playing daddy ||a.i.||

[4] CAKES

After a couple of hours of driving, the trio made it to a hotel near the park and checked in.

The sun was gone before they'd even got to their room--which fortunately had two beds---and Neo had fallen asleep during the car ride there.

"You wanna go out for dinner?" Ashton asks, running his hands through his hair while staring back at himself in the bathroom.

It's clean in there, with sparkling tiles and cute little bars of hand soap stacked up by the faucet.

"You mean, like, all of us?" Mellony's voice is just barely made out from inside the bathroom. Ashton opens the door, shaking his head at himself with a smile.

"Yeah, definitely. I wasn't asking you out, or anything." He says, furrowing his brows at his reflection, then turning off the light and exiting the bathroom.

He's barely dealing with the fact that he's actually in a hotel room with a beautiful girl and her son, he wouldn't be able to properly mack until he got over the culture shock.

When he steps into the main room, he sees Mellony sitting on the desk and slightly swinging her legs back and forth.

"Okay then," She looks towards Neo's sleeping body, curled up on one of the beds. "We can let him sleep a little longer while we get ready."

Ashton nods, sizing her up as he goes to his suitcase. "I don't think I've ever seen you, y'know, all dolled up."

Mellony cracks a smile, rolling her eyes and sliding off of the desk.

"That's because I don't usually get dolled up," She pops her brows at the boy, lifting her own suitcase from the hotel floor. "But I guess, since this is somewhat of a special occasion, I'll try."

Ashton grins, glancing at her on her way to the bathroom, until he does a double take and realizes that she's probably going to be a while in there.

"Aw, Mel, wait--"

"You asked for it!" Mellony chirps, closing the door behind her.

Ashton snickers, pulling a button up and a pair of black jeans from his luggage. He isn't sure where exactly they're going to eat, but if Mellony is putting in extra effort to look nice, then he'd like to look presentable, too.

"Ashton?" Neo croaks from behind him, and Ashton turns around to see the little boy rubbing at his eyes.

"Yeah, bud?" Ashton lays his clothes on his bed and sits on the edge of Mellony and Neo's.

"Where's mommy?"

Ashton decides to joke around with him to help wake him up, like he used to do with his younger siblings.

"Oh, she's gone," Ashton nods his head, keeping his smile at bay when he sees Neo's face fall. "Yeah, she grew these huge bird wings and just flew away." He mimes something taking off with his hands.

Neo giggles then, shaking his head and sitting up. "No, she didn't."

"Yes, Nemo, she did." Ashton fails to keep a straight face, chuckling when Neo gives him a slap on the hand.

"Mommy! Ashton says you're a bird!" Neo shouts, shrieking as Ashton scoops him up and gently puts his hand over Neo's mouth.

"Mel, I never said you were a bird!" Ashton yells, tilting his head towards the bathroom. He feels something wet glide across his palm and yanks his hand away.

Neo laughs, pointing at Ashton and laying his head on his knee.

"What is going on out here?" Mellony's honeyed tone floats throughout the room.