Rule 25

Rule 25 - Not proofread, please ignore any mistakes, I'll fix 'em later.

Dedication: - Happy Birthday! Have a lovely day. :)

I woke up in the early hours of that morning due to a nightmare and decided against going back to bed. Instead, I sat on the sofa with Ash's jumper and tried to work my way through Inception without shivering.

"I know they say early bird gets the worm and all that, love, but it's three in the morning," Ash said with sleep laced through his voice as he entered the living room.

"I can't sleep," I answered absently and stared at the wall.

"What's up?" he asked, joining me on the sofa. He didn't try to put his arm around me, he just nudged me with his elbow.

"Nothing," I said and slumped down on the cushions. He nudged me again and when I didn't answer, dug his finger in my side, causing me to jolt.

"There is a rule against tickling!" I yelped and moved myself away from him. He smirked and held his hands up in defence.

"Tell me your problem and I won't be forced to sink to that level," he told me with a shrug. I leaned back on the sofa with a sigh and shot him a look.

"I visited the tracks yesterday for the first time since the funeral. I just... can't sleep." He nodded and picked up the T.V remote. "No," I scolded, snatching it back.

Ash's eyebrows rose and he shot me a curious look. I put the remote behind my back and pointed towards the door. "Go back to bed," I instructed and he shook his head.

"Not if you're staying in here," he argued, taking the remote back. Rolling my eyes, I leaned over and tried to grab it again. He gently clasped my hip and rolled the fabric of his jumper between his fingers. "You look better in my clothes than I do," he added, looking between us.

"Wow, did Asher Toms just admit someone looked better than he did?" I asked, feigning shock. I reached to grab the remote again, but he merely chuckled, holding it further away.

"And I'm regretting it. That's the last compliment you'll be getting for a while," he told me and put the remote on the floor behind the sofa.

"Ash, go to bed," I repeated, but he shook his head. I watched as he sprawled out on the sofa, leaving me little room to sit upright.

"No, if I need sleep, I'll nod off here. Lay down," he instructed and patted his chest. Instead of arguing and only causing more of a dispute, I settled against him and let the ups and downs of his breathing lull me back to sleep.

Ash woke me up a mere few hours later by standing and letting me fall to the floor.

"Arsehole," I spat, rubbing my rear. He shot me a smug look and started towards the bathroom.

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up and get ready, we're seeing my dad in a few hours," he shot over his shoulder. I was on my feet and in the kitchen within seconds, trying to find something to grab for breakfast. Ash poked his head back through the doorway and watched me for a moment.

"We'll get some food on the way. Just shower or whatever," he said and disappeared again. Blowing through my lips, I made a move for the bathroom. I bypassed my boyfriend, who was changing in the corner and gave myself a quick wash before being almost completely ready to go.

When I got outside, Ash was sitting on the bonnet with his phone out.

"In the time it took you to put your hair up and whatever other shit you did in there, I could've visited twice and been back by now," he chided.

"It's a bit difficult to move quickly when you've been dropped on your tail bone," I replied, lowering myself into the open car. "Which reminds me, rule twenty five, stop dropping me on my arse."

As promised, Ash got us both a coffee and a bagel at a local cafe before driving to the hospital.

Manchester general was far too big for me to be able to navigate around without the help of nurses, billboards and Ash. Luckily, as he'd been there so many times, knew the way without even checking the walls.

The sanitary smell stung my nostrils and the squeaking of the shoes on the floor rang in my ears. Ash was holding onto my hand tightly as I walked behind him. I nearly tripped over my own feet, but was kept up by Ash's firm hold.

He came to a halt and I went slap bang into his back. When I came around his side, I saw where he was looking. There was a large glass window in the middle of the wall, decorated with bland cream blinds.

The man in the bed was surrounded by only a machine on his right and a needle in his wrist. The slow movements of his chest were barely visible under the covers and his eyelids were still. If I couldn't have seen the breathing, I would've guessed he was dead.

Ash took a sharp intake of breath and I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I've been here every weekend since I was thirteen," Ash whispered and watched longingly in the window. "It never gets easier."

His words hung in the air as he pushed the door open and pulled me through with him.

The open window allowed a soothing breeze to come through, leaving a slight clattering sound with the blinds.

"Hey, Pops," Ash opened with and checked the machines. He gently fiddled with one of the pipes and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

The older man seemed healthy enough physical wise. His skin, although wrinkled and pale, was flawless from bruises or liver spots. The greying hair was thinning, but you could clearly see that it used to be Ash's shade.

