Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Alright guys, Boss has said that he needs the expertise of Bones and Kong on his next mission, so two of you need to take over Eiji duty.”

Alex had pulled four of Ash’s gang aside into the spare room during a gang meeting in Ash’s apartment. Ash himself was working out the final plans with the rest as they spoke. He’d been hesitant but, realising the need for his best fighters in this campaign, he had reluctantly agreed with Alex that he was going to need Kong and Bones this time. They were some of the best shots and most observant, making them useful additions to any team. However, seeing as he had assigned those two as permanent guards for Eiji to keep him safe, utilising them temporarily for his plans meant he needed someone else to look out for him in his absence. He’d left it up to Alex to decide who out of his auxiliary members would be suitable candidates for such an important job, and Alex had narrowed it down to four gang kids who usually ran intelligence rather than fighting.

“Aww, why one of us gotta look after him?” Chainlink moaned, crossing his arms over his barrel chest. He was a burly white 17-year-old who looked like he was in his mid-thirties. He tended to dress in white wifebeaters and battered jeans, his dark hair in a quaffed mullet similar to Alex’s.

“Two of you,” Alex corrected him. “An’ you know how much he means to the Boss! If Boss wants us to look after someone, you damn well better look after them!”

“Why can’t he look after himself?” That was Antonio, a skinny little Latino who had joined Ash’s gang fairly recently compared to the others, defecting from Arthur when it became apparent that Ash was the better and fairer leader to work under. He was short and lanky, and tended to swear in Spanish. “He’s practically an adult, man!”

“He’s also a tourist, not very street smart, an’ he grew up in a country without guns,” Alex reminded him. “Being seen with the Boss has made him a target. And I repeat: if Boss wants you to look after someone, someone better be keeping an eye on them 24/7 or there’ll be hell to pay!”

“Why does Boss care so much about him anyway?” Cash was known to be brutal with his words sometimes, getting right to the point. He had mixed parentage, his father white and his mother African American. While his good looks came predominantly from his mother, his skin tone edged more towards the paler end of the black spectrum thanks to his father, and he was roughly the shade of a strong but milky cup of tea. His ebony hair was kinky, and he kept it styled in neat cornrows.

“Yeah! I mean, it ain’t like he’s one of us… He’s kind-of a wet blanket,” Icepick shrugged, siding with Cash. Icepick was pale as snow, right down to his prematurely grey hair that he wore buzzed close to his head. His eyes were a cool blue colour that stared at people in an unnerving way. He had a tattoo of a spider web on his scalp, visible through the fuzzy white stubble.

“Clearly, you haven’t spent any time with him,” Alex responded. Kong and Bones had told him at length the many merits of Eiji, mostly about how genuinely nice he was and that he was fun to hang out with, but also how reckless and spontaneous he could be. He’d run away before when they’d tried to take him to the airport, and he could also be very demanding and stubborn, especially when it came to matters involving Ash. If you looked up ‘cinnamon roll’ in a dictionary, you may find a picture of him there, but he was certainly not a ‘wet blanket’ as Icepick had so kindly put it. Spend an hour or two with him and any moron with half a brain would see why Ash liked him. Plus, he had absolutely no fear of Ash whatsoever, and had been known to boss Ash about and get physical with him, which some would call a death wish, but Ash seemed to accept it and would follow his requests willingly. Very few people who knew Ash had the balls to do that, terrified as they were of the repercussions for doing so and of the irritated Lynx claws poised to strike at any moment. But not Eiji. If that’s not brave, Alex didn’t know what was. “He’s a great guy! It wouldn’t sit right with the Boss if he got hurt because of his issues.”

“While I get that he’s nice and two of us have to babysit or risk an angry Lynx, I still don’t get why Boss keeps him around,” Chainlink said. “He’s a liability! Surely someone as smart as him can see that! It would be better for all of us if Boss cut his ties and sent him home.”

“I bet maybe…” Cash mimed giving someone a blow job with his fist, tonging his cheek to mimic the movement of a phallic object in his mouth. Antonio snorted with laughter.

“Don’t be so childish!” Alex scolded him.

“Well, it ain’t no secret that the Boss likes men,” Cash smirked. “Maybe he likes a bit of sushi of an evening?”

“Childish and racist,” Alex frowned deeper. “Man, I thought you were better than that!”

“Why else does he keep him around then?” Icepick asked. “Why doesn’t he send him home? It’s not like he’s much use to the gang.”

“Look, the Boss has his reasons and it’s not your job to question them,” Alex said, beginning to lose patience. “Nobody complained when he let Skipper join, and he was a literal child!”

“Yeah, and look what happened,” Antonio muttered.

“Considering you were in Arthur’s lot around the time that happened, you better watch your mouth, Antonio,” Alex growled darkly. “Boss is kind and has given you a chance to redeem yourself, but he can just as easily kick you back out and I doubt anyone else would want you.” Antonio grimaced apologetically in response.

“Just sayin’,” he murmured quietly.

“Eiji’s as much a part of the gang now as all of us are,” Alex continued, a slight pleading tone in his voice. “I just need two of you to look over him for a day while Kong and Bones are busy. It’s a piss easy shindig, really low risk, an’ he practically looks after himself if you don’t let him out the apartment block. It’s not like you have to change his diaper and feed him – he’s a grown man who Boss has decided needs protection for a while. Is that too much to ask?”

“No,” a couple of them murmured, while the others looked sheepish.

“Good. Now, which of you two lucky boys wants the privilege?”

*

Eiji had stood quietly by the door while this conversation occurred, just out of sight with his arms full of fresh-washed laundry, practically holding his breath as he leant against the wall outside listening. He hadn’t meant to overhear, but he’d heard his name said by Alex, and then… He knew he shouldn’t take to heart what some people thought of him, but their words had stung directly into his insecurities like an army of hornets.

He couldn’t see his own valuable yet intangible attributes, especially towards Ash, and thus had a bad habit of judging his own worth almost entirely on his physical abilities. He was athletic, or as athletic as an injured and retired athlete kept in lockdown can be, but apart from that he really wasn’t any use to them; he couldn’t fire a gun or fight, he wasn’t especially observant or smart, and he was only barely fluent in English. He did what he could to make himself useful but, honestly, what use does a gang of street kids have for a lone foreigner who can do housework? Hideouts don’t need a lot of dusting or hoovering, and they seemed to handle things like laundry and food just fine before he came along. He knew he wasn’t especially helpful when it came to gang matters, but he had no idea that so many members of the gang thought he was a hindrance.

Kong and Bones had always diligently kept him company and accompanied him around the city, and he now considered them friends. They’d never once complained or called him useless, instead praising him on his food and commenting that, since he’d been here, Ash was a lot happier despite all that was going on, and that could only be a good thing. Unless they were very good at hiding it, those two genuinely liked him at least. Alex, too, had stood up for him, and seemed to genuinely care. But what the others had just said had gotten under his skin.

Maybe they would be better off without him around though. It would free up some resources for Ash and he’d be safer if he went home, so Ash would have one less thing to worry about.

But Ash had told him to stay with him, and that was the only excuse he needed.

He took a deep breath to stabilise his emotions and help slow his heartrate before quietly tiptoeing away from the door, hugging the laundry pile tight to his chest, as the four boys began playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who was going to watch him.

