Sometimes You Find Hope in the Darkest Places | Mashton

two

Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy. Votes and comments would be great, guys. 

Ashton watches Michael stagger back- he sees the shock in the kid’s eyes, and it’s bittersweet. Bitter- because yeah, no one expected him to get cancer. Never in his life, did he ever expect to be cursed with this horrid disease. Yet, Michael’s reaction is also sweet- they haven’t even talked for ten full minutes, and he already cares. That’s something you don’t find very often- though Michael looks like the type of guy to care.

His hair is extremely vibrant- that’s what drew Ashton’s attention to him at first. The red color stands out prominently, and to be honest, it makes him look cute. He’s dressed in all black, skinny jeans, and a large sweatshirt that goes past his hands. He’s pale, shaking furiously, and looking at me with fear in his eyes- Ashton feels sorry for him. It looks like he’s been crippled with anxiety- he knows that you can’t tell just by looking at a person, but it’s kinda obvious.

“You have cancer?” Michael asks softly. “I’m so sorry, shit, I just…”

“Relax, mate,” Ashton replies gently. “It’s okay. It’s not something you need to apologize for; I’ve just had some shitty luck. I have acute lymphocytic leukemia, and yes, while it is leukemia- the survival rate is pretty high. So yeah, it fucking sucks, but I’m not gonna die, which is good, I guess.”

Michael nods, placated by this. He shifts his feet awkwardly, looking unsure of himself. “I’m sorry, I’m new, and I just…I don’t really know what to do…”

“This is okay,” Ashton reassures him. “You’re just supposed to talk to us, make us feel less lonely, shit like that. It’s informal, the only thing you can’t do is help in the medical aspect of things- you’re not a doctor, and that could be dangerous.”

“Don’t worry,” Michael murmurs. “I don’t want to get in the way.”

“There’s a chair over there.” Ashton points out the object. “Pull it up, and we can talk.”

Michael does as he says, sliding the chair next to his bed. He sits stiffly, tugging at his sleeves, making sure his arms stay covered.

Ashton has an idea of why that could be- but he doesn’t want to scare Michael away. He’s just met the guy, and he already looks scared as fuck, adding to that by confronting him about possible self-harm would make matters a lot worse.

“So, Michael, what do you wanna talk about?” Ashton asks, smiling at him. He’s trying to make the scared lad feel as comfortable as possible; he’s not shaking as much anymore, so that’s a good thing.

“Do you need anything?” Michael spits out. “Like, anything I can do or get you or something?”

Ashton sighs. “No, I’m fine. I’m not that far into my treatment- I was only diagnosed recently. I still feel fine, and what you can do for me, is have a conversation with me. Anything specific you wanna talk about? If not, I’m gonna go into bands, because that’s the only thing I know a lot about.”

Michael seems to light up at the mention of music. “Bands would be amazing, music is my life.” He unzips his sweatshirt shyly, revealing a black All Time Low shirt, and that gives Ashton a feeling of relief. Finally, something relatable.