Perfection
Chapter 8 : Perfection
Ash-
Ash watched Sing walk away, watched Yut-Lung follow, and then the bodyguards trail behind. Three bodyguards, all armed with guns. One guard was a discrete distance away and was probably trying to stay unnoticed. He failed. Ash watched them all go until they were out of sight and worked very hard at not feeling. He didn’t want to feel guilty for killing Lao. He didn’t want to feel guilty for causing pain for Sing who was really too good to be in their type of life. He didn’t want to grieve for another life he’d ended, another little piece of his humanity lost. He heard Blanca’s voice,
“Push it away. Lock those inconvenient feelings in a box and put them on a shelf. You don’t need them. They’ll only distract you.”
It probably wasn’t healthy advice. He’d have to ask Max about that. Ash didn’t know much about Blanca’s life outside the short time he’d worked as Ash’s teacher, but he wasn’t stupid. He was reasonably certain Blanca’s upbringing was about as normal as Ash’s had been. Maybe it had been worse.
Healthy or not, Ash did as he so often did and followed Blanca’s advice. He put the feelings of guilt and grief and put them in a box and put them on a shelf in his mind. There were other things to worry about.
Everyone was staring. Jeezum cripes, he hated people staring at him. Ash turned to his waiting crowd and scowled. “What are you all rubber-necking for? Are we going or not?”
“We are.” Phil came forward and gestured towards the parking lot. “I had a vehicle sent over earlier. We can leave straight away and get everyone settled.”
The vehicle was huge and had more than enough room for everyone. It even had a booster seat for Michael. Ash waited until everyone else had gotten in before he got in just to make sure he was sitting next to a door for a quick exit, if needed. Michael sulked because he wasn’t sitting right next to Ash but he was quickly distracted when Doctor Banner, Michael’s favorite super hero, sat next to him and gave him the chance to ask lots of questions (Does turning into Hulk tickle? Why is Hulk green? Is he a doctor, too? Are you super strong, too? Do you give shots, because I already had all mine and I don’t need anymore, please.) Ash had to haul himself up into the vehicle and it hurt. His gut was nearly screaming at him. His shoulder where Foxx had stabbed him, the bullet... damn. Everything hurt. Ash kept his face still and tried to put the pain away. He got in and ignored the seat belt.
“Hey,” Jessica nudged him. “Seat belt.”
“Not on your life,” Ash muttered back. He was not going to strap himself in when a quick escape might still be necessary.
Jessica didn’t look happy, and her eyes narrowed like they did when she was about to argue, but she said nothing.
“Tony sent the car for us,” Phil said to everyone once they’d all settled. “He’ll meet us at the Tower.” Phil drove, easily maneuvering through the heavy city traffic. At one point, when everyone had fallen silent, Ash’s stomach growled. Loudly. So loudly that everyone turned to look at him.
“Do you need something to eat?” Phil asked. “I’ve got some granola bars in the glove compartment.”
Ash was starving. He hadn’t eaten since... he hadn’t eaten breakfast as he’d been too absorbed in the letter from Eiji. He hadn’t eaten the night before as he’d been busy abandoning his little apartment and tying up a few loose ends. He hadn’t eaten lunch the previous day. He was so hungry.
Like an evil mist, Dino’s phantom’s voice drifted through Ash’s mind, “You don’t eat unless I tell you to. I won’t have you gaining weight. I won’t have your perfection spoiled.”
Ash looked away from Phil and shook his head. “No thanks. Those things taste like tree-bark.” And Ash despised himself because Dino was dead and he was still controlling Ash’s life. It was all in his head, of course. He knew it. He knew he could eat anything he pleased and no one would stop him. But Dino had always been ironhanded about Ash’s diet and it had gotten into Ash’s head over the years. And the anorexia had hit after Dino had recaptured him.
Jessica glanced at him, but Ash ignored her and stared out the window. Jessica knew.
