Work Text:
It was a little late in the morning when Eiji spontaneously decided that he wanted to do a little cleaning up. Looking around their quaint house that stood away from the bustling city, surrounded by the Japanese forests, the raven boy thought it was time it needed some sprucing up. A faint smile fluttered across his lips.
Time had flown by; three years to be exact when Ash and he both came to the mutual decision to move out his parents home and live together. It wasn't unpleasant, staying with his parents. He was fortunate enough to have two loving parents who accepted his relationship with Ash with no antagonism but, Eiji thought it was time to take the next step.
Flashback
The day was nearing its end. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with a multitude of colours. The faint rays of the dying sunlight bled into Eiji's room, illuminating his face with a coral hue. Ash glanced beside him, taking in his partner as they laid down on the futon with their arms wrapped around each other. The blond turned to completely encase Eiji in his arms and bury his face in his chest. The familiar scent of jasmine wafted into his senses, and Ash sighed in content.
He wished this moment lasted forever.
A moment later, he felt Eiji's slender arms wrap around his neck and upper back, the smaller hand rubbing soothing circles between his shoulder blades. Ash's emerald eyes softened with love, and he held the raven tighter. Time passed without the boys saying a word to each other, causing Ash to crane his head up to look at Eiji in concern. Usually, Eiji would spring up a random topic or say something to tease the blond boy in moments like this, so it was unusual that he was so silent. The American boy moved out of Eiji's arms, sitting up to look down at his boyfriend. His sudden movement jostled the Japanese out of his thoughts, and he stared back at Ash with his large doe-like eyes.
"What's wrong?" Ash simply asked. Straightforward and blunt. Eiji's large eyes widened, a look a surprise masked on his face, but in an instant, it vanished, and a smile took its place.
"Nothing's wrong Ash. I'm fine." The raven-haired boy answered back. Ash's glinting eyes narrowed in suspicion. As much as Eiji's smile would make him melt in an instant, he knew something was wrong. Eiji was hiding something. The blond exhaled softly, giving Eiji a smile of adoration before carding his long fingers through the man's ebony locks - an action they both loved.
"You're a horrible liar," Ash's smile turned into a smirk. "It's bad to lie, Oni-chan." Eiji gave the taller boy a dead-panned stare, moving his arm to pinch Ash's thigh with force. He giggled at the small yelp, smirking in victory when Ash glared back.
"You can't call me Oni-chan now, Ash. It's weird." Ash rolled his eyes fondly. He shifted to lay his body on his side, balancing his weight on his arm so he could face Eiji. "Seriously though, something is bothering you." His voice took on a more sombre tone. He kept running his fingers through Eiji's soft hair, almost as if he were coaxing the words out of him. Eiji bit his lip, debating whether to speak about what was on his mind or not. Sighing, the shorter boy opened up.
"Are you happy?"
Ash's fingers froze, laying limply on Eiji's head. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his lips pursed up softly. "What do you mean? Of course, I'm happy." The blond answered back with a conviction, and it made Eiji smile; this time, genuinely.
"I guess I should explain," The Japanese boy continued. He sat up, crossing his legs and tucking his feet underneath. Ash followed, albeit with some bewilderment. Whatever Eiji wanted to talk about was important.
"I was just thinking," Eiji paused, looking back at Ash with a nervous expression that made the blond's insides twist with anxiety. What was he thinking? Is Eiji not happy? Why? Everything seemed to be going so well!
'Maybe he's tired of me. Maybe he's finally realised I'm not worth the trouble.'
"Ash? Are you listening to me?" A hand waved right in front of his face, snapping the blond out of his frantic thoughts. His eyes focused on Eiji's concerned face, those large dark eyes boring into his own.
"Huh? Uh..." Ash numbly replied. Eiji sighed in exasperation before smiling slightly. He took Ash's larger hand in his, cradling it as if his hand was a precious gem. It made Ash's breath hitch - Eiji's touch always made his heart flutter.
"Anyway, as I was saying, I thought it would be nice if we got... a home of our own?" Eiji's voice trailed off as he spoke, staring back down at his legs shyly. "It's time I move out of my parents' home, you know? I have a job; the pay is enough to get a house in the countryside where we could live, together." The Japanese boy glanced up, his eyes hidden from his hair. Ash sat there, frozen. Eiji's words mulled over and over in his head. Buying a house as a couple felt almost, domestic. A typical event in an average person's life. A life Ash thought he would never experience as long as he was under Dino's control.
Now, here he was, in Japan with the love of his life, discussing whether or not to get a house of their own.
