#ash lynx my beloved boy

[enobariasteeth]

Oh God they’ve got banana fish on Prime video

[fanfic-fairyy]

Asheiji fanfic recs pt. 4

Pt. 1 , 2 and 3

Brooklyn Baby by suffragettecity(41k)

Front-man Ash Lynx goes from coast to coast with his bohemian band. Photographer Eiji Okumura goes from journalist to groupie with his newfound freedom.

Your Best American Boy by suffragettecity(57k)

Cherry popsicles, bummed cigarettes, wrinkled photographs and shirtless nights. The summer a Japanese tourist moves in across the street, and an American boy falls in love through the fire-escapes.

Dusk till Dawn by equinoctial(97k)

“Alright. But you stay safe okay? I mean-” Eiji immediately regretted his reflexive reply to a goodbye. This wasn’t just your ordinary stranger, this was probably a powerful wizard for crying out loud.

But instead of an awkward laugh, the wizard settled with a gentle smile, the kind that reached his eyes and made the mystifying jade more brilliant than ever.

“Thanks. You stay safe too,” and with that, the wizard hopped off the balcony and vanished into the crowd below.

---

In which Eiji gets cursed into a ghost, the kingdom wages war on its neighbours, and the devil wizard Ash Lynx roams the wastelands while striking fear into the strongest of hearts.

But of course, fate would see the seemingly heartless wizard fall in love with a heart that had so much to give.

satin birds by kybelles(48k)

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Mr. James R. Callenreese and Ms. Hideko Aoki are very delighted to announce the engagement between Mr. Callenreese's son and sole heir to Callenreese Corporotions Mr. Aslan J. Callenreese and Ms. Aoki's beloved nephew Mr. Eiji Okumura. The happy couple haven't decided on a wedding date yet.

(Except, Ash and Eiji are not happy at all because they don't want this marriage.)

of sugar cookies and chocolate puddings by kybelles(3k)

Eiji first meets Ash on a gloomy sunday afternoon.

After a little silence, the door is slowly opened by someone Eiji doesn’t notice at first. When he lowers his eyes a little, however, his gaze meets with a pair of bright green eyes. He takes a little step back, taking the appearance of the blonde kid who’s standing in front him. The suspicious scowl on his face softens a little when his eyes catch the plate in Eiji’s hands but he keeps holding his guard.

“Um…” Eiji begins hesitantly.

“What do you want?” the boy asks with a challenging face.

“M-my mom sent this.” he stammers finally, pushing the plate forward a little clumsily.

be my mirror, my sword and shield by kybelles(15k)

Ash Lynx finds the love of his life on a quiet night after he trips on sidewalk and harshly bumps his face against it when he exits from library.

Ash lets out a long-suffering sigh and prepares to take out his phone when he hears a sharp inhale and feels someone approaching him in a hurry. He defensively turns towards the noise but freezes like a deer caught in the headlights.

There’s guy in front of him who’s looking at Ash with concern and the sight of him literally makes Ash’s heart flutter like it’s never done before. He has the softest looking black hair Ash’s ever seen and for a crazy moment, Ash feels an irrepressible urge to run his hand through it. The guy’s already big dark eyes grow impossibly bigger when they land on Ash’s bruised cheek.

“Oh my god!” he shrieks in an adorable manner. “Are you okay?”

“You must be an angel.” Ash blurts before he can stop himself.

Sacrifice by signpainter1(33k)

Ash, the Sun God asks for only one thing; a daily sacrifice of wheat to help him maintained the fields. When war threatens the country, they turn from a wheat sacrifice to a human one. People are brought to the capital including the man Ash loves the most, Eiji Okumura. Ash has to find a way to prevent Eiji from dying which is hard when humans only hear only what they want to hear.

The One With the Vampires by TurnUps(99k)

Eiji Okumura has travelled to New York state because a Count Golzine is paying him an awful lot of money to take some pictures of his house. It doesn't take long for him to find out that he's the intended prey for creatures of the night.

But he instead to save the mysterious Ash, Golzine's supposed son, as well as himself.

