{ Sorry for disappearing, loves. How has everyone been? Anyways, have fun with the roller coaster ride that is this chapter.

No I will not elaborate~}

Even when they did get to Shorter's to visit, Ash watched everything like a hawk. He kept peering out of the front curtains and checking the back door, then making his rounds.

" Ash, please... what's going on?" Eiji asked.

Shorter was on the couch with a heating pad on his shoulder, looking between the two with an arched brow.

" Someone was tailing us... I felt it... I know I did..." Ash shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. What the hell... he'd known from a young age when others were watching him. It was one of the only tools he'd had to survive, and that's why his instincts were so fine tuned. To think he didn't know who it was... it was nerve wracking.

Who were they? Did they want to hurt Eiji? Were they looking to kill?

Ash scratched his head and paced.

" Um... Ash. I'm sure it's fine. Why don't you sit down for a second?" Shorter tried to tell him. " I have deadbolts on all my doors... and if they came in through a window we would hear..."

Eiji stared up at Ash as his eyes beaded from side to side. He just wanted to wrap his arms around him, but he didn't.

Ash took a deep breath, then plopped down on the couch between Shorter and Eiji. His leg bounced a little as he sat there even as he tried to ignore it.

" Shorter, anyways... you're doing okay? Nothing's infected or anything?" Eiji asked, then smiled over at him gently. He reached to hold Ash's hand, not making it obvious as he rubbed his palm with his thumb.

" Yeah, I'm okay. Sing has been stopping by to help me patch myself up and apply ointment. Really it's more achy than anything if I don't heat it." Shorter explained. " I'm sure the muscles around it are swollen and aggravated and heat helps..."

Ash shook his head and tried to pull himself together. Eiji's warm thumb rubbing him like that seemed to help.

" Be careful with the heat... sometimes it'll make the inflammation worse." He told his friend. " But I'm happy that it's not too bad."

" It's just one little hole... it's not like he blew my arm off or anything." Shorter scoffed. " I'll be back in the game by the end of the week no problem... which, speaking of that, do you have a plan for Yut-Lung?"

Ash had to try and think straight. Ironic when he was in the middle of holding Eiji's hand, but whatever.

" We should take him out before Dino... since we know where the old man is. If he moves or does something we can more easily keep tabs on him. But with Yut-Lung, we can trust he's in Manhattan now and we have to act on it. It's just a matter of sniffing the asshole out..." He murmured, then stared at the wall.

" I agree, man. Where do we start?" Shorter asked.

" I've been trying to figure that out... things might've just gotten more complicated, though. If someone is tailing me... I'll be forced into handling things." Ash muttered.

Shorter then noticed the fact that Eiji had a hold of Ash's hand, then raised an eyebrow. Okay, the mafia and all that bullshit was important, but he needed some tea about that. Since when...? Did Ash confess?

" Right..." Shorter said, his face developing a slight smirk. " So, what have you two been up to?" He made it clear that he was looking at their hands, not trying to hide it anymore.

Ash began to blush, as did Eiji.

" Listen... I don't want anyone to know yet..." The blonde told him. " If they did, he'd be their prime target..."

" Not to burst your bubble or anything, but I'm pretty sure they already know. How many times has Eiji been kidnapped or almost kidnapped already?" Shorter asked, not even looking for the answer. " I mean, I knew long ago... so did Skip, before everything went to shit..."

Eiji's eyes beaded from side to side. He had to tell someone.

" Shorter... if Ash came back to Japan with me, what would happen?" He asked, and Ash turned over at him abruptly.

" I haven't made up my mind y-"

" Hypothetically..." Eiji added, then pursed his lips. He wouldn't settle for anything less than Ash at least visiting with him and meeting his family.

Shorter pondered for a second.

" Well... Alex and I would be in charge." He shrugged. " But unless Yut-Lung and Dino are taken out and the Banana Fish secret gets out, I don't think there's anywhere that's safe to run to..."

Ash didn't want to tell Eiji he told him so... but... he almost did. Instead, he bit his tongue before he could be an asshole.

" Listen, I want to come back with you... it just might take a while..." He assured Eiji and squeezed his hand.

" Ash, I get it's not my place... but I would like to see you get out of here, too. You're too smart for this life. Maybe if you were over there you could make something of yourself and get away from the American shitshow here..." Shorter explained. " To help you do that, I... want to start by kidnapping that scientist. God even knows where Dino hid him, but if we turn him over and he spills all his data and testimony to the media... Dino would be done for..."

Ash's eyes widened.

" You really think we could get our hands on him?"

Shorter nodded.

