Chapter Text
Agony. Pure agony.
If the bags under Eiji’s eyes weren’t enough to tell you that he wasn’t having a good semester, then the final box he lifted into his car filled with his things could definitely do the job.
He groaned in annoyance as his palms felt raw from having carried what felt like endless heavy cardboard boxes from his room to his car for the past hour now.
He should’ve worn gloves or something.
It was pushing noon, and the harsh August sun was beating down on his face. He heaved a heavy sigh as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, hands resting on his hips.
“Finally done.” His gaze turned back towards the building.
Thank God his roommate wasn’t home to see all this. He had been keeping his sudden move out date a secret from him, and it was definitely for the best.
Eiji had been sneaking in boxes to pack up his things over the past month as he made arrangements with another apartment complex’s management office to move into a new place. He felt like a little squirrel running around collecting acorns to store for the winter.
Eiji felt a little bad for not telling him, but he also felt like it was the only way to do it.
His roommate was barely even home most days, yet he somehow managed to make the apartment completely uninhabitable.
The floors were always covered with dirt and filth, the kitchen was swarming with fruit flies and who knows what other kind of bugs (he had no plans to find out), the living room looked like a tornado had hit it, and the dining table was covered with mail, textbooks, clothes, food wrappers, and was just overflowing with shit.
Don’t even get Eiji started on when his roommate was home.
The amount of nights Eiji had been woken up to the sound of his roommate’s headboard repeatedly hitting the wall that he was currently on the other side of when he was trying to sleep was too many to count. Yeah, on those nights, Eiji’d be crying himself to sleep. He had to rely on ear plugs because he had no idea how to tell someone to maybe have quieter sex?
Absolutely not. Eiji would rather sleep outside on the doormat than do that.
In other words, this move out was crucial.
He’d already been dealing with this guy since he had transferred to this university at the beginning of his third year. The entirety of said year included him tiptoeing around piles of trash when he’d get home after a long day of class, making a straight beeline for the cleanliness of his own room at the very end of the hall.
Cooking was basically out of the question since the kitchen scared him to death. He didn’t even want to find out what was crawling around in there or be faced with the piles and piles of unwashed dishes, so he had to mostly rely on takeout for survival.
He was now in the first half of his senior year, and he wanted to curse himself for not thinking about swapping units sooner. Sure, he had to pay some kind of late fee for moving out during his lease, but it was more than worth it.
So as he loaded this final box into the trunk of his car, he sighed to himself because yeah, this was worth it. Before he drove over to the other locations’ office to see if his keys for his new unit were ready, he quickly made his way back inside of the apartment and fished an envelope out of his pocket.
Yes, it was a letter disclosing to his roommate that he’d moved out. And yes, he was serious. This was the best Eiji could think of.
If he were to try and let him know in real life, his roommate would probably just ask who he was again for the tenth time. There was no point.
So a simple letter resting on the kitchen island would suffice.
His roommate probably wouldn’t even notice it for days, if not weeks, so Eiji just shrugged and told himself this was probably the best idea.
When he locked the door behind him for the final time, his shoulders fell in relief.
I’m free.
He clutched his new keys like pearls. They jingled freely in his hand as he quietly walked out of the main lobby of the new apartment complex.
Little bits of skin were ripped off from his lip as his teeth mindlessly nibbled away. With how his blood felt viscous in his extremities, like slowly free-flowing lava, the lingering iron flavor on his tongue was the last thing he'd noticed.
This had to have been one of the most spontaneous and impromptu things Eiji had ever done in his life. Besides picking up everything and moving to another country for university, he was never really one for activities regarding the unannounced.
He didn't particularly like the apprehensive taste it left in his mouth. It left him feeling anxious and worried. He didn't like not knowing what his next move would be, or what the outcome would look like.
Knowing the ins and outs of how things would go was an absolute for him.
So one could definitely imagine, this was more than a flavor of unannounced spontaneity. It had a flavor profile that more so described dreadfulness. Discomfort. Unpleasantness, even.
Luckily the apartment complex he chose to move to was situated on the other side of the university, so it was highly unlikely that he’d run into his old roommate.
Even living in the same apartment as him, he never saw him anyways.
Eiji just laughed at himself as he twirled the keys in his hand. His brain was really something else.
“You’re fine, you’re fine..” He mumbled to himself.
His fingers tapped away at his phone as he typed out a few texts to his mom, letting her know his current situation.
