.
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On their way through a vaguely familiar stretch of neighborhood, Max insists on making a detour.
"Feed me," Ash complains from the backseat of Max's brand new rental, digging his heels periodically, roughly, into the back of the driver's seat. He doesn't seem at all deterred by the loud, angry cursing.
Shorter laughs to himself from the opposite end, his nose crinkling visibly.
He nudges Eiji who sits between him and Ash and motions for him to stare down his cellphone's glowing screen. Eiji's lips twitch up silently, caring less about the hilarious Vine compilation that Shorter wants him to see, but he feels Ash leaning comfortably and noticeably against him, folding his lower arms over Eiji's shoulder and resting his chin down. He peers over with bland curiosity to see what they're watching.
It's like this until they reach a cul-de-sac surrounded by throngs of people and barbecue grills, their music selection deafening out the nearby Los Angeles traffic. Multitudes of picnic tables are littered with gigantic rolls of pastel-colored tickets and white Styrofoam plates of deep-fried junk food.
Somehow, Eiji finds himself lost. He tries to avoid bumping into strangers, maneuvering awkwardly and excusing himself when a teenage girl runs past him, hitting him with her long and reddish-brown braid.
On a patch of mostly empty grass along the outskirts of the outdoor faire, Jessica and Max argue lowly. All of Eiji's group lingers by a crudely-built, wooden stand. The top wooden plank has KISSING BOOTH freshly painted in bright, gleaming red and $1 FOR A KISS right next to it.
"All of the proceeds go to the Red Cross, you idiot—" Jessica now bellows out in disbelief. Max cringes, rubbing the back of his neck. "They would have to be blind to not wanna kiss him—"
"I can hear you, you know," Ash snaps. "Find someone else."
His jade-green eyes narrow in challenge as Jessica stomps over to him. Shorter backs off, leaving Ash to face her wrath on his own, holding up his hands and blows air rudely through his lips.
"This is for CHARITY, you little punk!"
"It's prostitution, hag," Ash replies, his upper lip sneering.
Max makes an offended, choking noise. "Nobody's paying you!" he insists.
"Then you're doing it WRONG!"
The bickering continues on between the three of them, with Shorter yelling out to Eiji that he is heading out to the face-painting tent. Eiji waves back, smiling, glancing at Michael who ignores everyone else and overturns his bicycle, distracting himself by spinning the front wheel and the rear.
Eiji remembers as a kid doing the same thing, just for fun or out of boredom. He and his friends would pretend they were mad scientists, conducting experiments or attempting to manipulate the wind directions, or the sun itself. Do his friends miss him? Has his parents spoken to any of them since Eiji decided to stay a bit longer in America? Eiji has only been talking to Akio and Toshi since heading to college.
The spokes on the bicycle wheel flash-flare silvery.
He pulls himself out of his deep thoughts, blinking inquisitively when the bickering increases in volume. Ash storms across the grass, turning around quickly and giving a double flip-off with his middle fingers.
"Hey! Don't you make any of those vulgar gestures in front of Michael!" Jessica shouts, her lovely, pink-sunburned face squinting in annoyance. "Don't roll your eyes at me either—"
Ash presses in, slipping an arm deliberately around Eiji. He sighs.
He can't help it but Eiji's heart always flutters when they're close like this. Seeing the scarlet-bright of Ash's zip-up and his creamy yellow hair floating over Ash's jawline and pale eyelashes. Ash smells like strong dark-roast coffee and a whiff of peppermint gum. It's nice.
"C'mon, Eiji. Let's scram before these old farts get a clue."
Eiji makes a contemplative noise, watching his profile softly. "Don't you wanna help?"
"Not really…" Ash mutters, gazing at the other man.
They stare wordlessly for a beat. His fingers slide attentively, gently over Eiji's middle, releasing him.
