Chapter Twelve

Partners


"Where… I-I can't!" He groaned pitifully to himself, "I can't!" He was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, and his back against the side of the bed. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark rings beneath them. His hair was greasy, and he was unshaven now for four days.

With a trembling hand he brought it down the length of his face, feeling the grittiness of the stubble running down the length of his jaw. D-Domino, she would understand. She would allow him to-to-to get a fix.

He picked himself up off the ground and with a shaking hand grasped the knob.

His hand retracted immediately, "No-I-hnng, I can't no.. It-" He slumped back down against his bed, head falling against the mattress, He… He couldn't no, three days and… He needed it! But he couldn't!

He got back up and opened his door, "S-She'll- She'll get me- No I! Gah!" He turned back towards his room, entering and slamming the door shut before throwing himself down beside the bed once again.

He couldn't. He- it wasn't possible! He wasn't going to be able to last! Fucking cold turkey, fucking cold turkey!Why- Why couldn't they wean him off of the stuff like an infant? It would- God it would be so much easier!

He got to his feet, tore open the door, and left the dormitories. His entire body shaking like a chihuahua in the arctic, his foggy mind leading him somewhere.

He trudged along, garnering stares as he passed Rocket after Rocket. His arms wrapped tightly around himself in a hug, his eyes shifting between everyone he passed in suspicion. They were speaking about him, laughing at him. "It's not my fault!" He cried out making a few of them jump, "It's not- hnng! GAH!"

His huddled form turned a corner and his eyes looked around pleadingly, "Susan! S-Susaan!" He called out shuffling his way into the infirmary, "Sue are you here?"

His head turned to the right as he heard the small office door open, "Ash? How hav- Oh my god!" Her hands shot up to her mouth in horror as she saw him.

His entire body was pale, and covered in cold sweat. The greasy hair was stuck to his face and dangling in knots, the bloodshot red rimmed eyes with bags under them, the stubble… He hadn't eaten in the past few days, "Ash my god what- What happened to you?"

"I-I-I can't do it S-Susan I…" Ash cut off as his entire body trembled like an earthquake, "I-I need it! I. Help me!"

Her heart broke when she heard the suffering in his voice, the pain. She took him by the shoulders and gently brought him over to sit down on one of the beds, "S-Susan, do you have any-"

"No Ash, I don't," He bit his lip as he stifled a sob, "B-But don't worry okay? I'm-I'm getting you help, okay?" He nodded and she took his hand and gave it a squeeze, "Just… Just sit here, do you want a blanket?"

"Y-Yes please," he murmured nodding his head.

"Okay, I'll be right back,"

The blond went over to her office and picked up her phone. Hitting speed dial three, she waited as the phone rang.

It was soon answered, "Domino I- you need to get down to the infirmary right away," A pause, "Its… Just- Ash is here, he needs your help," There was a long pause as she listened to the Elite, "When was the last time you saw him, he looks offal, please just get down here. I'm going to try and clean him up a little,"

She hung up before Domino could reply and shook her head. She hadn't seen her own partner in more than six days! Six! What had she been doing while he went through the withdrawal!?

She went over to a clean linen closet and pulled out a wool blanket, and a few clean cloths. Return to Ash she smiled at him and draped the blanket around his shoulders, "How's that? Are you warming up?"

He nodded, but she knew that he was lying when his fingers clutched the fabric in a vice grip. "I'm going to clean you up a little okay? Domino is coming down right now, she's going to come see how you're doing,"

He nodded as she went towards a sink, "How are you feeling Ash, talk to me a little. It'll help you feel better,"

"Cold," He said, "Really cold… I- you're sure you have no-"

I'm sure," She replied taking a damp cloth and running it down his face, "When was the last time you showered?"

She thought he attempted to shrug, but it was lost in his shakes, "A few days, I…nng…"

"S'alright," She whispered to him before going and looking for a razor, "After your done here, Domino is going to take you to the showers. I want you to clean yourself up okay?" She wet down his stubble and carefully began to shave him.

