"Come on boys! It's time to see Santa!" Ashton giggled as they walked into the mall.
"I can't believe you're making us do this, Ash." Luke said with a smile on his face.
Ashton grinned. "Admit it, you guys like the idea. And look, there's barely anybody here!" Ashton pointed to the short line of people waiting. "All the kids are at school so it's the perfect time to come."
The four of them waited a few minutes in line before it was their turn.
"Next." One of the employees called to them.
Michael was the first to walk up. "Hi Santa." He smiled.
"Hello boys! What can I get you for Christmas?" The Santa asked.
"Oh, we don't want anything!" Calum laughed. "We just wanted a photo."
"Well, then come sit and let's do it!"
All of the boys chuckled.
"How do you guys want to do this?" Luke asked the others.
"Michael, you sit on the floor." Calum instructed. "Luke, you and I will sit on either side of him. Ashton, you sit on his lap."
They all took their places. As Ashton was sitting down, Santa said something quietly to him. "Ho ho ho! You're a heavy one, aren't you son?" He poked the exposed skin that was hanging over his jeans.
Ashton blushed and apologized. He quickly shifted himself so he wasn't putting all of his weight on the man. He forced a smile as the flash went off.
All of the boys stood up and thanked the Santa. They walked over to the counter to look at the photo. Calum, Luke, and Michael all laughed when they saw it. They ordered an 8x10 for each of them and waited for them to be printed.
"Aw, Ash! How come you didn't smile?" Michael frowned.
"I smiled." Ashton mumbled.
Luke scoffed. "Not your real smile. You forced it."
Ashton shrugged. They waited a few more minutes for the photos and then thanked the employee again before leaving.
"Let's get lunch! I'm starving." Michael said and they headed off to the food court.
Ashton frowned at the thought of food. He looked down at his belly and saw that it stuck out and created a small muffin top. He could feel it jiggle as he walked. He knew he had put on a little holiday weight but he was oblivious to realize how much he actually gained. That is, until now. He couldn't stop thinking about how his thighs kept rubbing together and he didn't have much extra room in the butt of his jeans.
He sighed as they arrived at the food court.
"I'm thinking pizza. How 'bout you guys?" Luke suggested. Calum and Michael nodded happily while Ashton just shyly followed them.
"I'll go and order." Calum offered. "You guys get a table. What did you guys want?"
"We could just get a whole pizza and split it." Luke said.
Michael nodded. "It's probably easier."
Calum agreed. "Is that okay with you, Ash?"
"I'm not really hungry." Ashton mumbled and looked down.
"Aw, okay!" Calum brushed it off. "I'll be back in a bit then." He walked away leaving his three friends.
Michael looked at Ashton with concern. "You sure you're not hungry? We all haven't eaten in a while."
Ashton quickly nodded. Just then, his belly let out a loud growl.
Luke frowned. "I think you are hungry, Ash. Why don't you want to eat?"
Ashton continued to look down at the table. "I'm fat." He whispered.
Both Michael and Luke gasped. "You are not!" They both said at the same time.
"Yes, I am. I gained a bunch over the past few weeks." He pouted as he poked his belly.
"So what if you gained a little weight?" Michael wrapped an arm around his best friend.
Luke leaned to rest his hand on Ashton's. "Yeah, and you're not fat, Ash. If anything, you're just chubby."
Ashton laced his fingers with Luke's.
"Why the sudden concern anyway?" Michael asked.
Ashton sighed. "That Santa said I was heavy."
Luke groaned. "He's an idiot. Don't listen to him."
Michael nodded. "Also, you look adorable with the extra weight."
"I do?" Ashton asked while a small smile formed on his face.
Luke grinned. "Yes. Honestly, you'd look great if you kept gaining."
Michael smirked. "Want to do it?"
"Should I?" Ashton asked surprised.
The two boys nodded and Calum walked back with the pizza. He set it down in front of them and Luke and Michael immediately grabbed a slice for Ashton. Ashton smiled as he happily took a bite of the pizza.