*

Ash put his hand over the boy's mouth. Kept him pushed against the wall.

"Listen to me." His voice came out as a growl - a monster's voice. "If you go up to the Golzine Estate, then you won't come back down. With or without the money, you won't see a cent of it. That man - that - thing - he lives to trap pretty boys like you into his web, and he'll gobble you up before you realise you're stuck. Go. Home."

The boy didn't struggle. A rabbit who knew it had been caught in a snare. Dark eyes stared at him - wide. Maybe that meant he was finally seeing sense.

His lips were parted, under Ash's palm. He became away of that. Warm skin and warmer breath. A familiar feeling reared its head in his stomach. A hunger.

No. He could not save this boy from Golzine's clutches just so that he would fall prey to his own.

Uncharted Waters by midnitewrites(148k)

A routine day on the water is turned on its head when fisherman Eiji Okumura spots a strange creature in his fishing net. His excitement quickly morphs into disbelief when he realizes that what he caught is no fish: it’s a mermaid, beautiful and deadly—and, as he soon learns, gravely injured.

Desperate to save them, Eiji spirits the mermaid away to his home and nurses them back to health in his bathtub. As they recover, he learns more about them and their situation: their name is Ash; they can’t hope to survive without a fin to replace the one they lost; and in a year’s time, their pod will once again return to the bay where Eiji first found them.

Together, Eiji and his friends devise a plan to rehabilitate Ash and reunite them with their pod. Yet as Ash gains strength, so, too, do the bonds they forge, and the prospect of saying goodbye becomes far more difficult than any of them bargained for.

Bed of Roses by TurnUps(103k)

Eiji had been watching the boy for the last three dances.

Well, he had been watching, but not watching. Every time the boy’s gaze came anywhere near him, he stared back down at the table, hoping that he hadn’t been caught.

It was the boy’s hair that had caught his eye at first. Yellow – somewhere between yellow and white. He’d never seen hair that colour before. Didn’t know it was possible for real people to have hair that colour. It was as though there was a miniature sun around his head. As if he was a candle, with its own flame.

The flame flickered in his eyes too. Green eyes – he’d rarely seen them, either – and none quite as vibrant a green as his. They sparkled like emeralds, above flashing white teeth. His waistcoat had a hint of green to it, that brought them out all the more.

*

Western/Cowboy/Young Guns AU! Eiji has travelled to America with Ibe because of fishy business with the mayor of a small town. Ash runs a group called the Regulators after the same thing.

And in That Light, I Saw You by ohrange(125k)

After a traumatic experience renders Eiji unable to attend school, Ibe suggests taking some time off to work as his photography assistant at an agency in New York. Eiji takes to the idea well enough, but doesn’t expect to get involved into investigating a sex-trafficking ring… something that Ash, a model at the agency, has been secretly keeping evidence of for years.

[In which Ash is a model with a dark past no one dares to question, and Eiji is a design student who escapes from Japan only to be met with the same thing he wants to forget.]

Rewrite the Stars by Hamliet(58k)

When exchange student Eiji Okumura arrives at his American high school for a year abroad, his worries about fitting in and earning As are quickly swept aside when he meets Ash Lynx, a genius rumored to have spent time in juvie last year. Between Ash, his friends Shorter and Sing, and the mysterious younger brother of the school's principal, Eiji finds himself drawn into a power struggle that he realizes is more familiar than he thought. High School AU... (like, where they're actually in school + there's a chance of healing).

Ain't it like thunder under earth by Snow_Falls(11k)

'Alex clarified, when again it seemed like Ash wouldn’t reply. “Whoever goes with the boss has to spend some time fooling around with him.”

“Who is going with Ash?” Eiji had to ask.

There was a significant pause. The boys looked at Eiji and away.'

Fake dating, then real dating, with the mildest of heists thrown in for flavour.

[Read the tags before reading the fic<3]

[666seven]

[random-legacy]

A Quick Look at Banana Fish

After having some of my acquaintances recommending this anime, and since seeing that it has gained a in general positive response on the Internet I felt compelled to check this out. I watched the whole show in two days and boy,what a journey it was.

