Façade<Lashton>

17 - My Beaten Boy

You can't beat the person who never gives up. ~Babe Ruth

Ashton's POV

Luke didn't take long to fall asleep, not at all, when he did I traced around the features of his face, played with his hair, and kissed different parts of his face. When his nose crinkled as if he would wake up is when I got up out of bed and headed downstairs.

"What happened to him?" Jamie asked, she was usually in college but had come back for a visit.

"I'm a little worried." My mother confessed.

"Well yeah, did you see how scared he looked?" Jamie asked.

"I saw." I snapped and Jamie put her hands up in defense.

"What happened is what I want to know." My mother sighed.

"I can't tell you." I shook my head slowly. "I just, I'm worried for him. He's been this way all week."

"Luke?" Jamie asked. "Mr. Sunshine and giggles? Isn't that the same Luke?"

"Ashton, you need to tell us what happened to him." My mother sighed. "If you thinking you're doing him a favor but not telling us then you're wrong." 

"Mum he'll hate me if I tell anyone." I said. 

"Maybe at first but he'll learn to understand why you did it." My mother said. 

"And even if he does hate you, Ashton, it's not about you. It's about him." Jamie frowned. "He can't keep getting hurt just because you're too selfish to tell someone."

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. "Just, let me talk to him first. I'm not even a hundred percent sure what's going on." 

"Alright, fine." My mother said. "But we expect an answer tomorrow. Will he be alright to attend school?" 

"Who knows?" I asked. "He missed school today, which you know, anyways. He might force himself to go." 

"I think he should stay home, or here." Jamie said. "Why don't you -" Jamie was cut off but a loud screaming that made all of us go wide eyed. "Well don't just stand there!" 

I turned and ran up the stairs to open my door and see Luke's eyes tightly closed as he hyperventilated. 

I let out a sigh. "Nightmares." I walked over to him and shook his body gently, and when nothing happened, more force. Causing him to jump right out of his sleep. Wide eyed he looked around the room. 

"A-Ash.." He mumbled before his eyes locked to me and he threw his arms around my neck, crying and whimpering the whole time. 

"It's okay, it's okay." I said softly. "You're okay, it was just a dream. Just a dream." 

After about ten minutes of Luke calming down my mother came in the room and set a tray with two cups down. 

"You still like hot chocolate, don't you Luke?" My mother smiled politely and Luke gave a shy nod. "Well here you go." (A/N: I drink that stuff literally like every day during the winter.)

"Thank-Thank you." Luke said, pressing a smile to his lips. 

"And Ashton don't you dare drink Luke's or I will slaughter you in your sleep." My mother smiled before heading towards the door. Luke gave a tiny laugh at the comment. 

"Well gee thanks, love you too." I rolled my eyes as the door closed. I passed Luke his cup which he took tiny sips up. 

"It's hot." Luke said before I took a sip. "I-I think I  burnt my tongue a little." 

"You have to give it time to cool, loser." I laughed before Luke gave a small one-shouldered shrug.

"But you mum makes the best hot chocolate." Luke smiled down at the cup. "She did get the recipe from my mum and it's not as good as my mum's but it's as about as good as it gets." 

"Um, Luke," I said and he lifted his bright blue colored eyes to me. "You mentioned your mum when you were freaking out. Can we, can we talk about that now?" 

"Um..Sure." Luke said quietly. 

"Whenever your ready." I said. "It was your father, wasn't it?" Luke gave a sheepish nod. "Okay, go ahead." 

So I listened to Luke telling me word for word, action by action of what had happened to him. I grimaced with every word he said, until eventually something stood out in particular. 

"He said it was my fault." Luke mumbled. "That-That, my mum would still be alive if I wasn't born. She-She could've met someone else, gotten a college degree in her dream field and-and she would be happy. That if I didn't exist, she would still be alive.." 

"Luke," I sighed. "You lit up your mum's world. She loved you more than anything else in the entire planet. You could tell. When you would come home for school, the way she babied you. She didn't want you to grow up because she always wanted you there. Your mum didn't feel bitter about you being born at all. Why would you believe your father, the father that beats you senseless, over what your mum has said to you your entire life." 

"I..I don't know." Luke mumbled. "It just-it just, made sense. I-In the moment." Luke took a sip of the warm drink in his hands before continuing. "He..Um..He did one more thing.."

"What?" I asked as Luke began to trace the cup's rim with his finger.

"He gave me a gun." Luke said, his eyes barely meeting mine. "To..To kill myself with.."

I was about to go on about how disgusting his father was when something else hit me.

"But you put it down." I smiled. "And, came here. You could've just be done right then and there, and yet..You didn't. I don't understand."

"I had a feeling.." Luke said as he tilted back and forth slightly. "That maybe, someone else still wanted me here." He gave a small smile. "R-Right?"

"Of course I still want you here." I said in a 'duh' tone. "I would be the world's biggest idiot to ever let you go." Luke smiled more and nervously chewed on his lip. "But I think we need to do something about this."

"W-What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"I think you need to tell someone." I said. "Luke your father is starting to get into your head and I know you thought about pulling that trigger. So, you need to tell someone and get out of that house."

"B-But Ashton t-they'll t-take me a-away.." Luke stuttered, a nervous habit of his.

"Just for a little while, you're almost eighteen. It won't be long until you get to go out on your own." I said. "And I'll be here every second of it. No matter what."

"P-Promise?" Luke asked. I nodded and he stuck his pinkie towards me, which I took in my own and used to pull him closer to me to gently kiss him.

"For now, why don't we..I don't know. Just relax. Yeah?" I gave a small smile. "Forget everything that happened, okay?"

"Okay." Luke said quietly.

"Do you want..Something to eat?" I asked. Luke shook his head. "Okay, okay. Um..Lets just. Chill. Like old times. Because nothing has changed. Right?"

"I wouldn't say nothing." Luke said before giving a sly smile.

"Okay, nearly nothing has changed." I smiled. "You, haven't changed. So, I'm going to assume you still like those dumb movies."

Luke smiled wide. "How'd you know?"  

AUTHOR'S NOTE

That was nice and fluffy :3 I will be honest I was like..Awhh and then I remembered that I wrote this and that I'm an idiot and should really have no reactions. I am also saying everything I write out loud. Which is probably pretty embarrassing. But no ones home :) 

Okayyyyy :D

Hugs, Kisses, Cuddles and Serenades xX