Disclaimer: This is also on my AO3 account, I'm uploading it here in case anything happens to the AO3 one. I'm not stealing anything. Also I don't know everything about being blind or deaf, so if I get anything wrong please tell me. I want this to be as accurate as possible.

Evan sat in a booth at Caribou Coffee, hands wrapped around the steaming cup of hot chocolate he ordered. His head was bent forward, eyes closed. He opened his eyes, although he still couldn't see. He sighed and sipped his drink.

When he was six-years-old, he got into a car crash and ended up losing his sight. He cried every night for two years, hoping that somehow his sight would return. He prayed and prayed and prayed, but he still wasn't able to see.

It took him five years to get used to it. He learned how to read and write Braille, he got a seeing eye dog that also helped with panic attacks, and he was still able to have visual dreams. However, the people in his dreams were kids and younger versions of his mother and he hardly remembered any of them. His least favorite dream was the reoccurring nightmare of the crash. This lead to many restless nights, and his therapist prescribed him medicine to help him sleep.

He would be lying if he said he didn't miss being able to see his mother's face everyday, or seeing his friend Jared.

He stood up, alerting his dog Charles.

"Go home," he told Charles, grabbing his leash. The dog walked forward, pushing the cafe door open. Evan held it open as he walked out.

The walk home was short. The Caribou was a block away and since Evan has had Charles for a few years, the dog was able to memorize the way home.

Charles sat in front of the apartment door, wagging his tail silently. Evan dug in his pockets for his keys. He felt for the building key. He had his keys covered in different textures so he could tell them apart. The building key had a piece of fabric glued to it and the apartment room key had rubber wrapped around the top.

Evan unlocked the door and Charles started walking again. He felt eyes on him even though nobody was there. Even without sight, he could still tell. There were no shoes smacking against the floor or even the quiet patters of bare feet. After the crash, he learned how to rely on sound more than his other senses.

    Charles stopped in front of the apartment room door. Evan fumbled with the keys, accidentally dropping them. Charles whimpered and took them in his mouth. Evan bent down, patting around to find Charles. He smiled when his palm landed on his mouth. Charles dropped the keys into his palm, licking Evan's hand.

    Evan unlocked the door and pushed it open. He unclipped Charles from his leash and the dog ran into the room.

    "Charles, sit," Evan commanded. The dog whined but complied, looking at the boy. He grabbed his cane that was leaning against the wall by the door and held it out in front of him. The cane bumped against Charles.

    Evan kneeled and began undoing Charles' work vest. "There you go." Evan stood up, stumbling a bit, and made his way over to the closet in the entry way. He felt for the hooks on the wall. When he found it, he put the vest on it. He hung up his keys on the hook next to it.

    Evan made his way over to the hallway that lead to the bedrooms. He ran his fingers across the wall, searching for his room. His fingers grazed the doorknob and he turned it, pushing the door open.

    Walking to the left, he climbed onto his bed. He reached for his large book about nature which was on the shelf above the bed. He lay on his stomach, head resting on his pillow. The fluffy pillow case tickled his neck.

    The end of the bed dipped down as Charles jumped on it. He walked over to Evan and rested his chin on his back, closing his eyes. Evan reached back and rubbed his head. The dog's long fur was rough between his fingers.

    His fingers ran across the paper, over the little bumps. A small smile was plastered on Evan's face. He enjoyed the feeling of Braille. The bumps helped him calm down or ground himself after long days. His younger self hated the feeling. It made him uncomfortable and mad, mad that he wasn't allowed to read regular books, mad that he couldn't move more than five feet without bumping into a piece of furniture. Mad at the driver that took away his sight. Being mad didn't make him shout or stomp his feet; it made him cry for hours until it was way passed midnight and he didn't have the energy to cry anymore.

    The sound of the front door opening broke him out of his thoughts. Evan placed his bookmark on the page as Charles jumped off the bed and ran down the hall. Evan walked down the hall and heard his mother laughing.

