Broken Homes {Lashton & Malum}

XII

Ashton knew that there was something wrong. The others were acting weird, and he didn't understand what was going on. They were being much quieter, much gentler, and it was just confusing him. They didn't yell as much when playing games - in fact, if they even did play games then the games themselves were calm and quiet.

They were doing chores, Ashton and Luke were hanging up washing and Michael and Calum were cleaning out the shed. It was quiet, unlike it should've been, and Ashton knew that there was still something wrong. He kept feeling the others glancing at him and he hated it, it made him feel judged and he just wanted them to stop but at the same time, the quiet was making him feel a little safer, simply because noise wasn't scaring him. What was scaring him was the possibility that they were judging him or that they secretly hated him or that maybe, somehow they'd found out.

Ashton was hating the awkward tension around them all, and he was beginning to find it too much. It was just so annoying, and he needed to get away from it for a short while. So, he picked up his sketchbook from the ground next to him and grabbed a pen from his pocket, then wrote, is it okay if I go to the bathroom?

Ashton showed the note to Luke, who was hanging clothes up on the line. He waited for Luke to read it, standing patiently."Um, yeah, of course."

Ashton smiled a little, and he closed his sketchbook, preparing to leave, but Luke stopped him with an urgent,"Wait." Ashton turned back with a raised eyebrow."Leave your sketchbook with me."

Ashton had the most surprised look on his face, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. Immediately, he shook his head, refusing. Even if he could trust Luke, he couldn't trust that his sketchbook would be safe and he just didn't want to risk it.

"I'll keep it safe, I promise," Luke assured, reaching a hand out."You've got to learn to trust me, and this is the best way. Besides, you'll only be gone for a couple of minutes. I promise, it'll be right here when you come back. Please?"

Ashton didn't react immediately, instead staring at Luke, directly in the eyes. For some reason, he felt compelled to leave his sketchbook with Luke, but he didn't understand that. He used to be strictly against ever leaving his sketchbook alone, especially not with anyone else, so why did he feel the want to trust Luke and leave it with him? Even though he didn't understand, Ashton felt himself nod, moving the sketchbook slowly into Luke's waiting hand.

Luke grinned widely. He hadn't expected Ashton to actually agree, and this was a big step in their friendship. Ashton was trusting him to take care of his sketchbook, and Luke wasn't sure if he'd ever felt happier."Thank you! It'll be right here when you get back, promise."

Ashton still felt unsure, but he nodded anyways, sending Luke a quick smile before rushing off. Luke smiled to himself, carrying on with the washing. He put Ashton's sketchbook in the laundry basket, it would be safe there for a couple of minutes while he hung up some clothes, he was sure of it.

Calum sat down with a small sigh on one of the boxes, resting his head in his hands. Michael was still pulling things out of the shed, and Calum kind of needed a break to clear his thoughts. But Michael noticed almost immediately that Calum had disappeared, and he poked his head out of the shed with a confused look."Cal? You okay?"

Calum shrugged, letting out an even bigger sigh than before, so Michael sat down on the box next to his."What's up?"

Calum tilted his head to face Michael, showing a small frown."I'm, um... I'm worried about Ash," he said with a small voice, looking away from Michael with a small blush. He didn't necessarily feel ashamed, he was just scared he was overreacting and Michael would either judge him or laugh at him.