We Belong Together - Banana Fish Ash x Eiji One Shot

What if...

- It's time, Eiji - mister Ibe urged, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder - Have you bid everyone goodbye?

No. He hadn't. The dark-haired boy was waving at the three of his friends hidden behind a column, but his eyes kept trailing off towards the main entrance to the airport reception.

Someone was missing. The most important one. The one whose presence caused Eiji to land in the wheelchair with a big wound in his stomach. The one who kept scaring everyone with his dangerous exploits. The one who made the Japanese boy genuinely smile for the first time in a long while.

Ash wasn't there. In ten minutes mister Ibe and Eiji would embark and leave America, maybe for ever. The dark-haired boy would come back to his family, to college and a normal life. There was a huge chance of the two teenagers never seeing each other again.

And the blond refused to pitch up. To hug his best friend and wish him good luck. To crack a smile while saying 'Sayounara' with his broken accent. Even thank the nineteen-year-old for saving his life.

Eiji could have felt betrayed or angry for Ash's obdurateness. But he knew exactly what his best friend was going through at that moment, and that's because he was struggling himself. Everything, starting with the Japanese's first day in New York, seemed to had sworn to keep the boys seperated. No matter what they were doing to protect one another from a certain death, the effects were the opposite of what they meant to accomplish. And the nineteen-year-old's trip to the hospital was the straw that broke the camel's back. Ash was the last one Eiji would accuse of ever backing down from the battle, and this time he did. This strong and fearless Ash Lynx had actually let the world win.

Though several people had tried to convince him that he's not worthy of the blond's attention, Eiji learnt to simply brush it off. He might have been shy and naive, but definitely not stupid. Whenever the two got some time to spend together, the Japanese could observe the side of Ash nobody had known about. The crying face of a cute little boy scared of people and pumpkins. A wild beast becoming a small kitty.

Eiji was the only one who was allowed to see this transformation. And this thought alone was making him happier than any kind word could. Ash trusted him. And he trusted Ash with his life. Although the pain from his wound was unbearable, the Japanese couldn't help but smile every once in a while seeing the bandages around his stomach. The memory of the time he paid his debt and saved the blond's life.

He definitely wasn't awaiting a 'Thank you' or anything like this. It was his own decision to sacrifice himself for the eighteen-year-old and he would have done that again if he had to. Eiji wasn't fragile or weak anymore - now he was the one to protect others. And Ash was the one he wanted to protect the most. One minute would have been enough for him to meet his best friend and check if he was okay.

Ash also wanted to protect the Japanese. But in a completely opposite way: not meeting him ever again.

A soft pat on the shoulder pulled Eiji away from his thoughts. He looked up at mister Ibe and forced a smile.

- Yes. Let's go.

The man furrowed his eyebrows but nodded and pushed the wheelchair. Eiji clenched his fists, looked down on his lap, trying to prevent the tears from falling. Suddenly, a voice called out, breaking through the crowd's noise.

- Boss?!

The Japanese turned his head so quickly it made his neck hurt. Not wasting time on asking mister Ibe to move away, he simply stood up from the wheelchair, stumbling slightly in the process. All of the people around him urging him to be careful and sit down had become a mere whisper, inaudible for the boy.