no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 8 Vacation Blues

S

ummary:

A little drama rises between the two best friends on their first day in 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

"If you'll be staying in one room, so that means," Eiji told his parents, who apparently didn't hear what Jim just said. "I would be staying with Mom, Dad and Ei---"
"Oh, you'll be staying in the third room as well, Ei-chan," Mrs. Okumura told his son.
It took a few seconds before the boys' eyes widened in shock, realizing what their parents just said.
"WHAT?!"
He wasn't hearing things, right? Did their parents just say that he and Ash were gonna stay in one room? If this was said to him when he was younger, he would definitely feel more than happy because it meant that they were gonna have a slumber party.
But now that they're older, why did he instead feel so...awkward? Was this the effect of becoming a teenager?
"Hey, Ei-chan," Ash suddenly said, snapping Eiji back into reality. "Are you coming in or what? They already put our stuff inside."
"H-Huh?" Eiji stuttered, still trying to process things. "Uh, s-sure. I'm coming."
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he entered the room. His awkwardness disappeared for a moment when he saw that the room had a homely atmosphere. The floors were carpeted and the room was cool because of the air conditioning unit. There was also a closet for their clothes, a small table where they could eat their meals, and a television where they could watch their favorite shows.
Walking towards the window on the opposite side of the room, he smiled in amazement when he saw a stunning view of the city lights outside. And he was even more delighted when he discovered that it was not really a window, but a sliding door leading to a terrace.
He was already enjoying himself, to think that this trip hasn't even started yet.
But when he saw that there was only one large bed in the room, the awkward feeling suddenly came back, along with a little tenseness. If there was only one bed, then that would mean...
"Hey, Ei-chan, what are you standing around for?" Ash asked, who already under the covers. "Aren't you feeling sleepy yet? We're gonna start touring LA tomorrow, you know."
"N-No," Eiji answered, looking away from Ash as his face began to turn red. "I-It's just that..." His voice trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Hold yourself together, Eiji! There's nothing wrong with sleeping next to your best friend, right? C'mon, quit acting weird! Stop it!
Ash chuckled, sitting up. "What's wrong? We used to sleep in the same bed a lot when we were kids, remember? Whenever one of us had nightmares, we would go to each other's room and sleep there."
"Well, there's nothing wrong about that, actually," Eiji replied, letting out a sigh as he sat down on the bed. "It's just that, we're not kids anymore. Things aren't the same as before, you know?"
"Yeah, we may not be kids anymore," said Ash. "But we're still best friends, right?"
Eiji smiled bitterly, once again feeling that familiar pricking pain in his chest. Did he really have to tell that in front of his face?
"Yeah, still best friends," was the only thing he said before he settled down under the covers, his back facing Ash.
What a way to start the vacation trip.
***
The following morning, Eiji didn't realize that he fell asleep until he felt something warm and bright shining on his face. Guess he must be really exhausted after a long flight from New York that he immediately drifted off to sleep the moment his head hit the pillows.
Looking outside the window, he noticed that the sky was already blue and the sun was already shining. Remembering that today would mark the official start of their trip around Los Angeles, he felt excitement coursing through his body.
His lips slowly forming into an elated smile, he was about to sit up to look at the view outside when he felt a light weight on his stomach.
It was no other than Ash's arm wrapped around him.
The raven-haired boy rolled over so he could face Ash, only to find him still fast asleep. And the next thing he knew, he found himself staring at his best friend's sleeping face.
He had to admit, though he's seen him sleeping a lot of times, it was only now that he got to see his face up close. He never knew that he actually looked so handsome when he's asleep, his angelic face looking so innocent behind his long, blonde locks.
He's beautiful.
Right then and there, Eiji realized why Ash was being bullied in school. He looked so beautiful that he was often mistaken for a girl. He thought that a little makeover would make him look more masculine, but he also realized that if that happens, a lot of girls would be chasing after him, which also meant a lot of rivals for him.
