no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 29

Chapter 29: Courtship - Part 1

Summary:

Unbeknownst to Eiji, Shorter finally makes a big decision, and along with it, he secretly plans something for him.

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

The days quickly passed by, and the next thing they knew, it was now the beginning of a brand new week. Eiji was more than relieved and happy that he and Ash would start the week being friends again, he really didn't like arguing with his best friend. Considering what happened that day, bickering with him was the very last thing he wanted to happen.
"Oh Eika-chan, looks like Ash is already here to pick you up. You should go with them as well, Ei-chan," Shunichi told the two siblings. The three were busy eating their breakfast when a knock on the door was suddenly heard.
Hearing this, Eika took one last bite of her cereal and drank the remaining milk in the bowl. "Okay Ibe-san, I'm off to school now." She stood up and bounded over to the front door. "Eiji, come on."
"I'm leaving too, Ibe-san," Eiji seconded as he finished his pancake, leaving his seat as well. "See you later!"
"Alright, you two, take care," Shunichi answered, fondly smiling at the two.
With his younger sister standing nearby, Eiji walked over and opened the front door to greet Ash with a wide smile plastered on his face. Now that they've made up, he fully admitted that he was excited to be with his best friend once again.
"Good morning, Ash---" he greeted, but his smile immediately faded when he saw that someone else was with the blonde-haired boy.
"Hi there, Eiji," Trixie greeted, a sly smile on her lips as she waved her hand.
"Um, hello to you, too?" Eiji hesitantly answered, his eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and annoyance. What the heck was she doing here? Of all people, why did it have to be her?
Oh right, Trixie was his girlfriend now. And as part of his boyfriend duties, of course he had to pick her up from their house. And if he would be picking her up, then it would mean that they would be walking to school together as well.
Great, just great. To think that this week hasn't even started yet.
"Sorry, Ei-chan," Ash said, smiling apologetically. "Guess I forgot to tell you last night that Trixie would be tagging along with us today."
"Nah, it's alright. I don't mind at all," the raven-haired boy answered emotionlessly as he walked out the door, Eika silently trailing behind him.
So much for looking forward to a wonderful week.
***
As the four started their way to school, Ash and Trixie seemed to be lost in their own little world while Eiji and Eika remained silent behind them. Neither of the siblings said a word, and they gave each other side glances every few seconds as a silent message that they were both feeling out of place.
"So Eiji, how are things going with you?" Trixie suddenly asked, glancing over at the Japanese boy trailing behind her. Since when did she become close with him?
"I'm fine," the raven-haired boy flatly answered, tightly gripping the straps of his backpack. He knew it wasn't a good idea to feel pissed so early in the morning, but he just couldn't help himself. When it came to Trixie, he always felt his patience reduce into a single strand.
"C'mon Trixie, do you really have to ask that? That's Ei-chan you're talking to," Ash responded, draping an arm around the girl's shoulder. "Since when did he NOT feel fine?"
"That's actually surprising, you know. Because if I remember correctly, the last time we talked, you guys had a fight."
"Huh?" asked a surprised Eiji, his ears perking up upon hearing the statement. How did she know that he and Ash fought?
"Ah, well, you see Ei-chan, um, I...kinda told Trixie about that." Ash laughed nervously, offering an apologetic smile for a second time.
"Ashy's right, and I'm glad you guys made up after that." Then Trixie smiled at him. Fake bitch.
"I know, because I really hate fighting with my best friend." Ash smiled at the raven-haired boy. "Right, Ei-chan?"
"Ah, yeah." Then Eiji faked a laugh. Was it just him, or did their school seem a bit farther than usual?
"By the way, what did you two fight about?" Trixie asked. Why was she being nosy all of a sudden? Since when did she become interested in what was going on between them?
"Oh, it was nothing---" Ash was about to answer when Eiji suddenly spoke.
"Well, Ibe-san and Mr. Glenreed tried to set us up on a da---"
"EI-CHAN!" Ash exclaimed, widening his eyes at his best friend as if telling him to shut up.
"What's wrong, Ashu?" Eiji innocently asked. "She deserves to know it, you know."
"Wait, what?" There was a hint of surprise in Trixie's voice. "What did you just say?"
"I told you, it's nothing---" Ash tried to speak again but Eiji cut him off for a second time.
"I said, Ibe-san and Mr. Glenreed tried to set us up on a date."
"Ei-cha---"
"So does this mean, you two are dating?" Trixie asked, raising an eyebrow at the two boys.
"NO!" Ash and Eiji chorused, the raven-haired boy's answer a half-hearted one. Oh, how he wished that they were dating instead of them.
"Well, if that's the case, then that's good. Why didn't it happen, by the way?" Trixie clung onto Ash's arm and pouted her lips, much to Eiji's annoyance. Pouting didn't suit her at all. In fact, she looked like a duck whenever she did that.
"Of course I won't allow it to happen," Ash answered. "I have a girlfriend now, you know." Then he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Talk about PDA.
That moment, Eiji felt Eika's hand hold onto his wrist as he pursed his lips in a pained grimace. Like, seriously? Right in front of him and his sister? This day just kept getting better and better.
"Are you alright, Eiji?" she whispered, concern evident in her voice.
Eiji didn't say anything, he nodded his head with a weak smile. It was a good thing his sister was with him, otherwise he would've definitely felt out of place.
"Awww, aren't you the sweetest boy? But of course, I know you'll choose me. You do love me, right?" Trixie asked, looking over at Eiji with a mischievous grin on her lips. Seriously, what was this girl trying to imply?
"Of course I do," Ash replied, smiling sweetly at the girl. Could this day get any worse?
