no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 6 Vaction plans

S

ummary:

In celebration of Eiji's Middle School graduation, the Okumuras and Callenreeses plan for a trip to Los Angeles.

Notes:

For everyone's guidance, Ash is 11 and Eiji is 13.
Anyways, enjoy the update!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Just like what Ash told Eiji earlier, Mr. and Mrs. Okumura decided to take everyone out to a nearby restaurant to celebrate Eiji's graduation. They ate their lunch, stayed a bit for a little chit-chat, then left. Good thing the adults brought their own rides, so while Jim, Jennifer, Griffin, Shunichi and Max rode in one car, the two boys, Eika and their parents rode in their own car.
While Eiji's parents chatted in the front, Eika was busy playing games on her tablet and there was an awkward silence between the two best friends, which seemed strange because they had a good laugh when they were in the restaurant. Not only that, they would tend to joke around and laugh whenever they were together inside a car.
Up to this time, Eiji still couldn't get over what happened earlier. He was really looking forward to this day, expecting this day to be a happy day. He thought that even for once this day would be all about him and Ash because it was his graduation day, but no, Trixie had to come in and steal the spotlight. Again.
He let out a deep sigh. Can't he at least spend a single day with Ash, just the two of them? Can't he spend time with his best friend without Trixie interrupting their quality time together?
On the other hand, Ash couldn't help but worry as he looked at his best friend. He seemed happy and lively when they were in the restaurant, but when they got in the car, it was the total opposite. He was waiting for him to talk, tell a story or crack jokes, but he didn't say a single word throughout the entire trip home. He was just staring outside the window, a sad look in his eyes. He's never seen him so quiet before.
And he had to admit, seeing Eiji sad made him feel sad as well.
"Ei-chan?" Ash broke the silence, gently nudging Eiji's shoulder.
"Hm?" Eiji answered, still not looking at Ash.
"You've been quiet since I saw you under the tree. Are you okay? You know you can tell me." There was a hint of worry in Ash's voice. He's really not used to seeing him so upset.
Eiji shook his head, smiling weakly. "I'm fine, Ashu. Don't worry about me."
"Are you sure? You don't sound fine to me," Ash replied.
"I'm fine, really. I just feel a bit...tired. Yeah, just a bit tired." Eiji smiled bitterly. He hated lying to his best friend, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell Ash that he was deeply affected by what he did to Trixie. It's better this way.
Ash wrapped a comforting arm around Eiji's shoulder, pulling him closer to him. "You know I'm always here for you, right, Ei-chan?" he asked.
And with that, Eiji couldn't help but smile again, this time a genuine one. It was only just a simple gesture but it was enough to make up for what happened earlier.
"I know. Thanks, Ashu," he answered, snuggling closer to his best friend, his eyes closing in contentment.
Really, this boy never failed to make him feel better.
"Hey, boys," Mrs. Okumura suddenly said. "What do you think about celebrating Ei-chan's graduation in Los Angeles? It would also be a perfect time to spend your summer vacation."
"Really?" a surprised Ash asked, suddenly feeling excited.
"We've talked about this with Ash's parents earlier at the restaurant, and they said they're totally cool with it," Mr. Okumura added. "They're coming along with us too, along with Griffin. We'll be staying there for a month."
"YES! WE'RE GOING TO LA!" Eika screamed, bouncing up and down in her seat.
"This is gonna be so exciting! A trip to LA for my graduation present!" an excited Eiji squealed.
He couldn't help but smile widely, it's been a long time since he went on a trip. As far as he remembered, the last time he went on a trip with his parents and sister was when he was in Kindergarten, and that was a trip to Japan, his native country. Things would definitely be different now, as there would be more people who would tag along with them.
And more importantly, this would be the perfect time to spend quality time with Ash, the perfect time to make up for the times he was ignored whenever Trixie showed up.
He could already see it happening, a day at the beach with just him, his family, his best friend, and most of all, definitely no Trixie to ruin his day. Just thinking about it made him feel giddy inside, he couldn't wait to go to LA already.
On the other hand, Ash smiled widely as well, relieved to see Eiji smiling again. "That would be great, Mr. and Mrs. Okumura! When are we leaving?"
"We already booked our plane tickets, so we would be leaving on the 25th," Mrs. Okumura answered, smiling fondly at the two boys.
***
When they got home, Eiji was about to open the door his apartment unit when Ash suddenly hugged him from behind, much to the raven-haired boy's surprise.
