AN: CW: This chapter is not for the faint of heart. There is rape, abuse, mentions of suicide and eating disorders. None of it is overly detailed, but it's still there, so you have been warned.

Chapter 2

Catching Fire


Ash hadn't kept his promise.

He'd run, and even with running, he had come home too late. The first thing he was greeted with was the familiar dank scent of the house, the wretched creak of the floorboards, and the grimacing face of Dino Golzine. Feeling Dino's muddy eyes glaring at him through the dark, the man rasped.

"Why are you late, Ash?"

With anyone else, Ash would have been able to answer that question, give any excuse possible. But when his 'father' stood in front of him words failed. Dino took his silence as consent. Pulling the boy into himself.

At this point, Ash had learned to keep his mouth tightly shut and let his mind go blank. He couldn't tell if hours or days had passed. Trapped in his room, barely getting a chance to leave, with the door opening and closing at the will of Dino.

All Ash could feel was the rising aches in his body, he could smell stinking sweat, he could hear the mattress creaking, he could see the cracks in the walls that cockroaches crawled out of.

After several years it was easy to get used to the cockroaches scuttling across the floor. Ash's brain was hazy, he could hear Dino's heavy breathing. Ash kept his lips sealed, his eyes glued to a cockroach on the wall, its big brown body sticking out against the flaky white paint, as it walked up and down in random directions.

The bedroom door opened, and Ash felt his body tense and breath stop, the air trapped in his lung, he pricked his ears. Dino's raspy voice cut through the air like a knife, his words twisting into Ash.

"You were wonderful tonight."

Nausea rose in Ash but he tried to ignore it, tried to ignore him. Ash knew Dino wanted him to say something, so mustering all this strength he managed an audible groan of," Okay."

Dino grunted. He wasn't satisfied with that.

"What's wrong with you? What were you expecting? I've barely seen you since you got your job. I wanted our time together to be special, since it's just the two of us alone this weekend, after all."

Ash forced himself not to vomit. He didn't want to hear anything else, his mind was spinning, the stiff bed underneath him swaying, as he saw the cockroach double. He closed his eyes, counting in his head, reminding himself that he'd be okay.

Soon it'd be over, just bear with it.

It takes an eternity for Dino to leave the room, and Ash is left alone. He doesn't want to move, despite how disgusting he felt, or how dirty his body was. He felt too weak to move. He could only lay there with his eyes shut, counting up to a hundred, until he no longer heard Dino scuttling around the halls.

Dino hadn't left the house but was probably watching the television now.

Ash had promised to visit Eiji today. He'd wanted to visit Eiji.

On a Friday afternoon, Ash had finished his shift, he'd made an effort to work more and more hours in an effort to avoid Dino. But he knew there were no shifts for this weekend, the two of them would be alone for two whole days.

Ash didn't want that. He didn't want this to happen again.

That Friday, the moment Ash opened his eyes to the waking sun, he decided he'd end it all. After choking bus and train rides and a long day working at the New York Public Library. The thought played in his head over and over.

Dino was waiting for him.

As the hours ticked on. Ash wore a vacant hollow smile, he spoke to customers and directed them, it was all just another part of his job. Stacking shelves for hours, Ash heard people walking past and gossiping about the latest popular TV show and what celebrities were doing, but he paid no mind to it. Ash was on autopilot, waiting for his shift to end.

It was a twenty-minute walk from the library to East River. Ash barely cared. The skyscrapers towering high above him, the road stretching on and on, making a sharp turn, the many roads finally reaching the East River.

The gloomy water waited for him. Ash gripped the railing tightly, giving one last look at the sky before he would sleep forever, then-

Click.

Ash turned his head, only to see a young Japanese boy gripping a fancy camera wearing a dumbfounded expression.

If that camera hadn't gone off at that moment Ash would have drowned. And yet there was a stranger who had unknowingly saved his life.

"Hello," he'd said.

What was Ash meant to say after that? His plans had been thrown out the window. Everything was happening so fast, yet his brain was able to just process what had just happened. His mind was in a daze, piecing together the sequence of events since he'd stepped out of the Library, all the way to his short walk here, and the waves overtaking his mind, the boy spoke.

"Oh, this!" He had said," I'm a student at NYU. I'm doing a photography Major."

Ash finally spoke able to grasp everything that'd just happened.

"Did you take a photo of me?"Ash asked.

Then they spoke.

