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

[jadedlynx]

[ If he bothers to risk a glance around the island, Ash's back is to him. He's on his hunches in front of the food, the scoop sitting atop. One arm is holding Kuro, the other stroking him. ]

Sorry. I don't want to.

[ Does Kuro know that? Can he understand it? ]

I didn't plan to during the adoption. You haven't been bad. You're a great kitten. I'll miss you, but it's going to feel really good knowing you're in a good place.

[papalobo]

[Without thumbs, Kuroneko's paws try to capture Ash's stroking hand.]

[jadedlynx]

[ He allows it with a laugh that sounds almost like a sob. ]

You're cheating at this.

[papalobo]

[Kuroneko tries making eye contact, since meowing doesn't seem to work. Hold. Look. Will that work?

You haven't been bad. You're a great kid. I'll miss you. But it's going to feel really good knowing you're with people who make you feel good.]

[jadedlynx]

[ He won't be. He'll be right back in the life that he knew would kill him young. But it's a choice he's making, and Kuro can't read his mind. It's probably ridiculous to even accept this so much.

Leaning out, he kisses the center of that little head. ]

It's harder on you because you get it, huh? It's not about being with the person who's strongest, it's about wanting to be with the person who makes you happiest. I've been trying to get Max to get that so let's keep this between us, huh? He'll call me a hypocrite. Nhn. No, he'll call me a liar.

[ A hypocrite would require he believe he's the one who makes Ash the happiest. ]

I think your brother ran off on me.

[ He reaches for the scoop. ]

I'll make sure you two stay together.

[papalobo]

[There. See, Asher? He'll keep you together. So stop asking me to fix it.

But he does have to fix it. He stares at his now bleeding forearm, watching the cat be much less loving with him then Ash's is.

Over and over again, he's resigned himself to faking it and making it work. But it always comes back here. He can't stay in character, it seems. So resolving to act better, to act as if he really believes he makes him happy, isn't a solution. If even hearing it here in secret doesn't do it, if he still decides he's become a symbol, that Ash needs it to be Max because otherwise he feels like a bad person for upgrading, for outgrowing him, for using him as a salve for Eiji who, also, was a symbol. Hell, Blanca might be too. Maybe the kid's not capable of love. Max is pretty sure he himself isn't. If he were, he wouldn't be telling himself every time this happened to play the part of it.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash knows Max doesn't love him anymore. It isn't in the way he's thought it when angry or hurt. Those were emotional 'realizations'. This? It's a calm if very painful realization. Unlike Max, Ash thinks he did once. No, he knows it. Max has scars on his body to prove it. He's the one who lost it.

But that doesn't matter to Kuro. Confronting Max about it will do nothing. It was a slow death, but their relationship, the romantic side of it, died on the porch.

It'd be buried with a stone over the opening if he knew Max was wondering if he could love at all. He does, against his better judgment, love Max. Still. It'll fade. The desire to save them has been put to rest. Now, Ash knows it's a one-sided love, and those don't last forever. It means he can stay and help Max recover. There doesn't have to be hatred between them. He'll get stronger and more capable and realize that there's no reason to compare himself to Blanca for a guy he isn't actually in love with. His confidence will return. His writing is helping a lot of people, and he has the kind of recognition that will allow him to tackle important stories. Maybe if they're in a better place now, he can convince Max to move into the L.A. place and be closer to Michael.

It's not like Ash will be in a worse place than he was when this started. He got a taste. That was more than he thought he'd have. He's been to class now. He's tried a hobby that was meant to help him inside instead of becoming a useful skill. He's celebrated holidays, kind of, and birthdays, kind of. He'd met his grandparents. Maybe it was for a couple of days, but he'd had a glimpse of what it felt like to be accepted by people who cared about the side of you that you showed. And really, didn't most people show off their best side?

This was for the best. It really is. The next time he loses to a pervert, nobody has to know. Ash accepted the life as a gang leader and one in which he'd die young. The thought hurts now, but that'll fade, too. He actually even has time to deal with this one. ]

I know how it feels now, but I promise, I'll make you all happy.

