Ash pushed the door open, stepping inside just as Eiji barreled out. They collided—Eiji stumbling back, Ash instinctively gripping his arm to steady him.

“Ah—sorry!” Eiji blinked up at him, wide-eyed.

Ash exhaled, more out of habit than annoyance. “What were you doing in my room?” His tone was sharp, but not quite hostile.

“I was just… waiting for you.” Eiji rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away. “You were gone a while.”

Ash studied him for a moment. It wasn’t like Eiji to poke around where he shouldn’t, and the excuse was flimsy. His stomach twisted—annoying. He didn’t like the way it felt.

“You don’t need to wait for me,” Ash muttered, finally releasing Eiji’s arm. He stepped past him into the room, but Eiji’s presence lingered, like a shadow he didn’t mind having around.

“Still… I wanted to,” Eiji admitted softly.

Ash paused, hand tightening on the doorframe. His first instinct was to tell Eiji to stop—to not get attached. But that was a lie. Because, deep down, Ash already knew it was too late.

Instead, he sighed. “Whatever. Just don’t go through my stuff.”

Eiji smiled. “Okay.”

And for some reason, that made Ash’s chest ache more than it should.

Eiji watched as Ash disappeared into his room, the door left slightly open. An unspoken invitation.

With a soft chuckle, Eiji followed.