"Fine," he says in defeat, making a slight face. "Whatever, but I'm gonna stay for a half an hour only and that's it. Then we can visit the Griffith Observatory." Ash's expression brightens, and every part of Eiji feels warm for it. "Shorter looked it up and said they've opened a new interior star lab and telescope exhibit."
"I think I would like that," Eiji declares, smiling widely, their hands brushing together. Ash's thumb skims lightly over Eiji's knuckles, sending his nerve-ends into small, delightful tickles.
He finally looks away from Ash's adoring, open gaze, flustered and embarrassed when someone cat-calls them in the distance and Max begins calling for Ash. A sound like ttch! escapes Ash's lips, as he yells back at Max, sulking, and takes off. Their hands loosening apart.
.
.
Jessica hoists herself onto a metal, foldout chair, scribbling hastily $10 over the dollar sign in permanent black marker. Ash remains where he is and mumbles under his breath about hoping she falls hard on her ass, pulling off his red zip-up.
(He's already demanded going to a nice restaurant for his troubles. None of that cheap fast food shit.)
They've already drawn in a number of girls and young men who cheer and gawk and titter about Ash's obvious physical beauty. Eiji stands by himself, crossing his arms and telling himself that it's fine. They're helping.
"—oh my god, Lauren—"
"—he's cute—"
"—pretty just like a girl—"
"—has to be famous, I swear I've seen him play an action hero on TV—"
Hearsay? Gossip? Eiji doesn't remember the correct word in English.
Well, he knows that Ash has threatened some form of violence if anyone dared to stick their tongue in his mouth. In a way, Eiji wouldn't blame him. One of the first girls had been unnecessarily clingy with him, grabbing Ash's hand during a simple, short closemouthed kiss and later bragging to her friends about it.
A flicker of irritable, sullen heat rises up Eiji's chest.
The line keeps growing. It's been eight minutes and Ash looks beyond words frustrated about this situation, propping up his elbows on the booth's counter and dropping the side of his face against a ball-up fist. Various shades of pink and red lipstick smeared shiny over Ash's entire mouth. His fine, blond hair tousled and sweat-glistening. He watches on disinterested as a physical fist-fight erupts between two guys about who cut in front of who, prompting the local faire-ground security to break it up and drag them off, kicking and screaming.
Jessica hurries over, gesturing for Eiji.
"Let's switch it up! Eiji, your turn!" she beams, singsonging.
"HUH?!"
Tension dissolves fast as Ash gets pushed dramatically out of the booth, and Jessica heaves Eiji in his place. A collection of groans.
But, to Eiji's astonishment, most of the girls stick around.
Oh, no. No. No, no.
Ash wanders away, half-turning, seemingly concentrated on his phone and typing frantically. Dismayed by Ash's lack of concern for his friend's own well-being, Eiji groans out helplessly. Not lucky.
He can feel a twinge of panic overtaking him, making Eiji's hands shaky. The girl who rushes in, paying her ten dollars to Jessica and giggling, is very pretty. Curls of millennial pink hair. Straight teeth. Brown eyes. Hispanic. Eiji's brain doesn't know what to do but catalogue when she gleefully puckers up.
Eiji shut his eyes, wincing, trying to remain still.
He jolts, nearly reeling backwards and into the grass, when something goes BANG! on the wooden-plank counter. Ash has slammed down his phone between Eiji and this girl, staring furiously in Jessica's direction.
"10k," he growls, "right now, no questions asked, but you need to cut this crap off."
Jessica can barely hold back her triumph. She marches over to an empty picnic-table, grabbing a megaphone. "ALRIGHT!" she yells towards the crowd of quickly disappointed girls. "SHOW'S OVER, LADIES!"
"Uugh—Ash!" Eiji yelps, struggling as he is pulled unceremoniously out of the booth and left to sit with his knees and legs dangling over the edge.
Ash lets go of the material to Eiji's sweater, nodding for them to get a move on before Jessica can change her mind, holding onto Eiji's wrist firmly. But, he… a dreamy-eyed Eiji stops him, tightening his grasp onto Ash's forearm and keeping him from walking off again.