Ash didn't know how long he and Eiji sat there by East River, but it was peaceful.

Ash had forgotten how nice it was to just talk to someone, he'd been stuck with Dino constantly, he'd forgotten what it was like to be with real people. Blanca was nothing more than a teacher to him, a teacher who knew what went on behind the locked doors of this rotten house.

Blanca was his nickname. His real name was Sergei Varishikov, he was a Kazakh-American, who'd been Ash's home-school teacher since the ninth grade. The man saw far more of Ash's life than Ash would have liked.

And Blanca knew and didn't care.

Eiji was a kind stranger who'd asked to see Ash again. A simple gesture that was etched into Ash's mind. He had memorized the address.

Banana Fish Cafe, 34 Leopard Street.

Ash had been so sure he'd leave, to have a chance to sneak out of this house, but Dino... Ash was locked in the house, under his wicked watchful gaze. From Friday night to now midnight on Sunday, Ash was given no mercy.

Forcing the thoughts out Dino over him of his mind, Ash stumbling from his bed, struggling to gather clean clothes and lock himself inside the bathroom. He turned the water on, as hot as possible, and scrubbed at his skin.

His skin was reeking, a mess of the things Dino had left behind. That man leaving marks and grit all over Ash's pale skin.

He tried to scrub off Dino's scent.

Sitting in the bath, with the rusty shower head turned on. Ash just sat, feeling the boiling water on his skin, as steam filled the room.

It happened again. The same damned story repeating, over and over, never-ending. A deep rage burned inside Ash. The urge to slit his wrists was overwhelming. Just to end it all...

But Ash didn't move.

The water slowly grew cold. Dino didn't come knocking on the door again, nor did he ask to spend more time with Ash.

The boy was alone.

Ash began shivering the rim of the bath like ice to his skin. Reaching languidly at the taps, he turned off the water. Laying out on the frozen acrylic around him. His glassy eyes staring at the cracks in the ceiling. Ash's chest was overflowing, as he numbly laid there.

His body was racked with pain like his belly had been stabbed with a knife, not just stabbed but a knife was digging into his flesh and twisting over and over. Ash ignored it.

Eventually, he mustered enough strength to pull himself from the bath and cover himself in his warm cotton pajamas. It felt like the softest thing in the world.

Ash still felt dirty.

He knew he was clean, he had spent an ungodly amount of time scrubbing himself over and over, but the reeking stench still filled his nostrils. In an act of desperation, he sniffed his palm.

Ash smelt like lavender...he smelt like lavender, not Dino.

Silently padding downstairs, Ash nestled into the clean sheets of the spare bedroom. The past twenty-four hours had been nothing but wakeful agony, he was grateful he'd blacked out several moments through what Dino had done.

That man had kept Ash awake with his selfish demands.

Even as Ash laid in a clean bed, with fresh clothes, and refreshed body, with every cell inside him begging for sleep, all he could do was lay on his back and stare at the ceiling. His eyes were wide, almost unblinking. Ash closed his eyes, and turn over but he couldn't sleep despite his exhaustion.

Even under the darkness of his eyelids, Ash couldn't sleep. His chest throbbing and his stomach twisted up into knots. To his relief, his nausea had settled but he still felt sick and tainted. After tossing and turning from the left and right of the bed, Ash's eyes opened slightly.

He could make out the shadows of cockroaches wandering across the floor. He wondered how they might have felt sharing a home with Dino Golzine. If they felt trapped or afraid, or if perhaps they enjoyed the things that man did.

Ash was restless and yet too fatigued to get up and do something else. He was imprisoned, listening to the uncomfortable sound of silence. Closing his eyes again, Ash thought of his old life. His older brother Griff, and his good-for-nothing father. He tried to imagine his mother, she always seemed to find her way into his mind at his lowest moments.

He couldn't remember her face, but he imagined she was beautiful. He thought she might be blonde like him, pale and thin. Though Ash did not think she was quite as pale as him, or as underweight. Several years ago Ash was suddenly unable to hold down his food. His meals got smaller and smaller.

He figured he'd developed some kind of Anorexia, but Dino never took him to the doctor to find out. No matter how much Ash tried, food became a struggle, and slowly he grew thin. He'd always been skinny, but not like this. He was several kilograms underweight, and always tired.

