Ashley stood on his outside porch, looking at the night sky. The air was crisp and cool, and stars shown brightly against the blackness of the sky. He sighed peacefully as he sat down to watch the stars as they twinkled before his eyes, and smiled as a shooting star danced through the sky.
Suddenly, a bright light blinded Ashley. A loud thud sounded from the street, which the house faced. The sound and uncanny bright light brought Ashley to his feet to investigate. He was no longer completely peaceful; he was curious and wanted to know what had happened. He knew that something had fallen from the sky because nothing near the ground would have made that loud of a noise. He was racking his mind, trying to figure out a logical solution, but his brain was empty.
He arrived at the scene, and found someone laying on the ground. The night was dark, but Ashley knew the silhouette of a human being when he saw one.
"Are you okay? Have you fallen?" Ashley asked. There was no response. The person on the ground was either passed out or dead.
Ashley felt for a pulse, and was relieved to find a strongly beating heart. He picked the person up and held them in his arms. He felt like he was wearing something really soft on his back, but Ashley didn't think much of it. It was the twenty-first century, and outfits were getting stranger and more revealing every day. He took the person, who he assumed to be male because he did not have breasts, back to his house so he could be out of the middle of the street.
Ashley set him on the couch, making sure not to move the head too much in case of an injury. He made sure that he was still breathing, and that his heart was still beating as hard as earlier.
He turned on the light to assess any minor injuries that he knew how to take care of, such as a simple scrape or, worst case scenario, a broken bone. He gasped as he saw what lay before him.
A young, beautiful man was lying on Ashley's couch. He had short black hair and was wearing tattered and burnt black jeans with combat boots. He had a lip ring and a nose ring, along with both of his ears pierced.
He had wings. Large, black wings stretched out under the man like a blanket, but it was obvious to Ashley what they were.
Ashley felt like he couldn't catch his breath. What had he gotten himself into? What was this that was inside of his house?
"This isn't real. I am dreaming. I am going to wake up any second now." Ashley said to himself, but he knew that he couldn't be. He wasn't imaginative to the point of making up a dream so unrealistic, so crazy, that he could feel his own heart rate increasing.
"They're fake. They've got to be." Ashley said, still trying to come up with an explanation.
The man's hand twitched, signaling that he was conscious, and Ashley hid behind a door, scared that he would be dangerous and lash out if the first thing that he saw was someone looking at him.
His eyes opened, and Ashley's breath caught in his throat. Piercing blue cut through even the thickest black of his hair. They were so beautiful, and Ashley felt like he could drown in them, much like the bluest waters of the ocean.
He blinked a few times, looking confused as he took in his surroundings. He groaned in pain as he sat up and twisted his back, toward Ashley.
Ashley saw the realness of the black wings, how they were grafted so naturally to his back, and how they looked strong and full of life.
He turned around and saw Ashley. He looked scared, like he had been suddenly startled. As he tried to stand up, he fell back down and crumpled on the ground. He tried to stand up, but he couldn't. Ashley walked over to him, held his arm, and helped him sit back on the couch.
"Thank you." he said, his eyes still filled with fear.
"You're welcome." Ashley replied.
"Where am I?" He asked, looking around and rubbing his left shoulder with his right hand.
"This is my house. You were passed out on the street out there, and I didn't want you to get hit by a car or something, so I brought you in here." Ashley explained.
The man nodded, understanding. He didn't look as scared as he had previously, but there was still a hint of something in his eyes that reminded Ashley of a mixture of fear and sadness.
He coughed, his throat sounding coarse and dry.
"Do you need a drink?" Ashley asked. He nodded, still coughing. Ashley quickly walked into the kitchen, poured a glass of ice water, and brought it to the man. He took a few sips and sighed in pleasure.
"Thank you." He said again, as he took another swallow. He was very polite.
He finished his drink and set the glass on an end table next to where he was sitting.
The two sat in comfortable silence. Ashley looked at the man again, and was still baffled at how gorgeous he was. He was lean, tall, and had long black hair that fell to his chest. He had a sleeve of tattoos on one arm, and a few scattered on his other. The feature that continued to stick out to Ashley was his amazing, beautiful eyes.
"Are you okay?" He asked, breaking Ashley from his trance. Ashley nodded.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff." He replied.
"Stuff? Mind if I ask what?"
Ashley shook his head. "Just...stuff. In general. Nothing too huge; just thinking about life." He said.
"I'm Ashley, by the way." Ashley said, holding out his hand. The man shook it.
"I'm Andy." He replied. "Pleasure to meet you, Ashley." He smiled, and Ashley felt at ease.