Worth It {Ash x Eiji}

Old Friends

{ Sorry for disappearing, loves. How has everyone been? Anyways, have fun with the roller coaster ride that is this chapter.

No I will not elaborate~}

Even when they did get to Shorter's to visit, Ash watched everything like a hawk. He kept peering out of the front curtains and checking the back door, then making his rounds.

" Ash, please... what's going on?" Eiji asked.

Shorter was on the couch with a heating pad on his shoulder, looking between the two with an arched brow.

" Someone was tailing us... I felt it... I know I did..." Ash shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. What the hell... he'd known from a young age when others were watching him. It was one of the only tools he'd had to survive, and that's why his instincts were so fine tuned. To think he didn't know who it was... it was nerve wracking.

Who were they? Did they want to hurt Eiji? Were they looking to kill?

Ash scratched his head and paced.

" Um... Ash. I'm sure it's fine. Why don't you sit down for a second?" Shorter tried to tell him. " I have deadbolts on all my doors... and if they came in through a window we would hear..."

Eiji stared up at Ash as his eyes beaded from side to side. He just wanted to wrap his arms around him, but he didn't.

Ash took a deep breath, then plopped down on the couch between Shorter and Eiji. His leg bounced a little as he sat there even as he tried to ignore it.

" Shorter, anyways... you're doing okay? Nothing's infected or anything?" Eiji asked, then smiled over at him gently. He reached to hold Ash's hand, not making it obvious as he rubbed his palm with his thumb.

" Yeah, I'm okay. Sing has been stopping by to help me patch myself up and apply ointment. Really it's more achy than anything if I don't heat it." Shorter explained. " I'm sure the muscles around it are swollen and aggravated and heat helps..."

Ash shook his head and tried to pull himself together. Eiji's warm thumb rubbing him like that seemed to help.

" Be careful with the heat... sometimes it'll make the inflammation worse." He told his friend. " But I'm happy that it's not too bad."

" It's just one little hole... it's not like he blew my arm off or anything." Shorter scoffed. " I'll be back in the game by the end of the week no problem... which, speaking of that, do you have a plan for Yut-Lung?"

Ash had to try and think straight. Ironic when he was in the middle of holding Eiji's hand, but whatever.

" We should take him out before Dino... since we know where the old man is. If he moves or does something we can more easily keep tabs on him. But with Yut-Lung, we can trust he's in Manhattan now and we have to act on it. It's just a matter of sniffing the asshole out..." He murmured, then stared at the wall.

" I agree, man. Where do we start?" Shorter asked.

" I've been trying to figure that out... things might've just gotten more complicated, though. If someone is tailing me... I'll be forced into handling things." Ash muttered.

Shorter then noticed the fact that Eiji had a hold of Ash's hand, then raised an eyebrow. Okay, the mafia and all that bullshit was important, but he needed some tea about that. Since when...? Did Ash confess?

" Right..." Shorter said, his face developing a slight smirk. " So, what have you two been up to?" He made it clear that he was looking at their hands, not trying to hide it anymore.