empathy <asheiji>

3. relax

Eiji flipped through the pages of his book, eyes skimming past words but none of him really got into his head, mostly being a blur of ink and paper and stuff he was supposed to be interested in. The atmosphere was too thick, too stuffy, for him to concentrate.

Sighing, the japanese boy gave up and set the book down, turning his attention to the source of the stress-filled mood, Ash.

The blond had said he was going to pull off a complicated digital heist, so he didn't want eiji interrupting him. But seeing how frustrated fingers ran messily through wild golden hair, and the almost feverish chewing of a pen ash was partaking in, eiji couldn't imagine how he was supposed to leave him alone.

All that mental strain can't be healthy for you...

"Ash." Eiji walked up to the seated Ash's side, gazing down at the lines and lines of complicated code and commands that scored the computer screen. The blond didn't look up. "I told you not to disturb me."

"Yes, but...!" The raven-haired male crouched down so he was looking up at ash. The elegant lines of the his eyebrows were crunched together in a deep frown, which worried Eiji.

"You should really take a break," Eiji pried Ash's hands off the keyboard, ignoring the other's reluctant groan of protest.

Back to 'Serious Ash' again, huh, eiji noted. "I want to get this done today, since i'll likely be busy tomorrow!!" The blond refused to be dragged out of his chair, firmly planting himself in his seat.

The japanese boy frowned. "Busy with what?"

It seemed to take ash by surprise. "Uh.... well, i cant tell you. It's important," he said, light blush on his face.

Eiji just pouted in response, an action that tugged at Ash's heartstrings. "Worry like that for much longer and you'll go bald," his pout turned into a cheeky grin, and he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Atttention~!! Local pretty boy Ash was lost his luscious locks of blond~!!" His annoucement was loud enough for ash to mentally hear shorter guffawing uncontrollably at the mention of ash going bald, and he panicked.

"The unbeatable Ash Lynx, could this be what finally brings him down and forever relegate him to the world of hair-growing prod-- mff!!" Eiji was tackled to the ground, frim hands covering his mouth. The practised and skilled Ash had the technique of silencing someone down pat-- even with knowledge of this, the japanese boy broke out into giggles as he hit the floor.

"Scared, Ash?" Eiji snickered, even though he was in an inferior position to Ash he felt like he had control o fthe situation-- one of the few times he felt the two years he had on Ash.

The blond was blushing like there was no tomorrow. Pumpkins, losing his image and good looks-- what iver ridiculous things could be possibly be scared of? And wy was he even so afraid? Ash scowled. To him this was all because of the idiot laughing underneath him, giggling as if he wasn't an experienced killer who could choke eiji dead. Such an innocent idiot.

"Happy?" Ash asked Eiji, his tone scornful yet lighthearted. And the red dusting his cheeks told eiji that he wasn't frowning out of annoyance. The raven-haired male grinned playfully up at Ash, satistfied at his work. "I bet you're less stressed now, right?"

Ash's expression broke into a soft smirk. He was feeling a lot less frustrated. His mind felt lighter and his fingers felt more nimble and quick, and his eyes didn't sting from looking at the small text on the computer anymore.

He pushed himself up to stand before lending a hand to Eiji, who was still smiling like a dumbass. "Proud of yourself, eh?" He smirked as he ruffled the other's thick and fluffy black hair. Eiji leans into his hand like a cat.

"Mmm, do that again! It feels nice!" He beamed, a pure and sweet smile that ash couldn't help but blush at. Oh man, was he weak.

"You think you can order me around now?" Ash's smile turned scheming as he readied himself. "Oh I'll mess your hair up real bad!" He declared and jumped at Eiji, flinging both of them to the side of eiji's bed. The black-haired boy was laughing hard enough for tears to swell at the slim tips pf his eyes, and it made Ash really happy for some reason. He continued ruffling the other's hair aggressively, enjoying every moment he ran his fingers through Eiji's locks.

"I'm not taken down so easily!" Eiji growled defiantly, playfully swiping at Ash and trying to wrench his arms out of the way. They both knew a sheltered and safe japanese boy wasnt going to beat a street-hardened american in terms of strength but Ash still pretended to be out matched by Eiji, yelling like he was in shock at his strength and making a big scene out of it.

By the time they'd calm down from their shenanigans, the two were sprawled at the foot of ash's bed in a fit of giggles, both blushing. Eiji couldn't even tell if his cheeks were pink because of the physical excersion or because he almost got kabe-donned by the blond just now. Over all, it was a fun time, a playful and wild time.

Eiji glanced up at the clock. "It's two in the afternoon. Want to get back to your work, Hackerman?" he grinned.

Ash nodded and got up. "that was nice, my head doesn't hurt anymore."

"see, i know what's best for you, and you should start listening to me more!!"

The hours marched by steadily as eiji kicked back on his bed with his novel over the rapid clatter of skilled fingers on a keyboard. Bored, the japanese boy strolled out their room to take a breath of fresh air.

His eyes skimmed the grey walls of the corridors and the dark grey blemishes that sprinkled the interior. This house was shorter's old childhood home -- an apartment in the middle of the bustling city of new york. After the family moved into a shophouse in chinatown, Chang Dai, the old apartment was never reoccupied and occasional served as a hideout for Shorter and Ash's gangs.

Needing to change location, the crew of Ibe, Shorter, Eiji and Ash had to crash at someplace far from Ash's hideout at the bar. Upon arriving at Shorter's old house, the Chinese had given himself the privilege of taking the biggest bedroom. That left Ibe occupying the guest room, and Ash had taken Eiji to live in the room with two beds, the room shorter and his sister used to live in as kids.

flashback lmao
--
'Its better for you to sleep somewhere near me,' ash murmured. 'some asshole could crash in trying to kill you.'

'what about Ibe-san? He's not handy with a gun, too...'

'You want think you want him to sleep in a room with Shorter?' Ash casually said.

'N-no, what? Eiji laughed nervously, taken aback. "But then how'd you know i would agree to sleeping in the same room as you?"

The tiny speck of blush that graced Ash's cheek made eiji's heart go aflutter. "I'm a magician," he smirked. " besides, it's not like we're sleeping in the same bed, don't mind it so much."

Eiji laughed, scratching his neck as they discussed this awkward matter. Even though they would normally chat about things like dinner and the news, or about each other's lives, the conversation sometimes wound up being about their weird closeness.
--

Eiji blushed as he recalled that conversation. What did Ash want, being all smirky like that?

The boy sighed and leaned on the balcony's railings, admiring the tiny happenings that were taking place in the city tens of meters below him. A motorcycle dude yelling at a truck driver. A woman apologizing for bumping into an old man. Someone aggressively argueing with the hotdog vendor. Life's troubles seemed so small, yet they seemed so apparent as he stood in the house that was meant to be a hideout from gang violence.

The sound of Ash cursing suddenly filled eiji's ears. "Fuuuuuck, asshole computer deleted that whole chunk!!" The japanese boy was surprised for a moment, before turning his head to the window of his and ash's room and chuckling.

At least there'll always be Ash by my side to look out for me.

A/N episode 18 is illegal because its unethical to subject a human heart to this much pain

Anyway I've also been thinking of changing this book's title to 'therapeutic' but 'empathy' is fine as well, so if you think I should change it tell me here :D