no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 33

Chapter 33: Sibling Talk

Summary:

As everyone prepares for an upcoming party, the two Okumura siblings have a heart-to-heart talk.

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

"WHAT?"
With widened eyes, the two best friends looked at each other before looking back at their companions in disbelief. It was the day of Ash's Middle School graduation, and as always, the two families headed out to a restaurant after the ceremonies to celebrate.
As they ate, the grown-ups planned on celebrating Ash's graduation together with Eiji's upcoming sixteenth birthday, as Shunichi told them earlier that Eiji's parents would be flying back to New York again just for this occasion. They planned to hold a large party at a banquet hall on the day of Eiji's birthday, and they intended to invite all their friends and classmates.
But apparently, Ash and Eiji didn't like what they came up with.
"Yes, you heard me right," said Max. "That's what we plan to do."
"But Max, that can't be!" Ash protested.
"And what could be the reason, Ash?" Griffin asked.
"C'mon you guys, think about it. Trixie would be there, and if she saw us like that, she could get jealous," Ash answered, folding his arms and leaning back on his seat.
On the other hand, Eiji couldn't help but wince at the statement. As much as he actually liked the idea, of course Ash wouldn't agree with this. He always thought of what Trixie could possibly feel when it came to situations like these. Lucky girl.
"Well, what do you think, Eiji dear?" Jennifer asked.
"Ashu's right, Mrs. Callenreese," the raven-haired boy replied, letting out a sigh. "If you make him my escort for the party, his girlfriend might get jealous of us."
Because Eiji would be turning sixteen, the plan was to hold a formal sweet sixteen party for him and let Ash be his escort for the event. It was supposed to be perfect timing too, as Ash would also be celebrating his Middle School graduation that night.
"The boys do have a point, though," Jim said. "Oh well, time for a change of plans."
"Aw, that's too bad." Eika pouted. "It would've been better if Eiji and Ash were together at the party."
"So what's Plan B, Jim?" Shunichi asked.
"Why don't we let the boys find their own escorts for the party?" Jim suggested.
"That's more like it, Dad!" Ash exclaimed, smiling widely at his father. "Of course I'll be choosing Trixie to be my escort."
Eiji, on the other hand, rolled his eyes as he slumped in his seat. What a wonderful way to celebrate his birthday and Ash's graduation. Not.
Could he just cancel the party and just have a simple celebration with their families? It was supposed to be their event, their special day, but no, because of course his best friend would be dragging Trixie in it again.
So much for looking forward to his sweet sixteen.
"So Ash's escort is already settled," Shunichi said. "How about you, Ei-chan? Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Oooh! Why don't you pick Shorter, Eiji?" a giddy Eika suddenly proposed. "I'm sure he'll be a great escort!" She shook her brother's arm. "C'mon Eiji, choose him!"
"Eh, Shorter's not so bad anyway," Eiji replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "So sure, he'll be my escort."
"Alright, so your escorts are settled. Heh, that was fast," Max said.
"Yeah Trix, you'll be my escort, okay?" he heard Ash say, and he turned in time to see him holding his phone to his ear with a big smile on his face. Obviously, he was talking to his girlfriend. "Okay, I love you. Bye."
"How about you, Eiji?" Jennifer asked, placing a gentle hand on Eiji's shoulder. "Aren't you gonna call Shorter and tell him about this?"
"Don't worry Mrs. Callenreese, I'll call him later," answered the raven-haired boy.
"And before I forget, boys," said Max. "Why don't you guys perform on your big night?"
"WHAT?/NO WAY!" Ash and Eiji chorused again.
"That's a brilliant idea, Max!" Griffin agreed with his friend. "Could I suggest separate performances for them? Ash will have his own number, and the same goes for Eiji."
"Seriously, you guys?" Ash whined. "Do we really have to do this?"
"Yeah," Eiji seconded. "Can't we just enjoy the rest of the night without thinking of anything else?"
"Oh come on boys, it's not that bad, you know," Jennifer tried to assure the two. "It wouldn't hurt to provide a little entertainment, right?"
***
"It wouldn't hurt to provide a little entertainment, right?" Eiji repeated Jennifer's question, leaning against the headboard of his bed with a groan. "But just thinking about what to do is already making my head hurt. Can't we just cancel the party and just hang out or something?"
"Hah, you tell me, Ei-chan," Ash hissed, an annoyed expression on his face as well as he lay on his best friend's bed. "Why did they even come up with this? This is just bullshit, I don't feel like performing at all."
Just then, the blonde-haired boy's eyes widened, his face suddenly lighting up, then stood up.
"Ashu? Where are you going?" Eiji asked, seeing that his best friend was heading towards the door.
