Worth It {Ash x Eiji}

Coming Around

{ Domestic AshEiji makes me soft...}

It was way past noon the next day when Ash's eyes popped open. He was alone in bed, rolled up like a burrito in the comforter. He was completely encased, but unlike hours before... he wasn't wrapped around Eiji.

His eyes bulged and he nearly choked as he remembered what happened in the middle of the night, curling up in a tiny ball of embarrassment. How could he have fucked up like that?! No one ever got to see that side of him... until last night. Damn it. Hopefully Eiji just wouldn't ever bring it up again. He prayed to any god out there that it would be the case.

Sitting up, he raked a hand through his hair. Where even was Eiji? He wasn't in bed. Ash's first instinct was to panic, but he figured that Eiji had to have been awake by then. Making his way out of bed, he headed to the kitchen, finding that Eiji was on his laptop in the living room, his school textbooks sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

" Good morning, sleepy head." Eiji teased as he heard Ash's footsteps, all the while he continued to type and catch up on the shit ton of work he'd missed. If he had any hopes of graduating on time, he had to haul ass, but it wasn't like he didn't have all day. He'd be fine. Ash on the other hand... after last night, he wasn't so sure.

" Oh shut it." Ash grumbled, pouring himself some coffee.

Eiji huffed, knowing Ash was always grumpy when he woke up. He wasn't bothered about it, though, remembering the night before. Ash had finally been a little bit honest about the way that he felt, even if he hadn't spilled his feelings completely. There had been enough said and done where Eiji had an idea: he wasn't crazy and Shorter's advice was spot on.

" Has my phone been ringing at all?" Ash asked, sitting in the arm chair to the side of where Eiji was doing his work.

" No. I'm sure Shorter is waiting to hear from you..." Eiji replied. He knew he couldn't bring up what happened. Ash seemed pretty flustered by it, and he figured if he just left it alone, then Ash would've been more likely to be honest and bring it up, right? Cause the tension would've been too much? Maybe Eiji actually had no idea what he was doing.

" Probably. I don't even know." Ash rubbed his forehead and drank some of the steamy coffee. " I think I'm gonna hop in the shower really quick." He told Eiji, but it was really just because he needed to clear his head and let his feelings settle. He'd shown Eiji his most vulnerable side... and he didn't even bring it up.

He knew what the right thing to do was, he really did. But as he kept thinking about it, it was even harder to admit. All he could do was wait for the courage to come to him, and maybe he could do something about it.

Eiji shut his computer and put it aside as he heard the water running. He didn't even know what to do with himself, having gotten so sick of math and essays. He turned on the TV as background noise so he wouldn't go insane as he thought about it.

He, Eiji Okumura, 18, a foreign exchange student, had fallen in love with Ash. He loved him, and it was clear to him at that point, especially after he'd confessed it to his parents and Ibe on a whim. It wasn't obvious what kind of love he had... not sure if it was sexual or physical or emotional, but whatever it was, it was unconditional. Even as he pondered it, he couldn't ponder life if Ash wasn't in it. The thought of returning to Japan and never hearing Ash's voice or his laugh, without seeing his face ever again... it was a nightmare. Someone might as well have kicked his world like a soccer ball if that happened.

" I can't tell..." He whispered to himself. " Shorter said to wait..."

And so he would, even if it killed him.