Chapter Text
Ashley started down at his hands, still covered in the, now dried, red sticky substance that was his blood. His clothes were covered in it, he smelt like copper and death.
"Ash!" He looked up, seeing CC and Anna coming running in. "Dude, what the hell happened, why are you covered in blood? Are you hurt?" CC panicked seeing his best friend covered in blood and in a hospital waiting room. "You texted me saying you had brought Andy to the hospital, but you're fucking covered in blood."
"It's Andy's." Ashely voice came out as a harsh whisper, his eyes were rimmed red, tear tracks staining his cheeks, his light eyeliner running down his cheeks with it.
"What the hell happened to him?' CC asked, "And where is he?"
"He's in sugary, I-I went over to his place so we could go over new stuff I came up with and, h-he" Ashley let out a choked sob. "He was laying on the ground in a pool of blood, I couldn't tell where it was coming from there was so much." He choked out, tears streaming down his face.
"Who the hell would've done that?" Anna asked in shock.
Ashely whispered something to himself, fists balling in anger.
"Do you know who did it Ash, we need to press charges." CC asked, looking up seeing Jinxx and Jake running in, also questioning why Ashely was covered in blood. After CC quickly filled the two guitarists in the three of them, plus Anna turned to Ashely.
"Well who are we getting arresting?" Jake asked impatiently.
"Juliet." Ashley said softly, "Juliet did this to him." He said with a little more confidence.
"Ash, we don't know that for sure." Jake said slowly.
"Before, we get into this." Jinxx calmed the on coming argument, "Ash we need to wash that blood off you."
"Yeah." Ashely nodded, following Jinxx as they walked to the bathroom, numbly staring as Jinxx scrubbed the blood off of his skin.
"Ash, we both know Juliet is abusive. We've seen the bruises she's caused, but what would cause her to want to murder him, do yo remember how you found him?" Jinxx questioned slowly, knowing that Ashely and Andy were the closest of the band and their friendship had strengthened during their last 2 year tour.
"He was laying on his stomach, next to his couch. His was shirtless and I think I saw Juliet's bra on the side of..." Ashley froze. His face going white. "No... No. NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" He screamed grabbing his hair and pulling, fresh tears streaming down his face.
"What is it?" Jinxx asked, "Ashely what did you remember?!" He asked grabbing Ashely's arms and forcing Ashely to look him in the eye.
"He told me no marks and I didn't listen, I thought she wouldn't see, but she did and, fuck. It's all my fault." Ashely continued whispering to himself.
"What is your fault Ashley? What did she see?" Jinxx asked, having no clue what Ashely was talking about, something about Andy and marks.
"All my fault. I'm such a fucking idiot." Ashely continued muttering, shaking his head as tears ran down his face.
"ASHLEY PURDY!" Jinxx screamed at his friend, causing Ashley to stop and stare at Jinxx in shock, Jinxx never yelled.
"What did Juliet see?" Jinxx asked again in a calmer voice when.
"The hickie. She saw the fucking hickie." He rubbed his face.
"What the hell do you mean by hickie Ashley?" Jinxx asked confused.
"Even after he told me not to I left a hickie on his hip. God this is all my fault." Ashley leaned against the wall and slid down it, hugging his knees to his chest.
"You left a hickie on Andy's hip?" Jinxx questioned, sitting down next to Ashely.
"I know how it sounds, I've been helping Andy cheat on his abusive snake of a wife. I'm still just the whore looking for sex." Ashely sighed running a hand through his hair.
"You and Andy, you hooked up?" Jinxx questioned.
"Yes, for the love of god we're fucking together. I fucking took him out on a date 2 nights ago, we went back to my place and fucked, he told me no marks because Juliet's been getting handsy again, but I fucking left a hickie on him. She must've seen it and knew he was cheating on her." Ashely sighed. "This is all my fault, I should've listened to him."
Jinxx stared at Ashley in shock. "Ash, I...When did this start?" He asked.
"UK leg of the Black Mass tour, the first time he drank in months, the day after my birthday and you guys were out. We had a drunken hook up." Ashely admitted, "After that it kinda just escalated. First is was just friends with benefits, and then I started developing feelings, he did too. I tried to convince him it was because I was giving him the attention Juliet wasn't but then I realized I was acting as a better partner than his wife, and I was his fuck buddy." Ashley sighed. "He wanted to leave her, he wanted a divorce. To be with me Jinxx, me. I never thought anyone would actually want to date me." Ashely resting his head in his arms.
"Ashley, it sounds like you're in love with him." Jinxx said slowly.
"I think I am." Ashely mumbled, "He's helped me though a lot."
"Like what Ash?" Jinxx questioned.
"Whatever I say does not leave this bathroom." Ashley said sternly and Jinxx nodded, singling Ashley to go on. "Remember when I kinda dropped off the face of the earth for a couple months?" Jinxx nodded again, "I was having a major depressive episode." He mumbled, "Andy finally made me get my shit together and go to a therapist. I have depression, anxiety, insomnia, and borderline anorexia nervosa." Ashley mumbled.
"You're anorexic?" Jinxx asked in shock.
"In recovery, but I still don't eat much. Andy helps with that." He whispered quietly.
"How bad did it get?" Jinxx questioned.
"Mid Black Mass Tour. I nearly collapsed I was so malnourished. Andy found me, half conscious in the dressing room. I begged him not to take me to the hospital, he convinced me to eat an apple in exchange for not bringing me to the hospital." Ashley mumbled. "I still hate my body sometimes, but Andy. Andy makes me feel beautiful, sexy, handsome, how I used to feel." He sighed. "I know I shouldn't rely on him for my recovery, but he's my second set of eyes, he helps me through the fog of my mental illness. He's my window to reality, god I'm so fucked up." He mumbled.