Somehow despite everything Ash managed to work a job on top of being schooled by Blanca. Most of the time he felt like he was going mad, doing anything he could to avoid Dino, to stop memories creep up into his brain a random moment, but they always did anyway.

Dino would scream and chase him. Ash had come close to killing him once, but this only made things worse. This was his life the moment he left home. He couldn't tell if he regretted his decision or not, leaving his life at Cape Cod behind for…

Ash tried to think of his mother again, his mind only coming to a faceless fragile woman. He always wondered why she left, but having known his father it didn't take much to guess why.

The agony of missing Griff dug deep into Ash. Out of everyone, Griff was the person he wished he could see again, even if it was just one more time.

Shorter had always been nice to Ash, the times he'd had lunch or dinner with him and his sister, Nadia.

Ash had always liked Shorter, the rough Chinese-American boy, with a sense of humor. His sister was a pretty woman, who always acted kindly to both of them. Ash and Shorter used to play games together and watched movies in his cramped apartment.

They were both always so welcoming, never questioning Ash and always feeding him as much as possible hoping he'd gain weight. He never did but he was grateful for their compassion.

Like with Eiji, he'd promised to come to visit them one day and never showed up.

Guilt stirred in Ash. He always wished to keep his promise to them, he'd always wanted to get a chance to share another one of Nadia's roast pork with Shorter's dyed Mohawk. He missed it so dearly.

But as he was kept more and more under Dino's thumb the less he got to visit them, and eventually, they moved and Ash never saw them again. Ash could still remember so clearly the time he buzzed at their apartment only for a stranger to have opened the door and, said:" They don't live here anymore." With no more details of where they had gone.

This was before Ash had bought his mobile phone, so his only means to contact them was from his home phone and seeing them in person.

They'd both just disappeared, just like Griff, and Ash was left missing the people he'd come to think of as his friends.

Eiji had come out of nowhere and Ash had broken a promise to him. He hoped that he could make it up to him, that history wouldn't repeat itself.

Banana Fish Cafe, 34 Leopard Street, Ash repeated in his head.

He knew for a fact that he would be trapped inside his house on Sunday, he'd endure it. But Ash silently swore to himself he'd try and visit Eiji by Monday if he could. Eiji had said he works five days a week, so if he came by there was a pretty good chance Ash would run into him.

He could only wish that he knew Eiji's timetable and that it wouldn't overlap too badly with Ash's job.

Time waned on, the fear of the coming hours creeping into Ash's mind as he tried to ignore them. He tried to think of tomorrow. To the time he could go back to work and go outside freely without having to think about Dino again.

Soon he'd be filling in shifts at the library, surrounded by the scent of paper.

At any moment Dino could drag him out of his room and…

Mauling for hours, with his thoughts bursting, eventually, Ash was able to fall into weak bouts of sleep with no dreams, his mind constantly swinging between what will happen in a few hours and the following days afterward.

If only Eiji hadn't been sitting by Manhattan Bridge, if Eiji hadn't been there Ash wouldn't have had to be here this very moment. If Eiji hadn't been there then it would have all been over and Ash could have been sleeping in the ocean, no longer fearing Dino or nightmares.

Despite everything, Sunday came and went, and Ash was able to breathe the fresh air outside again.

The hours of Dino clawing at his flesh pushed to the back of his mind. Long sleeves and jackets did Ash a great service of hiding the marks Dino had left behind. The welts and bruises, along with scratches appeared all over his body, and Ash felt ill every moment he noticed them.

The aches were frustrating enough without the memories. But hiding it all under his clothes brought

Ash had a strange sense of comfort, the notion that even if he felt the pangs of pain when he moved too fast neither he nor anyone else would be able to see it...for the most part.

Eiji had noticed. Ash had seen the subtle dart of his eyes from his arm to his face. Eiji had been considerate enough to ignore it and act like he'd seen nothing, but Ash knew next time he'd be more careful. He'd make an effort to divert Eiji's gaze away from his skin and to focus only on his eyes.

Tracing his fingers along with the books on the shelf, Ash pushes the trolley between the shelves, placing books back into their rightful placements on the shelves. Despite being in a library Ash could hear people mumbling between the shelves, tapping on their computers, as students complete their essays.

Honestly, Ash was dumbfounded as to how he was even able to get this job. He expected he'd need a degree, years of previous experience, at some previous job. Not a teenage boy who was home-schooled. But that didn't affect anything it seemed.

