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Ash had been having nightmares. This wasn’t new news of course, Ash had suffered from them for as long as Eiji had known him. But they were different now.
Worse.
Eiji wasn’t sure why. They were safe in Japan now after all, Dino and Banana Fish behind them, nothing but a bad memory and yet, the blonde was still being tormented by his past. Eiji understood of course, Ash’s trauma went back to his childhood and moving to another country wasn’t going to change that. But despite this, Eijis heart still ached for the boy whenever he was woken up from Ash’s protests or thrashing about, the way it did when he first found out about them in New York. Back then, Eiji would feign ignorance, lay awake quietly until he heard Ash’s breathing level out, only making himself known when he heard Ash freak out more or leave the room. Since moving to Japan however Eiji always tried his best to wake Ash up, to save him from the darkness that haunted his mind.
Or at least, that’s what he used to do.
Over the past week Ash’s dreams seemed to have worsened, the darkness pulling him further into his past and reminding him of what once was and as a result, Ash had begun to act out; to fight back against those who tormented him in his sleep.
The first incident happened a few days ago; Eiji woke to the sound of Ash whimpering beside him, mumbled protests escaping his lips as sweat lined his forehead. Eiji moved closer to him, gently tucking a stray strand behind the blondes ear the way he always did before waking him up however this time was different, as soon as Eijis fingers brushed against Ash’s ear, the blonde had reacted, swatting Eiji's hand away violently. Eiji gasped in both surprise and pain, his sharp intake waking the other in confusion. Eiji had quickly laid back down, his arm hugged tightly to his chest as he laid with his back to Ash, waiting for him to go back to sleep. It only took a few moments.
Since then, Eiji had, admittedly, been too scared to wake Ash up. He knew it was stupid to be afraid after something like that, it was unfair to Ash too, it’s not like his hand was broken or anything, it had just been sore.
Eiji had internally argued with himself for a full day before deciding that he would no longer get involved with Ash when the nightmares got too much and he hated himself for doing this. Every night he would lay awake listening to his boyfriend cry and struggle and he hated it more than anything - especially when he knew he could stop it.
Eiji was determined to hold out until he, either, figured out how to help him or found the courage to speak to Ash about it. Or till Ash spoke about it to him, though the latter was less likely. Eiji wasn’t sure Ash even knew what was happening when he got that worked up.
Eiji’s will power only lasted two nights.
The morning after the second night, Ash had woken up after Eiji. He greeted him with a kiss on the forehead when he entered the living room before dropping onto the sofa. After a brief exchange of words a comfortable silence fell between them as Ash sprawled out on the length of the sofa, glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose as he read one of his many books while Eiji sat on one the armchair, legs tucked under him as he played with the sleeves of his borrowed, stolen, hoodie.
“Are you okay?” Eiji asked suddenly, brows furrowed in concern as he looked over at the blonde.
Ash didn’t reply for a moment. He closed his book, using his thumb as a temporary bookmark as he titled his head past the worn, leather cover to meet the others gaze, “Yes?” he raised a brow, obviously confused but a small smile tugged at his lips, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Eiji fumbled, mouth moving without words before he settled on, “I was just checking” he let out an awkward, breathy laugh as he looked down, “Did..” he hesitated, “Did you sleep okay?” he asked, glancing back up.
It was Ash's turn to hesitate. He glanced to the side, “I had a nightmare.. nothing new though” he admitted as he slowly turned back to look at the Eiji who nodded, “I guess they’re getting better since I haven’t been waking you up recently” he smiled at the thought. Eiji's stomach twisted with guilt but he smiled and nodded encouragingly nonetheless.
That was the moment Eiji decided to stop ignoring Ash. He couldn’t keep letting the boy think it was getting better when Eiji knew his dreams were getting worse by the day.
That was his mistake.
Once it got late enough the couple were ready for bed. Ash had an arm wrapped around Eijis waist as the two snuggled quietly. Eiji rested his head against Ash’s front, his hand resting over Ash’s heart gently. This had become a habit since they moved to Japan; close cuddling before sleep. At first Eiji feared Ash was pushing himself but after an hour long of reassurances from the blonde, Eiji had relaxed and allowed this to become the new normal. Of course, they rarely woke up like this. Most of the time they ended up just leaning into each other; except for the past two nights where, once Ash had fallen asleep, Eiji had moved far away from him and started waking up earlier so that Ash didn’t notice the distance between them.