He could not do this alone.
Because he wouldn’t lie, as he walked up the staircase to the third floor of his assigned building after fifteen minutes of walking around trying to find it, he felt his heart fluttering in his throat.
He didn't take the elevator because that would be too quick.
He needed the extra time of taking the stairs to mentally prepare for what he was about to do. His feet dragged like they had bricks attached to them.
It wasn't specifically the idea of having a new roommate that made his cortisol spike, it was more so the idea of potentially having to live with someone he was completely incompatible with again.
Because if that happened, then all of this would've just been for nothing.
He would officially declare himself a lost cause if it were to happen again.
He could feel his legs softly wobble as he continued his way up the stairs.
Earlier, the office people had told him he was fine to walk right into his new place, and that his new roommate was already expecting him. He had the new keys and everything to show.
Eiji had to suppress the twitch of his eye when they told him this, because how on Earth was this supposed to not be completely awkward? It would be like he was walking right into someone else’s home.
Which was... definitely weird.
So as he finally stood in front of the front door, apartment 3015, he heaved a sigh, his finger hovering above the doorbell.
He absolutely refused to barge right in like “Hey I’m your new roommate!” to some random person, no matter how many times the office assured him it was fine to do so.
He needed to at least knock, or ring the doorbell, or something? Maybe it was just a New Yorker thing, but maybe they were perfectly comfortable with walking right into strangers' homes completely unannounced.
After a few more beats of him staring at his shoes with a blank mind, he pressed the doorbell.
The muted sound of the ring could be heard from inside, and Eiji was already quickly regretting this.
However, as he waited for over a minute, his stomach felt like it was churning into mush. Was his roommate not home? He didn't wanna barge in, but... would he have to?
This was slowly turning into the worst possible case scenario. Just his luck.
Cold sweat began to send a chill up his spine even in this sweltering heat of late August the longer he awkwardly stood there.
“God dammit…” he muttered under his breath. He fished the keys out of his pocket after another thirty seconds had passed. "Which one is it.." his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he flipped through the few keys he had attached.
As the key missed the hole three times, the lock suddenly clicked and the door swung open right before his eyes. His hair powerfully feathered across his face from the force, tickling his cheeks and ears.
Then they immediately lit up on fire.
He couldn’t process what was happening fast enough.
All he could do was rear back in genuine surprise, and his heart immediately began to hammer in his ribcage.
In the doorway stood a taller guy clad in sweats and a rumpled t-shirt. He leaned against the doorframe with a small scowl on his face. Eiji couldn’t think of anything to say. He just watched the guy’s brow slightly crease in confusion. He looked genuinely puzzled as he peered down at Eiji.
“Uh--” Eiji’s voice cut off.
His fist painfully clutched the keys to his chest. He almost wanted to curse, but his throat felt like it was sealed tight.
A beat of silence lingered in the air as they stood there staring at each other.
“Oh,” the guy's eyes slowly lit up, his facial expressions doing all the talking, realization blooming across his features, “You the new roommate?”
Eiji had to look up to see his face properly.
His green eyes squinted from the intruding light as he glanced down at him, his golden hair somewhat disheveled.
Eiji definitely just woke him up.
“Uh, yes.” His hand fisted his hoodie’s sleeve. He felt the guy’s gaze lingering on him for a few more beats. A bead of sweat ran down his back from the sun beaming down on the thick material.
"Hm," the guy hummed in observation. "Come on in,” he finally said, moving out of the doorway to make room.
“Oh, thanks,” Eiji awkwardly cleared his throat and gently pushed past him. That wasn’t too bad.
As he stepped into the apartment, he was genuinely impressed as much as he was relieved to see that the place was spotless. Well, not spotless.
But compared to his old place, this was basically heaven.
It definitely looked lived in, but the floors were actually clean, the dining table didn’t have a single thing on it except a laptop, and the whole place smelled like brewing coffee.
It felt cozy.
Toeing his shoes off in the doorway, he noticed the quietness of the place. The blinds were half-opened, and all the lights were off. It was nice.
“So, I’m Ash.”
Eiji’s focus got pulled back to the person standing behind him. Oh, right.
He cleared his throat. “I’m Eiji, nice to meet you.” His hand stuck out for him to take.
Ash’s face didn't move much as he took the offer, briefly gripping it in a polite shake. “Nice to meet you.” He sounded bored.
