Lifeless (lashton: completed)

chapter eleven.

"C'mon Luke! Just up to your ankles!" Ashton smirked back at the boy in the wheelchair. "I'm. Not. Swimming." He said through gritted teeth. Ashton sighed as he picked up a damp stone with fresh mud coating only one half. He skimmed it across the still pond, making ripples and disturbing the resting wildlife. "It's not technically swimming if I hold you the whole time." Ashton shrugged as he turned his head back up to Luke. Luke blankly stared at his crippled hand grasping the joystick. "Only up to my ankles?" A small smile returned to his face. Ashton squealed and clapped silently out of pure joy. He loosened the buckle going across Luke's lap and carefully lifted his limp body out from the chair. He could tell luke was uneasy, the feeling of being carried made him feel foolish and even more helpless then he already was. Carefully removing his shoes and socks from his cold lifeless feet, Ashton tucked the socks back into the shoes carefully and made sure the emergency breaks were on and secure. Taking a gigantic breath of air to lift him again, Ashton walked carefully to the clearwater pond. He studied Luke's worried face. His eyes were sealed shut, face lined with worry. "Luke." Ashton whispered, softly grabbing his deformed hand and rubbing it soothingly. "I will not hurt you. You're safe." He slowly entered into the water, immediately having chills shoot up his spine from the icy cold water. As soon as he got waist deep, he stopped. He clenched Luke, making sure his arms wouldn't fall or his head wouldn't drop back. Luke looked content as he slowly opened his eyes. Ashton smiled in awe, Luke was comfortable, he was at peace. Ashton softly took Luke's good hand, dipping it in the pond water and returning it back to its place across his chest. Luke shivered but quickly ceased. "It's-Its quite chilly today.." He spoke in a serious tone, no sarcasm whatsoever. Ashton nodded in agreement, starting to slowly spin him in circles, like a father would his son in a still pool. Luke didn't mind it one bit, his muscles relaxed as his head fell into Ashton's chest. "I kept my promise, didn't I?" Ashton fixed the hem on Luke's shirt. "Yes, yes you did." He laughed weakly, squinting even harder to avoid the sun stinging his eyes. Minutes turned into an hour, an hour turned into two. The boys conversed the whole time. Talking about simple things, like their favorite films and pet peeves. Then, the mood suddenly dampened. "Luke... we don't have to talk about if you don't want to but-" "You want to know what happened." The joy faded from his voice, turning into a somber tone. Ashton nodded and stopped spinning playfully. "It-it was my seventeenth birthday. My brother had bought me a brand new bicycle. Being excited, I rushed outside to test it out. I went down the wrong street. An eighteen wheeler..." He stopped to swallow his sorrow. "It didn't see me. All I remember was light. The headlights, and the light in the room when I woke up. Doctors told me I would never walk, or use my arms again." Luke didn't make eye contact the whole entire story, he couldn't. It was too painful to see the sympathy in someone's face. "Luke.... I'm-" "Save it. Please, I don't want to hear it." He looked up and quickly focused his attention back to the disturbed water rippling. After a quite long awkward silence, Ashton returned luke back to his chair. "You know." Luke started as Ashton fixed his legs. "Pity is degrading. I want to be treated like a human. And even though I only have two months left-" Luke stopped. He wasn't supposed to tell Ashton about his plan, the one that his parents lose sleep over, the plan to end his suffering. "Two months? Luke, what-what do you mean?" Ashton stopped abruptly with his mouth dropping open. "Nothing. Forget I said anything." He bit his lip wishing he would've never spoke. "No. It's something. Tell me." Ashton rose his voice without considering Luke's feelings. "I said NOTHING. Now take me back inside and stop fucking questioning it. All you are to me is a caretaker. You know nothing about me except the fact I'm in a wheelchair. Now fuck off and stop asking about my personal life." Luke's words stung like knives through the heart. Ashton nodded, holding back betrayed tears. "I apologize, I won't speak ever again." Ashton hung his head low, swallowing hard. He never wanted to see Luke again, he wish he never took this stupid job.