*

It was Antonio and Icepick who had been delegated Eiji duty. Kong and Bones had drilled them on important information, like what the surroundings were like and how often they should check outside for suspicious activity. The blinds were to remain closed and the door was not to be opened unless the secret knock was used. Ash had a key, but even he would use the knock before entering, just in case he’d been captured or killed and someone had stolen or copied it. In an emergency, they were to take Eiji from the building and to a safe house a couple of blocks away. If the elevators and interior stairs were compromised, then there was a fire escape ladder for their floor at the end of the corridor outside Mrs. Coleman’s apartment that would drop them into an alleyway out back and hidden from Golzine’s building opposite. Ash had a car hidden in an underground garage nearby which they could use if absolutely necessary, for instance if things went completely belly up and they had to flee Manhattan, and the key was in a fruit bowl in the kitchen.

Should Eiji fall ill enough or get injured to such a degree that it requires hospitalisation, the phone numbers for Max and Ibe were provided. They should give a false name to the paramedics instead of Eiji’s real one and follow the ambulance to find out what hospital he was in but, ultimately, they needed to let Max deal with the fallout until Ash returned.

Should even the safe houses end up being danger zones, and the shit really hits the fans, then they needed to contact Charlie Dickinson of the NYPD, who was one of the rare few cops Ash tolerated, and hand Eiji over to him as an absolute last-ditch option, so as to provide him with police protection. Eiji had no criminal record, although he had stolen Charlie’s car once, and had been arrested for rioting another time, but neither occasion had led to any formal conviction. The car had been returned via Nadia Wong complete with an apology note and some gas money, and he’d been arrested as a mass group rather than an individual for the riots – which he never actually took part in, and he had likely been mistaken for being one of Sing’s gang. Yut Lung bailed him out due to personal interest in him before the police had a chance to fill in any paperwork, so the arrest never became official. Even without the influence of Lee money, if the cops had got him into the interview room, and he’d given his name, he’d have likely been let go with no charge once they checked him out in the system. Handing him over to Charlie, who technically he was under the protection of anyway, would lead to no repercussions on Eiji’s part, and the detective could hopefully get him safely out of New York and back to Japan with Ibe under police watch.

The main rule the duo had to follow was that Eiji was not to go out of the complex without a chaperone, and Kong had provided a map detailing ‘friendly places’ with the locations of most of the shops and businesses he frequented regularly on it should he need anything; there were a couple of Asian supermarkets, a handful of bodegas, a bookstore, a few nearby take-out restaurants, and a photography store where he brought film and darkroom chemicals. Icepick had taken the map without even looking at it, folded it into quarters, placed it on the kitchen sideboard with a nod, and then completely forgotten about its existence.

“We’ll see you later, Shrimp,” Kong had told Eiji, ruffling his hair fondly before they left and causing him to pout and harrumph slightly in annoyance.

“Yeah, we’ll be back so fast, it’ll be like we never even left!” Bones smiled. “I bet you won’t even miss us!”

“Please stay safe,” Eiji told them. “I will be…” He hesitated slightly, eyeing up Antonio who was loitering nearby, before adding, “Fine.”

“Boss is confident this’ll be over quick,” Kong assured him.

“Kong! Bones! Shake a leg!” Ash barked, striding by with Alex in his wake. The rest of the gang was waiting downstairs, or were already strategically placed ready for action.

“Comin’ Boss!” Bones nodded. “We better go! Boss’s in attack mode now, an’ I don’t wanna end up at the wrong end of it!”

“Go!” Eiji laughed.

“Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!” Kong told him.

“That still leave me many thing I can do that are probably not legal and that Ash would not like…”

“Hahaha!”

“Bye, Eiji!” Bones said, and the dynamic duo followed Alex and Ash out the front door leaving him alone with his two new caretakers.

Eiji sighed, feeling very awkward and, despite two other people being with him, very alone. With Kong and Bones gone, the apartment felt somehow cold and unfriendly, the silence oppressive. It would probably have been more comfortable if he had been completely by himself, rather than left with two people he knew didn’t think a great deal of him. Even when his usual handlers were patrolling outside and not in the apartment with him, he felt less lonely than now.

Icepick coughed slightly, and walked over to the television. He switched it on before collapsing on the sofa and flinging his legs up and along the entire length of the cushions.

“Trust Boss to have a fancy TV with a remote,” he murmured mostly to himself, picking up the remote from the table. “Wonder what’s on?”

“Scoot over!” Antonio said, vaulting the back of the couch. Icepick pulled his legs in just in time before he landed on him. “Ooooh! Is that ‘The Outsiders?’ I love that movie!”

“When have you seen ‘The Outsiders’?”

“Snuck into the movie theatre,” Antonio said proudly. Icepick kicked him where he sat, earning a squawk of protest. “Hey!”

“Not my fault you’re hogging the couch!” he smirked.

“You’ve got two cushions there, amigo!”

Eiji quietly perched himself on one of the armchairs, curling up and hugging his legs. He didn’t say anything as Icepick and Antonio bickered, and they didn’t pay him much attention either. Maybe that was for the best; if he kept quiet and didn’t cause a fuss in any way, then their time together might just go by smoothly and possibly even pleasantly. He did need some things from the shops, but they could wait – he’d go with Kong and Bones another day, or even with Ash if he didn’t have anything better to do. It was always fun shopping with him, because he’d take him to different places instead of the same few ‘safe shops’, and then they’d sometimes go and visit some of New York’s sights while they were out, Ash showing him round his city with knowledge even a tour guide would likely be lacking in… It was almost like going on a date.

He turned his attention to the movie, watching a group of fictional teens bumming about being teens and then getting into a gang warfare with some rivals. Not so different to real life then. Icepick laughed at the fight scenes, and turned the volume on the TV up high. It was now loud enough that surely the neighbours would hear it. He wanted to stay out of their business, and didn’t care too much himself about the noise, but if they were going to bother other people around them then he needed to say something.

“Ano… Could you, maybe, turn volume down a little?”

“What was that?” Icepick grunted at him.

“I ask if you could turn volume of television down. It is disturbing neighbours, turn up so loud. They may complain!”

“Still didn’t get that,” Icepick frowned at him.

“Please turn down TV!”

“Nope! Can’t understand that accent, man.”

“Never mind.” Eiji curled back in on himself, pouting. He knew his accent was a little strong, but it wasn’t that bad. Ash didn’t have any issues with it, and Kong and Bones usually only had to ask him to repeat a word or two sparingly when he got excited and talked quickly. Antonio’s Latino accent was almost as bad, and Icepick seemed to have no issues understanding him. He suspected he wasn’t even trying, or else was using his accent as an excuse to ignore him. He confirmed his suspicions a couple of minutes later. He purposefully made his accent stronger and played heavily to stereotypes as he asked, “Ay amu goingu tu meik ko-hi. Dus enywan wanto wan?” (I am going to make coffee. Does anyone want one?)

“Oh yeah, three sugars and don’t skimp on the milk!”

Eiji sighed. Seems he understood that just fine.

“Make mine black and strong,” Antonio requested lazily.

Slightly miffed, he went into the kitchen. He made their drinks to their specifications, brought them through on a tray, placed them on the low coffee table, noticed with sad irritation that neither of them thanked him, then took his own mug and retreated to the bedroom he shared with Ash. He sat on the bed, sipping the coffee, and stewed quietly by himself, listening to the TV through the paper-thin walls.

