Chapter Text
Eiji was very responsible and may have been a little over a year older than him but, in many ways, Ash found him quaintly childish. It wasn’t limited to cartoon bird shirts and comic books either; a lot of Eiji’s interests leaned slightly more towards a younger demographic, not that there was anything wrong if he enjoyed those types of things and it wasn’t hurting anyone. It wasn’t like he was a creep who hung around playgrounds and toy stores, and neither did he act like a toddler unless he was purposefully doing so to tease people or be an irritating little shit, but he would be the type of adult who would happily go to the cinema alone to watch the latest kid’s animation and probably be the only one there without a crotch goblin in tow, and he’d probably be the type of person who’d buy a limited-edition toy as a collectible item if he could afford it.
Eiji got excitable over small things with an innocence Ash had long abandoned and forgotten in his past. Some of these aspects of him might very well be products of his upbringing, Eiji growing up in relative safety compared to Ash, who had been forced to grow up and abandon childish joy very quickly at a very young age. That’s not to say Eiji hadn’t experienced his own share of forced adulthood either; with his father sick and his mother working full time to support them as best as she could, his latter teenage years had been stressful for him. He’d been juggling school, household chores, and his doomed sporting career, in an attempt to help the family as much as he could in his own diligent way. His injury nearly destroyed him mentally, as it prevented him entering competitions and gaining sponsorships, which he had been using to aid the family income, and he risked losing his college scholarship. Essentially, a broken leg cost him his whole life and purpose, so having harmless comforts from his childhood that brought him joy were a welcome source of happiness as he found his new place in the world.
One thing Eiji really seemed to enjoy were Disney movies, particularly the animated classics.
Turns out Disney is just as popular in Japan as it is in America, which isn’t all that surprising when you consider the Japanese love of cute things combined with their colourful history of producing and consuming animated entertainment. Harajuku fashions often featured Disney-themed cute accessories and fabrics, and they would produce Japan-exclusive toys and merchandise for their most popular franchises. Many of the films had been translated into Japanese and they were widely shown in cinemas – some of the newer ones had even had come minor tweaks and editing for localisation purposes; Ash knew, for instance, that ‘Inside Out’ by Pixar had switched broccoli for green peppers in their Japanese version, because unlike in the West where kids stereotypically hate broccoli, Japanese children usually eat the healthy green florets but they snub bitter green bell peppers instead. The Japanese even had their own Disneyland in Tokyo, although Eiji had never been. He admitted that he and his sister used to watch the movies together when they were younger, and his sister had really liked Minnie Mouse themed items for a large segment of her pre-teen years. Watching a Disney film provided a soothing source of nostalgia and normality for him, and he owned a couple of DVDs which he’d managed to purchase in the States in thrift stores, although he tended to watch them alone to avoid embarrassment and bullying from the rest of the gang. It didn’t stop him sometimes humming Disney tunes to himself when he was happy though.
When Ash came home, having passed Kong and Bones on sentry duty outside, it was to find him sat on the sofa watching Beauty and the Beast. He’d just put the disk in as Ash walked in the door, and Belle was making her way into the village and singing about how provincial life in 18th century France was boring.
‘Heh, just wait a few years,’ Ash thought. ‘Life in France won’t be so boring then! Several revolutions are in the future, my dear. In fact, you and the Prince will probably both get taken to Lady Guillotine for being symbols of the Bourgeois, although as an educated peasant who married into money you could just as easily be joining in the rioting yourself alongside most of the residents of the provincial village you hate.’
“I’m back!”
“Okaeri, Ash,” Eiji greeted him in Japanese from the couch. Ash had figured out that ‘okaeri’ roughly translated to ‘welcome back’, and Eiji would nearly always say it when he returned.
“Disney again?”
“Hmm.” While Eiji avoided watching animation in front of the gang, he had no qualms about watching it in front of Ash. He was that comfortable around him now that he didn’t really care if Ash ribbed him a little for his interests, able to give back as good as he received. Last time Ash had smirked and started mocking him for his viewing choices, he responded quick as a whip that it was a good job he wasn’t watching Cinderella, because that film had a huge pumpkin in it and might be too scary for Ash. He was stunned into silence with both the lightning-fast speed of retort, plus the fact that, yes, that scene in Cinderella where the Fairy Godmother transmuted the pumpkin into a carriage was genuinely terrifying to him, and how dare Eiji hone in on his insecurities and call him out like that!
Eiji had probably watched Beauty and the Beast at least five times in the last couple of months that Ash was aware of. Ash didn’t mind too much – he secretly enjoyed watching them too, although he usually found the books better. For one thing, the books were grittier, and he tended to empathise with the violence and tragedy. The Little Mermaid and Mulan had far more upsetting endings, for instance, and anything written by the Brothers Grimm was way darker than anything Disney adapted. He had read several variations of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, including one in French, and each one was subtly different but the basic story was the same.
“Good way to practice your English, I guess…” he said, flopping down onto the couch next to Eiji, laying his head down on the padded sofa arm, and bringing his legs up to rest on Eiji’s lap.
“Ah! Ash!” he complained, Ash’s calves now pinning him in place.
“Stop moaning and watch your cartoon,” Ash responded, yawning and folding his arms. “I’ve had a long day, and you’re hogging all the space!”
<”Your legs are heavy…”> Eiji muttered, but he didn’t make any attempt to push Ash’s legs off him or move to one of the chairs, just settled in for the long haul with them draped across his knees.
Ash drowsily watched as Belle stood up Gaston, then La Fou burst into song about the many merits of the insufferable beefcake. For a Disney villain, Gaston was remarkably human. He wasn’t especially vindictive or even evil, although he was highly unpleasant. What he was, was an entitled masochistic prick, who thought he was the greatest thing ever and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was ambitious, but also a bully and a coward who feared rejection. However, his visceral reaction to the beast was the same as most people's would have been to something they perceive as dangerous. People like that are two a penny out on the streets. He could name several. Ash yawned again, feeling his eyelids begin to droop…