Love and Loss

- existential -

Ashton Wildes is a scrawny boy. He wears sweaters sizes too big for him because his hands always get cold, and he wanted to keep them warm. He hardly ever spoke a word to anyone he didn't know, so, as you'd expect, he blended into the background fairly well. He's had a crush on Juniper Smith since the day he'd seen him. He wanted to talk to him, but he didn't know how. What's worse is the fact that he couldn't ask for advice. He's closeted to everyone he knows in fear of them not seeing him as... well, human.
Juniper Smith, on the other hand, was openly gay to anyone and everyone he came across. He never really cared about what anyone had to say about him. His clothing consisted of a patched up black hoodie and a black chullo hat with white details. He's pretty smart, and tends to be a social butterfly. Ashton never understood how anyone could be so confident.
---------------------------------------------------------
They finally came together in their sophomore year at high school, when Ashton finally got the courage to come out to everyone, all of the pieces just fit together. It was a typical romance, but gayer. They were absolutely adorable together, and everyone knew it. They were that one couple that others always compared themselves to. To put it simply: perfection, and everything stayed that way for a good while, until Juniper started acting strange, and that's where we begin.
---------------------------------------------------------
Ashton drove over to Juniper's house, since he had gotten the 'okay' from his parents to spend the night. He knocked on the door, his silvery eyes shining with joy.
Juniper opened the door. He had bags under his eyes, and he didn't exactly look like himself. To put it in a simple word, he was gray. Nevertheless, Ashton beamed at him.
"Hey Juni!" He greeted with excitement.
"Hey Ash" Juniper replied in a tired voice.
"Come in."
Ashton nodded and walked into Juniper's house, and closed the door behind him. He had noticed that something was off with him, but he was debating on whether or not to ask. After all, he didn't want to be rude.
Juniper came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his head on Ashton's shoulder lightly.
"I love you" he said in a whisper like tone.
This made the smaller boy blush a light pink hue "I love you too Juni."
They stayed there like that for a while, just enjoying one another's presence. However, Ashton felt a certain sadness in the air that made it feel stiff and sickening. Juniper eventually let go and faced him.
"I was thinking that... maybe we could go stargazing or something like that?" The tired boy suggested.
Ashton's face lit up. He loved space. "Absolutely!"
Juniper took Ashton's hand, smiling at him softly and weakly as he walked with him to the backyard, finding a soft spot on the grass to lie down on.
Ashton laid down right next to him in silence for awhile, trying to find the right words to say.
"Hey Juni... what's going on with you? Y-you seem really down lately and I just... I'm worried and I want to know..." the boy stated in a shy tone.
"Hm? Oh. Nothing's been wrong babe, don't worry about it, alright?" Juniper lied quickly.
"I can tell when something's on your mind, Juni. This... this is one of those times."
Juniper took a deep sigh before opening up to him.
"Do... you ever feel like nothing you do is ever gonna matter in the end? No matter how hard you try you'll never be noticed. No matter how much 'potential' other people say you have... you're never going to make it. Because there's always someone out there that's a million times better than you could ever hope to be?"
Ashton found himself speechless. Juniper was... scared of being forgotten? Was that it?
"I... no. I haven't felt like that. I can only imagine... but I can tell you that none of that is true. You do have potential, and you have the strength and confidence to reach to the sky and touch the stars. I believe in you."
Juniper shifted his gaze to the smaller boy, who had a determined and loving look on his face. He felt a smile crawl across the corners of his mouth.
"I love you so much... thank you."
Ashton nodded and curled up into a ball, cuddling him until he fell asleep.
Juniper held the sleeping boy in his arms, smiling like a fool. He looked so adorable and peaceful. He started drifting off himself, loving the moment. Loving this happy ending he had somehow found himself in. But most importantly, loving Ashton with all of his heart.
"Goodnight Ash..."

AN: holy shit that's 801 words right there. Anyways, I hope you liked this first part of the story, I'll try to update as much as I can. I have... a lot planned for it. Peace.
-OutTheCrypt