‘I try to be nice and this is what I get in return,’ he thought. ‘This is going to be a long afternoon…’

Or was it? It didn’t have to be. He still needed to go to the shops; they were out of daikon radish and running extremely low on soy sauce, plus he could do with some more rice and curry roux, and Ash had voiced a craving for tinned salmon the other day. Eiji had promised Ash that he wouldn’t go outside alone, and he was going to wait until tomorrow when Kong and Bones were back so as not to be a bother to his current two watchmen, but there were other options that Ash hadn’t considered, options that meant he wouldn’t be breaking his promise. Icepick and Antonio were likely going to be engrossed in that movie for a couple of hours…

He picked up the phone and dialled in a number he had memorised. Ash didn’t know he knew this number, but Eiji had been told on good authority that he could ring it any time he was in trouble and Ash, for whatever reason, couldn’t help him. This wasn’t an emergency as such, but he needed assistance for a problem. It took a few rings before someone picked up on the other end of the line.

“Hello? Yes, it is Eiji! How you guess? Oh. Accent. Ehehehe!”

Whoever it was knew Eiji reasonably well – well enough to mock his accent and not upset him at any rate! He could forgive a few people for ribbing him a little about his English, provided he knew it was said good-naturedly and not out of scorn; Ash himself had told him to go and watch Sesame Street before to tease him on purpose, but he usually sought revenge whenever Ash attempted to speak Japanese, attempt being the operative word because, for someone so smart and eloquent in English, he still struggled to pronounce something as easy as ‘Izumo’, even after Eiji had broken it down into its separate syllables multiple times. However, Ash knew conversational French and at least a few sentences in several other European languages courtesy of Golzine’s enforced teachings, and he knew a smattering of Russian as well as a few Cantonese swear words, so while he claimed he wasn’t very good at speaking any other language succinctly, Eiji couldn’t turn round and call him an ignorant mono-lingual Yankee either. The same was true of the person he was currently speaking to, who was at least bi-lingual.  

“Hmm. I need to buy some things in Chinatown, but Ash is too busy to take me. No, all his gang are out, and it is too dangerous right now for me to walk around outside alone. Chinatown is especially bad, because of Yut Lung, but I need Asian groceries… You understand, right? I cannot live without rice hahaha! Hmm. I know. Hmm. No, Ash would not mind if it was you, I think. He trusts you, even if he does not act like it sometimes! Hmm… Hmm. Oh. Hmm… I see. No, that is fine. If they are ok to do that, then… Yes! Okay! Yes, I can wear that. Yes. Oh – sorry! I cannot tell you where I am exactly, but I can come meet them? Do you know Jackson’s Bodega? Hmm. Good. I can meet them there. Half an hour? Hmm. Great! Thank you! Arigato Gozaimasu!”

He smiled slightly as he hung up, feeling rebellious and independent. He didn’t need Icepick and Antonio to look after him. He was going to prove that he could do things by himself! He downed the rest of his coffee, and went to rifle around in Ash’s wardrobe for some more appropriate clothing, settling on one of his denim jackets and a pair of his ripped jeans. They were a little long in the leg and pooled on the floor, so he rolled up the hems. He borrowed a healthy blob of the pomade Ash occasionally used to slick back his hair when he needed to look fancy, and combed it into his fluffy barnet with his fingers, smoothing it back into some semblance of style, although a few stray, now greasy wisps stuck stubbornly out. He stuck a pair of sunglasses in the top pocket of the jacket, before sneaking out into the living area again. Jackson’s was downstairs, literally just outside. He would not be breaking any of Ash’s rules about him going outside the complex alone.

As he suspected, his two ‘guards’ were engrossed in the movie. They were laughing and joking with each other, comparing themselves to the main characters and roughhousing, completely ignoring Eiji as he walked by them in Ash’s clothes, crept over to the front door, slid on a pair of sneakers, and grabbed a tote bag for his shopping.

“I am going out now! By myself! Alone!” he called softly into the apartment, giving them a final chance to accompany him. He received no reply.

He quietly slipped out the front door by himself with a whispered ‘Ittekimasu’.

*

“I’m kinda hungry,” Antonio said, scratching his stomach as he lounged on the sofa. The movie was over, and they’d switched to a sports channel showing American Football. “Wonder if the Boss’ll mind if we raid his fridge?”

“Eh, ask the little Jap housewife if he’ll make you something,” Icepick said. “Kong says he’s always feeding him.”

“Eiji!!! Yo – EIJI!” Antonio called out. He got no reply. “EIJI!!!”

“Is he ignoring us?” Icepick frowned. “Ignorant little fucker… Or maybe he’s asleep.”

“EIJI!!!” Antonio tried again, sitting upright and peering over the back of the sofa. The apartment remained unnaturally quiet.

“EIJI!!!” Icepick tried, again to no reply.

“Better go see where he is, I suppose…” Antonio muttered, reluctantly rolling himself off the couch. He traipsed into the bedroom, checking the bathroom and both beds. No Eiji. In desperation, thinking maybe he was playing a childish prank, he checked the wardrobe. No Eiji. Starting to get a little worried, he went to check the spare room, thinking maybe he was spying on and taking photos for Ash of the building opposite… No Eiji. Now panicking, he hustled out into the living area again, wondering if maybe he’d just missed him and he was now in the kitchen fixing a snack or something. No Eiji. “CARAJO!” he cussed.

“What’s up?” Icepick asked. “He refusing to come out or somethin’?”

“No!” he said, running a hand through his hair. “He’s not there!”

“Huh? That’s impossible! He’s gotta be there!” Icepick said, standing up. “He’s probably hiding…”

“No – I checked! He’s not here!”

“Where the fuck is he then???”

“I don’t know!”

“Shit!”

“Hijo de puta!”

“Jesus, man, we had one job! One!” Icepick panicked.

“Let’s be calm, alright… Mierda… He can’t have gone far…”

“Unless someone kidnapped him…”

“No, let’s not go there yet… Erm… Think… If I was a Japanese tourist, where would I go?”

“Sightseeing?”

“Estupido!” Antonio growled at him. “You really think the Boss’ pet would be at the frikkin’ Lady Liberty?”

“I dunno!”

“Maldita sea… what is Ash gonna say when he gets back?! You know what he’s like when he gets angry! Imagine how pissed he’s going to be that we lost his novio marica!”

“Oh Gooooood - I wanna live, man!” Icepick wailed. “How could we lose track of an entire person in a small apartment!?!?”

“Did you hear the door open at all?”

“No! But we were watching that movie… Fuck!”

They stared at each other in a panicked horror, trying not to imagine what possible horrific end might have befallen Eiji while their backs were turned.

“Check the rooms again – behind the curtains, under the beds… See if the little fucker is playing games with us…”

“Good idea!”

They picked a room each and searched everywhere that could hide a person, smacking curtains aside, checking under the bed, behind furniture, under tables and chairs. Together, they opened all the cupboards in the kitchenette, looked in the bathtub, the airing cupboard, even the air vents. No cheeky Japanese citizen jumped out to surprise them with an impromptu game of hide and seek. The apartment was, without a doubt, an Eiji-free zone.

“Fuuuuuuck!” Icepick swore, standing at the window, hands cupped around his eyes as he peered out and scanned the ground, thinking maybe if he looked hard enough, he might just see their charge on the street below.

“We are so dead…” Antonio said, fingers twined into his hair tightly. “We are so dead!!!”

“Where would we even start with a street search?” Icepick whimpered.

“I dunno, man, I dunno!”

