Work Text:
*Snap*
*Snap*
*Snap* *Snap*
Ash groaned drowsily, hearing the faint sounds of a camera snapping pictures. He felt a weight on his legs, not light but not heavy either. Airy chuckles followed and the sleepy blond felt a small smile tug at his lips at the sweet sound.
*Snap*
"Wow..." He heard Eiji whisper. He peeked open one eye, taking a sneaky glance at the Japanese boy straddling his lap. His smile widened, seeing the amazed expression on the boy's face. Ash took in the sight of his boyfriend, his heart swelling and beating in fondness. Oh how he loved this boy. The way his doe-like eyes lit up in pure happiness as he gazed down at the camera in his hands, his pretty lips that were parted in awe, his ebony locks that felt softer than fur. Everything about Eiji was beautiful. Inside and out.
Ash slowly moved his hand, inching closer to Eiji's one that laid by his side. In a swift motion, he grabbed it, intertwining their fingers and brining it to the middle of his chest.
Eiji gasped, dropping the camera. It landed on Ash's toned stomach with a thud.
"Ow! Damn it Eiji." Ash exclaimed in slight pain, using his free hand to rub the sore spot.
"Ahh! I'm sorry Ash! You just surprised me! Does it hurt a lot? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear." Eiji apologised professedly, his large brown eyes staring at the jade-eyed blond in genuine concern and guilt. Ash smiled in adoration. Everything about Eiji was genuine. His words, his actions, his love and selflessness. He loved Ash with all his heart but never expected anything in return. The Japanese boy was selfless - to a fault at times but all that just fuelled Ash to return his love ten-folds. For the majority of his life, he never felt... love. At least not the love he secretly wanted. The kind of love where any place felt like home as long as he was in the arms of the one he loved. The kind of love where he would come home from a hard day and have his lover waiting for him with open arms. The kind of love where he can tear open any wound and break down every wall he had and not feel vulnerable or terrified.
With Eiji, he felt all of that. He felt safe, secure and loved...
The blond chuckled softly. He brought their intertwined hands from his chest to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on the back of Eiji's hand. His lips trailed softly against Eiji's pale skin, leaving a path of butterfly kisses along his fingers. Ash glanced up and smirked, seeing the ebony boy's face heat up.
"I'm fine. I was exaggerating. Just wanted to see your reaction." Ash winked teasingly at Eiji. The Japanese boy pouted, glaring at Ash who just kept on smirking.
"I was actually worried!" Eiji puffed out his cheeks slightly, his nose wrinkling up in mock irritation. Ash chuckled, squeezing Eiji's hand softly.
"You know you just look like an irritated kitten when you glare. You aren't intimidating anyone Eiji. Especially not me." Ash teased further, taking in all of the boys reactions.
'So cute.' He thought, his jade eyes tracing up and down Eiji's face. Ash shifted on the mattress, moving up slightly to get more comfortable.
Eiji's glare disappeared. "Oh, are you uncomfortable? I can get up if you want." The boy lifted himself onto his knees but before he could get off, Ash tugged him forward, making him straddle his waist, placing his butt on Ash's lower stomach.
"It's fine. I like this position anyway." The gorgeous blond smirked. Eiji blushed again, eliciting another chuckle from Ash. His chuckles died down, leaving a serene silence between the two boys. Sunlight streamed through the window behind the bed, casting a soft glow on them. Eiji looked down and gazed down at Ash in awe. Ash still managed to catch his breath. His jade eyes sparkled like emeralds and his blond hair glowed like a halo, spilling across the white pillow. He was a work of art — no doubt. Everything thing about Ash caught him. The moment he laid his eyes on him, he felt a tug on his heart, an immediate connection like as if there was a red string of fate that joined the two. From that moment, no one else could compare to Ash. It amazes him, the amount of pain and suffering the blond went through and how he came out form it, still strong and full of fight. He had his vulnerable moments, his weaknesses but it just made Eiji love the American boy more.
Ash cocked his head to the side, wondering why Eiji was suddenly so quiet. He grinned, realizing the older boy was looking at him.
"See something you like? Take a picture. It lasts longer." Ash smirked. He loved teasing Eiji.
The Japanese boy blushed. He scratched his cheek with his pointer finger and looked down at the camera.
"That was what I was doing, before you interrupted me." Eiji poked his tongue out childishly, his eyes avoiding Ash's jade ones. The younger boy gazed back, smirking softly before using his hand that was holding Eiji's to take the camera that laid on his stomach. He went through the picture, smiling as he saw the recents ones. Pictures of his sleeping face. One particular picture caught his eye. It was him, half-awake with a small dazed smile on his face and one jade eye open. He looked peaceful... and not being arrogant — the picture was beautiful. Eiji had such a way to capture stunning photographs. Pictures that just emote and make the viewer feel.
"Umm... so, do you like them?" Ash broke off from his trance and looked up at Eiji's embarrassed face, his brown doe eyes looking at him earnestly — like a puppy waiting for a pat on the head. Ash nodded, smiling fondly. His smile morphed into a mischievous grin and in a flash, he took a picture of Eiji.
The startling sound of the camera made Eiji jump back in surprise. It took him a moment to realize what happened before he exclaimed.
