Milk_Is_My_Drug
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Chapter 17: Third Time's A Charm
🕑 Added 2025-05-14 20:41:25 +0000 UTCThe Kent farmhouse was quiet that evening, bathed in the soft golden hue of the setting sun. Kara stood in the living room, the envelope in her hands now opened, her paycheck resting neatly on the coffee table. Clark, Martha, and Jonathan sat around her, each with a look of mild confusion and curiosity as they listened to her recount the odd events of her visit to Ashborn’s office.
“I still don’t get it,” Kara said, her arms crossed and her expression conflicted. “He went out of his way to show me everything. Gave me this like I earned it. He sounded genuine.”
Clark frowned, rubbing his chin. “That’s unexpected. I wonder what he’s thinking…”
“I honestly can’t tell what goes through his head,” Kara said with a shake of her head. “Even his employees say he’s strange, random even, but they all respect him. They talk about him like he’s… I don’t know, some kind of misunderstood hero or something. They’d defend him in a heartbeat.”
Clark leaned back, thoughtful. “I’ve seen a few articles pop up from time to time. ‘Best working environment,’ ‘Progressive employer,’ ‘Ashborn Black sets a new standard’, things like that. A lot of praise coming his way for being fair and just.”
Martha, always the curious soul, tilted her head. “Do you know why they speak so highly of him?”
Kara nodded slowly and sat down, placing her hands on her knees. “Yeah. I’ve heard a few stories since I started working there…”
She took a breath before recounting them.
“There was one guy, who used to be a small-time villain. He told me he and his friends once tried to kidnap Ashborn, but they failed miserably. The thing is… Ashborn didn’t press charges. Instead, he offered them jobs, good-paying ones, jobs that matched their skills. And when they visited his house one day totally uninvited, they got too rough and almost hurt him. You know what he did? He laughed it off and let them sleep there. Now, that guy calls him ‘fearless boss’ like he’s some kind of legend.”
Clark raised an eyebrow. “That… doesn’t sound like any CEO I know.”
“There’s more,” Kara continued. “My direct boss, Mr. Halley. He had a back condition, really serious. Surgery was expensive, and he’d have to work for years just to afford part of it or wait for years before he could have a chance to do it. Ashborn paid for the operation and gave him a full year off. Fully paid.”
“Oh my,” Martha murmured, hand over her mouth.
“And others say he pays higher than any other construction company. Better safety, better benefits. Some of them even said he’s the only person who treats them fairly.”
For a moment, the room was silent as the weight of the stories settled in.
Martha looked thoughtful. “Well… he certainly sounds like a nice man.”
Kara looked away, her voice quieter. “Yeah. He… he seems good to most people who know him. Everyone says he’s just eccentric, a bit of an oddball, but outside of that… he is nice and kind.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “But I don’t know how to deal with him. I don’t like him. All I see is an annoying, smug jerk who seems to enjoy pushing my buttons. And yet… everyone else sees a great person. Am I missing something?”
Clark sighed. “You’re not alone. I can’t tell what his deal is either. There’s something off-putting about him, but I can’t put my finger on it. He doesn’t feel dangerous… but he doesn’t feel normal either.”
Jonathan finally spoke, setting his coffee down. “Maybe it’s because he’s fearless. You’re not used to people like that, Clark. People are usually scared of you, of your strength, they show fear or respect. But that young man? He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t act impressed or intimidated. That’s… different.”
He gave a small smile. “It can be a little disturbing, sure. But if he’s not doing anything wrong… maybe give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Kara sat back, frowning as she looked down at the check again.
Clark wondered if he was just a weird guy with a good heart. Or maybe he was playing a long game no one could see yet.
Either way… they haven’t done figuring him out yet.
___________
The night in Jump City had a certain charm to it, cool air, neon lights reflecting off wet pavement, and the buzz of late-night chatter spilling from restaurants and shops. Ashborn walked at a leisurely pace, the smell of fresh pizza still clinging faintly to his clothes from the small corner shop he had just dined in. It had been a simple, peaceful dinner — thin crust, double pepperoni, and no one trying to blow him up or lecture him about morality. A rare luxury.
He tucked his hands into his pockets and turned a corner, heading a few blocks down. Jinx had offhandedly mentioned a place nearby, apparently the best spot in Jump City for milkshakes — thick, creamy, made with real ice cream, not the processed powder junk. He figured, why not?