Ash had been a regular visitor to this library since he was twelve. Staying for hours, trying to spend as much of his day here as possible. Reading as many books as he could, even without a library card. It was pretty easy to notice a twelve-year-old entering the library and reading all day for months.

Before long Ash had been coming in and out of the New York Public Library for five years and befriended one of the staff members, who'd noticed how well he'd memories each of the isles and shelves over the years. From there he was given a part-time job, and the freedom to have his own money.

He no longer needed to beg Dino, to be forced to degrade himself for money. He could buy his own meals, pay for his own transport. He bought his first phone for himself and kept it a secret from Dino. Ash knew the moment Dino found out about it, he'd smash it into pieces and beat him.

The thought gave Ash the strong urge to vomit, but he quickly turned his attention back to the shelves. The rows of book spines greeting him, some of them he'd read and some of them he hadn't. Even so, the hours passed on, the sky turning from blue and slowly became overcast.

Filling up shelves was like a revolving door, he did it on repeat, remembering all the training he'd been giving since January. The months had flown in the blink of an eye, now coming to the chilly months of October, November soon approaching.

Ash had kept his eyes on his books and focusing on saving up as much money as he could. In one more year he'd be eighteen. In one more year he'd be able to leave without being forced to submit to Dino's wicked demands.

He'd tried to run away.

When he was nine, and every year that came since. I was always faced with the same outcome. He was found by the pigs and dragged right back to Dino. Running back to his real father in Cape Cod was never an option.

Dino was his legal parent. He was only allowed to live with Dino, nowhere else.

Just one more year, Ash reminded himself. One more year, and I'll be gone for good…

Ash's shift was soon over and his boss said he was allowed to go home. He smiled gratefully, walking out of the library and jogging down the steps, and leaping into the street.

There was no way he was going back home right away, Ash had a promise to keep.

He looked up the address of Banana Fish Cafe, and it was exactly where Eiji had said.

Banana Fish Cafe and Bar, 34 Leopard Street, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.

Running, Ash made his way to the subway, the train making loud screeches as it stopped at the platform. Leaping onto the train he sat down, Ash sat down. The train made several starts and stops, people walking in and out of the doors.

Ash checked the map on his phone, as the marker slowly edged closer and closer to 'Banana Fish Cafe and Bar'. Before long Ash was sitting alone on the train, as it continued to mumbled over the rails. Slowly the pointer moved more and more along the dotted lines on the map.

Then Ash finally stood up and walked off the train. Walking out of the subway, he found himself above ground, a navy sky greeting him. Ash hoped that it wasn't too late. The cafe was meant to close at six pm according to Google and it was already five fifty-four pm.

Ash ran, following the map on his phone, watching as the pointer got closer and closer to the cafe, his mind fuzzy from not eating lunch (Which was normal for him). He tried to think desperately of a way he could apologize to Eiji for not coming on Saturday. An excuse, Something that was convincing.

He couldn't tell the truth but he couldn't just leave Eiji with nothing though. Rolling ideas in his mind Ash settled on either food poisoning or homework. The more he thought it over, Ash decided he'd tell part of the truth.

He was too weak. His muscles still felt sore from what had happened to him over the weekend, it was just that Ash had grown so used to being sore that it didn't bother him in his daily life anymore.

The cafe was finally in view, the dotted line on the map almost right next to the pointer. The cafe was paneled with glass, its paneled doors framed in yellow pained wood. The light still on the inside, and a big label was painted on the front glass reading,' Banana Fish' underneath was an illustrated coffee cup with the subheading 'Cafe And Bar'.

Ash noticed in the low light cast on the street a boy with a white apron on folding up a sign in front of the store, Ash smiled as he saw the boy stand up straight, making his face come into clear view to Ash.

"EIJI!" Ash yelled, stuffing his phone into his pocket, he ran waving at Eiji.

Eiji looked up, his head snapping right towards Ash's direction. Eiji looked thunder-struck. He threw the a-frame sign under his arm and dashed into the cafe, as Ash drew closer. The doors slammed behind Eiji. Ash finally reached them. He reached for the handle and pushed…and pushed…

The door makes a loud clanking noise, as Ash pushed at it again, staring at a scowling Eiji on the inside of the cafe.

Eiji had locked the door.

"Eiji!" Ash said, still fiddling with the door handle. "Eiji, why'd you lock the door?"

Eiji stuck his tongue out at Ash.