“I had that same problem when I was a teenager,” Jessica had told Ash when she’d realized he wasn’t eating. “I didn’t go through what you went through, but,” she shrugged. “Stuff happens to everyone. It’s hard to deal with an eating disorder.”
“I don’t have an eating disorder!” Ash had objected.
She gave him a flat look. “Brat, do you think I’m stupid or something?”
Of course she wasn’t.
Food was the least of his problems, surely. He was more than a little surprised to find that in the window’s reflection, he could see Doctor Banner also watching him with suspiciously narrowed eyes. He made a mental note to be wary of that one. Doctor Banner might be small and quiet, but there was something sharp and clever in his eyes shouting that the mild doctor could be dangerous, if needed. He knew that Doctor Banner turned into the Hulk at times - anyone who ever read a newspaper knew that - but he had the very distinct feeling that Doctor Banner could be just as dangerous as the Hulk, in his own way. That didn’t alarm Ash as pretty much everyone he knew was dangerous - even Eiji had his risky moments. Doctor Banner deserved caution, but really no more than Ash treated everyone else with.
They arrived at the Avenger’s Tower after a short, uneventful ride. The Avenger’s Tower was monumental, a massive structure of glass over a steel skeleton. It soared above the skyline. Phil parked the vehicle in a large, underground parking lot under the tower that was brightly lit and made Ash glance quickly around in case anyone was creeping around behind the other cars. Ash was the first one out of the vehicle and it was a relief not to be packed in so close other people. He waited while everyone else got themselves together and looked around for exits until Doctor Banner approached him.
“Ash,” Doctor Banner said, his voice soft and his body language screaming of his hesitancy. “Before we go up, I just wanted to say... well. The thing is...” He stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted from foot-to-foot until he finally appeared to find the words he was looking for. “I won’t say I understand what you went through at Club Cod, but my father... you see...” Doctor Banner closed his eyes a moment, then stiffened his shoulders. “I know that when life gets hard and awful things happen, the world can seem like a lonely place. If you want to talk or vent at someone, I’m willing to listen. And I’m sure you’re used to taking care of yourself, but everyone here,” he jerked his head towards where the other Avengers were heading towards the elevator. “Wants to help you. Honestly.”
With the ease that came from years of practice, Ash focused on Doctor Banner’s eyes, his expression, how he held himself and, to his surprise, didn’t see any deceit. While there were many reasons why someone would try to get into Ash’s good graces with a few kind words, he found that he truly believed Doctor Banner’s sincerity. So he gave a little grin. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” He wouldn’t do anything about it, of course, but he would keep the offer in mind. He might confide in Max with certain things, but the only person he felt entirely comfortable confiding in was in Japan and safe and happy, just where he should be.
Ash kept quiet while they went up to the top floor in the tower in a large elevator, listening as Max chattered with Phil and Jessica kept up a conversation with Captain America, who was introduced as Steve, offering to put him in her next magazine shoot until Max fussed at her, “Not in front of Michael!” Then he said to Steve, “Don’t do it. She likes taking nude photos.”
Steve looked absolutely scandalized and blushed as red as a strawberry.
The elevator ride was long, but it gave Ash a good opportunity to listen and learn about his new captors/bodyguards. Phil would talk about everything and anything. Natasha didn’t say a single word. Clint was watching everyone, his eyes drifting from face-to-face. Doctor Banner stood in a corner and looked like he was trying to make himself as small as possible and God, didn’t Ash remember doing that most of his life! Steve was big and couldn’t look small if he wanted to, but he did appear to be making an effort to stand in front of Doctor Banner, as if to shield him from the crowd.
When the elevator finally stopped and opened up into an ordinary hall Phil lead them out of the elevator and to a room that was huge and elegantly lavish. It was very modern, all sleek lines and polished metal. There was a living room sort of set up with a television that was ridiculously huge. Who needed to watch t.v. like that, anyway? In an attached kitchen area, again all polished metal and expensive finishes, stood Tony Stark looking pale and sick. The look in his eyes when he saw Ash was awful - sad and guilty and full of self-hate.