Eiji relished in these blissful moments of peace before they fell asleep, he soaked up the warmth of being flush against Ash’s body, breathed in the scent that was his boyfriend and relaxed to the steady heartbeat of that same boy.
“G’night Eiji…” Ash mumbled, already dozing off, eyes closed.
“Night Ash” Eiji replied quietly. Ash smiled at the way Eiji's accent caught on his name and he shortly fell asleep with the same expression on his face.
…
It was early in the morning when Eiji woke up to Ash’s trembling voice. He glanced over his shoulder to see the blonde tossing uncomfortably, his wrists pressed together tightly as if bound by some invisible restraint. Eiji's brows furrowed sadly as he pushed himself to sit up. He watched hesitantly for a few moments, heart breaking at the pained look on Ash’s face, a look that made Ash look young and vulnerable, a look that always reminded Eiji of just how young Ash was when he went through everything and how, even at nineteen, he was still the same little boy who had been used and mistreated.
“Ash?” he tried, hoping to gently coax the other awake, “Ash it’s just a nightmare, you’re okay” he spoke gently, but Ash merely mumbled protests in response. Eiji sighed as he threw the covers from his legs so that he could move closer to the sleeping blonde.
Reaching out a tentative hand to place on Ash’s shoulder, Eiji tried again, but the only word he managed to speak was “Ash-” before Ash had reacted, turning on Eiji with a sudden speed. Eiji's eyes widened and he gasped unexpectedly as Ash straddled the boy, hands wrapping around his neck, “A-Ash-” Eiji choked out, hands grasping at Ash’s wrists in an attempt to get him to stop but Ash didn’t listen, merely stared at Eiji with a wide but blurry eyed look on his face as he squeezed Eiji's neck. Eiji took in gasping breaths, tears spilling from the corners of his eyes, “Ash-! S-stop, it’s me!” he tried again, his grabbing turning to scratching as he clawed at Ash’s iron grip. Eiji's vision started to blur at the sides and he felt himself struggling to take in air. He squirmed, eyes shutting tightly as he tried to escape without luck. It wasn’t until a drop of water fell onto Eiji's already damp cheeks that he opened his eyes and saw that Ash was also crying.
‘ He’s still dreaming’
Eiji had suspected this of course, he didn’t think Ash had just randomly attacked him while giving him the silent treatment but his tears confirmed it. Ash was trapped between the waking world and his nightmare, the demons from his past blocking Ash's ability to tell past from present, dream from reality.
Eiji winced as Ash’s grip tightened, he let out a pained squeak, his lungs empty and vision fuzzy. In a last ditch attempt, Eiji stopped clawing at Ash’s hands and instead wrapped his left hand around them gently while reaching up to Ash’s face with his right. Eiji rested his hand on Ash's cheek. Eiji's actions were soft and gentle, kind and affectionate, something Ash never got when he was younger, the way he was never treated in his past or his nightmares. Eiji watched as jade green eyes refocused, “Ash..-” Eiji whispered painfully before watching those same eyes widen in fear and realisation at what he was doing before he instantly let go of Eiji and moved backwards like he had just been burnt.
As soon as Ash let go, Eiji turned on his side as he coughed violently and took in deep staggering breaths. Eiji gripped the side of the bed as he did this, tears streaming down his cheeks and legs tucked in on himself as he tried to replenish the air that had been stolen from his lungs.
Ash watched in fear. Tears fell quickly from the corners of his own eyes and his whole body trembled as he sat back on his knees, watching his boyfriends coughing fit ensue, “E-Eiji I’m-” he began, voice shaky but was cut off as Eiji held a hand out to him before it fell back on the bed weakly,
“Don’t-” Eiji choked out.
Ash’s face fell as he waited to be yelled at by the boy, to be cursed out and called names for his actions, and Ash wouldn’t blame him. He expected it. What he wasn’t expecting were Eijis next words,
“Don’t a-apologise” he coughed before taking in another shuddering breath, “It-” he winced, closing his eyes, “It wasn’t your f-fault”
“But Eiji I-”
“It wasn’t. your. fault” Eiji spoke slowly as he turned his head to face the blonde who was looking at him in disbelief, shaking his head.
“It was ” Ash protested, “It was my fault!” he repeated.
