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“Would you look at that, even little brats like you catch colds sometimes, huh?”
The question came from none other than Max Lobo as he stood with his hands on his hips and let out a bellowing laugh, amusement and joy coating his words as he tried to hold back a wide smile from extending against his cheeks.
Before him, tucked tightly into his blankets, laid a very pathetic looking Ash Lynx. It was a sight not many had the chance to see very often, this being the first time Max had seen it himself. There was something funny about seeing someone who’s normally so well put together looking so frazzled and uncharacteristically like themselves but it also made a part of Max feel a little bad for Ash. After all, at the end of the day he was still just a kid.
“Who are you calling a brat old man,” Ash questioned back in response, his voice sounding raspy as he peered just slightly out from the comforter he had managed to cocoon his way into, meeting Max’s gaze with a very unamused looking sneer, “Besides, I don’t have a cold.”
As if on cue Ash erupted into a dreadful coughing fit, one that was violent enough to make him remove himself from the comfort of his covers and sit up in hopes of being able to calm down and catch his breath a little better, his face hidden in the corner of his elbow as he made sure to face himself in the opposite direction from where Max was standing.
Really, Ash looked and sounded absolutely terrible. His voice when he spoke sounded as though it was going out, the circles under his eyes were deep and dark, the tip of his nose was red and raw most likely from blowing it so often, and then there was that cough… Max was beginning to feel a little less entertained at the boy’s suffering and a little more pitiful the longer he observed Ash’s condition. He just hoped his paternal instincts wouldn’t start to kick in.
“You sound like you smoke ten packs a day with that cough of yours, you’re definitely sick,” Max replied with a shake of his head as he glanced around the room, handing Ash a water bottle that he found that had been sitting on the top of a nearby coffee table.
“Oh don’t bully me, Dad,” Ash sighed as he took the bottle from Max’s grasp, tucking it under his arm before laying himself back down against his pillows, not bothering to take a drink to ease the soreness of his throat, allowing his eyes to flutter shut. When he spoke his next few words his voice was soft and a tad bit weak sounding. “I’m tired… and delicate, you’ll make me cry.”
Max just rolled his eyes, “Right, like I haven’t heard that one before. Eiji’s here isn’t he? Or he’s on his way? He’ll take good care of you.”
“I don’t need taken care of,” Ash insists, rolling over onto his side so that he’s now facing the wall, turning his back towards Max. He snuggles back down into his comforter and sighs. Ash will never admit it, but he is very sick, and being sick has always been the worst feeling in the world to him. He hated being so weak, so vulnerable. He hated needing to depend on others… Ash would take getting shot in the leg, or both legs for that matter, instead of having a sore throat and a head that just wouldn't stop spinning.
Max stood silently for a couple of minutes as he awkwardly repositioned his weight from one foot onto the other. He felt like he should say something or do something that might help Ash feel a little better but…
He checked his watch and felt relief wash over him, “Well Ash I’ve got somewhere I need to be, even if you don’t think you need taking care of, don’t give Eiji too much trouble when he gets here. I’ll come check on you again later.”
Ash didn’t say anything in response this time nor did Max linger until he did so. Within a matter of minutes the young gang leader was once again left to suffer in his illness alone, silence filling the space where conversation had taken place just moments ago. Finally Ash could let the ever insistent claws of sleep drag him to his dreams.
But then, not even five minutes later, just as he was finally beginning to doze off, there was a knock on the door and Ash found himself immediately on high alert; his hand feeling for the gun he normally kept tucked under his pillow in case of emergencies. He sat up quickly despite the dizziness he felt doing so and hoped with all his might that if necessary he could still shoot worth a damn. It’s not like he hasn’t needed to protect himself when he’s been sick before...
“Ash, it’s me, I’m coming in,” a familiarly gentle voice called from the hallway.
Within seconds most of the tension vanished from Ash’s shoulders as he once again lowered his gun and slid it back into its hiding spot, a small relieved sigh escaping him as the door to the bedroom creeped open to reveal a worried looking Eiji Okumura. Just seeing his face made Ash feel the teeny tiniest bit better.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, Mr. Ibé insisted that I stay home to keep myself from catching your cold. How are you feeling?”
Just like always Eiji was thinking about everyone else first and himself second. It was a part of him that warmed Ash’s heart constantly, though it did also worry him from time to time.
Still sitting up in bed, not yet having made his way back down to his pillows, Ash crossed his arms over his chest and pretended to be irritated and pout; avoiding all eye contact with Eiji while he did so. If nothing else he figured the theatrics would help lighten the mood and distract from any remaining tension in his body. “I’m not sick, all of you are worrying for nothing.”
Eiji just smiled softly as he crossed the room and came to sit on the corner of the bed across from Ash, reaching a careful hand forward as he pressed his palm gently against the younger boy’s forehead, the sudden and vaguely unfamiliar action drew Ash’s attention back towards him with any sign of irritation faded from his expression. Instead, Ash looked soft and utterly exhausted, like how a normal teenager would look when they caught a cold. The sight made something in Eiji’s chest tighten with sadness but he hoped that his expression didn’t let it show. “Mm… You’ve definitely got a fever. Why don’t you lay back down and get some rest and I’ll make you something warm to eat?”