As some of you might know, I’m quite new to anime (just a little more than one year has gone by since the first time I willingly and consciously watched my first anime), but has really gone through a lot in this time. Some of the classics like Naruto and Death Note, some fantasy, magic, shoujo, shounen and of course my very beloved genre sports. In all of these categories there are good animes, awesome even, and some trash. I will not speak about what is what, but you all should know. Banana Fish is not trash. Banana Fish is unlike anything I have watched before, just because it is so little like trash. 

As a short summary, Banana Fish is about the American boy Ash Lynx who is 17 years old and the leader of a gang on the streets of Manhattan. He is also “a pet” and “a favourite” of the local mafia boss going by the name of Papa Dino, and has becasue of this gained quite a few enemies wishing for Papa Dino’s favor. By chance Ash and the Japanese boy Eiji, a photography assistant and 19 years old, meet. 

This anime has proved to be realistic in way that, measured by anime standards, is not at all absurd or in any way bad. The characters are portrayed beautifully and the full complex mind of how humans act, why they act, and the consequences of one’s actions are told in such a natural and ingenious way that you as a viewer can’t do anything but end each episode wanting more. This is an anime produced to make you think. To view the story, the characters and their backgrounds and then let yourself ponder on whether you would have made the same decisions as they did. It is supposed to make you really understand the full complexity of one’s decisions, and overall make you realise that sometimes the best action to do is the one that’s not the worst. This anime is brutal, cruel, but most and foremost real in a way I personally feel many of today’s animes aren’t.

Each episode are about 23 minutes long which is pretty much standard. However, you might marvel at how much action the studio manages to cram into those 23 minutes, and not in any way do I view this as something negative. Rather, I’m impressed with the production. The animation is lovely and the fighting scenes energetic and beautifully choreographed. The plot steadily continues to move forward all the time, and a lot that is crucial to the story - whether it is character development or the actual story-line - always happens. All in all, there isn’t much for me to criticize plot-wise, so let’s move on to the characters, shall we?

Main characters are as stated before Ash Lynx and Okumura Eiji. One thing I want to say right now is that the way the relationships evolve between them is so smooth and fun to watch that you as a viewer can’t do anything but really sympathize with their struggles, their dilemmas and problems. It is quite smart actually, to make them like this. Ultimately, one of the great focuses of this show would be relationships. Ash’s relationship to Eiji to some extent, but perhaps more importantly to himself. He is young, and as you might have guessed to those who haven't watched the show, he has had an incredibly rough childhood. I won’t spoil anything more than that, but to say that nobody can blame him for having a hard time building relationships and trust with other people. However, there are some exceptions. Eiji of course, but then I haven’t even mentioned Ash’s best friend Shorter Wong, the Chinese youngster that’s also a leader of one of the local street gangs. I won’t delve deeper into Shorter’s character, but you should at least know that he is a person that Ash holds deep trust in, one of the few people in his life that he would trust with his life. 

This anime is dark, action-packed and a great story-line. It has humor too, and some very sweet and memorable moments with fitting animation. To those of you that wouldn’t watch it because you claim it’s gay miss the whole point anyway. This is about having the courage and the trust to be able to let someone into your life again and not to lose hope. It is about managing to pull through hard times because sometimes you need to do something, anything, to keep your mind from straying to close to the edge of insanity, It is about love in its purest and most beautiful form, when love is allowed to be just love without having anyone judging you, and if they do to be able to live on because you know that you have that one person that will stay forever at your side, even if forever is just for one single moment. 

If you cannot handle a close relationship between two male main characters I suggest you do not watch Banana Fish. But to those who manage to realise that the focus of the anime isn’t having two guys having a romantic relationship and jumping into bed with each other, but rather the development of how that kind of love, trust and loyalty is built; this is an anime for you. 

