him flustered.
"Um, no," he said, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. "Eiji's my classmate and close friend."
"Hey, I'm just kidding. Why are you suddenly acting all flustered like that?" Eika grinned. "You're funny, Shorter."
Shorter just let out a fake, shaky laugh in response. Yup, this girl was definitely Eiji's sister.
"So you know Ash as well?" Eika asked again.
"Ash, he's Eiji's best friend, right? Why do you ask?"
"You're close friends with Eiji, so I'm guessing that you're close with Ash as well. Are you?"
Me, close with that Ash Lynx? Nah, I'm not close with people who hurt Eiji, he wanted to say, but in the end he decided not to, seeing that Eika knew nothing about the three of them.
"I know him, but we're not really that close," was the only thing he answered.
"Oh, I think I know you now." Eika's face suddenly lightened up. "You're the one Eiji's been talking about! No wonder your name sounded a bit familiar to me."
And with that, Shorter's lips formed into a big smile. Eiji has been telling his sister about him? That meant something.
"By the way Shorter," Eika added. "Where are you and Eiji going to?"
"Oh, I just wanna invite him to over to our apartment," Shorter answered.
"What? In your apartment?" Eika's eyes widened in surprise.
"Um, well, that is, if you'll let me," Shorter, suddenly feeling flustered, said as he scratched the back of his head. "We'll just watch movies and eat some snacks, that's all."
"I'm sorry, I'm just surprised. No one's ever invited Eiji to their apartment before, except for Ash."
"Are Ash and Eiji really that close, Eika?"
Eika nodded her head. "Yup, super close. Ever since we were little, Eiji and Ash were always together. In fact, my parents and Ash's parents would always tease them because they look so good together. But I think Ash doesn't like Eiji at all because I saw Ash with a girl the other day. I think they're only just best friends. But if you were to ask me, I want Ash for my brother."
Sensing a hint of sadness in Eika's voice, Shorter grimaced, feeling a sharp sting in his chest upon realizing that Eiji's family really wanted Ash for the Japanese boy. He couldn't blame them though, since they knew Ash so well from the very beginning.
But he also realized, since Ash already gained the upper hand over him, he had to exert more effort to prove himself. Not only to Eiji, but to his family and friends as well. He had to show them that he was more deserving than the American boy.
"I'm home!" a familiar voice suddenly called out. Shorter and Eika looked over at the main door in time to see Eiji enter the apartment unit.
"What's wrong, Eiji? Why do you look so upset?" asked Eika. "How's Ash?"
Eiji rolled his eyes, sitting between his sister and Shorter. "Don't ask me that, Eika-chan."
"You guys fought again?" Eika let out a disappointed sigh. "Oh well, guess I'm leaving you with Shorter now. See you guys later."
And with that, the younger Okumura stood up and headed to her room, leaving Eiji alone with the purple-haired boy.
"So Shorter, where are we going?"
"We're gonna have a movie marathon at our apartment unit," answered Shorter, grabbing the plastic bag sitting next to him. "I bought snacks for us, too."
At the idea of a movie marathon, Eiji smiled widely, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "Really? That's awesome! Let's go!"
***
"Hey there, Eiji! Good to see you again! Welcome to our humble abode!" Nadia happily greeted once the two boys entered the Wongs' apartment unit, spreading her arms wide to welcome them.
Eiji smiled back, stifling a chuckle at the Chinese girl's gestures. "Hi, Nadia."
"Hey, I remember you!" Sing added, bounding over to where the two fifteen-year-olds were standing and pointing his finger at the raven-haired boy. "You're Eiji, right?"
"Hey there, Sing. Nice to see you again," Eiji answered, giving the young boy a high-five.
"And this here is Sing's older brother, Lao," Nadia added, pointing to an older Chinese man sitting on the couch. "Lao, meet Eiji. He's Shorter's friend from High School."
The older man, Lao, warmly smiled at the Japanese boy, extending out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Eiji. I'm Lao Yen-Thai."
"Nice to meet you too, Lao," Eiji responded, shaking the older man's hand. He noticed that Lao resembled Sing a lot, save for the dark brown hair he sported. He also looked like he was around Griffin's age.
"So, what are we gonna watch?" Shorter asked, sitting on the couch and setting his bag of goodies on the table in front of them. Eiji followed suit, sitting next to the purple-haired boy.
"We're gonna watch A Walk to Remember," Nadia answered, sitting next to her brother with the remote in her hand.
"What? Boo, that's lame, Nadia!" Sing whined. "That movie's for sissies! I want Zombieland!"
"Yeah," Shorter agreed. "Zombieland's way better!"
"C'mon you two, seriously?" Nadia retorted, placing her hands on her hips. "Do you really wanna scare the hell out of Eiji?"
