Chapter Six: Rooftop Cafe

Ash grew more and more restless as the week went on. It had been three full days now since his last Oxycodone. The meds were now completely out of his system. He was still in a fair amount of pain with certain movements, but to no longer be drowsy or lead-limbed was a worthy trade-off. On this particular evening, the other guys were out restocking ammo and weapons before their next mission. Kong and Bones were still at the apartment, after all, they'd been assigned to protect Eiji, but evidently, Bones was still not over the bath incident, as he'd been avoiding Ash as much as possible ever since. Ash paced the living room like a caged tiger. Eiji sat on the floor with his legs tucked under the coffee table. He was eating a dinner of jasmine rice, roasted salmon, and sauteed zucchini and mushrooms. When he turned on the TV initially, Wheel of Fortune was on. Ash jokingly said he should watch it to improve his English, but he hadn't realized Eiji would enjoy the show so much. Eiji sat there eating. Every now and then he'd shout out an answer, then let out a cheer when he was correct. When the category was "slogans" he was at a complete loss, he didn't make a single guess. Ash thought Eiji was far more entertaining than the show, though he still lost interest as soon as he had finished his own meal. He'd been pacing up and down the floor-length windows that lined the room ever since.

"Around The World in Eighty Days!" Eiji shouted, then stared at the TV in suspense. "Woo!" He cheered, his hand shooting up over his head, as the show turned to a commercial break.

Ash's head whipped around, genuinely impressed. "How did you know that?" he asked earnestly. An American movie from the '50s was not something he expected a young Japanese man to know.

"It was on the oldies channel the other night when I couldn't sleep." Eiji answered, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"You watch the oldies channel?" Ash asked with a hint of a smile.

"Only when I can't sleep."

"Why only then?"

"They're peaceful and always…" he paused and searched the ceiling for the word he was trying to conjure, "wholesome." he said finally with a nod. "They help me sleep."

"Well, next time you can't sleep, wake me and I'll watch one with you." Ash said looking at Eiji fondly.

This finally broke Eiji's gaze from the TV. "You like oldies?" he asked.

"I'd like to watch one with you." Ash said meeting his gaze with a small smile

"Then it's a date!" Eiji said casually, returning his attention to the show.

Ash let out a chuckle. 'You're too cute' he thought, but all he said was "You're getting better at that, ya know?"

"Better at what?" he asked, facing Ash again as his curiosity piqued.

"Using English phrases like that, I used to have to explain them all the time, but you're really getting the hang of them now. Not only do you understand them, but you're actually using them now too."

"Well, watching TV is a great way to pick up phrases." Eiji replied with a smile.

Another puzzle began as the commercial break ended and Eiji returned his undivided attention to Pat Sajak. Ash returned to his monotonous pacing.

"Sliding glass doors!" Eiji announced the correct answer for the category 'Around The House.' Ash paused his pacing momentarily to smile at Eiji. Another puzzle began. Ash continued to pace. Commercial break. Still pacing. New puzzle. Still pacing.

"I'm gonna go crazy!" Ash complained in exasperation.

"Rooftop cafe!" Eiji shouted at the TV. Right again. More cheers.

Ash looked at him, at first thinking it was a suggestion, something to do. 'Just another answer.' Ash realized. Although, it wasn't a bad idea. In fact...

"Eiji! That's genius!" Ash shouted. He stopped his pacing and was now facing the city as the sky showed the first signs of the sunset.

"That was an easy one." Eiji laughed, waving his hand in an 'it-was-nothing' motion.

"No, I mean let's go up to the roof! That's someplace I can go!" he said excitedly.

For the past few days, Ash complained of cabin fever, which was a saying he'd had to explain to Eiji. Each night as the other guys went out, he longed to go with them. Yesterday, when Eiji went grocery shopping with Kong and Bones, he wished so badly he could tag along. It wasn't the pain holding him back, but rather that the whole city seemed to be out to get him. In his current injured state, leaving the apartment complex was too dangerous. But the roof? He reckoned he could venture to the roof. It wasn't anything too exciting, but at least it would be a change of scenery. Plus, it had been days since he'd been outside.

Ash strode across the room and pounded on Kong and Bones's door. "Hey! We're going up to the roof!"

A muffled "K!" was the only response he got.

"Right now?" Eiji asked looking over his shoulder at Ash. "The final puzzle just started."

Ash couldn't help but smile and give in. How could he say no to that? "Alright, finish the show, and then it's roof time!"

Eiji flashed him a wide grin and then returned to the TV.

A lovely summer breeze greeted Ash as he opened the heavy metal door. The air smelled deliciously humid, as it had rained lightly only an hour or so ago. Fortunately, the pavement was now dry again. Ash held the door for Eiji as he emerged onto the roof. Eiji had his arms full with three folded blankets and a bag filled with some American snacks and canned beers.

'There aren't any chairs up there, so we'll need to bring a few blankets with us.' Ash had told Eiji. The food and beers were Eiji's idea. A great idea, Ash had thought.