[thegrumpypenguin]

The first time I saw “Cinders and Ashes” outside the den

Ember in her den

On May 5th of last year I was leading my Workshop group on a tour of the Zoo’s African savanna. Owing to an issue with the water fixture in the main lion exhibit, the white lion cubs were temporarily on display in their behind-the-scenes holding. I took my charges down the path to the lion house and showed them the playful balls of fluff cavorting about there. Only two other members of the public were back there at the time, and those two ladies were having a conversation with the Keeper who was monitoring the proceedings. After we had been there a few minutes, I heard the Keeper raise her voice and say, “I’ll bet Steve would know!” I glanced over to see all three of them grinning at me, so I asked my group to wait a moment while I walked over to see what they were talking about. The Keeper told me that the ladies (I recognized them as Zoo Members I had seen before) had been down in the Canadian Domain and were certain they had spotted a baby lynx in the den there. She wondered if I knew anything about it. Thinking they meant the den behind the exhibit – and remembering the cub that had been born in there the previous year but had not survived through the summer – I hesitated to say anything until I had more information. Eventually I replied that I hadn’t heard anything of a recent lynx birth, but I would head down there myself the next day to check into it (I had to leave that afternoon right after the Workshop was done).

Six days old!!!

The next day was Friday, May 6th. I had another Workshop that day and as soon as it was done I hurriedly changed clothes and rushed up to the lynx exhibit. I saw Ember in her den at the front of the exhibit and she was surrounded by straw. I realized that the women had thought they had seen a baby in that den, which made a lot more sense. In the meantime, too, I had asked around a bit and it seemed the rumour of a lynx kitten was making the rounds. I fully expected to see a baby, so I settled in to wait until it came into view. I was there a good 20 minutes or so when I suddenly realized that what I had thought was one of Ember’s paws was actually the tiny head of a newborn kitten! I texted my partner, Sarah, to tell her of the exciting news and waited for a chance to grab a photo or two. This was quite difficult to achieve, because the den was very dim and I had to shoot through a small-mesh fence at the front of the exhibit. Nevertheless, I was able to snap off a few shots, with the one here being the very first of them.

A second cub!!

I had been there for about another 20 minutes or so, watching Ember and her baby and kind of zoning out a bit, when I began to realize there was something kind of odd about the kitten’s ears. I couldn’t work out what was bothering me about them, until all of a sudden it struck me: they were two right ears! This epiphany had not yet had time to germinate into the obvious conclusion when all of a sudden the two right ears split apart and went different directions. Oh my goodness, there were two kittens!! I excitedly texted this info to Sarah as well, then proceeded to spend the next 45 minutes or so convincing myself that there were three! four! five babies! in the den. Everything that moved at all was another baby, in my mind. At the end of the day, however, it was pretty obvious that there were “just” the two of them. I went home and immediately shared the news with everyone, including the Keeper who had alerted me to the possibility of a lynx baby in the first place. (I found out later through an information sheet that the Canadian Domain Keepers themselves didn’t confirm the second cub until that weekend – even though they had been born on April 30th –  which seems to indicate that I was the first person to be aware of the multiple birth!)

13 days old – and about to be famous

I went back day after day after day for the next few weeks – or months, really – because these babies were not common knowledge for quite a while so I had easy access to them, whereas all the other “marquee” births were besieged with visitors from the start. At one point the head of PR got a hold of me, saying she had “heard a rumour” that I might be in possession of the best photos of the cubs taken so far, and would I be willing to donate one or two for their press release – with full photo credit. I was thrilled to do so, and presented her with two dozen choices of which the one you see here made the final cut. Unfortunately, even though the Zoo put my name on the press release, the outlets that reprinted the photo gave the Toronto Zoo the credit. A bit disappointing, but acceptable. What was not acceptable was seeing the photo then appear on the Zoo’s Facebook page with, again, photo credit given explicitly to “The Toronto Zoo”. I’ve recently gone back to that post (it actually used two of my photos) and corrected the error in the comments; I guess it stayed a sore point a lot longer than I had realized! Anyhow, onward and upward, right?

I could honestly fill about four pages here with photos of these gorgeous creatures, but that isn’t really the point, is it? Or is it? Hmm. Well, here: how about a small mosaic of some of the other photos I submitted to PR for the press release?