[ With one final kiss, Ash grabs the scoop and heads for Asher's bowl. ]

[papalobo]

[And there crouches Max, staring blankly at him, seeing those reddened eyes he knew he'd see when he heard that sob-trained voice.

Asher is still clawing at the bad man who is making it all bad by being bad. Eventually, he'll make that hand fall off.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash freezes, eyes widen, cheeks instantly burning more than his eyes. It's Ash so neither the cup nor the cat fall, but he's frozen. Shocked by the shame that Max overhead everything.

he was supposed to hear nothing. ]

[papalobo]

[A ight flick of his wrist is all it takes to suddenly have Asher off of his bleeding arm, and while the cat doesn't land on his feet, while he sputters and hisses when he rolls off of his back, he's not such a delicate animal as to be hurt by a two foot drop.

Standing, he moves towards the sink to wash his hand off, starting to move as if to pat Ash's head in passing before deciding to use the right hand instead.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Max is going to leave without making Ash say anything. He'll take it. Selfishly, shamefully, he appreciates it. ]

[papalobo]

[He does stay long enough to wash the blood off of his hand, but after that, he retreats to the office.]

[jadedlynx]

Give a guy some warning next time.

[ Shaking now, he pours the food into the bowel.

Once the cats are handled, and that comes with more conversation, Ash's next step is to change the security code to one Max doesn't know.

Then, he checks the door. If the office door is closed, he can pack the paintings out to the fire pit. ]

[papalobo]

[The office door is open. Worse, Max is spaced out, looking past the computer to the hallway beyond the door. It's hard to look in and not make eye contact.]

[jadedlynx]

[ It's easy enough to make an excuse if he's noticed. Ash steps into view. There's no rush, it's not as if the paintings are going to come to life, but if they can be used against him, there's no reason to keep them around. ]

[papalobo]

[Spaced out, but not with his gaze on he screen, his mind comes from within itself at Ash's appearance. He stares, as if waiting for Ash to say what he stepped into view for.]

[jadedlynx]

[ So not that lost. ]

I'm going to put in an order for some stuff, mostly for the cats. Last call for requests.

[papalobo]

[Max stares for a few long seconds, then leans back in his chair, gesturing with his hand for Ash to come over.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Why?

But without hesitation or the sigh he wants to release, he steps further into the room. ]

[papalobo]

Can't go to the store with you, so we'll pretend we're shopping together. Online.

[Ash can either use his computer, or sit down on his phone. But they should do it together while they're still together.]

[jadedlynx]

[ There's a small pause in his step. That's... an actual thoughtful gesture, not one that checks a box. It would have been easy for Max to just shake his head and say he didn't want anything. ]

That's going to make it harder for you to sneak stuff in.

[ So, he'll offer a joke instead of going through the motions himself. ]

[papalobo]

[His office only has the one chair, so the pat to sit on the arm of it (it is at least a comfy chair) isn't as flirtatious as it might seem.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash isn't going to assume that very much is flirtatious between them for a long time, if ever. He takes the seat. First is a nearby grocery store. The organic kind. Ash talks to him about the things that matter here and things that don't. It's scientifically proven that stress-free cows are more tender meat so this is where he gets a lot of their beef and so on. This cut makes good steaks. This chicken? It's been Ash's favorite so far. This bacon looks big, but the fat percentage means it fries down really small so this kind is better.

The vegetables really don't make a lot of difference.

Max probably regrets the decision pretty early on. ]

[papalobo]

[While pretty bored with the science lecture, Max can idly mention that when hunting, you want a quick kill, because even last-minute suffering and stress does make the meat worse. A whole lifeftime of free range venison can be made harsh if the last two hours of its life are running from hunters while bleeding out.

If he were shopping with Ash in person, he wouldn't feign interest in most of this, either. But he'd be there.

Admittedly, he's in enough pain the monitor would probably make him a lot bitcher and less willing to humor the fact that Ash doesn't just go to one grocer once a week on autopilot and call it a day.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Max is the biggest meat eater of the two. All of this was largely for him. Idly, as he adds to the cart - the bill is quickly adding up - Ash follows up. ]

You seem more like the racing guy than the hunting guy. You've done a lot of hunting?