Day 235 - Thursday, August 13th

[papalobo]

[...No answer? He waits.

Maybe he was insensitive with that one. But doesn't he have a right to protect his pride as someone who was dumped? He waits.

It's not like Ash is the only one he can't fuck. Blanca will come to mind as surely as Ash himself any time he tries not only with a partner (Haha. Ha ha ha ha. Real funny. Not into a humiliation kink so that ain't happening.) but even just trying to bust a quick nut to some porn or something. He waits.

He's done being gay, straight, anything. He's practically Eiji, now. He waits.

He waits, and he hopes Ash breaks off with Blanca, too. For such a sexy bastard, Ash leaves a lot of people in his wake Max is pretty sure will never fuck again. Eiij's not the best representative since he came in a virgin, but he's not a writer anymore, the details aren't so important. He starts to type a 'good night' that this time is properly, fully erased, and never sends. He sleeps.

By morning, Nima is up, showered, shaved, and going to pick up Max and the kitties because they're all going to have breakfast together. Ben doesn't quite think it's worth showing off with Ash's own cooking prowess, but the truth is he's a little proud of his capacity for pancake art cartoons and the fact that he can flip flapjacks really high in a pan. Rusty, for his part, is very proud of his ability to roll around in front of Ash and show off his stomach for pets.

When Nima returns with Max, she also has a very small parting gift, an oversized sleep shirt that reads 'World's Best Grandson'. It is just a sleep shirt, he's not expected to wear it in public but one can never have too many sleep shirts, she insists.

Rusty wants to smell the cats. Kuroneko is terrified of both the dog and his nose. Asher dutifully remains in front of Kuroneko and meows loudly in protest, which Rusty takes as a greeting and happily barks back. He tried to pull Ash to the cats, either because he thinks Ash needs to see them, or maybe because he wants Ash to take them out of the carrier so he can play with them. They are toys for him, right? Since he brought Ash his Santa last night?]

Comments

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash isn't a preteen girl. He doesn't get embarrassing fluttering sensations in his chest at the excitement that shows on his face. He doesn't.

Only he does. The surprise is at his own reaction, not Max's. They can't date again. Max won't be happy, and Ash isn't happy with an unhappy Max. So, he shakes his head, both to clear it and give him an answer. ]

Kent and Charlie are coming over. There's pizza and beer by the T.V. It's been long enough since the last pill that you should be able to drink without worrying about their reaction.

[papalobo]

[That shocking hope sparked him out of his groggy sleep that he was hesitant to let go of until finding a reality with a little more promise. Even if Ash shakes it away, he's still here, awake, now. He lets the hope linger on his face for a few more seconds, before looking away awkwardly, clearing his throat.]

... You hanging out with us?

[jadedlynx]

A night of hanging out with old men? I'm not a sadist.

[ Ash assumes it'll be better without them. ]

I'm restocking. It's only exciting when compared to the alterative.

[papalobo]

[He gives a nasal snort at that and moves to get up.]

I must be in pretty sorry shape still. I'll get it together. Thanks.

[jadedlynx]

I wouldn't have gone.

[ Ash takes a step back. ]

The address wouldn't have been enough to make me go. I'd already decided what would have happened if I did go.

[ Max can read between the lines. Ash 'knew' he'd be rejected and decided not to risk it. He had, he's glad he had, so it's his way of saying thanks. ]

They're both the kind of guys who'll be here early so hurry up.

[papalobo]

[Couldn't it still work? He can at least get to the bathroom to wash up without his chair, but before closing the door, his eyes linger on Ash a few more seconds.

Ash still cares. A part of him has lingering love that hasn't worn off yet. But he did shake his head. It really is over.

Tonight, he'll have to try to get over that and accept that there's a world outside of his sad mess of a lovelife. But right now, the night's young, and he's allowed to still think on how it could maybe work, despite knowing better.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash could leave. He could meet Kent outside. But instead, through the door, he asks: ]

Any requests? I've already thought of denture cream and prunes.

