Banana Fish Post-Canon hcs
Eiji would keep all/most of ash’s old clothes in either a box or an extra closet just so he doesn’t forget his scent
hes definitely forgotten what ash looks like, for him it’s like a blurry figure. slowly, he would decompose into just another distant memory in eiji’s life
everything and anything reminds him of ash, it’s like he’s haunting him and he can’t escape, he doesn’t mind though, anything to keep him in his memory
manhattan alleys, the public library, central park, young teens in gangs, red converse, blonde hair and green eyes, the catcher in the rye, chili dogs, natto beans, pumpkins, halloween, etc. they ALL remind him of ash
he has a photo album of the pictures he took of ash and ones he took during that period to try and remember him but every time he looks through it, it feels more foreign than like familiar because he hasn’t seen ash’s face in so long that it feels weird and unnatural to see it again
whenever it’s halloween eiji NEVER puts up jack-o’-lantern or any pumpkin decorations, it’s too much for him. This one time he did and it was the year after ash died and a bunch of kids went to his apartment for trick or treating, one of them dressed like how ash described in that story when he was younger. he was so stunned that he froze for a solid 30 seconds, he started crying and broke down after he shut the door and the kids left.
ever since then he just spends halloween by doing work or watching a movie on the tv, basically just ignoring it
he would visit ash’s grave every evening after work as a routine and tell him about his day, all the good and bad of it.
“hey Ash, it’s been a long day” Eiji says as he settles down on the soft grass near the tombstone, adorned by flowers and photos the Eiji had brought with him throughout the years. “this new assistant I got is such a handful, I had to teach him pretty much everything. But he’s pretty nice though, reminds me of when I was Ibe’s assistant..” he pauses, focusing on the bouquet of lilies on his right.
“y’know, I miss you a lot Ash, it’s not the same without you, Shorter, and Skipper. You guys took care of me when I first came to the US, you protected me from danger..even if I still kept insisting to be with you guys despite knowing the risks-“ tears began to trickle down his face and chin and onto the lush grass. “especially when I refused to go back to Japan numerous times, even when you had to try and force me to the airport, thank you for taking care of my stubborn self..”
“On a brighter note, I’m launching my first ever exhibition just right across the street from here. I’m super excited and I can’t wait to put up all the pictures I took when me and Ibe went to LA and Cape Cod with you,” he said with a boyish smile, one that was last seen at Cape Cod 1985, when they were boys for the very last time. “I might even use the pictures I took of you in our hideouts, the apartment and that other place we were at..what’s it called..something about bears I don’t even know anymore. Oh! And that dungeon where I first met you, when me and Ibe took pictures of you and the guys, that was pretty nice.” He rambles on about his exhibition and other random updates for a bit as usual until the sky dimmed.
He looks back up at the tombstone for the last time, “I love you Ash, me and the others miss you everyday and I hope you won’t be tired of me in a few decades when I see you again cause I’ve got a lot to tell you. See you tomorrow.” And with that he stood up and started heading home but not before he left yet another bouquet of flowers and a photograph of him, Ash, and Shorter right next to the grave.
a/n - first post!! 😁 this is lowkey ahh but here you go, lowkirkenuinely had to do research on garden of light to make this accurate
dividers: strangergraphics
andulkaphoto
gummygunk
dededos
janainaart
turnnoffyourmind
