EGL // lashton

seven

Luke looked up from his homework and looked at Ashton with those clear blue eyes, letting his eyes trace every inch of the older boy's profile as he looked out of Luke's window.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Luke asked quietly as he fumbled with his English textbook in his lap.

"If that's what it takes" Ashton answered, never once turning away from the window. Luke bit his lip and nodded his head small.

"Thank you" Luke said softly and looked down at his lap, playing with the pen in his hand.

"You don't have to thank me Luke. This is all my fault, I owe this to you" Ashton said back, sighing softly after speaking.

"Does that mean you actually don't want to be here? That you're only here because you owe it to me?" Luke asked, his voice soft and sadness laced with it.

"No," Ashton murmured, feeling Luke's eyes on him, "I want to be here. I want to make sure you're okay. I'll stay here all day and all night to make sure no one's going to hurt you"

Ashton was surprised by his words, but for once in his life, he didn't regret feeling emotions and he didn't regret expressing them. He was okay with it, as long as Luke looked content.

"Does that mean you'll stay the night?" Luke asked quietly, his eyes glistening with hope. Ashton bit his lip and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'll stay. Only to make sure nothing happens to you" he said.

"I understand" Luke said and looked down at his homework, a small smile playing on his lips as he started working on his worksheet.

"Why are you smiling so big?" Ashton asked and Luke lifted his head to lock eyes with Ashton's for the first time in 10 minutes.

"Because it makes me happy when you're close to me" Luke said and smiled brightly at Ashton. Luke so desperately wanted to see Ashton smile back at him, but it never came. He knew one day it would, so he patiently waited for that day to come.

"I don't understand what good you see in me" Ashton spoke before turning his head back to the window. Luke just looked at Ashton and smiled, because the blonde was just really happy.

"I see everything you don't let yourself see" Luke spoke up and got back to his worksheet.

Ashton breathed heavily and tapped his fingertips against glass of the window. He was just about to speak up again but was cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

"Luke, darling?"

Luke tensed up and looked at Ashton before answering his mother with a simple questioning 'yes'.

"Dad is coming home around 7 so we're eating dinner around then" she called and Luke answered with a simple 'okay' this time.

"Do you want to eat with us?" Luke asked softly, looking at Ashton with soft eyes.

"Luke-" Ashton sighed and turned to the blonde, "Your parents can't know I'm here. They can't know I'm close to you"

"Okay" Luke said quietly. He understood why Ashton said what he said. If Luke would walk down to dinner with a big tattooed older boy, his parents would probably be more than shocked.

"What are you going to eat then?"

Ashton shrugged. "I don't need food, I'll be fine"

Luke bit his lip and nodded his head and both boys went back to what they were doing before. Silence filled the room, the only thing that could be heard was Luke putting pen against paper.