Ash stared at him through the glass, signing as he scratched the back of his head. He knew exactly why Eiji locked the door. Honestly, Ash was surprised Eiji didn't just ignore him, Ash had stood him up, even if he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Eiji, I'm sorry, really. I wanted to come on Saturday I really did, but…" Ash bit his tongue, unable to bring himself to repeat the excuses he had rehearsed inside his head aloud. The smell of Dino's sweat filled his nostrils and he forced down a lump in his throat.

Eiji's eyes remained fuming. Ash closed his eyes and pressed his head to glass as he said," I wanted to come, but I just... couldn't. It never matters how I feel or what I want to do with my life. I don't own my life. I just...I have no choice but to wait...then I'll..."

Ash lifted his head, staring at Eiji, the boy staring at him his face more puzzled than angry. He didn't say anything, only watching Ash carefully. Ash watched him, barely able to pull his lips into a smile. He was convinced he looked miserable to Eiji, but he couldn't get the smell of Dino out of his head.

With his weak forced smile, Ash waved at Eiji and stepped away from the door. He shuffled up the sidewalk, the street lights illuminating the sidewalk. Ash noticed his white sneakers were in desperate need of cleaning, and he made a mental note to scrub them when he had time.

Then Ash heard a clicking behind him, he slowly turned and saw standing Eiji in the entry doorway of the cafe.

"I couldn't hear you," Eiji said.

Ash felt his hand twitch, Eiji's sober expression pulling him away from some of his thoughts. He focused on Eiji's brown eyes, unconsciously he fiddled to pull his sleeve further down his arm. Ash hoped Eiji would say more, to fill in the silence around them.

But only the sound of cars humming past and the drowned-out echoes of people could be heard. Eiji's mouth remained tightly shut as he patiently waited for Ash's response.

Ash sighed," I'm sorry, Eiji."

Eiji remained silent.

"I wanted to come to see you on Saturday, honest," Ash said. "I just couldn't, some other things got in the way..."

Eiji furrowed his brow, "I'm madder that you showed up now."

Ash's eyes widened.

"I was disappointed when you didn't come on Saturday. I told myself since I just met you out of nowhere, I should have expected it. I mean it shouldn't be a big deal a stranger who I only spoke to for a bit didn't keep his word. It's a given."

Ash felt a pang of guilt, even if it wasn't his fault, he hated the fact he'd upset Eiji.

"But then..."Eiji continued," You came anyway…. Why didn't you just text me you couldn't come on Saturday?"

"I don't have your number," Ash explained calmly.

"Oh," Eiji's cheeks flushed.

"Pfft."

Eiji's cheeks became a deeper red as Ash began to giggle under his breathe.

"Could I have your number?" Ash chortled.

Eiji just nodded meekly.

"J-just let me finish closing up, o-okay?" Eiji stammered.

Ash nodded, leaning against the cafe's front door, watching Eiji scramble around the store, mopping down the floor and tables and checking the coffee machines. He made sure everything was in order then disappeared. Once he returned he was carrying a heavy bag at his hip and his apron was no longer on.

Standing outside of the cafe he locked the door behind himself, pushing on it once to make sure it was locked probably (it was) then turning to Ash.

"All done," Eiji sighed.

"It seems pretty quiet here, do you get any customers?" Ash asked.

"During the day, yes. At night, barely." Eiji said. "Now my number!"

Ash nodded, both the boys exchanging each other's phones and tapping their numbers into each other's smartphones. Ash couldn't help but notice Eiji's home screen was a photo of some kind of Japanese cartoon he'd never seen before.

"The cat's cute," Eiji commented on Ash's home screen, the image being a fluffy little tabby kitten.

"Isn't he?" Ash said.

"Is he yours?"

"No, he's a stray that lives around my neighborhood. I always left food out for him when he was a kitten. He'd a big fat cat now." Ash laughed."I call him Jerome."

"Why Jerome?"

"After J.D Salinger. Jerome David Salinger."

"Oh."

"He's my most favorite author!"

"You like reading?" Eiji said.

"Mhmm! I actually work at the New York Public Library."

"You work? Aren't you still in high school?"

"So?"Ash said.

They began to walk down the street next to each other.

Ash casually spoke about his home life and balancing it with his job. How exams and assignments were never a problem for Ash, he never studied or did extra reading and he always ended up with high marks. Ash couldn't help but give Blanca some credit for that, he was a good teacher.

