Machines beeped and clicked as Evan gained consciousness. He groaned, lifting his hand. He hissed as pain shot through the arm. He opened his eyes, staring at the white ceiling.

    Wait. White ceiling?

    Evan sat up, ignoring the pain in his wrist and leg and how the IV and needles pulled at his skin. His eyes scanned the room, taking in every single detail. What the machines looked like, the flowers on the table next to him, even the ceiling tile patterns.

    He looked down at his arms. There was gauze wrapped around his left arm, while his right one was hooked up to an IV. His gaze traveled to his left leg, which was in a cast and sticking out from the hospital blanket. The leg was raised in a sling.

    His heart was slamming against his rib cage, his breathing got short and hard. Tears pricked his eyes and he furiously wiped them away, but they kept coming. Soon, he was sobbing on the hospital bed. He put his face in his hands. The heart monitor was going crazy and doctors and nurses were surrounding him, making the panic worse.

    He tried to get them to go away, to stop touching him, stop crowding him, stop shouting in his face. All but one nurse got the hint, and she knelt right next to him, running a hand through his hair. It took him a few minutes, but Evan calmed down to where he was just shaking and hiccuping. He turned and faced the nurse.

    "Mom?" he whispered. Heidi broke out into a grin and gently pulled her son close. Evan wrapped his injured arm around her, putting his face into her neck. More tears slid down his face, getting her neck and shirt wet.

    He pulled away and stared at her, taking in everything he could. She looked the same from when he was a kid, except she had some wrinkles and dark bags under her eyes.

    I caused that. . .

    Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail. A few stray tears slipped passed Evan's defenses, and she wiped them away.

    "Oh baby," she said. "I was so scared. When I heard you were in a crash, I feared the worst. I heard from Darla that you slipped into a coma after surgery. I had to take a few days off because I was so devastated I couldn't work."

    "How?" Evan asked, his voice hoarse. "How, how am I able to see?"

    Heidi smiled sadly. "I wanted it to be a surprise for your birthday next year," she explained. "But then I heard what happened and decided to pay for your eye surgery sooner."

    "But we can't, can't afford it! Now y-you'll have to t-take extra hours."

    "Don't worry honey," she whispered, running a hand through her son's hair again. "It doesn't matter how much it was, I'm just glad you're alright."

    Evan stared at his mom. He fiddled with the hospital sheet, trying not to tear a hole in case they ended up having to pay for it. He dropped his gaze to his hands, getting lost in thought.

    He hardly remembered anything from the crash. He remembered Connor speeding up and swerving, but nothing between that.

    Connor. Was he here? Was he injured?

    "Where's, where's Connor? Is he okay?"

    "He's in the waiting room," Heidi said. "He had a sprained knee but it's mostly healed. He has some scars on his face from the broken windshield. Should I send him in?"

    Evan nodded frantically. He wanted to see what his friend (boyfriend? Were they there yet? Sure they'd kissed a few times but does that automatically mean they're dating?) looked like. He obviously had a basic understanding; eyes, nose, ears, long hair. But he wanted to see his eyes, see his smile, see him laugh.

    Evan smiled and busied himself with looking at the flowers. There were mostly red and white flowers. He wasn't sure what they were called, but they were pretty.

    A sudden thought crashed through his mind. He would have to learn how to read and write again. He had a basic understanding, he remembered what letters were in which words and what sound they made. But he forgot what they looked like. Or he could just stick with reading and writing in Braille. It wouldn't be that bad, would it?

    His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Evan looked over. A tall boy with shoulder length hair stood under the frame. He wore a black hoodie and dark jeans. He was sporting a wrapped up knee and crutch, along with gauze wrapped around his head. Evan noticed the scars on his chin and nose.

    He's gorgeous.

    Connor froze, staring at Evan with wide eyes. A light blush spread across his cheeks.

    "Did I say that out loud?" Evan asked. Connor nodded and made his way over to the blond boy. He took a seat in the chair to the right of him, letting his crutch lean again the wall.

    'So you can see now?' Connor signed.

    Evan nodded, a big grin spreading across his face. 'It's so weird,' he signed. 'I haven't been able to see for ten years, I'm not sure if I like it.'

    'You get used to it,' Connor signed back. Evan giggled.

    'Now that I can see, you won't have to hold my sweaty hand to talk.'

    Connor smiled. Evan had only been able to see for ten minutes, but Connor smiling was already his favorite sight.

    'Although, with my arm we'll probably have to keep doing that for a while.' Evan let out a breathy laugh.

