Souvenir [Complete]

Five. Kerouac

Luke liked following instructions down to the letter. If there was a manual in anything—even mundane tasks-Luke would at least skim through it. He didn't like being out of control in a situation. He read instructions. It was something he was good at.

Michael on the other hand was not.

The cupcakes made a mess of the entire kitchen. Which wouldn't have been so bad if it was it's like, flour or something. But instead it was icing.

"Why does Food Network make this shit seem so easy?" Michael whined. "The icing is in the bag but it doesn't stay put like they say it will."

"I just don't think we did it right," Luke cooed. "It's really our faults. But at least we got them looking semi-decent."

A knock at the door made them both look up. It was too early for Luke's class. It wasn't even 4 yet. And Michael was already here...

"Anybody home?"

It was Ashton.

His voice was muffled through the front door and Luke sighed in relief. Michael, on the other hand, didn't look so relieved though.

Luke went to the front and unlocked the door and there he was. "Nobody gave me a key," Ashton's eyes looked over Luke. And Luke realized for the first time that Ashton's a little bit shorter than him.

"Oh, well then it's a good thing I'm here," Luke let him in. "Uhh, Ashton this is Michael he works at the—."

"Grocery store," Ashton finished. "Yeah. We met this morning. He sold me some non-slip shoes."

"Did they fit?" Michael smiled at him. Looking at Ashton like he knew him.

"Not so bad."

Luke closed the door, changing the subject quickly. "Should we talk to my dad about loaning you a key? Until you can find somewhere to stay?"

"No. I mean, you're here most of the day, right?" Ashton asked.

Luke didn't know why it felt like a slap to hear him say that. He brushed it off. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Besides. Technically I'm not supposed to come back before your dad picks me up from work. He thinks I'll get lost. Lucky for me, though, I'm a clever boy who can remember house numbers."

Luke felt more at ease at that. The tone full of sarcasm, the implication he didn't want to wait to come home. The fact that he knew Luke would be there. Ashton hadn't dissed him at all. Really it was just his dad. Thank God.

Wait, no. Scratch that what was he thinking? "What? Go back! He'll be waiting for you!" Luke opened the door and went to shove him back out again. A gesture Ashton didn't even budge at.

"Oh please. He'll figure it out." Ashton rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulder away from Luke's touch. But then he reached around him to close the door.

Luke felt his arm brush against his back.

"I'm staying," Ashton hummed with a smug look. "Besides. It's warm. And it even smells good in here."

"We made cupcakes," Luke barely hummed.

"Mmm, all the more reason to stay," Ashton smirked walking into the living room.

"Well, they aren't for you, they're for class later," Luke explained following him. Michael in toe.

Ashton stopped short, causing the other two to sort of crash together. "Why is my bed in the living room?" Ashton asked.

"You said you were cold before. Figured you could use some warming up," Luke shrugged like it was no big deal. "And don't worry, your bag is on that chair over there." He pointed.