Ashton and Luke were leant against the lockers, waiting. "It's late this afternoon; you should come if you don't have anything better to do,"
"Is this the part where I pretend to consider it like I might have other plans? Because I have no plans," Ashton admitted shrugging.
"So you'll come?" Luke grinned wide.
Ashton rolled his eyes and nodded, "yeah, It'll be good to see you guys in action finally,"
Luke let a smirk find its way onto his face, "I'm sure Cal will love to know you're there watching," Ashton fixed him with his best attempt at a threatening look, and Luke immediately backtracked, "Crystal and Michael are going as well, I'm sure no one will look into it too much,"
"Smooth," Ashton chuckled, pushing himself off the lockers, attempting to wave down Michael and Crystal, who were approaching, "Hey, Luke convinced me to come to the game tonight. Is it okay if I third wheel with you guys?"
"Oh my god! That would be great; we should go out for pizza afterwards!" Crystal said excitedly, dropping Michael's hand and closing the distance between her and Ashton to wrap him up in a tight hug.
"You won't be third-wheeling. Isn't Si going with you guys?" Luke asked, reaching down to scoop his hockey bag up off the floor.
Michael shook his head, "Messaged Crystal earlier and said she was going with some girls from her geography class," he shrugged.
"As long as she comes, I suppose," Luke said, shrugging, "did you tell her we're going out afterwards?"
Crystal nodded, "She said if she can't meet us wherever we're having dinner, she'll meet us at the party,"
Ashton turned and raised an eyebrow at Luke, and the younger man actually squirmed a little, "I was hoping it would be the end of the night, and we'd all be going, and you'd just be like 'what the hell' and just tag along," he admitted, at least having the decency to pretend to be embarrassed.
"Can you blame him?" Cyrstal asked, "I can never imagine you saying yes to a party,"
"Well, I'm saying yes now?" it came out as a question, and he raised an eyebrow at Crystal.
"Fantastic! we'll pick you up just before 6?" Crystal was all giddy excitement as she turned back to Michael, who fondly rolled his eyes at her.
"Anyone would think I'm a shut in the way you lot carry on," Ashton said with an exasperated expression.
Luke sent a sharp jab into his ribs, "you practically are," he let out a laugh and then continued, "Okay, I'll see you all after the game tonight," he turned and left, heading toward the locker room before twisting his head around, "I expect to hear you all cheering by the way!" and then he was turned back around and on his way.
"We should get going too; I want to have a shower before we leave for the game," Crystal said, the end of her sentence directed toward Michael, who nodded and then they were waving their goodbyes as well.
It was once Ashton was alone in the hall the true gravity of what he'd just accepted an invitation to dawned on him. It was all well and good for normal people to go to parties, but alcohol and assholes were far more threatening to him than the rest.
But he supposed he could worry about that while he got ready, and at least Crystal would be there.
And there she was, at five minutes to six, she and Michael arrived in the driveway honking the horn, music blaring. Ashton's mother simply giggled and told him to let her know when he expected to be home, shooing him out the door, "you only get to be a teenager once, and you've only got a few years left, go! Enjoy them!"He thought she was being a bit short-sighted but let her kiss him on the cheek and send him on his way nonetheless.
The first part of the evening went off without a hitch, the three of them eating bad stringy pizza and spilling soft drink all over the stands as Crystal pushed off the seat over and over again to scream at the players. While Ashton and Michael shared dubious looks behind her back, sure she had no idea what she was talking about.
There had been plenty of muttering from the people in the stands behind, somehow though Ashton remained entirely unembarrassed. There was just something about Crystal's antics that always left him sure he couldn't care what anyone else thought.
Then they met Luke and Calum down on the field.
"That was a terrible first game for Ashton to see," Luke declared as he wrapped his armpit over the top of Ashton's head.
The older boy sputtered, struggling to find his way out from underneath, "ugh! Get off me, you stink!" Ashton squirmed out from under his arm and pushed off Luke's chest, stumbling and bumping into Calum behind him; he knew it could only be Calum because everyone else was in front of him.
He stumbled too but managed to steady them, and Ashton could feel his cheeks flaming, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Luke! This is your fault,"
Calum was chuckling, "it's fine, don't worry about it," as Ashton was scrambling away from him. Luke had a small smirk on his face, and Ashton could have choked him right then and there.
"Okay, well, you guys go have a shower, and we'll go pick up something to eat and meet you by the locker room in half an hour?" Michael told them, posing it as a question but already turning to head back to the car.
Ashton turned to follow him but felt a hand on his elbow, "Ash, aren't you going to stay with us? I thought you'd want a break from the couple? You've been with them all afternoon," Luke was smiling at Ashton as he spoke, but he didn't buy it for a second.