His quiet stroll was interrupted when two bodies suddenly came crashing down from above, landing in a clumsy heap of limbs and dust in a trash pile to his left. Ashborn halted, blinking. His eyes flicked down to the pair as they stirred.
“…Huh.”
From the heap emerged Raven and Starfire, looking disheveled and mildly annoyed, though at each other rather than the pile they'd just been thrown into. They began bickering almost immediately, not even realizing they had an audience.
“I told you to hover, not dive like a meteor,” Raven snapped, brushing a banana peel off her shoulder.
“You were the one who said you could manage the lift! On my planet, even babies discover the joy of flight within their first week,” Starfire retorted with a frustrated pout.
Ashborn tilted his head, intrigued. “Maybe the two of you should consider telling each other more about your lives. Might help you learn how to control each other’s powers.”
The girls froze mid-argument and whirled around. Starfire’s eyes narrowed, defensive and sharp. “What are you doing here?” she asked coldly. “Were you eavesdropping?”
Ashborn gave his trademark shrug and a smile that was impossible to read. “Hard not to overhear when two flying people crash into trash two feet away from me and start tearing into each other like rival soap opera stars. I was just walking by.”
Raven narrowed her eyes, then tilted her head slightly, curious. “Wait… You know we traded bodies?”
He gestured casually. “I heard you talking. And I’m not exactly an idiot. Filling in some context is not hard.”
There was a brief silence. Ashborn gave a small nod toward them. “If you're having trouble with your powers, just talk. Really talk. How you experience things, what your instincts tell you. It’ll help more than you think.”
The girls didn’t respond, still processing both his presence and his oddly practical advice. Ashborn, seeming completely unbothered, gave a light wave.
“Anyway, I’ve got a date with a milkshake. Good luck with... whatever this chaos is.”
He turned and continued his walk, his coat swaying gently with each step.
Back in the alley, Raven and Starfire stood in silence for a moment. Then, slowly, they looked at each other, the first real pause they’d had since the body swap began. No more yelling, no accusations. Just a long look, then a quiet, shared nod.
Without a word, the two moved deeper into the alley and sat down, cross-legged, across from each other. No flying, no spells. Just stories.
Meanwhile, Ashborn stepped into the softly lit coffee shop, the warm aroma of roasted beans and sweet vanilla welcoming him. The bell above the door chimed softly.
The coffee shop was quiet, the kind of place where music hummed low and patrons kept to their little corners of peace. Ashborn sat near the window, sipping slowly on a tall glass of chocolate milkshake. Rich, creamy, and topped with a generous swirl of whipped cream. Jinx was right — it was heavenly.
He was mid-sip when the bell over the door rang again, the soft chime cutting through the atmosphere like a warning bell. Three figures walked in — one by one — with unmistakable presence.
Robin, stern and calculating.
Cyborg, towering and half-mechanical.
Beast Boy, who at the moment had taken the form of a large green-furred dog.
Their eyes glowed with a distinct blue light, unnatural, sharp and scanning.
Ashborn paused. He set the milkshake down slowly. The straw bobbed slightly.
Beast Boy, still in dog form, padded forward and sniffed at Ashborn's coat, snout twitching. A deep inhale. Then another. Ashborn stared back, unmoving, calm as ever.
Robin crossed his arms. Cyborg loomed behind them.
Ashborn finally spoke, dryly, “If this is about the milkshake, I’m not sharing.”
Silence.
Then, without warning, Cyborg stepped forward, arms out. Ashborn blinked once before he was wrapped in a full-blown bear hug, the kind that creaked bones and crushed personal space into oblivion.
Ashborn’s arms remained limp at his sides as Cyborg lifted him like a ragdoll. The towering man turned, still grinning, and began to walk out of the shop with Ashborn in his arms like he weighed nothing.
Robin followed without a word. Beast Boy shifted back into his human form mid-step and joined them.
Ashborn, still not struggling, glanced back at his half-finished milkshake and sighed. “...At least let me finish the drink.”
No one answered.
He rested his chin against Cyborg’s shoulder, staring off at the dark streets of Jump City as they carried him away. He looked more inconvenienced than alarmed. “I didn’t touch the girls,” he muttered. “Did the scent linger? Or is this about something else? I didn’t say anything offensive in this city.”
Still no answers.
Only glowing blue eyes and determined silence.
Ashborn closed his own eyes for a moment. He wasn't afraid, more like... mildly intrigued.
In the end, he chuckled lightly while saying “Well, third time's a charm”