Eiji softly gulped as he stood face to face with him. He was a few inches shorter than Ash, and his hand felt soft and warm.
He hastily looked away. “So um, thanks for agreeing on such short notice to let me room with you.” Eiji tried his best to keep his demeanor as cool as possible. He wasn't really sure if it was working, though.
Despite this, Ash didn't really seem to notice. If he did, he probably didn't care.
Stretching his arms behind his back, a small scoff escaped past his lips. “It’s no problem. I’ve been needing a roommate for a while now, so... thanks to you, too.”
The corners of Eiji’s lips turned up at that. “Did I accidentally wake you up?”
Was that too much to ask right now?
Ash looked genuinely surprised by that question. He lazily drifted over to the kitchen. “Was it that obvious?” He asked, the closest thing Eiji's seen to a smile turning his lips a little upward.
“Maybe a little?”
Ash took a long sip of some water. “Hm, what can I say,” he began, “I rise with the sun.”
Eiji felt himself suppressing a snort. “It's 2pm.”
Ash nodded his head. “As I said. With the sun.” His tone was borderline lilting in tease.
Eiji did his best to hide the small smile that kept trying to fight its way onto his lips. "I see,” was all he said. His hands were stuffed into his hoodie’s front pocket, not quite sure what to do with himself. He awkwardly stood there looking around at random things.
Ash's face remained placid, internally grinning at the new person before him. “So um, do you want a tour of the place? I can show you around. If you want. There's not much to show, but,” he shrugged.
“That’d be nice, thank you.”
Ash began leading him down the hall five minutes later, hot cup of coffee in hand. “So this is my room,” he said as they approached the first room to the right. The door was opened, and from what Eiji could tell, Ash was a very neat person. Especially after having not remembered that anyone was going to be coming over, Eiji was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
His room looked a little plain, but there were various textbooks piled high on his desk as well as countless what looked to be neatly stacked novels, and he had a few plants resting on his windowsill. Eiji nodded along, sipping his own cup that Ash had offered him. He couldn’t say no when he was offering so politely.
“And this will be your room,” Ash said as he twisted the door handle, opening up to a spacious room with two giant windows. Eiji wanted to cry tears of joy at how the room was also already furnished. He hadn't remembered to check for that before having signed the lease so hurriedly.
“Make yourself at home.” Ash’s gaze was placid but it was also kind.
This guy seemed so nice and chill, there was no way his time living here could be bad. He was almost sure of it.
“Thank you…”
Their gazes lingered on one another for an extra beat more before Ash eventually broke it, turning to go back down the hall. “Anyways, I’m gonna go wash up. Knock if you need me for anything.”
And with that, he disappeared into his room, but the door stayed open.
Eiji gulped as his grip tightened on his mug. "Got it. Thanks."
Thirty minutes later, Eiji gently pushed the front door shut with his hip, final (yet again) cardboard box in his arms.
He exhaled a long breath, setting the box down with the others in his new room. Luckily, he didn’t really have much stuff to begin with. Everything he owned was reserved to one room in his old apartment-- his room, and it was mostly just clothes, his bedding, and a few personal items.
Packing and unpacking shouldn’t be too much of a hassle for him. He just really wanted to hurry up and claim the room as his, claim this space as his. And that required unpacking. If he didn’t do it now, he wouldn’t do it at all.
Sighing, he moved to open the first box.
“You’re fast.”
Eiji jumped, quickly spinning around at the sudden voice, a silent gasp stuck in his throat. “Jesus--” he nearly shrieked.
Ash blinked. “Oh," he held a hand up in front of himself, "My bad, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Eiji clutched his chest, nodding in understanding. “No, you're fine.”
Ash had a towel dabbing at his wet hair, and a pair of jeans now replaced the sweats he had on earlier. “You need any help?” He made his way over to the bed and took a seat on the mattress.
Eiji eyed him, watching the way he casually crossed his legs, hands splayed out behind him, his unexcitable yet curious eyes looking right up at him.
Eiji’s mouth went slack as he suddenly got a pretty decent look at him in this lighting, noticing the subdued color of his eyes, how they were the softest shade of jade he’d ever seen.
This guy was admittedly extremely good looking.
The longer Eiji observed his features, the more shockingly impressed he became. His face was almost surreal.
Ash’s slightly suspicious quirked brow was what shook him from his thoughts, though, and he blinked a few times to hopefully make it seem like he wasn’t staring too much.
