Undergarment

Aseko stared at this smiling red-headed man beside him, brows slightly furrowed before letting out a sigh and leaning back on his chair, covering his face with his hands.

"You … you are serious about this, are you not?" He asked, looking at the man who seemed to be literally bubbling with energy the moment he asked this.

"Of course I am." Eclipse said, almost offended but he regained his usual casual composure. "Why would I be joking about something as serious as this?"

"I don't know, kid. Maybe because no one who is in their right mind or is serious would ask something so … ridiculous." He did not even attempt to look up at the man again as he continued to sigh deeply. "Do you know that if anyone else heard you, you could be in a shit ton of trouble?"

"Eh? Why? All I asked is for a man's underwear." Eclipse asked, blinking his eyes rapidly as they seemed to glisten in the light all around them.

"Don't give me that innocent look when you are talking about asking for an old man's underwear." He said turning away from the man, quite exasperated as he released a deep sigh. "Why do you even need it in the first place?"

I have no clear idea why either but I cannot just tell him that. Eclipse thought, thinking of what to tell him. I just know that I should be able to use it for whatever weird thing my body might just make me do.

Sure, I trust my body a lot but at the same time, I do worry that I might be trusting it just a little bit too much. Not that I have another option than to trust it to be honest.

Many times, I notice that I say, do and think things that I would not be able to explain to anyone who asks that I really do not have any of my memories with me.

Not to mention, in situations where a person is supposed to be tensed or something like that, I feel anything but that. In fact, I think I am more calm in tense situations than I am in normal situations.

Not that I am not calm in normal situations. I just wonder … exactly what kind of person I was like. Both in terms of my 'skills', 'strengths' and also my 'personality'.

"Hello? Are you remembering something?" Aseko asked, waving his hands in front of Eclipse's face. "Or are you just ignoring me because you do not want to talk to me?"

"I apologise." Eclipse said quickly, smiling at the man. "I did not mean to ignore you. I was just … thinking some things."

"About the old man's underwear?" He asked as Eclipse burst out into laughter almost immediately. He laughed so hard he almost fell from the chair as tears rolled down his face while Ash just stared at him blankly. "Is what I said really that funny?"

"I apologise again." Eclipse said finally catching his breath, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I did not expect to hear something like that come out of the lips of someone with your … you know … face."

"And what exactly is wrong with my face, pray tell?" The man asked, raising his eyebrow at him.

Eclipse finally stopped laughing before he turned to the man, reaching his hand out to him and cupping his face as he traced his fingers all along the bumps and shapes of it.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with your face, Aseko." Eclipse said, eyes sparkling. "You are a dashing young man that I am sure hundreds of ladies are throwing themselves at you for."

Rolling his eyes, the man moved away from Eclipse, leaving him to slump on the chair he just sat on. "You do like to say some useless things, I see."

"It is useless to compliment someone who is pretty?" Eclipse asked, leaning back on the chair as he looked up at the man with a sceptical expression on his face.

"Yes. I do think it is very useless." He said firmly, walking over to the side of the room and pulling out a bottle of whisky from the cabins. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes please." Eclipse said, sitting so comfortably on the chair one would think the one with the power is the red-headed man and not this well-dressed gentleman pouring them the drinks.

"Here you go." Ash handed him the cup and the two took a swing before he asked him again. "Now, tell me exactly why you want the Big Boss's underwear."

Taking another swing of his glass, Eclipse stared at the ice inside it, swinging the cup gently in his hands as he watched the liquid swish around.

"Before I answer that question, I want to ask you one." He said, finally turning to the man and looking him in the eyes. "Did you think there was anything wrong in that room of his?"

"Room? You mean the Big Boss's?"

"Yes."

Aseko stayed silent for a couple of seconds, thinking before he finally answered, "I did not feel anything."

"I see." Eclipse said, nodding his head at the man as he drowned the rest of his drink, ice and all. "Then this is my answer for that question of yours."

Turning to the man, Eclipse had this slight smile on his face, almost like he just might be drunk but his words did not slur and he did not have a hard time talking coherently either. So he is not drunk, not even as he poured some more for himself by snapping his fingers.

One click of his fingers and the liquid poured itself into the cup and flew to his hands as he drowned that as well, still not seeming to be the least bit drunk as of yet.

Aseko looked like he wanted to ask so many questions but one look at Eclipse and he can tell that the man is doing all those things subconsciously. He does not even seem like he knows that he is even doing anything impressive in the slightest.

Muscle memory. He thought, taking a sip of his own drink before realizing that this man did not even finish his sentence.

"Eclipse." He called to him as the man's deep, autumn coloured eyes stared right into his soul, seemingly into his mind and body. Not that he understands how that is even possible.

"Yes, Aseko?" Eclipse asked, legs in the air, body draped on the chair and hair spilling onto the floor. "Do you need something?"

How did he even get in that position? He thought, shaking his head. The boy's eyes are not even glazed over nor does it look hazy. There is no way he is drunk but … he does look relaxed.

"You have not even finished your sentence yet," Ash said, raising an amused eyebrow at this person in front of him. "I would like it if you told me whatever it is that you intended to tell me."

"Did I?" Eclipse asked, a hint of playfulness in his eyes, chuckling. "I did not even realise that I forgot to finish my sentence. You were very patient, Aseko."

"Thank you. Now, please finish your sentence so that I may be able to rest in peace otherwise this just might bug me for quite a while." He said, teasingly while trying to sound as though he needed the answer from Eclipse immediately else he should die.

"Alright. Alright." Eclipse said, pushing himself from his position on the chair to an upright one. "You wanted to know why I need that old man's underwear and this is my answer. I am not going to tell you."

Aseko let out a sigh, chuckling, "I had a hunch that you just might say that. Is it because I failed to realise that there was anything in the room?"

"You honestly did not feel or see anything right?"

"I did not." He reassured the man. "But that does not mean that there was nothing. If you say that something just might be there then I believe you."

Eclipse looked at the man sceptically, "Do you really think that I believe you, Aseko? You are still keeping a very careful watch on me in case anything happens."

"Alright, I will word it better then." The man said, placing his empty cup at the side of the table he was leaning against before making his way to Eclipse. "I do not trust you but I would like to and I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to prove yourself while I learn to trust you."

The autumn colours in the man's eyes seemed to glisten the moment he said that as he broke into a smile.

"And … what happens if I fail?"

"Well, your head and mine will roll," Aseko said, grinning at the man. "So, I hope you will not fail."

"I hope so too." He said, drinking the rest of the whisky. "Now, to obtain the man's underwear."