no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 24

Chapter 24: Vexation

Summary:

When Ash finds out that Shorter loves his best friend, his emotions suddenly become awry.

Notes:

For everyone's guidance, Ash is 13 and Eiji is 15.
Anyways, enjoy the update!

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

Chapter Text

It was already 11 PM, but the party still went on though some of the guests already headed home. It was a Saturday night anyway, so it was alright for them if they stayed a little bit longer.
After Shorter's surprise confession, the two boys decided to head back to the group. Eiji was almost unable to respond when Nadia asked them what took them so long and why they disappeared all of a sudden, but Shorter quickly backed him up, saying that he had to accompany Eiji because the raven-haired boy suddenly felt the need to go to the bathroom.
On the other hand, almost an hour passed since the big question, but Ash still felt like he was on cloud nine. Until now, he still couldn't believe that Trixie actually allowed him to court her. Because of this, he couldn't wait anymore for Monday to come. He now had a reason to actually look forward to going to school.
But while he was in a blissful state, he also couldn't help but notice that Eiji hasn't spoken even a single word to him since the start of the party. Though they had small talks every now and then, he never really got the chance to talk to his best friend because he seemed so busy mingling with his friends. He even asked him at one point what was going on with him, but Eiji just answered that it would be considered rude to leave his friends behind during social events like these.
He didn't know why, but he somehow felt a little irritated whenever he saw either Bones or Kong trying to flirt with Eiji. He had this sudden urge to walk over to them and give each of them a whack to their heads, but at the same time he couldn't leave Trixie alone, especially now that he was officially courting her.
But that was not what really caught his attention, what he really noticed tonight was that Eiji was with Shorter the whole time. He couldn't seem to fathom his own emotions whenever he noticed how wide Eiji's smiles were around the purple-haired boy, why did he seem so happy whenever they were together?
What could be the real score between them? It was something he definitely must know.
***
After waiting for the perfect opportunity, Ash didn't hesitate to approach the Chinese boy when he saw him all alone at the buffet table, helping himself to a glass of punch.
"Hey Shorter," he said, sidling up next to the purple-haired boy. "I have something to ask you."
"Yeah?" Shorter casually answered, taking a sip from his glass. "What is it?"
"Tell me the truth, what's the status between you and Ei-chan?"
And with that, Shorter's eyes widened. He stopped drinking from his glass and turned around to face the blonde-haired boy.
"What are you talking about? We don't have a status yet," he answered.
"You don't have a status? Then what is Ei-chan to you now?"
"I love him, Ash," Shorter replied, his lips slowly curling into a small smile as he glanced over to where Eiji was seated. "I love your best friend."
Right then and there, Ash's mouth dropped open. Shocked and stunned on how straightforward his answer was, he stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the purple-haired boy. Though he was already aware that Shorter had feelings for Eiji since his best friend told him all about it, it still felt different hearing it from the Chinese boy himself.
"W-What? What did you just say?" he asked. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt anger flow through him the moment Shorter said those words. He clenched his hands into fists in an attempt to suppress it, but why was he suddenly feeling angry in the first place?
"Didn't you hear what I just said, Ash?" Shorter looked at the blonde-haired boy dead in the eye. "I said, I love Eiji."
"Are you serious?!" Ash himself was surprised at the sudden angry tone of his voice. Some of the other guests even looked over at them because of how loud his voice came out. What was happening to him?
"I'm dead serious, Ash. You could ask Eiji about it, and he could attest to that."
"Wha---"
"Hey Shorter, Ash, what's going on?" Alex suddenly asked from behind them, grabbing a glass of punch from the table. "Is there any problem here?"
The purple-haired boy just drank the remaining liquid in his glass before turning back to Ash with a smug look on his face.
"I love Eiji, Ash. And I'll make him mine."
And with that, Shorter left, leaving the blonde-haired boy frozen in his spot.
***
Ash grimaced, letting out a deep sigh as he sat alone on the couch. It was getting late, and most of the guests already went home, leaving him, Eiji, Shorter and his other friends the only ones left at the penthouse. Trixie also left just a few minutes ago, saying that she would see him again on Monday.
Of course, he would be lying if he said that he didn't feel happy about it, because that meant Trixie also looked forward to seeing him again as much as he did. But now that he was all alone, he suddenly felt uneasy. He never even had a single drop of alcohol during the party, but he felt like his head was spinning.
As he was figuring out why he his emotions were so topsy-turvy, he glanced over to where Eiji, Shorter and his friends were seated. When he saw that the group was laughing boisterously, the raven-haired boy included, he suddenly apprehended the reason of this peculiar, bothering feeling.
