fatherhood // lashton

7

Luke walked into the kitchen and left the empty plates in the sink before continuing down the hallway and got Leon's jacket from the pin it was hanging on. He walked back outside and handed the jacket to Ben that had Leon seated in his lap.

"Why didn't you bring your boyfriend today?" Liz asked as Luke sat down on his seat again. Luke raised his eyebrows and leaned forward a bit to leaned against the table and look at his mother in surprise.

"Boyfriend?" Luke asked awkwardly and glanced around the table. His father looked interested and his two brothers were smirking at their little brother's awkwardness.

"Yes, Leon told us about a boyfriend" Ben said and looked down at the small boy in his lap who was struggling to get his arm through the sleeve of the jacket.

"You just love to talk about my private life, don't you?" Luke asked and raised an eyebrow at Leon. The small boy only giggled, making Luke shake his head and breath out a laugh.

"Who's the boyfriend?" Andrew asked and leaned back in his chair. Luke looked back and forth between all the people around the table before sighing and leaning back in his own chair.

"It's not a boyfriend. Not yet at least, or I don't really know" Luke mumbled and furrowed his eyebrows while thinking.

Jack chuckled at Luke's confused look on his face, making Leon giggle even more.

"Keep telling secrets about your father, and keep making him embarrassed. Take it up now because he'll embarrass you all your teenage years" Jack said and held thumbs up to Leon.

Ben held his hand up and high fived Leon before putting him down on the floor and got out of his chair to play some football with the small one.

"Don't make a pact with him now when I'm leaving him here over the night" Luke said and Jack only laughed.

Sometimes Leon slept over at Luke's parents house mostly because the small one loved his grandparents and loved staying at Luke's childhood home, but also because Luke would get some time to relax and sleep.

Luke loved his son with all his heart, but being a 21 year old single father was tiring and sometimes you just needed a well earned break.

But to be fair, Luke missed Leon each time he left him at his mother and father's house. It only took him to close the door of the house and Luke suddenly had that knot in his stomach because he just missed the company of his son.

"I'm gonna make him so embarrassed of you" Jack said before standing up from his chair and pushing Luke out of his before both boys went over to play football with Ben and Leon.

**

"So, what are you up to?" Luke asked into his phone as he was seated on the bus home to his apartment.

"Nothing really. I'm attempting to cook something for me to eat but I think it will end up with me calling for pizza or something" Ashton chuckled and Luke could hear some rustling while Ashton was talking.

"Too bad I'm not there to help you cook" Luke said and shrugged even though Ashton couldn't see him. Luke smiled when hearing the older boy laugh softly.

"Yeah, it'd be nice if you could come over" Ashton spoke softly.

"I mean I could do that, I'm on the bus home right now and Leon's sleeping at my parents house" Luke spoke in a slight mumble.

"Really? Peach is at my sister's, so do you want to come over?" Ashton asked with a happy tone in his voice.

"Yeah-- I mean," Luke said and nodded his head, "Yeah, I'll come over"