    Evan stared at his hands again. He glanced at Connor. Or more specifically his hair. He wanted to thread his fingers through it. He'd done it plenty of times, but he's never been able to see it, see his fingers disappear into the thick locks. So that's what he did. He reached a hand forward, wincing as the IV pulled on his skin.

    Connor, not wanting to see Evan in more pain than he already is, put his head forward, letting Evan pet him. He liked the feeling of Evan's fingers in his hair, it always calmed him down. He kept his gaze focused on Evan's face, watching the awe and happiness pass through his features.

    Evan's fingers got stuck in the tangles. Evan made a quiet gasping noise. Connor sat up straight and looked at the blond boy. Evan's hand was still in the air and he didn't move. Connor knitted his eyebrows, he didn't look like he was in pain.

    "Trees," he whispered out loud.

    "Trees?' Connor repeated.

    "Yes!" Evan squealed. "I'll be able to see trees again! I'll be able to climb them and look at them and maybe even plant one!" He lightly bounced in the bed like an excited five-year-old. A genuine smile was plastered on his face. "When we get out of here, we have to go see some!"

    Connor nodded, not fully understanding what he said. He caught words like "trees" and "climb" and "see", so he had an idea on what he was talking about.

    A doctor walked over to the two. She was holding a clipboard and had a pen behind her ear. "Good morning, Evan," she said, smiling. "I'm glad the surgery went well. You aren't experiencing anything? No pain or discomfort?"

    Evan shook his head. "No," he replied. "Nothing, nothing like that. But I, I was a, a bit overwhelmed when, when I woke up."

    The doctor nodded. "That makes sense. I would've felt the same way if I woke up with my sight back. Or rather, without sight."

    Evan gave an uncomfortable smile and picked at the gauze on his arm.

    "Alright," the doctor continued, "if you're not in any pain, you should be able to go home tomorrow. Make sure to watch that arm and leg, don't be running any marathons now."

    She turned to leave. "Wait!" Evan blurted, reaching his broken arm out. The doctor turned back around, staring at the blond boy. Evan blushed and leaned back down. "I, I heard that, that I was in a coma?"

    "Ah yes," she explained. "You were resting after surgery for your leg. After a week, we decided to go ahead and do your eye surgery. Something went wrong during it and we had to stop the operation. For some reason, you weren't healing fast enough so we had to put you into a coma. But you're just fine now." She flashed a smiled before leaving.

    Evan swallowed and looked back at Connor. Connor grabbed the hand that wasn't wrapped in gauze and lightly squeezed it.

The next morning, which Evan learned was Saturday, Heidi arrived early to check him out before work. On the drive home, Evan stared out the window the entire time, taking in the scene. Colors and shapes flew by them. He mostly enjoyed the trees.

    They got to a large building. Evan assumed it was their apartment. Heidi parked the car near the doors and they both climbed out. Heidi helped Evan steady himself with his crutch. She lead him through the parking lot and into the building.

    Evan took his time walking. He didn't want to somehow injure his leg or arm any more than it already is. He tried to take in everything he saw. The floor was a dark color, navy blue perhaps? The walls were a creamish color and lights hung from the ceiling.

    He almost bumped into Heidi when she stopped walking. She had her keys out and was unlocking the door in front of them. The room number was 113.

    Heidi pushed the door open and stepped aside, letting Evan in first. Taking a deep breath, he slowly made his way inside. The first thing he noticed was a dog with brown and black fur laying on the floor, causing Evan to nearly trip. The dog popped his head up, staring at the boy.

    "Charles," Evan whispered. The dog barked and stood up. Evan was about to bend down and pet him, but he remembered his leg and decided against it. Charles rubbed himself against Evan's good leg. Evan smiled and carefully maneuvered himself around the dog.

    He walked through the house, taking in every single detail. There was a couch next to him with rips on the sides and dog fur and fuzz on the cushions. There was a large stain right in front of the couch and Evan briefly wondered where it came from. There were pictures hanging up on the wall by the TV. They consisted of a younger Heidi and a small boy who Evan assumed was himself.

    He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen. The sides of the cabinets were dirty. At the end of the kitchen was a bowl of water and dog food.

    He heard Heidi announce that she had to get to work and to call if he needed anything. He nodded in response but wasn't sure if she saw. He wandered away from the kitchen and over to the hallway. The walls were bare. There was a door at the beginning of the hall and two others at the end. He peeked inside the door next to him.

    A large bed was against the wall facing the door. Curtains were pulled back to bring in light. A white dresser with purple and pink flowers was beside the bed. It was Heidi's room.

