no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 30

Chapter 30: Courtship - Part 2

Summary:

Shorter finally has the guts to ask Eiji if he could court him, what would the Japanese boy's answer be?

Notes:

For everyone's guidance, Ash is 13 and Eiji is 15.
Also, this chapter contains a few songs, so listening while reading is most recommended for more feels.
Anyways, enjoy the update!

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

Chapter Text

The next day, Eiji immediately headed to the gym after his last period to meet with the Sports Club members as always. He had to admit, he had been looking forward to this particular meeting because he felt that maybe a little pole vaulting would help him divert his attention from what happened these past few days.
But when he arrived at the aforementioned meeting place, to his surprise, there was nobody there. In fact, the lights were even off. This was quite odd for him, since he would usually find the rest of the club members training in their own respective sports whenever he arrived there. What was going on? Did something come up? Was the meeting postponed or canceled? Was there a change in schedule or meeting place?
With a lot of questions going on in mind, he brought out his phone and called Nadia. Since she was the club leader, he assumed that she knew something about what was happening.
(Hello?) he heard the older Chinese girl answer after a few rings.
"Hello, Nadia?" he asked. "We have training today, right?"
(Oh, we sure do! Just be sure to change first, alright?) she answered from the other line. Was it just him, or did she sound a little TOO cheerful?
Eiji's forehead crumpled. "But where's everybo---"
His question was cut off when Nadia suddenly ended the call. What the heck was that?
Letting out a sigh, the raven-haired boy reluctantly continued his way inside the dark gym and headed towards the locker room, where he surprisingly found the bags of the other members lying around the facility. Seeing this, he proceeded to change into his sportswear, thinking that perhaps the other members were running late, or maybe he was just a bit too early that's why he was the only person there.
A few minutes later, he eventually emerged from the locker room in his athletic gear, but there was still no sign of Nadia nor the other club members. Where was everybody? Was the meeting really gonna happen? Or was everybody just hiding from him to make him think that the meeting was canceled?
"Hey, everyone!" he yelled. "If you're pulling a prank on me, then stop it! It's not funny at all!"
But much to his frustration, his own voice was the only thing that answered him as it bounced off the walls of the gym.
"Guys, come on!" he yelled again, hoping that this time somebody would answer him. "Knock it off already!"
Then all of a sudden, he heard the soft melody of a piano playing. Glancing around, the music seemed to come from the speakers around the gym.
Swallowing a lump that formed in his throat, he felt his palms becoming sweaty as his heart began to pound hard in his chest. What was going on? What was this music for?
"It's his hair and his eyes today that just simply take me away
And the feeling that I'm falling further in love makes me shiver, but in a good way"
His eyes widening in surprise, Eiji let out a soft gasp as he heard a familiar voice singing over the piano music.
"All the times I have sat and stared as he thoughtfully thumbs through his hair
And he purses his lips, bats his eyes as he plays with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say"
"Shorter?" he whispered.
And as if on cue, a spotlight shone on a spot not too far from him. Standing in that spot was no other than Shorter, smiling sweetly at him as he held a microphone in one hand and hiding his other hand behind his back.
"'Cause I love him with all that I am, and my voice shakes along with my hands
'Cause he's all that I see and he's all that I need, and I'm out of my league once again"
"S..." Eiji's voice trailed off, his wide-eyed gaze fixed on the purple-haired boy who continued to serenade him.
"It's a masterful melody when he calls out my name to me
As the world spins around him he laughs, rolls his eyes
And I feel like I'm falling but it's no surprise"
As he watched Shorter singing, the raven-haired boy felt like his mind was spinning. What was going on? Why was Shorter suddenly standing right in front of him, dedicating a song to him here in the gym?
And why did he somehow feel his heart wavering upon hearing the Chinese boy's singing voice?
"'Cause I love him with all that I am, and my voice shakes along with my hands
'Cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea, but I'd rather be here than on land
Yes, he's all that I see and he's all that I need, and I'm out of my league once again"
And just as when he thought things couldn't get any weirder, all the lights in the gym suddenly turned on, revealing all of the sports club members, including Alex, Bones and Kong, gathered around him and Shorter. Everyone had wide smiles plastered on their faces, most of them looked giddy and some of them even gave them thumbs up.
So all of this was their idea? Everything suddenly made sense to him now.
"It's his hair and his eyes today that just simply take me away
And the feeling that I'm falling further in love makes me shiver, but in a good way
All the times I have sat and stared as he thoughtfully thumbs through his hair
And he purses his lips, bats his eyes and he plays with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say
'Cause I love him with all that I am, and my voice shakes along with my hands
'Cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea, but I'd rather be here than on land
Yes, he's all that I see and he's all that I need, and I'm out of my league once again"
And as the song ended, a few squeals were heard from the club members as Shorter walked towards the Japanese boy. The sweet smile still on his lips, the purple-haired boy pulled his hand from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of red roses.
"S, what's going on in here? What's all of this for?" asked a nervous Eiji.
"You know E," answered Shorter. "There's something I want to---"
"OH YEAH! MY BABY BROTHER'S BECOMING A MAN! WOOOO!" Nadia suddenly screamed from the side, making the purple-haired boy shoot an annoyed glare at her and making Eiji chuckle. The older girl, on the other hand, just grinned at him, mouthing an apology.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Shorter looked back at Eiji, a mix of confusion and anxiety still evident on the raven-haired boy's face.
"Don't worry E, I'm much more nervous than you are," he said, offering a jittery smile.
"Seriously, Shorter? You're nervous? Boo, that's so lame of you!" Bones suddenly jeered.
"Haha! You're so weak, man! If you're not gonna do it, then I'm gonna be the one to court---" Kong was about to add something when the Chinese boy once again looked over his shoulder and glared at the two.
Setting down the bouquet on the floor, Shorter gently held Eiji's hands. Looking straight into his large, dark brown eyes, he knelt down on one knee.
"Eiji, my E, will you give me a chance to court you and show you how much I love you?"
And with that, the raven-haired boy's jaw dropped open. He honestly didn't know what to say, but he knew he was definitely touched by the Chinese boy's gestures. He was aware that Shorter knew he loved someone else, but here he was, pursuing him still. Just the mere thought of it was enough to tug at his heartstrings.
"Oh my gosh, here we go! Eiji's gonna answer, you guys!" Nadia hollered.
"Say yes, Eiji! OMG! Please say yes!" one of the other members yelled.
"Waaah! I'm so happy for you two!" screamed another member.
"My Eiji boy! Waaah!" Bones cried.
"Boy, I'm so gonna regret that I let him go, man!" Kong added.
His gentle gaze still fixed on Eiji, Shorter couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the club members' statements.
"S..."
"Yes?"
"I..." Eiji looked away. "I don't deserve you."
Shorter stood up, his forehead crumpled. "No, that's not true."
"But you know that I love---" Eiji's sentence was cut off when Shorter tenderly cupped his face with his hands and looked straight into his eyes.
"I know that E, and I want to help you."
"But S...I can't hurt you."
And with that, tears began to well up in the raven-haired boy's eyes. He couldn't risk hurting Shorter, he couldn't risk getting his hopes up. While he knew that this could be his chance to forget his feelings for Ash, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to fall in love with Shorter in the process.
"I don't care if I get hurt," answered the purple-haired boy, gently brushing off Eiji's tears with his thumbs. "Just give me a chance, E. Please?"
"S..." was the only thing Eiji said before pulling Shorter into a tight embrace.
One thing's for sure, this guy definitely deserved a chance.
But when he looked up, he suddenly pulled away from the hug with widened eyes when he saw a familiar figure. Everyone, including Shorter, turned towards the direction Eiji was looking at, and the purple-haired boy clenched his jaw when he saw the person standing by the gym's door.
It was Ash. There was an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at the two boys.
"Oh Ash, you're here," said Alex, who walked over to the blonde-haired boy and guided him to where everyone was gathered.
"Yo dude, did you see what that Shorter did just now?" Kong asked.
And with that, Ash blinked, snapping out of what seemed to be a trance-like state and looked over at the two 9th Graders.
"Yeah," he weakly answered.
"But Eiji boy still hasn't given his answer yet," Bones said. "Until now we're still waiting for what he's gonna say."
And with that, Ash once again turned his gaze towards Eiji. Eiji, on the other hand, looked at Shorter, who was looking at him with pained eyes.
"E, please," he said, linking their fingers together. "Please give me a chance. Please? I love you."
But Eiji didn't answer. He just stood there frozen in his spot, unsure on what to answer. What should he say? He wanted to give Shorter a chance, he knew he had to give him a chance, but at the same time he didn't want to be unfair to him. Shorter didn't deserve any of this, he was too precious to be hurt like that.
"Please, Eiji," Shorter whispered. "Give me a chance. Give yourself a chance."
A chance for Shorter, and for himself? But what about Ash?
Suddenly realizing something, Eiji glanced over at Ash as if he was asking for his permission. That's right, he should ask him. At this point, his best friend was the only person who could help him.
And Ash?
He smiled.
At that very moment, Eiji felt like his heart stopped beating. He didn't know what to feel, but he knew that Ash's smile meant that he was actually willing to give him away to Shorter. He didn't know whether to feel hurt or not by the fact that the person he loved was pushing him towards somebody else.
Maybe this was a sign indeed, a sign that he should open his heart to others.
Letting out a sigh, Eiji turned around and faced the purple-haired boy.
"Yes, S. I'm giving you and I a chance."
And with that, the whole Sports Club began to rejoice.