Banana Fish short stories | ✔

Christmas special

So this is a request from @pastelsfluff and I hope you all enjoy reading it and happy holidays to all of you.

__ - __

It was winter already. Ash was still surprised winter came so quickly it was Christmas Eve tomorrow. For weeks he was too busy to notice how fast time was flying by. He looked up seeing bare trees and lots of Christmas decorations hanging from all around him.

He was in uptown so it wasn't surprising there were so many Christmas lights hanging around, but he never saw so many so he liked looking at them, he found them quite beautiful. Snow fluttered to the ground as the Christmas season covered New York City. Shoppers passed through the streets and stores were crowder than normal. People were walking and pushing through the streets and shops looking for things they believed their children or their loved ones would enjoy. Everybody was smiling cheerfully and happy.

Ash hated this time of a year.

Whenever it's Christmas time Ash always remembers his past, his long-lost happiness, he would see families together smiling and walking beside each other, which always made him remember Griffin.

He continued walking.

He was currently close to the new temporary hideout that he bought using papa Dino's money, the apartment he was using as a hideout. He once again looked up in the murky sky with little snowflakes falling from it and closed his eyes, cold wind ruffling his hair as he sighed softly before something caught his concentration. Pausing in front of one of the shops he looked once again inside and for a few moments he stared inside before walking in. He walked back outside only after few minutes with a little white box in his hands and red bow on it, while he was staring at it he looked both confused and embarrassed, but his Jade eyes were shining with warmth. After a few moments, he put the little box in the pocket of his long brown coat.

Christmas never really meant anything to Ash. It was just another day, the same as any other. He never really celebrated it, at least not since he was a child and yet thought of getting Eiji a gift was really important to him. He didn't know why, but whenever he thought of Eiji receiving the gift he would always imagine him smiling with his eyes shining like he is a kid. That thought alone was enough to make him spend all of his money on something as dumb as on gift, but that one little gift would make Eiji smile so he didn't really care about nothing else, and it wasn't that expansive either.

"It's weird, but Eiji will probably like it. But it's soo weird. How do I even give this to him..." Before he even noticed, he was standing in frot of his doors and unlocking them. He was greeted with the smell of warm meal.

He smiled at the sight of Eiji cooking in the kitchen covered in flour.

* * *

"Oh, you're already awake." Eiji noted and walked to a younger American boy sitting across the tree with his back leaning on the corner of the sofa while he watched twinkling lights. Eiji took a seat next to him and rested his chin on his knees with a soft smile. Their Christmas tree was average-size with golden and white ornaments hanging from it, balls with golden details, raindeers and small snowmen smiling with their colorful hats and scarfs, angels with wings flying next to it, sparkling white lights seemed like tiny stars when glittering on the night shy and big yellow star on top of it reflected the sparkles with equal beauty. Eiji felt his smile widening as he remembered his clumsy American friend helping him decorate it. Ash looked like a small, excited child and no, his words of protest didn't change that. "Ash, present!" Eiji tugged on his sleeve as he pointed at the little white present with a red bow on it. Ash let his gaze fall before he crawled to it and geabbed it. He extended his hand bestowing it to Eiji. "It's for you." He murmured.