"You're really okay, right, Ei-chan?" he asked, resting his head on his best friend's shoulder.
"Y-Yeah," Eiji answered, a bright red blush slowly creeping on his cheeks as his heart began to pound hard. "I told you, I just feel tired. Don't worry about me."
Ash smiled. "Rest then, okay? We'll be going to LA, remember?"
Eiji tried to smile back, his heart pounding harder by the second. "Sure, Ashu. I can't wait for our trip to LA."
And with that, Ash gently pressed his lips on Eiji's cheek before he released him, proceeding to go to his own apartment unit.
***
Once he got to his room, Eiji took a deep breath as he sat on his bed, willing his heart to calm down. He could feel his face burning hot, and he could still feel the touch of Ash's lips on his cheek.
Stop it, Eiji! Don't act as if this is the first time he kissed your cheeks! Stop it! Hold yourself together!
He buried his face in his hands, trying his best to regain his composure. He knew that this was already normal between them as best friends, but he just couldn't help but feel giddy whenever Ash showed him affection.
Be contented, he said to himself. Keep that in mind, Eiji. Be contented with just being best friends. At least you'll still be together, right? No breakups, no heartbreaks.
But what if Ash became my boyfriend? said another part of him. What if we were together as a couple instead? Wouldn't that be better than being just friends?
Realizing this, Eiji ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He shouldn't be thinking of these kinds of things! He should be focusing on preparing for their trip, not dwelling on his feelings. After all, he would be having Ash to himself for one whole month.
Just then, he suddenly remembered the handkerchief given to him. He took it out of his pocket, and to his surprise, he saw two small letters sewn on the cloth.
SW.
SW? Who's SW? Obviously, he's the mysterious man who gave it to him. Well, whoever he was, he'd better be in the same High School he would be attending so he could thank him properly.
And for some reason, his voice echoed in his mind once again.
"All you need to do for now is to accept things."
Eiji's forehead crumpled at the thought. Accept things? Well, how could he accept things if Ash kept acting all sweet and affectionate towards him?
He let out a sigh. He suddenly had this feeling that this won't be as easy as he thought it would be.
***
The next day, the two families started packing for their flight to LA. The teen realized that he didn't have enough clothes, so he asked his parents if he could go to the mall to buy new wardrobe. His parents agreed, and they even told him that he could take Ash along with him so he could choose new clothes as well. Of course, Eiji couldn't say no to that. This would mean another chance to spend time with him, so why should he let the moment pass?
"Hello, Mr. Callenreese, Mrs. Callenreese, Griffin," Eiji politely greeted as he entered the Callenreeses' apartment unit, where Jim, Jennifer and Griffin were watching TV in the living room.
"Oh, hello, Eiji," Jennifer greeted, smiling warmly at the boy. "Are you looking for Ash?"
"Yes," Eiji replied, sitting in between Jennifer and Griffin. "We're going to the mall today to buy new clothes for the trip."
"Oh, great timing," Griffin commented. "Ash definitely needs some new clothing for when we go to LA."
"Meanwhile, the boy's still in his room sleeping," Jim said, referring to Ash. "That kid, always sleeping in late during the summer."
"Hehe. Don't worry, Mr. Callenreese, I tend to sleep in sometimes, too," Eiji answered, smiling sheepishly.
Jennifer chuckled at Eiji's words. "You two really are best friends, huh? Having a lot of things in common."
"In fact, they have so much in common, I wouldn't be surprised if one day they would share the same last name," Jim teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Eiji. "Isn't that right, Eiji boy?"
"Uhhhh..." Eiji looked away as he scratched the back of his head, his face turning bright red.
"Awwww, just look at him blushing! That's so cute!" Jennifer cooed, pinching Eiji's cheeks.
"Ehhhh, Mrs. Callenreese..." Eiji whined, blushing harder and making the family laugh.
"Mom, stop it," Griffin told Jennifer. "Just let Eiji go to his prince charming so they could go on their date." Then he grinned at Eiji.
Unable to handle the teasing any longer, Eiji quickly rose from his seat, smiling awkwardly at the three. "Okaaaay, I'll go wake Ashu up now."
***
Ash was still soundly asleep when Eiji entered his bedroom. His hair was a total mess and his mouth was slightly open, obviously having a good sleep.
Eiji sat on the bed next to his best friend, gently shaking his arm. "Rise and shine, Ashu. We're gonna go to the mall today."
"Mmmm..." Ash muttered, slightly irritated by the noise but still not opening his eyes. He shifted his position, his back facing Eiji.
"Ashu, wakie-wakie," Eiji continued, shaking Ash's arm a bit harder. "It's time to wake up."