God Domino… How could she have let this happen?

"What happened?" Susan didn't turn around when she heard the Elites voice.

"Come see, I think you and I need to have a chat 009. Once we get Ash all fixed up," His eyes went wide and his face turned directly to hers at the words. Bad choice, "No Ash, not… You know,"

Domino kept her face blank as she regarded him, the trembling heap with a blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Who hadn't bathed in a week, and need someone to help keep his hygiene together…

"Why did you call me down?"

Susan stopped midstroke on his cheek and glanced over her shoulder, "I need you to keep him under surveillance twenty four seven, I… I don't know where you've been the past few days, but it's dangerous for him to be on his own during his withdrawal. It's not safe,"

There was discomfort in her voice, Domino picked it up easily and new that Susan was treading lightly. Making sure she didn't try and sound like she was disagreeing with a higher ups duties. "Fine-"

"He needs a shower, badly-"

"I won't bath him if that's where you're going,"

"No, just take him and… Check up on him periodicly to make sure he at least uses soap and washes his hair."

"Fine is that all?"

No that's not all! Just what the hell have you been doing all this time!? She kept the thoughts to herself, before helping Ash to his feet, "Keep him in bed, and away from sharp objects,"

At this Domino nodded, feeling uneasy but it didn't show. "Fine, Ash let's go,"

He did that… That grimaced smile to Susan before shuffling after her, blanket held tightly around his shoulders.

She watched him with pity, and discomfort.

The way his eyes shifted around at everything and anything that moved, looking at everything with suspicion. It truly made her sick to her stomach, she really couldn't stand it.

He was slower than when he was at his best, but not by much. He followed her directly into the bathrooms where she ordered him to shower, and dry himself off while she went and got him a change of clothing.

So he did, not well, but he did.

Once he was decent, she asked if he was hungry.

He was not.

And she knew that he probably wouldn't be until the withdrawal broke. So making sure to slow her pace, she brought him back to his room and watched as he lay himself down on his bed. She stood there as he pulled the sheets up to right beneath his chin, yet shiver as if he was bare naked in the snow…

"You're okay now?" She asked itching to leave.

"Ye-no- Yes," He muttered shutting his eyes tightly as his body shook.

"If you need anything. Susan, or I. You know where we are," He nodded and she flicked off his light, unsure of what to say, she merely inclined her head and said, "See ya soon," and left.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

She was a coward.

A big fucking coward.

And a complete bitch, that to.

She sat in her room the past week working on anything she could get her hands on, related to Ash or not. That's how she spent her week, keeping herself tied up and away from Ash.

She knew that, leaving Ash to fend for himself during his withdrawal was something that he would resent her for once it broke. But she… God she couldn't handle it.

The cold sweats, stuttering, bloodshot eyes, paranoia… It honest to truly scared her. There was one thing that scared her in this world, and that was a person who did drugs. Marijuana was… She didn't like it more than any other drugs, but it wasn't at the top of the list.

It was heroin and cocaine which made her want to run and hide.

She grabbed her cup of coffee and took a long draft of it before setting it back down on her desk.

She took her pen and scribbled down a few notes of what she witnessed of Ash that day.

A few seconds later, she slammed it down on the table and placed her face into her hands.

He wouldn't leave her mind. He wouldn't leave her freaking mind. She needed to write down her observations, not his comparisons with her.

She hated him! She… Why did Giovanni assign him as her partner!? Why? The stupid druggie, stupid fucking junkie!

She got up from her chair and began pacing.

It wasn't his fault though! It was her… Her… Her heartbeat began increasing as she started down that shitty memory lane.

Her fucking parents!

God she couldn't even remember them, but it was their fault she had the phobia. Making her take care of them until she was ten, where she ran away and Giovanni took her in. Them making it so that they lived in a-a-a shit hole of a home.

