Ash sat at the breakfast table, absentmindedly pushing his cereal around in the bowl.

The weekend had arrived, but any sense of relief felt distant.

Across from him, Noah swung his legs as he waited for his toast, humming some tune he'd probably heard in a cartoon.

Noah glanced over at their mom. "Mommy, when’s Daddy coming home from his business trip?"

Their mother looked up from her phone, offering Noah a soft smile. "I’m not sure, sweetie. He’s been really busy lately. But I’ll give him a call and check, okay?"

Noah’s face lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Okay! I wanna talk to him. I miss him.” He paused, glancing over at Ash. “Big brother, don’t you wanna talk to Dad too?”

Ash’s spoon hovered over his bowl, his expression unreadable. “I’ll pass,” he said casually, though his mind felt far from it.

Lily’s words lingered in his mind.

.

.

Wanted to know if I’d come back. If I ‘needed anything,’ whatever that means. And what’s he going to do, huh? Pretend like he didn’t push me out in the first place?

.

.

Ash stared down at his bowl, stirring his cereal without eating it. Lily had made it sound like Dad's concern was just an act, like he was trying to fix things too late.

Their mother’s voice broke his thoughts as she spoke into her phone. Ash tensed and thought, ‘Wonder if dad’s doing okay. Something sure is going on between the two.’

“Hello?” His dad’s voice came through.

“Hi,” his mom replied, a warmth in her tone. “How are you? Did you eat breakfast?”

“Yeah, for both questions. How are things on your end?” He asked, and Ash could imagine the expression he would be wearing.

Concern.

“Pretty good, I’m making toast for Noah.” She hummed, “Noah was just asking when you’ll be back.”

There was a pause, then a soft chuckle on the other end. “Well, isn’t that nice?” His dad’s voice took on a lighter tone, the kind he always used with Noah. “Sure, put him on. I’d love to talk to my little prince.”

Noah’s eyes sparkled as he scooted closer to the phone, his small hands tapping the table in excitement. “Daddy! Hi!”

“Hey there, Noah! How are you?”

“I’m awesome!” Noah exclaimed, and Ash chuckled, his voice high with excitement. “I miss you, Daddy. Are you coming home soon?”

There was another pause, and Ash felt his heart tighten as he waited for the answer.

“Not just yet, Noah,” his dad said, sounding a little softer now. “ Things are really busy right now, but I’m thinking, uh… maybe on the 2nd of October?”

Noah's face fell slightly, but he nodded, clutching his toast as if it were some kind of comfort. “Okay… but that’s a long time.”

“Noah, it’s like…3 days. And before you know it, I’ll be back, and we’ll go to that park you love. Sounds good?”

“Yeah!” Noah brightened, the disappointment fading from his face. “Don’t forget, okay?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” his dad replied with a warmth that seemed almost out of place, “Big brother doing okay?”

“Yeah, daddy!”

“Make sure he doesn’t tease you, prince! Or he’ll get it, okay?”

“Don’t worry daddy! I’ll take care of him!”

Ash rolled his eyes, a tiny smirk tugging at his lips.

But as he looked at Noah’s glowing face, he thought, ‘That’s double standards right there. Dad would never, ever, call me prince.’

Ash felt slightly warm from thinking about it.

The call ended with a few more words, and their mother put down the phone, sending a gentle smile toward Noah. He grinned back, stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth.

Ash turned back to his half-finished breakfast, and thought.

‘02 October, huh?’

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Ash finished his breakfast, his phone buzzed on the table.

He picked it up to see Jason's name flashing on the screen. He sighed, already half-dreading what was coming.

“Yo!” Jason’s voice was practically bouncing with energy. “Lucas and I are heading out to hang- c’mon, you’ve gotta come too.”

‘Eh, No. I’m going to stay home on the weekends, doofus.’

Ash’s first instinct was to say no.

He wasn’t in the mood to be social. But then, a thought struck him.

‘I still need to leave Blake that note,’ he realized. It was a chance to finally get it done.

“Alright, fine,” he muttered into the phone. “But don’t make it a whole day thing.”

