Your Guardian Angel

I felt... cold. And tired... I opened my eyes, searching for something familiar, but... everything was dark. Where was I? This wasn't the bus, and it sure as hell wasn't Hollywood. So where was I? What even happened? I... I remember going out... and then getting hit a few times before crumpling up in a ball... I remember hearing Ashley fighting them off, and taking me to the bus. "Thank you..." I remember mumbling before falling asleep, but I don't know that Ashley had caught it.
Ashley had saved me... For some reason, though, it didn't feel like the first time he had done so.
Suddenly the empty blackness of the room changed. I looked around, taking in the new scenery. It looked extremely familiar to me, almost like I had been there before... Was this Ohio? I looked up, catching a glimpse of a very familiar building.
High school.
"Hey, Ballsack!" the voice sent chills down my spine as I looked around for the source. Tommy? What was he doing here? "Where are you running off to?"
"Away from you!" A scared voice sounded from behind me, but I was too engrossed in the group of boys that had once tormented me in high school.
"What the hell?" I muttered, but the group of boys kept on walking. I watched oddly as they walked towards me, no sign of any acknowledgment of my presence. "Uh- wait, stop." I warned, fearing they would run me over. But they didn't. They didn't stop, nor did they run me over.
They passed right through me like I was some sort of ghost...
Oh my god, was I dead?! I began freaking out, pulling at my hair, and pinching my arm. I didn't feel dead... so what was this? I turned to see where the group was going and stopped dead as my eyes rested on a frail, trembling boy walking faster with each step away from the group.
That was me... But that was me when I was 15, so how was I both there, and here?
Was this a dream...?
"Off to go be a faggot?" Tommy cackled.
"Fuckin' clever, douche. But yeah, sure. Will you leave me to that?" I- well, my past self, anyways- turned on his heel and spat in their face.
Oh god, how I regretted that...
"Fucking fag!" I watched in horror as fists collided with my face, breaking my nose, splitting my lip, giving me horrible black eyes. My past self fell to the ground in a crumpled ball, taking each kick to the ribs and stomach until both eyes closed. That's right... I was out cold after that... and when I woke up, the three guys were out cold next to me. The odd thing was, no one else was around during that, so I never got to thank them or know who had saved me...
I walked closer to my still form, observing the wounds. Man, I looked like shit...
"Get away from him." a new voice growled from behind me. I stiffened. The voice seemed to register in my mind as someone I knew... Maybe I'd finally get to see who the guy was! Finally... 5 years later, and I get to see who had saved me that day. I stood up and turned around, eager to see.
The moment I saw, I swear my heart had stopped beating.
"Where the fuck did he come from?!"
"Seems like he wants a taste!"
The words blurred together, my vision going fuzzy as I fell to my knees in shock. My mouth fell open, eyes wide and scared as I watched my best friend- who looks no older than he is now- defend my unconscious form.
"A-Ashley..." I gasped shakily. He stood still for a moment, catching his breath and looking at his bloodied fists. Ashley turned and walked right through me, kneeling next to my past self. I turned and watched as he brushed the messy hair out of my messed up face.
"You'll be okay, baby boy..." he murmured and picked me up, carrying me down the street to where my house was. I ran after them, following. The scene suddenly shifted. It was a small, cluttered room. Clothes, pens and notebooks littered the floor; posters and drawings covering the walls.
My old bedroom.
Ashley laid me in my bed, pulling the covers over me. He stood up straight and... Holy shit.
I watched, covering my mouth, as two, almost blinding, white wings spread from his shoulder blades. They spread to either side of the cramped room. Truly wings of an angel... I wanted to reach out and touch them, but my hands went right through them, like I was a hologram.
This was a dream, I guess... Maybe it wasn't real...
I studied Ashley's crestfallen expression as the pure wings turned to a deep, ash color in a matter of seconds. What was that all about?
"I failed you, blue eyes..." Ashley whispered, kneeling down again. "I won't be there for you anymore. I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me..." I watched him place a small batman necklace in my hand with my name carved on it. I had always wondered where it came from... I had always assumed I had found it with whatever luck I had back then...
Was this real? Or was it really just a crazy dream?
A crazy, realistic dream?
Ashley kissed my forehead softly before muttering a soft 'goodbye, Andrew Dennis Biersack. My little baby Batman...' and vanished into thin air.
My trembling fingers reached up to touch my forehead, the exact place Ashley's lips had been.
This... this couldn't be...
My saviour was my best friend, and my best friend was... What was he?
Everything went black again and my eyes shot open for real this time. I gasped for air and sat up quickly, looking down at Ashley. I fell asleep on his chest again... I always had weird dreams when I did that...
"Wh-what just happened- oh my god.." I ran my shaking hands through my hair and stared at nothing, eyes wide.
"Hm... what?" Ashley mumbled groggily and sat up. "What's up, kid? Bad dream?"
I jumped and pushed myself to the corner of the bunk, pulling my legs to my chest.
"Wh-who are y-you?" I asked in barely a whisper. My eyes stung as I stared at Ashley in fear and confusion, feeling as if my best friend was just a lie.
"What do you mean?" He frowned. "I'm Ashley... same as I've always been.." he shrugged.
"N-no." I shook my head wildly. "You were there. It was you the whole time."
"What do you-"
I cut Ashley off, opening my mouth to speak again.
"What the hell are you..."