Smiling fondly at his best friend, Eiji lightly touched the tip of Ash's nose with his finger in an attempt to wake him up.
"Mmmm," the blonde-haired boy mumbled, stirred from his sleep at the touch of Eiji's finger.
"Ashu, wake up," Eiji whispered.
And as if on cue, Ash slowly opened his eyes, slightly squinting as his vision slowly adjusted from darkness to light. The first thing he saw was Eiji sweetly smiling at him, his dark brown eyes fondly gazing at him.
He couldn't help but smile at the sight. He didn't know why, but his mouth seemed to have a mind of its own because he would always find himself smiling whenever he saw his best friend smiling.
"You look so lovely, Ei-chan," he mumbled in a sleepy voice, his smile slowly widening when he saw Eiji's cheeks turn red. "And you look lovelier when you blush like that."
Wait. What?
Realizing what he just said, he immediately wanted to take his words back, thinking that he probably said them because he was still sleepy.
But at the same time, it somehow felt right to say them.
Well, he would be lying if he said that Eiji didn't look lovely to him. In fact, if it happened that he wasn't his best friend, maybe, just maybe, he would've even had a crush on him.
"Man, Ei-chan," Ash continued as he sat up and stretched out his arms, Eiji following suit. "I suddenly missed eating strawberries because of your red cheeks."
His smile slowly turned into a playful grin, prompting Eiji to hit him on the shoulder.
"Whatever, Aslan."
***
"Ei-chan, can I leave you for a while? I'll just check my social media accounts," Ash asked Eiji that evening. They just got back to the hotel from exploring around the city, and now the two decided to have a movie marathon in their room. In fact, they have already started, as they have been watching movies for the past two hours.
"Oh, sure, Ashu," Eiji answered as he browsed the television with a remote, looking for another movie to watch. "I'll be right here, choosing another movie for us to watch."
And with that, Ash stood up from their bed, holding his phone in his hand, and headed out towards the terrace. On the other hand, Eiji made himself comfortable in bed, playing the movie he chose.
Half an hour passed, but Eiji noticed that Ash was still out in the terrace. He decided to head out to check on him, and at the same time inform him that the movie was about to get to the good parts. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but he noticed that there was a sad look in Ash's eyes as he longingly gazed at his phone screen.
"Why didn't you accept my present? I worked hard for it," Ash mumbled to himself, but it was audible enough for his best friend to hear.
At that moment, Eiji's chest tightened, that familiar pain slowly coming back to him. Present that he worked hard for...he was referring to the teddy bear Trixie rejected, right?
"I worked hard for it, but you just stomped your foot over it."
And just as when he couldn't feel any worse, he leaned over Ash's shoulder and saw that he was looking at a picture of no other than Trixie Tang.
Right then and there, Eiji's vision began to blur as felt like something sharp stabbed him in the chest. He was really sure and confident that this vacation trip would be the perfect time to have Ash all to himself, that this trip would definitely have no Trixie to interrupt their moments.
But boy, was he mistaken. Even in Los Angeles, Ash still thought about Trixie.
Fighting back the tears, Eiji turned around and ran out of the room, silently hoping that Ash wouldn't notice.
Despite the fact that they would be staying here for a month, for some reason, he didn't look forward to the rest of the trip anymore.
***
Ash turned around when he thought he heard footsteps from behind him, but when he looked, there was nobody else on the terrace but him.
Letting out a deep sigh, he took a glance at Trixie's picture one last time before placed his phone back in his pocket, heading back inside the room. When he got in, the television was still on and the movie was still playing, but his best friend wasn't there, much to his surprise.
He brought out his phone again and proceeded to type in a text message, but stopped when he saw Eiji's phone sitting next to the lamp on the bedside table.
Where could his best friend be?
Just then, he suddenly remembered their conversation that afternoon. Earlier, Eiji was telling him that he wanted to go night swimming because he didn't want to risk getting sunburned during the day.
