I love Wallie

Author’s notes: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! I am overwhelmed by the response to this story! Thank you once again for your support, and I hoped that this strange story had been entertaining in one way or another.

Hope that you enjoy this last chapter as well! It was surprisingly difficult to write...Oh, and the title? Heh, I just liked this one, so I used it for this chapter :P

A TezukaxEiji story

Tezuka closed his eyes and listened to the pleasant chirping of birds and rustling of leaves. It was a sunny day, and the sky was as blue as it could be. Even the breeze was cool and provided relief whenever he felt that the sun was getting a little too strong. Everything was perfect.

Perhaps such perfect days existed previously, but Tezuka never noticed them. It could be a matter of perception, but the tennis captain didn’t really know. All he knew was that everything he saw now was beautiful, and he was filled with gratitude to be able to feel this way.

The recent events in his life had been more than smooth sailing. First, Seigaku successfully advanced into the Nationals, and after today’s matches, the team secured a spot in the Quarterfinals. Tezuka hoped that they would advance even further and win the Nationals, and looking at the potential of his team, the captain knew that this was not just a dream.

Eiji also made up with his doubles partner after today’s match. It was heartening to see the Golden Pair talk to each other again. The atmosphere in the team became normal once more, and Tezuka was relieved to see Oishi back to his old self. The captain was actually rather surprised at the redhead’s actions that afternoon. Despite his efforts to explain the situation to the redhead, Eiji seemed adamant not to forgive Oishi. Either way, it was good that all was well.

And then, there was Eiji. The redhead gate-crashed into his monotonous existence in the most bizarre way, and brought cheer and color into his everyday life. Tezuka never expected that both of them would end up together, and he sometimes wondered if the confession at Wallie’s a few days ago was a dream. But he knew it was real, of course, for Eiji was indeed by his side these few days. Every moment they spent together was filled with warmth and happiness, and Tezuka was very well aware that the redhead was the main reason why life seemed particularly rosy these days.

There were, naturally, some teething problems when the pair began their relationship. One of them was a rather fundamental issue, which took two days to iron out. On their first date, both of them had waited patiently at the wall without realizing that they did not specify the side they were supposed to meet. If Eiji had not sneezed, Tezuka would never have realized the careless mistake. The second date was more disastrous. Eiji gamely agreed to meet at Tezuka’s side, but forgot that he had actually no idea how to get there. In the end, the redhead lost his way and they spent an hour trying to locate each other. By the time Tezuka found Eiji, it was already dark and almost time to go home. The date was thus officially ruined.

Determined not to let logistical issues affect their precious time together anymore, Tezuka decided to stick with the original arrangement – go to Wallie separately, wait at their own side of the wall, and call out to each other when they reached. Of course, they could meet first and then go to the wall together, but that would arouse suspicions from their team mates. Both of them agreed that since they were in the midst of the Nationals, it probably wasn’t a good idea to go public with their relationship yet. Nothing – especially unimportant gossip - should distract the regulars from their play. Tezuka was quite aware of the shock that the news could create. He could already imagine the looks of disbelief on the regulars’ faces if they knew that Eiji was now with him…There was an more advantage to the current arrangement - by securing both sides of the wall, they could be sure that no one was eavesdropping on the other side. Although, Tezuka reluctantly admitted to himself, a certain genius would probably be able to workaround it anyway.

“Tezuka! Are you here already?” Someone called out from the other side of the wall and broke the boy’s train of thoughts.

“Ah,” replied the captain as he opened his eyes and turned towards Eiji’s side with a gentle smile on his face.

“Sorry for taking so long, nya. Oishi was so long winded,” the redhead pouted as he took his seat beneath the shade. “He kept apologizing and telling me how guilty he felt. I told him that I am not angry anymore, but he just didn’t seem to get it.”

Tezuka was slightly amused at Eiji’s tone. Oishi could be very naggy at times, and the acrobat probably tried very hard not to be too impatient.

“I had to tell him that I am tired after today’s game before he would let me go. If not, I think I would have to stay till midnight!”

The captain allowed himself to chuckle at the exaggeration. “Oishi isn’t that long winded.”

“That’s because he cannot be long winded with you, nya!” came the quick retort. “You speak so little anyway.”

