Day 265 - Friday, September 12th

[papalobo]

[A Chinese man who is definitely a mature adult and not a teenager checks in to the Hyatt, one of their more exclusive rooms, along with his half-white half brother who is also certainly not a teenager and most definitely not the notorious gang leader wanted on suspicion of a September 11th New York City bombing in retaliation for an angry rogue sect of anti-American zealots.

The entire suite floor has been rented out, and it requires a special key card in the elevator and on the stairs to enter that floor. But they can rent one of the still very luxe rooms directly beneath.

A familiar white limo is in the car garage, though the opportunity to gawk or investigate is slim, between the security cameras and live guards.

There's still no contact from Max, but the Department of Homeland Security has become involved, and has begun to enter Ash's territory with intent to arrest any known figures within his gang to bring in for questioning.]

Day 284, Wednesday, Oct 1st

Comments

[papalobo]

So. What is school about for you if it's not the social thing?

[Everything is fine. He's just on edge because this is Ash's life. It's fine. He's in his own head.

Jessica, on the other hand, knows it's not fine. Jessica herself has almost been arrested for her outburst at HLS when she went to interview about the situation. It's enough that now even Michael does know the topic of Mom's new, hot topic that has her beefing up the scurity around the family.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Momentarily blissfully unaware of the latter, Ash can sit in the truck with Max and enjoy his lunch. ]

It's not important.

[ With mumbled words and a downward cast of his eyes under the pretense of looking at the food, Max might recognize the signs of embarrassment. ]

[papalobo]

Hnn.. Behind bars it's "private," in private it's "not important," huh?

[jadedlynx]

It's good you get it.

[ Crunch.

Ash used to like school. It lost it's importance once the rapes started. It was hard to go to class when walking to the building put him at risk and even once he was inside, he wondered how many people could see it. Was that person looking at him weird? Did they know what happened and that he was to blame? The cops said so. Worse still... Who else would do that? Did the teacher compliment his work because he was smart or good at art, or did they do it for the same reason Coach used to do it? Even if he seduced him (a word he had to look up at the time) he didn't want to seduce anybody else so it was important to have distance between himself and everybody.

Then, of course, everything else happened, but originally, school really was fun.

What if he had a real school education? The idea was kind of cool.

Ash isn't going to say as much to Max. ]

[papalobo]

[Well, he'll let it go for now, deciding to start up the car. Hot dogs are finger food, he can drive and eat.

Ash will go back to school, then.]

...It's not just to humor me, right?

[jadedlynx]

It's not just to humor you.

[ He confirms that much. ]

[papalobo]

Then that's enough.

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash readjusts himself in his seat to better eat and drive. He hadn't considered hot dogs finger foods.

Max should be allowed some happiness. The confession can wait. ]

[papalobo]

[It's fine. He's paranoid. Ash wouldn't hide something like that from him.

He's the one in the wrong for not believing that won't define Ash's life anymore. For not believing that normal was reachable anymore. If he didn't believe, who would? Who would encourage Ash to go to school, probably to work off his guilt about not being able to make a wonder drug or do brain surgery to fix Griff or Shorter, back then?

Stupid saint.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Max is going to be pissed. He knows. But Ash is selfish. He won't get to eat another casual meal with Max for a while after the truth comes out.

He'll tell them once they're home. Until then, the silence is comfortable. ]

[papalobo]

[But then they're home.]

Wonder how pissed the cats are at me.

[jadedlynx]

[ And the food is gone. ]

They're pretty normal with me.

[ He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to. This is going to define him again. Why can't he just have normalcy with Max?

It's running. ]

And it'll be hard to tell mad Asher from normal Asher.

[ He doesn't want to. ]

But I need to talk to you when we're inside.

[papalobo]

Those words're never the lead in to nothin' good...

[jadedlynx]

They don't, huh?

[ Ash locks the door to let them inside. It leaves his back to Max. ]

But there's a reason they let me out early. There's going to be a wide scale investigation against them for prisoner abuse.

[papalobo]

[Who were these sons of bitches who could do this to an innocent boy? Why did they seem to be everywhere, as if pulled to Ash by gravity? What world had Max slipped into where such things could happen with no consequences? All the ideals of justice and equality now seemed like cruel jokes, and himself one of the jesters telling it, telling Ash he could have a normal life. What the hell had he known? If he hadn't insisted it were possible, when he should've had the doubts he harbored now, back then, when he should've trusted Ash to know Ash's world, Ash's life, Ash's reality better than himself--when he should have known Ash was always smarter than himself, always right, what was he even bringing to the table?

A familiar rage started building. Those "anger issues." Too incompetent to actually make anything of them, helping make them forgivable in Ash's eyes.

With his back turned, Ash can't see his reactions, either.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Max can probably guess the type of abuse. It's always that type of abuse with him, isn't it? Raped victims are often raped again because somehow, those predators are able to detect wounded prey, but doesn't Ash project strength? ]

It'll probably come out in the news, but they're supposed to leave my name out of it. They have some proof so it'll be pretty hard for them to get off.

[papalobo]

[Ash is now trying to tell him in a way to calm him. Ash is trying to talk as if there's some salvation in this, as if it's less bad, because they'll be punished, as if they can skip the trauma that Ash had to go through, alone, in the immediate aftermath, because they can focus on the future. The future, in which Ash will have to face it in a courtroom. "Anonymously." Right.]

[jadedlynx]

Are you planning on saying something?

[ The most dangerous sound is a loud person becoming quiet. ]

[papalobo]

[Nothing. He says nothing, turning sharply and going back for the truck. It's time to break the rules on his monitor already.]

[jadedlynx]

Max!

[ Hearing the footsteps, Ash turns and grabs his arm. ]

Don't land back in jail already!

[papalobo]

[His arm jerks, hard, angry, a sincere attempt to push him back.]

If I don't, you'll keep acting like it's something you should be able to just shrug through like you do!

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash's attempt to hold him back is just as sincere. ]

Having you in jail won't change my mind, but it will mean I'll hide it when it happens in the future! If you want to change my mind, stay here and change it!

[papalobo]

I can't change it! [Ash is, unfortunately, stronger than him now. Enough that he doesn't even have the raw muscle power to make it at least the struggle he could have before even without hitting him.] That's why this's all I can do!

[jadedlynx]

I want you to stay here with me!

[ This is the anger he's talking about. ]

[papalobo]

Only 'cause you want me outtah trouble, there's nothing me being here does for you!