" When my shoulder is better, we'll organize the guys. If you handle Yut-Lung, I swear to you that we'll do everything in our power to get the guy. Abraham Dawson and Alex Dawson are the key to this... I just have to find them." He promised, extending his fist to Ash's, and the blonde bumped it back.

They decided it would be safer to call a ride back to their condo, and as they went toward the door, Eiji caught Shorter flashing him a thumbs up and gesturing to Ash.

Eiji blushed and smiled, and once they stepped outside, Ash pulled Eiji to Alex's car. He was the one who'd pulled up to scoop them.

" Thank you, Alex. I'll have answers for you and the guys tomorrow I hope..." Ash said, and it wasn't too much longer before they pulled up at the condo's building.

Ash was extremely careful about escorting Eiji back inside. He still felt them being followed, even after all that way. But was he just growing paranoid?

Alex watched the exchange with wide eyes. So Boss was finally with him like that? That was the only conclusion he could draw from their body language. Luckily enough for them, he wouldn't blab about it to anyone else.

" Can you not do any gang stuff tonight? Can it just be us?" Eiji asked once they stepped into the elevator and the doors were closed. He didn't know if he would be able to handle Ash leaving after what they'd done earlier.

Ash chuckled.

" Oh, I don't know... will you be able to keep your hands off of me? Don't you have school work to catch up on?" He teased. At least he knew they were safe in that building... and whoever had been following them wasn't there. Right?

" I have most of it done..." Eiji murmured, blushing. Most of his assignments he'd been able to bullshit or rush through, then do okay on the tests. But then he realized Ash was teasing, and he wanted to get revenge. " What would you do if I didn't keep my hands off of you?"

Ash was a blushing mess, but he tried to stop himself. After the life he'd had, things like that should've scared him, but he trusted Eiji. There was always a little voice in his head that told him to touch him and keep him closer.

" I'll cross that bridge if I come to it..." He muttered in Eiji's ear.

Eiji deadpanned, and once they stepped out of the elevator and headed to their condo, he felt like he was finally at home. It was the evening by then, since they'd stayed at Shorter's for a while.

" You have that look on your face... what are you planning?" Ash asked, seeing Eiji slipping off his shoes and heading to the kitchen.

" It's dinner time. I have to cook something, right?" Eiji asked, peering inside of the fridge after opening the door. He knew that Ash definitely wouldn't have made something healthy, so he took responsibility for that.

" No stinky fish... please. Can we have something American?" Ash groaned and came over and leaned on the counter.

Eiji's eyebrow twitched and he forced a smile as he turned around from the fridge.

" What does the spoiled American request for tonight? I actually have a separate gourmet menu planned out for picky eaters like you..." He added, and Ash gulped. Damn... Eiji was scary when he got sarcastic like that.

" Ugh... move over. I'll cook." Ash said, pulling the other door to the fridge open and glancing in. They ended up catching each other's eye contact as they stood shoulder to shoulder like that.

In the back of his head, even with all the tension going on, Eiji was still thinking about earlier... about what they would have to do for Ash to leave with him. Even Shorter seemed to think it was a good idea!

Ash felt his throat go dry and his cheeks flushed from their closeness.

" I'll cook pasta or something..." The blonde finally said. " I saw you bring in a box of that... and we have cheese and tomato sauce I think..."

" Where's the protein, though? Just cheese? Please..." Eiji asked, still not moving away from their close position. He liked being next to Ash like that and he enjoyed even more so when the other was a flustered mess.

" Stop being a good influence..." Ash muttered.

" No..." Eiji smiled a little, then ran a hand up Ash's chest. He was blushing and knew exactly what he was doing, and he hoped Ash liked that.

Ash's arms seemed to have a mind of their own. He shut both of the fridge doors and pulled Eiji by the front of his shirt. He felt the urge and succumbed to it immediately as he backed him against the metal.

Their faces neared each other, and they both smiled a little. Maybe Ash was a bad influence... and maybe Eiji wasn't as good of an influence as Ash wanted to believe. But what did any of that matter when they were so close?

Eiji knew what they were doing was confusing, jumbled, tension-ridden... but it felt so right. He watched as their relationship became increasingly more physical, but he wasn't doing anything to stop it. In fact... he was the one encouraging it. He cupped Ash's cheek and stood on his toes so they could kiss. When they'd done that earlier, even if they'd been caught, Eiji felt at peace.

Ash was shocked that Eiji had initiated the contact, but he himself had started things by cornering him. He closed his eyes and ran his hands down Eiji's sides. His hips were so well fitted in his grip. He smirked on Eiji's lips as he soaked up the feeling of holding him. He was getting a little worked up, but that much had become the norm with Eiji.

" Am I still a good influence?" Eiji murmured, pulling back to stare up at him. He didn't want the kiss to stop, not in the slightest, but he truly did need the answer to his question.