“Look after Eiji, Alex said… It’ll be easy, he said… He’s no trouble at all, he said…” Icepick murmured sarcastically. “If we somehow survive this, I am having serious words with him!”

“If we survive…”

They both jumped hearing keys jangling in the lock. People were talking outside the door… A horribly familiar deep voice, giving orders and praise with an authoritarian edge. A series of knocks on the wood…

“Awww shit…” Icepick whimpered. “Of all the days to finish a beef early! Why’d it have to be today?”

“Was nice knowing you, man…” Antonio responded, as the door opened and in walked Ash with Alex, Kong, Bones, and a handful of other gang members following their raid.

They seemed to be in a good mood, so apparently the campaign had gone well. Bones sported a small cut on one of his cheeks, but apart from that and a few ripped bits of clothing, the ragged bunch were uninjured and riding high on the thrill of victory, ready to celebrate with drinks and snacks well into the night.

“Icepick! Antonio! Thanks for holding the fort!” Kong told them jovially, patting Icepick on the shoulder.

“We know you two were pretty bummed about not being able to join in,” Bones grinned. “We’ll take over again from tomorrow – but tonight is a night to PARTY!”

“Ahahaha… yeah,” Antonio laughed nervously as the jubilant gang swarmed onto the couch and armchairs, chatting excitedly about their heroic escapades that day. The only one who didn’t join them was Ash; he was always terrifyingly calm and often distant around the gang though, so this wasn’t overly unusual. He was standing by the window, frowning at the dishevelled blinds, knocked all out of whack from Icepick’s frantic search, before staring across the street with a shrewd gaze at the building opposite. With a grimace, he straightened and closed the blinds before, finally, perching himself on the arm of one of the chairs and joining his boys in celebrating.

“You know what would be great right now?” Bones said, beaming.

“What?” Alex asked.

“Celebratory brownies!” he said. “I wonder if Eiji will whip us up a batch? He makes the best brownies ever!”

“He’s not your slave,” Ash growled. “You can’t just expect him to make brownies.”

“Aww, but he loves bakin’…” Bones said, his smile faltering under Ash’s glare.

“Bones is right – he bakes stuff for fun all the time!” Kong backed his friend up, softening Ash’s stare slightly. “Two days ago, he made a shit-ton of cookies, all different flavours, just for Bones and me!”

“The green ones tasted weird…” Bones said. “I think he said they were ‘Matt Chah’ or somethin’.”

“Matcha?” Ash said. “That’s a type of tea. The Japanese use it in cakes and ice cream and stuff.”

“It had no right bein’ in a cookie,” Bones said, screwing up his nose.

“I dunno, I kinda liked them,” Kong said wistfully. “And you ate, like, five of them! So they can’t have been that bad.”

“He does like spending time in the kitchen…” Ash finally admitted. “Even so, you can’t just expect him to make you something because you want it.”

“I know,” Bones hung his head. “Sorry Boss.” He brightened up as he added, “I could help him if he wants to make some! We usually do! An' it can't hurt to ask!”

“Where is he, anyway?” Kong asked.

“He usually stays out of the way when we have gang meetings,” Alex shrugged. “He’s probably reading in bed or something.”

“Yeah, but he normally sits out here with us when we watch him,” Kong said. “He only leaves at meetings because he knows Ash is uncomfortable with him listening in on certain things. I’ve never known him to hide away otherwise. He always says hello, at least, even when there is a meeting.” He glanced over at Antonio with a concerned frown.

“Eiji!” Bones called for him. “Eiji – we’re back! An' we’re celebratin’! Come join us man!”

There was no reply. Ash caught Icepick looking shifty, Antonio doing everything he could not to meet his eyes. Something was off here; they were both extremely nervous, and getting more so by the passing second. You could sense the change in the mood, almost feel the chill in the air as what was just moments before a happy gathering became hushed and tense.

“You want to add anything to this conversation?” Ash asked them. All eyes were now on Icepick and Antonio, curious and wary.

“Well, the thing is… erm…” Icepick tried to avoid the question, feeling like an insect pinned to a board under the harsh scrutiny of his boss.

“Where’s Eiji…?” Bones asked, now looking worried himself. Kong quietly stood and went to check the bedroom quickly, glancing in through the door. Ash never took his eyes off the two nervous boys, the cold green chips narrowing suspiciously.

“Boss…” Kong said quietly. “He’s not in here…”

“Where is he?” Ash asked them, his voice barely more than a dangerous whisper.

“Ehehe, funny story…” Antonio laughed nervously.

“He… err… we think he m…maybe… erm… went out?” Icepick stuttered.

“Went out?” Ash growled. “And you let him go? Alone???”

“We didn’t know he’d gone!” Antonio insisted. “He just up and left, we think.”

“And you didn’t see him leave? Hear him walk out? Jesus, the hell have you two been doing all fucking day?!” Ash’s voice rose in pitch and volume as he spoke until he was practically screaming, his eyes blazing with fury, but also with something softer and more vulnerable; a panicked fear. He was on his feet without even realising it, not sure if he was feeling more murderous or anxious, his whole body shaking. They’d seen him get angry before plenty of times, and that was scary enough, but this was something else entirely. If looks could kill, Icepick and Antonio would both have been incinerated on the spot, but even more terrifying was seeing their usually stoic boss show any emotion other than a calculated, deadly calm. He shot people with barely any expression at all, almost inhuman with his ruthlessness, but now his face was twisted like he was in pain, his teeth bared in an animalistic snarl.

“Did he not tell you he was goin’ out?” Bones wailed. “He always tells us! He says where he needs to go and what for, and then we accompany him unless it’s for somethin’ dumb that can wait, but he never asks for dumb shit! It’s always, like, groceries, or he needs to find the Boss for somethin’, or go meet that Ibe guy!”

“We barely saw him all afternoon!” Icepick said. “We may have said something to him that upset him, I dunno, he’s sensitive, but he went into the bedroom to sulk while we were watching a movie!”

“He ain’t that sensitive!” Kong told them. “He argues with us all the time!”

“Yeah, well, this time he was!” Antonio said. “Next thing we knew, he’d vanished. Just poof – gone!”

“Are you telling us he walked out of the room, past the two of you, and out the front door, and neither of you noticed???” Alex asked them incredulously. “I gave you an easy job – just watch this person and keep them safe - and you two somehow failed!”

“Kong! Bones! Where does Eiji normally go?” Ash barked, but there was a distinct wobble in his voice.

“Depends what he needs, but it’s usually either the bodega downstairs, which is easy enough, or else we hafta take him to Chinatown if he wants any fancy Asian stuff…” Bones said. “We left a map for Icepick of the places we go! Most places are safe, but when we’re in Chinatown, we’re always real careful! We use disguises, keep a low profile and stuff, stick to the places the tourists go, and Kong and me, we have our pieces on hand for emergencies…”

“Where’s the map?” Ash demanded Icepick.

“Fuck! I forgot about that!” Icepick swore, panicked. “I…It’s on the side…” He pointed at the kitchen worktop.

“I hope it’s the bodega…” Ash said quietly, snatching up the map, his teeth gritted. If Eiji was in Chinatown… If Sing found him he’d be okay – the two of them made for an unlikely pair, but Eiji had struck up quite a strong friendship with the little gang leader in recent weeks and would likely have a great and perfectly safe time with him. He could trust Sing to keep him out of trouble, but if Yut Lung got hold of him… Not to mention if any of Golzine’s people had run into him! They knew his face and, worse, they knew what he meant to Ash. He had no weapons or knowledge of the city beyond that of a casual tourist, and was both vulnerable and naïve. He almost sprinted for the entrance and out of the apartment, leaving the gang open mouthed and shocked as the door crashed shut behind him with a resounding bang.

