we were born sick. || lashton ✓

Epilogue

Mrs. Irwin doesn't know what to do. Her son and his boyfriend have just been brutally murdered. She wants to make the funeral special for them. She wants to do something they would have loved.

"The lake." She whispers to herself. It's the best idea she's had yet so she grabs her phone and calls the funeral home to tell them her plan. She also calls Luke and Ashton's new friends to tell them about the service. They'll be coming.

By the time the funeral rolls around two days later everyone is in tears, but Mrs. Irwin won't let that stop the service.

The few people gathered for the funeral are standing just beside Luke and Ashton's special place. The place they fell in love. The place where most of their time together was spent. And Mrs. Irwin didn't know it, but it was the place where they first made love. Where they shared their first kiss and first held hands. The place Ashton planned on proposing to Luke when they got done with high school.

"Ashton is my son." Mrs. Irwin says to begin the service, "Luke may as well have been my son. I watched these two boys grow up together. I watched them laugh and be kids. And before I knew it, I watched them fall madly in love. I saw it in the way the boys looked at each other. Ashton saw the entire world in Luke's eyes. And Luke looked at Ashton like he was the only person in the world. I've never seen a love stronger than theirs. And that's all it was." Mrs. Irwin begins crying, but she pushes herself through her speech.

"All those two boys wanted was to love each other. They wanted to get married one day. They wanted to spend their entire lives wrapped up in each other. There was nothing harmful about that. But some people just can't understand that. My boys were murdered because they fell in love. And I'll never be able to comprehend why that happened." Everyone begins clapping as Mrs. Irwin takes a seat. Damien and Jace stand from their seats and face the small crowd.

"We only knew Luke and Ashton for a few days, but we knew their story. They were very open with us about what had happened to them here in this town. They were also in our LGBT group at school. We are doing a fundraiser in a couple days and before all the money was going to go to different  LGBT projects that needed it. But we've decided to make our own. Everyone will be given the choice to make a bracelet that shows their sexuality. Or they can make a rainbow bracelet in support of LGBT people. Each bracelet will have two beads. One A and one L for the boys initials. All the money raised will go to what we call "The Lashton Project." There will be a hotline set up for people in need of help or guidance. A website with a chatroom so people can go and talk to other people just like them. We'll be doing "Lashton Tours" where we go around and speak to schools about LGBT youth being bullied and other things. Any extra proceeds will go to Ashton and Luke's mom, Mrs. Irwin. The one woman in this entire town that supported them." Damien gives his speech and Mrs. Irwin begins sobbing. She never knew how nice people could actually be.

Damien and Jace sit down as the funeral home workers lower Ashton into the ground followed by Luke. They're being buried wearing their rainbow bracelets and rainbow flags cover their coffins.

Everyone leaves the service and heads back home except Mrs. Irwin. She stays to visit with her boys.

The headstones that mark their graves read their names as well as "We Were Born Sick, But We Love It."

Around ten that night Mrs. Irwin finally goes back to her home, leaving Ashton and Luke to rest forever beside each other at their lake.