My favourite

*boop!*

(My favourite – and it’s not close – is the first photo at the top left where Ember is watching one of the kittens squeaking with a wide-open mouth.

The cubs and mom after 6 1/2 weeks

As I’ve previously mentioned, I saw quite a lot of this family as the kittens grew. This photo at left will forever be the single greatest one I took of the family among the myriad here on my hard drive. The sole reason this one wasn’t on the calendar? It looks very weak if cropped to 11 x 8 1/2. However, it’s striking when square – and I made a 16 x 16 version of this for my Stepmom as a Christmas present last year and it hangs proudly on the wall in her den. I showed it to my Dad and told him about the present in early November; it was the very last day I was able to show him any photos before he passed away. This shot holds very special for me, for Sarah, and for June. And I simply don’t see how I could ever have grabbed a better capture of these three gorgeous girls.

One month old

For it turned out the cubs were both girls, although for the longest time we were all pretty sure that the larger, more aggressive one would turn out to be a boy. And the story behind the photo that did make the calendar is kind of a cool one, too. The photo at right here is from the same morning: May 30th, the day they turned one month old. I had not yet seen them out of the den and, as it was a beautiful day and I had all the time in the world, I arrived at the lynx exhibit before the park even opened and planted myself there. For almost five hours when all was said and done. But oh my, was it worth it. Just before noon, with the babes settling down for yet another nap after a long drink from mom, a chipmunk made the ill-advised – and very nearly fatal – decision to run up to the entrance of the den. Luckily it realized the folly of its ways just slightly before Ember spotted it; it was thus able to escape back out through the fence with the adult lynx in very hot pursuit on its heels. Of course, this meant that Ember had bolted away from the cubs in a flash, leaving them a bit bewildered and upset in the den without her. They searched around in the straw for their mom for a few moments until she returned to the mouth of the den – but she did not enter right away. This made the cubs very brave indeed and they began to come out of the den and into the sunlight via the soft underbelly of their mama. When they had cleared Ember and were hit full-on by the bright light of noon, they were spectacular. Their eyes were an incredible shade of blue; their fur, a golden brown I had not expected. I was almost too overcome to take any pictures; luckily I snapped out of it in time and the result appears at the top of this page (and on the April page of the Baby Boom! calendar). I will trade five hours of any day to witness such beauty as a reward, let me tell you.

Ashes (left) and Cinders

On February 13, 2017 the sisters and their mom left the Toronto Zoo for Parc Safari in Quebec, still having not been officially named by the Zoo – although I’d been calling them “Cinders and Ashes” (Cinders is the larger, slightly more red sister) for many months. The lion cubs left on the same day (I’ll save that story for later) so I guess it made economical sense to make just the one trip. However, this came as a surprise to a great many of us and by the time I found out it was too late to say goodbye to my beloved girls. They were off exhibit being crate trained by early February; as a result, this photo at left – taken on January 18th – is the very last one I ever took of the girls together. At that, I was very luck to get any shots of them that day; they were all in the house when I arrived – as they had been for the previous few visits because the weather had turned cold – but this time I decided I was going to wait them out. So I sat down on the viewing platform, pulled out my phone, and began to play a game. I think I was there a good 20 minutes when a Keeper vehicle passed by; I watched it go up the road and then turned to see these two beautiful faces in the doorway to their house.

Cinders, for the last time

Eventually Cinders came out (but not Ashes) and I spent a good hour talking to her and just watching her enjoy the air. I had no idea it would be the very last conversation I would have with her at the Toronto Zoo. I did go back and say “goodbye” to the three of them and I am certain they heard me (they certainly responded to me with great calmness for all the months I went to visit them); still, one last glimpse would have been very much appreciated. At some point this summer we will visit them in their new home when we travel to Montreal to see my cousins and aunts. I hope I’ll be able to see all of them at that time!

I will leave you with one more collage, made up of various photos I took throughout the summer and fall of 2016 as the girls eventually grew into their enormous feet – including some from a memorable day in early January when Cinders really, truly seemed to believe she could fly.