"Mmmm, five more minutes," Ash mumbled, his forehead crumpled.
He's really a heavy sleeper, Eiji thought. But I know just what to do to wake this sleeping beauty up.
Leaning closer, Eiji blew into Ash's ear, which made the blonde-haired boy's body jolt in surprise. Works every time.
"EIJI!" he yelled as he finally sat up, facing Eiji and glaring at him.
"Heh, that's what you get for sleeping in, Ashu. It's almost noon, you know," Eiji answered, grinning playfully at him.
"Ugh. What do you want?" Ash irritatedly asked, scratching his head. "I'm still sleepy, you know that?"
"Come on sleepyhead, we're going to the mall today."
"Seriously? What are we gonna do there? Knowing you, you'd probably make me carry your stuff again. You go ahead, I'm staying home," Ash answered before lying down again, covering his face with his blanket.
"But Ashu, we're gonna buy new clothes for our trip to LA." Eiji pulled off Ash's blanket, much to the blonde-haired boy's annoyance. "Come on Ashu, please?" He pouted his lips.
"Ei-chan," Ash replied, sitting up in front of Eiji. "Stop pouting like that or else."
"Or else what?" Eiji asked.
But instead of answering, Ash just stared at Eiji for a few seconds before he sighed, finally getting out of bed.
"Alright, wait for me. I'll just take a shower and change."
And with that, Ash grabbed his towel and went out of the room.
As Eiji waited for Ash to finish doing his thing, he looked around his best friend's room. Framed pictures decorated the wall, ranging from baby pictures, solo portraits, family pictures, to pictures of him with Griffin, then finally pictures of him and Eiji in Grade School.
He couldn't but smile widely when his eyes landed on a large picture of him and Ash. It was taken during his 4th Grade and Ash's 2nd Grade, it showed them smiling from ear to ear, their arms around each other's shoulders.
The raven-haired boy let out a sigh as he realized how much they've grown. It seemed like only yesterday they were in Grade School, and now he's a teenager, about to start his first year in High School while Ash would be entering his second year of Middle School.
"Enjoying looking at our pictures, eh?" Ash suddenly asked. When Eiji turned around, his eyes widened when he saw that he just got out of the bathroom, noticing that his hair was still wet, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Please, just change your clothes already," Eiji gulped as he quickly looked away, his cheeks starting to redden. Ash is only eleven years old, but it seemed that his body was already starting to gain muscles. Oh, my poor heart.
He heard Ash laugh from behind him. "Really, Ei-chan? We've seen each other naked a couple of times before, why are you suddenly acting all shy now?"
"Things are different now, Ashu!" Eiji responded. "We're a bit older now, you know."
"You should see the look on your face, Ei-chan. You're so red! Hahaha! So cute!" Ash grinned, walking over to Eiji and pinching his best friend's cheeks once again.
"Waaaah! Just change already, Aslan!" Eiji cried. "I'll wait for you outside, bye!"
Without waiting for Ash's answer, he quickly left the room.
***
"Mom, Dad, we're leaving," Ash told his parents as he and Eiji were about to leave the apartment unit. Over the years, he has eventually warmed up to Jennifer as his stepmom, and because of this he has learned to call her 'Mom' as well.
"We'll be back, Mr. and Mrs. Callenreese," Eiji added.
"Oh, no worries, Eiji. Just take your time," Jennifer said.
"Yeah, just call Griffin if you need a ride home. Alright you two, take care. Enjoy your DATE," Jim grinned, emphasizing the word 'date'.
Eiji smiled awkwardly. "Um, sure?"
Ash rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Bye!"
The rest of the day was spent at the mall, the two boys picking out what to wear during their stay in LA. Or rather, Eiji was the one who picked out Ash's clothes for him because the blonde-haired boy kept on picking clothes that were either too plain or too simple.
Ash, on the other hand, bought something while Eiji was busy picking clothes, realizing that he doesn't have a graduation gift for Eiji yet.
***
"We're home!" Ash announced, carrying bags filled with clothes as he and Eiji entered the apartment after a long day at the mall.
"Oh, Ash, Eiji, welcome home," Jennifer greeted.
"Yeah, I'm back again. Hehe. I'll be packing my stuff here, is that okay with you?" Eiji asked.
"Oh, it's no problem at all, boy. No problem at all," Jim replied, smiling at the boy.
And with that, the two boys immediately headed to Ash's bedroom, where they began packing their stuff. Eiji noticed that Ash was having a hard time fitting all of his new clothes into his suitcase, so after he finished packing his own luggage, he did Ash's as well, much to the blonde-haired boy's surprise.
As Ash watched Eiji fit every single piece of his clothing into the right places, there was only one thought that formed in mind as a fond smile formed on his lips.
He seriously couldn't imagine what his life would be like without Eiji by his side.