Fallible Creatures | Lashton

one. the favour

I swear it gets better n' more angsty later on...

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A shrill ringing shook Ashton from his tv induced hypnosis, he heaved himself up with a sigh and frowned at the unknown number.

"Hello?" He murmured unsurely, tracing his fingertips over the cool counters edge.

"Irwin," Ashton froze, pulling the phone away from his ear before returning it a moment later.

"Matthews." He replied shortly, no room in his tone for pleasantries.

"Ah, good, you're alive." Ashton remained silent "right well, you owe me and I need to cash in that favour."

"What is it?" He choked out, heart racing a mile a minute in his chest, it was never simple with Matthews he knew this.

"I need you to step back into the spotlight, but this time you're playing boyfriend." he rattled off minimal details before all Ashton could hear was the obnoxious tone the phone was emitting, he slammed the phone down and blindly grabbed the first glass he laid his hands on and only seconds later the glass lay in pieces on the floor.

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Ashton fidgeted with the bracelet knotted tightly around his wrist as he sat in an unusually comfortable chair on the seventh floor of the management building, he'd been dropped off by a friendly assistant and left to his own devices, his mind whirring at all the possibilities of who on earth he was here to meet after a less than informative phone call from his ex-manager.

Ashton had been able to slip from the bright lights of Hollywood at the age of eighteen and had basked in the anonymity of it all, being able to hang out with his best friend Michael without being followed for miles was something he grew to cherish.

Though there was the occasional vulture trying to pick up any information on the lost child star it remained a less and less common occurrence.

But now here he sat at the age of twenty one about to be thrown head first back into the place he spent years drowning in.

"Mr. Irwin, sorry to keep you waiting." A new voice startled Ashton, body twisting to locate it.

"Just Ashton is fine.." He corrected unsurely to which the man nodded.

"I suppose I owe an explanation?"

"That would be nice, yeah." He scoffed, eyes now focused on the man.

"Of course, well you see one of my clients is heading down a road that could destroy his entire career in a matter of minutes, and that's not exactly ideal since he has an album scheduled to drop in a few months." He paused gauging whether or not Ashton was following,

"I need you to act as his boyfriend, not only to elevate his public image but to also in a sense keep him in check. I'm aware that you yourself have dealt with a number of things I believe my client is about to trip into so if anyones qualified and knows how to keep a secret it'd be you."

"I don't really have a choice do I?" Ashtons voice was devoid of emotion

"Not really, no."

"So who is it?"

"Oh right- of course, he should be here any minu-" he was cut off by the door being thrown back on its hinges, a blonde haired - definitely hungover - man strolling in, hands stuffed in his pockets. "You're late Luke."

"I'm here aren't I?" He huffed before turning to where Ashton sat, he pulled his sunglasses down so he could get a better look "so you're my new boyfriend huh?" He dragged his eyes up and down the other man "I guess it could be worse."