"Do we really have to go?"
"Ash, you promised me to take me to one of New York's fairs. Or at least an amusement park when there's no fair at the moment.", Eiji reminded him.
"I thought you meant an art or music fair or festival of some similar kind. Or something culinary like a Street Fair.", Ash explained to him, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Not a Traveling funfair or a carnival. Isn't that for little kids? Why do you like them so much?"
Eiji pouted and crossed his arms in defiance before turning away from him.
"I thought you told me I could ask for anything on my birthday. And I always wanted to see a carnival with amusement rides, a roller coaster and food vending stalls. With games of chance and skill and merchandise vending stalls and thrill acts or shows of some kind. With loud music and sounds everywhere and lots of people around. We don't have things like that in Izumo. It's too small.", he explained his excitement for them to him.
"Then, I guess I'll ask some kids to go with me, like Skip or Sing, since Mr. Know-it-All is too smart for that.", he replied snidely, feigning annoyance.
He pretended to leave but not before grinning at him, knowing perfectly well that Ash had no other chance than to give in. He had promised to spend his birthday with him and take him anywhere he wanted, after all. To Ash, promises were important since most people in his life had never kept them and had let him down. So, he always kept his promises, especially towards Eiji. Ash sighed deeply, then shook his head in amusement before putting an arm around his shoulder.
"Eiji, don't be mad, ok? I'll go with you, alright? Knowing you that well, I really should have expected that.", he smirked at him. "That you'd choose something cute like that. His features softened as he looked at him. "But this is so you. So, if you want to go, I'll take you. There's not a fair at the moment, but I know a place where you can get all those attractions you've mentioned before." Eiji's pure smile that he got in return was the best reward ever.
" I promised you a perfect birthday, after all. Come on, let's go."
When they arrived by subway, Eiji looked around curiously with wide eyes. "This is Coney Island?"
"Yes, it's exactly what you're looking for. There are two amusement parks here..."
"Yeah, because one just wouldn't cut it..." Eiji replied with a smirk but walked around with Ash anyway, taking his hand in his. Before Ash could react to that in any way, he pointed at a Ferris Wheel. "That looks great!"
"I thought you'd like it. You want to go? You have an amazing view over New York from there.", he promised him.
They were lucky, and the queue wasn't that long, so they quickly entered a cabin and waited for their round.
"You're not afraid of heights, are you?", he teased him when Eiji tried to make out the top of the Ferris wheel from their cabin.
"Ash, I was a pole-vaulter." Eiji rolled his eyes, then took out his camera to take a few photos of New York and the beach. And of Ash.
"Doesn't say much. My brother wasn't afraid of heights, either, but got dizzy in a Ferris wheel." Ash smiled sadly at the memory.
Eiji had apparently seen that because he changed the topic. "So, do I get a birthday wish?", he asked, moving closer and leaned his head against his.
"Anything." He whispered something into his ear. "A birthday kiss, maybe?"
Eiji giggled. "That's a great idea, too. But can I get a birthday photo first? Of both of us? We don't have many photos of us together."
Ash would have denied that to any other person. Photos still held horrible memories for him and had been a method for control and blackmail.
Yet, since he'd met Eiji, he had learned that photos could also hold precious memories you wanted to remember forever. Eiji taught him that you could freeze a perfect moment on camera and make it unforgettable and everlasting.
Eiji's innocent look on the world and finding joy in the smallest and simplest things made his photos unique and fascinating. He had learned through Eiji that a photo could be beautiful or disgusting, depending on the one looking through the camera.
"Sure."He took his phone out of his jeans' back pocket and made some selfies of them both. Eiji looked at them. They're great. Thanks, Ash."
Anything for you.", he replied, softly kissing his temple.
"So, what about that birthday kiss?", Eiji asked playfully. Ash grinned mischievously at him and pulled him closer.
They spent the rest of the day on Coney Island, walking along the beach, eating hotdogs, donuts, and ice cream. Eiji bought some souvenirs at the merchandise stalls. Ash convinced Eiji to ride the roller coaster with him. Eiji looked really pale at the end of the ride, but his eyes were sparkling, and he had that bright, innocent smile that Ash so loved.
"What's that?", Eiji asked, looking at a stall they were passing when they continued walking.
"It's a shooting range. You can shoot, and if you hit something, you win a prize.
You want to try?", he asked him.
Eiji did so, but, as expected, he didn't hit anything. Eiji wasn't sad, just shrugging at him. Still, Ash noticed how he kept staring at the stall. Ash smiled at him before grabbing the rifle.
"Which one do you want to have?", he asked, grinning.
Eiji looked at him in surprise. "It's okay; you don't have to - ", he began, immediately playing it down.
"Which one is it, Eiji?", Ash repeated, winking at him. "I'll get it for you."
The vendor looked at him, sneering. "You think you can do it? You seem pretty confident. It's not that easy, you know?"
"I can do it.", Ash simply said, handing over the money. "Give me one bullet.", he asked him, a self-satisfied grin on his face.
"Only one?"
"One is enough for me.", Ash said, smiling knowingly at Eiji.
"That cat over there.", Eiji said, grinning back at him.
Ash gave him a mock salute, then put the bullet into the rifle, calmly positioned it, and fired. Bang. The bullet hit the target perfectly—Bull's Eye.
"Piece of cake.", Ash muttered while a stunned vendor handed over the cat, speechless for once.
"Wow, where did you learn to shoot like that?", the vendor wanted to know, Ash's skills had certainly aroused his curiosity.
"On the battlefield.", Ash said mysteriously before taking the little honey brown cat and giving it to Eiji. He showed it to Ash. "It looks a bit like you. Cute but dangerous." Ash gave him a dirty look, but he couldn't hide his amusement.
"Anywhere else you wanna go?", he asked while putting an arm around his waist.
"No, I'm fine. Thank you, Ash. I had a great day with you. It was fun."
"Maybe we can sit at the beach for a while? It's nearly sunset. I'll buy some drinks."
When they had watched the sunset, Ash rummaged for something in his bag.
"Here, I wanted to give you this. He handed him a roll of paper. A little bracelet held it. Eiji took it off. It was a bracelet made out of brown leather and a little golden heart as a pendant.
"Thank you, Ash, this is beautiful." Eiji's eyes sparkled with joy as he kissed him on the cheek. Then he put it around his wrist.
"It matches your eyes.", Ash said, smiling softly at him.
"Open the roll of parchment."
Eiji did so. On the solid-looking paper was a drawing in colored pencils of the two of them, arm in arm, standing on a beach like this one.
"That's amazing, Ash. Have you drawn that?", Eiji asked him in amazement.
"Yes. I thought you'd appreciate something personal like that much more.", Ash replied, feeling how his cheeks heated up as he looked at him to see his reaction.
"That's incredible, Ash." Eiji hugged him, then wiped a tear away that had run down his cheek.
"It's not just a birthday gift. It's a thank you. For staying by my side. For just being you. For showing me that life is beautiful."
Now a tear has escaped Ash's eye as well as he leaned his head against Eiji's.
