In an overpopulated world in which you have to earn the right to live, Luke doesn't seem to be good at anything. Will Ashton's help be enough to help Luke earn the right to live?
Luke's POV:
This is the 10th station I've visited. The 10th. The preconceived notion of my inevitable failure pries at me, eliciting a worn out sigh from my chapped lips.I immediately recognise a monotonous voice of an auxiliary spectator ushering me to move along the line.
My head snaps up at the sound that contrasts to the constant din in the compact room. A smile immediately covers my face, my eyes light up with jubilation and my feet inadvertently start running towards the older boy before I pounce on him, taking him into a bear hug.
"Ashton" A breath of relief escapes my lips at the familiar face that I have been deprived of for what felt like forever, but was only really a week. He chuckles at my sudden burst of enthusiasm, making a blush rise to my cheeks.
"Still haven't got accepted, huh?" My eyes divert downwards as I slowly shake my head in embarrassment, feeling very ashamed of my lack of skills, "Hey, don't be ashamed love. You'll find something you're good at eventually" Ashton reassures me when seeing the uncertainty on my facial features.
"B-but this is my last try and I've never done it before, what makes this time so special?" I ask, filled with insecurity about my seemingly non-existent adroitness whilst my chin still rests on Ashton's pointer finger.
"Because this time I'm going to be right there beside you" Ashton replies, smirking at the way my eyes pop and my jaw goes slack. Another bright smile makes its way to my face at this realisation before I begin to pepper Ashton's face with kisses, having to stand on my tiptoes to meet his height. The giggle that leave his mouth sends a swarm of butterflies rushing to my stomach.
After getting over my initial uncontrollable elation, we stand in a comfortable silence (despite the cacophony of bored bystanders) with our hands intertwined as he stands behind me with his head resting on mine. As time passes - seemingly quicker than usual - the tension surrounding us grows and I begin to softly sing whilst we wait in an attempt to calm my nerves.
"You've got a beautiful voice baby, maybe you should show them" Ashton calmly suggests, unmoving from our position.
"I don't think my voice is that good Ashton, thank you though" I chuckle humourlessly at his, though flattering, unrealistic suggestion.
However, after some persuading, Ashton successfully convinces me to sing to them, only adding to my ever growing anxiety. It's is basically unheard of for anyone to perform anything creative - people usually manifest their superior ability of academic subjects, unfortunately, I don't have a talent for any of them.
An hour that seems more like a second goes by before my name is called and I'm forced to enter the large room surrounded by solemn looking spectators.
"Luke Hemmings, we gather here today to judge your abilities, the outcome will determine whether or not you have the right to live. This system was set up decades ago in order to control our ever growing population and has worked flawlessly ever since - I wish you the best of luck" Ashton's soothing voice can only do so much to help calm my nerves, therefore, I walk the few stairs needed to get to the stage with shaking hands and pessimistic thoughts enveloping my thoughts.
Numerous pairs of bored eyes stalk my every movement - judging me. Ashton gives me a thumbs up from the other side of the room, where all the spectators are gathered sat on leather chairs in a semi-circle formation. I clear my throat nervously before I start to sing.
'Every night I feel the same,
My girl turns and walks away,
Every time I hear her name,
It's without her,
And all she does is play these games,
It's always been her claim to fame,
Every time I hear her name,
It's disaster,
She makes my heartbeat go faster,
The thing is I trust her'
The nerves seem to wash off me as I sing the song, eyes fixated on Ashton's sunshine smile that only seems to get brighten as the song progresses. By the end of the performance, my grin is matching Ashton's and it gives me the reassurance I need. Despite this, a mixture of facial expressions are on the other judges' faces, ranging from disapproving to absolutely joyous, but mostly pure shock. My eyes scan the room in trepidation, awaiting the verdict that will determine whether or not I will be alive tomorrow.
After casting his vote into an over-complicated machine that is almost certainly unnecessary, Ashton rushes towards me so he's able to congratulate me.
"That was amazing Luke, wow," I'm cocooned in a tight embrace as soon as I'm within teaching distance of Ashron. "Why didn't you ever tell me you could sing that beautifully?" Ashton questions in utter disbelief, making my cheeks resemble a tomato.
After admitting I wasn't aware of the extent of my hidden talent, Ashton repeatedly praises me on it, somehow inflating my long since burst ego. Despite this, even I could tell that the vote was still completely unpredictable because, even if my performance was of a high standard, the spectators are known for having a distaste for any form of creativity.
As the votes were being counted, Ashton got a message alerting him that he had to visit his manager immediately, however it wasn't to take long.
Little did Ashton know, he would return to the lifeless body of his boyfriend who's unique performance had already been forgotten by the inconsiderate spectators.
A/N
Heey! Sorry it's been about 3 months and this is actually crap because apparently I lost every bit of creativity I had in me as well as any motivation to write. Ugh fml, I'll try to update sooner next time!
The song Luke was singing is attached on the side/at the top and it's by an amazing band called The Hunna that I love so much at the moment OMF! Thank you so much for 5k reads too like H O W??
Thanks for reading! Thaank yoou! Byee!
Emm x <3