"No! Ash, give it back. Please!" Eiji frees his hand, using both to take back his camera. Ash just laughed, dodging Eiji's attempts, all the while snapping pictures of the boy. Ash kicked out his legs, sending the blankets to the floor, his body squirmed on the bed, messing the sheets as he moved away from Eiji's grabby hands.
"Nope! You took pictures of me. It's only fair I take pictures of you Eiji." Ash kept laughing, using his hand to clamp both of Eiji's wrists. The boy's brown eyes widened and he pouted, his shoulders hunching down in defeat.
"Not fair." Eiji sighed, hiding his face from the camera lens. Ash snorted, loosening his grip.
"It's definitely fair. Now stop hiding that face and smile." Ash playfully growled, moving the camera to snap pictures of Eiji. Eiji didn't comply, continuing to hide his face, smirking at Ash's failed attempts and frustration.
"C'mon. Let me take pictures of you." The American scowled, making Eiji laugh. He clamped his hand over his mouth to muffle his giggles and in that moment, ash snapped a picture, exclaiming in triumph.
"Finally! Geez, you have to make it so hard." Ash growled teasingly. Eiji just smiled.
"You're the beautiful one. I should be taking pictures of you." The words slipped out of Eiji's mouth, unaware of how it sounded. Ash's jade eyes narrowed slightly at the self deprecating words.
"I'm the beautiful one? Who says that?" Ash asked rhetorically with a playful smile on his face. Eiji shrugged and shifted his body to lay right on top of Ash's, chest to chest with his face tucked into the crook of the American's neck. Ash moved his head to the side to look into Eiji's beautiful eyes. He raised his eyebrow, expecting an answer from the boy. It pained him slightly to hear those words come out of Eiji's mouth. Eiji is beautiful and no one could say otherwise.
"The laws of nature. Genetics I suppose." Eiji answered back jokingly, his hand moving up to brush away the blond locks that spilled over Ash's cheek. The hand settled there. The blond smiled and turned to press of soft kiss on the palm before gazing back at Eiji with love filled eyes.
"You know you are beautiful too right?" Ash asked, his lips brushing Eiji's as he spoke. The Japanese boy shivered at the contact before his eyes went wide. He finally realized what his words sounded like and he chuckled awkwardly, his body shaking as he did so.
"I didn't mean it like that. I mean..." Eiji's voice trailed off, not knowing what to say. Ash just stared patiently. He moved his body to the side, trapping Eiji in his arms and bringing him closer, as if to mesh them together. The ebony haired boy flushed at the contact but smiled, pressing a loving peck on Ash's lips. Ash smiled back, reveling in the affection.
"So what did you mean?" Ash moved his head back to get a good look at Eiji's face. He could see the gears working in his head to come up with an answer but his eyes were slightly dim, a tiny frown was on his lips. After a few seconds, the Japanese boy sighed .
" Well... I never really saw myself as particularly eye-catching or attractive. I just look... average. I don't think I look ugly! But I'm definitely not beautiful... like you." Eiji looked at Ash's jade eyes and smiled brightly, his fingers gently rubbing the his sharp cheek one lovingly. "It doesn't really bother me. It's something I've accepted. I'm just happy that somehow you noticed me." The ebony haired boy beamed up at Ash.
Ash's arms tightened their grip around Eiji's waist, his jade eyes going soft as he listened to Eiji's words. The boy was so oblivious to his own beauty...
" Of course I would notice you. It was hard not to. Those eyes of yours were captivating — they still are." Ash smirked before smiling with fondness. " People tell me all the time that I look beautiful. They take one glance at me and say that. It's all surface level. They don't know who I am." The blond whispered. His voice turned more loving by the second. " But Eiji, you are beautiful. Everything about you, from your smile to your heart... People would scramble at your feet to be with you. You make heads turn with that smile and pretty laugh of yours." Ash grinned, leaning to peck Eiji's lips a few times, eliciting a tinkling laugh out of the Japanese boy. Ash pulled back and grabbed the forgotten camera.
"Now get up and smile." The blond commanded playfully, making Eiji smile and shake his head in fondness.
" Thank you Ash. That's really sweet of you to say." Eiji looked down at the American boy, smiling with bashfulness, his pale cheeks painted with a pale pink hue.
" I'm just telling the truth." The blond took Eiji's hand in his and held it gently, his thumb rubbing the back of his hand. Ash brought up the camera to his face.
*Snap*
He looked at the photo with fondness, his eyes glazing over with affection. How this boy could think he was average was beyond him.
" Is it nice?" He heard Eiji ask from above. Ash looked up and sincerely smiled, squeezing his hand.
" Its perfect. Just like you." With that, the blond sat up, pressing his lips to Eiji's softly. It was gentle and sweet, with no real lust or hear behind it. Just love and admiration. Eiji smiled into the kiss, laughing softly at the blond's words before blushing and tackling Ash back onto the bed, locking his arms in place and cuddling into the slender body. Ash gasped and laughed, holding Eiji in his arms, the camera laid beside them, forgotten.
Who needs to take pictures when they were right next to each other in real life?
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Ahhh my first banana fish fan fiction! I'm in love with the anime. The dynamic between Ash and Eiji is just... words can't even describe it. Anyway I saw this fan art ( the cover art) and this idea just popped into my head and I had to write it. It's quite a long one shot but I hope you enjoyed reading it!
Thanks for reading!