Unable to afford running water or heat…

But they didn't give a fuck. All they cared about was getting their next high, there next fucking trip. While she watched them lose their sanity, watch them hit her without any remorse when she asked them to stop! Watch them care more about stupid fucking drugs rather than their own god damn DAUGHTER!

She sat back down onto her chair and placed her arms folded on the table before burying her face in them. She let out a long breath, trying to calm her racing pulse.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair to her.

And… And… It wasn't fair to him. In more ways than one.

She was a cold person, it was a known fact. It was near impossible for her to get truly worked up over something. But in one month, Ketchum had driven her to the point where she wanted a transfer elsewhere so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

But she liked Ash. He… He was someone she was beginning to think wasn't all that bad. And the reason that she was actually going along with… With this entire partner BS was because they were in the same boat.

Neither of them had parents. Both ran away. Both influenced by drugs in a way.

And after Giovanni had given her a chance. That small, very small part of her who was still a scared little girl, wanted to help the scared little boy in Ash. To… Give him his chance.

A chance he should have had, but was taken away, and then returned to by Giovanni…

Her head lifted from her arms as a dull knock sounded on her door. She waited a minute just to make sure she wasn't hearing things, but when she heard another feint knock, she got up from her chair and opened the door.

It was Ash.

They stared at each other for at least thirty seconds until she spoke, "What?"

She figured he scratched at the mark on his arm as the blanket moved in that vicinity, "I…" He looked lost before looking up and down the halls as if he was scared to be caught in the girls dorms, "I can- I can't sleep,"

"And?"

"I… You- I don't know what to do,"

She looked at him and then into her room. She still had at least another hour or so of work to finish, "If I… If I let you in, will you stay quiet?" He nodded humbly and she stepped out of the way. Closing the door behind him, she sat back down in her chair and picked up her pen.

Ten seconds later she looked at Ash and saw him standing still looking at the wall.

Just staring.

"You can sit," And he did, with his knees hugged to his chest, and his back against the side of the bed. She was about to add on that he could sit on the bed if he liked, but seeing the uncaring glaze in his eyes she dropped the thought immediately and turned back to her work.

Half an hour into it, and without a sound from Ash, she looked over her shoulder when she sensed movement.

He was shivering again.

Mommy are you chilly?

No… not chilly, just another withdrawal. "A-Are you… Are you chilly?"

He shook his head, and she knew he was lying. But made no means to do anything about it, instead going back to work.

Go get me my-uh lighter dear. Don't wait around- shoo shoo

Domino set down her pen and placed her palms flat down onto the desk.

She couldn't do this. She really couldn't do this.

M-Mommy? Mommy wake up I'm hungr-

She got up from her seat and looked directly at Ash, her hand moving unsurely at her side. She… She- just tell him to get out. That's all she needed to do.

Then go make yourself something to eat dear, I-I-I need sleep

But you're always asleep!

"A-Are you… Tired?"

He looked up at her with eyes she had seen a hundred times, nodded, and then her hand twitched again.

Just tell him to leave dammit. Tell him to get up and get out of your room!

Can we go to the park? A fair is in town see?

No, mom and I… Go by yourself

B-But we never do anything together as a family!

She went over to the right of his huddled form on the ground, and hesitantly sat herself down next to him. Drawing her knees up to her chest like he was doing, they sat there without a word for more than ten minutes. Until her left arm left her leg and found its way around his shoulder.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she as if on autopilot, pulled him closer to her and put her head onto his trembling shoulder.

For all she knew, he didn't even recognize what she was doing at that moment.

She… She didn't care; she pulled him a little closer.

She was going to get him clean. Do what she couldn't do for her parents.

He was worth it.

He was.

They were partners.

And… And then… And maybe, once… after a while.

Friends.


Stuff be progressing, keeping it a pretty sraightforwards speed. Next chapter they fuck... No, I kid. Everything is pretty much the same as last update, Authors note thing at the end.

What do you think? Did you like the chapter? Hate, love, loathe? Let me know in a review, and thank you all for reading!

See you all next time!