"You should stay Ash, Michael and I might want to take a little detour," she smiled, and Ashton was sure Luke and she were in cahoots; she turned and followed Michael after that. Ashton was left to follow Luke and Calum to the door of the locker room.
He stopped at the door as the boys walked in, "you can come in; everyone else will have gone home to shower," Luke told him, keeping the door open for him to follow them in.
Despite the private, pleading look he sent Luke, the younger man encouraged him to come in. Ashton sighed, following him into the tiled room, thanking God as he saw the shower cubicles had doors.
"You guys aren't going to take all night in here, are you?" Ashton said, feigning indifference as he sat himself down on the bench in front of the lockers. He pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged and let his eyes wander the room, not wanting to be caught focusing on anyone in particular.
Calum spoke for the first time in a while, "you don't have to look so uncomfortable," chuckling along as he riffled through his bag.
"I've never been in a locker room before; I don't know the decorum," he explained.
Luke came over to him, a pile of clothes and a towel in hands, "well, first off, we circle jerk, and then after that, Calum bends over, and we towel whip his arse-"
"Luke! Leave him alone; you're the one that bullied him into coming in here," Calum scolded, using his towel to smack Luke in the arm.
"Thank you!" Ashton said, a relieved sigh escaping his lips.
The boys chuckled and made their way into their respective cubicles; it was a relief because now Ashton knew he definitely wasn't going to have to awkwardly avert his eyes if someone started undressing. Which meant his eyes could harmlessly watch the opening in the bottom of Calum's door.
First came his shirt dropping onto the floor, then came his shorts which had his briefs with them. Then the shower spray started, and he watched as Calum timidly stepped under the spray, stepping back out; it must have been too cold, then back under again. He wasn't sure how the bottom half of someone's calves could be so attractive.
"Ash!" Luke called, making the other nearly jump out of his skin, "I forgot my face wash. Can you grab it out of my duffle?
"uh- oh yeah, one sec," he scrambled up and toward Luke's bag, grabbing the bottle quickly and racing over to the cubicle door holding it over the top; he felt Luke's hand wrap around his wrist, "come in I have soap in my eyes," he told him, and Ashton flushed deeply.
"you just left the door unlocked?" he asked incredulously, feeling the tug in his gut pull him inside.
"It's just you and Cal here; he's seen me naked a hundred times," he told him, and Ashton nodded from behind the hand he had covering his eyes.
Luke tugged it away from his face, and Ashton saw that he was standing with a towel wrapped around his waist, sending him a wink before tugging him closer.
Ashton couldn't help but gasp, and Luke's eyes and lips squeezed close, holding back a laugh, and he pressed Ashton up against the wall dividing Calum and Luke's cubicles. There was a thud, and Ashton squealed.
"Keep quiet," Luke breathed out, and Ashton giggled under his breath because that was the only option he had.
He started jabbing his fingers into Ashton's sides, and more quiet giggles came out of him.
"What the fuck are you two doing in there?" Calum finally asked.
Luke laughed, "tickle fight,"
"A naked tickle fight?" he asked, disbelief in his voice, but the source had moved; it sounded like he was outside the cubicle door.
"Mmhmm, now I just have to get Ashton to take his clothes off," Luke said, winking at Ashton again.
The door opened, and Calum sighed; if Ashton's ears didn't deceive him, it sounded relieved, or maybe it was just annoyed.
"Fucking hell Luke, I thought I was going to have to tell Sierra you were cheating on her, Jesus Christ," the hope that it was relief over Ashton not having a thing for Luke vanished, as he realised that he was just glad his friend wasn't an asshole.
"Oh c'mon, we aren't allowed to have a little fun at your expense?" he asked, letting Ashton go from the wall.
The older man moved past Luke meekly and then Calum out into the locker room. Calum was just wearing his towel. Ashton wasn't sure how he was going to keep his eyes to himself; he started rifling through Luke's bag again. Finding a half-eaten muesli bar and starting to eat in as an excuse to divert his eyes until Calum went back into his cubicle.
Luke appeared a few moments later, dressed in skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and converse.
"Are you eating my muesli bar?" he asked, picking up his duffle to throw his stuff back in before sitting down beside him, leaning in close, and speaking low, "are you really eating a muesli bar, so you don't have to look directly at Calum?"Ashton blushed and avoided his eyes. "C'mon Ash, let's not play pretend; I had you pressed up against a wall in nothing, but a towel, and you were all giggles. But Calum half-naked six feet away, and you can't even look up from the floor without blushing."
He blushed again and groaned, "shut up," coming out muttered.
"You too really should be careful; this doesn't look very platonic," Calum told them, eyes gesturing to Luke's hand rested on Ashton's leg and the closeness of their faces.