“Ash” Eiji winced as he swallowed, “It’s okay” he said softly as he pushed himself up to rest on his hands, turning himself a little more to face Ash, “I- I’m okay” he tried to reassure - even if he didn’t believe it himself.
Ash shook his head as Eiji spoke, face scrunching up at his words, before his gaze snapped to meet Eiji, “It’s not okay!” Ash gripped the sheet that was tangled at his feet, “I hurt you Eiji! I did! This is my fault!” he gestured to himself as he spoke in a raised voice, emotions overcoming his senses, “I…” he dropped his head.
“Don’t..-” Eiji said, his voice raspy but laced with a warning tone as he lowered his brows at the blonde.
“I’m sorry” a sob escaped Ash’s lips.
And just like that, he broke.
Ash curled in on himself, forehead resting on his knees as he raised his hands to cover his face, “I’m so sorry Eiji, I’m so sorry!” he repeated over and over again. His body shook violently, chest heaving with every sob and shaky intake of breath.
‘How could I do this? How could I hurt Eiji?’
Eiji was the one person who had only offered him kindness and love. The one person who gave everything and expected nothing. The one person who’s gentle touches were welcome and whose warmth was wanted.
Ash couldn’t understand how this happened.
‘How could I-?’
Ash was cut off from his thoughts as he felt that familiar and oh so gentle warmth engulf him. Slim but strong, shaking arms wrapped around him, soft hands rubbing his back in a soothing motion. A soft voice whispered against his neck, chin resting carefully on the blonde's head, “It's okay.. I’m okay…” Eiji spoke in a soothing manner, the same voice Ash had abruptly woken up too after other nightmares, but it was different this time. It was laced with a hidden pain this time - one Eiji was pretending didn’t exist.
“It’s not okay.. nothing about this is okay Eiji so stop saying that it is!” Ash cried, shaking his head in protest. Eiji continued to rub his back.
“It is Ash, I-” Eiji tried but was cut off as Ash sat up quickly, hands falling from his face to reveal his red eyes and tear stained cheeks.
“Stop saying that!” Ash all but yelled, as he pulled backwards causing Eijis arms to fall from him, “Nothing about this okay Eiji and you know it! I- I attacked you without even realising it! I-” he paused, taking a steady breath, “I could have killed you Eiji…” Ash let out a shuddering breath at the thought.
“But you didn’t!” Eiji quickly protested, his hands tightened into shaky fists in his lap, “Ash you would never hurt me”
“But I did!”
“You were asleep when it happened for fuck sake !” Ash’s eyes widened at Eijis words, he’d never heard the older boy curse before. Eiji, seemingly also surprised at his sudden outburst and choice of words let out a small breath before continuing in a calmer tone, “Ash you have done nothing but protect me since we met, this was an accident-”
“That makes it even worse Eiji!” Ash yelled, cutting the raven haired boy off. Ash let out a heavy sigh, “I- I don’t even remember what I was dreaming about to have got in the state, I- I thought it was getting better.. clearly I was wrong..” he lowered his head sadly, “Waking you up cause of them was bad enough but what? Now I’m going to attack you too? I- I can’t do that to you Eiji.. I don’t want to hurt you…” Ash shook his head, blonde hair swaying slightly behind him.
Eiji sat closer to the blonde, their body’s pressing against each other, “Ash it will get better, you just have to give it time-”
“Time for what?” Ash cut in once again, eyes wide with unrivalled worry. He didn’t understand why Eiji was trying to brush this off, why he wasn’t acting like this wasn’t a big deal? “All this week I thought I was getting better since I haven’t been waking you up because of them and now, out of nowhere, they’ve gotten worse all over again!” Ash dragged his hands down his face before pressing them into his eyes in an attempt to stop himself from crying.
Eiji bit his lip, glancing at Ash, who was hiding his face in his hands. The familiar feeling of guilt built up in Eijis stomach and before he could stop himself it had crept up his throat and formed a sentence, “That’s not true”
Ash lowered his hands, letting them fall heavily onto his lap as he shook his head and let out a humorous scoff, “Eiji give me a damn break” he said, he didn’t want to hear Eiji trying to play it down again, “You told me you haven’t been woken up all week..” Eiji glanced away. Ash’s mouth formed a thin line as he took in the boys reaction, “Eiji?” he said quietly, doing his best to keep his voice steady. Eiji didn’t reply, he briefly glanced at the blonde before looking away again. Ash let out a small breath, brows furrowing, “Eiji, have.. have I done this before?” Ash kept his eyes on his boyfriend, analysing his movements and reactions to his questions.