“I’m not hungry,” Ash responded, a few small coughs escaping him after he’s spoke.
“But you—.”
Suddenly Eiji was being pulled down right next to Ash, the two now laying side by side, a blanket being thrown overtop of them just a second or two later. He was so close to the other boy that he could practically feel the heat from his fever radiating off of him. Eiji’s own cheeks began to redden for a much different reason when Ash then gently pressed their foreheads together.
“I’m not hungry, just… stay like this until I fall asleep.”
The request was so unlike Ash that Eiji couldn’t say no. Instead he reached a careful arm around Ash’s waist and moved just a bit closer to him as he watched the other boy’s golden eyelashes again begin to flutter shut.
Silence filled the room. Eiji tried to focus on anything other than the light rise and fall of Ash’s chest as time passed and it began to seem as though he’d actually fallen asleep. The two were so close that their legs quickly became entangled together and Eiji could smell Ash’s shampoo when he rolled a little closer. It was private moments like these where Eiji got to see the real Ash, not the gang leader Ash, that were the most special. They were moments for just the two of them and he’d hold these memories close to his heart for years to come.
“You know… when I was little I was always thankful whenever I’d catch a cold or get a sore throat,” Ash spoke, suddenly breaking the silence as he slowly opened his eyes to meet Eiji’s gaze. His words were unexpected and made the older boy jump in surprise which encouraged a small smile from Ash’s lips. “Dino wouldn’t make me work in that sort of condition, he didn’t want his rough customers to damage his goods. I got to sleep and stay in bed by myself those nights… even with a cold, I felt great.”
Eiji wasn’t sure what to say but he met Ash’s gaze with a frown. He wanted to apologize for the way Ash had grown up, always afraid and made to do such unthinkable things... but he knew how an apology from him wouldn’t change the past and how Ash wouldn’t want to hear it anyway. Still, it’s all he could think to say.
Before Eiji had the chance to reply Ash just shook his head and continued to speak, a small chuckle escaping him this time, which then turned into a cough. He covered his mouth and let out a small sigh once he’d finished, “Sorry, it wasn’t my intention to make you feel bad for me. It’s just… after Griff went away I didn’t have anyone to take care of me when I was sick anymore and then it became so much harder to trust people and let them get close to me… It’s not that I don’t want you to help me, it’s just—.”
“I know, you don’t have to explain yourself Ash, I know.” Eiji’s words were soft and gentle, like he was pressing a cool, caring hand against Ash’s warm cheek just by speaking. It was a soothing sensation that encouraged him to close his eyes and try to rest just a little more. He sighed contently.
The room fell quiet once again as soft snores began to rise out of Ash, the pathetic little sounds causing a rather fond smile to form against Eiji’s lips. He reached a gentle hand over and began to comb his fingertips through golden hair, his touch earning him a faint sound of approval.
“Y’know Ash… in Japan we have these beautiful cherry blossom trees that bloom in Spring, in Japanese we call them ‘ sakura’ —“
“Sakoora,” Ash repeats in a soft murmur. Even while he’s half asleep he's still trying to learn and pick up on any Japanese Eiji might be willing to teach him.
The failed attempted did nothing but widen Eiji’s smile as he said the word again, this time a little slower, “ Sa-ku-ra .”
“Mm… sa-ku-ra ,” Ash hummed again before entangling his legs a bit more with Eiji’s as he snuggled his head further into his pillow. “What about the sakura ?”
Eiji just smiled as he continued to run his fingers through Ash’s hair, massaging his scalp every once in a while to help encourage him to sleep, loving the tenderness of this interaction between them. “They’re something a lot of people look forward to every year, seeing the blossoms finally start to open up is one of my favorite sights… I was thinking that maybe once all of this is over and you come to see Japan for the first time...I’d like to show you the sakura before the Spring showers wash them all away. We could even have a picnic if you wanted.”
At first Ash didn’t respond, tiny snores continuing to find their way out of him in place of words, but after a moment or two of silence he nodded his head and spoke, his words so quiet Eiji might not have heard him if they weren’t already so close. “Mm… once this is all over… it’s a promise.”
By now Ash was almost fully asleep, Eiji would be surprised if he remembered this conversation when he woke up. Still, their promise to sit under the cherry blossoms together in the future was a moment he would look forward to for months or even years to come. The very idea of small pink flowers falling from high up branches and landing into Ash’s golden blond hair warmed Eiji’s heart, so much so he couldn’t stop smiling. He couldn’t wait for a time when there would be no danger, no need for Ash to run, no Papa Dino. A time when Ash would finally be safe to live his life and to be happy, to be free . Eiji couldn’t wait, he didn’t want to have to wait, but for Ash he’d wait as long as he needed him to.
Allowing his own eyes to close as he brought his hand back down to rest against Ash’s waist Eiji just smiled.
“It’s a promise.”