He didn't even know why he was at this damn party. He didn't care for parties at all, but since the party was at Shorter's house, he had promised him he'd at least drop by for a short while.

Eiji had promised him he would come, too. That was the only highlight he looked forward to. Most people kept a reasonable distance away from him because he had a terrible and dangerous reputation. Eiji had impressed him when he had told him he didn't listen to rumors since they were rarely true. He had never been afraid of him or flinched, not even when he glared at him or had rude outbursts.

Now, he was bored, standing alone outside with a beer. Shorter was busy playing host and keeping the damage as small as possible while Eiji talked to his pole vaulting team. He noticed how the music slowly grew quieter until it was perfect for dancing with someone. He saw Eiji and Shorter move towards him.

"Hey, Ash, will you dance with me?", Eiji asked him cheerfully.

"Yeah, fine.", Ash replied in a bored tone. Damn, he was the worst. He really wanted to dance with Eiji, but instead of an honest and friendly reply, he sounded disinterested and annoyed. Which he was since he didn't like parties, but that wasn't Eiji's fault.

He immediately felt guilty about it, especially when he saw the hurt in Eiji's eyes. He didn't deserve such treatment. He was an ungrateful bastard. Before he could utter an apology, Eiji glared at him, eyes burning wildly.

"Fine, if it's such a burden for you to dance with me, I'll ask someone else.", Eiji snapped at him, turning away from him.

"You'll dance with me, Shorter, right?"

"Of course, Eiji. Let's go.", Shorter replied, taking Eiji's hand and leading him to the dance floor while grinning mischievously back at him. Shorter enjoyed this immensely. He deserved it, however. He watched Eiji and Shorter dance, and he had to admit, Eiji looked pretty good on the dance floor. He caught himself thinking that he wanted to make him smile like that, too, while dancing. When the song reached its end, he moved through the crowd towards Eiji, determined to correct his mistake.

"I'm really sorry, Eiji. I was an idiot. I'll apologize for my rude behavior. Will you please dance with me?", Ash asked him, giving him his brightest smile before bowing to him playfully and offering him his hand.

Eiji still feigned annoyance for a minute, leaving him standing in that awkward position but finally took his hand and smiled. "Fine, I'll forgive you."

They moved to the dance floor where a love song was playing. Eiji put his arms around his shoulders while Ash put his arms around his waist as they slowly moved to the rhythm of the music. After a while, Eiji lay his head on his shoulder. A warm and fuzzy feeling rushed through his body, and for the first time, he relaxed into the touch and didn't flinch. Eiji's touch felt comforting and soft, and he felt safe in his arms. He smiled at Eiji, and this time it wasn't forced but genuine. He could drown in Eiji's huge, warm eyes.

"I didn't know you could dance. But you're good at everything, so I should have expected this."

"You're wrong. There's one thing I'm terrible at. I'm really bad at showing my true feelings. When you asked me to dance, I wanted to give you a sincere answer, but every time I look at you, my mind flatlines, and I forget what I wanted to say. Then I say something completely dumb."

"Thanks for explaining it to me. You're not that bad.", Eiji's eyes radiated pure happiness as he smiled at him while they continued dancing.

"Actually, I'm also bad at another thing. I wanted to ask you something for a long time, but I was afraid of your answer. Can I ask you now? Because I only have enough courage to ask that while drunk."

Eiji grinned at that. "The notorious bad boy Ash Lynx is scared of me?", he asked him, feigning astonishment with wide eyes staring at him.

"That's not funny, Eiji!", Ash complained, feeling discouraged. He looked away from him.

"Ok, sorry, I made fun of you. Please ask me. What is it?", Eiji asked curiously.

"Will you go out with me? On a date?"

Eiji's eyes lit up and sparkled a golden-brown as he beamed at him. He pulled him even closer and whispered something into his ear.

"Yes, I will." Ash could feel how a bright smile dawned on his face. Had Eiji just said yes? He couldn't believe how lucky he was. As a successful pole vaulter, he could date anyone. Yet, he really wanted to date a troublemaker like him? So Shorter had been right? Shorter had tried to convince him that Eiji liked him, but he hadn't believed him...

Eiji pulled him out of his thoughts when he looked up at him, grinning mischievously.

"I always wanted to ask you something, too, now that we're dancing and our faces are so close they're nearly touching." Eiji blushed a little, which looked cute.

"What's that?", Ash asked, feeling his cheeks burning while suddenly realizing how close their faces were. Their noses were nearly touching.

Eiji moved even closer and looked directly into his eyes.

"When will you finally kiss me?"