even if he falls :: lashton

two

two

when luke got home from school, he cried.

of course, calum had come home with him and luke told him to wait up in his bedroom while he "went to the bathroom," which really meant he was going to his mom's room to cry over what happened. his mom knew how much trouble luke had with making friends and dealing with new places, and she never knew what, exactly, to do. she held him as tears fell down the blonde's cheeks and he explained his absolutely awful day.

since he was little, his mom and dad dealt with this. he had his good days more often than not, which made their hearts erupt with joy. but sometimes the world was just a little too much for little luke, and all they could do was try to slow it down. 

some days, it was just harder.

"luke, baby," his mom, liz, mumbled, with his father sitting on the bed next to her, "why don't you go splash cold water on your face and calm down? go hang out with calum and when he goes home, we'll go out to eat. how's that sound?"

luke nodded. "good," he hiccuped, missing the pitiful glances his parents shared as he left the room.

he made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him and doing his best to make the red in his cheeks die down. it would be humiliating if calum knew what a baby he was when faced with tough times. even though calum was aware of luke's streak of anxiety attacks and getting sick in class quite often due to stress, he never knew the extent of luke's feelings. luke wanted to keep it that way. 

it was bad enough he had his best friend worrying about him during final week, or when they rode that big scary roller coaster at the fair. it was humiliating that he was just this big wuss who always cried over small things. 

when he felt he looked good as new, he walked into his bedroom and plopped down onto his bed. "how was your first day?" he asked calum, and the dark haired boy shrugged.

"it was okay. it sucks we don't even have lunch together. i had to sit with kaylie jordan today," he scrunched up his nose. "she still has that weird crush on you, luke. i literally spent the entire lunch period answering questions about you."

luke blushed, though he didn't mean to. "i had another attack during lunch," he bit his lip, cringing at the thought. "i was sitting at this guy's table and i was scared he was gonna' hit me, so i tried to leave but i fell. then in the bathroom, ashton helped me calm down. i'm the most embarrassing human." calum giggled a little bit.

"it's okay, luke. everyone says it'll get easier."

and luke just hoped he was right.

//

luke and his parents showed up at this casual, sports themed restaurant that had mostly had pizza and wings so that his father could watch the game. they were seated at a table with a television a few meters away. liz didn't approve.

"tell me about your day," liz smiled at her son, and he was about to answer when their waiter came, and his bad luck streak was continuing.

"hi, guys. my name's ashton, i'll be helping you this evening. what can i start you off - oh, hi, luke! wow, this is, like, the third time today."

luke smiled tightly, feeling his stomach rushing with butterflies and his cheeks burning red. "hi," he got out, ignoring his mom's looks of confusion being passed around the table. it was awkwardly quiet as luke just made eye contact with his parents and ashton over and over until ashton asked what they wanted to drink. after they ordered appetizers, ashton walked away and luke sighed in relief.

liz saved giving her son a heart attack by not asking any questions. "he was nice," she said, her voice trailing off at the end, curious as to if luke would say who that boy was.

"that's just this senior who helped me find my class," luke choked out.

"he was cute," his mom winked while his father furrowed his eyebrows. luke didn't know how his mom knew that he was gay, and it honestly freaked him out. but she'd figured it out at some point, and ever since, it was just known. "i bet he thinks you're cute, too. a senior boyfriend, luke! i had one of those . . ." she stopped when ashton was coming back with their drinks.

when he walked away, luke's eyes widened. "mom, stop," he pleaded. "he probably doesn't think i'm cute, he probably thinks i'm weird. he, like, calmed me down when i had a little attack in the bathroom. i dunno'." luke's mom frowned, but her respect for the older boy increased by the thousands when she heard he'd helped her little boy. luke sipped at his coke miserably, wanting ashton to never come back to their table. unfortunately, no one was listening to his mental prayers to the aboves and beyonds, because a few moments later, ashton trotted over with his little notebook and pen behind his ear. 

liz beamed up at the boy with the curly hair. "ashton, was it?" 

ashton grinned. "that's me." 

luke buried his head in his face as his mom spoke with the extremely attractive senior boy. his life was over before it even started. "i just want to thank you," she gushed, gesturing towards her son, who refused to remove his face from his sweater paws. "luke doesn't have the best luck sometimes and it means the world that you were there for him." 

if luke'd looked up, he would've seen ashton looking down at him fondly, and seen his mother mouthing, thank you thank you thank you, and luke's father looking equally as grateful. he would have seen ashton smiling, dimples and all, and he would have seen the way the smile lingered for a heartbeat longer than it should've. 

"are you guys ready to order?" 

the rest of dinner went by smoothly, the only encounters after that being when ashton had to actually do his job and refill their cups and bring them their check. luke's family were on their way out when ashton grabbed luke's hand. 

to say that lightning bolts didn't shoot through every vein in his arm would be a lie. 

luke's mom knew very well that her son was stopped by the older boy and just dragged her husband to the car to let them have their privacy. luke looked up at ashton in surprise, his cheeks red already, trying to calm his thick heartbeat, noticing how ashton didn't let go of his hand until luke glanced down at the interlocked fingers. "i just want to make sure you're okay," ashton whispered. 

of course. 

"i'm fine," luke muttered. he didn't need another person in his life to baby him. ashton clearly had good judgment because he couldn't believe a lick of what luke claimed. "i am. it was just an anxiety attack, i get them all the time. don't worry about me." 

ashton looked deep, deep, deep into luke's baby blues. "i can't just not worry," he said, his voice calm and laced with genuine concern. his eyebrows were furrowed over his careful hazel eyes, and luke was lost. "how about i give you my number and if you're having another attack you just call me, or text me? i'll come for you. no matter what, where, or when." 

luke swallowed, licking his chapped lips and feeling his heart pound. "um, i - okay." 

and that's how luke went home with a new contact in his phone, under the name of ashton irwin, with a promise laced between every number.