“Oh!— Um, not really. But if you wanted to help, I mean, I won’t say no.” Eiji shrugged, turning his attention back to opening up the box closest to him.
“I’ve got nothing on my agenda today.”
“Help yourself, then.”
"Great."
"Yup."
And with that, they got to work. Ash took things out of the box and then passed them to Eiji, who then quickly found new homes for everything. They had all his clothes hung up and folded, bedsheets and pillows sorted out, and all his bathroom toiletries in place in no time. “So, what year are you?” Eiji surprisingly found himself asking as he sorted through his socks after a few minutes of silence.
“I’m in my third year. You?”
“Oh wow, I’m older. That’s unexpected.” Eiji chuckled.
Ash almost grinned. “What, did you expect me to be older?”
“I mean,” Eiji began, catching the way Ash's gaze was light and teasing. He gulped. "Maybe?"
Ash narrowed his eyes at that reaction, not really sure what he was expecting. “Is that so?” He chuckled. He’s interesting, he thought.
“Anyways— thanks for your help, seriously, you didn’t need to do all this,” Eiji quickly rambled as he shut the dresser. "I-I mean we just met and you're already offering to help me out," he exhaled a small laugh, "you're too kind."
Ash looked up at him from where he was opening a box on the ground. "If you put it that way, I guess." He shrugged and shook a crumpled blanket out, folding it in a neater way. “But honestly, it’s really no big deal, Eiji. You're the new roommate. This was the least I could do."
The least he could do? “Oh..” Eiji cleared his throat, “well… Thank you. I guess.”
Ash couldn’t help but stare, the genuine honesty of those words throwing him for a small loop. "It's not a problem."
He then got to his feet, stretching his back with a sigh. He lazed over, eventually moving to stand right in front of Eiji. His eyes momentarily focused behind Eiji as something caught his eye. When he his eyes refocused back and noticed how the other averted his gaze even more, a slight redness dusting his cheeks as he unknowingly pressed himself back against the dresser, Ash's eyebrow raised in confusion.
Eiji could smell the soft cedar wood of Ash’s shampoo from how close he was standing. His throat nervously bobbed.
Ash's eyebrows slowly rose more as he followed Eiji's eyes. His hand was hesitant at first, but he began to reach behind Eiji’s head towards the dresser, boxing him in.
Eiji’s eyes shot up, nervous bubbles of nonsense ready to spill out of his lips before he quickly realized that the other was now simply holding a pair of folded socks in front of his face.
“You forgot these.”
Eiji wanted to scream from embarrassment.
Where was the closest window?
“Oh! Thanks. You’re right.” He nervously laughed, quickly snatching the pair from Ash. He then began to busy himself with something irrelevant on the dresser.
Ash’s lips formed a thin line as he tried not to laugh, not really understanding the situation in its full proximity. Eiji was funny. And the back of his neck was really red.
“I guess I’ll leave you to it, then," he said after taking a moment to wordlessly stare at his nape.
“Yep!”
“....Uh huh.”
With that, Ash turned on his heel and left the room. Eiji silently stood there, socks in hand, ears burning.
It was around 5pm when Eiji reemerged from his room. He padded into the shared space, the strong afternoon sun pouring into the living room.
Ash was sitting on the couch, book in hand, reading glasses perched on his nose bridge. When Eiji rounded the corner, Ash’s eyes flicked up to catch the movement.
“Hey,” Eiji said as he gently took a seat next to him on the couch.
“Hey to you,” Ash greeted back.
Eiji wouldn’t lie, he felt and probably looked stiffer than tree bark.
Earlier, he had been in his room for a bit contemplating on whether or not he should try to socialize with his new roommate, or if that would even be acceptable?
What if Ash didn’t want to see him around like his old roommate? What if he did expect Eiji to interact with him?
All of these possibilities were swimming in his mind, making him feel like he’d go insane. But, judging from the way Ash easily strolled into his room earlier with no problem, the way he so easily helped him unpack all of his things made it seem like he didn’t mind Eiji’s presence.
So, Eiji just said fuck it and took the risk, and now here he was, not really knowing what to do as he sat next to Ash on the couch.
"So." As soon as the sound left Eiji's mouth, he instantly regretted it. Silence always felt extremely awkward, but every time Eiji would try to lighten it up, it always backfired somehow. Or maybe it was just him.
Ash looked over to him, taking in the way he wasn’t really leaning back on the cushion, rather preferring to sit up, fingers playing with the throw blanket. From his body language alone, Ash was quick to understand how Eiji was really trying. He simply turned his attention back to his book.