Next month is one of the two (the other being December) where I chose an animal whose birthday I did not know for sure to be in that month. I have to say, though, that there still is a strong possibility this cutie was born in May, judging from the date I took the photo. It’s a species I love to hang around with, in an area of the Zoo which is quieter than most. See you then!

2017 “Baby Boom!” Calendar – April Story On May 5th of last year I was leading my Workshop group on a tour of the Zoo's African savanna.

[fanfic-fairyy]

Asheiji fanfic recs pt. 3

Pt. 1 and 2 , 4

you keep me without chains by ADreamingSongbird(10k)

They say time heals all wounds. If that's what it takes, Ash is just about ready to throw himself into a fucking hourglass.

I Met My Soulmate at Starbucks by scarletvisionforever(4k)

“Why the hell do you want a drink like this?” Ash asked before he could stop himself. Blanca would’ve slapped him upside the head for being so rude. However, Ash believed that given the circumstances, the question was completely called for. Because who the hell wanted this much crap in their drink?

-

or an au where ash works at starbucks and eiji is an innocent customer who comes in and orders the most ridiculous drink ever

won't even wish for snow by ADreamingSongbird(2k)

It's the stupidest hat Ash has ever seen. Who would even buy something that tacky? It's ugly and ridiculous and so, so dumb. What a waste of money.

...but Eiji would love it.

God dammit.

the half life of what we become by StarSailorDen(14k)

Ash just wanted Eiji Okumura’s attention.

He couldn’t justify it, couldn’t unravel the logic of why he always craved the older boy’s dark eyes on him. Ash had spent most of his life being the centre of the show; the disgusting old men in Golzine’s club, the patchwork of gang members who followed his every move like he was a messiah. Even simple passerby seemed to watch him like they were cataloging something glamorous, something other worldly.

He always hated the attention he drew, and yet—he would do anything for Eiji to look at him, to focus on him, to stay with him just a little bit longer.

[Ash's need and Eiji's unconditional love, in four snapshots.]

cinnamon and spice by kybelles(6k)

Helping Yut-Lung and Sing as they organize the 15th year anniversary party of Max Glenreed and Jessica Randy could be fun for Eiji.

If only he didn't sleep with the famous couple's adopted son Ash a week ago.

Hours later, as they’re lazily cuddling on the bed after a shared hot shower, Ash speaks against Eiji’s heart. “I have a confession to make.”

Eiji’s fingers still on Ash’s hair for a moment and Ash curses himself. Without a doubt, hearing something like this from the person you’ve just slept with must be a little concerning. But Eiji just continues petting his hair. “Yes?”

“…I wasn’t planning on having dinner at the hotel restaurant tonight,” Ash says apologetically. “But you caught my eyes just as I was leaving and I… I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to talk to you.”

a tall tale get it? haha wait eiji don't leave- by equinoctial(2k)

“We don't say the H-word in this household.”

“Heck? Hell? Hfuc-”

“No that's not it,” Ash spared a quick glance to his husband innocently cooking up some noodles, huffing and puffing as he tiptoed to get the spices from the top cupboard, even though the stepping stool was right there--

cool cool cool cool no doubt no doubt by equinoctial(2k)

Oh. Oh. That did it. Ash had absolutely zero tolerance for insults involving his beloved husband. Let it be known that he was highly allergic to Eiji-related bullshit.

Surprisingly, the next scathing comment wasn't from Ash.

He blinked owlishly at the girl in the oversized jacket as she engaged in verbal combat-- with the old grumpy neighbour two times her height no less. It was like a little round baby penguin squawking at a ruffled flamingo. Needless to say, Ash was really impressed with the newcomer.

mom said its my turn to use the brain cell by equinoctial(1k)

"For someone who had the same smarts as Einstein and the reflexes of a professional hitman, Ash Lynx could be a real dumbass."

