even if he falls :: lashton

four

four

luke didn't remember falling asleep. 

and he surely woke up with a start when he felt a warm breath very close to his face, soft little snores falling with every fan of breath. luke's eyes opened and his heart pounded when he saw the senior boy, ashton, in his bed. they were facing each other, their bodies not quite touching but their faces almost forehead-to-forehead. 

he assumed they moved closer when they slept, because he knew he fell asleep farther away. luke backed away, making sure to be silent as he looked at ashton. 

the older boy's curls were flattened and flopped over his forehead, slightly tousled from the night's sleep. it was around ten in the morning, luke noticed, and he couldn't believe that this happened. ashton's cheeks were flushed pink as his mouth'd fallen open just barely. luke wanted so badly for this to be like a fairy tale and he could reach over and caress his true love's cheek as he leaned forward and pressed his lips onto the other's. but this was real life, and ashton was not his true love, and he didn't have the balls to kiss him anyways. 

luke decided he was done with being a little creep and sat up, which must've made more noise than he intended, because ashton moaned slightly. not sexually, but in a sense that he'd gotten less than five hours of sleep and it was way too fuckin' bright in the room. "g'morning," luke mumbled, and ashton's eyes snapped open. 

immediately ashton looked at luke, then down at his body, because why else would he have slept over at another boy's house? but then he remembered last night, and sighed in relief. ashton jumped up, out of the bed and onto his feet. "i can't be here," he rushed out, and luke's eyebrows furrowed. "i meant to leave whenever you fell asleep but i guess we both passed out." luke just blinked at the panicking boy, not quite comprehending why he was so freaked out this early in the morning. it wasn't like luke's parents would care. 

"it's okay, ashton," luke assured. "my parents won't care. you can stay for breakfast . . ."

ashton's features softened. "oh, it's nothing to do with you, luke," he spoke quietly, moving closer to him and smiling. "it's just my family that's the issue. i do wish i could stay, luke, i just can't." luke nodded, looking down, trying not to look disappointed. 

luke stood up, not really caring at this point about his lack of clothes as he pulled some basketball shorts on and a random t-shirt he found in his drawer. when he turned around, he found ashton standing there looking a bit out of it, before he almost awoke, like he was hypnotized. "what?" luke asked shyly, and ashton just bit back a smile. 

"you're just sort of astonishing to look at." 

if luke wasn't already blushing, he was a cherry by then. ashton just sucked on his bottom lip and then moved towards the younger boy, opening his arms. luke didn't think twice about walking into the latter's body and felt like ashton's arms were like a safety blanket, warm and soft and strong and a reminder that things were okay in that very moment. "thank you," luke mumbled, and even though ashton knew he was just trying to play it off that he was thanking him for the compliment, he meant so much more behind his words. ashton could've very well saved him last night. life was extraordinary that way. 

//

"so who was that in your bed this morning, lukey?" 

luke looked up from his cinnamon toast crunch, feeling milk dribble from his lips. "oh, him? that was just ashton . . . you know, from that restaurant," he laughed awkwardly, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

liz laughed as she poured a cup of coffee. "i predicted it." 

of course, luke was quick to defend himself and ashton. "no, no, mom. it's not like that. i just . . . last night when you wouldn't let me sleep with you and calum didn't answer his phone, i called ashton, and he came over. i told him he didn't have to, but he came anyways because he wanted to make sure i was okay and --"