"How are you liking the place so far?" His voice was light as he turned a page.
Eiji's ears perked up at that, a heavy exhale expelling through his lungs. His eyes softened as he peered at Ash. His posture eased up, and he continued to play with the blanket. "It's a really nice place," he began. "I love how much space there is in my room."
Ash gave him a kind smile, feeling genuinely pleasant at hearing how Eiji felt. "I'm glad to hear it. If you need anything, don't be shy to ask. I'm always happy to help."
Eiji's cheeks softly burned at that, and he quickly turned his gaze back to his feet. "Thank you."
The conversation ended there, and Ash quietly returned back to his book. Eiji observed him, taking note of how easy it was for him to lock back into concentration.
“What are you reading?” Eiji asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Just some stuff for one of my biochem classes.”
Eiji perked up at that. “Oh, is that what you study?”
Ash leaned his head to the side in thought. “Sort of," he grinned. "Chemical engineering.”
Eiji lowly whistled. “Wow, that’s unexpected,” Eiji began, “but it’s also fitting.”
Ash turned his attention back to his book, smile not really faltering. “Oh yeah?” he chuckled.
“Mhm,” Eiji nodded.
“And what do you study?”
“Law.”
Ash's eyebrows shot up at that. “Polar opposites, huh?” he glanced at him.
“Quite so,” Eiji agreed, finally relaxing back onto the couch. He actually sunk into it.
“Geez,” he quipped, body slightly disappearing into the cushion.
“Pfft, I know.”
Eiji smiled to himself as he felt the comfortable cushion enveloping him, his muscles finally allowing themselves to relax.
Sure, this felt incredibly new and weird to him, conversing with his roommate and whatnot, but it wasn’t so bad.
Ash wasn’t so bad, at all. He actually really liked Ash. He was friendly, but also kept to himself. He was easy to talk to, but he also wasn’t exactly an open book.
Eiji appreciated that in a person. Approachable but not overbearing. This was exactly what he needed.
“So,” Ash began, shutting his book and putting it on the coffee table in front of them. “Do you wanna talk schedules? Just so we can familiarize ourselves with each other. You know, just in case I need to be up at 6 for lab but you don’t feel like getting woken up, or vice versa.”
Ash looked at him expectantly, but all Eiji could do was stare in disbelief. He asked him… what? Somebody pinch him, was he dreaming?
“Eiji?”
Did he actually win the lottery with this guy? Was he actually implying that he would be respectful of his sleep schedule? Oh god, what is he gonna do next, talk about how they’d split chores? Eiji felt like skipping with glee.
“Oh, sorry, I’m just shocked, is all.” He blinked.
Ash blinked back at him, confusion written all over his face. “Shocked?”
Eiji couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, this is kinda insane," His eyes were light as he curled his legs up onto the cushions.
"You don’t know this, but the reason I moved here is because my old roommate was just…. Something else. Let’s just say I lived in a dumpster with the most inconsiderate person on Earth.”
Ash’s eyebrows raised a bit as he took in this information. “Roommate from hell?”
“God, yes.”
Ash nodded in consideration, slightly pushing his glasses back up his nose. “Well, I can promise you that I am… definitely not like that.”
“Thank God. I don’t think I have it in me to move into another place again.”
“You better not,” Ash grinned.
They chatted for a bit about schedules, the both of them surprisingly having pretty similar days, except for Tuesdays and Thursdays when Ash had his god awful morning ochem lab and whatever chemical operating lecture he mentioned. Sounded horrible.
Other than that, they’d be out and at home at relatively similar times.
“So do you have any rules or boundaries you’d like me to know? Like having friends over, significant others, or anything?” Ash asked.
Eiji’s face felt hot at that question, but he wasn’t really sure why.
“Oh, um, I doubt you’ll have to worry about that.” He dismissively chuckled.
Ash’s brows furrowed in amusement, a small grin etching into his lips. “What, can’t catch a hot date?”
Eiji rolled his eyes playfully. “Definitely not.” Definitely not.
Ash was genuinely confused at that. “Oh please. I bet you’re pretty popular.”
Eiji’s face definitely burned now. Ash was too kind. Really. Too kind. “Now what makes you say that? Have you seen yourself?” Eiji quickly retorted, shifting the focus off of himself.