“We fucked up, didn’t we…” Icepick whimpered.

“Oh yeah,” Alex said, nodding. “You well and truly fucked up.”

*

Ash ran downstairs to the bodega. The elevator was too slow, so he used the emergency staircase, taking three steps at a time and almost falling down the last flight in his haste. Jackson’s Bodega was technically part of the apartment complex, although you had to exit to the street and walk about twenty paces to the entrance. The main clientele were residents of the apartments, and you could get discounts if you lived there. He frantically dashed inside and checked every aisle, hoping to find a safe, happy Eiji, browsing vegetables with a basket in the crook of his arm, or maybe pondering whether to pick up tinned peaches or pears, or stocking up on a sale item with a satisfied grin.

“Shit…” he muttered, growing more and more anxious when it became apparent that Eiji wasn’t there. He tried to calm himself, taking a bolstering breath through his nose to steady his voice as he approached the front desk. The staff here all knew Eiji because he shopped here often under the guise of being his houseboy, so if he had been here they would know about it. “Excuse me?” he asked, forcing himself to take on his polite ‘Chris’ persona.

“Oh, Chris! Haven’t seen you here in a while – how have you been?” The sales assistant, today a mid-thirties lady with a perm wearing a green apron over a dowdy floral dress, spoke with a cheery, sing-song voice.

“Busy,” Ash said vaguely. “Listen. Have you seen my houseboy, Eiji, today at all? Only he wasn’t in when I came home and there’s something I want to ask him.”

“Eiji?” she pondered. “Hmm… No, can’t say I have. He was here yesterday with those two rough-looking boys he always seems to have around him, but I’ve not seen him at all today.”

“No worries – thanks anyway!” Ash forced out, faking a cheery smile and swallowing down the panic. He walked out the shop and took to running once out on the street, pushing past people unapologetically as he sprinted down the sidewalk, eyes scrutinising everybody, hoping to see a familiar fluffy head of hair, or a pair of large doe eyes in the masses. He bit his tongue to stop himself calling out his name, knowing that drawing attention to it could potentially be the worst possible thing to do right now, especially so close to Dino’s property and with potential eyes and ears everywhere. Instead, he focused on his search, manually scanning, taking the shortest street route to Chinatown as quickly as he could in the hopes of finding him as soon as possible, darting into all the places on the map Kong had made on the way but being unsuccessful every time.

He reached the outskirts of Chinatown in record time. This was a dangerous place for him to be right now; most of his boys were tolerated by Sing’s gang, but several of them held grudges against him personally after he’d killed Shorter. Plus, Chinatown was Yut Lung’s domain. Even if the street kids left him alone with his reputation and on Sing’s request, the triad members under the Lee family were a completely different story. He needed to make this search quickly and get the hell out of there before his own life was put in danger.

He started methodically checking stores, Chinatown hosting several groceries and wholesalers where Eiji would likely shop, but his heart fell further as with every place he tried he found no sight of him. He thought about enquiring if anyone had seen someone matching his description, but asking a Chinese shopkeeper if they had seen a ‘young Asian boy’ that day would only have led to him being laughed out of the shop, and he couldn’t risk being too specific by asking for someone with, say, a Japanese accent, in case any of them worked for the Lees. He had no idea what Eiji was wearing either – he hadn’t been paying much attention to him that morning, preoccupied as he was with gang business, and there was no guarantee he was still in whatever he’d put on then anyway.

He was beginning to lose hope, his legs becoming leaden and his stomach feeling like it had dropped right out of his body, as with each passing moment he failed to find him. Logic was saying that it would be best practice to return to the apartment; if he’d been kidnapped, then someone would likely contact him about it soon. If he was safe, he’d return there eventually, and most likely wouldn’t be gone more than a couple of hours wherever he was. Maybe he was just with one of the neighbours? He hadn’t even considered that. What was her name? The Jewish lady he sometimes chatted with in the corridor and shared recipes with? Mrs. Coleman??? Which apartment did she live in? He had no idea, but Kong and Bones would know, right? Fuck! He should have asked the doorman if Eiji had even left the complex at all! Panic always scattered his common sense to the winds and made him act irrationally – just a simple question and it would have ruled out so many possibilities! He was such an idiot!

But if he wasn’t there, if he was out here somewhere, Ash knew he would never forgive himself if there had been something he could have done to protect him. He couldn’t go back until he had exhausted all obvious options out here. He had no choice but to keep searching.

He tried another couple of shops. Nothing.

He checked alleyways, almost dreading what he could find lurking in the dark. Apart from a couple of stray cats, he didn’t see anything suspicious.

He was about to write off Chinatown as a hopeless endeavour when he saw it.

A familiar face in the crowd.

He had to do a double take, because Eiji didn’t look like himself. He’d slicked his hair back with pomade and was wearing a set of Ash’s clothing and what looked like a pair of Shorter’s sunglasses. If Ash didn’t know him intimately well, he would never have guessed it was Eiji – his disguise made him look like any old East Asian street kid, and he could easily have passed for a member of Sing’s boys. It was certainly leaps and bounds away from what Shorter had described him wearing on his first foray into the area at his personal request, many moons ago.

Speaking of Shorter, he was accompanied by none other than Nadia Wong, the two of them carrying shopping bags full of groceries and chatting amicably.

Relief flooded into him.

“Thank FUCK!” he cried out, dashing across the street, almost getting himself hit by an old man on a scooter in the process. Eiji looked up, hearing his familiar voice.

“Ash?”

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” Ash hissed at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. “You KNOW how dangerous it is out here – here ESPECIALLY! And you decide to go on a jolly by yourself?”

“We were running low on supplies!” he reasoned.

“So you take the boys out with you!” Ash told him. “You don’t go running off by yourself – not until things are safer!”

“I am grown man, Ash!” Eiji responded, miffed. “And I am not by self – I phoned Sing! He was busy, so he asked Ms. Wong and she agree to meet me. I broke no rules! I thought that, especially this close to Yut Lung, Chinatown is the last place people would expect to find me, especially without Lynx gang! Also, my face not so well known as to stand out in crowd of other Asians. You are in more danger here than I am, I think…”

“I can take care of myself, Eiji,” Ash said, demeanour softening just slightly. Eiji had clearly thought this through before acting, although it was still reckless. “But… Jesus… If anything had happened!”  

“I think I should probably go…” Nadia said, giving Ash a look that was difficult to read.

She hadn’t seen him since he and Shorter left on a near-suicidal mission to try and shoot Golzine. After that, Shorter had vanished without a trace, and it was only hearing news along the grapevine that she had discovered what had happened to him. Early on after the incident, Max had tried to tell her, but she requested he wait until she was strong enough to hear the truth. She hadn’t seen Max since, Charlie telling her he had gone into hiding and deep cover for a while with that Japanese photojournalist, Ibe. Later, she had asked Sing outright if he knew what had happened, and he had confirmed that her brother was dead, and he’d seen the body and that it had been cremated thanks to Ash, and that he was sorry that there couldn’t be a proper funeral. Rumours muttered on the breeze were that Ash himself had been the one to pull the trigger and end his life, and she’d needled Sing for more information on this, but the little boss had completely clammed up, saying he wasn’t at liberty to say. The furtive looks he gave her suggested he knew the truth and had been forbidden from speaking it.

