Not edited.
=•=
Contrary to both Ashton and Luke's belief, Jennifer did not tell her mom or anyone else for that matter what she saw.
She spared both Luke and Ashton with a warning to come clean soon or she's so it for them.
"You know I care for you right?" Ashton asked
"Duh. I won't be here if I didn't," Luke smiled as he laid on his dream's bed with his head against Ashton's chest.
"Just making sure. I don't want you to feel like I'm robbing you of your youth or something," Ashton said and Luke scoffed.
"Trust me, you're not. There's no place I'd rather be than in your arms," Luke said trailing a finger up and down Ashton's arm.
"That's good. But it's Friday night. Didn't you have plans with Calum?" Ashton asked
"I did but his boyfriend surprised him last minute so I think they're at the beach or something right now," Luke said
"What do you mean surprise?" Ashton frowned.
"He showed up at lunch at took him away," Luke shrugged
"I don't like that. He's skipping classes again?" Ashton frowned deeply
"Well not really, he still manages to stay on top of Spanish and English," Luke defended
"But he's ditching school," Ashton protested
"He's just happy. Once the school realizes what he's doing they'll keep a close eye on him or something," Luke said
"I doubt," Ashton replied
"You could always spank him," Luke suggested with a grin causing Ashton to look at him like he's gone mad
"Spank him?"
"You've done it before. Numerous times, in fact in boyfriends always teases him about it," Luke smirked
"Like playful tease or bullying borderline abusive tease?" Ashton asked worriedly thinking of his son
"Relax. Playful tease. Michael loves Calum from what I've heard and Calum loves him. They're in a perfect for each other," Luke said
"Have you meet Michael?" Ashton asked
"For a short second but Calum hasn't fully introduced us," Luke said and Ashton hummed in reply.
"I love you," he said suddenly taking his gem's hand and pressing a sweet kiss to it.
"It's a damn good thing you do," Luke giggled before returning those sacred words with a proper kiss.
=•=
"Hey dad," Calum called as he entered the apartment. Ashton dropped the laundry he was going and scrambled up the stairs.
Luke was in the kitchen cooking some pasta for dinner.
The hallway was close to the kitchen. Calum was in the hallway, he didn't know Luke was there. Ashton didn't have a good explanation to why Luke was half naked in the kitchen.
"Calum!" Ashton called back racing to the hallway.
He saw Luke out of the corner of his eyes with a panicked expression.
"Hey dad. I brought a friend, well my boyfriend," Calum said leading a red haired pale looking boy into Ashton's home.
Ashton looked back in time to see Luke quickly dart out the fire escape and winced, that was a lot of stairs to climb down before he hit the ground, it's a good thing Luke wants to climb a mountain one day.
It's practice Ashton tells himself.
"Well that's not a good reaction. Is this a bad time?" Calum asked lacing his hands with the boy.
"No it's a good time. I just don't have dinner for all of us," Ashton lied with a sigh of relief.
"That's okay. Mikey and I would help." Calum smiled and Ashton faked one back.
"Hello Mr. Irwin, I'm Michael as you can tell," Mikey said smiling wide and sticking his hand out for Ashton to shake.
Ashton took the boy in. He had bright red hair and an equally bright smile to compliment it. He had the sparkliest forest green eyes that Ashton had ever seen and a faint blush when Ashton didn't return the handshake.
"How old are you?" Ashton asked
"19 sir," Michael responded dutifully.
"Out of high school I see. What college do you attend?"
"Uh, I'm not in university. I work in a record shop and I do some shifts in the bookstore on weekends," Michael said shyly
"Oh. Okay. You live alone?" Ashton asked a little nerved that Michael wasn't in some tertiary education institution.
"Dad!" Calum yelled mortified.
"It's a simple question," Ashton defended.
"It's fine babe. Yeah I live alone but where I live is really safe," Michael smiled wrapping an arm around Calum.
"I think that's it for interrogations. I'm calling Luke over," Calum said and Ashton briefly panicked because would they question how fast Luke got here?
"Well lovebirds, you promised me dinner so make it," Ashton smirked before walking away to the living room where he planned to sit and watch television. Calum gaped at his dad while Michael laughed.