He hoped he was wrong, that his intuition was off because he was tired, because he was emotional after damn near killing the boy he loved. His hope was quickly brushed away at Eiji's reply,
Eiji hesitated before slowly meeting Ash’s questioning gaze, “The first time wasn’t this bad, you just slapped my hand away…” he admitted.
Ash’s eyes widened in realisation, images of days just gone flashing through his head of Eiji nursing a bandaged wrist while claiming he was “Fine” while saying “It doesn’t hurt”. The injury he told Ash he had gotten when “I wasn’t watching where I was going and bumped into someone, we both got a little bruised from the fall”.
But it hadn’t been from an accident, it had been caused by Ash.
Fresh tears spilled from jade green eyes, as Ash spoke in a shaky voice that was just audible in the otherwise silent bedroom, “That’s how you hurt your wrist.. why- why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to upset you” was all Eiji could say.
Ash scoffed humorously, but his brows furrowed sadly, giving his true emotions away, “So you lied to me instead?”
“No- well yes but I did it because I knew you’d blame yourself!” Eiji said, stumbling over his words.
Ash shook his head, a new emotion creeping up and mixing with his sadness. Anger.
“That’s not an excuse to lie to me about this Eiji! If I knew I was hurting you I’d have done something, slept on the couch or somewhere else entirely! You should have told me!” Ash raised his voice, brows furrowing in anger now as he looked at the older boy.
He couldn’t understand why Eiji would lie to him about something this serious? He couldn’t believe Eiji would lie to him at all.
“I just don’t get it Eiji, why would you lie about this? Why would-” but Ash’s angered questioning was cut off by words he never wanted to hear from Eiji,
“I was scared okay!?” Eiji yelled back, eyes scrunched shut causing stray tears to fall. He let out a soft sob before biting at his bottom lip and looking back at the blonde. Eiji hated the look that was now on Ash’s face.
Eiji hated himself for causing Ash to make such a face.
“..what?” Ash asked in a cracked whisper as he stared with sad, wide eyes, his mouth slightly parted.
“I was too scared to tell you.. I- l didn’t want you to think badly about yourself…” Eiji admitted in a softer voice.
There was a brief silence. Ash kept staring at Eiji with that expression while Eiji kept glancing away, not able to keep eye contact for longer than five seconds.
“You were scared of me” it wasn’t a question.
Brown eyes widened like a deer in headlights. Eiji quickly turned to look at Ash again, “N-No!” he quickly shot down the idea, “Ash you have never scared me! I wasn’t afraid of you I promise! I was scared for you! I.. I didn’t know how to help you and that's what scared me…” Eiji grabbed at Ash’s hands, squeezing them gently as he spoke, hoping his words got through to the boy while cursing his previous choice of them.
Ash looked at Eiji, his eyes falling to the dark red hand shaped marks on Eiji's thin neck. They were already starting to bruise. They looked painful. Guilt filled his body and his chest tightened at the macabre sight he had caused.
Not able to tear his eyes away from his boyfriends bruised neck, Ash spoke distractedly, voice shaky, “I.. I think I should go…”
Eiji shook his head quickly, “What? No-” Ash pulled his hands from Eijis as he stood from the bed.
“No I should.. I-I’ll call Ibe, ask him to come check on you” Ash spoke almost emotionless as his unblinking eyes finally tore themselves away from Eiji and he moved to leave the room.
“Ash” Eiji quickly pushed himself off the bed, bracing himself momentarily before following Ash out.
When Eiji got to the corridor, Ash was already tying up the laces of his red converse, “You should probably get checked out at a hospital” he said after hearing the other boy's footsteps follow him.
“Ash stop” Eiji spoke softly as he watched the blonde get ready to leave in the dark hours of the morning.
“It’s fine Eiji, I’ll stay at a hotel or something” he brushed him off as he finished tying the second shoe, “It’s safer that way” he added in a quieter tone as he stood to grab his jacket.
“No it’s not!” Eiji stepped forward, grabbing Ash’s sleeve as the other moved for the door.
Ash stopped, closing his eyes and letting out a breath through his nose, “Eiji I don’t want to hurt you again…”
“You won’t” Eiji said firmly.