He now had an idea on where to find him.
***
Ash breathed a sigh of relief and smiled when he saw Eiji seated at the edge of the swimming pool, swishing back and forth his legs that were dipped in the water.
Taking off his slippers, he dipped his feet in the pool, sitting next to Eiji. He guessed that his best friend probably wanted to cool himself that's why he came here. The water was cool to the touch, perfect for the warm Los Angeles weather.
Thinking that Eiji probably didn't notice him come here, he gently nudged his best friend's arm with his elbow, but he received no response. He then scooted closer to Eiji, their shoulders touching, and leaned towards him, pushing him towards the left little by little. Because of Ash's weight on Eiji's shoulder, the raven-haired boy almost lost his balance, good thing he had his other arm to support him.
"Ashu," said a surprised Eiji. "You're here."
"Why are you here, Ei-chan?" Ash asked.
"Oh, nothing." Eiji smiled weakly, bowing his head to look at his feet in the water. "I just wanted to come here, that's all."
"Is there anything bothering you?" Ash asked again, sensing the sadness in his best friend's voice.
"You..." Eiji whispered, but it was audible enough for Ash to hear.
"What? Me? What did I do?" Ash's eyes widened in surprise.
In that instant, Eiji's shoulders stiffened and felt like cold water was splashed on him when he realized that Ash actually heard him. He had to think fast, otherwise his best friend would suspect something.
"Huh? D-Did I say you?"
"Yeah," Ash replied. "I heard that. Did I do something wrong?"
"Uh, no, no, no, it's not really you," Eiji said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm just kidding. I mean, why would you be the reason why I'm bothered?" He laughed, a fake one.
"Come on, Ei-chan, spill," Ash answered, a hint of seriousness in his voice. "Tell me what's wrong."
"I told you, it's nothing, Ashu. I just really wanted to come here, so I did."
Ash just let out a sigh, he could tell from the tone of his voice that he was lying through his teeth. He was obviously hiding something, he just didn't want to tell it. Not that he wanted to pressure him though, he just hated seeing his best friend so upset.
After a few minutes of silence, Ash brought out a chocolate bar he took from his backpack earlier and showed it to Eiji, whose eyes twinkled upon seeing it. He was about to take the chocolate bar when Ash suddenly raised his hand upwards, keeping the chocolate out of his reach.
"Hey Ashu, give me that!" the raven-haired boy whined as he tried to reach for the chocolate bar.
"Bleeeeehh!" Ash playfully stuck out his tongue at his best friend before quickly taking his feet off the water. "You'll have to get it from me first!"
And the next thing they knew, they were chasing each other around the poolside. 
"I'm gonna get you, Aslan! The chocolate's mine!" Eiji hollered, running closer towards Ash, who tried to run faster, to no avail. It seemed that the raven-haired boy was now able to run faster because of his training in pole vaulting during Middle School.
Just then, the blonde-haired boy ran over a wet part of the poolside, causing him to suddenly slip. He grabbed onto Eiji's arm for support, but Eiji unfortunately lost his balance as well. The next thing they knew, they found themselves soaking wet as they fell into the pool with a splash.
"Hah! That's what you get for not giving me the chocolate bar, Aslan!" Eiji told him once they emerged from the water. "But don't worry, this is fine too, since I told you that I always wanted to go night swi---"
He hugged Eiji tight, cutting the raven-haired boy off. Though he felt relieved when he saw him grinning and laughing again back there, he has noticed for the past few months that there was something different about his best friend. He just brushed them off, thinking that this was only the effect of becoming a teenager, but he also couldn't help but sense that something's wrong.
"Don't worry, Ei-chan," he whispered, burying his face into Eiji's shoulder. "No matter what happens, I will never leave you and I'll do my best not to hurt you."
He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt the urge to say that to him. After all, seeing his best friend sad was the least thing he wanted.