Chapter Text
CHAPTER 53 (this is how the previous chapter was supposed to continue!)
- Ash goes back to the group therapy thing with Jessica’s support.
- He goes up to the girl that he heard from in the earlier chapter who talked about how she was scared she messed everything up in her relationship.
- At some point Ash goes up to her and asks how things went with her boyfriend. She’s like: “it was the best feeling in the world. He accepts me for who I am. I realized that I was more than what happened to me.” Or something along those lines.
- Ash mentions something about Eiji and how he wants to tell him but he’s scared. “If he’s a good person. Than there’s no reason for him not to accept you, you didn’t choose what happened to you.”
- Etc.
- The whole point of this two chapter arc at the SA support group was basically to allow Ash to unlearn that he “isn’t allowed to have boundaries if he wants to date someone.”
- This would continue maybe in a later chapter if he was kissing Eiji and said “stop” and Eiji stopped, he would be shocked that someone could listen to him and actually stop.
CHAPTER 54
- Ash works himself up the whole day to ask Eiji out after his whole revelation.
- Eiji pecks Ash on the cheek after he asks him and says of course.
- Maybe they go on a date ???? (This was supposed to be the fluffy times y’all deserved after the hell I put you through lol.)
- Have Ash bring up sex either this chapter or a later chapter in context to boundaries. Eiji is like “I don’t care about that stuff… not that I- I wouldn’t be interested if you were ever eventually okay with that. But I don’t expect anything if that’s not what you want.”
- Ash tells Max and Jessica that he’s gay and that he’s dating Eiji in the middle of cooking dinner.
- They support him, but don’t treat it as a huge deal. Max and Jessica are like “we already consider Eiji as one of the family.”
- Maybe joke “and I’m pretty sure Max here once had the hots for your brother.”
- “That is not true.”
- Ash covers his ears. “Too much info! I did not need to know that.”
- Teasing. And happy times. Lol
CHAPTER 55
- Last day of school.
- Ash talks to Blanca.
- Slams book (Islands in the stream) on desk says “it was alright”
- “It takes you four years to read a 450 page book, and all you care to say is ‘yeah, it was alright’’’
- “What can I say? Not a huge fan of Hemingway.”
- “You loved his book ‘for whom the bell tolls’ no?”
- “That was Hemingway?” He feigns innocence.
- Blanca just looks at him with a deadpan expression.
- Then they have a moment similar to the end of the original story except Blanca expresses his regrets. Says he wishes he did more. Wishes he alerted the police. Wishes he fought for Ash, even if it was futile. He wishes he showed Ash that he cared for him more. Wishes he had adopted him, or at least taken him away from Dino.
- Ash agrees, but says that Blanca did more than a lot of people had.
- “Yeah, you could’ve done better, probably should’ve. But I’m grateful anyways. Things turned out in the end. I’m happy now, I think.”
CHAPTER 56
- Prom :0 !!
- Eiji gets his drivers license so he’s the one driving. Ash can’t because he never got his learners, Dino never took him.
- Max fussing about what Ash is wearing.
- Have that cliche moment where Ash is like “omg Eiji is so handsome!” in his brain lol.
- Eiji picks Ash and Shorter up.
- Shorter tells Ash that if he breaks up with Eiji, he will pick Eiji over Ash.
- He lets him know he’s joking. But if he breaks Eiji’s heart he will literally kill him.
- Ash and Eiji dance and KISS at the prom.
CHAPTER 57
- Ash gets officially adopted.
- Jim leaves a message. Ash deletes it without listening to it.
- He’s almost 18, it’s redundant for them to adopt him. They say it’s for the thought of it. They already see him as their son, they just want to make it official.
- (Mention in an earlier chapter maybe the trial and how Dino was convicted but that he was probably going to get out soon due to some loophole his lawyers found or whatnot. Then suddenly this chapter there’s news of his death! :0 there’s DEFINITELY not footage of Jessica storming into his holding cell with a shotgun and blasting him all the way to hell, and even if there was, it was mysteriously destroyed :/)
- Eiji gives Ash tickets to go to Japan. (Or maybe Ash mentions he’s studying abroad in Japan) Max and Jessica fuss over him, making sure he calls twice every week and sends pictures and keeps them updated etc. Ash laughs and says he’ll be fine.
- Finish with a monologue-esque sort of thing mentioning that things aren’t magically 100% better, but he’s taking things day by day, and he’s happier than he’s ever been. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t last forever, he’s gonna make the most of it. (it’s aLL JUST TEMPORARY ⁉️⁉️ GET IT ⁉️⁉️⁉️ lmao)