Tony Stark didn’t look much different than the last time Ash had seen him at a party Dino had thrown specifically to get a business relationship started with him. Dino liked money and Stark had lots of it. Ash had never really understood how Ash seducing him was supposed to help convince Stark to do business with Dino, but his opinion had never been required.
“A-Ash?” Stark had to force the word out and it sounded as if it almost choked him. “Ash Lynx? The... the party?”
Ash rubbed the back of his head with his hand and sighed. “You remember that, huh? I thought you were so drunk that night, you’d have forgotten you were even there.” Ash remembered the night of the party where he’d met the infamous Tony Stark. A night like so many others.
Memory-
Ash was fourteen-years-old on the night of the party. He stood still and waited while Dino examined him. Ash hated it. Hated being inspected by Dino. Dino wasn’t exactly old, but he was getting close to sixty. He was a big, powerful-looking man with a completely bald head and a well-trimmed moustache. He walked around Ash, looking him up and down. He brushed his hands slowly over Ash’s shoulders, ran a hand down his back, brushed his fingers through Ash’s hair. “Lovely. Simply lovely. You’ll do very well tonight.”
They were both dressed in tuxedos. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be last that Dino had used Ash in such a way.
“Do you remember what you’re going to do?” Dino asked.
It was a stupid question. Ash never forgot anything. “Yes. You want me to make nice with Stark so you can get involved with his business.”
“And you will make nice, now won’t you?” Dino put a finger under Ash’s chin and lifted it, forcing Ash to look him in the eyes. “You’re going to be a good boy tonight.”
“Sure. I’ll be good.”
Dino patted Ash approvingly on the top of the head before he left and Ash was left alone in his room. His room that Dino had given him. It didn’t look like a teenager’s room. There were silk sheets on the king-sized bed. On one wall hung a gilded mirror and on the other wall was a painting. It was a very expensive painting that Dino had bought because there was a shade of yellow in it that reminded him of Ash’s hair. It was an ugly painting - an abstract thing of lines and blotches of colors. The carpet on the floor was plush. Everything about the room screamed of money, but it was no child’s room. There were no toys, no games. Ash remembered being very young and playing in his room back in Cape Cod. He remembered sitting on a rag rug next to his little bed and playing with a few toy cars. Everything was second-hand and most of the toys had been his big brother’s before he’d outgrown them. He’d had picture books, action figures, blocks, a soccer ball, and a pile of comic books. He had a little league trophy. Real bedrooms were meant to have those sort of things in them, but Ash had none of that. Ash went to stand in front of the mirror and looked at himself. The polished leather shoes on his feet were very comfortable. The suit had been tailor made to fit perfectly. His hair had been professionally styled to suit Dino’s current taste. Ash frowned at what he saw, then turned and left the room.
Dino’s mansion was in an uproar as servants rushed here and there to finish final preparations for the party due to start in less than half-an-hour. Ash had seen the guest list - all rich and influential - and knew Dino would be busy all night with his business connections. There had been a small orchestra hired for entertainment. The maids had cleaned everything perfectly. The kitchen was furiously busy preparing a fabulous feast so Dino could impress his guests. Ash didn’t care.
He went to a quieter corner of the mansion and knocked on an unremarkable door.
“Come in.”
When Ash walked into Blanca’s room, Blanca was sitting on the small bed Dino had given him and smiled at Ash. He held one of his handguns and was cleaning it. He always took such good care of his weapons and had often lectured Ash on the care of his tools. “Hello, Kitten. Don’t you look spiffy?”
Ash rolled his eyes and went to sit next to Blanca on the bed. “I’m working tonight.”
“Ah.” Blanca’s smile dimmed.
Ash didn’t elaborate and Blanca didn’t ask him to. There was no point. Ash didn’t want to talk about it and if Blanca knew all the dirty details, he’d only be made unhappy. There was nothing either of them could do about the situation. Ash put his hands on his knees, but was careful not to wrinkle the cloth when it was so close to the time for the party to start. It wouldn’t do to show up looking anything other than perfect. Dino wouldn’t like that at all. “Blanca?”
