Chapter Text
The days were a blur for Ash. Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time. He could hear voices around him every so often, but the one he heard the most was Eiji. He would always try to respond, but the searing light of his brain always prevented him from doing so.
How long has it been? Three weeks? A month?
He knew Eiji barely left his side, if ever. Most of his days were filled with the feeling of Eiji’s hand holding his, quietly praying or talking to him, sometimes even stories Ash’s brain couldn’t fully register. Ever since he was able to respond to Ibe a few days ago, the best he could do was give Eiji’s hand a light squeeze every so often.
Eiji would talk to Ash as if he was not comatose. He constantly filled the silence with words to distract himself from the agony in his chest. Ash knew Eiji was by his side nearly every hour, every day, and willed himself to wake up and hug him. However, after almost a month of trying, his body wouldn’t let him. How long would he have to stay like this? How long would it need to take before he could hold Eiji in his arms?
Today was just like all the rest, a blurry mess of bright, white lights and the concerned voices of his doctor. It was yet another day of not being able to move, save for the rare twitch of his fingers. Eiji had left his room just a few hours prior, the faint sounds of Ibe and Sing’s voices coaxing him out of the room. Only Sing remained, from what Ash could tell.
The whole time Sing was in the room, all Ash could hear was heavy breathing. At times it even sounded like he was on the brink of tears. He was constantly shifting in the seat next to the bed, only further evidence that proved that he was taking this whole situation harder than everyone else thought. Eventually, the younger man started talking. His normally-calm voice broke and increased in volume as he burst into tears. Before long, his words started making sense in Ash’s head.
“-not only for your gang but for mine, too. Shorter was so thankful for you, and I am too. I don’t know if you consider us friends, but I think of you as mine. I’m so sorry for letting my arrogance get in between you being with Eiji. You both could be living in Japan living your best lives right now.”
Despite outwardly not being able to show any emotion just yet, Ash was shocked. That was the most he had ever heard Sing speak in one go, and even so, his words hit him like a punch to the gut. The faint noise of Sing continuing to cry registered in Ash’s head, and all the blonde wanted to do then was smack the younger man’s head and let him know that he’ll be okay.
Now that he thought about it, Ash realized that Sing had been through an ordeal. He constantly tried telling Lao that Ash wasn’t the one responsible for Shorter’s death, and now he had to deal with the consequences of Lao’s anger inflicted on Ash. Eiji was suffering because Ash was unconscious, but Sing was there when Ash was stabbed by his own half-brother. He was there to deliver Eiji’s letter, when Ash teared up, and when Ash was filled with determination to stop Eiji before missing the chance to see him one last time. Ash couldn’t imagine how guilty Sing felt right now, and mentally smacked himself for not being more considerate to his coll- his friend .
With Ash’s next breath, his eyes opened.
The sight of the white fluorescent light of the hospital room greeted him, and Ash had to blink a few times to push through the discomfort. His head turned towards Sing, who hadn’t even noticed that he was awake. The younger man’s hand was frantically wiping his tears away, a sight that reminded Ash much of his younger self (even if he was just 4 years older than Sing). Despite his throat begging for water, Ash swallowed before opening his mouth.
“I never thought there would be a day where I see you cry,” he managed to sound out. Sing, as if afraid he was hallucinating, slowly peeked at Ash through his fingers. Ash knew he looked like shit, yet Sing reached over to squeeze his hand, pressing the “CALL” button at his bedside at the same time. Ash could see even more tears flood in his eyes.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Ash said, squeezing the younger man’s hand back. “I accept your apology.”
He laughed when Sing pulled back immediately, cheeks burning red. “Shut up,” he retorted, yet Ash sensed the relief in his tone. He squeezed Sing’s hand once more.
“I consider you a friend, too,” Ash continued. Sing looked confused before his cheeks burned even brighter, remembering his previous statement. Even so, Sing smiled, and Ash found himself mirroring the action. “Now, where’s Eiji?”
The second Eiji heard of Ash waking up, he jumped out of Ibe’s couch and begged for the man to drive him to the hospital again. Despite Ibe’s earlier wishes, Eiji found it impossible to rest, too worried about Ash. Thankfully, the older man was as eager to see Ash as he was and complied. The car ride back to the hospital was silent, although Eiji was filled with apprehensive excitement.
Ibe said he’d wait in the car until they finished, and Eiji thanked him profusely before running through the hospital's sliding glass doors. His body went on autopilot as he sprinted up the stairs to the 3rd floor, telling himself he couldn’t wait for the elevator to come down. He took the familiar turns of the ward before swinging the wooden door open, revealing Ash in his bed and Sing in his seat, quietly talking amongst themselves.
Even if Eiji longed to talk to Ash, he wouldn’t take this moment away from them. He didn’t miss how much each man meant to the other, even if they were too stubborn to admit it themselves. “Sorry, is this a bad time?”
“Hmm? No,” Sing replied, before standing up and dusting his pants off. “I was just leaving anyway. He’s all yours.”
“I’ll text you!” Ash called after Sing as he walked to the door.
Without missing a beat, Sing replied, “I’ll hold you to that, old man,” as he exited the room.