    He left the room and continued down the hall. The room ahead of him was a bathroom. He didn't bother looking in there. The door to the right of him was closed. He twisted the knob and pushed it open.

    He took one step in and flipped the switch on the wall. The room lit up and the first thing he noticed was how messy the room was. There were clothes on the floor, his bed wasn't made, the shelves attached to the bed were cluttered with paper and books. He looked at his cast. He wouldn't be able to clean anytime soon.

    He carefully maneuvered himself across the mess. He sat on his bed and just took in everything. He could see. He could see. He didn't know how to feel about that. He spent his whole life without sight and now he felt. . . Off. Overwhelmed. Distressed. Sad, maybe? He couldn't pin a single emotion on the situation.

    Charles came trotting into the room and leaped onto the bed. Evan ran a hand through the dog's fur. The dog placed his chin and paws on Evan's thigh.

    Evan fished his phone out of his pocket when it buzzed.

    "Connor:," the phone read out loud, "'Can I come over? My dad keeps scolding me for the crash."

    Evan slid his phone across the notification and was taken to the messages app. He stared at the keyboard. He pressed his finger on a letter and silently cheered when the phone read out S. It took him five minutes to type out the full message.

    Connor's response was a simple "K".

Connor arrived fifteen minutes later. Evan stood outside the apartment, waiting for him. The tall boy strolled up the stairs. Evan stared at him, eye drifting up and down to take his appearance in. He gave a little wave and turned to unlock the building door.

    Evan hung up his keys and balanced himself on his crutch to carefully kick off his shoes. His shoes landed near Connor's boots. The two boys made their way over to couch and sat down.

    Evan leaned his crutch against the arm of the couch. He looked at Connor, at his knee, at the small but noticeable scars on his face, at the large stitch across his forehead. Guilt coursed through his body and he looked away.

    He took hold of the boy's hand. 'I'm sorry.'

    'For what?' Connor asked.

    Evan sighed. 'For getting us into the crash.'

    'But you weren't the one driving.'

    'I made you upset. If I hadn't said anything, we would be fine.'

    Connor cleared his throat, causing Evan to turn his head. His eyes darted over each white line on his face. 'Evan,' Connor said, 'it wasn't your fault. If anything it was the drive that decided to cut in front of us.'

    'What even happened?' Evan asked.

    'I was speeding, I'll admit,' Connor explained, 'but someone decided to not slow down and sped in front of us. I had to swerve otherwise we would've hit them. So we hit a streetlight and, get this, the other driver ended up crashing into the side of the car. Larry was pissed at the damage and when he got to the hospital, he started yelling at the guy. About how he was paying for the car.'

    Evan quickly wiped his hand on his leg before returning it to Connor's grasp. 'Still, if I hadn't made you mad--'

    '—Evan,' Connor cut him off. 'Stop blaming yourself. You didn't do anything. I've driven way madder than that. There just happened to be different causes to it, but you are not one of them.'

    Evan ducked his head. 'But still.'

    Connor sighed. 'Okay, new rule: no more blaming yourself unless you one hundred percent did it.'

    Evan furrowed his eyebrows but nodded. Connor dug around in his bag that Evan just noticed. He held up a thick DVD case and smiled. 'Let's watch Star Wars so you can see the terrible CGI that is the prequels,' he said.

    Connor stood up and made his way over to the TV. The TV and DVD player turned on. Connor slipped a disk into the device and closed it. He walked back over to the couch and sat next to Evan.

    The music started, causing Evan to jump closer to Connor. Both boys blushed but neither made the choice to move away. Although Evan shifted himself so his hand wasn't on Connor's thigh.

    Throughout the movie, Evan kept commenting about everything.

    'Is that really what the Jedi used to wear?'

    Connor nodded.

    'I agree with the sand thing, but why is Anakin so whiny about everything?' Connor barked out a laugh and shrugged.

    'The lightsabers battles are less intense than I pictured.'

    'Wait until we get to The Force Awakens,' Connor replied.

They made it through Episodes I-VI before Evan started yawning. They had hardly started episode V. Connor turned the volume down but left the TV on. Evan subconsciously tucked his legs under himself and wrapped his arms around Connor's left arm. Evan's eyes fluttered shut as the sound of the front door opening. Connor shifted a bit and Evan found himself laying down instead of leaning against the tall boy. A whine escaped his lips and he caught a high pitched voice chuckling in response.

    A pair of lips touched his forehead and Evan had no idea if it was Heidi or Connor. He didn't care either way.