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]

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.

[papalobo]

[Ash's phone is ringing. It's Max.]

[jadedlynx]

Most people text these days.

[papalobo]

Most people eat the cake they bother to make for people with those people.

[jadedlynx]

I'm drawing a present for Charlie.

[papalobo]

[Okay, so fine, he's got a good reason.]

...Take a cake break.

[jadedlynx]

Bring me a piece.

[papalobo]

I will.

[So there. Click.

It's time to find Ash. With cake.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash isn't going to make him climb up the stairs so by the time Max slices the still warm, decadent, cake, Ash is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, a piece of paper in hand. ]

I'm glad I opted in for the delivery feature when I got the house.

[papalobo]

[And here Max had his cane and a little bandana to wrap the cake plate in for safe carrying.]

...I'm a joke to you, aren't I?

[jadedlynx]

Just sometimes.

[ He takes the cake. ]

You guys sound like you're having fun in there. I don't want to ruin it by beating everybody too badly.

[papalobo]

I managed to have a lotta fun with you, even losing, back then.

[jadedlynx]

Kent and Charlie will be new at it. Have some pity. We have can have our night tomorrow.

[papalobo]

No, we can't.

[A pat on the arm, turning to go as he takes a look at Ash's sketch.]

[jadedlynx]

You already have plans?

[ It's a figure. A stick figure.

He smirks. He'd just gotten into his room when Max called. What did he figure? ]

[papalobo]

Hunting down and snapping this twig for what he did to you.

[He waves it over his head as he move to return.]

[jadedlynx]

Max, you can't just kill every stick you see.

[papalobo]

Everyone one except for you, Honey Dew.

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash stands. ]

I'll have the real one ready by the time you old guys have to bed, Pucker Lips.