Eiji fidgeted, becoming perturbed by Ash's silence. He squeezed the pale hand that he was holding and continued, his voice clouded with unease. "I love you, Ash. I do want to build a life with you. That is if you want to!" The older boy exclaimed, taking a glance at Ash before focusing his gaze on their hands rather than Ash's face. "It's fine if you don't want to. It's just an idea."
The silence between them was deafening, the worry within Eiji increasing as the seconds ticked on. Ash continued to stare at the boy in front of him, a range of emotions going through his mind. Happiness, ecstasy, relief, and love. An immense amount of adoration for the boy sitting right in front of him. A huge smile broke out across his lips. He moved their hands to link their fingers together before bringing it up to his lips to press a fluttering kiss on the back of his hand.
Eiji wheezed a soft noise of surprise at the action, looking back up at the blond to see that knee-weakening smile. Ash's smile broadened, his jade eyes gazing into Eiji's dark ones with affection. "Of course I want to Eiji. My life is with you now. To stay by your side till the end," Ash finally answered back, bringing their hands back to down. "So yeah, I want to be with you Eiji. I want to make a home of our own." The blond gently wrung Eiji's smaller fingers. He couldn't describe the feelings that were flooding into his sense. All he could do was sit there and stare at this boy who came into his life and changed everything; for the better. It didn't matter if he was living in a house or a shed or even a box with nothing else, as long as Eiji was with him, he would be the happiest man alive.
Eiji's eyes widened, a small slowly forming across his lips. Those dark orbs shined like deep opals, glimmering as the fading sun rays shined on them. "Really? I'm don't mind keeping things the way they are. I don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do." Ash bit his lip to keep his smile from broadening further.
"You're not forcing me to do anything. I agreed didn't I?" Ash teased, chuckling softly at the light blush painted on Eiji's cheeks. "I want to. I want this." The blond said in a firm tone. Building this new life with his beloved partner felt like a dream. Something he wanted but never dared to ask. He was satisfied with anything, as long as he had this boy next to him. That's all he could ever want or need.
The smile on Eiji's face grew, and he clutched Ash's hand in excitement.
"Yea? So we are going to do this?" He asked, moving closer towards Ash who in turn pulled the boy towards himself. He leaned his head against Eiji's beating heart, feeling the rhythmic thud in front of his cheek. Wrapping his arms around the lean waist, the blond sighed in contentment.
"Yeah. I guess we are."
The smile on Eiji's face remained as he walked to their room, a duster and broom in hand. Specks of dust floated through the air, illuminated by the sunlight that came through from the window. He began to clean, his body on autopilot as his mind drifted off once again, his thoughts filled with Ash and how far they have come. It was tough. Not everything was a fairytale, even after the American man settled in Japan. There were nightmares, disagreements, homesickness, and fights. They clashed at times, their stubbornness to back down and make the other one listen did cause rifts between them but in the end, they knew they needed each other. As much as the bad times were horrible, it couldn't compete with the happiness they brought into each other's lives.
Working as a freelance photographer made his life much more relaxed as well. Fixing his hours and choosing his clients, occasionally working in collaboration with Ibe was a blessing. The salary was enough for him and Ash to live comfortably. The blond had insisted he would find a job as well, his reasoning being that staying at home all day with nothing to do felt like he was wasting his life away.
(Eiji knew it was because Ash felt guilty that he wasn't contributing anything.)
Now Ash worked in a tiny convenience store, not far from their home. A simple nine to five job.
Eiji was buried in his thoughts as he began to sweep the dusty, wooden floors that he didn't hear, the creak of their bedroom door or the quick footsteps that moved closer to him. Long, slender arms wrapped around his body, trapping his arms to his side. A weight pressed against the top of his head, nuzzling his black locks. Eiji stopped cleaning, softly chuckling as Ash draped his long body over him.
"Tadaima." Ash's familiar voice whispered. Warmth bloomed in Eiji's chest, and he moved his hand to pat the arm that was around his body.
"Okaeri nasai." Eiji greeted back.
Ash just hummed softly, drinking in Eiji's warmth and his sweet jasmine scent.
The Japanese boy smiled sweetly, letting his body melt in Ash's hold. He let go of the broom, leaning it against the wall, and he turned to face the taller boy. He wrapped his arms around the thin body and stood. The morning light brought a comforting warmth against their skin as the two boys remained silent, relishing each other's hold.
"What are you thinking about?" Ash finally spoke up, leaning back to peer into Eiji's eyes. The boy, in turn, shook his head, staring back up into those gorgeous jade orbs he loved and smiled.
"Nothing. I'm just happy that we have this life together."