“What was that about?” Eiji chuckled as he took Sing’s place at the seat next to the bed. The brunette felt his eyes fog up at the sight of Ash sitting up in his bed, smiling at him, even if he was still pale and thin.
“Eiji,” Ash breathed, extending his hand out. Eiji took it tentatively, feeling Ash’s slight pull.
“Are you sure you’re well enough to-” He was interrupted by Ash pulling him into the bed, surprising him with the sudden burst of strength. Ash hugged him tightly and found himself hugging back, although his grip wasn’t as firm as the blonde’s.
“I’m so happy you’re awake,” Eiji whispered into Ash’s skin, hugging him a bit tighter. “I was starting to think you’d never wake up.”
“I’ll always come back to you,” Ash replied. “No matter what happens, I’ll always come back to you. Even if I have to follow you to the ends of the Earth.”
“Not if I follow you first,” Eiji smiled, tearing up. He wiped at his eye with his sleeve. “Didn’t I tell you that I’ll go anywhere as long as I’m with you?” He held Ash’s left hand in both of his, taking in the feeling of every ridge of his palm. He silently thanked the gods above that Ash had finally woken up.
He squeezed Ash’s hand, words forming on the tip of his tongue. Words he’s wanted to say for the longest time. Words he would’ve said to Ash had the blonde met him at the airport under better circumstances. Eiji knew that he may never get this chance again if he didn’t take it now. What he felt in his heart was undeniable. How he felt for Ash was irrevocable, and the past few weeks have helped him see that more clearly. Even if he didn’t feel the same, Eiji would rather deal with the rejection than wonder what could’ve been. He lost his chance once, and he’d be damned to lose it again.
“Ash, I…” Eiji started before pausing, breaking eye contact with Ash. His gaze landed on their joined hands, Eiji subconsciously rubbing his thumb on the back of Ash’s. Before he could continue, he felt a hand rest on his cheek. Curiously, he brought his gaze back up. Jade green eyes looked at him with so much love that it made Eiji’s heart twist.
“I love you too, Eiji,” Ash said, holding so much devotion in his voice that Eiji could barely comprehend it. “I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry for not telling you before.”
If Eiji wasn’t crying before, he certainly was crying now. Here he was, thinking that Ash wouldn’t feel the same way he did and fearing the worst of rejections. And, despite his mind telling him otherwise, Ash loved him back. He loved Eiji- no. He’s always loved Eiji, he said so himself.
“Can I kiss you?” Eiji said, through his tears. He didn’t care if he looked like a mess right now.
Ash nodded, his own tears spilling from his eyes. Both Ash and Eiji leaned forward slowly, careful not to shatter the intimacy of the moment, before their lips met.
If you asked Eiji, he’d say kissing Ash felt like paradise .
If you asked Ash, he’d say kissing Eiji felt like home .
“This just in, we received news of the death of long-time street gang leader, Ash Lynx. Medical examiners have determined his cause of death to be a stab wound in the right lower quadrant of his abdomen.
Ash Lynx was a feared criminal who operated in New York City. At the mere age of 17 years old, Lynx had an alarmingly high kill count paired with various ways of killing his victims. These range from stabbing, gunshots, and even blunt force trauma from hand-to-hand combat. The teen’s kill count is at an estimated-”
“I think that’s enough news for the day, Ash,” Eiji said as he quickly turned his phone off. He pulled out his earbud as Ash handed the earbud he borrowed back to Eiji.
“They said I’m 17,” Ash pouted. “I’m 18, for crying out loud! Couldn’t they have done more research?”
“What puzzles me more is how they managed to replace you,” Eiji wondered. Ash smiled.
“Let’s just say… Blanca owed me a favor,” he replied. He laughed at the bewildered look on his boyfriend’s face.
That felt good to say. Boyfriend .
Ash rested his arm on the armrest, palm turned upwards and fingers spread. Eiji immediately got the message and threaded his fingers between Ash’s, squeezing gently. He watched Ash’s gaze light up as he looked out the window to his left, the plane flying high above the clouds.
“It’s beautiful,” Ash said to no one in particular. Eiji hummed in response. After a minute, Ash turned to him. “Hey.”
Eiji quirked an eyebrow up and smiled. “Hey, yourself.”
“Could I… see the ticket?”
Smile widening, Eiji reached for the backpack to his right, thankful that the seat remained empty. After shuffling through its contents and a few of the pockets, he pulled both of their plane tickets out. He handed Ash his ticket while keeping his own. Together, they stared at the slips of paper.
“It looks just like the ticket you got for me before,” Ash said quietly, tears pricking at his eyes once more. Eiji squeezed his hand.
“You were always destined to have this ticket, Ash.”
Ash looked at the ticket Eiji was holding and smiled at their similarities. He shook his head. “No, Eiji. I was always destined to go home with you.”
ALL NIPPON LINES - ANL PREMIUM ECONOMY
Flight AL-277, Gate 6, Seat 18H
Departure: 12:20
From: New York - JFK - USA
To: Tokyo - HND - Japan
Eiji Okumura
ALL NIPPON LINES - ANL PREMIUM ECONOMY
Flight AL-277, Gate 6, Seat 18G
Departure: 12:20
From: New York - JFK - USA
To: Tokyo - HND - Japan
Aslan Okumura