"I'll ask Trixie for help," Ash replied, his lips slowly curling into a smile. "My brain just hatched an idea, I plan to dedicate a song to her."
And with that, the raven-haired boy's face fell. Of all the things that he could do, this was what he came up with? Great, just great.
"Oh," he coldly answered, looking away. "Sure. Have fun."
Once Ash left the room, Eiji let out an exasperated sigh as he slumped down on his bed, burying his face in the pillows. Could this day get any worse? He could ask him for help, right? After all, they would be the ones to perform at the party.
But he couldn't blame him either. Of course Ash would make a way to spend time with Trixie. She was his girlfriend, after all.
Suddenly remembering that he had to tell Shorter about the whole escort thing, he grabbed his phone lying on his bedside table and proceeded to dial his number.
(Hello, E?) the purple-haired boy answered from the other line.
"Hey there, S."
(What's wrong? Did something happen?)
Eiji couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not that, S. It's just that...I have a favor to ask from you. Is it alright with you?"
(Sure,) Shorter answered. (Anything for you, my love. What is it?)
Right then and there, the raven-haired boy swallowed a lump that formed in his throat as his face flushed all the way to the tip of his ears. Since when did the Chinese boy become so...cheesy?
"Ehhh, seriously, S?" he squeaked.
He heard Shorter chuckle from the other line. (Well, what is it, E?)
"It's about my birthday party."
(Oh right, your birthday's coming up soon. What about it?)
"The thing is, well, the grown-ups are planning to throw a sweet sixteen party for me, and I was looking for an escort---"
(I'll be your escort, E. I volunteer,) Shorter suddenly cut him off.
"Eh? Is it alright with you?"
(Are you kidding me, E? Of course it's alright for me! More than alright!) The Chinese boy's voice sounded all giddy and excited, much to Eiji's delight.
"Wow S, you sound so happy, huh?" The Japanese boy grinned.
(Of course! Hahaha! I mean, who wouldn't be? It's not everyday that you get to be the escort of such a cute boy.)
"Haha! Alright, whatever you say," Eiji answered. "But there's one more thing I need to think of."
(Oh? What is it?)
"I still need to think of what to perform on the day of the party."
(Really? Do you want me to help you, E?)
"Huh? No, no need." Eiji waved a dismissive hand. "You don't have to go through all that trouble, you know."
(Oh, alright then.)
"Hehe, sorry about that." Eiji smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Okay then, see you around. Bye."
(Bye, E. I love you!)
And with that, the call ended, just as when a knock on the door was suddenly heard. The raven-haired boy looked in time to see his younger sister enter his bedroom.
"Can I come in, Eiji?" she asked. "I just wanna hang out in your room for a bit."
"Oh, Eika-chan," he answered, sitting up. "Great timing. I need your help on something."
"Sure thing." Eika sat next to her brother. "What is it?"
"Eika-chan, could you suggest what to do? I can't think of anything to perform at the party." Frustration was evident in the older Okumura's voice as he ran a hand through his raven-black hair.
"Well, why don't you sing again? You managed to pull it off at the Halloween party last year, so why not do it again?"
Eiji sighed. "Alright, I guess singing's not so bad."
"Speaking of party, how are things going between you and Ash?"
At the mention of his best friend's name, the raven-haired boy pursed his lips in a grimace. Did his sister really have to ask about this?
"Eiji? What's wrong, big brother?" the eleven-year-old asked, a worried expression forming on her face as she scooted closer to her brother.
"It's nothing, Eika-chan. I just don't wanna talk about it," answered Eiji, looking away.
"Why? Still no progress?"
Eiji frowned at her. "Eika-chan, seriously? You've been seeing Ashu hanging out with a girl lately, and yet you still don't know anything? Don't you have the slightest idea of what's going on with them?"
"C'mon Eiji, don't be like that," Eika tried to pacify her older brother. "Who knows, maybe she's only one of his close friends from school. How should I know? I'm not that close with Ash, you know, unlike you who's been with him ever since you were little."
The raven-haired boy let out a deep, sad sigh, bowing his head as he swallowed the tears that loomed. As much as he hated to admit it, though he was already used to the fact that his best friend was in a relationship, the fact that Ash loved somebody else still stung him.
"Ashu's taken now, Eika-chan. That girl you just mentioned, that's his girlfriend. In fact, he just left a couple of minutes ago to be with her again."
From his peripheral vision, he sensed that Eika's eyes widened in surprise. She threw her hands over her mouth, letting out a sharp gasp.
"WHAT?"
"Yeah." His voice began to waver as his lower lip began to quiver. "Ashu has a girlfriend now."
"Really? How long have they been dating?"
"Since Valentine's Day. The day you set us up on a blind date."