"Dad you're kidding," Calum groaned taking Michael's soft hand anyway and leading him to the kitchen.
"You offered," Ashton laughed.
He pretended that he was busy with some lame game show but really he was thinking of questions to ask Michael during dinner. Like if he planned to keep the job at the music store forever? What was his grades like? Where did he grow up? Any arrests?
He was also partly distracted by the delicious smell of food being cooked and the thought of seeing his baby boy again. It was the first time in a long while that Luke and Ashton and Calum would all be in the same room together and awkward isn't a suffice enough word.
Suddenly the doorbell rung and Ashton found himself on his feet, calling out that he'll get it because he knew it was Luke.
"Hey gem," Ashton smiled as soon as he saw the blond patch of hair that stick out of a grey beanie that was way too cute.
"Hello daddy," Luke smirked giving Ashton a tantalizing kiss on the cheek.
"Not fair. Play nice baby boy," Ashton huffed shutting the door as Luke entered with a laugh.
He took his shoes off and the two were staring at each other like they totally didn't spend the last few hours making out and cuddling.
"Luke!" Calum called breaking their moment.
"Calum!" Luke said back with as much enthusiasm.
"This is Michael, my boyfriend. You've meet him before," Calum said introducing the two.
"More like glanced at him," Luke replied shaking his hand.
"So you're the famous Luke that is freaked out by vanilla pudding," Michael smiled immediately hitting it off with Luke.
"Hey! Calum that was confidential," Luke pouted and it took every fiber in Ashton body not to go and kiss that pout off his face.
"Pudding Luke?" Ashton laughed
"Hey don't you laugh at me too," Luke said with flushed cheeks
"It's okay blondie. I was scared of Scar from lion king when I was eight," Michael teased
"Okay, vanilla pudding cups are unusually vanilla. Like there's just so much more flavoring and it makes it seem artificial, too fake and forced to be vanilla," Luke defended
"I can't believe you just said that," Calum said
"Did you call me over here to embarrass me or what?" Luke snapped with his hands on his hips.
"Jeez. Sorry. I called you over here to make dinner with me, Mikey keeps burning everything or eating it," Calum said kissing his boyfriend sweetly before taking Luke's hand and leading him to the kitchen.
"Please cook my dinner hygienic," Ashton requested as him and Michael were left alone in the hallway.
Perfect.
Ashton can finally ask his questions.
Honestly, Michael looked a bit scared but not too much, he seemed ready to take on whatever Ashton said to him.
"Let's sit down."
=•=
"So Michael's pretty cute," Luke commented as he chopped some bell peppers.
"Yeah, he is."
"He's also funny, I like him," Luke declared.
"Glad I have your approval," Calum snorted.
It was quiet for a while, the only noises being the sound of the knives against the chopping boards or the sizzle of the special sauce Luke claimed was a family masterpiece.
"Hey, so do you have anyone special?" Calum asked finally. He was debating how to go about this topic but he decided to be blunt.
Luke tensed when he eats Calum ask that question before recovering and continuing his task of mixing sauce.
"No, why'd you ask?" Luke said
"Just wondering. You've been really happy lately and so secretive. It's okay if your have a boyfriend, I'd like to get to know him. I'm your best friend, I just feel left out."
"Left out how?"Luke asked
"You got to hear everything about me and Mikey after we came out of hiding and I feel like if I didn't get to experience that with you. We're brothers man, I wanna know everything," Calum said and Luke felt so so so bad. And guilty and horrible and overall a horrible person.
"Calum I," Luke said but he didn't know how to continue.
"I guess this is payback isn't it? For when I lied," Calum said bitterly.
"Cal, it's not like that. I promise I'll talk to you tonight and tell you everything," Luke said with a heavy heart.
He was about to tell Calum the truth.
He was about to tell him he's dating his father.
He was about to be wholeheartedly honest.
He also needed to talk with Ashton and make sure he's okay with that. Hell, none of them were okay with that but they knew it had to happen soon, it was only a matter of time before the truth got out.
Luke just hopes Calum can forgive him for lying.
=•=
Pretty long, hope it makes up for a month of not updating.
It's hard balancing school and writing so I'm sorry for the lack of updates : *