She found the idea that Ash had killed her brother very hard to believe; Ash had been one of her brother’s best friends and had proven several times to be a fiercely loyal, ride or die type. If he had killed her brother, there must have been a good reason for it. Either Shorter betrayed him so badly that it broke all his trust, which was unlikely because very few things would sway the trust of the Lynx once you had earned it, or else something terrible had happened to him and it was a mercy killing. Either way, the act would have been extremely traumatic for Ash. She didn’t believe the talk that he was an unfeeling killing machine, not after she’d heard him cry more than once in the back rooms of the Chang Dai with Shorter trying to calm him down, or after hearing even snippets of the things he’d been through as a child. He was hardened, yes, and terrifyingly clinical when he needed to be, but also troubled and lonely. Just watching him now, and how clearly concerned he was about Eiji, reminded her of how human and vulnerable he really was. “You have the Lynx here now, so you really don’t need me anymore, although I recommend the two of you scarper pretty quick before someone catches sight of you.”

“Thank you for meeting me, Ms. Wong,” Eiji told her with a small smile.

“Any time,” she responded. “And I’ll make sure to get that message to Charlie for you, although I’m pretty sure he’s already forgiven you for stealing his car that one time. He got it back, and it wasn’t like you trashed it!”

“Ehehehe…”

“And Ash… whenever you’re ready, you know where I am,” she told him with a knowing look in her eyes. Ash flinched slightly, trying and failing to hide the guilt that flashed across his features already taut with worry.

“Nadia… I…”

“Don’t. Not here,” she whispered.

“I promise. Another time.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Ash,” she said seriously. “See you boys around.” She nodded her head once before turning and leaving them.

“Eiji, let’s go. We can talk about this more back at the apartment, but Nadia is right – we need to get out of Chinatown before someone unfriendly spots us,” Ash said, starting to walk briskly and beckoning Eiji to follow him.

They walked in silence for a couple of blocks, Ash striding ahead determined to get them back to the apartment as quickly as possible, the gnawing sensation of disquiet still chewing up his insides. Anything could have happened today, and he would have been completely powerless to prevent it! It really would be better if he sent Eiji home to Japan, but to force him to go would be unfair to Eiji, who was fighting several personal demons of his own in the States, and was now just as committed to seeing the Banana Fish conspiracy through to the end as he was. Truthfully, he wasn’t certain if he himself could stand to watch him leave now either. Also, every other time he’d tried to send him away, fate had stepped in and prevented it. He was now an integral part of their shaky truce with the Chinatown youth, was privy to a lot of dangerous knowledge and dark secrets, was one of his better reconnaissance sources thanks to his photography skills, and had become a mostly positive influence and good friend to the more open-mined members of Lynx Gang.

In future, no matter how much he might benefit from having Kong and Bones on his campaigns, he would make sure that at least one of them or Alex was left behind with Eiji. He’d proven himself to be reckless and spontaneous several times before, this just being the latest in a long line of spur-of-the-moment Eiji-isms, so he should only entrust him to the most vigilant of babysitters from now on.

But this time may not have been Eiji’s fault, at least not entirely… Reckless he might be sometimes, but it was unlike him to do something like this without good reason.

“You are mad,” Eiji eventually broke the silence with a quiet statement when they were about halfway home. It wasn’t a question, just an observation.

“I’m not mad,” Ash responded, his voice very much implying that he was.

“You are. You have two types of angry,” Eiji told him sadly. “You either explode, or you go quiet. Right now, you are quiet. And you are refusing to look at me. So, I can tell you are mad.”

“I’m not m-“

“I apologise,” Eiji said quietly, cutting him off. “I was stupid, sneaking out…”

“Eiji-“

“I know it dangerous! I know! I just… I was annoyed.”

“Annoyed? Annoyed at who?”

“…Myself, mostly.”

“You were annoyed at yourself, so you snuck out? Eiji… You do realise how ridiculous that sounds, right?”

“I needed to prove something.”

“What exactly were you trying to prove?”

“That I am not completely useless.”

“That you’re… Eiji, what makes you think that?”

“Because everywhere I go, I cause problem, or I am burden to others. Everything I try… I fail. Or I get in the way. Or I make thing worse. And I cannot keep living like that! I do not want to be a problem to… To anyone else! To your gang. To you. People always wasting time trying to protect me or look after me, even in Japan! It is like I am a child. But even when I try and do things by self, it still cause problem, so… Sorry.”

“Where is this coming from?” Ash asked, his voice now carrying only concern, his initial annoyance forgotten. They’d stopped walking, Ash pulling Eiji off the sidewalk and into an alleyway so he could give him his full attention.

“…”

“Eiji…?”

“I overhear some of gang talking to Alex,” he said quietly. “They say I am weak and childish, and that I am creating problems for you and the gang just by being here. I have always known people think that of me, but hearing it out loud was hard. And I think to self, ‘they right’, which left me frustrated. So, I wanted to try and prove that I can be independent and that I am not just a clueless tourist. I do know it is dangerous – I know why Kong and Bones always with me, and they are good people and very kind, so I do not mind so much asking them for favour. I always try and pay back their time. I bake things, I feed them, I listen to their problems and give advice and they do not seem to mind taking care of me. With them, it always feel more like ‘hanging out’. They are my friends! And I think they feel same way about me. They laugh and joke and tease and we have fun together! But some of the others… They do not really care for me. They even tell me it is waste of time. It very clear they do not want to watch me or be with me, and are only doing it because Alex told them to and they are scared of you. I did not wish to bother them when I needed something. I was hoping to be back before you came home, but… I just end up causing yet more problems!”

“Oh…”

“I know I am good at some things – everybody have some skills that make them useful, even me,” Eiji lamented. “I just wish I could look after self better, and maybe do more for you and Lynx Gang. I wish I did not need babysitting! It is… Urgh! I do not know English word for how I feel! I would say <demoralising> but... I know I feel shame. And I feel like dead weight. And I wish I did not.”

“Jesus, Eiji…” Ash gasped. “You’re not dead weight! Not in the slightest!”

“It feel like it, sometimes,” Eiji said. “And I still remember what you told me in California.”

“Ignore that,” Ash said. “I lied to try and get you to go somewhere safe. Max and Ibe were discussing it, and someone had to play the bad guy, and I thought it would be for the best. I didn’t really want you to leave, but…”

“I cannot deny that it was the truth though. I ended up getting kidnapped, and then… Then…”

“That wasn’t your fault!”

“I know! But it still would not have happened if I was not so useless! Which is why I wanted to prove self today. I wanted to show that I was capable of taking care of self… But thinking about it, I still had to bother others to look after me.”

“People in a rival gang, no less,” Ash added. “If anyone ever wants to question your bravery, then I’ll tell them personally that you have balls of pure steel. Seriously! Befriending not just one, but two gang bosses? Hell, I think if you spent ten minutes with Cain, you’d probably make it a solid trio! And before that, I know for a fact that Shorter really liked you too!”

“The ability to make friend does not make me useful,” Eiji said. “I still always need others with me.”

“You seem to place too much worth on being able to fight,” Ash sighed. “Being kind in a horrible world is a precious trait too, you know. There’s not nearly enough of it. And making friends with dangerous people just by being yourself is one hell of a useful skill to have!”

