The Dead and The Blind [Lashton]

Day 538

"Dude, just trust me," Michael pats at Ralph's head, scratching behind her ears, while the dog pants happily and nudges at his shoulder. He's sitting in the grass just outside of the house, while Ashton's laying in a lounge chair closer to the patio. He's got his ever present sunglasses on, but Luke suspects he's asleep, because he hasn't noticed his dog missing yet.

"Last time you told me to trust you, you wound up dead," Luke points out, reaching down to run his fingers across the rope burns permanently scarred around Michael's neck.

Michael stiffens and scrunches up his shoulders, making a small squawking noise when Luke's fingers wiggle around his neck. Ralph whines and paws at Michael's shoulder to get his attention back.

Luke retracts his hand, so Michael leans forward and buries his face in Ralph's thick fur, cuddling up to the dog and sighing contentedly. Luke glances over to Ashton nervously, but the blonde seems unconcerned.

"Just go over there and tell him you're the next door neighbor," Michael says, voice muffled. "I'll even go with you, if you want, and tell him you're my boyfriend-"

"I'll be fine," Luke cuts him off. "I can do it myself. How do I look?"

He tugs on the hem of his beat up black shirt and Michael glances up, only the top of his head and his eyes visible from behind Ralph's fur. "I doubt Ashton will care. He won't even see you, dude."

"I'll be visible," Luke tugs on his shirt again and huffs, flickering the molecules in his body so he's visible and solid. Michael smiles, just as a startled shout is heard from the side door. Luke jumps and hurries to turn himself invisible again, but it's just Calum.

"Why are you petting the dog without me?" He demands, storming towards Michael while shoving up his sleeves. Michael giggles and rubs at Ralph's head. Ralph pants happily when Calum flops down in the grass next to Michael and starts scratching her back. Luke flits back to visible and pats Ralph's head, then Michael and Calum's, just to be annoying, before trudging over to Ashton.

When he's a few steps away, Ashton stretches and twists, arching his back off the lounge chair to pop his bones. He pulls off his sunglasses and looks straight ahead, so Luke trots directly in front of him. His shadow casts over Ashton's face, making the boy frown at the sudden lack of sun.

"Hello?" Ashton calls, like he's not staring directly at Luke's face.

"Uh, hello," Luke responds slowly, waving his hand. Ashton doesn't even register that he sees the action, so Luke drops his hand again. Ashton doesn't even register that he's looking at Luke at all. "Can you see me?" Luke asks carefully. Maybe the sun was screwing with Ashton's vision, or something.

Ashton's cute little frown drops into a scowl immediately, eyelids dropping and mouth twisting even more. "No, you asshole, I can't see anything."

And suddenly, it all clicks. The dog, the sunglasses, the pale hazel of Ashton's eyes, the way he doesn't have any electronics or books, how someone's always with him. Luke understands, now. He's blind.

"Oh!" Luke startles at the realization. "Oh, oh my god, I am so sorry. I didn't- I'm so sorry- I had no idea, I-"

"It's fine," Ashton says sharply, fumbling with the glasses in his hands. He slips them over his eyes again and keeps scowling. "Who are you, what do you want?"

"Sorry," Luke says again and Ashton let's out a huff of breath, somehow making it sound annoyed. "I- I'm Luke, I live next door. I just wanted to come say hi."

"Oh," Ashton replies. "Hi."

"Hi," Luke echoes.

"I'm Ashton," Ashton says, like he's relaxing slightly and getting used to talking to Luke. "How old are you? You sound young."

"I'm seventeen," Luke answers, because he is seventeen. Well, he died when he was seventeen. He'd probably be nineteen now, but he still looks and sounds like he's seventeen.

"How long?" Michael calls dramatically from where he's now laying in the grass with Calum and Ralph. "How long have you been seventeen, Edward?"

Luke knows that ashton can't hear (or see, for that matter) Michael, so he just rolls his eyes and jerks his hand up to flip him off.

Ashton flinches behind his glasses. "Could you not make sudden movements, please? Where's my dog? Ralph!"

"I'm so sorry," Luke raises his hands in surrender and takes a slow step back. "I- I am so sorry." He really doesn't know what else to say. Ralph trots over, making Michael and Calum whine, and nudges at Ashton's hand with his wet nose. Ashton pats around until he can grab Ralph's collar. He pulls himself up and out of the chair, and mumbles to Ralph that they're going back inside.

"I have to go," Ashton tells Luke. "I think you should, too."

"Right, yeah," Luke nods. "I'll- it was nice meeting you, Ashton. I'll see you around."

"Doubtful," Ashton mutters, following Ralph as she starts to amble towards the house. The sliding glass door slams shut with a thud of finality, as Luke flickers ask to his invisible form. Michael slaps his shoulder and shakes his head.

"That could have gone better,"

"You could have told me he was blind!" Luke scoffs, shrugging off Michael's hand and squirming when Calum sneaks an arm around his waist.

"It's pretty obvious," Michael amends. "We thought you knew." Luke shoves at both of them and huffs, while Michael schemes quietly to himself for a second. "Alright, tomorrow, we- all three of us- will knock on the door and introduce ourselves properly as the neighbors. To the whole family. Ashton won't be freaked out by you, then. Yeah?"

"Yeah," Luke mutters in agreement.