“Yes?”
“Can... for our next lesson, can we do something fun?”
“What do you have in mind?”
Ash didn’t have an answer. He couldn’t think of anything fun. He wanted to be with Blanca and be away from Dino’s mansion, but he honestly couldn’t think of anything beyond that. He tried. He really tried to think of something, but the best he could think of was just being away from people. He lowered his face. “Never mind. It’s not important. Look, I have to bring someone to my room tonight so don’t... don’t come by, okay?” Blanca sometimes did go to Ash’s room to visit, to check on him after an event. The last thing Ash wanted was for Blanca to see him and Dino’s guest in such a situation. God, it was bad enough when Dino wanted to watch.
“How about a visit to the public library?”
Ash look sharply at Blanca. “What?”
“I enjoy going to the public library to read. I go every Thursday afternoon. Would you like to go with me the next time I go?”
‘Yes!’ Ash’s mind screamed at him. ‘Yes, I want to go. Take me. I’ve never been to a library. Please? Please?’ Rather than saying that, he bit his lip. “If Dino doesn’t have anything else planned for me.” Because everything in Ash’s life revolved around Dino’s whims and pleasures.
“I will tell him it is a part of your lessons. We we find some books to help in your education. And perhaps we will stay long enough for you to explore a bit.”
Ash almost cried. “Thank you.”
Blanca put his gun down on his lap and reached out. Ash flinched when Blanca’s hand got close to his face, but stilled when Blance froze for a moment to let Ash calm down. When Ash stayed still, Blanca finished reaching over and tweaked Ash’s nose with a gentle little squeeze. “No matter what happens tonight,” Blanca leaned forward as if to accentuate his words. “It’s not your fault. You did not want this, you did not ask for it. This is not your fault.”
Ash felt his heart lighten. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed it, but he managed a smile before he stood up. “Jeeze, you’re getting soft in your old age, aren’t you?”
“I expect so.” He didn’t offer to save Ash. They both knew that Ash wouldn’t accept any such thing. If Ash tried to run away, Dino would hunt him down. If he tried to hide, Dino would find him. He’d tried both and it never worked. Dino didn’t like such rebelliousness and had always punished Ash for it. Ash certainly wasn’t going to ask Blanca to get involved with all that. He wasn’t entirely sure that Dino could kill Blanca, but he wasn’t willing to take the chance. Blanca was nice to him and Ash couldn’t stand for Blanca to be hurt because of him. Before Ash left the room, Blanca said, “Come see me if you need me.”
“I will.” And Ash left, getting his head in the game and ready to grab Stark’s attention. He had absolutely no doubt in the world that in just a couple of hours, he’d be letting Stark in his room and there would be sex. Gross. Just the idea of getting naked around another person made Ash want to throw up. Not that it mattered. Dino expected Ash to play his role perfectly and failure was not tolerated.
Later that night, Ash, smiling as sweetly as Dino liked, trailed behind him like a good dog until Dino found the person he was looking for. Tony Stark was drunk as a skunk. Still, Ash kept smiling. Stark wasn’t as old as Dino, but to Ash he looked ancient. Just another old man.
“Mister Stark,” Dino smiled warmly when he approached Tony. “I’m so pleased you were able to attend my little gathering.”
Stark grinned weakly. “Pleasure’s all mine. Really. You have great booze here. I’m gonna get another one.” But he didn’t move from his place, leaning against a wall.
Dino laughed and Ash struggled not to frown. Dino was amused and clearly thought his plan was in the bag. Dino motioned for Ash to step forward. “I’d like to introduce Ash Lynx. Ash is one of the disadvantaged youth I’ve been trying to help. Ash, you’ll make Mister Stark feel welcome in my home, won’t you?”
“Yes, Papa Dino.” Ash stepped closer to Tony and looked up at him. “I’m very happy to meet you, sir.”