"What?" Ash murmurs, not understanding why either.
Eiji's heart flutters again. He breathes out, scooting towards Ash, "You…" and then smiles big and sheepish, the surface of Eiji's cheeks burning red, "I mean… you did donate… a lot…"
Ash's face goes horrified for a split second, and then eerily, familiarly vacant.
"You don't ever have to sell yourself to me, Eiji," he says quietly, gathering both of Eiji's wrists into his hands and clutching on until it almost gauges pain. "Not me. Not me."
"Oh god, Ash—no, I didn't mean—"
Realization fades into Ash's expression as Eiji cuts himself off, lowering his eyes and biting his lip in humiliation. He thinks about just climbing back over to the other side of booth when Ash's hands relocate, flattening over Eiji's denim-covered legs. Ash offers a slow and meaningful look when Eiji glances up.
Oh.
Yes.
Yes, absolutely. Eiji summons his courage to lean in, right when Ash does, bumping lips and noses. He doesn't really what to do other than press his mouth against him, listening to Ash swallow hard.
That's when Eiji gets the idea to open his lips a little, mouthing tenderly over Ash's plush skin. Another kiss happens, with Ash exhaling, hot and heavy, and giving a lick over the seam to Eiji's mouth. It's… wow. Their mouths open, together, and Eiji feels Ash's tongue inside him, dragging gently.
Jade-green eyes slit open. Eiji reopens his eyes too, flushing hard when he realizes that Ash has been kissing him between Eiji's legs spreading for him, Ash's fingers now bracketing his hips.
A devilish, low noise. Ash kisses him again, again, shutting his eyes completely and urging Eiji in. He doesn't know for how long. Eiji's lips feel swollen-warm, numbing out. One of his hands claws into the back of Ash's dark tee-shirt, and Eiji's other hand pushes deep into Ash's yellow hair.
It's… it's like heaven, being chest-to-chest with Ash. He moans out, feeling a soft, purposeful lip-tug before an overly pleased Ash gravitates out of Eiji's space. Ash's own cheeks flushing pink.
Eiji's dazed state remains the same, even when Ash suddenly tosses him over his shoulder, two-finger saluting a baffled Jessica and Max. "SA-YO-NA-RA!" Ash grins, shouting at the top of his lungs in a terrible Japanese accent, running off with Eiji flailing and becoming aware that he's being manhandled.
"… Good lord," Max grumbles, rubbing under his eyes.
.
.
Twilight deepens in purples and magenta, the gossamer of clouds thinning apart.
"We'll be able see the stars soon," Eiji observes, staring upwards and wrapping his arms around himself.
Ash hums out, gazing at what he believes is a more beautiful sight, tracing his eyes over Eiji's jawline. Feeling at peace. He's not worried about Dino losing ten thousand dollars. Someone else will get the heat for it.
"Here," he whispers, slinging off his red zip-up and draping it over Eiji's shoulders.
"Thank you." Eiji looks a bit worried, frowning. "Aren't you cold though?"
"Nah, I'm good," Ash responds, hugging Eiji securely against him, chuckling when the other boy eeps! and squirms. Eiji's dark eyes meet his, overflowing a cosmos of its very own. His body relaxing and leaning in Ash's hold.
Whatever stardust he is made from belongs to Eiji's own. He can feel it, silvery and flash-flaring.
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Banana Fish isn't mine. SURPRISE BITCH IT'S ME! BACK FOR MORE OF THIS SPECTACULAR OTP! So so so so so Banana Fish Fluff Week 2019 is still going on and today is Day: 4 "Freeday" so what's more perfect than complete shenanigans and romantic feels? (Answer: Absolutely nothing. Nothing is more perfect.) I really hope you guys enjoy this one as you have before with my other Asheiji fics and please please yes any thoughts/comments are totally welcome here!