Ash looked shocked for a second, but then he was genuinely laughing at that, eyes scrunching ever so slightly. Eiji watched in awe at how his entire face lit up so quickly with just a smile.
My god.
“Are you implying that I’m attractive?” Ash’s brow was quirked teasingly as he came down from his laughing, his head resting against his fist as his elbow was propped up on the couch cushion.
His smile still lingered, and Eiji was having such a hard time maintaining eye contact.
This guy’s face was admittedly way too gorgeous up close with an expression like that.
How do someone’s eyes just glimmer like that when the lighting isn’t even that good to begin with?
It seriously wasn't fair in the slightest. Eiji spluttered. “I--... I mean,” His eyes kept flittering between looking at Ash and looking off to the side.
“Joking, I’m joking.” Ash laughed, dismissing his tease.
Eiji gulped because he was literally seconds away from saying yeah I guess that's what I was implying.
“Tch,” Eiji quietly clicked his tongue in soft annoyance. His heart couldn’t handle this.
Not only was Ash kind, friendly, and reserved, but he was also a flirt?
Eiji didn’t know how to process this.
So he just did the next best thing he could think of and changed the subject. Again.
“And what about you? Any hot date I should be aware of that could possibly show up out of the blue?” Eiji returned the question, eyes narrowed as he watched Ash’s gaze fall off to the side.
“Nah.”
Now it was Eiji’s turn to be genuinely surprised. “That’s unexpected.” He murmured mostly to himself.
Ash was shrugging, getting to his feet. “It’s the truth.”
Eiji watched him as he walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Catch.”
Eiji’s surprisingly good reflexes saved him as he caught a flying water bottle that was definitely about to crash into his head. “Oh. Thanks.”
Ash grinned, chugging his own. “Though, I do have someone that comes by every now and then. He’s just a friend, though.”
“Oh, that’s fine.” Eiji’s grip tightened on the bottle. He continued to watch Ash drink half of his water bottle before he was speaking again.
“You wanna order takeout? My treat, in celebration of your moving in,” Ash’s eyebrows were raised expectantly.
Eiji softly grinned, cracking his bottle’s cap open. “Sure.”
They were both settled easily against the couch, some random TV show playing, takeout boxes scattered across the coffee table.
“So, what do you do for fun?” Ash was asking as he bit into a piece of chicken.
Eiji looked over at him, taking a second to process the question.
He couldn’t help but feel genuinely surprised at how this guy was seriously making an effort to get to know him.
He wasn’t really sure what to feel. He did, however, feel his belly do little flips at this newfound interest someone was showing in him.
“Oh you know,” he swallowed his rice and pondered the question. “I actually really enjoy photography. And I’m an athlete. Well. Used to be.”
That definitely piqued Ash's interest as his eyes perked up at that. “Athlete, huh? What sport?”
Eiji grinned. “Guess.”
Ash squinted his eyes as he began to look Eiji up and down, his chin resting thoughtfully in his hand.
Eiji felt himself squirm a bit under his intense gaze.
“Definitely not something like basketball or volleyball.”
Eiji scoffed. “What makes you say that?”
Ash’s grin was a little too devilish for his liking. “You have to be tall for those.”
“Hey!”
Ash laughed in delight, loving the reaction he got.
Eiji just shook his head, joining him in his stupid laugh.
“Okay, okay, seriously though,” Ash tilted his head slightly, “You give me soccer vibes. Or maybe track and field. Something with a lot of running.”
Eiji definitely couldn’t hold back his eye roll this time.
“Am I right?” Ash asked expectantly.
“Unfortunately,” he sighed.
Ash’s face was slightly smug. “Which one?”
“Track and field. I do pole vaulting.”
Ash’s eyes gleamed at that. “Oh, whoa. That’s actually really cool.”
Eiji felt that familiar burn in his ears creeping up again. “Thanks..”
“You’ve definitely gotta show me someday.”
Eiji bit into more rice, carefully chewing each bite. “I’ll think about it.”
Ash just grinned, content with that response.
Eiji’s attention fixated back to the TV, not processing anything as all he could think about was how comfortable he felt in this apartment with Ash.
He glanced off to the side, looking at the guy, stranger really, sitting next to him.
Was this the beginning of a budding relationship of some sort? Eiji bit his lip in thought as he considered the possibility.
He hasn’t made a friend in such a long time.
Though, as he continued to look at Ash, he couldn’t help but feel his chest tugging at something more.