“Hmm…”

“And I wasn’t mad at you,” Ash assured him. “I was worried about you, and mad at my guys! The only thing asked of them was to keep you safe, and part of that was to make sure you feel welcome and comfortable around them. They did a great job with Skipper, and it’s not the first time we’ve run a protection racket, so the fact they singled you out and made it personal… They didn’t take their duty seriously, and that’s what pissed me off most! A gang is like an army and a family in one – you do what the leader asks of you, and you look after each other, and they failed on both scores!”

“But I am not-“

“Whether you are in the gang as an official member or not is irrelevant,” Ash told him. “You’re still one of us. So is Max, and Ibe too. We’re supposed to look after our own. My guys really let me down today, but worse than that… They let you down too, and you were hurt because of it.”

“I am not-“

“I don’t mean physically.”

“Oh.”

“When we get back, I’m going to make them apologise to you!” Ash started walking again, his strides purposeful. “If they refuse or half-ass it, then I’ll have no choice but to banish them!”

“Ah – no, you do not need to do that!” Eiji hastened to follow, having to jog a little to keep up. “It is probably I who should be apologising…”

“You Japanese apologise too much,” Ash grumbled.

“They already do not like me! Them, and several others in gang. Please do not make it worse! You do that, and they will be resentful! Problem will get worse!”

“Look, someone has to make amends for what happened today,” Ash sighed. “I can’t just do nothing!”

“Then punish me!” Eiji insisted. “In front of gang! Tell me I was stupid to leave apartment! Go full angry Lynx! I will take blame!”

“Full angry Lynx?” Ash snorted, raising an eyebrow. “What, like, yowling and scratching and biting?”

“You know how I mean,” Eiji said vaguely. “Be scary!”

“I don’t see how it’ll help anything…?” Ash said, shaking his head. “I’m not even angry at you.”

“Trust me!” Eiji pressed. Clearly, he’d had an idea, but he wasn’t elaborating.

“If you insist…”

Ash said no more on their walk back to the apartment, but at least his anger had dissipated somewhat.

*

There came a series of knocks at the apartment door, followed by keys rattling in the lock.

“Ah – Boss’s back!” Bones proclaimed, jumping up from where he was sat on the floor. The rest of the gang perked up significantly, all eyes trained at the door, everyone on tenterhooks hoping the news was good because, if it wasn’t, God help them! Antonio had gone deathly pale, and Icepick looked like he was about to be violently ill…

Ash entered, his face like thunder, trailed by-

“EIJI!” Bones shrieked, diving forward and grabbing him in a rough hug. “MAN – DON’T SCARE US LIKE THAT!”

”Sorry!” Eiji gasped sheepishly, his arms effectively pinned by Bones, his chest being thoroughly squeezed by his strong grip.  

“You coulda been dead!” Bones cried. “We may never a’ eaten your brownies again!”

“Is that all you care about, dude?” Kong asked Bones, now also standing besides Eiji. “Let up on the grip a little – he can’t breathe!”

“Oh, my bad!” He released Eiji, who rubbed at his chest a little where Bones had crushed him.

“Good to see you back in one piece, Squirt,” Kong said, ruffling Eiji’s hair again fondly, messing it up from the slicked back look he had into his more regular fluff, albeit still slightly greasy from the pomade. “You had us all worried for a while there!”

“Yeah…” he murmured, smiling a little at them both, and feeling genuinely bad that he’d worried them.

“Gracias a Dios!” he heard Antonio mutter. “Little idiota is alive!”

“Boss still looks murderous though…” Icepick whimpered.

“Yeah, but-“ Antonio started, but a pointed glare from Alex silenced him.

“Will everyone be quiet,” Ash growled, his voice hushed but still commanding attention, his words icy and sharp. Everyone snapped to attention, the room suddenly silent enough to hear a pin drop, the tension thick and heavy. The gang could sense it coming, the rage of the Lynx. Boss was about to explode, and someone was about to get both barrels.

Icepick tensed. Antonio swallowed hard. Both prepared to meet their fate as Ash glared at them both…

Then promptly turned away and directed his anger at the most unlikely candidate.

“The hell were you thinking, you fucking idiot!” he hissed at Eiji with such force the Japanese boy actually flinched. “You KNOW it’s dangerous out there! You KNOW not to go out by yourself! So many times I’ve told you to NEVER leave the complex without an escort, and you completely ignore everything I put in place for YOUR safety!”

The rest of the gang recoiled slightly from him too. They’d never seen him turn on Eiji this way before, and he was really laying into the poor kid! Boss was terrifying when mad, and this time he was seriously pissed off! Rage like this was reserved for serious fuck-ups, and as far as they could tell, it was his guardians who had dropped the ball here, not the poor foreigner currently under their protection. They’d thought that Eiji was immune from his wrath, especially seeing how he got away with doing things the others wouldn’t even dare attempt, but apparently even he wasn’t safe. If anything, Ash railed at him worse!

“S-sorry!” Eiji said, cowering slightly. “I am idiot Japanese!”

“That’s right!” Ash said, not really agreeing with him, and wondering where exactly Eiji was going with this. He wondered if maybe he’d gone too far, as he rarely even yelled at his own men like this unless they had done something unforgiveable, but… It was what Eiji had insisted he do. ‘Full Lynx rage’ he had said. “Everyone in this apartment can agree with that!”

“I don’t think that…” Bones said quietly, bravely taking a step forward to stand up for Eiji.

“Shut up, Bones!” Ash snapped.

“Shuttin’ up!” Bones nodded, holding his hands up defensively and quickly stepping back again.

“Which is why I phone my friend Sing Soo Ling so I could buy daikon radish!” Eiji said, sounding woeful and apologetic. He was also, Ash could now tell from the gleam in his eyes, acting. Despite curling in on himself and backing away as Ash had turned on him with all the ferocity of a rampaging bull, his eyes showed neither fear nor sadness – he’d seen those expressions often enough on Eiji’s face, and what he saw now reflected in brown depths was neither of those emotions. Instead, his eyes were full of determination, staring right back at him, urging him to continue being brutally mean to him. He was choosing his words and actions very carefully, like he’d rehearsed them from a script. “I did not want to burden Lynx gang with something simple like that! I know going out was dangerous, but I was dumb and go anyway!”

“Wait… He called Soo Ling?” Antonio muttered. “As in, Chinatown’s Soo Ling?”

“How does he know the frikkin’ head of Chinatown that well?!” Icepick murmured, marvelling a little. 

“Fucking good job you had Sing to look out for you really!” Ash growled venomously at him. “I dread to think what might have happened if you didn’t! Are you that desperate to die? I can shoot you right here myself if that’s the case!”

“He is a good friend,” Eiji nodded shyly, milking the ‘oh poor me’ vibes. “He was kind enough to help me by keeping watch over me in Chinatown while I do stupid thing!”

“Wait… Was it HIM that fixed the rift?” Icepick hissed. “I thought it was Boss!”

“Boss killed Shorter, didn’t he?” Antonio whispered back. “Ain’t no coming back from a slight like that! I thought Chinatown was being too co-operative lately. Someone else must have smoothed things over! Someone both Boss and Soo Ling trusts.”

“Yeah, but… Eiji? Really?!” Icepick frowned, disbelieving. "He's so... Ya know!"