"I'm jealous," Eiji said. "I always had to study for weeks, while attending extra curriculum classes for exams!"

"Didn't you at least get time off on the weekends?" Ash asked.

"You mean weekend! In Japan you only get the Sunday free, school is six days a week!"Eiji pouted. "And no, I usually spent hours of my weekend revising homework."

"I never really needed to revise, I always find it easy to keep all the information in my head, I guess."

The two of them kept talking, as they walked down the street. Ash found it easy talking to Eiji, he didn't ask too many questions or jeer at Ash. His questions were simple and direct, and Ash's answers were simple and casual.

Neither of them really had any idea where they were headed, they just walked in circles around the block. Then Ash's stomach growls. He hopes Eiji wouldn't notice it but in his dismay, Eiji made a comment.

"Are you hungry?" Eiji asked.

Ash honestly didn't even feel hungry, but his stomach groaned anyway.

"I…" Ash breathed.

Eiji frowned," I guess neither of us has had dinner yet, then."

"Well," Ash pulled out his phone, looking up restaurants. "Are there any restaurants around here you want to go to? There's a McDonald's ten minutes from here."

"McDonald's sounds fine. It'd be better than taking the subway all the way back to Manhattan!"

"Agreed."

They turned a street corner, walking past several apartment complexes, the roads white lines were broken up and in desperate need of repainting. Several cars continued to beep and crossing lights blinked green and red.

Some walls were spray-painted with messy letters that were barely readable. Eiji pointed at a Deli wondering if they should eat dinner in there, but the moment its putrid smell wafted past them they decided to keep walking.

Finally, they arrived outside a two-story McDonald's building lit up in bright red letters, only the lights were broken so the sign spelled out 'McDon's'. Despite the broken sign, the building shone undeniably bright from the inside out into the night.

Eiji and Ash entered the building together.

Ash balled up his fist, feeling a sense of anxiety rise in him at the fact Eiji was going to be watching him eat. He was going to have to force himself to eat a whole meal while here, there was no way around it.

Ash quickly scanned the TV screens above the counter, looking over every food option for the one that would feel the least like a stone inside his stomach. The burgers would be too thick, he knew he could take a few bites of them, but after that, he'd feel it pushing out of his stomach.

Nothing on the menu seemed like a simple meal. Maybe the salad but there's no way Eiji wouldn't ask questions if that's all Ash ate. Ash almost wished he had turned down Eiji and just gone home despite already feeling guilty for breaking his promise.

"What do you want?" Eiji asked, breaking Ash from his thoughts.

Ash's eyes darted over the screens as he said," A salad."

Eiji was eyeing him unconvinced, but he bounced to the counter and spoke to the staff member. He rattled off Ash's order then ordered several extra burgers, chips, and chicken nuggets, far more than what they'd eat for one meal.

Ash started, "Eiji, what are you-"

"Some extra 'cause I get hungry in the dorms," He winked.

They sat patiently at a cushioned table, sitting across from each other, patiently waiting. Ash began to feel his stomach ache slightly, but he didn't reach to it, instead lazily resting his cheek on his hand.

"Ashu," Eiji sang.

"Ashu?" Ash blinked.

"What's the New York library like?"

"Big and busy."

"And? Do you like it?"

Ash felt himself blushing slightly, taken off guard by the question. He answered honestly," Yes. I could show you around there if you want. There are some great photo opportunities on the way there."

Eiji's cheeks went pink," Oh...I already finished my essay."

"Really? What photo did you choose?"

Eiji hid his face in his hands his cheeks a deeper pink.

"Eiji?" Ash cocked his head.

"Well-"

"Ajee Okomoora."

A voice called out Eiji's name, mispronouncing it.

Eiji jumped up and walked over to the counter, making two trips to carry three trays to their table. Ash pulled out his wallet, about to hand Eiji a twenty-dollar bill, but Eiji dismissed it.

"It's on me," He said.

Once Eiji had paid, he sat back done, in the same seat across from Ash. Eiji quickly unwrapping the paper from his burger.

"Ajee Okomoora…" Ash mumbled, stabbing a plastic fork into his salad.

"That's one of the closest pronunciations I've heard," Eiji commented casually.

"Eiji Okumura isn't that hard to say…"

Eiji shrugged, biting into his burger then swallowing hard.

"I…" Eiji mumbled so low Ash could barely hear him.

Ash said," Hm?"