"I've brought someone to meet you," Ash continued and pulled me down onto his knee. I watched the man breath, nothing else moving on his face.

"Hi, I'm Alex," I said uneasily. Speaking to the air felt a bit weird, but I'd always been told that people in comas could hear the world around them. Ash was about to say something else when the door swung open and a petite Asian woman walked through, holding a clipboard.

"Good morning," she greeted with a friendly smile and checked the chart at the bottom of Ash's father's bed.

"Your vitals are looking good this morning, Daryl," she told the sleeping man and turned to me. "Hi, you must be Alex. Ash has said a fair bit about you," she told me and straightened her top.

"Oh has he now?" I asked and grinned at Ash, who was smirking.

"Yep. I told them how annoying, immature and irritating you are," he chided and smiled at the doctor.

"Has anything changed in the past week, Doc?" he asked. She shook her head sadly and tapped her nails on the clipboard.

"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry, Ash," she said and bowed her head, chewing on her lip.

"I didn't think so," he said and subconsciously tightened his fingers around my knee.

The doctor dismissed herself quietly and left Ash to it. He started to tell his dad about the championships and how the race was slowly creeping up on him. I kept my mouth shut most of the time, just listened to the soft melodic tones to Ash's voice.

"But Alex here is going to design me a new tank," Ash finished with, giving my thigh a pat.

"Huh?" I asked, coming back to reality after zoning out.

"I bought some spray cans, fancy doing something creative to the tank of my bike?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Sure, but it'll cost you," I chided.

"I got you an art gallery," he deadpanned.

"Free of charge?" I offered. He chuckled with a grin and pressed a kiss to my temple.

"Thought so," he whispered.

When Ash went to get some coffee from the machine, I started to awkwardly tell Daryl about my new job and how I met Ash, although I was sure he already knew.

I took that moment, staring at the poor man's face, to truly appreciate the strength behind Ash. Although he sat there and spoke to Daryl like it was the easiest thing in the world, I could see his pained expression when got up and gave his father a wistful look.

When Ash came back, he told his dad that he would see him again after the race and not to worry about the outcome, he would smash it. He would smash something alright, I was just begging it wasn't his skull.

"Does he know about the notes?" I asked but Ash shook his head.

"Nope, I don't want to worry him." He didn't say much else on the drive back to Dev's, just the occasional 'we're nearly there' and a short description of what he wanted on the tank. His description consisted of two words 'go crazy'.

He dropped me off at home to go and see some of the guys down the garage and to check if Ry had heard anything new.

"Al!" Dev exclaimed when I opened the door and engulfed me into a hug/

"Hey," I whispered, pulling him tighter. He took the bag from me and chucked it into the spare bedroom.

"How have you been?" he asked, letting me go into the front room.

"Alright, Dad was a dick all week, though," I told him. He sat down on the sofa and I dropped onto the familiar armchair. The room was messier than I remembered, probably because when I lived there, I used to pick up all their dirty clothes.

"Typical. Mel?" he pushed.

"Her usual," I answered, fiddling with my jeans.

"Despite your horrific week, Happy Belated Birthday," he said and threw an envelope at me. I missed, feeling the corner hit me in the nose.

"Thanks," I said, opening the envelope.

Inside was a small charm of a paintbrush a thin gold chain. I looked up and shot Dev a grin, who was giving me a small, sheepish smile.

"I don't normally shop for girls, Sid had to help. I hope it's okay," he said. I got up and kissed his cheek.

"It's beautiful, thank you."

I turned around for him to put it on for me and he chuckled.

"I have something to ask of you," he said. I turned, letting my hair drop back down my back. He shuffled from foot to foot.

"Sure."

"As you're staying here, I'm going to need some rent," he said. I nodded, taking out my debit card.

"That's fine. I knew you would. Did you want me to go and get it now?" I asked. Dev nodded with a grimace.

"Sorry, but it's due in next week."

"That's fine. Fancy giving me a lift?" I asked. He shook his head and grabbed his keys.

As I pulled the door open, checking over my shoulder for my cousin, I found myself coming face to face with someone I never thought I'd see again.

Jackson, also known as the fake Ash, was standing with his hand up, almost as if to knock.

"I need to talk to you," he opened with, and let himself in. I watched in shock, my face mirroring Dev's, as he walked down the passage and into the front room.

A/N: I feel like I'm aplogising about late updates too much, so I'll mix it up a bit. I've been a busy little bee, travelling and whatnot, so... it's a smidgen late. But still, as they say, rather late than never!

Anywho, lemme know whatcha thing, please vote and comment, they encourage faster writing. Ta!

Until next time, wattpadians!