Wait to start the song.
***Trigger warnings for mentions of domestic violence and Dusty's general creepiness.***

Josh hadn't been asleep for more than twenty minutes when his phone rang. He groaned as he fumbled around for it sleepily. Abbie finally found it under his pillow, and he buried his face against her shoulder as he answered it, feeling completely hollowed out by his pill.

"What?" He asked a bit too harshly, making his sister slap his shoulder.

"Sorry!" Ashley said immediately in what sounded like a terrified voice, making his eyebrows draw together in confusion. "You said to call if Dusty did anything or tried to do anything and he's being really creepy and my mom isn't home and I'm scared and I can call Brendon if you want me to but you said to call you so I'm calling you and-"

Josh sighed. "Jesus Christ. Just take a fucking breath. I'll be there in a minute."

He listened to Ashley take in a shaky breath through the receiver before starting to climb out of bed. Abbie looked confused, but he really didn't have time to explain this to her. He ruffled her hair before pulling his boots on, keeping his phone pressed against his ear while Ashley continued to ramble.

"He hasn't touched me or anything, but he keeps saying creepy things. When I got out of the shower this morning, he was sitting on that chair by my bed and going through my stuff. He said that's his job, but he's just being scary. I haven't slept in like two days because he walks by my door all night, and it freaks me out," Ashley told him, starting to hyperventilate once again.

Josh left his room, earning a pointed look from his father when he picked his keys up from off of the kitchen counter on his way past it. "Breathe, okay? Is your front door locked?"

"No, but he's already inside," Ashley said shakily. "He's in the living room."

"And where are you?" Josh continued, waiting by the door so he could explain to his dad where he was going after the phone call ended.

"I'm in my room," Ashley told him. "Josh, I'm really scared."

The pills were making Josh's head feel bleary and his thoughts jumbled together. Driving really wasn't a good idea when he took them, but he had promised he would help her if she needed him to.

"I'll be there a minute, okay?" Josh reminded her, and his father raised an eyebrow. "Do you need to call the cops?"

That made his father's expression change entirely. He no longer thought Josh was just leaving to sleep with some girl or to get drunk. This was an actual problem, and he got that now.

"And say what? That he's creepy?" Ashley asked, and it was clear that she was starting to cry. "No, I just need you. Please, Josh. I need you."

"Okay, I'm on my way. Stay in your room, and remember where to keep your thumb if you have to punch him. Got it?" Josh told her firmly.

"Yeah. Thank you, Josh," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

Josh hung up his phone before looking at his dad. "I have to go. It's an emergency. I'll text you when I get there, and if cops need to be there at some point, I'll make sure she calls."

Officer Dun didn't ask any questions about who Josh was talking about or what was going on. He trusted Josh to know what the right thing to do in this situation was.

"Drive safe, bud. I love you," Officer Dun told him.

"Yes, sir," Josh replied as he left the trailer.

---

The look on Dusty's face when Josh simply walked into the house without knocking was pure gold. He instantly went from looking smug and content to looking both intimidated and fearful. Josh made eye contact as he headed for the stairs.

"Can I fucking help you?" Josh asked him harshly.

Dusty's eyes shot away immediately, so Josh went upstairs with no concerns. Ashley was sitting on her bed like she had been after that creep had hurt her. She looked up when Josh closed the door behind himself. Relief flooded her features as she shot up off of the bed and hugged him. He pried her arms off of him.

"What are you doing?" Ashley asked Josh in confusion when he went over to her blinds and closed them before kicking his boots off.

"Going to sleep. You woke me up," he told her simply.

She glanced at the alarm clock on her dresser. "It's only five o'clock, Josh."

Start the song. It's Ghosts by Nicole Dollanganger.

Josh ignored her, stripping down to his underwear and climbing into her bed. She hesitated before doing the same. He let her, texting his dad to tell him everything was okay before setting his phone down on the table by her bed. It made Ashley yelp in surprise when he pulled her closer to him. She smiled though when he wrapped his arms around her tiredly, losing one hand in her wild blue hair. He was too tired and out of it to think anything of it when his thumb started to slowly stroke her temple. The monotony of the movement drew him closer to sleep.

Ashley let out a contented sigh. "Can I play with your hair?" She asked hopefully.

Josh hummed affirmatively. "If you shut up," he told her, already half asleep.

Ashley's fingernails were longer than Abbie's, so they scratched lightly at his scalp as she soothed her fingers through his hair. It reminded him a little bit of Marybeth, who rarely even crossed his mind these days. His breathing started to even out, and he could hear Ashley's doing the same as she finally calmed down enough to become relaxed.

