Uneasy ➢ smash au

xv. Bread Loafs & Explanations

Since yesterday, no words have been spoken between Ashton and Luke. Luckily, their mother does not know, since she's been busy at work. At this point, Ashton is lost, he has no one to turn too. He doesn't want his mother to stress over his problems because she has her own to worry about, Ashton and Luke aren't on speaking terms, and he feels he's already had enough input from Aspen - and he doesn't want to bug her as much.

He walks down the stairs and heads into the kitchen, surprised to see his mother.

"Hey mum," he greets prior to grabbing a chair at the table. She greets him back right before placing a plate of various breakfast foods in front of him. She takes a seat across from him, watching him eat as she starts up a conversation. "surprised to see you. "

"I'm glad to see you as well, Ashton." she replies in sarcasm. The both of them laugh it off prior to continuing their conversation.

"Geez mum, you didn't have to cook this much food." Ashton comments, stuffing his mouth full of egg.

"Well I felt bad because I haven't been here lately," she explains. "and I heard Luke tried to cook yesterday, so I wanted to make it up to you for that as well." She lets out a small laugh right before she allows him to speak.

"Speaking of Luke," Ashton starts, clearing his throat before speaking. "where is he at?"

"He went out with a friend," she responds.

"He didn't eat breakfast?" he continues.

"He didn't, which surprises me. He always loves it when I cook breakfast." his mother tells him, leaving her confused. She thinks for a moment before snapping out of her thoughts. "That's right, I forgot to buy bread."

"I'll get it mum," Ashton offers, causing his mother to look at him like a mad man. "no really, I'll get it. You stay home, relax, enjoy your day. I need fresh air anyway."

"Do you even know the type we get?" she questions him.

"Yeah, I'll just head to the bakery real quick and get a loaf. I might even get a discount." he adds. He quickly shoves the rest of his food in his mouth prior to sprinting up the stairs, getting dressed as quickly as he can.

♡

It surprises him to think the bakery would be open on a Sunday, most stores and shops being closed today. The shop bell goes off, instead of the smell of bread an angry Diana charges at him.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" Diana snaps at him, startling Ashton.

"I - what?"

"You heard me, what you'd do to her? I haven't seen Emery since Friday," she continues, explaining it to him as if he was completely oblivious to the subject.

"It was only a day, I'm sure she'll turn up." he reassures her, but failing miserably.

"I tried calling her and messaging her, she hasn't been picking up. For all I know, she could be dead." this washes away Ashton's expression and replaces it with worry.

"She's couldn't be dead," he says. "I saw her just yesterday."

"I swear, if you do anything that'll hurt her, I'll hurt you." she states, through gritted teeth. Ashton backs down, completely forgetting about his mother's request and heads home.

♡

That night he lays in his bed, his eyes fixed at the ceiling. He contemplates for a second before getting up, his feet heading towards his desk. He pulls out his headphones and place them on, his mind drifting elsewhere as he begins to tap on his desk, creating a small tune. The sound of the music and drum beats calm him down, everything around him not mattering to him. It takes him a second to realize the noise coming from his window, but when he does realize it, his attention is only focused on it. He heads over to his window, small rocks are tossed at his window, the face familiar to him. He carefully opens the window, making sure he doesn't wake up his brother or mother.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouts, careful with his voice.

"I want to explain a couple of things to you," she replies. "just open your front door and we can talk in your room."

"No," he says.

"Oh c'mon, I know you want an explanation. And I'm offering you one," she adds. He sighs before agreeing, shutting the window prior to heading towards the front door. He tries not to make a sound whilst going down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone in the house. He opens the door, Emery standing there, hands shoved in her hoodie pockets. She steps foot in the house, taking a good look around the house, before Ashton leads her towards his room.

The two of them sit on Ashton's bed, both of them facing each other. Emery lets out a heavy sigh before beginning.

"So you found out I smoke," she pauses for a second, letting him process all the information. He remains quiet, allowing her to go on, and she does. "it's not like I just started. I've been doing it for a couple of years now." This time, Ashton speaks, a hand running through his hair before he does.

"How many?" he asks.

"Three," she replies, her eyes fixed to her hands, she begins to mess around with them; her attention mainly focused on them. The room stays quiet for a second, faint noises from the outside easily heard.

"Can I ask why?" he mutters, his eyes still focused on her. She looks up, her eyes glazed, tears threatening to spill from them. 

"I'm just put under a lot of stress and pressure," she responds, her figure starting to shake a bit. Ashton pulls her into a hug, her tears beginning to stain his shirt. "things at home are tough, I've been getting bullied since year 9 for various reasons. I can't do it anymore, it hurts to fake a smile."

"I know," he soothes her. "I've been going through the same things. It's not easy." He tries to calm her down, her figure no longer shaking. "But I don't think smoking will solve your problems. I'm here for you," She pulls away from him, her face tear stained. He takes his thumb and wipes away her tears, a weak smile appearing on her face. He leans in a places a kiss on her cheek as reassurance. And in that moment he realized that he was capable of more than he expected.