“He is weird and friendly…” Antonio said, shrugging. “And he’s Asian too. Maybe that helps…? I heard Shorter was close to him as well…”

Ash, overhearing their muttering, finally twigged where Eiji was going with this. He might have several complexes about his worth to the gang which weren’t going to go away overnight, but Ash had reminded him of his positive attributes, and now he was playing to them. He knew that he was kind-hearted and made friends easily, and he knew he was brave, so he was showcasing it by acting apologetic for his rebellious actions and name dropping. It was working like a charm. By letting Ash shout at him, he was simultaneously making them feel bad about what they had done, because seeing someone roar angrilly at a person like Eiji was not too dissimilar to watching someone kick a puppy. Now if they apologised, it would be genuine, and they wouldn’t underestimate him again. Clever!

“Be that as it may, Chinatown is still a rival!” Ash told him sternly. “In future, I expect you to ask for help from Lynx gang members only, unless it is an emergency!”

“Yes…” Eiji whimpered, looking convincingly close to tears but with nary a tear in sight.

“Daikon radish is not an emergency!” Ash added.

“N…no. It is not.” Eiji agreed.

“Pull a stunt like this again, and you’re on your own,” Ash said. “You don’t need to prove anything! We all know how big and brassy your balls are, but you are so fucking naïve to how the streets work! This isn’t Japan!”

“I… Yes,” Eiji nodded, his eyelid flickering a bit at that one. Ash had probably hit a little bit too close to a nerve there. Dial it back, Aslan, or you’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight… “Very sorry. I will try not to cause problem again.”

“It isn’t me you need to apologise to,” Ash told him. He pointed at Icepick and Antonio, still glaring at Eiji. “Beg forgiveness.”

“Ah, Boss, you don’t need to make him d-“ Icepick began, physically squirming in discomfort. Antonio next to him grimaced, toying with the fabric of his tattered jeans.

“Why not?” Ash said, cutting him off. “He caused you two trouble. He went and sought help from a rival boss no less. And he’s Japanese – it's, like, a cultural thing for him to apologise!”

“Yeah, but-“ Icepick started, looking equal parts awkward and terrified to argue with the Boss.

“But what?” Ash narrowed his eyes menacingly.

“Wasn’t his fault,” Antonio mumbled. “We were kinda dicks to him… I’d have gone off by myself too, someone did that to me.”

“We didn’t realise he was, ah, well, you know…” Icepick stammered.

“That he is more to this gang than just my casual fuck buddy?” Ash finished his sentence. “Which he isn’t, by the way.”

“Aaah…” Icepick stalled.

“Not everyone has to be good at either fighting people or fucking the boss to be important,” Ash told them cooly. “You two, who are utterly useless at both, should know better! I doubt either of you know how to use a camera with any skill either, and a decent photograph can be even more dangerous than a gun if you need hard evidence or blackmail material. In that respect, he’s the most important asset we have, so treat him with the respect he deserves!”

“S…sorry Boss.”

“Lo siento…”

“Gomenasai…” Eiji had bowed his head sincerely too, this time not acting. “In future, I shall do better too.”

“Oh jeez – don’t bow like that to us, dude!” Icepick told him, looking pained. “We’re sorry we treat you like shit! That was wrong of us!”

“We’re just glad you didn’t die,” Antonio simpered. “We’ll all do better in the future, ‘kay amigo?”

“Eiji, you can stop apologising,” Ash said, the harsh glare gone from his eyes. “You’re safe. That’s the main thing. Just remember in the future – all of you – that Lynx Gang looks after their own, no matter what! And if I give you an order, no matter how stupid or banal it might appear to you, it has been given to you for a reason. Fucking follow it!”

“What’s banal mean?” Bones asked quietly. Kong shrugged.

“It means that, from tomorrow, you two are back to your usual duties of making sure Eiji feels confident enough around us so as not feel the need to pull in favours from the Chinese,” Ash told them. “Now, are we celebrating today’s victory sometime today, or what?”

“Yes Boss!” the gang chorused.

With Eiji back safely, and issues inherent in the gang ironed out without the Boss killing or banishing anyone, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the adrenaline high of celebrating a win on the streets set back in. Beers appeared, circulated amongst the members eagerly, alongside various snacks and soft drinks. Everyone was laughing and talking happily, recounting epic things they’d done in the fight that day, or else singing off-tune to pop songs and roughhousing playfully as they got progressively rowdier.

“Did you need to be that harsh on Eiji, Boss?” Alex had asked, sliding up besides Ash in the kitchen, where Ash was watching Bones hanging off Eiji with what may have been jealousy in his eyes. Eiji was laughing, chatting casually to Kong about something, relaxed and at ease. The two of them were doing a brilliant job of making him feel included and wanted – Eiji was right about them being good friends to him!

“Huh?” Ash pulled his attention away to listen to his second-in-command.

“Ain’t never seen you be that angry at anyone, at least not since Arthur’s men split,” Alex said. “I mean, I know you were worried about him, but still… You didn’t hold back!”

“He asked me to do it,” Ash told him blandly.

“What?”

“Eiji. He asked me to punish him in front of everyone. The Japanese can be really masochistic sometimes. ‘Go full Lynx,’ he said. So, I did.”

“…Why?” Alex frowned, confused. “I would’a placed good money on you ripping Icepick and Antonio new ones!”

“I was going to, but he wouldn’t let me,” Ash said. “I didn’t get it at first either. We’d already talked about what happened on the walk back so he knows my feelings on the matter, and I his. I’m not going to go into it – they’re his personal issues and that’s not my place! Anyway, he insisted I punished him instead, then pulled a reverse Uno card on me, and now everyone in the gang understands his worth!”

“Uno card?”

“He was acting scared, Alex,” Ash explained. “Eiji’s not scared of me. Never has been. I’ve yelled at him several times before in private, and he just shouts back at me even louder!”

“Oh…” Alex frowned, thinking things through. Then it dawned on him what Eiji had done. “Oh!”

“His way meant I didn’t have to lose two capable guys, but they still learned a valuable lesson about their actions. They did bad, and now they feel bad, right? He might not be good at fighting, but Eiji’s ability to restore peace and forge meaningful connections with people is second to none!”

“Huh.” Alex sounded thoughtful, and maybe a little impressed.

“Passive aggressive little shit, ain’t he,” Ash said, smirking.

“I should probably apologise to him as well,” Alex said, grimacing. “I really did not do a good job of picking watchmen for him! I would’a never expected him to take things into his own hands like that though! Contacting Soo Ling? Kid’s got some cajónes!”

“Well hopefully now, after that little stunt, everyone’ll know better than to underestimate him in the future,” Ash sniffed. “And, technically, he didn’t break any of my rules. Smartass found a loophole! He wasn’t outside alone – when I found him, he was with Nadia Wong, and most people in Chinatown know better than to mess with Nadia, which is probably why Sing asked her to accompany him. However, if it happens again, I’m not going to be so lenient on those actually responsible for his care. He shouldn’t have felt the need to ask Sing for help.”

“He’s really special to you, ain’t he…” Alex said, watching as Bones pressed another bottle of beer into Eiji’s hands, Eiji trying to refuse him but eventually accepting.

“He’s special to a lot of people,” Ash said, dodging the topic. “One day, maybe he’ll realise that too.” Alex, however, caught the pale blush that dusted his cheeks.

“Right, Boss,” Alex nodded, not pushing the matter, but smiling as he took a sip from his beer.