Dino patted Ash on the shoulder and it felt like a hammer slamming down on Ash. “Be a good boy.” And then he was gone and Tony and Ash were left alone.
Ash watched Dino walk away and rolled his eyes. Disadvantaged youth? It never failed to stun Ash how many people bought into Dino’s nice-guy act. He looked back at Stark. Blanca would have called Stark Ash’s ‘target’. Ash smiled for Stark and so began the act. He’d done it loads of times before and had never failed. “Well, how can I make you feel welcome?” He put his hands behind his back and moved a little closer to Stark. The ‘sweet little boy’ act worked on so many people.
“I don’t want to be here. Stupid, boring parties.”
‘Preaching to the choir, grandpa!’ Ash thought. He didn’t let his thoughts show on his face, but he put a hand lightly on Stark’s arm. “Well, let’s go somewhere, then. We can be alone for a while. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Stark took another drink and threw an arm over Ash’s shoulders. “Right! Let’s go somewhere. Let’s go have fun.”
‘Too easy,’ Ash thought. He wanted to push Stark away, wanted to yell at the man for touching him, but he didn’t because he knew very well that somewhere in the room, Dino was watching. So Ash gave a coy little giggle. “Yes. I’ll show you a good time.”
He led Stark to his room and it wasn’t easy. Stark was almost drunk enough to start walking into walls. He staggered at times and kept insisting that Dummy was cute and just a little slow and why didn’t anyone understand?! Ash had no idea what the man was talking about. It came to the point that Ash was leading Stark along the halls and had serious doubts about who was taking advantage of whom. He closed his bedroom door when Stark sat heavily on his bed and felt his gut churn with the ugly, sour feeling that he always felt when it was time for him to work. He prepared himself for the worst, for whatever disgusting depravity Stark would unleash.
Tetris.
For a full hour, they played Tetris on Stark’s phone.
And then, “I tell you!” Stark walked circles around Ash’s room, shaking his fist in the air. “Albert Einstein was a total chick magnet! He got all the women! God, I’d kill for his hair! Did you ever see that man’s hair? Such style! Such elegance! A real flair for fashion!”
He went back to playing Tetris for another half-an-hour before an alarm on his phone went off and he grinned at Ash. “That means Happy’s looking for me and it’s time to go home. Bye-bye, kid.” He left without another word and Ash, still dressed and untouched, stared after him, completely shocked. That was a first.
Ash followed Stark out to the front door and watched from the front steps as he was helped into his car by the chauffeur. He was very aware of the moment Dino stepped out of the mansion and joined him in time to watch Tony Stark be driven away.
Dino was not happy. He took a long puff on his cigar. “What happened?”
“He wasn’t into me. He wanted to play a video game. I tried.”
Another long moment. “Try harder next time.” He reached out and took hold of a few strands of Ash’s hair between two fingers and gave it a painful yank. “I don’t like being disappointed in you, sweetheart.”
“Right. Right. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sure you won’t fail a second time. Come back inside. Senator Kippard is here. Since you can’t handle your job tonight, you can entertain him.”
“Yeah.”
Dino looked at Ash sharply. “What was that?”
Ash swallowed hard. “Yes, Papa Dino. I’ll entertain Senator Kippard.”
“Good boy.”
It was hours later when Ash, sore and dazed, walked through the halls of Dino’s mansion. The party had ended long ago. Senator Kippard had left and, for a long while, Ash had laid in his filthy bed and stared at ceiling. He sniffled and covered his face with his hands. He got up and took a shower before he dressed, wincing when his shirt touched his back. He left his room and went to Blanca’s. He knocked and waited. It was well after midnight, but Blanca would hear. He was sure. But there was no answer. Ash waited a few minutes, then knocked, again. Still, no answer.
