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Eiji Okumura was the same as he had always been. Well, the same plus a few inches of hair.
He still wore knitted sweaters and took photos of birds that sat on their window ledge. He used the same argon oil shampoo and conditioner (that Ash just adored, the scent of that shampoo alone could send him safely to sleep every night) and used the same atelier oolang Infini cologne he had worn since he was 17 (God, he thought, how much money must he have spent on that by now?). He still spoke in a heavy accent he just cannot seem to drop, and slightly broken English, which had improved over the years (not through sesame street, thank you very much). He still forced Ash to eat traditional Japanese food, of whom pretends he enjoys now but Goodness, who the hell genuinely enjoys the texture of tofu? He was the same Eiji from when he and Ash first met.
In relation to the blonde man, he had changed. He was not the same as he was when he was 18, but he had not changed for the worse. Come to think of it, you may not even describe it as a change- he had just lost a side of him he had never wanted and should never have had. He still had that stupid blonde mullet that he hated but was far too emotionally attached to to cut off, he still wore red converse, although these were his second or third pair by now. He had a playlist full of songs that Eiji had forced him to listen to some six years ago which he still listened to on his spotify (he even has green light by Lorde set as his alarm). However, although all of this remained the same, he felt lighter. Lighter than he had ever felt, he thinks. The medication was working wonders for him- it had been months since he had woken up feeling like he was dying from a nightmare and years since he had tensed up when he felt someone touch his arm unexpectedly or heard the words “I love you,” and been unsure how to reciprocate. Don’t get him wrong, he still whips his head around when he hears someone walking behind him or a loud bang from upstairs when something falls on the ground, but it was nowhere near as bad as when he was 19 and just starting treatment. Although he would never admit it to him, he did not do it for himself. He did it for Eiji.
Ash finds himself reminiscing a lot. He never thought he would be in the situation he was in- Hell, he never thought he would make it past 20. It was surreal to him, in all honesty, to fall asleep and wake up with his lover in his arms and a family- who the hell would have thought he would have three cats? These times usually come to him in the early morning when Eiji is snoring softly, black hair tickling his nose and warmth radiating from his body as the light peaks through and reflects on his skin and he thinks about how lucky he is, in so many aspects. It sounds so stupid to him, but he doesn’t care that he’s managed to breeze past death more times than he can count. He cares that he managed to live to see the day where he can feel his shoulders melt when Eiji presses his fingers into the joints. He cares that he can wake up to an empty bed and know that when he enters the kitchen, he can wrap his arms around the smaller man from behind and nuzzle into his neck while he makes breakfast and complains that Ash is “so clingy” and he’ll “make the food burn” with no real malice or anger behind it because the taller man can feel him sink back into his touch. He cares that he can go for a walk at 3 pm and hold Eiji’s hand and not worry about a target being stuck on his lover’s forehead. He cares that he’s lived to see the day where he can live with the man he cares about the most, of whom he knows cares about him the same.
Ash had always known he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the other man, from the first few months of knowing him (even though he thought that that time would be a lot shorter than it was, his mindset remained the same). Hell, from the second he laid eyes on him and his wide eyes and horrendous English skills and the blue button-up he had clumsily peeking out under his sweater, he knew he would not let him go without a fight. And six years was enough time, surely? He was 24 years old, Eiji 25, and they lived together in an apartment still in New York, with three cats so in his eyes, they were basically already married. With this thought, he glanced over at the man in question who was humming softly to himself as he cleared up the countertops, hair tied loosely in a ponytail (which shorter had threatened with scissors on multiple occasions, but Ash likes it. It makes him look younger, not that he needs any help in that department).
“Hey, old man?” he called over, to which he was met with a huff.
“One year, brat. How many times am I going to have to remind you?” He looked up. “What is it?”
“Ever thought about us getting married?” Ash, ever the straightforward, really should have expected Eiji to splutter and go a colour that was practically inhuman.
“What?” he manages, eyes impossibly huge and mouth left hanging open.
“Us. Married. You know what marriage is, right?” He raised an eyebrow. Truth be told, the lump in his throat was a stark contrast to his somewhat controlled demeanour- Eiji doesn’t understand how he manages to stay so calm and collected all the time.
“If this is your way of proposing to me, you’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that.” Eiji leant against the counter, raising both eyebrows in retaliation.
Ash couldn’t help but admire him in that moment, the snarky look on his face making him look like an angry kitten. He stood up to meet him, coffee mug still half full in his hand. The mug was given to him by Eiji himself a few months ago, who saw it in a thrift store and thought “wow, that is so Ash.” It was orange and had black detailing to make it look like a pumpkin. Maybe Ash could be described as a fool in love for using it every morning since he brought it home.
“I’m not necessarily proposing now, more so just wondering how open to the idea of it you are,” he explained, using his free hand to hold Eiji’s face and stroke his cheek with his thumb. Said man’s eyebrows relaxed upon the touch and he almost melted into his palm.
“If you’re telling me you’re gonna propose, the surprise element is gone! You might as well just tell me we’re gonna get married whether I like it or not.” Ash chuckled in response.
“Okay, we’re gonna get married.” He put down his mug, leaning unnecessarily closer to Eiji as he put it down behind him just because he likes how, even after so long, he can hear his breath catch in his throat. “And I will propose properly, but- I want to love you for a long time. I have loved you for a long time, more time than I thought I had left. I know it’s more of a formality and a legal matter but knowing I have you and you have me forever is something I can’t pass up.” His thumb was still brushing Eiji’s cheekbones, who was looking up at him with eyes full of nothing short of adoration. “I’ll get you a ring, I promise. You know I’d do anything for you, Eiji. I want to keep doing everything for you.” He leant his forehead against Eiji’s, who snaked his arms around Ash’s middle.
“I don’t want a ring, dickhead. I just want you.” He pulled back to look Ash dead in the eye. “Let’s get married.”
It was a gentle kiss, full of love and unspoken promises to each other.
“You definitely want a ring,” Ash spoke up.
“Oh, I definitely want a ring.”