"I chose the photo of you…" Eiji muttered.

"Of me? Which..."Ash paused, then gave a simple," Oh..."

Eiji tried to hid his face behind his burger. Ash couldn't help but feel second-hand embarrassment from him. The photograph of him by Manhattan bridge, the photo that unknowingly stopped him from jumping to the water.

Ash wondered what made Eiji choose to write an essay on it and what he saw in it. What about Ash was interesting enough to do that? How many words were there that could describe Ash?

If Ash were asked to describe himself he'd be at a loss, and yet a complete stranger had somehow found a way to write several pages about him. So, Ash asked Eiji a question.

"What did you write about me?"

"It spoke to me," Eiji gazed at Ash soberly, simply explaining, "I was amazed. The clouds had parted and I saw the sunlight flickering off the water, then you walked into frame at the perfect moment. I wrote about how accidents can be better than the things you planned. I detail all my pitfalls and art block, and how everything just fell into place at random."

"And...there was something about the way you looked. I could tell there was more going on behind your eyes…"

Ash stiffened.

Ash wanted Eiji to look at his eyes and his eyes only, but part of Ash was beginning to think that was a mistake. That Eiji would find out more about Ash by looking at his eyes rather than the bruises and scars across his body.

"It was because of how sad you looked," Eiji finished. "I couldn't get it out of my head."

Ash didn't break his gaze with Eiji. He didn't move. He tried to think of a way to respond.

Quickly, before Eiji notices, Ash thought.

But he knew it was too late, Eiji already noticed his shock. Ash ended up just taking a deep breath, ignoring the tightness in his chest, and finally said.

"I think the photo I took of you was better!"

Eiji googled," What?"

"The photo I took of you was far better! You were smiling like a babe, I honestly couldn't get your smile out of my head!"

There was a heavy silence between the two of them, as neither of them opened their mouths for a moment.

"Don't say things like that," Eiji said miserably.

"Hmm?"

"Don't make jokes like that, it's mean."

"I wasn't really joking. You have a nice smile."

Eiji continued to blush as the both of them continued their meal, making brief chats, and darting glimpses at each other between Ash digging into his salad and Eiji ate his burger. Ash barely ate more than his salad, keeping most of his food in the paper bag they came in.

Eiji didn't comment on how much Ash ate, which he was grateful for, he knew if he forced himself to eat he'd end up vomiting, and he really wanted to spare Eiji such an ugly sight like that.

Ash's stomach had grown small, it wasn't used to large amounts of food, constantly forcing him to eat small meals every day. Part of him chose it, but half the time he felt like he had no decision in how much food he did or didn't eat.

Chewing on a few salty chips made Ash's throat dry, as he swallowed it down with a bottle of water. Eiji happily slurped on a bottle of coke, wiping his greasy fingers on his napkin.

They left the McDonald's with three paper bags, walking their way back to the subway, taking an escalator to the underground. There were people walking in and out beside them, their voices echoing in the underground.

Ash and Eiji continued to laugh together.

"Next time, order a milkshake!" Ash said.

"Why?" Eiji asked.

"I want to show you an American special. Just make sure you order a Vanilla milkshake and fries."

"But why?"

"I'm not spoiling the surprise!"

Soon both Eiji and Ash had walked across the tiled floors, stopping at a giant map of the subway network. The map was a large canvas billboard against the wall, marked in multiple colors and lines twisting in separate directions.

"I'm going to Staten Island," Ash said.

"I'm going to Manhattan," Eiji said.

"So this is when we say goodbye."

"Not goodbye," Eiji blurted,"Jamatane."

"Jamatane?" Ash echoed.

"It's Japanese for 'see you later."

Ash's face lit up,"Jamatane, Eiji."

"Jamatane, Ashu."

They stepped apart, walking away from each other, their steps echoing on the tiled subway floor, the mumbling of people passing by filling the air. Ash turned around, to look back at Eiji, and he had looked back in return.

An innocent feeling swept over Ash, something he didn't recognize, but found it pleasant. Soon both of them were out of each other's sights and on their subways to different edges of New York City.

Ash fumbled with his keys, holding two paper bags under his arm, as he opened the front door. He carefully closed the door as silently as possible. The house was pit black, forcing Ash to feel around the walls to navigate. In the dark everything was shrouded in a haze of black.