“Eiji..” Ash said softly as he felt the others hand begin to tremble as he continued to hold the fabric of Ash’s coat, “I’ll only be gone for a few days.. a couple weeks at most…” he tried to reason.
“No!”
“Eiji-”
“No Ash!” Eiji repeated. He shook his head, not letting go of the blonde as he spoke, “This is why I didn't tell you! Because I knew you would feel bad and do something like this!”
Ash turned to face Eiji, causing Eiji to let go of him, “What? Be responsible and try to keep you safe?” he asked slightly bewildered.
“ No , because I didn’t want you to feel bad and distance yourself from me.. I- Ash please don’t leave me…” Eiji's quiet voice broke at the end of his plea and deep brown eyes glossed over with tears once more.
Ash smiled sadly, turning to face Eiji properly.
Ash gently placed a hand on Eiji's cheek and he instantly leaned into the touch, “I’m not leaving you Eiji.. I just need to be away for a while, just until I can work this out” he said as he pulled his hand back - much to Eiji's disappointment.
Eiji shook his head, “We can work it out together! Ash please-! I.. I don’t want you to go…”
“I don’t want to go either but-”
“Then don’t!” Eiji grabbed Ash’s arm again before he could turn away.
“ But ” Ash began again, placing a hand atop of Eiji’s, “It’s for the best. And deep down you know that”
“No” the smaller boy flat out refused.
“Eiji..-”
“No Ash, I already almost lost you once I’m not going to lose you again!” Despite his trembling, Eiji’s grip tightened on the blonde.
Ash looked at him confused until he realised what Eiji was talking about. He glanced to the side, sighing softly “..Eiji.. that- that was different, I’m not going to die by going away for a few days” he looked back at Eiji.
Eiji lowered his gaze, looking at their hands; Ash still had his atop of Eiji’s and was subconsciously rubbing circles with his thumb over the back of Eiji’s knuckles.
Eiji took a deep breath before looking back up at Ash, “You once told me to go back to Japan because I was a burden…”
Ash wasn’t sure why he was bringing this up but was quick to shut down this kind of thinking from his boyfriend, “You’re not a burden-”
“And neither are you” Eiji quickly said. He took a step closer, his grip loosening but still firm as he wrapped his hand around Ash’s forearm more, holding him gently.
Ash glanced down at their hands, “Eiji.. this isn’t the same” he said as he shook his head sadly.
“Sure it is, you’re trying to leave to protect me because you don’t want me to get hurt right?” Eiji asked but he was already talking again before Ash could even think of responding, “Well, I feel safest when you're near me. When I can call out your name from one room and you appear round the corner from the next. I feel safest when you double check the doors are locked at night and when I wake up to you holding me. I-I feel the most protected by holding your hand when we’re out and walking beside you when it’s late and when- when there’s a storm and you stay up with me till it passes or I fall asleep. I feel safe and protected with you Ash, if you leave I- you can’t leave, not even for a few days ..please”
Ash was taken aback my Eijis words, he never thought his presence made the boy feel that way, “But what if I hurt you again?” he asked, worry evident in his tone.
“You won’t” Eiji moved his free hand to gently place on Ash’s neck, his thumb gently resting on Ash’s jawline, “But if it does happen, then we’ll work through it, together ”
Ash placed his hand on top of Eiji’s, gently wrapping his fingers around Eiji's palm, “I don’t know Eiji.. I was only able to stop myself because of you”
“Exactly, you can’t work through this alone Ash and I won’t let you” Eiji spoke with a determined look in his dark eyes.
Ash let out a small breathy laugh. He hung his head before looking back at the shorter boy, shaking his head softly “..you’re really stubborn you know that?” a small smile spread across his face as he spoke.
Eiji’s own mouth curled into a small smile, “You’re just realising?” he asked teasingly as he let go of Ash’s arms and neck to pull the boy into a hug.
Ash hesitated but soon reciprocated the embrace; pulling Eiji closer to him as he rested his forehead on Eiji’s shoulder. Eiji gripped the back of Ash’s coat, resting his head sideways against the blonde's chest, listening to his heartbeat.
After a few moments Ash pulled away, keeping one hand on Eiji’s waist while moving the other to Eiji’s shoulder, his slim fingers gently reaching out to touch the bruises on the smaller boy's neck. Eiji’s hands stayed loosely around his boyfriend's waist but they tensed as he involuntarily winced as Ash touched his neck.
