Spirit Bound - A Banana Fish Soulmate AU - art by @ashconny

The Bond Always Reveals The Truth

I haven't updated the story in over a year. Sorry about that 🥺

When Ash and Eiji want to go sightseeing and figure out how their soul bond works they are caught by surprise. After they begin their sightseeing tour, Ash tries to hide his true emotions because he's used to it, while Eiji notices that Ash's behavior changes after entering Central Park...

This is part one of three chapters about them figuring out their bond. In the first chapter, Ash has a hard time to trust Eiji. His heart tells him that he can trust his soulmate but his mind still questions if trusting someone unconditionally is a wise choice because he barely knows anything about him...

"What the fuck are you doing here, Shorter?"

Ash and Eiji had decided to meet in Bryant Park. Eiji had told Ash that he wanted to drop by Ibe's photo studio to hand him his college schedule and discuss his internship before meeting up, and the park was close by.

What they hadn't counted on was that Shorter was here as well.

While he smiled at him, pleasantly surprised, Ash shot his best friend a death glare that would have made everyone tremble in fear. It didn't work on Shorter, though. He replied with sarcasm and a mischievous grin, obviously used to Ash's impulsiveness.

"It's great to see you, too, Ash."

Eiji couldn't help but grin to himself. It was hilariously funny to him that Ash's feelings shown on his face utterly contradicted the feelings radiating through the bond. The bond always revealed the truth, your genuine emotions. Even if you controlled the bond, you couldn't hide your feelings entirely, just the intensity, so your soulmate wouldn't be affected. Since Ash couldn't handle the bond yet, Eiji felt the entirety of his genuine emotions.

Ash's face showed irritation and stubbornness, while the bond revealed genuine surprise and happiness. He also saw it in his posture. When he had met him, his posture and the bond had uncovered his nervousness, while with Shorter, he had relaxed instantly since they shared not a soul bond but an equally powerful bond of trust and profound friendship.

"Why are you acting like a pouting three-year-old when you know it doesn't work on me? You just don't like that I caught you off guard and ruined all your meticulous planning for today. Eiji doesn't mind, right?" Shorter turned his head to him and met his gaze.

He grinned at Shorter and said, "Of course not. You're the one convincing my soul mate to meet me, after all. I'll be eternally grateful for that. Thank you again."

Shorter put an arm around Eiji's shoulder, knowing perfectly well this would provoke Ash even more. His smirk confirmed that.

"You see? Eiji actually knows how to show his appreciation and how to thank people. You can learn a lot from him about decent human behavior."

Eiji noticed with some amusement how a little tickle of jealousy had been flowing through the bond as soon as Shorter had gotten closer and put an arm around him. Looking at Shorter's gaze, he knew perfectly well how Ash felt and had done it to provoke him. It was undeniable how close those two were. Shorter could read Ash like an open book, no soul bond necessary. And Ash could do the same and always wore a much softer expression when he was with him.

"Shorter, you're doing this on purpose. Stop teasing him. He can't control the bond yet, so his mood swings affect me, too."

'Ash, you know he's just here because he worries, right? You should be grateful to have such a great friend. We would never have met without him. And you know that he loves mocking you.'