Cutie Pie Irwin

Chapter 20

"You know it's gunna take a lot more than just a bottle of wine to make me drunk, right?" Ashton asked, eyeing a giggling and obviously wasted Luke.

"Aww, Ashy," Luke giggled. "You're so cute!" He gasped. "Thats why people call you cutie pie Irwin!"

Ashton rolled his eyes and set the bottle down. "Wow, Einstein."

He stood up and pulled Luke to his feet. "This was a bad idea, you're clearly drunk and your parent's are sleeping."

Luke wrapped his arms around Ashton's neck and fell against him. "I love your body."

"Um, thanks. Now come on, let's get you sober. We still have to finish your homework, remember?" Ashton half carried, half dragged, Luke back into the house.

"I don' like homework." Luke pouted, as Ashton helped him up to the stairs to the bathroom.

"Do you like showers?" Ashton asked, opening the door.

Luke brightened. "Yeah! Showers are cooolio!"

"Then how about you take one? Keep your clothes on though." Ashton said, helping Luke step into the shower.

Luke giggled. "But what if I wanna be nakey?"

"Don't give me that face." Ashton warned, looking at Luke's mischievous grin.

He turned the shower on and set the temperature to cold.

Luke's grin faded instantly and he yelled out, stumbling to get out of the spray. He slipped and fell out of the shower, landing half in- half out.

"Hey! That's freezing!" He shouted.

Ashton dropped a towel on Luke's face. "Welcome back to sobriety."

Luke huffed and stood up. He dried his hair with the towel and they went back to Luke's room.

"So, why do people call you 'that name'?" Luke asked as he slipped off his wet shirt and rummaged through his closet.

"Apparently I'm cute." Ashton muttered.

"But what's the real reason? I mean, you get angry when I call you it, but when your family calls you it, everything's fine." Luke pulled on a new shirt and sweatpants. "I'm trying not to be jealous."

"I don't want to talk about it." Ashton sat on Luke's bed and looked away.

"Aw come on," Luke pleaded, sitting beside him.

"No." Ashton crossed his arms.

"Please?" Luke stuck out his bottom lip. "I'll give you a blow job if you do!"

"You're not straight?" Ashton asked, surprised.

"The only straight I am's a straight up bitch." Luke said seriously.

"Oh...well still no." Ashton said firmly.

Luke sighed. "Damn, I was really looking forward to the blow job."

"I'm living a nightmare." Ashton mumbled.

"You do know that you can tell me anything, right? I won't tell anyone else, and I do genuinely care for you." Luke said, sliding off the bed. He knelt in front of Ashton and brushed back a few stray curls. "Please just know that."

Ashton kept his head turned away, but Luke could still see the tears gathering in the smaller boys eyes.

"And that I'll always be there for you, no matter what." Luke leaned in.

The tears spilt over and ran slowly down his cheeks. Luke wiped them away gently. "And that I would do anything for you, because all I want to do in life is make you smile." He leaned in closer.

Ashton finally faced him and Luke brushed their lips together.

"Can I?" Luke whispered.

Ashton hesitated, then gave a small shake of his head.

Luke sighed and placed on the sides of Ashton's head, tilting it down so he could kiss the boys hair instead. "I still love you."

He stood up. "I'm tired. Sleep with me?"

"Sure." Ashton mumbled. He crawled back and leaned against the headboard as Luke shut off the lights.

He came back to the bed and pulled the covers over them both. He wrapped his arms around Ashton, who promptly slapped them back off.

"I don't like you that much yet." He said, cuddling a pillow.

"You took my favorite pillow, you bitch." Luke pouted.

Ashton rolled over, hit him with it, and fell asleep.

Luke smiled fondly. "Goodnight, princess."

-

"No..."

Luke rolled over in his sleep.

"No, p-please..." The voice whimpered again.

Luke blinked his eyes open slowly.

"D-daddy." Ashton sobbed, clutching the pillow to his chest tightly.

Luke sat up. "Ash?"

"Please don't go!" Ashton cried and Luke jumped out of bed. He flicked on the lights and ran back to the bed.

"Ash! Ashton! Wake up!" He shook the crying boys shoulder until Ashton opened his eyes.

"Are you okay? You were yelling and crying." Luke asked, sitting beside him.

Ashton flung the pillow away and lunged at Luke, curling down in his lap. "I-I had a nightmare."

"Yeah, I figured." Luke sat criss cross and rubbed small circles on Ashton's back. "What about?"

"M-my dad." Ashton sniffed.

"What happened?" Luke asked, pressing a kiss to Ashton's hair.

"He was leaving me again." Ashton whispered, staring into space.

"Oh." Luke looked down at Ashton. "Was he...was he the one who started calling you cutie pie Irwin?"

Ashton nodded.

"And he didn't mean it in a good way, did he?"

Ashton shook his head.

"Oh Ash," Luke sighed and held him closer. "Why would anyone want to do something hurtful like that to someone as sweet and beautiful as you?"

"He doesn't like me." Ashton traced small circles on Luke's bed. "He called me that all the time to demoralize me. He said I would never be a man. Then he left us. I never understood why."

"But, why do you let your family still call you it?" Luke frowned. "Don't they know what it really means?"

"He only called me that in secret. They don't know. They think it's a term of endearment, so they say it a lot." Ashton mumbled. "But it's fine, I don't blame them."

"But, it's hurting you." Luke protested.

"But it makes them happy." Ashton sighed. "Can we just go back to bed?"

Luke frowned. "Sure...."

He flicked the lights back off and came back to bed.

This time, when Luke put his arms around Ashton again, Ashton let them stay there.