The entire time, he couldn't seem to get over what Shorter told him earlier at the buffet table. Seeing how serious he looked when he declared his feelings for Eiji, he knew that the Chinese boy wasn't kidding. He didn't know why, but he instantly felt uncomfortable the moment Shorter said that he loved his best friend.
And the feeling somehow worsened when he saw how happy Eiji was with the purple-haired boy.
He couldn't help but think, does Eiji feel the same way about Shorter? Judging from the way the raven-haired boy smiled, it seemed like he did. He's never seen his best friend smile like that before, it looked like he really did enjoy the Chinese boy's company.
But if Eiji did like Shorter, why wasn't Eiji saying anything to him? Wasn't he supposed to be the first to know about the progress on the status of their relationship?
He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out the reason why he was feeling so weird, and not the good kind of weird. Just thinking about the possibility of Eiji liking Shorter back made him feel that he would lose his best friend in the process, and he didn't want that. He didn't like the idea of losing Eiji, he didn't like the idea of Eiji's attention turning away from him.
And most of all, he totally dreaded the idea of Eiji liking someone else.
But the question was, why was he so affected by this in the first place?
***
It was almost midnight when the party ended. While the grown-ups were busy cleaning up the penthouse, Ash decided to walk up to Eiji, who was still busy talking with Shorter on the couch. As the two boys shared a laugh, they seemed to be in their own little world, not noticing the blonde-haired boy approaching them.
Seeing this, Ash's aloof expression instantly turned into an annoyed frown. He just couldn't understand, why does he feel his emotions going haywire every time he saw Eiji and Shorter together?
"Ei-chan," he said, making the two pause from their playful banter and look at him.
"Oh, Ashu," answered Eiji, rising from his seat. "What's up? Let's go home?"
"Yeah. I'm starting to feel sleepy, you know."
"Are you tired too, E?" Shorter rose from his seat as well. "C'mon, let me walk you home."
But before the purple-haired boy could even lay a finger on Eiji's shoulder, Ash quickly grabbed his best friend's arm and pulled him closer to him.
"I'll take him home this time, Shorter," he said, an ice-cold gaze in his eyes as he looked at the Chinese boy. "We're neighbors after all."
A questioning look formed on Eiji's face as his eyes darted between Ash's emotionless face and Ash's hand on his arm in a mix of confusion and disbelief. What's gotten into him? Why was he suddenly acting like this?
"Um, Ashu's right, S," he said. "I guess I'll see you on Monday, then?"
"By the way E, there's a new Japanese restaurant near our school and I would like to give it a try. Wanna join me?" Shorter asked.
"A Japanese restaurant? Sure, I'm up for it. As long as you're treating me, that is." Eiji grinned at him.
"Really now, E? You really love freebies, huh?" And since he was no longer wearing his witch hat, Shorter's hand reached up and ruffled Eiji's hair, much to his annoyance.
"Yaaaah! Hey! I spent a whole hour trying to fix my hair!" the Japanese boy whined, his own hand reaching up in an attempt to rearrange his hair back to its original form.
"Hahaha! It's okay E, you're still cute anyway." Shorter grinned, draping his arm around Eiji's shoulder.
Eiji just playfully stuck his tongue out at the Chinese boy in response, making the both of them laugh. They didn't notice Ash's flat expression slowly turning into an incensed glare, unconsciously tightening his grip on Eiji's arm.
What the fuck? Why the hell are they so happy when they're together? Ei-chan and I rarely get the chance to talk like that these days! Tch. This is so annoying.
"C'mon, Ei-chan. It's getting late. And besides, Nadia and the others could be waiting for Shorter already." Ash's voice held no emotion.
"Uh, Ashu," Eiji tried to tell his best friend that the grip on his arm was a little too tight, but the dull countenance on the blonde-haired boy's face made him think that he absolutely had no intention to listen to him right now.
"Hey dude, let go of him. You're starting to hurt him, you know." Shorter held Ash's arm in an attempt to calm him down, but Ash suddenly whirled around and gave Shorter a hard shove, his jade-green eyes beginning to burn with anger as he glared at the purple-haired boy.
"Don't touch me," he grunted in reply, causing Eiji and Shorter to look at each other. Ash's voice was calm and level-headed, but the two other boys could sense the underlying rage in it. And Eiji knew very well that his best friend was definitely pissed off whenever he spoke in this tone.
"I'm sorry, S," the raven-haired boy answered, offering an apologetic smile. "I guess Ashu's starting to feel a bit cranky because he's tired from partying all night." He laughed nervously. "So, text you later?"
Shorter shrugged his shoulders. "I'm too lazy to text, so I'm gonna call you instead. Sound good?"
Eiji giggled, playfully hitting Shorter's arm. "Lazy ass. Haha! Sure, you could call me. See you on Monday!" He waved his hand.
"C'mon, Ei-chan," Ash said as he began to walk away, pulling Eiji along with him. "It's getting late."
***
There was an awkward silence between the two best friends as they walked along the hallway leading to their respective apartment units, Ash still trying to figure out why he was feeling so upset tonight.
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Shouldn't he be happy because the girl he liked finally allowed him to court her? But why was he feeling this way instead? Why was he getting so worked up over Eiji bonding with someone else? And why was he so bothered by the fact that Shorter loved his best friend?