‘He promised,’ Ash’s thoughts seemed distant and detached. ‘He said I could come to him. He promised.’ Ash turned the doorknob and found that the door wasn’t locked. So he went in and closed the door behind him. Blanca wasn’t there, but Ash didn’t want to leave. The only other place he could go to was his room and it was dirty. So Ash looked at Blanca’s bed, made with military precision, considering. In the end, he dismissed the idea of getting in Blanca’s bed. Instead, he got down on the floor and crawled under the bed. He could see a pair of Blanca’s polished black shoes, the ones he wore when he went out. He could see the legs of the desk Blanca sat at when he read. He could smell the oil Blanca used on his guns. His hiding place felt right, as if Blanca was all around. There, in the darkness and silence, Ash felt relatively safe and fell asleep.
“Ash? Kitten?” The voice woke Ash at once and when he opened his eyes he saw Blanca, kneeling on the floor, looking under the bed at him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived. I only stepped out for a minute. Are you alright?”
“Dino’s pissed at me. I failed. Let me stay here. I’ll be quiet. Please?”
Blanca held out a hand and, disappointed that he would be sent away, Ash crawled out from his hiding place without taking the offered hand. Blanca didn’t send him away, though. “Sit on the bed,” Blanca said. “We will talk.”
Ash did as he was told. “There’s nothing to talk about. Dino wanted me to have sex with some guy he wants to do business with, but the guy wasn’t into it. It’s not my fault - I tried. I can’t seduce someone who’s not interested. But Dino wasn’t happy so he gave me to that slimy Kippard.”
“You’re hurt.” It wasn’t a question.
“My back hurts.”
“Shirt off, then.”
Unlike almost anyone else in the whole world, Ash didn’t fight the order that came from Blanca. He took off his shirt and let Blanca see what Kippard had done to to him. He stood up and faced away from Blanca so Blanca could see Ash’s back. There was a long moment of silence.
“I see,” Blanca said, at last. “What did he whip you with? A belt?”
“Yeah. It’s gonna make Dino even more angry if I get scars. He almost killed Marvin, once, ‘cause Marvin cut my arm and it scarred. He made me go to a doctor and have plastic surgery to have it fixed. God forbid I look less than perfect.”
There was a creak from the bed as Blanca stood up and took his weight off the bed’s springs. Blanca moved to stand in front of Ash, looking down at Ash from such a height that Ash felt like a small child, again. “Will you let me help you?” When Ash nodded, Blanca took off his jacket and rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. “Lay down on the bed on your stomach. Those wounds need to be cleaned.” With soap and water, Blanca did a thorough job of cleaning. It hurt. Every little touch hurt, but Ash stayed quiet and still because he knew Blanca wasn’t trying to hurt him. “I know you don’t like this aspect of your life, but it is part of your life and must be dealt with. When I agreed to be your teacher, my goal was to give you all the skills you will need to survive in this world. I know it’s hard to do the types of jobs the Monsieur give you.”
Ash turned his head to the side and looked up at Blanca. “How would you know what it’s like?”
Blanca’s smile was sad. “I am assassin - you know that. I have learned many skills in my life in order to be successful and I have not always been as big and strong as I am now. Once, not so long ago, I was ten-years-old and I was small. I was not raised in a place like this, but by an organization who gave me all the skills I would need to be a perfect assassin. We’ve been working on your skills, but I can teach you other things I know. Things you could use for situations like tonight.”
To not disappoint Dino would have been very good, but the idea of what he had to do in order to do that... Ash buried his face in Blanca’s pillow. “I don’t want to have sex with you. Not you.” Because Blanca was safe and Ash desperately didn’t want that to change.
“Of course not.” Blanca began to dry Ash’s back off with a clean cloth. “There’s no reason to go that far. All you need to learn is the right words, a way to hold your body, a certain expression on your face... it all falls into place. Sometimes, if you’re very lucky, you can get what you need before it comes to sex.”
“Good. If I could, I’d never have sex again.”
“Never?”
“Never.”
“Someday,” Blanca said, slowly. “You may meet someone you want to share sex with. Someone who likes you and wants to be good to you.”
