Off One's Rocker - Lashton

Chapter Fifty-eight

Chapter Fifty-eight

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Alex wiped his eyes groggily as he stepped onto the landing in the middle of the night in desperate need of a toilet. However, his attention from weeing was distracted by a light on in the kitchen and what seemed like muffled sobs.

Deciding to quickly urinate before checking what was happening down stairs, the man thought of all the possible situations which may occur when he reached the kitchen. He automatically assumed it was Luke seeming as he was the only one in this house who willingly cries. His mother does too, but Alex recalls her being in bed when he left.

Slowly walking down the staircase, the older man reached the kitchen doorway to find the blonde boy surrounded by wrappers and tears staining his cheeks.

The startled blonde looks up in panic and instantly begins to cry even harder of embarrassment.

Alex sighed sadly taking in the situation. He knew exactly what had happened and was dreading Luke's response. "Hungry?" he asked with a small chuckle trying to make the boy smile a little.

Sobbing and shaking, Luke tried to speak but only his lips were moving and no sound escaped. The grey haired man entered the kitchen and walked over to his girlfriend's son. He pulled him into a huge embrace and muttered reassuring words into his hair.

"I'm sorry," the blonde finally muttered, managing to get words out of his mouth.

Alex just shook his head. "It's fine Luke. It's fine," he reassured.

"I couldn't help it. I didn't mean to. I can't control myself. I hate this," he began to sob again in panic. Alex sighed rubbing his back supportively. 

"Luke, calm down," he told the shaking boy. "Deep breaths."

The young boy did as he said and after a minute or two had calmed back down. "What happened?" Alex asked picking up the boy and placing him on a kitchen chair.

"I don't know," Luke sighed fiddling with his fingers nervously. "I just was hungry and I couldn't stop," he admitted shamefully.

Whilst picking up the wrappers Luke had left and placed them in the bin. "That's understandable," he agreed. "You haven't eaten much in a while. You're bound to crave food now and then so you binge," Alex explained knowing that there was a bit more too it in Luke's case.

"Yeah," Luke nodded unbelievingly.

"Do you do this often?" his old therapist asked curiously.

Luke shook his head. But he was not lying, he hadn't done it in a while. But he used to do it all the time. Every day sometimes.

The pairs head turned to the doorway where they heard another set of footsteps growing closer.

"Luke?" Ashton asked squinting as he turned the corner. "Why weren't you in bed?" The curly haired boy frowned when seeing Alex as well. "What happened?" he asked.

"Luke was a little hungry," the grey haired man told the other's boyfriend watching him head over to the boy. He knew that half way through the night Ashton's emotions could be all over the place and was a little anxious as to how he'd react to the situation.

"More than little," the blonde admitted, a red blush coating his pale cheeks. 

Ashton wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's shoulder and mumbled, "Did you binge again?"

Luke only nodded as the older boy placed a small kiss to his temple. "You're beautiful," he reassured the boy.

"Again?" the therapist queried as it was a different response to which the blonde gave.

"He's done this before," the curly haired boy explained beginning to now wake up.

"When?"

"A month or two ago was when I last found him," Ashton said looking down at the blonde, wondering if he had since done it again. "Have you done it since then?"

"No," Luke quickly denied.

"We're not going to judge Luke," Alex told him, covering his mouth as a yawn escaped.

"I haven't," Luke persisted with a lie.

"Okay, do you want to go back to bed now?" Alex asked wanting to fall back down into a deep slumber before work.

"Can we watch a film?" he quietly asked, anxious to what their response will be.

"Sure, what one?" the curly haired boy agreed not caring he was tired. He knew the blonde boy was not going to sleep after what just happened.

"Any."

Ashton placed his arms under the blonde's legs scooped him up into his arms and carried him bridal style. He wore only one of Ashton's baggy shirts and a pair of boxers. 

"I'm too heavy," Luke moaned as Ashton began to carry him to the living room. Whilst Alex frowned and the curly haired boy ignored him. He found that arguing with Luke always made everything worse.

Gently placing the boy on the sofa, Ashton headed over to the television with Alex to find a film for the boy. Luke curled up on the sofa, on his side and watched them.

"He does this a lot," the older boy muttered to Alex.

"I figured," the therapist nodded. "How many times have you caught him?"

"Just the once. But, sometimes he's not in bed but he always returns stuffed. I don't think he can control himself. He either eats too much or too little."

"That's what Sid is working on with him. He sort of figured that when he was sent to the ward due to his history."

"This could be a never ending cycle," Ashton told him worriedly.

"It will be, we just need to control it now."

They both went to join the blonde. Alex sat in an armchair and Ashton had Luke laying in his lap. His large hand rubbing the blonde solid stomach. He smiled down at the blonde and kissed his forehead. 

"I look pregnant," Luke frowned sadly as he watched his shirt cling to the tiny little bit of stomach the food had formed.

"You look underweight," Alex remarked rather rudely from the other side of the room. He spoke realistically to Luke nowadays to get the idea in his head.

"It looks cute," Ashton sugar coated the older man's response.

"It's disgusting," Luke shot back incredibly insecure. "What I just did was disgusting," he said to himself, reality hitting him once again.

Ashton sighed. "It's normal for anyone to do what you did," he reassured the boy.

Alex, however, knew this was what was ruining the blondes life. "If only."

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