    "Charles, enough," she said. Charles barked quietly but stopped what he was doing. "We have got to teach him to not lick faces."

    Evan chuckled. "I thought you didn't get home until nine," he said.

    "It is nine, sweetie," Heidi replied, her voice getting farther away. Her footsteps gave Evan the thought that she was in the kitchen. "Did you eat? I can make something if you want."

    "I didn't realize the time." He rubbed the back of his neck and fidgeted with his hair, which he'd have to get cut soon. "And sure. I mean, sure as in you can make something. Not sure as in I did eat."

    His cane knocked into the kitchen table and Evan felt around for a chair. He pulled out the wooden chair and sat down, letting his cane lean against the table. He ran a hand through his hair, fingers getting caught in the tangles. He winced as he pulled his fingers through.

    "How was your day?" Heidi asked, rummaging through the fridge. Jars clanged together as she searched.

    Evan shrugged, eyes focused on the table. "I went to Caribou with Charles," he said.

    "That all?" Heidi's voice was clearer now that her face wasn't in the fridge. She let the door slam shut. Evan jumped. "Nobody bothered you right?"

    "No."

    Sometimes when Evan went out with Charles, people, mostly kids, would ask to pet him. Most of the time they would walk away if he said no, but a few would ignore his explanation and pet Charles anyways.

    Evan sensed Heidi near him and was proven correct when she set a plate in front of him. "It's peanut butter and apple jelly."

    Evan grabbed the sandwich and took a small bite. He wasn't really hungry, but he didn't want his mother to worry.

    Heidi seemed pleased with that and walked back to the kitchen. "I hate to run off again, but I'm almost late for class," she said. "Remember that you have a doctor's appointment on Friday. I love you, Evan!" She gave him a quick hug and left.

    "Love you too," Evan whispered as he heard the door lock. He sighed and pushed his plate away, letting his head fall onto the table. He wasn't hungry anymore.

His dreams that night were weird. He dreamed of memories. He dreamed of his father the day he left. He dreamed of the crash.

    Evan jolted awake. Tears pricked his eyes as he looked around. Charles who was laying at his feet was now standing next to him, paws on his lap and tongue on his face. Evan ran his fingers through his fur, calming himself down.

    Evan reached for his phone under his pillow. He held the home button and listened for Siri to pop up.

    "What time is it?" he asked into the phone.

    "It is currently 8:48 A.M." Siri replied. Evan turned off the phone and slid it back under the pillow. Charles was now laying on his legs, panting and nudging Evan's hands.

    "I'm okay, Charles," he whispered. Heidi was probably sleeping and he didn't want to risk waking her up. "It was just a dream."

    Charles didn't seem to understand and he whimpered, licking Evan's palm. Evan grimaced and pulled his hand away. He wiped his hand on the blanket. He sighed, letting his hand drop on Charles's back.

    "Wanna go for a walk?" Evan asked the dog. The dog stood up and jumped off the bed. Evan heard him trot out of the room. He stood up and walked over to his closet. Opening the door, he searched for a shirt. He pulled one out, not caring which one because he only had one kind of shirt, and put it on. He slept in a pair of jeans so he didn't need to change them.

    He walked out of his room with a piece of Braille paper, a slate, and a stylus in his hands. He quickly wrote a note saying he was taking Charles for a walk and stopping at Caribou Coffee in case Heidi woke up and he was still gone.

He left the writing tools on the table and walked over to the entry way. He felt around for his shoes and slipped them on. He hooked Charles up to his leash and working harness. Unlocking the door, he stepped outside and walked down the hallway.

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Let me quickly explain something. This story is divided into four arcs. The character development arc where characters and relationships are established, Evan's arc, Jared's arc, and Connor's arc in that order. The first two arcs as of right now are completed. Jared's arc is in progress
Chapters 1-22 is the character development arc
Chapters 23–28 is Evan's arc
Chapters 29–??? is Jared's arc (this will be updated when his arc is finished)
Chapters ???—??? is Connor's arc (this will be updated when his arc is finished)