Ash hoped he Hadn't woken up Dino. Tiptoeing down the hall Ash made his way into the kitchen. placing the bags into the fridge for a later date. The fridge lit up the room, and in the corner of his eyes Ash noticed the outline of Dino's face sitting at the dining table.

Ash's snapped his head, as Dino sat there calmly. His devilish eyes piercing through Ash.

"Where were you, Ash?" Dino rumbled.

Ash straightened his back," I went out to eat."

"You don't go out to eat."

"I felt like doing something different today."

"Don't lie to me, Ash."

"I'm not I-"

"Do you know what time it is, Ash?" Dino bellowed.

Ash felt his brow sweating, as he said," No…"

"It's almost Midnight."

Midnight? How could it be so late? It barely felt like an hour. Ash thought.

Dino got to his feet, stomping over to Ash, his large body towering over the boy. Ash felt like he was a cockroach, so small, about to be crushed under a thick leather boot. He felt his hands shaking, his throat tightening.

"Where were you, Ash?" Repeated Dino.

"I-" Ash's voice got caught in his throat.

He couldn't bring himself to speak, he couldn't bring himself to move as Dino towered himself, his eyes meeting Ash, his face so close to Ash they were only barely touching each other.

Then everything went white.

A weight hit his skull, the cold hard kitchen tiles slamming into his body. A sharp pain tore through Ash's side and head, as he tried to cover his head with his hands. The bruises on his arm hadn't completely healed, so the added pressure made them burn.

Ash felt like his body was on fire.

The burning and aches didn't go as the cold water rushed over Ash's body.

He was careless.

He let himself stay away for hours, he let Dino get suspicious. It was his own fault this happened. If he'd just gone home after work then...Ash would have never have met Eiji.

The icy water kept running down Ash's spine. He didn't know how long he laid in the bath, he only hoped that it'd help stop his skin from swelling. It'd stop things getting in the way at work, he hoped.

The sound of the water made Ash's head spin but he sitting up straight. Ash knew his actions would be dealt with cruel consequences. Dino showed no mercy tonight, like always. Ash was a toy to him, not a human being.

Turning off the water, Ash looked at himself through the darkness at his reflection in the grimy bathroom mirror. His cheek was marked. covered with scratches, his right eye on its way to turning purple. Even after soaking and cleaning his whole body for what felt like hours he looked like a corpse.

His eyes were usually so bright, but right now they were hollow and deprived of light. Any warmth Ash had felt hours ago was gone. It was replaced with emptiness. A bitter sinking feeling, that the pain in his body was a constant reminder of.

Ash wanted to cry, feeling his hands shake as they gripped the sink. Gritting his teeth as he gave shallow whimpers. He forced his eyes shut, and took several deep breaths. He felt the air fill his lungs, then he exhaled. Slowly Ash straightened out his back, wearing an expression of determination.

One more year, Ash thought. One. More. Year.

Changing into his stinky pajamas, Ash dragged himself into his room, but the sheets were still dirty from yesterday so he snuck into the spare bedroom again, anxiety racking him as he feared seeing Dino. But he safely entered the soft sheets of the guest bedroom.

He cradled himself in his blankets, making a warm nest for himself. He could hear the cockroaches crawling on the floor, but he could ignore it easily.

Ash slipped his hand between his mattress, pulling out his phone. Somehow it didn't get smashed while Ash was being pushed and battered by Dino beat him. But as Ash tapped on the glass to check the time, he saw a missed text.

Ash tapped in his password, and read the text from none other than Eiji Okumura.

Eiji: HEY ASH! It was great to see you! I didn't tell you but I'd love for you to show you the New York Library you work at when you have time! Tell me when you're free.

Ash felt a smile rise on his face despite his pounding headache. He replied back to Eiji with a short and simple message.

Ash:

Dear Eiji,

I was really glad to see you too, Eiji. I know we'll meet up soon. I don't know when, but soon!

Stay safe.

From,

Ash.

And then it was Sent.


AN: This chapter was a hard one to write. Part of it because of the subject and part of it because it's length. This chapter was NOT meant to be this long, but ended up expanding the more I wrote it. It took me a long time to make sure I was satisfied with it, tweaking sentences and words here and there. The editing also took a long time, but it was worth it. I'm glad I could write a chapter that was so important in moving the story forward!

I hope there are no mistakes but I'll try and edit those out later if there are! Please feel free to leave a comment to tell me what you think, I'd really appreciate it.