Keith can just blame James for all the crap he got into and the sad part is that it all just started.

Year Two: Fellow Blind Man

Edison Residence - 16:23 PM

Keith had a traumatic day. He doesn't want to talk about it.

He exits the elevator and sees James sitting in their floor's shared living room. He's typing on his laptop with his AirPods in. Is he working on a paper or lab report? Likely not. But it was because of James Pym that he almost got mauled alive by one Rogers twin and taunted by the other. He gets shivers along his spine just by thinking about it.

Keith wants nothing more than to give James a piece of his mind. He doesn't want to get more involved in his dramatic life than he already is. It was bad enough that they were lab partners for one class freshman year and now they were seeing each other too often for his preference.

"Hi, Keith!" James exclaims, taking out his AirPods when he sees him.

"Your ex is crazy," is all Keith says.

James laughs. "Which one?"

Keith isn't amused. He's too tired to deal with this. "I almost died twice."

"That's not so bad. I told you to tell her I was in Communications."

"I tried but I think she could tell if I was lying. She has that kind of pretty face that makes me want to regurgitate the truth and just give her what she wants. I'd feel bad for lying to that face and I don't do well with guilt."

James nods, reflecting on that. "Angela does have that effect on people. It's intimidating but hot."

"You dated her."

James takes a sharp breath as he puts his AirPods back in. "Yup."

Keith nods, turning around and heading back to his room. He could tell by the sound of James' typing that he was writing some sort of report. First it was the occurrence with the Rogers twins and now James is doing homework ... he's calling it a day.

-o-

Daniel doesn't want to talk about today. While he was in the shower, he turned the water up as hot as his body could handle in an attempt to burn the memory away from his skin. The horrors came from when he would close his eyes and he would see himself flying onto Angela or the blurred nothingness from when he was blind. Shivers. The best-case scenario for him would be if he woke up tomorrow or if this memory came back in fifty years; both because he thought today was a fever dream.

Exiting their communal bathroom fully dressed but hair still damp, Daniel walks down the hallway and sees Keith heading to his room that Daniel just passed. Both boys stare at each other, stopping before they intersect. They both have the instinct to talk but don't know what to say or do. They've both experienced some shit today.

"Thanks for that," Keith says meekly.

"Oh…" Daniel mutters, having flashbacks for a quick second. "It's no big deal. Angela's just going through some things and didn't know what to do about it."

"No, you don't get it. You're the only one in your social group who wears glasses so they don't get how important they are. You threw them off for me and we barely know each other. As a fellow blind man, I appreciate that and can't thank you enough."

Daniel's left speechless. He never considered the unspoken value in his glasses since he had nobody to discuss them with. As Keith said, all his friends have perfect vision. And he's had glasses for so long and never really takes them off so, sometimes, he forgets they're there.

Maybe he can try talking to someone about them and see what that's like.

"What's your prescription?" Daniel asks.

"I told you, blind," Keith responds.

"You can't be as blind as me."

"I'll take that challenge."

Daniel takes off his glasses and holds them out. He can't see but Keith looks at him for a few seconds before cooperating. He takes Daniel's glasses with one hand and takes his off with the other. Without their glasses, they look younger, defenceless, and completely dazed because they're so dependant on them.

Both boys don't completely put on the other's glasses but they squint their eyes as they look through the lenses. They're taken aback, gasping and laughing, even trying to put the glasses on all the way to understand it. They can't see the other person but they're both holding their heads and blinking rapidly as they try to adjust.

"How do you see in these?!" Daniel exclaims.

"Your glasses are giving me some terrible double vision and everything is upside down!" Keith yells back.

"It looks like you're near-sighted and far-sighted. How have we made it this far?"

"We have glasses."

"That we do."

As if on cue, they switch glasses again. It's relieving to be with their own prescription and frame again, which now that they notice, are similar. There's no frame around the lens and the arms are thin. Weird, but it's a common pattern.

"I still think I'm blinder," Daniel says.

"I'll give it to you since you sacrificed yourself," Keith responds.

Daniel's about to argue back but his phone starts ringing in his pocket. He takes it out to see who it is and it's Emily.

"I have to take this," Daniel says. He answers the call but doesn't hold the phone to his ear yet.

"Girlfriend?" Keith asks.

Daniel nods. "Long-distance."

"Ah, well, thanks again. Have fun with her."

"Thanks." Daniel walks away, holding the phone to his ear. "Hey, how are you?"

Emily: How am I? Are you really asking me that? Xavier told me you jumped Angela and went blind! What the fuck, are you okay?

Daniel laughs to himself as he enters his dorm. He closes the door behind him and takes a seat at his desk. "Em, I've had quite the day and I was blind for a good part of it so I really can't tell you what happened. Hearing your voice is putting me at so much ease so, please, do all the talking for this call."

Emily: … I love you so much.

Daniel smiles as Emily starts chatting. He could listen to her all day and, sometimes, he has. She could talk about anything and he would listen.

I'm sorry, but Keith and Daniel's conversation about their glasses was so dorky but so, so cute.