Josh didn't protest when Ashley's fingertips left his hair in favour of trailing up and down his spine. His pills were making everything fuzzy, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Irritation tried to resurface when he heard Dusty walk by the door, making Ashley freeze.

Regrettably, he forced his eyelids to open. Ashley was shaking, and tears were forming in her eyes. He sighed, rubbing her temple with his thumb again. She met his gaze.

"He ain't gonna come in while I'm here. You're fine," he told her tiredly.

When all she did was sniffle in response, Josh looked at the door again. He heard Dusty walk by again.

"Do you fucking need something, or are you just being a perv?" Josh called to him.

Almost instantly, Dusty's footsteps thundered down the stairs. Josh rolled his eyes, looking at Ashley again. She smiled slightly although she still had tears in her eyes. Josh leant over the edge of the bed and picked his shirt up off the ground. He gestured for her to sit up, which she did. She blushed when Josh unhooked her bra and dropped it onto the floor before sliding his shirt over her head. She was smiling when her head poked back through the head hole.

"You good?" He asked her tiredly. She nodded, still smiling. "Good girl. Lay down."

Ashley did as she was told without question, letting Josh lay back down next to her and wrap his arms around her again. Her forehead was pressed against his as his eyelids slipped shut.

"Don't let me fall in love with you, okay?" Ashley whispered to him.

Josh's eyes opened once again, finding her looking at him with some emotion he didn't understand. He definitely wasn't going to fall in love with her, so why would she fall in love with him? That didn't make sense either.

"How am I supposed to stop you from doing that? Punch you in the face?" He asked her, not sure why that made her laugh.

"I'd probably still love you even if you punched me in the face," she told him with a slight smile. "I still love Brendon, and he's punched me in the face."

Josh rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, that's because you're an idiot."

"He loves me back," Ashley said quietly.

Josh raised an eyebrow at her. How could she be that stupid? "He loves that you let him do whatever he wants. He doesn't love you. He loves fucking you and beating the shit out of you, but that's it."

Surprisingly, Ashley got defensive. "And you're different from that how?"

Josh shrugged, closing his eyes again. "I'm up front about just wanting to fuck you, and I'm not gonna hurt you unless you want me to."

"Josh, you literally put your hand around my throat and threatened to kill me a few days ago," Ashley insisted.

He chuckled. "Oh, princess. That wasn't a threat. It was a warning. You were getting too comfortable with me, and that ain't gonna work with us. We ain't friends. We ain't dating. We're fucking. That's it."

"Then why are you here?" Ashley asked irritably, pushing his arms off of her.

"You were scared. Brendon's a pussy. I just came to help. Would you like me to leave?" He asked her, already knowing exactly what her response would be.

Instantly, Ashley was pulling his arms back around her and hiding her face against his throat. "Please stay. I'm sorry. I want you to stay."

Before Josh could respond, she tilted his head down and kissed him deeply, tangling her fingers in his hair and practically cementing her body against his. When the kiss broke, Josh just held her and closed his eyes, fighting back a smirk.

"Good girl," he told her tiredly.

Ashley let out a huff of relief before pecking his lips once again and settling beside him. "I don't know how you'd keep me from falling in love with you, but I need you to do it. I don't want to love somebody who's never gonna love me back."

Josh didn't reply, simply taking in a deep breath and rubbing her back slightly. "Night, Ashley."

Her lips brushed against his throat and her body relaxed. "Goodnight, Josh. Thanks for protecting me even though you didn't have to."

Josh didn't allow himself to wonder why it was that he was trying to protect her. There was no reason for it. He wouldn't gain anything. Maybe it was just so he could ensure that he'd be able to fuck her for a while longer. That's what he'd tell himself if necessary.

"I got you," he mumbled tiredly before starting to drift off.

He didn't mind protecting her. It wasn't his job, but he'd do it without complaints. Maybe there wasn't really a reason. He was protecting her to protect her. That didn't make sense though. He'd only do that for Abbie, and she was his responsibility. Ashley wasn't his problem.

Yeah. He'd stick to the thought that he was protecting her because he'd benefit from it. If Ashley was hurt, he wouldn't be able to fuck her anymore. Fucking her was fun. It was satisfying. In protecting her, he was protecting his future opportunities to fuck her.

It was kind of like how he was protecting future opportunities when he just ignored her and fell asleep when she whispered, "Josh, I think I might love you a little bit already."