Jason laughed. “We’ll see about that! Meet us at the bus stop in fifteen!”

Ash sighed, ‘I can’t meet him in fifteen, and leave Blake a note too.’

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Jason, I won’t be able to make it in fifteen, wait a bit longer.” Ash pressed.

“Ew, No, Asher. I’m not gonna wait, duh? I’ll just come to your house with Lucas to drag your lazy butt out here, ‘kay? Besides, I know you’re a sleepy-head, Lucas told me that.”

‘W-what?’

“...” Ash was too shocked to respond.

“You’re probably sleeping, aren’t ya?” Jason wasn’t going to hold back either.

“S-Shut up. Don’t come to my house, get it?” Ash didn’t realize, but his cheeks flushed bright pink.

Jason let out a loud cackle, clearly relishing in Ash’s embarrassment. “Ohhh, got you, didn’t I? You’re totally blushing right now, aren’t you, Mr. Mighty-Sleepy-Head?”

Ash gritted his teeth, trying to keep his cool. “I am not blushing. And I’m definitely not sleeping.”

“Sure, sure,” Jason taunted. “So, are you gonna show up in, like, an hour? Or do I actually have to drag you out of bed?”

“Fine, I’ll be there in, say... twenty minutes. But if you show up here, I’ll make sure Lucas has to listen to your non-stop whining on the way there.”

Jason gasped. “Ouch, Asher! That’s cold. Besides,when do I whine?!”

“Yeah, right,” Ash muttered, stifling a laugh as he hung up.

‘Those two are something else,’ he thought, amused. But he knew he needed the distraction today- and maybe, just maybe, the company wouldn’t be so bad after all.

He grabbed his bag, making sure he had the note for Blake carefully tucked away. With one last look around, he headed out the door, plotting the fastest route to Blake’s house.

‘Hopefully, Jason and Lucas don’t get too impatient,’ he thought, picking up his pace.

By the time he reached Blake’s house, Ash was half out of breath. He slipped the note in the same spot as before, hoping it’d be noticed but not suspicious.

As he turned to leave, he felt a strange sense of relief.

‘Done. Finally,’ he thought, before heading toward the bus stop.

As expected, Jason and Lucas were already there, both leaning against the bench, chatting animatedly.

“There he is!” Jason exclaimed, throwing his arm around Ash in welcome. “Where were you, Asher? We went to your house and you weren’t there?”

‘You-They- what?’

Lucas’ eyes popped out of their sockets, and he whispered to Jason, “What are you doing, dumbhead? I told you not to tell him!”

“Why did you go there? I clearly recall that I told you not to come.” Asher tried to keep his composure, which did not help with the irritation bubbling up inside of him.

‘Great, now they know I went somewhere else before coming here-’

“It’s no big deal, Asher dude! We just assumed you’d be napping or something, and Lucas insisted we go to your house to check."

Lucas crossed his arms, feigning innocence. “You’re the one who looked ready to storm into his room.”

Ash let out a huff, adjusting his bag. “Both of you seriously need better hobbies.”

Jason chuckled, leaning in close with a mischievous grin. “Oh, but teasing you is my favorite hobby, Asher! Especially when you go all red and flustered.”

“Shut up,” Ash muttered, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

He tried to ignore their snickering, focusing on the road ahead.

Lucas stepped up beside him, an amused smile on his face. “Hey, we’re just giving you a hard time. After all, it’s not every day we get you out of your cave on a weekend.”

Ash rolled his eyes, trying to hold back a smile. “You two are impossible, you know that?”

Jason threw an arm around both of them, grinning wide. “That’s what friends are for, Asher! Now let’s get going before you have any second thoughts about ditching us.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ash slumped into the seat, feeling every bit of exhaustion weighing him down.

The restaurant was dimly lit, a welcome change from the blaring lights and screams of the horror movie they had just survived.

He rubbed his eyes. ‘Why did I even agree to this?’ he wondered, stifling a yawn.

It had been Jason’s brilliant idea to watch the scariest horror movie in the theater, despite knowing full well that Ash wasn’t a fan of the genre.

