Innocent ➼ Lashton ✔

*fourteen*

He was beaten and bruised and there were still open wounds. The worst part was when he flicked whenever someone touched him. I thought it was because of his injuries, that they hurt when they were touched. But...then I learned what happened."

Ashton's heart filled with worry. "What happened," he asked in slight panick, "Why happened to my Luke?"

Calum sighed, "Jack raped him."

Ashton stumbled back, eyes brimming with tears and a hand covered his mouth. That cruel person raped his Lukey? Who would do such a thing?

"That's why Luke turned punk," Calum continued, "Not because he was upset about his brother's death, but because he was trying to act like he was tougher than everyone so he didn't have to feel his pain. 

When Jack realized how badly he messed up, he killed himself. The only words on his suicide note were, 'I'm sorry'. Michael blamed Luke for Jack's death because he caused the fight that started it all and began hating on him. Luke believed it and was never the same."

Ashton was silent, but perked up slightly when Calum added, "Until he met you."

The bell rang again and Ashton was shocked at how fast the time went by. Calum hurried off with a small hug and a wave as students poured out of the classrooms and ran off to lunch.

Ashton snapped out of his trance and sprinted down the halls, not noticing not caring as he shoving Michael on the way. He dropped his things at his table and leapt onto Luke, holding him tightly.

Luke stumbled slightly, not expecting Ashton to suddenly appear. He hugged back slightly, confused as to why Ashton was suddenly pouncing on him. Ashton pulled away and looked into Luke's eyes.

"Calum told me everything," he told Luke, "About Jack, Michael and what happened with my brother; about the deaths and the affair and the rape. Luke why didn't you tell me?"

He watched as he spoke as Luke's face twisted from shock to confusion to sadness. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He didn't know what to say, what to think.

"I..." He trailed, eyes lost and locked on anything else but Ashton's. It was silent, just the two of them. Ashton was slightly scared that Luke would blow up on him. But deep down, he knew he wouldn't.

"Luke." Ashton breathed sympathetically, and what happens next shocked everyone: the cafeteria, the punks watching from across the room with glares, Ashton, and even Luke.

Because, Luke cried.

The blonde let out a small sob and closed his eyes, curling in on himself. Ashton reacted quickly — almost like an instinct — and took Luke in his arms, holding him tightly. It was a little strange with the height differences, but neither cared at the moment.

Luke held onto Ashton tightly and let out everything that he'd bottled up for the past three years. All the pain, all the crying, all the sorrow and guilt, it all came spilling out and onto Ashton's Green Day shirt.

"I-I'm so-sorry, I-" Luke stuttered, letting out another sob and whipping his eyes with a leather jacket, before looking at his sleeve, "Oh-" sniffle, "-that doesn't work very well."

Ashton giggled lightly and offered him is own sleeve, Luke sheepishly taking it to dry off his wetted face. They smiled small at each other as Luke sniffled, he had no idea what to do, he hadn't cried since the Jack incident.

Suddenly, there was a loud, "WHAT," and Michael and his crew stormed over, taking Luke by the collar and pulling him close, "What the hell is going on?" Michael demanded, confusion and slight...hurt?...on his face.

Ashton stood in front of Luke protectively, fixing his flower crown that happened to be black and blue. "Do you know the whole story," he asked, slightly harsh, "Of what really happened with Jack Barakat?"

Michael paused, "Whe-I-so what if I do or don't? We all know Luke got him into that fight, he beat Jack so hard that it killed him!"

"That's not what happened." A tiny voice came from within the crowd of punks. Calum's head popped up from behind Zack and politely excused himself as he weaved his way to the front.

Then, he did what Calum does best: he played on his phone.

No one did anything, and everyone was confused, until Ashton realized what he was doing. Calum handed Michael his phone, containing pictures of when both Jack's died, when Luke was in the hospital for the fight and the rape, and even the pictures that Jack had taken while he was raping Luke.

He then proceeded to tell the story he told Ashton — the truth — and the cafeteria watched as Luke began crying all over again and Michael's face practically fell off his face.

By the end of the story, both boys were crying, and Ashton took it to himself to stand Luke up and gently push he and Michael together. The two embraced each other and cried heavily into their shoulders, the cafeteria awing and clapping.

It would take a while, but Luke knew he'd be forgiving Michael very soon, and everything would be okay.