Though he raised his brow at the comment, Tezuka decided that he would not argue further. Eiji had no idea how naggy Oishi was, even with a quiet person like the captain.

“Anyway, today’s matches were fun! We had a straight win, and I hope we could keep winning like that! We’ll clinch the Nationals in no time if this continues nya!”

“You had a good game today. Well done.”

“It’s all thanks to you, nya. You told me that I could do it,” Eiji blushed at the unanticipated praise. “And you said that you would be with me throughout the match, and it made me feel more settled.”

It was the captain’s turn to flush slightly. Those words were whispered just before the acrobat stepped into the courts and Tezuka was glad that they were of help to the boy.

“Singles was fun, but I still prefer doubles nya. As I played on today, I found that I really missed Oishi. I guess I could not be angry with him for too long. We are double’s partners, and I am part of the Golden Pair after all.”

“It’s good that you made up.” Tezuka nodded in approval.

“Yeah, it’s tiring to be angry with someone,” the redhead stretched his arms and yawned. “That’s probably why I couldn’t be angry with Fujiko for too long either. Although he does weird things at times, he is still my best friend. And he did return us the photo immediately too.”

Tezuka twitched involuntarily at the mention of the photo incident. He had his suspicions that day, when the acrobat told him that Fuji had handed over the evidence willingly after being found in the club room. The redhead then confirmed the contents (while blushing furiously) before pressing the Delete button on the digital camera, and happily thought that the matter was resolved. The truth dawned on Tezuka the very next day. He spotted the genius stuffing a laptop in his bag, and realized that Fuji had probably transferred everything to his laptop before handing over the camera. The bespectacled boy knew that it was too late to do anything by then. Fuji had probably already made multiple copies of the photo and stored it everywhere. He didn’t have the heart to let oblivious Eiji know the cruel truth either, so he decided to issue a stern warning to the genius, praying that it would work for once.

“I know you still have the photo. I won’t tell Eiji, but promise me that you won’t distribute it and betray his trust,” said Tezuka when he cornered the brown haired boy.

Fuji nodded solemnly. “Of course I won’t. It’s for my personal collection. It was a sweet first kiss, wasn’t it?” The genius then paused as he savoured the flush on his captain’s face. “So, Tezuka, would you like to have a copy as a memento?”

The stoic boy shook his head at that memory. It was terrible to have blackmail material in Fuji's hands, but then again, Tezuka suspected that the genius probably had even more indescribable things that no one knew. It was probably better to feign ignorance than to think about it too much.

“It’s almost time to go home, nya.” Eiji spoke again.

“Let’s leave then,” Tezuka looked up at the sky. It was already turning orange, signaling the end of the day. Their date today was short, due to the matches and a particular egghead, but they were both tired anyway, so Tezuka didn’t mind.

“Can I jump over now?”

“I’m ready.”

“Ok!” Eiji grinned. He threw his bag over to the other side, pulled himself up the ledge, and then swiftly swung himself over the wall and jumped right in Tezuka’s arms. This was his favourite part of the day, thanks to a very pleasant bonus from their current meeting arrangement. It was fun to fall into Tezuka's arms everyday.

“Nya...” Eiji tensed up when his captain placed a hand on his back to support his weight. The touch had caused tingles to run down his spine, and before he could say more, Eiji was quickly muted by soft lips that brushed across his own.

“Let’s go.” The captain spoke softly as he slowly let go of the redhead.

“Un,” Eiji answered a little dazedly as he recovered from the kiss. Then, realizing that Tezuka had already started walking without him, the redhead pouted and quickly called out, “Hey, wait for me!”

As he picked up his bag and prepared to run after his captain, the redhead turned back and took one more look at the wall with a grateful smile on his face. It was amazing how the stone structure brought Tezuka into his life. It started off as something really silly and yet, he ended up with something very precious. Perhaps that was how life could be and you never know what was in store. It was just a wall, but it changed his life. Eiji felt obliged to thank Wallie once more, and as he whispered his words of thanks, he thought he heard a voice saying, “You are welcome.” The redhead blinked and stared, and then shook his head at the absurdity of it all. It must be just his imagination. There was no such thing as a talking wall, and he really should grow up and be more sensible. Eiji then turned away and quickly caught up with Tezuka. Even if talking walls did really exist, Eiji had no need for them anymore. He already owned something more solid and dependable now.

The end