But Jason, being Jason, had been relentless in convincing them, only to spend half the movie hiding behind his hands.

Lucas chuckled from across the table, shaking his head. “You good, Jason? Thought you were gonna have a heart attack back there.”

Jason was still pale. “I-I wasn’t that scared,” he protested weakly. “It was just... unexpected, okay? I didn’t think it’d be that intense.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow, barely holding back a smirk. “You’re the one who insisted we watch it. ‘Come on, guys, it’ll be fun,’ remember?” he mimicked, leaning back in his seat.

Jason shot him a half-hearted glare. “Hey, how was I supposed to know it’d have that many jump scares? You were scared too, weren’t you, Asher?”

Ash shrugged. “Yeah, but at least I didn’t scream loud enough to make the entire theater jump.”

Lucas snorted. “You did, though, Jason. You screamed louder than the movie’s sound effects.”

Jason groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Okay, okay, I get it. Stop roasting me already.”

Ash couldn’t help but laugh, the exhaustion momentarily forgotten. “Fine... but seriously, next time, I’m picking the movie.”

Jason waved him off, finally managing a weak grin. “Deal. Something with sunshine and rainbows, I promise.”

As the conversation lulled, Ash leaned back, letting the chatter and clinking of dishes in the restaurant wash over him.

He was tired, but a different kind of tired- one that came from spending hours with friends, from letting his guard down even for a little while.

‘Not a bad way to spend the weekend,’ he thought, glancing out the window at the darkening sky.

Lucas tapped the table, pulling Ash back from his thoughts. “Hey, earth to Ash. Did you listen to anyone we’ve been talking about?”

‘Eh? Nah, I didn’t listen, besides, you would be talking about your hero, that’s for sure.’

Ash blinked, giving a small nod. “Yeah, about the hero?”

Jason grinned. “Means you weren’t listening. I guess that means we order dessert!”

Ash wondered, “Why would we need a dessert, after everything we just ate?”

Lucas gave him a toothy grin, “I’m thinking we deserve something huge after surviving that movie.”

Jason rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. “Alright, fine. But you’re paying.”

“Deal!” Lucas declared, waving for the waiter with a newfound enthusiasm.

For a moment, Ash allowed himself to relax.

Just for a little longer, he’d pretend everything was fine.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they finished their meal, Jason checked his phone and groaned. “Man, I’ve got to head back,” he said, sliding out of his seat. “Mom’s already texted me like, three times. I’m going to be grounded if I don’t get home soon.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lucas waved him off with a salute. “Go before your mom decides to ground you for a week. Because without you hanging around, I’d be bored outta my mind. Ash doesn’t do jokes.”

‘Man, that hurts.’

Jason grinned ear-to-ear, “Sure, sure. I’ll get you guys next time. Later, losers!” he called over his shoulder as he made his way to the door.

Ash chuckled slowly, watching him dash off into the evening crowd.

It felt weirdly quiet without Jason’s constant chatter.

“Guess it’s just us now,” Lucas said, standing up and stretching. “You good to hang out a bit longer?”

Ash shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. But don’t blame me ‘cause I don’t do jokes.”

Lucas giggled, “Oh, don’t take it to heart, Ash! I was just messing around, ya know?”

They paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant, stepping into the cool night air.

The street lights flickered on, casting a golden glow on the pavement as they made their way toward the bus station.

The city was still bustling, the sound of cars and distant laughter filling the night.

For a while, they walked in comfortable silence, the only sound between them being the occasional crunch of leaves underfoot.

Ash didn’t mind the silence, it wasn’t uncomfortable, but still, Lucas just had to break it.

“So, what’s been eating you lately? You’ve been zoning out a lot.”

Ash blinked, clearly exasperated. “It’s nothing,” he said quickly. “I was just enjoying the silence.”

Lucas gave him a sideways glance, clearly not buying it but deciding not to press further. “Fair enough. But hey, speaking of things on my mind,” he began, his tone more serious now, “I heard something... interesting the other day.”