Due to the previous rain, the air was a bit cool for a summer evening. Ash was glad they'd both dressed warmly. Ash wore dark grey sweats, his classic white t-shirt, and a red jacket. Eiji wore jeans and a baby blue crewneck sweatshirt. Eiji spread out the two of the blankets, placing one on top of the other. The roof was concrete, so they could use the extra padding. The third blanket he used to fashion a makeshift pillow for them both. He folded it into a long, skinny tube and placed it at the top of the blanket. As they settled onto it, Ash handed Eiji a beer and opened the snacks they'd brought up. They sat there, watching the sunset, and, for once, Ash didn't care about watching the cars or people below. Eiji sat up studying the sky as he ate a bag of spicy chips, while Ash lay propped up on his left elbow drinking a beer. Ash watched as the sweet breeze blew gently across them, ruffling Eiji's hair as it made its way through the city skyline.

"Ya know, I've never been on a proper date." Ash said, still watching the wind catch Eiji's hair.

"Is this a date?" Eiji asked curiously, looking at Ash before returning his gaze to the setting sun.

"Food, drink, blankets, a sunset? Yeah, I'd say so." Ash said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, then it's a first for me too." Eiji told him. He folded up his finished bag of chips and placed it under a full beer. He then leaned back on both elbows to join Ash. He lifted his head to the sky, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. "I love the smell of rain." he remarked.

"Petrichor." Ash stated.

"What's that?" Eiji said, opening his eyes and turning his head to face Ash.

"That's what it's called. The smell after it rains." he explained.

"Petrichor." Eiji repeated, trying it out.

"Now you know a word that you'd have to explain even to most native speakers." Ash said with a smile.

"That's a good word." Eiji said simply. He smiled as he closed his eyes to the sky once more. Ash looked out into the skyline.

"Before I met, you, I used to come up here all the time to get away from everything. Not always this roof, but just rooftops in general. It's peaceful up this high, away from all the noise."

"Mmmm" Eiji agreed, eyes still closed to the sky.

"Hospital roofs are my favorite...though the nurses were never too happy when they found me up there." Ash said in a comical tone.

Eiji let out a soft laugh.

"It's nice though, having you with me here now. Still peaceful, but no longer lonely."

Although they both knew the other loved them, their relationship hadn't changed or progressed much since the day they both told each other how they felt. Which was fine. Ash loved Eiji but, due to his past, he wasn't ready for a relationship of a sexual nature. Because he'd been raped and used, sex didn't correlate with love in his brain, at least not yet. Instead, it was dirty, traumatic, and even panic-inducing. Eiji understood and respected that. But that didn't mean they couldn't share intimate moments. Eiji holding him as he cried, washing his hair for him, tending his wounds, helping him dress rather than undress, falling asleep on the couch together, Ash counted all of these as intimate moments that communicated a type of love he'd never even dreamed of. They didn't need to make love in order to have it. Maybe someday, when Ash was ready, but for now, they were both content with the current arrangement.

Ash flopped back on the make-shift pillow, his left arm supporting his head. The sun was now down, and only a black sky remained. One or two rogue stars could be seen, but just barely. Still, the darkness was beautiful in its own way. Eiji glanced at Ash who had now closed his eyes. His heart ached for Ash. He was more than happy to honor their agreement, but he was human so, of course, he wanted him. But he swore to himself that he'd never tell him, never make it obvious. If their relationship ever did become sexual, Eiji wanted it to be Ash's decision, 110%. He didn't want the knowledge of his own desires to sway him in the slightest.

"Can I lay with you?" Eiji asked Ash.

"Please" he answered him, stretching out his left arm in a welcoming manner. Eiji followed his cue, placing his head on his shoulder and snuggling up to Ash. Ash pressed a kiss into Eiji's hair.

"I'm so lucky Ibe-san brought you to America with him." He told Eiji.

Eiji wrapped his hands tightly around Ash's waist and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

"I thank God each day that bullet hold didn't take you from me." The words burned Eiji's eyes as he spoke them. Suddenly, Ash's shoulder was wet with tears.

"Eiji!" Ash said, holding him tighter. The tone of his voice was a medley of sorrow, surprise, and concern. He held him close as Eiji silently cried, rubbing his back comfortingly. For the first time, Ash knew what it felt like to be on the opposite end of the situation. He wasn't sure how exactly to act, so he mimicked the way Eiji treated him when he needed comfort. It seemed to work because, after a few minutes, Eiji stopped crying and turned his face to face Ash once again.

Eiji lifted his head to press a soft kiss to Ash's jaw. "Love you." He whispered before dropping his head back to Ash's shoulder, as always, expecting nothing more.

"I love you too, Ei-chan." He said affectionately, resting his head against Eiji's.

Eiji had just about fallen asleep when a raindrop hit his face. And then another, and another, until, suddenly, it was pouring. They bolted up and began clumsily gathering up their belongings. By the time they reached the stairwell, they were soaked. As the door shut behind them, they broke out into laughter.

"What's the name of the smell when a person has just been rained on?" Eiji asked as he laughed.

"I think they call that 'wet dog.'" Ash told him and proceeded to empty his lungs with laughter.

Once back in the apartment, Eiji showered as Ash changed into dry clothes. He changed into his typical pajamas, a t-shirt, today's was black, and boxer briefs. After ten to fifteen minutes, Eiji returned from the shower smelling faintly of roses. He was wearing a loose-fitting white t-shirt top and grey sweats. He pulled back his comforter and snuggled into his own bed.

"Good night, Ash." Eiji said, reaching to turn off the light that sat upon their nightstand.

"'Night." Ash responded sleepily.