"At least Eiji won't be bored to death unlike when we watch your lame, sissy drama movies!" Sing sneered, folding his arms.
"Hey, A Walk to Remember's NOT a lame, sissy movie!" Nadia yelled, glaring at the two boys.
"YES, IT IS!" Shorter and Sing chorused.
As Shorter, Nadia and Sing continued to argue, Eiji just laughed at them. He had to admit, it was a delight seeing the three of them debate on which movie was better. He could totally relate to them, as he suddenly remembered the time when he, Ash and Eika had an argument because his sister wanted to watch Frozen but the two best friends wanted to watch Cars.
"Now, now, kids," Lao pacified the three, laughing along with the raven-haired boy. "Why don't we let Eiji choose the movie instead? After all, he's our guest."
"Good thinking, Lao," Shorter answered, glancing over at Eiji. "What do YOU wanna watch, Eiji? Go ahead, choose."
"Hmmm, how about The Fault in Our Stars?" the Japanese boy suggested. "I heard it's a pretty good one. Shall we give it a try?"
"The Fault in Our Stars? Well, I'm cool with it," Nadia said.
"Since Eiji's the one who chose it, well, I guess I could go with this one," Sing added, sitting back and placing his arms behind his head.
"Eh, sounds fair enough." Shorter shrugged his shoulders. "As long as it's Eiji's choice, then I'm going with it."
"Then it's settled," said Lao. "The Fault in Our Stars it is."
As the older Chinese man was browsing the television with the remote, Nadia rose from her seat to close the curtains and turn off the lights while Sing played games on his phone. On the other hand, Eiji and Shorter were patiently waiting for the movie to play.
Suddenly remembering his sister's words and not wanting to waste the opportunity to make his move, Shorter wrapped an arm around Eiji's shoulder.
"So Eiji, what happened before you went home?" he asked. "You sounded angry when we talked on the phone. Did you and Ash fight?"
"Oh." Eiji's face fell at the question. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Shorter. It's just that, Ashu and I were supposed to hang out today, but Trixie suddenly called Ashu and went out with her instead."
"Hey, it's okay," Shorter answered, pulling Eiji closer to him. "At least WE get to bond today, right?"
Eiji smiled weakly. "You're right."
***
As the movie progressed, Shorter had his arm around Eiji the whole time. It was a surprise that Eiji didn't protest or anything, instead he just sat back and leaned against Shorter's chest, his eyes focused on the TV.
During particularly emotional scenes, Shorter would glance every now and then at Eiji to check if he was crying, then he would pull him closer into a comforting hug, resting his chin on top of the raven-haired boy's head whenever he saw a tear escape from his eye. He could hear Sing and Nadia tease him from the sides, but he didn't care.
"Man, that was such a nice movie," Eiji said with a sigh when the movie ended. After the movie, Lao immediately proceeded to the kitchen to prepare food while Sing went to his room and Nadia went outside. "It was bittersweet, you could see the true love between Hazel and Augustus."
"I know," Shorter replied, fondly smiling at the raven-haired boy. "True love comes once in a lifetime, eh?"
And just like how Augustus loved Hazel, I would never love anyone else the way I love you, Eiji.
"Yeah. I hope I find my true love soon," Eiji said.
"Who knows, maybe he's someone who's just right next to you," Shorter answered. 
Eiji let out a sad sigh. "I really do hope he's someone right next to me, Shorter...just like Ashu."
And with that, Shorter suddenly felt like he was slapped hard right in the face. Did reality have to hurt this much? Did he really have to bring that asshole who did nothing but hurt him into the picture?
It's not Ash, Eiji. It's me, he thought with a bitter smile.
"Hold on, Eiji," he said, rising from his seat. "I'll just get us some drinks. Wait here, okay?"
"Sure."
As Shorter headed over to the kitchen to where Lao was cooking, Eiji couldn't help but glance around the apartment unit. What really caught his eye was the two large solo portraits of Nadia and Shorter hanging above the fireplace, and below them were smaller, framed pictures. Standing up to get a closer look, he saw that the pictures featured the siblings as kids.
Then when he came across a picture of Shorter as an infant, his eyes widened with shock upon seeing what was sewn on the baby's bonnet.
SW.
His heart thumping harder by the second, he frantically searched his pockets for the handkerchief and quickly brought it out to look at the letters sewn on it.
SW.
His eyes quickly darting between the handkerchief and Shorter's baby picture, he let out a sharp gasp when he realized that the letters on the handkerchief and the letters on the bonnet were exactly the same.
All of a sudden, a certain memory surfaced in his mind.