[papalobo]

Bengay and Werther's Originals.

[jadedlynx]

It's hard to remember all the stuff old guys need these days.

I'll see you when I make it back.

[papalobo]

You can come hang out if there's still time. Even if we're broke up, you're one of the most fun people to hang out with.

[It's easier to say through a door.]

[jadedlynx]

I probably will. I never know if Charlie is going to arrest me when we meet though so it might depend on a coin flip.

[papalobo]

A mob boss hosting a meet with three former cops...

[jadedlynx]

Give credit where it's due, Charlie is still active.

Make sure Asher doesn't convince Kuro to run away with him. See you soon.

[ He just needs to do a quick pass-off at the front door, and he's good to go. ]

[papalobo]

Keep Kuro locked up in a cage like a mean dragon so Asher has a princess to recue, got it.

[jadedlynx]

That's not what I said!

[ His voice sounds a little further from the door now that Ash is actually leaving. ]

[papalobo]

[He wasn't wrong about Charlie being the 'early' type.]

Ash. It's been a while. It looks like you're pretty healthy, at least.

[jadedlynx]

[ They'd seen each other after the island when the two came to the bar. It ended peacefully enough. ]

That happens when I stay away from foreign islands.

[ He leads him inside where there's pizza, chicken wings, and beer already set out. ]

Max is in the bathroom, he'll be out. Kent, the real one, hasn't shown up yet.

[papalobo]

Yeah... He called me to catch me up on that. But that still leaves--No. I'll save the work talk for later, I guess. But, after, if you can give us a report of everything you can remember from the fake Kent, we intend to go after it properly.

[jadedlynx]

I'll send in a sketch.

[ He'd planned to do as much, but then he had to track down his missing bo-- Max. He had to find Max. ]

[papalobo]

[Max is out of the bathroom soon enough greeting him. He sounds normal enough, the same normal he could pull off in front of Ash's grandparents with relative ease, not like someone who'd lost the love of their life, not to death but to a Russian dreamboat and his own incompetence.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Then Ash will wait for Kent outside, just long enough to pass over the money. ]

[papalobo]

[He feels a little bad about it, but he does also give him his girlfriend's number if he wants to talk to her about anything, and asks for Ash's social media and such; he couldn't find him on Max's Facebook friends list or such, but since they were all connecting and stuff...]

[jadedlynx]

[ How much younger is this guy than Max?

Ash doesn't use social media. His phone number is really the only way to reach him. The envelope has a check for his medical expenses, including some money for continued pain meds, check-ups, or other related costs. Ash assumed she would be dropping him off so her shopping money, $2K, was in cash.

Max and Charlie were waiting inside.

With that, Ash leaves the three alone. Max is faking it now, but maybe he really will relax. Even if movies became boring, all of his toys and gadgets from the other house were installed here now. ]

[papalobo]

[When he returns, it's loud. Old men, without their hearing aids, playing video games and arguing. He might hear Max insist "Ash can draw better than your sketch artists, you should see the shit he draws!" and "Once he figures out cartoony style, you're gonna see all this top level graffiti around mocking politicians and shit and insist it can't be him and let the crook get away and I'm gonna laugh!" if he's home for that discussion.

Max can actually beat Charlie and sometimes Kent at video games. Ash he can no longer beat, by the time Ash has played any of them for an hour or more to learn it, so it's a little refreshing.]

[jadedlynx]

[ As he starts his work in the kitchen, after petting the cats, of course, he grins. Maybe Max is still faking it, but maybe he's finally letting himself have some fun. Ash was strict with the rules he'd forced the man to follow in desperation for getting well. He never was an expert in helping mental health.

It's roughly an hour later if he manages to go unnoticed and he is trying, that he sneaks into his room upstairs and sends Max a text. ]

Chocolate cake in the kitchen.