– Eiji Callenreese-Okumura, driving his husband to the hospital at speeds that made Grand Theft Auto look like church

love, ristretto and other midnight miracles by immaturesoybean(27k)

Precocious college sophomore Aslan 'just Ash' Callenreese has a problem, several, actually. His best friend won't stop shoving his newly invented pastries down Ash's throat, his partner for the dumb journalism project is an insufferable jock, and he is seriously finding it hard to prove to his adoptive parents that he does, in fact, want to live.

Meanwhile, athletic failure but infectious optimist Eiji Okumura is starting over, he's snagged a great part-time job as a barista, he finally has time to focus on his course and life is looking up! At least, it should. He just has to get through this year and everything will click into place. It should. It has to.

--

Or: A quaint café, a ridiculous coincidence, and a whole lot of coffee.

sanguine prospects by ihavenomorals(1k)

“I look…” Ash frowns. “Odd.”

There’s a small strand of hair that’s fallen from behind Ash’s ear, like spun gold in the sunlight. Eiji reaches out, slowly - but not hesitating, not any more - and tucks it back into place. His knuckle brushes Ash’s temple, a quiet hollow of worship.

“You look beautiful.” Eiji sits back. “You always do.” Ethereal would also be an apt word.

Ash smirks. “Eiji, are you flirting with me?”

“I would hope you know that.” Eiji steals back his camera. “Considering how long we’ve been together.”

“Is that what this is?” Ash looks aghast. “And here I thought we were only very good friends-”

1986 by bathandbodyworks(15k)

It’s 1986.

It’s hot, vaguely humid, and New York seems less full of life than ever, especially as Dino continues to control Ash’s every move.

But there’s a new boy, staying at the same hotel as him, with a funny accent and wide, brown eyes, and Ash is starting to think he might be a little cute.

or,

in which Ash think it’s too hot, Eiji thinks Americans are weird, and two boys fall in love.

who needs stars? we've got a roof by selfetish(17k)

Ash closes his eyes. Years of waiting culminate in weightless dust, soon to be swept away by the living. This earthen smell will fade. It will be overtaken by home-cooked meals and citron peels. Silence will forsake to Sunday radio static and the slow turnings of a page. Behind curtains, it’ll be the push and pull of their noses as they love each other sore, cutting into the pristine sheet of white starlight.

Slowly, they’ll imprint this house until it has become theirs. Ash waits for that day.

Or, the steps to remedy a fragile soul.

come be lonely with me by StarSailorDen(10k)

“Oh,” a soft voice to his right startled. Ash drew in a sharp breath as he turned to catch the silhouette of a man at the end of the aisle, backlit by the window and washed in the same radiant auburn of the setting sun that cast the stacks so warmly. “Sorry.”

|| Ash Lynx meets Eiji Okumura on the fifth floor of the university library on a Saturday evening. It's a disaster. ||

miso soup for the soul by selfetish(7k)

Ash Lynx was the sort of cool that oozed Schlitz and lemon-lime seltzers. Was the sort of rad that left Tootsie wrappers and denim under the soles of his Converse wherever he stepped. He was as smart as an apple in the way that he was both street and pillow fluent, and that he didn’t need to rely on his trigger fingers to rip and tear. Was cruel, calculating. Always on target. Always one shot, one kill. He was Ashie on the weekends, Aslan Jade behind closed doors. He was as bitter as sumatra beans, sweet as molasses once you got to know him physically, emotionally, spiritually.

To many, Ash Lynx was a conniving bastard. Tortured genius. Stone cold fox.

To Eiji, boyish.

Stories from Apartment 705 on 59th Street.

August by suffragettecity(2k)

“I love it when you look at me like that.”

The sun warms Ash’s back. “Like what?”

Eiji cards through his hair, knuckle deep in fields of blonde. “Like that,” he whispers, tucking the bangs behind his ears. “Like you are seventeen again.”

Ash and Eiji talk about marriage.

[Part of a series]

Darlings by suffragettecity(56k)

Crunching leaves, cashmere sweaters, rich mens' sons and uniform ties. The autumn the valedictorian fell in love with the athletic scholar, and poetry was carved out of circumstance.

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