PLANK'S CONSTANT|| ASHTRAY O'NEIL.

Family Isn't Always Blood.

"Depression in her mind, poison in her blood. Anxiety in her heart, and she's screaming to be loved."

CARMEN'S POV:

BANG

I shut my eyes tight as the gun goes off once.

My ears ring, piercing ringing in my head. I finally open my eyes after what feels like an eternity.

The man I shot was holding his should as him and his friend turned and started running out of the store, dropping the duffel bag behind them.

I drop the gun, staring at the bag as I hear the screech of not one, but two cars outside, along with yelling.

Pat... Pat...

Fezco and Ashtray run in, looking confused and scared.

"Kid? What happened!? We saw two guys!" He says frantically, looking around for me until his eyes finally land on mine as he finishes his sentence.

But I don't look at him, I barely register what's going on. The ringing echoes in my head, and my hand stings.

Pat... pat...

Fez and Ash run up to me, Ash grabs the bag and opens it, scoffing and shaking his head as he sees what's inside.

Fez instantly goes for me, taking me in his arms. I don't hug back, just nuzzle into his chest.

"Kid. Kid? You scarin the fuck outa me, Carm." Fez says, pulling back to cup my face and look at me.

"I'm sorry, I...! I didn't mean to scare you. I just- I didn't know what to do." I say, crying at this point.

"Hey, hey, it ain't yo falt, yo ass don't gots to be sorry for shit like this, man." He says, pulling me back in a hug.

Pat... pat... pat... pat....

"The fuck- ah shit, Carmen..." Ash says from about a foot away, looking down at my hand. I follow his gaze.

I guess I hadn't noticed, or maybe I was too scared to care.

Pat...

But the guy had cut my hand. About an inch deep from what I could see.

Pat...

"Ash, get her to the car, I-I'll deal wit this real quick." Fez says, taking the bag from him.

Ash looks at me before walking out without a word, so I follow.

He opens the door for me, surprisingly sliding in next to me. He takes off his sweater before grabbing my hand and folding it in his sweater.

"What are you doing?" I ask, looking at his sweater before looking up to him.

"It's like an inch deep, Carmen." He says like it's obvious.

"So?" I ask with attitude.

"So, I'm putting this on it so you don't bleed on the car and putting pressure on it so you don't bleed out and faint." He says, holding my hand with both of his.

I can't help but blush. He's practically holding my hand at this point.

----------------

We pull up to the house, Fez rushes me and Ash inside. I'm now sitting on the couch, Fez in doing something in the kitchen, and I have no clue where Ash is.

"What even happened, Carm?" Fez asks, looking up at me.

"I shot a guy." I say sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, no shit. I'm talking about the whole situation." He says, walking to the living room and sitting on the other couch.

"I was sitting in the back, like I was told, and I heard a loud bang, so I went to check it out, and there were those guys. One of them tied me up against the pillar next to the counter with my sweater, and I slapped him, and I think that's when he cut me. " I say, still applying pressure to my hand.

"Shit, well, I'm sorry, kid." He says with sincerity.

"Are you sure it's not too much with me coming over to the store and staying the night all the time?" I ask, looking up at him doe-eyed. He does that upside-down smile he does a lot while sitting next to me and hugging me.

"Yeah, of course, Caramel. We fam now, ight?" He says, I nuzzle my head into his chest, slightly nodding. "Ain't nothin gon change that." He says, rubbing my back.

"Carmen!" I hear from the bathroom. Fez let's me go. I walk down the hallway to the bathroom.

The bathroom door is already open, Ash is standing there, med kit in hand. He looks at me.

"C'mere." He says, pating the countertop. I hop up onto the counter, and he stands in front of me.

He sucks his teeth as he unwraps his sweater from my hand and tosses it to the side.

"I swear to fucking God, you should have shot that guy right between his eyes." He says, putting rubbing alcohol on a gauze pad.

I hiss through my teeth as he gently presses the pad on my wound.

"I know, Ma." He soothes.

"Ma?" I question.

"Yeah, Carmen... Carma... Ma?" He says, clearly making an excuse.

"Mhm..." I say, understanding sarcastically.

"Fa real." He says, chucking the gauze in the trash and getting out bandage wrap.

"Yup." I say, teasing him at this point.

"Okay, I know you tryna be annoying at this point, Ma." He says, wrapping my hand.

"What if I am? Maybe I like annoying you." I say, smiling innocently and tilting my head to the side.

He smiles and shakes his head, patting my thigh for me to get down down.

We both walk back to the couch. I sit down at the end, and he plops down a seat or two from me.

Fez puts on a movie.
"You even seen 'Stand By Me'?" He asks, sitting back down.

(A/N: if you seen that movie I fw you fr.)

"Nah, I think I heard of it, though." I say, leaning on the arm of the couch.

"You'll like it." He says, turning back to the TV.

-------------------

About like half way through the movie, Fez went to bed. Leave me and Ash, alone.

The movies three quarters of the done.
I'm kind of lying down against the arm of the couch. I want to sleep but I want to stay up.

"You know you can go to bed if you're tired." He says, I adjust on the uncomfortable couch.

"I ain't tired." I say, sitting up.

"Ma, your eyes are heavy. You keep yawning. You're blinking a lot." He says. "And yo ass tellin' me you ain't tired?" He says, deadpaning me.

"Shut up, you're probably up past your bedtime." I tease back.

"Me? Bedtime? You trippin'." He shakes his head, looking back at the TV. I do, too.

After a few minutes... I feel myself falling asleep.

I feel someone pick me up, carrying me bridal style. But in being too tired, I can't bring myself to open my eyes.

But instinctively, I know who it is. The only probable person it can be.

"You better not remember this." I hear the person say in a husky voice as I am placed down.

I'll remember anything when it comes to you.

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A/N:

Hope you guys like ittttt🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 if you have ideas lmk.