Worth It {Ash x Eiji}

Bombshell

{ The anime doesn't say much about Eiji's family and I haven't read the manga, so I'm not sure about that one. I made up names and personalities for his family members in this story tho. I hope you like them :). }

Ever since the funeral, Ash had been focused on moving on. He loved Skip and knew that he could never ever forget him. But to get justice, he knew that he had to put a lot of his brain power toward getting revenge on Dino and Yut-lung. He thought back to his conversation with Shorter the night before on the way back to New York City.

" This is my fight, too... Yut-Lung and the Lee's are going to have to deal with me." Shorter said from the driver's seat.

Ash understood why Shorter would've been so heated about it, being as he had affiliations with the people who'd helped in killing Skip.

" I won't deny you the right to get revenge. You can have your second in command handle the intel, right?" Ash asked. He knew that if Yut-Lung and the Lee's had turned on Shorter's people, there was no telling who might've been a middle man.

" Yeah. I'll take care of this..."

" Then I'll focus on Dino for now."

" Ash. Hey... what are you doing up so early?" Eiji yawned from the bed, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. There was one bedroom in the apartment which contained two beds, one for each of them. And they were all alone. Though Ibe had asked to take Eiji with him for the night, Ash had told him no, and that Eiji was safer with him. And Max had gone back to Jessica and Michael for the night, all the while Ash had his men patrolling both properties, as well as researching Dino's men and the scientist Shorter had told them about. Plus... they still had no idea where Alex Dawson had ended up in this mess.

Ash turned over his shoulder, being as he was staring out the window and watching the sun rise over the buildings. There were a few things that he really, truly, enjoyed in life, and that was one of them.

" Don't worry about it... go back to sleep." He told Eiji.

" Well I'm up now." Eiji rubbed his eyes. He was still achy from all of his bruises and cuts but that was the first morning since the incident that he didn't have a sharp pain while sitting up in bed. There was definitely an improvement, and he was more worried about Ash if he was being honest. The other had probably taken more of a beating himself over the course of fighting his way in and out of the building.

Ash wondered if maybe being around Eiji so much was dangerous for both of them. He knew that his feelings were strong and as much as he kept on trying to fight them... Eiji was like a radiant light in the cesspool of his life, and he had a constant desire to be around him. He tried to shove the thoughts out of his mind for that moment, though, coming over and plopping on the bed.

" Why don't you go make some coffee if you're so awake then?" He teased.

Eiji deadpanned. He knew that he couldn't say no to that smug look on Ash's face, though, so he headed to the kitchen. They had a very simple and clean set up in there, even if the walls were dingy and there were cracks in the floor. He poured some of the coffee grounds into the pot, then some water, and leaned back against the cabinets, staring to the ceiling.

Was Ash really okay? Did Ash need him more than he'd admit to?

Eiji knew that he had to do something about what he was feeling, but the best course of action was one he didn't know. Maybe he should've been talking to Shorter about everything and asking for advice, but that wasn't really possible at the moment. Eiji didn't exactly have a phone anymore, and Ash was watching him like a hawk. There was no way he could sneak over to Chinatown to find him, not without Ash, and that would've completely defeated the purpose.