Ash's inquiry was met with insecure twitches and broken sentences. Joe was obviously nervous in Ash's presence, though precisely why the shirtless teenager elicited mumbling and anxious, strange responses Ash couldn't say. He tilted his head at Joe's unusual question, staring into Joe's eyes as if he were searching for something deep within the intruder's pupils but coming up with empty hands and zero ideas.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#cc99ff"><b>"Do... do you know this chick called, uh, Lainey Richardson?"</b></span><br/><br/>The question had floated above Ash's focus while he was pondering what the hell was happening. All he had wanted to was to drop off books for Miles, check in on him, make sure things were okay but now he was wrapped up in inexplicable shenanigans with his friend's naked father and some weirdo from school he barely knew. It didn't escape him completely, however, and the name Lainey Richardson attached itself to his brain with sticky fingers. Something to think on later, when Joe's words weren't assualting his ears.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#cc99ff"><b>"But like... what did Miles tell you? Did he seem weird about certain... things? Where is he, anyway?"</b></span><br/><br/>Joe was being suspicious and twitchy, his fingers drumming against the deck chair while his eyes seemed to roam in every direction except the one that would require him to look at Ash's face. “I don't know anything about the fight,” Ash said simply, leaning forward and resting his elbow on his knee, casually placing his chin in the palm of his hand as he continued to stare at his jittery companion.<br/><br/>“I know Miles was drinking without me, which truly just breaks my heart, but other than that, I'm an empty well. I have nothing to offer you.” Ash smiled, cruelly enjoying the way Joe seemed just so dreadfully uncomfortable. Sure, Ash wasn't being honest with Joe, by why should he be? The fucking nutcase had snuck onto the Hawkins' property and was snooping around with the intention of doing... what exactly? What did he plan to gain, and why should Ash be required to help?<br/><br/>“You what to know what happened? Oh, I bet that's just torturous for you, Joe. Knowing something<i>terrible</i>went down that night and unable to recall anything. No wonder you're a nervous wreck. I suppose if I were in your position, I'd be awfully worried, too. Worried about who knew what, who saw what, whether I'd be caught for whatever illicit tomfoolery I got up to. I don't know how you're coping. Well, no, obviously not well. Look at you.” Ash shook his head, sighing dramatically.<br/><br/><i>Did you kill that guy behind Macey's?</i>Ash wondered, biting his lower lip as he dragged his eyes down Joe's frail-looking form. Initially Ash had wondered if Miles had been the perpetrator, but Jittery Joe showing up and asking a number of curious questions let Ash rethinking his suspicions. Why else would Joe be so intent on finding out what Miles told him if he hadn't been the one?<br/><br/>Ash didn't have much time to consider the possibilities. Joe's focus was quickly waning, and as Ash opened his mouth in an attempt to pry some information from Joe's lips, the latter sprung up from the deck chair, knocking the patio furniture out of the way as he ran toward the house. Ash didn't hesitate to follow, unsure of Joe's motives.<br/><br/>The intruder rushed into the house in a panic, throwing himself toward the staircase in blind hope, Ash imagined, eager to find Miles' bedroom. Ash wasn't far behind, his long legs making powerful strides as he followed Joe through the house, watching with infuriated eyes as Joe disappeared up the stairs and into the hallway above. Ash growled, unsure why he was so angry, but knowing that he didn't appreciate Joe's efforts to run, wanted to punish him for attempting to get away. Such a fucking amateur move. He bounded up the stairs two a time, feeling a mild burn in his legs as he violently lifted himself up the steps. From the top of the staircase, Ash could see Joe had found his way to Miles' bedroom. The door was wide open, and he could hear Miles' voice from inside, exclaiming in shock.<br/><br/>Ash moved to sprint toward the doorway, but he was stopped by Casper's hidden figure in the hallway, holding a finger up to his lips. Ash looked at him, confused, exasperated, wanting to get to Miles and get Joe the fuck away from him. Miles was injured and confused, there was no reason for Joe to come rushing into his bedroom like some kind of maniac, terrifying the poor kid.<br/><br/>It didn't take long for things to explode into chaos, Casper and Joe practically yelling at one another, Casper threatening Joe, Joe begging to be let free. Ash stayed in the hallway, unsure what to do, what to say, where he should be. Should he even be here? All he had wanted to do was just drop off some damned books. This was too much. This was too weird. But he couldn't leave, not when some potentially crazed, violent kid was in Miles' bedroom. Ash teased Miles relentlessly, it was true, but he was his friend, and he was protective of him. Joe didn't seem like he had his screws tightened all the way, and Ash didn't want Miles to have to suffer whatever deranged ramblings Joe wanted to subject him to.<br/><br/>Ash was violently rattled from his thoughts when Casper, now fully dressed, came tumbling from Miles' bedroom, Joe in tow. The two threw punches at one another, wrestled, slammed against walls and the floor with loud crashes and thuds. Ash, unwilling to immediately throw himself into the fray, hovered at his position at the top of the stairs, ready to assist Casper if needed, though his face was twisted in a dumbstruck expression, hardly able to comprehend the insanity unfolding before him.<br/><br/>When Joe managed to give Casper the slip, Ash instinctively bolted forward, leaning down low and spearing Joe's midsection, bringing the other teen down in a cascade of limbs. Ash, bigger, stronger, and not already exhausted by physical exertion, climbed atop Joe, straddling the intruder's hips as the boy lay flat out on his back in the hallway. He pinned his wrists to the floor, keeping his weight on Joe's writhing body.<br/><br/>“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Ash yelled, willing the body beneath him to settle, if only to return to some semblance of calm. “Chill the fuck out! Nothing is going to happen to you if you stop acting like a fucking crazy person!” Ash's hold on Joe's wrists was tight, his nails digging into the thin skin. “What the hell did you think would happen, you sneaking around someone's fucking house? If you wanted to look not guilty, you're doing a terrible job of it.”<br/><br/>He groaned, clenching his thighs to keep Joe in place best he could. “Mr. Hawkins?” Ash asked, looking up to the older male, his naked chest heaving. “What do you want to do with him?”