Uneasy ➢ smash au

ix. Vodka & Blurry Visions

His refection glares at him, thoughts running through his mind as he looks at himself in the mirror.

"Do you think I look alright?" he asks his brother whom is seated on his bed, Ashton running his hand through his hair. He eyes linger at his reflection, singlet clinging well to his structure, while his hair is slightly messy.

"Yeah, yeah." Luke mutters, completely ignoring Ashton. "Can we just get going? I don't want to get stuck with all the shitty beer." Ashton snaps out of his own thought, his eyes dilated towards Luke.

"You drink?" he snaps. "Since when, does mum know?"

"No, mum doesn't know. And it'll stay like that," Luke responds, his tone serious towards Ashton. "and it started at the last party we went too. It was only one, I won't end up an alcoholic."

"I'm watching you." Ashton tells his brother prior to exiting his room, Luke following behind him. Tonight was one of the nights where mum had to work extra late, bar hours set longer than usual on Mondays.

The crisp weather nips at Ashton's bare skin, sending small chills down his back. As the two boys pile into the car, Luke's eyes are focused on his phone, his attention gone elsewhere.

"This better be worth it," Ashton thought to himself.

 ♡

The familiar sound of loud music fills their ears, the loud blare of the music going on for miles. As they walk towards Michael's front door, some people wait outside, beers in hand while joints in the other. Some shot rude glares towards Ashton, but that all escapes his mind once the music hits him.

"I'm going to find Michael," Luke announces, his voice barely heard over the music. Ashton nods in response, clearly having no idea what Luke just said. On his own, Ashton wanders around the house aimlessly, family pictures decorating several halls, while sweaty bodies rub against him. While aimlessly wandering around the house, Ashton comes across the living room, his first instant telling him to enter the room. The living room is used as a dance floor, several speakers set on the floor as well as the living room walls.

Through the people crowding the living room, Ashton manages to spot a couch which is pushed against the wall, some people seating and drinking their drink every now and then while others get caught up in a heated make out session. Without second judgment, he heads towards the couch prior to taking a seat. In mere seconds, he is accompanied by someone who seems unfamiliar to him.

"Hey," he looks over to his right, a small figure masked by their jacket's hood. "it's me." The small figure takes off their mask, a familiar smile along with curly red hair in front of him. "Hi Ashton." she chirps, her voice full of life.

"Hey," he lets out, forcing a smile.

"Valerie told me you'd be here," she tells him. "actually, she tried to convince me to tag along with her by saying you'd be here. And I'm glad you are."

"I'm glad you're here as well." he responds, a natural smile forming. "Is it just you and Valerie?"

"Diana tagged along as well, but I'm not quite sure where she's at." she adds. "What about you? Did you come alone?"

"No, my brother dragged me, again." Ashton replied before letting out a chuckle. "Do you, want to get a drink?"

"I don't really drink." she mutters. "But if you want one, I'd be happy to get you one."

"I'm not really the 'drinking type'." he admits sheepishly. Both of them stir awkwardly in their seats, before Ashton decides to break it, his chance slipping away slowly. "I'm going to get some water, do you want one?" he offers.

"Sure," she responds. "how about I go with you instead?" Without another word, she hops off the couch and makes her way through the crowded people, following Ashton into the kitchen.

Dozens of coolers surround them, all of them containing various beers and vodkas. Ashton walks over towards the overhead cabinets, grabbing two glasses before setting them on the counter. He then digs into the refrigerator, prior to pulling out a container filled with water, setting it down next to the glasses. Stumbling into the kitchen, is a drunk Michael who's oblivious to all that's going on around him.

"Hey guys," he slurs, his arms wrapped around Ashton and Emery's shoulders. "you guys like the party so far?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Ashton tells him. "But I think you should lay off the beer for a bit. Your breath reeks."  the horrid stence of Michael's breath fills Ashton's nose, causing him to cringe at the sight of the smell.

"Yeah, yeah." Michael says, ignoring him. "Just one more and I'll stop." Ashton continues to chat with Emery, clearly unaware of Michael. Michael goes to one of the nearby coolers and pulls out a large bottle of voda prior to walking towards the counter, pouring the liquid into the glasses in front of him. Before he could actually take a sip, Calum pulls him away to show him something, leaving the two glasses filled with vodka next to Emery and Ashton.

Both Ashton and Emery pick up their glasses, a smile on both their faces. Instantly the taste of the vodka hits him, the taste far off from water. Instead of stopping, Ashton downs the whole glass, his conscience ingored.

"Maybe it wasn't just mine," he thought. As they set down their glasses, laughs erruprted from the both of them.

"You want to dance?" he asks, his mind elsewhere. She gladly accepts, taking his hand and leading him back to the living room. The two of them sway back and forth to the music, small laughing fits occurring while it all happens. Even though his mind and thoughts are elsewhere, deep down inside, he knows another unforgettable memory just occurred.

♡

Small mutters cause Ashton to open his eyes, the blaring music from last night still ringing in his ears.

"You did what?" a loud voice erupts, their voice heard thought out the whole house. Ashton tries to sit himself up, only to be held back down. His eyes look to the right, a sudden shift in  Laying next of him was the perky little redhead from last night, sound asleep. Ashton carefully removes her arms from his neck, prior to moving her to the couch.

His head starts to hurt, a groan escaping his lips. He scans the room, empty beer bottles, vodka bottles, and red plastic cups scattered everywhere. Ashton tries to focus, his mind set on finding his brother. As he wanders around the house, he takes notices how he walks, his legs numb.

"Luke," he calls out, slurring a bit. "Luke, you here?"

"Yeah, I'm here." a voice responds. Ashton follows the voice, leading him to the kitchen. Standing before him are Luke, Calum, Valerie, and Diana. "Wow, you look drunk."

"No shit," he responds, his head continuing to pound. "where's Michael?"

"We found him sleeping in his bathtub." Calum responds, his voice free from slurring as well as Luke's.

"Yeah, you know he poured vodka instead of water into your drinks?" Luke asks.

"I know," Silence fills the room, everyone starting to get quiet. Small footsteps are heard, a pair of arms snaking around Ashton's waist.

"I know what happened last night,"