"Oh my gosh, no wonder he was so worked up about it. It all makes sense now. Oh, Eiji." There was a hint of worry in Eika's voice as she moved closer and hugged him. "It's okay, you can cry if you want to."
"I don't wanna cry anymore, Eika-chan." Eiji bit his lower lip as his vision began to blur. "I promised myself that I wouldn't cry over him anymore."
"But you ARE crying," Eika said, gently wiping a tear that unconsciously slid down her brother's cheek. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." She sighed as she released him. "Alright, let's not talk about it then. That reminds me, how about Shorter? Aren't you gonna date him?"
And with that, Eiji let out a soft gasp, suddenly realizing something from his sister's question. Now that she mentioned it, he was unsure on whether he should date the purple-haired boy or not. While it was true that Shorter deserved a chance, he didn't want to be unfair to him. He didn't want to be selfish, he couldn't risk hurting him just because he wanted to move on from his own pain. But he didn't dislike the Chinese boy either, because in fact, he was an easy person to get along with. Heck, maybe he would be dating him already if it weren't for his feelings for Ash.
But unfortunately, that wasn't the way how things worked. It wasn't easy trying to forget feelings, and Eiji was painfully aware of that.
"Don't you have any plans on dating him?" he heard Eika ask again. "He seems like a good guy too, you know."
"I..." Eiji paused for a moment. "I honestly don't know, Eika-chan."
"And I know the reason why. It's because of---"
"Yes. Because of him," Eiji finished Eika's sentence, letting out a deep sigh. His sister really knew him so well, huh?
"Why don't you give the guy a chance, Eiji?" Eika asked.
"I AM giving him a chance, Eika-chan. In fact, that's the reason why I allowed him to court me in the first place."
"No. I mean, why don't you try dating him?"
"What?" Eiji looked at Eika in disbelief. "Why would I do that?"
Eika shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I don't see any problem in Shorter, so why not?"
"I don't wanna be unfair to him, Eika-chan. I can't stand dating Shorter while I love someone else."
"You do have a point," Eika nodded her head. "But who knows? Maybe you'll work out in the long run. It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot, right?"
Eiji didn't answer, as he was lost in his own thoughts. Should he really start dating Shorter? If he did, would they work out as a couple? Would he eventually learn to love him in the process? And above all, would he eventually forget his feelings for Ash?
"I really don't know, Eika-chan," was the only thing he replied.
"You should think about it, though," Eika said.
"Hold on, what about your suggestion? This is what we were originally talking about, right? So little sis, any ideas?"
"Ah," Eika laughed nervously. "Actually, um, I don't have any idea as well. Sorry." She smiled sheepishly, doing the peace sign with her fingers.
"Ugh. Seriously?" Eiji threw his arms up in the air. "I can't believe you!"
"I already told you, you could sing. If not, you could dance. Your choice. It's your performance, anyway."
"Actually, I'd rather sing than dance, thank you very much," answered the raven-haired boy, folding his arms.
"Then think of a song to sing. I honestly like it too when you sing."
Eiji let out a soft chuckle, draping an arm around his sister's shoulder. "Thanks, Eika-chan. I actually feel so much better now thanks to you."
"Heh. No problem, big brother. That's what siblings are for, right? And besides, you deserve to be happy too, you know." Eika smiled at him.
"That's why I'm telling you now, don't enter into a relationship right away, okay?" Eiji said. "You're too young, I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to see you crying because of a guy. Can you promise me that?"
"What are you talking about, Eiji?" Eika asked, looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows. "I'm not getting a boyfriend! Boys are disgusting, ew!" Then she fake gagged, earning a chuckle from the older Okumura.
"But I'm a boy too, Eika-chan. Does that mean I'm disgusting, too?" Eiji pouted his lips, trying his best not to laugh.
"No, I didn't mean it that way. You're different, you know," Eika answered with a grin, then suddenly became quiet. "Eiji, when you start dating someone, will you still have time for me?"
Once again chuckling, Eiji playfully pinched her nose. "What are you talking about? Of course, Eika-chan. I'll always have time for you, even when I start dating."
"Really? Even when you get married?"
"Yup, even if I get married and have kids of my own." Then with a sweet smile, Eiji leaned closer and kissed Eika's forehead. "Love you, little sis."
"Love you too, big brother!" Eika squealed, throwing her arms around Eiji.
As the raven-haired boy hugged his sister back, he couldn't help but smile. During times like these, he was grateful to have a sibling like her.
And thanks to their talk, he finally came up with a decision.