When Ashton was drained and could no longer move, he collapsed limply in the alleyway. His skin was pale and sickly, eyes heavily bagged and glassy. His body hurt so much, and he was so tired.

Ashton's eyes shut, as blood from his wounds pooled underneath him, and he let out a few shaky breaths, before consciousness slipped his grasp.

*****

Luke switched on his indicator, as he turned back, returning after their long drive. It proved itself useful as they'd calmed themselves down, and now, Luke felt better. He was confident about finding Ashton, and he felt a lot more brave. He'd be ok.

Luke just about made the turn, when a bloodied hand slapped across Michael's window. Michael screamed, before he peered outside, attempting to locate the body that had fallen limply against the window.

Through the darkness they made out Ashton, bloody, hurt, begging for help and barely clinging onto life.

******

Ashton woke up to a pair of arms tightly bound around his waist, and he was not happy about it.

Horrible screams ripped from his throat and he fell back against the bed, arms pulling the pillows tightly to his chest. He was restrained, his arms and legs getting caught. Ashton screwed his eyes and continued to shriek, every touch to his body causing him distress.

No. No, not again.

Ashton's whole body shook, and incoherent words left his trembling lips, tears grazing his flushed cheeks. The hand rubbed his thigh and he screamed again, breath hitching as he desperately searched for a way to calm himself.

"Princess?"

The soft voice filled Ashton's ears and he directed his watery gaze up at Luke, who was seated beside him, eyes tired.

"L-lu? P-please don't hur-hurt me m's-sorry"

Ashton whines softly, whimpering as he backed away from Luke. Luke's lip trembled and he shook his hands, before he gently held his palm towards Ashton. Luke's other hand carefully untangled the iv tubing Ashton had bound around himself, ocean pools fixed into Ashton's honey gaze.

"It's ok. Just breathe. No one is hurting you, and I'm never letting you leave, ever again."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes darling. And I'm so sorry about that night to, I-"

"I don't care. I- they hi-hit me so m-much a-and ra-raped m-me"

Luke felt Ashton's skinny fingers wrap weakly around his own, and he helped Ashton back into his hospital bed, salty tears finding their way down his face.

Aston was in horrible, horrible, condition.

Raped, beat, bloody, tired, Malnourished, infected and sick, Ashton was struggling to even breathe, and on the brink of death. It was pure torture for Luke, seeing Ashton so broken, yet being completely unable to help. But he had him back. Ashton was back in Luke's arms, and Luke was damn sure he'd never let go again. Michael and Calum were equally as damaged, staying endless hours at the hospital with Luke, attempting to ease Ashton's pain.

But the pain wasn't even half of it.

Mentally, Ashton was doing even worse. The trauma was enough to deal with alone, without all the memories it triggered. Rough jagged marks from handcuffs were evident on Ashton's wrist, and they reminded him all too well of a dark time. A time where he'd been buried in a dark hole, a time where his mental health nearly killed him.

Bruises and injuries were bound to heal, but the scars they'd left in his mind would never fade. There wasn't nearly enough time in the world to even slightly impact it.

Ashton was beyond damaged.

Luke's own mind was restless, constantly wandering as he lay awake at night watching Ashton grasp a few hours of sleep. A few hours on a good night, otherwise he'd be shaken with nightmare after nightmare.

It took a lot to calm him down after, and most nights ended with him in Luke's arms, hands tightly fisting Luke's shirt. Ashton refused to let go, anxiety and fear filling him till he no longer remembered anything that made him feel calm and ok. He was scared of them hurting him again, scared of them somehow hurting Luke and slowly, he was beginning to fear Luke as well.

What if Luke wanted to hurt him?

The paranoia set in, and once the idea was formulated, it stayed ingrained in his brain.

Both Ashton and Luke were near madness.

It was a horrible, dark time for the two, and for Michael and Calum who watched their two best friends suffer, unable to help. Luke's tired mind drifted back to months ago, when he had been sitting on a plane.

The dream.

On that plane ride, Luke had a dream.

A dream that didn't quite make sense then, but now...now, it was becoming more clear. The way Luke had almost been raped, the way Ashton had fallen back to his self harm, it had all been a reflection of the current situation.

Each day was hazy, and a self destructive mess, which left everyone damaged and broken.

It really was hard situation to be in, and a hard one to overcome, but they'd do it. Luke would helped his sunshine, and they'd be ok.

*****

Ashton waved his arms slightly as he described what he remembered of his captors to the sketch artist. Their faces burnt fresh in his mind, and if he had to live with it, he needed to make sure they didn't get away.

Ashton had never been more scared in his life.

Looking back, he thought he was fine, but now, he couldn't even leave his room without Luke. They'd truly hurt Ashton, and as a result, the people he loved as well. It was a dark place to be in, and his unstable mindset had everyone nervous, but Ashton knew they'd get out of the ditch they were so deeply buried in.

As days passed, Ashton became physically stronger, and his body no longer threatened to collapse with every breath. He grew slightly more stable, and within a month, he was able to at least walk around the house alone, without fear of being injured or taken.

Therapy had been recommended, particularly because his PTSD would be highly elevated during New Years. Beyond that, there were other little things that triggered him, so Ashton tried his best to avoid them.

Parties was a big one. Anything in a crowded space had him feeling anxious, and brought him back to the night, which more often than not triggered panic attacks.

That being said, completely empty spaces caused him to panic as well. Dark, empty spaces and anything else that resembled the atmosphere he'd been held captive in was avoided. The little creaks in floorboards, and sometimes, on very bad days, just the sight of something as common as butter or wood planks caused Ashton to retreat to his room as a sobbing mess.

It was complicated, because there was so much everyone around him had to be cautious of, and Ashton did really feel like a burden.

Luke begged to differ, and strongly believed that Ashton was far from being a burden. He tired to keep Ashton in a comfortable space, and tried to keep him calm, which was getting easier as time passed. Luke always knew what to do. He did whatever felt right, and true to his gut, it was. Luke knew exactly what to say, exactly how to hold Ashton, and everything felt normal.

*****

It was yet another late night, and Ashton was tangled with Luke, his fingertips tracing over Luke's sun tattoo on his rib. It was a familiar habit now, and it always calmed Ashton down. It reminded him of Luke's love, and how Luke always made Ashton feel special.

The way he called Ashton radiant, the way he called him his sun...it was everything Ashton could've asked for.

Wrapped up in the cotton sheets as millions of stars danced outside their window, Ashton smiled fondly up at Luke. It was a soft smile, and it brought one to Luke's face as well, his arms gently pulling Ashton's body closer to his own. Ashton's arms found Luke's waist, and his lips brushed over Luke's neck, before his head buried itself into the crook of it.

For the first time in months, Ashton was at ease, and lying beside Luke, he knew he'd be alright.