"I was just threatening Ashton for eating my muesli bar," Luke said, pulling back and standing up.
Ashton swallowed thickly, so embarrassed, his eyes shifted awkwardly around the room until they landed on Calum, who was dressed in skinny jeans and a DZ Deathrays t-shirt; he looked good, really good, which just made Ashton blush more.
Standing quickly, "can we just go? The others will be back soon,"
Luke and Calum agreed, and they left the locker room, a weird feeling amongst them all. Crystal and Michael didn't seem to notice when they climbed in the car, and slowly the feeling dissolved, and there was an easyish banter among them again as they passed a pizza box back forth from the front seat to the back.
Ashton was so caught up on the weird dynamic between the three in the back seat he managed to forget how worried he should be by the impending party. And when they arrived, they all piled out, Luke saying he was going to find Sierra, Crystal and Michael sneaking off without a word and Calum and Ashton stood on the front lawn together.
"Can I stick with you?" Ashton asked, the nerves obvious in his voice.
Calum nodded, "of course, first party?"
Ashton nodded back but realised Calum could see him from his position up ahead, leading them through bodies, which were strewn around the two-story home. Ashton would have liked to comment on the decor or even guess who's house it was, but the party was so packed that he couldn't see the furniture for the people in front and/or on top of it.
As they slowed, Calum seemingly searching for something, Ashton spoke, "I just wanted to make sure you didn't think there was actually anything going on between Luke and me; I- He just likes to tease me; there's no way I would ever help someone cheat," he explained, and Calum paused his search and turned to him.
"I know that; I didn't mean to make you think I thought that- I just get frustrated with him sometimes," he explained, and Ashton nodded, hoping he would give him some sort of explanation, but he didn't.
It wasn't much longer after that that Calum finished their search; the intended had been the kitchen, apparently. Where he grabbed a bottle of whisky, it was a brand Ashton had never seen or heard of before, and that didn't quell his nerves one bit.
Calum poured a small amount into two cups and handed one to Ashton, "It'll settle your nerves," he promised.
Ashton took the cup and waited until Calum encouraged him, downing it in one gulp and coughing and choking on the burning sensation in his throat, thanking God he'd managed to keep the damn thing down.
Calum was laughing when he focused his attention back on him, and he wiggled the bottle back and forth, his way of asking if Ashton wanted another.
The older man shook his head, "If I do two shots, you'll be dragging my corpse out of here," he explained.
He nodded in understanding before taking the second shot; he'd poured himself, "I'll make us some drinks, won't make yours too strong though," he promised.
True to his word, he made Ashton a drink he could stomach, and they began off on their way around the party, both sipping at their drinks and laughing at the antics of others they passed.
They didn't see anyone else from their group of friends as they made their rounds; Calum joked that Michael and Crystal would probably be upstairs in one of the bedrooms. And that Luke would be off somewhere mooning over Sierra and pretending to laugh at her friends jokes.
It was when they were two drinks (not including their shots) in, and Ashton was feeling loose and brave that he redirected the conversation back to Luke, "so, am I allowed to ask what you mean by getting frustrated with Luke?"
Calum sighed, but he laughed, the younger man seemingly feeling the effects of the alcohol as well. "He just flirts with everyone, and it's whatever, It's good-natured, but sometimes he just directs it at the wrong people," he tried to explain.
"The wrong people? What do you mean? Do you think I'm going to fall in love with him from some silly flirting?" Ashton couldn't help but laugh, despite the sting in his chest.
Calum's cheeks flushed dark; was it the alcohol or embarrassment? Ashton was too tipsy to decipher it, "No, not that- he just doesn't take into account other people's feelings sometimes," Calum explained, and there was a moment of direct eye contact between them. It felt as though Calum's eyes were peeling back the layers of his mind, and he could see the glaring red sign that resided there saying, 'are you talking about me? Do you not want him flirting with me?'.
"Well, he's certainly not capable of hurting my feelings," Ashton said slowly, feeling brave and maintaining eye contact, "surely his flirting with me couldn't hurt your feelings?" his tone was full of intent and insinuation, and this managed to make Calum blush again.
"Maybe it could," he said finally, shrugging his shoulders, their eyes held for a moment longer.
Then the younger man was hurriedly reaching a hand down and taking Ashton's wrist, leading them back into the swell of people, back to a conversation riddled with other people, no place for innuendo or dangerous assumptions. Despite the quick change of demeanour, Ashton remained just a little impressed with himself all night nonetheless.
I am putting all my effort into finishing the rewrite of this fic, so hopefully, you will have a few more chapters over the next couple of days, but we'll see how I manage.