" Always..." Ash whispered back, then went back in for another kiss. If it had been anyone else in the world, he wouldn't have opened himself up for more than a handshake. But with Eiji, what even were boundaries?

Eiji's eyes popped open when he felt Ash lift him against the fridge. Blush overtook him and he let out a small whine of embarrassment. Ash seemed to pick him up like he was nothing. How was that even possible, he wondered.

Ash tried not to lose himself in how cute the sound was. And as he held Eiji close, then began to pepper kisses on his neck, his mind wandered off somewhere else. How had he ended up with someone like him? He was lucky enough to be with an angel, hopefully for the rest of his life. Most people had to die before they could do that...

They kissed and embraced until it was long past dinner hour. They could've had dinner cooked, eaten, and done all the dishes in the time they stayed there like that. But still, neither of them complained.

" We're ordering pizza..." Eiji finally chuckled as he glanced over at the clock. He wiped his lips and blushed, realizing that they had become swollen over the course of kissing Ash.

" Sounds alright with me..." Ash said, rubbing Eiji's side. He'd slowly gotten used to kissing him, so he wasn't nearly as much of a flustered mess.

A while later, Ash headed downstairs to grab the pizza. Conveniently, the condo building had a pizza place on the main level, which they frequented. Meanwhile, Eiji had stayed back to shower and think things over, which gave Ash peace of mind. Well... almost. He felt himself being watched as he stood in line to grab his food.

Had the person really had the balls to come into the building with all those security measures?

As Ash handed over his money and left a generous tip for the employees, he caught a glimpse of someone in a trench coat and hat outside in the main plaza hall. He wasn't trying to hide anymore.

Ash nearly dropped his pizza when he saw his face, then apologized as he clutched the box to his chest and got out of line, staggering toward the man.

" Long time no see, Ash... walk with me."

Ash shook that stupid baffled look off his face.

" Not until you tell me what you're doing here, Blanca. Aren't you supposed to be retired...?" He said, then narrowed his eyes.

The very tall, muscular, and tanned man only chuckled and tilted his hat.

" I wish I had better news for you... but I was called in to kill your boyfriend..." He explained in a low tone.

Ash grit his teeth and knew it had to have been Dino. He nearly snapped the cardboard box in his grip.

" Bold of you to come out and say that..."

" I never said I was going to go through with it." Blanca replied. " Now walk with me... we must discuss some things..."

Ash didn't understand the man and he never had even when he was younger, when he was trained by him. He only huffed and tailed him, and eventually they ended up at a bench in the lobby together.

" Dino called you in?" Ash asked.

Blanca nodded.

" He and the heir of the Lee fortune really want that Asian boy dead... and they seem to think I'm the best one to do it."

" Why are you telling me this?" Ash asked.

" Because you need to get the hell out of here. I took the job to stall them. They think I'm gathering intel to take him out... which also means they aren't looking into hiring someone else at the moment. Listen, Ash... I might be a murderer, but I'm not his dog. Take your boyfriend and go to Japan..." Blanca murmured and looked at him intently. " I can buy you time, but you need to get your affairs in order."

" Blanca... it sounds like you're trying to set me up..." Ash whispered. This was all so sudden.

" If I wanted to kill either of you I had plenty of clean shots today... I just have no interest in it. You realize when that perverted old man didn't have you, I was your caregiver, right? You'll always be like a son to me... even if we're apart. Now, will you listen to me?" Blanca sighed.

" Fine, fine... so even if I did get my shit together and get to Japan, they would still be alive? I can't just leave my guys to die when he comes to pick them off. I need to see this through." Ash murmured and looked down. " Until Banana Fish is public knowledge and Dino is gone... as well as Yut-Lung, I can't escape."

" You can at least get him away from here..."

" No!" Ash barked, then covered his mouth and growled quietly. His temper had flared in a split second, and he had to put a lid on it. " No way... if I send him back alone, I'll worry about him. What if they find him and take out his family, too? He's defenseless... he barely knows how to shoot a gun."

" I guess you leave me no choice then. I have to help you crack this case wide open. I'm sure you have a plan already, don't you?" Blanca asked, having a slight smirk as he spoke. What a lovable asshole...

Ash scoffed.

" Of course I do, old man..."

Once he was back upstairs, he found Eiji waiting right on the inside of the door.

" That took a while. Was there a line?" He asked, looking over Ash in a concerned way.

" Yeah. It's fine, though... I'm sure it's still hot." Ash ruffled Eiji's hair and kicked the door shut.

He was under more of a time crunch than ever, and now he was forced to get his shit figured out.

{ :D........... okay but hear me out... Blanca kinda fine doe...}