organic. ➵ lashton

seven>

[warnings: it's raining where i live, this chapter is boring i think but, plot twist, yay, everybody likes those, and candy, everybody likes candy, michael's a gross thing, ee, michael no, not so boring chapter, TRIGGERING, um sorry luke doesn't die, tiny bit of muke if you squint, calum's kinda a douche, but not really, he just wants to help, like everyone else, luke has a panic attack, idk, bye]

[ships: luke hemmings + ashton irwin; luke hemmings + michael clifford]

The next day, Ashton found Luke shopping in the local grocery.

He was buying aspirin.

"Hungover?" Ashton asked, raising his eyebrows.

Luke jumped, looking over. "Aren't you supposed to be bagging groceries and telling me what to eat?"

Ashton scratched his neck and shrugged innocently, letting a short silence pass before speaking again. "I missed you this morning. I wanted to make you breakfast."

Luke laughed shallowly, shaking his head a bit. "I probably wouldn't have eaten it, though."

Luke looked up at Ashton, blue eyes shining. There was quiet for a moment, while Ashton searched for a respectful response.

"I would've helped," he decided. "You, I mean."

Luke nearly flinched but he smiled anyhow. "Thanks, Ashton..."

"You want me to ring you up?" Ashton asked, pointing to the aspirin and the generic bottle of water in his hand. Luke nodded.

Ashton rested a hand on the small of his back and lead him through the store and to the registers.

Turning a belt on just for Luke, Ashton scanned both the aspirin and the water. "Generic water?" Ashton asked, looking at his shy Luke through his lashes. "You are hungover."

"Paper or plastic?" Came a voice from the end of the belt. Luke flinched and looked over, recognizing the voice. Dyed hair revealed a face and Michael smiled at Luke.

"Hey. Luke, right?"

"You know Michael?" Ashton asked, his voice a bit guarded as if he knew something that Luke didn't. Which he did, of course.

"Yeah, he's my best friend's boyfriend."

"Well, ex-boyfriend. We broke it off last night." Luke didn't even look up.

"Calum must've been crushed," he mumbled, "no bags, by the way. Helps the environment."

Michael held out Luke's water and aspirin and looked at him.

"He was. I told him that I've got my eye on someone else," Michael smirked, dropping the items into Luke's open hands and looking at Ashton. "I'm gonna clock out."

Luke averted his eyes to Ashton and Ashton just shook his head and shrugged.

"He's a flirt. S'all I can say."

Another middle-aged woman mindlessly chatting on her cellphone began putting her groceries on the belt and Ashton didn't look back up.

"Ashton..."

"Go, Luke. I'll text you when my shift is over."

Luke turned to the doors and left with his aspirin and water.

The blonde boy ran out to his car and sat in the front seat, staring at the bottles of aspirin and water.

Quickly, Luke unscrewed the cap to the aspirin poured out a handful of the pills, throwing half of the pile into his mouth, swallowing what he could with water and choking on the many pills. He let a few tears slide down his cheeks and passed out on the horn, the sound blaring through the parking lot.