"Hey Ashu, what's your problem?" Eiji nudged Ash's shoulder with an elbow, snapping the blonde-haired boy out of his thoughts. "You've been acting weird tonight, is there something wrong?"
"Tch. It's nothing," the American boy replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Oh, okay then."
And with that, Ash clenched his jaw. Seriously? Was that all Eiji could answer? Wasn't he gonna insist on asking him or something?
He let out an sigh, maybe lack of sleep was the reason why he was feeling this way. It was already midnight, and his body was starting to show signs of weariness. He always got cranky whenever he was tired or didn't get enough sleep, so this might explain the reason of his odd behavior.
"Actually, you're my problem right now, Ei-chan."
And with that, Eiji gave him a confused look. "Huh? Why me? What did I do?"
"I think you forgot to tell me something."
Eiji's confused look intensified. "And what would that be?"
"Something about you and that Shorter," Ash hissed, stopping in his tracks, and he couldn't help but cringe at the amount of venom contained in that single name.
"Well, what about Shorter and me?" Eiji still looked confused.
"What do you mean, what about Shorter and you?!" Ash couldn't help but raise his voice, he was really getting pissed off right now. "Well breaking news Eiji, he just fucking told me that he loves you!"
"Oh," was the only thing Eiji could answer.
"Oh?" Ash asked, his mouth twitching into a half smile. "Is that all you could say, Eiji? Oh?"
Eiji's forehead crumpled. "Well, what else do you want me to say, Ashu?"
"Why didn't you tell me, huh?" the blonde-haired boy growled. "Weren't you supposed to tell me first if there was any progress on your relationship?"
"Don't worry, I never told anyone else about it yet," Eiji tried to lighten the mood, but apparently, this was a very bad thing to say.
"I'm not playing jokes here, Eiji!" Ash yelled. "Why didn't you tell me?! In case you forgot, I'm your best friend!"
"Why the hell are you getting so pissed off about this, Aslan?!" Eiji couldn't help but snap back. "Alright, fine! Shorter just confessed his feelings to me. He told me that he loves me and he even kissed me after that. There, happy now? No need to get so worked up about it, sheesh."
And just like that, Ash's anger was gone. All rage drained from his body and he suddenly felt tired, both physically and emotionally. His expression softened as his whole body went numb for a few seconds, then it was followed by an unpleasant, piercing sensation in his chest. The pain was so intense that he almost couldn't breathe. He didn't know what hurt more: Eiji confirming Shorter's feelings towards him, or the fact that Eiji kissed someone else.
What was happening to him?
"H-He kissed you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Eiji nodded his head as he bowed, a faint blush spreading on his cheeks. "I was surprised myself, Ashu. I didn't know he would do that, I swear."
"B-But why? Why didn't you tell me sooner, Ei-chan?" Ash clenched his hands into fists. He was too tired to get mad, but for some reason he became furious upon learning that Shorter made such a bold move on Eiji. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt the urge to beat the hell out of the purple-haired boy the moment he would see him. 
Eiji let out a sigh. "I just didn't know how to tell you, Ashu. I tried to talk to you earlier during the party, but you were so busy."
"But I wasn't busy, Ei-chan. You saw how available I was the whole time, right? You should've approached me right away after Shorter confessed to you."
Eiji shook his head. "You were too busy courting Trixie, and I didn't wanna ruin your moment."
And with that, Ash pulled Eiji into a tight embrace, realizing that he was the one to blame for this. He was so busy spending time with Trixie that he never really had the chance to catch up with his best friend. He always talked about what was happening between him and Trixie, but he never asked what was going on between Eiji and Shorter.
"I'm so sorry, Ei-chan," he said. "How could I be so selfish? Man, I'm really sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Ashu," Eiji answered, a weak smile on his lips as he pulled away from the hug. "It's not your fault if you wanted to share with me how happy you were."
"But I'm still guilty for not giving you the chance to talk. I'm sorry, okay? But always remember, no matter what happens, I'll always love you, best friend."
Then Ash tenderly cupped Eiji's face with his hands, looking straight into his eyes.
"I love you, Ei-chan."
And with that, Eiji's eyes widened. He hugged Ash tightly as felt his chest constrict, but not in the good kind of way. Though he technically told him that he loved him, he knew that he only loved him as his best friend. He should no longer expect for more, he should be already be contented with what they had.
"I love you too Ashu, so much. But I really need to forget these feelings," he whispered the last part so his best friend wouldn't hear.
"Huh?" Ash asked.
"Nothing."
The blonde-haired boy said nothing after that, he just hugged Eiji back, burying his face into his soft, raven-black hair. Though he was unsure of his emotions, as he still couldn't fully comprehend why he was feeling completely unnerved tonight, there was one thing he was definitely sure of.
He loved Eiji so much that he was considered the other half of his life. He was not only his best friend, but his brother as well.
And he was almost his everything before Trixie came into his life.