And just as when Eiji thought he couldn't handle the lovey-dovey scene any longer, he felt a wave of relief wash over him when he finally saw the familiar building of Golden Phoenix High straight up ahead.
"Oh look, my school's already here," he said, his expression lighting up. "Eika-chan, be a good girl today, okay? I gotta go, bye!"
Without waiting for their answer, Eiji quickly ran down the sidewalk towards the main door of his school, but he was caught off-guard and almost stumbled when he felt a sudden pull on one of the straps of his backpack.
"Whoa there E, what's the rush?" asked a familiar voice, and the raven-haired boy turned around to see Shorter, a confused look on his face as he tightly held the strap of his backpack.
"Oh S, it's you," Eiji replied. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I thought I was gonna be late, so I ran all the way." He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his nape.
"Don't worry, the first period wouldn't start until fifteen minutes later." The purple-haired boy smiled, releasing his grip on the strap of Eiji's backpack. "C'mon, let's walk to school together."
The raven-haired boy just smiled as his answer as the two 10th Graders continued their way down the sidewalk. Now that Shorter was with him, he somehow had a feeling that his week wouldn't be off to a bad start after all.
***
"By the way S," Eiji said once he and Shorter sat on their respective desks in the classroom. "Could you explain to me what you did the other day?"
"Huh? What did I do, E?" the Chinese boy asked, an innocent but confused tone in his voice.
"C'mon E, don't tell me you forgot." The raven-haired boy folded his arms and pouted. "You told Ashu that I like you. Why did you say that?"
"Oh, that?" Shorter chuckled. "I just wanted to help you out that time, you know."
"But out of all the possible things to say, why did you pick that instead?"
"Think about it E, if I didn't say that, what else would Ash think of as a reason? He may be dense, but he isn't stupid enough to think of the possibility that the reason why you reacted that way was that you actually agree with the idea of Mr. Ibe and Mr. Glenreed."
Eiji frowned. "What are you talking about, S? Ashu would never think that way."
"Really, E? Are you sure?" Shorter asked. "There's a really high chance for that thought to cross his mind, you know."
"Alright, I get you," answered the Japanese boy. "But why did you say it?"
This time, it was Shorter's turn to frown. "Don't you get it, E?" Eiji shook his head, making the purple-haired boy sigh. "Why did I even fall for a slow guy like you?"
Eiji glared at him. "What did you say?"
Shorter couldn't help but laugh at the raven-haired boy's naiveté, he looked as cute as a bunny whenever he was all innocent like that.
"Seriously, E? The reason why I said that you like me was so that Ash wouldn't think that you like him."
And with that, Eiji let out a soft gasp, realizing that Shorter had a point. "Oh."
The Chinese boy chuckled again. "And by the way, E..."
"Hm? What is it, S?" asked the raven-haired boy.
Shorter stared at him for a few seconds before shook his head, looking towards the direction of the blackboard. "Nothing. Just wait for me, E."
With furrowed eyebrows, Eiji was about to open his mouth and ask the purple-haired boy when the bell suddenly rang, signaling the start of their classes.
Wait for him? What was this guy talking about?
***
Later that night, Shorter found himself standing outside the door of his sister's bedroom. He's been doing a lot of thinking lately, and after a period of contemplating, he finally made the decision to act on his feelings towards Eiji. But since this was his first time to do so, he realized that he needed help for this, and right now, his sister was the only person he could ask help from.
His heart pounding hard in his chest, the purple-haired boy took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He wasn't really used to asking favors from his sister, but when it came to dating and stuff like that, he figured that Nadia knew a lot about it.
"Come in," he heard a familiar voice call from inside.
Swallowing a lump that formed in his throat, Shorter slowly opened the door entered the room, where he saw his sister lying face down on the bed and reading one of her many fashion magazines.
"Nadia?" he timidly asked.
"Yeah, Shorter? What is it?" Nadia asked, her eyes fixed on the magazine.
"I need your help."
"Oh?" Curiosity was evident in the older Wong's voice as she sat up, setting down the magazine next to her. "What is it?"
Shorter gulped, beads of sweat glistening his forehead. "Um, uh..."
"Well? Is there anything you wanna say?" Nadia raised an eyebrow, but Shorter didn't answer, prompting her to roll her eyes. "Look here, if you're not gonna say anything, you better lea---"
"I'MGONNACOURTEIJI!" the purple-haired boy suddenly blurted out, his face beginning to burn in embarrassment.
And with that, Nadia's eyes widened in shock. She wasn't hearing things, right?
"WHAT? PARDON?"
"Ugh. Seriously?" Shorter whined. "Do I really have to repeat myself?"
"Well, do you want my help or not?" Nadia retorted, placing her hands on her hips.
This time, it was Shorter's turn to roll his eyes. "Alright, fine! I said," He took a deep breath. "I'm. Gonna. Court. Eiji. Do you get me now?"
"OH MY GOSH, ARE YOU SERIOUS? OH MY GOSH!"
And right then and there, Nadia began to squeal in delight and excitement, pulling her brother into a tight hug, much to his chagrin.
"What the fuck, Nadia? Get away from me! You're gross!" Shorter yelled, prying his sister's arms off of him.
"Aw, c'mon baby bro, don't be like that." Nadia grinned as she pulled away from the purple-haired boy. "Finally, you're gonna be a man! I never thought this day would come!"
"Whatever. So Nadia, are you gonna help me or not?" Shorter asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Of course I'm in! So what's your plan?"
And with that, the two siblings discussed Shorter's plan to court Eiji. He hated to admit it, but his sister was right. He never thought that one day he would find himself courting someone he liked, but this was Eiji they were talking about here. Eiji Okumura, the boy he loved since Middle School.
BRING IT ON!