yup, another Ashton one.
You had been blankly staring at your laptop screem for half an hour now. Your presentation was due tomorrow, yet you hadn't started it. And your constant anxiety over it was not helping at all. It was like your mind was blocked and even now, when you only had half a day left, you couldn't get yourself to think and start working on it.
Ashton had invited you over to his house, knowing that it often helped you to be at his house instead of his own. But this time it didn't. Now, you were just sitting in his living room and he had been in the studio with the band all day.
You hadn't mentioned that you would have rather have him stay with you, he had to do his job and he wanted to do his job. You weren't going to hold him back when he had already been so kind to invite you over again.
Deep down you knew that he wouldn't have minded it. He loved you and he always wanted to be there to support you. But you always felt like you were taking too much and not giving enough, so you kept your mouth shut and wished him a good time and success for the studio time.
"Y/N?", you jumped, so lost in your thoughts thaz you hadn't heard the front door open. Your pen slipped from your fingers and your swore quietly, ducking down to crawl after it on the floor.
"What are you doing?", he sounded amused when he entered his living room, seeing you on the floor, patting your hands in search of the pen.
You stopped to look up at him and it almost broke your heart when you saw the smiley and fond expression on his face, fully aware that you didn't have the strength today to reciprocate that.
A weak smile was all you could muster and a mumble about how you had dropped your pen, before you continued searching for it. Where was it?
Suddenly, two bare feet appeared in front of you and then Ashton crouched down to be at your height on the floor.
"Hey", he said softly, putting a hand under your chin, it was big enough to wrap around your wjole jaw, his fingers softly stroking over your cheek, "Are you okay?"
You tried to not directly look at him as you nodded, because you knew that if you would you would start crying.
But he knew you well and he wasn't having any of that.
"Y/N?", he whispered carefully.
You sighed, finally looking at him and yup, tears immediately pricked at the corners of your eyes.
"I don't", you shrugged helplessly, "I don't know, everything is so stressful lately"
Ashton hated his girl looking so helpless and broken, but you kept going: "I just can't do anything right lately, you know. I have this presentation due tomorrow and I can't - look sty laptop, Ashton! It's still a blank page because I'm too stupid to do a simple task! And my driving lessons can be so hard and it's not only that, it's everything. Everything is so difficult and so stressful and my anxiety is going through the roof with every tiny thing I have to do!"
Halfway through your rant you had started crying, tears now spilling over your cheeks, running down along Ashton's long fingers. He didn't try wiping them away. He knew that crying was sometimes better than not doing it. To let everything out.
"And you", you sniffled, looking at him through your tear blurred vision, "You're just here and you're so nice to me and all I do is cry. I always cry, I can't do anything on my own, I always need your help-"
"Stop, Y/N", he shook his head, "Stop that, please"
You did.
"You're not weak, because you want help, Y/N. In fact, you are so strong, so so strong. You're constantly battling all these things and you still manage to get your school work done. You struggle so much, but you're not giving up. No, you're reaching out for help and just for that already you are so so strong, Y/N. So damn strong okay."
Ashton's lips tilted into a small grin and you knew he was going to make a joke because he knew it would make you smile.
"You're stronger than me when I broke my snare drum the other day from hitting it too hard", he wiggled his eyebrows and giggled when you you smiled.
"You're so full of yourself", you shook your head, still smiling.
"Well, I can be, don't I? I mean, the most beautiful girl in the world loves me"
"I'm not -"
"Yes, you are, you don't wanna try to fight me on that", he interrupted you before you could even fully object, but then he turned more serious again, the dimpled smile being replaced by a deep frown, "I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."
He reached next to himself, picking up the pen that you had dropped and helped you get up by wrapping a tattooed arm around your waist.
"Let's do this, you'll have a great presentationy simply because I, Ashton Irwin, helped you do it and I'm really cool."
You laughed, wiping your tears away as you both sat back on the couch.
"What's with you and being so arrogant today?", you smiled because you didn't mind it, you loved when he was this confident. Both of you knew that you weren't the only one struggling with self esteem sometimes.
"I'm not, but I know that it makes you laugh", he smiled and kissed you cheek.
Your presentation the next day went well, not the best in the world because Ashton simply had no clue about the topic you were working on, but just his presence next to you helped you finally get it done and the long cuddle session afterwards made you be able to let go of some of the stress of the last days and relax in his arms until you both fell asleep.