But Ash shook his head. “Sex is gross. It’s dirty and cold and ugly and it hurts. It’s always nasty. Makes me want to throw-up. If I meet someone I like, I wouldn’t make them do that and if they liked me they wouldn’t make me do it.” Then he hesitated and looked back up at Blanca. “Lots of people like sex. Am I broken or something?”
“No. There’s nothing wrong with you at all. Now, sit up and put your shirt on.” He waited until Ash had done as he was told before he said, “I can’t teach you to enjoy something you loathe, but I can teach you a few little tricks that will give you an advantage in that type of situation if the Monsieur forces you to do that sort of thing, again. Tricks that can put you in control of the situation and allow you to manipulate the other person.”
To be in control... “Yes. Please.”
“In the morning, then. You will need to heal before we can work on your fighting, so we will start learning those tricks, first. Do you want to stay here tonight?”
Ash nodded. “Kippard wanted to do it in my bed so it stinks like him, now. My bed’s gross. The maids will clean it tomorrow, but I want to stay here.” Without further invitation, Ash slipped off the bed and crawled back under it, into the darkness.
“You can sleep on the bed,” Blanca offered. “I will sleep in my chair.”
Ash pillowed his head on his crossed arms and closed his eyes. “I like it here. It’s dark and no one will know where I am.”
“As you like.” Blanca handed Ash the pillow and the blanket from the bed. “Sleep as long as you need.”
And Ash fell back asleep, dreaming of, thankfully, nothing.
End Memory-
Ash couldn’t help but stare at Tony Stark, just for the briefest of moments, before he stuck his hands in his pockets and turned away. “Stop looking sick. You’re in the clear, anyway. You were a perfect gentleman.”
“You mean,” Stark swallowed hard. “I didn’t... we didn’t...”
“You didn’t have your wicked way with me, if that’s what you’re worried about. We played Tetris and you left. End of story.” There was no need at all to tell the whole story to a room full of strangers. While Ash was prepared to tell the world who had been clients of Club Cod, that didn’t mean he had to go into gory details. Certainly not with Jessica and Michael in the room and not when the mere mention of Dino could make Max teeter on the edge of combustion. While Ash knew that Max had plenty of reasons for hating Dino - the biggest reason being that it was because of him that Jessica had been raped - a deeply buried part of Ash liked the idea that maybe Max got angry for Ash’s sake. However, he didn’t like that when his past was talked about Jessica got sad or Michael got scared so he kept his mouth shut.
Stark let out a breath. “Thank God!” He looked up at Phil and gave a watery sort of smile. “I think you’re right. What we were talking about? The liquor cabinet? Time for it to go.” Then he gave himself a little shake. “Right. Well. I got that info you wanted, Phil. J.A.R.V.I.S. can give it to you when you’re ready.” He put a hand on Phil’s arm. “Can I talk to you a minute?”
For a brief moment, Ash wandered away from the group and over to a large window that overlooked the cityscape. He had seen similar views from many, many different apartments over the years and he had never liked them. He felt trapped. Why couldn’t the Avenger’s be sensible and have a home on the first floor? If anything happened, he was hundreds of feet from the ground and a quick escape. If it were just him, he’d have taken his chances on the streets rather than getting involved with the Avengers, but it wasn’t just him. In the glass of the window he could see the reflection of Max holding Michael in one arm while the other arm was wrapped lovingly around Jessica. To refuse the Avenger’s protection would be nothing short of selfish.
“Welcome, everyone,” an unfamiliar voice said.
Ash spun around on his heel, but there was no one new in the room. He saw Max and Jessica also looking around for the speaker. Ash felt his whole body start to tense, though he didn’t know what he was supposed to do against a disembodied voice. He wanted his gun. He wanted the familiar, reassuring weight pressing at the base of his spine where it rested tucked out of the way behind his waistband.
“My name is J.A.R.V.I.S. and I hope that I may make your stay here as comfortable as possible.”
To Be Continued...