Dreams

I Think He Likes Me

~Marks POV~

8:00pm

I face timed Jack for a long time that afternoon/night. Signe called several times to tell Jack that she needed to sleep over her friends because the project they were working on took a long time to film and edit.

"So, what games ya playin recently?" He asked.

"A lot of people want me to play cuphead but I don't think it would really interest me." I answered.

"Its a cool game, but god its hard as balls!" Jack exclaimed.

"I heard, it seems like all people do is complain about it." I said.

"clickbait, gets em' every time." Jack stated, looking longingly into the distance. I laughed and looked at my computer screen.

"oh hey, life is strange episode 2 of before the storm is out." I told him.

"Oh shit. man, they're gonna bug me non-stop until I stream that shit. I'll tweet about it now, thanks for telling me." He joked.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger." I said playfully.

Jack rolled his eyes playfully as well.

~Ethans POV (what y'all been waiting for)~

I grabbed my keys and phone and ran out of the house. Good thing the forest wasn't that far away from my house, so Ash wouldn't be there for too long before I got there. I practically ran to the forest, using my phone as a flashlight in the dimly lit night. I finally made it to the fucking 50ft mountain climb, and ran all the way up that shit. I was slowly dying, but I continued to run into the forest. I ran to the edge of the lake and searched all around. Ash wasn't there, not even on the rocks. I tried to be quiet as to not scare Ash, wherever he was. I walked towards the entrance to the thicker forest we walked through earlier, and looked to my left. There was a less steep hill leading into a cemetery/memorial. The entrance from the hill was an open grassy plains with another hill in the distance with a huge military memorial and a water fountain in front lay.

There I saw the small silhouette of Ash, walking up the hill and turning the corner of the building where the fountain was.

I followed him. I walked up the smaller hill, which led to a walkers road. I crossed it and walked up the slightly steeper grass hill towards the memorial.Once I made it underneath the memorials cement awning, I could hear the fountains trickling water from around the corner. I could also hear.. Ash.

"*sniff* you know, I always came to you for advice grandpa." I heard him say. I felt my face fell as I realized he came to visit his grandpa.

"You always gave the best.. but ever since you died.. *sniff* *slight sob*" (A+ writing there)

I turned the corner.

"Ash..?" I said gently so I didn't scare him.

"Ethan?" Ash said, drying his tears fast. "Why did you come here?"

"I wasn't about to let you come here at night alone." I justified.

"I do it all the time, and I'm still alive." Ash joked a little.

"And I'm glad you are but... its not the safest thing to do." I added.

"I know that, it's just the night time is when.. I feel the most emotional or vulnerable?" Ash explained, questioning himself slightly.

There was a few seconds of silence before I asked something.

"So is this the real reason you come here?" I asked, pointing to the memorial.

"Well... yeah. But the forest does help me calm down a lot." He answered.

"I see." I said as we both took a seat on the edge of the fountain, looking at the moon.

"Your grandpa meant a lot to you, huh?" I asked.

"He was my whole family, since the rest didn't seem to understand." Ash replied.

"Tell me everything." I insisted.

(Listen to Ethan and Ash's song above now)

"Ever since I was little, I knew I was trans. I came out when I was 15, and by then my grandpa wasn't a family person at all since he came out as bisexual a few months before. Ethan, even my grandma didn't love him anymore." Ash said, looking at the moon until he said that last sentence. He stared at the ground. 

"oh my god, Ash." I sighed sorrily, rubbing his back as he began to cry.

"When I came out to my household, My mom was disgusted with me and told me to pack my shit and go, and my dad didn't say a word. My sister hasn't talked to me since, either. But what she did practically saved me."

"Go on.. I'm always listening." I assured him.

"She secretly called my grandpa, but I didn't know at the time so I just thought her helping me get ready and grandpa showing up down the street were just weird acts of niceness and coincidences. My grandpa had the whole spare bedroom he had set up for me. He took me in that night, fed me, helped me unpack, and talked to me all night until I fell asleep." Ash wiped tears from his cheeks.

"He got me started on testosterone, even scheduled and payed for my top surgery."

"He sounds like a wonderful man, Ash." I replied.

"I lived with him for 2 years, and when he died when I turned 18.. the house was no longer mine. I was forced to vacate the house, which already made the situation worse because Kaelyn was starting to separate from me because of Kim, but Kim was the only thing keeping me alive. She was there when I needed a place to live. Kim and Lilly just moved into the area then, since we were internet friends for a while before dating, so she let me live with her. But now everything's falling apart and I have to live on the streets. Yeah me and Kaelyn are still besties, but she lives at her college. I don't even know if I'll get my stuff back." Ash said. 

"Ash, you're staying with me." I stated.

"What? No, I can't just walk into your place like its a free walk-in." Ash insisted.

"Ash. Please, stay with me. It's getting late, and you need rest.We'll get your stuff from Kimbitch in the morning."

Ash and I stood up slowly. HE hugged me softly and sincerely; I hugged back.

"Everything's gonna be okay." I reassured him, as he cried into my shoulder.

I Think He Likes Me, but I can't know for sure. If I'm honest, I think I'm falling for him too.