"When were you diagnosed? Exactly." Jinxx questioned
"Almost year ago." He mumbled.
"And you never told us! Ashely!" Jinxx scolded him.
"I didn't want to be seen as weak. I've always been the party guy, the guy you go to for fun. Not some depressed guy who hates how he looks." Ashely mumbled, "I so sorry Jeremy. I never meant to upset you. I was scared of being seen in a different light. Andy already worries so much about me, my meds and my eating. I didn't want to be a burden to you and the rest of the guys."
"Ashley you will never be a burden." Jinxx said softly, wrapping an arm around his friend, now actually seeing how skinny Ashley was, he looked thinner compared to when they first met, and that was almost 10 years ago. "You are my brother, one of my best friends, you are my family. I would do anything for you, and so would the rest of the guys."
"Thank you." Ashely smiled lightly.
"No problem at all dude, now let's finish getting you cleaned off and go wait for Andy to come out, because there's no way that man is dying, he's too fucking stubborn." Jinxx smiled, glad that he could earn a snort out of the bassist.
Jinxx got Ashely up and continued to scrub Andy's blood from his skin. "Do you want to tell the others about yours and Andy's relationship?"
"No, not now, especially since I'm the cause of all this." Ashley mumbled
"Ashley you didn't cause this, you got carried away during sex and left a hickie because you do that the you're fucking. Juliet is the one that attempted murder." Jinxx said softly, softly wiping Andy's blood out of Ashely's hair.
"Jinxx, since Andy's probably gonna be in the hospital for a while, can I ask a favour?" Ashley asked.
"Anything Ash." Jinxx said, getting the last bits of blood off Ashley.
"Make sure I eat, even if I say I'm not hungry, make me eat something. 1 meal, 2 snacks a day. I know I'm gonna hit a low with this and I don't want to cave to my anorexia." Ashley mumbled.
"I will make sure you eat Ash, even if it's just an apple or a yogurt. A good filling healthy snack." Jinxx smiled, glad that Ashley was seeking help and was trying hard to recover.
"Thank you." He sighed, running a hand through his hair and shaking it.
"Let's head back, maybe you can talk to the guys, about with your mental health or yours and Andy's relationship." Jinxx suggested.
"Maybe." Ashely sighed, following Jinxx out of the bathroom and pack to the waiting room. He froze when he saw Juliet standing with CC, Jake, and Anna.
"Why the hell is she here?" He growled out.
"Relax Ash, she can't know that it's your hickie on Andy, she'll try to kill you too" Jinxx whispered as the two approached the rest of the group.
"Hey Ash, you feeling better?" CC questioned his friend.
"Yeah, feels good to have it washed off." Ashely sighed, trying to not glare at Juliet.
"Did you get any updates on him?" Jinxx questioned and the group shook their heads. Ashley sighed, collapsing in one of the chairs, trying to keep himself from going insane.
"Excuse us." He looked up, seeing two police officers in uniform. "We were informed that your friend was attacked, lethally injured, we'd like to take some statements so we can start a case." The officer said.
"I found him, Ashley Purdy." Ashely started and introduced himself, "I'm the bassist of our band, he's the lead singer. I was going to his place so we could go over some lyrics I came up with for our upcoming album. I have keys to his place, I walked in and found him face down in his living room, his shirt was off and there was a bra hanging off the coffee table. There was so much blood I panicked and called 911." Ashley sighed.
"He was cheating on me?!" Juliet asked, but there was something off in her voice, the guys could tell.
"We don't know for sure ma'am, all Mr. Purdy mentioned is that your husband was found bleeding out, nothing to relate him to cheating on you."
"You heard what he fucking said, Andy was shirtless, some whore's bra was on the table, and he had a fucking hickie on him, and we haven't slept together for weeks." Juliet stomped her foot in frustration.
"I never said anything about a hickie." Ashley said, glaring at Juliet. The officers turned to Juliet with suspicious looks in their eyes.
"Andrew slept with a whore, I was just showing him the consequences of being unfaithful." Juliet attempted to defend herself.
"By murdering him?!" CC asked in shock.
"He takes away the most important thing in the world to me, I do the same to him. Good luck touring when he has no vocal cords." She grinned, a psychotic look in her eyes. The officers quickly pinned down a screaming Juliet and arrested her, dragging her out to the police car and driving to the station.
Meanwhile Ashley had gone deathly white. "She tried to take away his voice." He voice was no louder than a whisper but it felt like a bomb to the others.
"She tried to take away his dream, everything he's worked for." CC continued, hand gripping Anna's.
"Family of Andrew Biersack." All 6 of them turned to face a doctor walking up to them, pulling off her scrub cap and taking a deep breath. "He's defiantly a fighter. Lucky, the assaulter missed his vocal cords by a half millimetre. He lost a fair amount of blood and we did lose him twice on the table, but he pulled through. His neck will take some time to heal and unfortunately, he's fallen into a coma. We aren't certain when or if he'll wake up."
Ashely could see the doctors lips moving after that, but he couldn't hear anything, all he heard was ringing as he stared, images of Andy flashing in his mind. Andy, happy and smiling. Him and Andy happy and smiling together. He was finally putting his life back together and it was crumbling apart. His dream of being happy with Andy, with the band, taking over the world with the guys.
Nothing hurt more than seeing your dreams crumble before your eyes.