Topgallant : Prince of Tennis: Familiar

Fandom: Prince of Tennis. Pairing: Golden Pair. For

achiasa, who requested sulky, playful Eiji. Note: anime continuity. 601 words.

Amid what was his understandable glee at being picked for the Senbatsuu for the second time in as many years, this time for the high school squad, Eiji did something he soon came to regret very much: he neglected his best friend.

It hit him one evening as they were looking throuh Eiji's new DDR cds. Oishi was listening but listless, and in the middle of saying, "Isn't it great they put out a new one, nyaah?--Just in time to train for the tournament!"--he stopped and looked sideways at Oishi, who was watching him with a rather distant expression, then backtracked and clamped his hands over his mouth in horror.

Oishi blinked at him. "What is it?" he asked, and a look of concern grew on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Me?" Eiji wailed guiltily. "I'm the one who should be asking you. I've been babbling on about the tournament and it never occourred to me that Oishi might feel left out!"

Oishi blinked again. "What? I don't feel left--Eiji, I was proud of you." He smiled. "Very proud."

Eiji crossed his arms. "You've been acting weird lately, Oishi! I didn't notice at first but now I'm positive."

Oishi looked taken aback. "You pick strange times to notice things," he said. "I'm all right."

"You sound prickly," said Eiji, noting absently that he sounded prickly himself. "It does have something to do with me!" Oishi's eyes widened, and he shook his head, but Eiji was convinced now.

"Hoi, I'm right, Oishi," he declared, tackling Oishi from behind in a tight hug. Oishi tried to squirm away but Eiji's hugs were escape-proof. "If I've done something wrong, Oishi needs to tell me, he said, giving Oishi a squeeze.

"Eiji, you haven't--I mean, there's nothing--" Oishi's cheeks were very red. Eiji grinned at him.

"You leave me no choice," he said, and began tickling.

Oishi flailed and cried, "Eiji!" but Eiji had him around the ribs, lifting up Oishi's shirt and attacking his stomach where he knew Oishi was most sensitive. Oishi ducked and spun away from Eiji's clutches, but Eiji, laughing, dove after him, and wound up on top of Oishi, who was pressed against the floor, halfway between a protest and a sob of laughter when he cut himself off and looked up at Eiji.

Eiji stopped moving. Oishi's expression was so...he'd never seen anything like Oishi's expression at that moment. He felt something faintly cold sweep over his stomach, and he just had time to murmur, "Oishi, what--" before Oishi's hand was coming up, curving around his cheek to pull him down, into his first kiss.

Eiji's eyes stayed open, but Oishi closed his. Eiji was aware of his lips soft and warm and close against his own, until Oishi's eyes flickered open and he pulled away.

Eiji blinked back. "Oi...Oishi," he said, his voice faint. "Why did you..."

Oishi smiled up at him. "It's why I've been distracted," he said.

"Ohhhhhh," Eiji said faintly. "Ohhh, Oishi--"

"Eiji," Oishi said, smile growing wider. "Eiji, I--"

But Eiji had flung his arms around Oishi's neck and was squeezing. "Oishi," he said, heart thumping giddily in his chest. "Why didn't--why didn't you say something!"

Oishi's arms wrapped around him, and Eiji closed his eyes. It was funny, how familiar this felt; there was nothing new about it at all, and as he relaxed into the curve of Oishi's arms, he thought maybe it wasn't--that Oishi's touch had always felt like this. Like an embrace.

Oishi tangled a hand in Eiji's hair, and Eiji buried his face against the warmth of Oishi's collarbone. "I'm saying it now," Oishi said gently. "Eiji."

"Mmm?"

"Kiss me again."