Ash dropped his hands, stepping back from the doe eyed boy, “..we should get some ice or something on there, I think we have some bandages too..” he said quietly as he glanced away. Eiji nodded silently, also unable to meet the others' gaze as he wrapped his arms around his own wait, “I’ll go get them, you head back to bed” Ash instructed gently before turning to go to the kitchen.
Eiji watched Ash disappear into the other room, “Ash?” he called out.
Ash poked his head back around the corner, “Yeah?” he asked.
Eiji smiled at the action, “Thank you” he said.
Ash offered him a brief smile before disappearing again, “I’ll be right back”
Eiji hovered for a moment, wondering if he should go and help but decided against it as he turned around and headed back to their bedroom.
The room was still dark but not as much as it was before. The setting moon shone a comforting white light across the small space as it leaked through their partially open blinds. Eiji moved back to their bed, he grabbed the sheet from its bundle at the foot of the bed before gently laying it back over the mattress, smoothing out the stray creases before sitting down.
Eiji waited, watching the dust particles, which were illuminated by the moon, float around the room. He sat in silence, he could hear Ash rummaging around the kitchen and bathroom but apart from that the apartment was void of noise, something that would usually be normal for this hour. Except, the silence felt different today.
The silence was different today
Eiji wasn’t sure he liked the quiet.
A few minutes later, Ash came back into the room holding a small bag of ice, a roll of bandages, some medical tape and some small scissors. He sheepishly glanced at Eiji as he came back into the room and saw the other had remade the bed. Careful not to drop anything, Ash made his way over to him. He placed everything on the bed beside Eiji before kneeling in front of him without speaking.
The pair were quiet as Ash carefully wrapped some bandage around Eiji’s neck and secured it with some tape. His touch was gentle, something Eiji appreciated. Eiji did his best not to react to the bruises being touched but he was sure Ash saw him wince and flinch away a few times.
Once it was done, Ash moved the spare items to his bedside table before turning back to Eiji who was seemingly watching his every move.
“S’that okay?” he asked.
Eiji gently reached up to his, now, bandaged neck, “It’s kinda sore…” he admitted as he lowered his hand.
“Well here..” Ash said as he held the ice pack out, “Try and keep that on top for a little bit, it should help” he said. Eiji nodded as he took the ice pack and held it to his neck. It was quiet again until, “Eiji I really am sorry”
Eiji lowered the ice pack as he spoke, “Hey what did I say about apologising?” Eiji asked as he tilted his head at the other out of habit - though he quickly regretted the action and sat up straight again.
“Me not saying it won’t make it any less true. I am sorry and I should be apologising and you definitely shouldn’t be forgive-”
Eiji gently grabbed Ash’s face and pulled him into a kiss, effectively cutting off his, more than likely, self degrading speech. Ash’s eyes widened in surprise but he soon relaxed into the kiss. After a moment Eiji pulled away, pressing their foreheads together.
“Let’s go back to sleep, yeah?” Eiji whispered.
“..but..”
“It’ll be okay, I trust you Ash” Eiji combed a hand through Ash’s hair, “And if it means that much to you, you should know I do forgive you” Eiji looked up at the blonde through thick lashes, moving his hands to rest on the nape of his boyfriends neck, “Even if I don’t think there’s anything to forgive since it wasn’t-”
It was Ash’s turn to cut off the other with a kiss. Eiji giggled briefly before he smiled into it. Ash cupped the side of Eiji’s face and after another moment he pulled back, leaving his hand in place. Eiji leaned into the touch as they offered each other small but warm smiles and loving eyes.
“Let’s go to sleep” Ash agreed.
“Okay” Eiji nodded softly.
The two slowly manoeuvred themselves back under the covers, cuddling closely to each other like they always do; Ash laid on his back, his arms wrapped securely around Eiji’s small waist. He was hugging the other closely, protectively. Eiji laid on his side, his head laying on Ash’s shoulder while his hands gently rested atop Ash’s chest. After whispering sweetly, and reassuringly, to one another for a few minutes, the two eventually fell asleep peacefully, neither disturbing the other.
They both knew it wasn’t going to be easy but, despite what Ash previously thought, they also knew they couldn’t do it alone. Without verbally agreeing, each had decided that they wouldn’t try and do things alone from now on - they wouldn’t run away anymore even if the demons from their nightmares tried to scare them off. They would be there with each other, for each other. Forever.