***
"Eiji, I think you need this," a voice suddenly said, ending Eiji's train of thought. The raven-haired boy slowly raised his head from his knees and saw a hand holding out a handkerchief in front of him.
"Go ahead, take it. I know you need it," the mysterious person added.
At first Eiji was hesitant, but in the end he took the handkerchief without looking at the person and proceeded to wipe his tears, to no avail.
"You know," said the mysterious person again. "While crying may lessen the pain you're feeling right now, it can never erase your true feelings. All you need to do for now is to accept things."
And with that, Eiji stopped crying. He looked up to see who was talking, but the mysterious person was already gone. Who was that guy?
***
Eiji stood there dumbfounded, his eyes fixed on Shorter's baby picture and his hands still clutching the handkerchief as he realized that it was Shorter all along, that it was Shorter who gave him the handkerchief during their Middle School graduation.
SW. Shorter Wong. Why didn't he realize that before?
From the corner of his eye, he noticed three more picture frames sitting next to Shorter's picture. The first one was a picture of the Wong Family, then the second one showed a younger Nadia and Shorter.
And the third one, to his surprise, was a picture of the two of them.
His fingers reached up, gingerly touching the glass of the frame. There was no doubt, this was the picture taken last year. It was the day when he, Shorter, Ash and Trixie went to their old Middle School to watch the basketball game. It was obviously cropped because he remembered standing next to Alex, Bones and Kong in the actual photo.
The raven-haired boy's lips slowly curled into a smile, he would be lying if he said that they didn't look adorable in the picture. Shorter was grinning from ear to ear, his arm wrapped around Eiji's shoulder while Eiji flashed the peace sign, crossing his eyes and playfully sticking his tongue out.
"Eiji, there you are. Here's your drink," Shorter suddenly said from behind him, holding two cans of soda and offering one of them to Eiji.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do, Shorter. Or should I say, SW," Eiji answered, turning around to face the purple-haired boy.
Shorter's expression changed into a surprised one, but quickly reverted back to his calm look after a split-second. "I guess you know everything now, huh? Yeah, I'm SW."
"Shorter, why didn't you tell me that this was yours?" Eiji showed him the handkerchief. "Why didn't you tell me that it was you comforting me all along?"
"What for? To thank me?" Shorter answered, setting down the two cans of soda on a nearby table. "Eiji, there's no need to thank me. Shorter or SW, I would still the same person who would be here to comfort you."
"I know. But still, I wanna thank you for everything, Shorter." Eiji smiled, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He felt his emotions going haywire because of the sudden realization.
Smiling back at the raven-haired boy, Shorter immediately pulled him into a tight hug.
"Thank you so much, Shorter," an emotional Eiji whispered, his voice a bit uneven. "Thank you for comforting me always, for being there for me, for encouraging me. But why? Why are you doing all of this?"
Pulling away from the hug, Shorter gently cupped Eiji's cheeks, looking straight into his large, dark brown eyes.
"You're special to me, Eiji," he said, a tender smile forming on his lips. "You really mean a lot to me."
Eiji's eyes widened. "H-How? How am I special to you?"
"You know how much I like you, right? You're not just a friend to me, but you're someone special." Shorter looked away, letting out a deep sigh. "I know you love someone else now, but please, just let me like you."
"I..." Eiji's voice trailed off, bowing his head. "I don't think I deserve you, Shorter."
"Just let me like you, Eiji," Shorter repeated his statement. "I don't mean to ask you out or anything, just let me like you."
It took a few seconds before Eiji nodded his head. Honestly, Shorter's words didn't sink in so easily. He knew the purple-haired boy had a crush on him, but he never knew that he would already be that special to him.
"Well, if that's the case, then thank you for saying that."
"No problem." Shorter grinned, scratching the back of his head. "I just hope things won't change after this."
"Nah, I can't imagine not talking to you, Shorter," answered Eiji, smiling back at the Chinese boy. "Nothing will change, I promise you that. Oh, except for one thing."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Can I call you S from now on?"
Shorter chuckled. "Okay. If you'll call me S, then I'll call you E as well."
Eiji's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Huh? E?"
"You said you'll call me S, right? If S is for Shorter, then I'll call you E for Eiji." Shorter pinched Eiji's nose, making the raven-haired boy laugh.
"Alright, S!"
"Whatever you say, E!"
As the two boys laughed over their new nicknames, Eiji realized how comfortable he got with Shorter. He had to admit, the purple-haired boy was fun to be with, and he wouldn't deny that he also felt safe when he was with him, just like the way he felt when he was with Ash.
And speaking of Ash, what could he be doing right now?
No, this doesn't feel right at all. He shouldn't be thinking about Ash, he should be focusing on enjoying this day with Shorter.
Even just for once.