Uneasy ➢ smash au

xix. New Jobs & Drummer For Hire

The next morning he woke to the sound of his brother's voice, happiness in his tone. As usual, he gets out of bed and heads towards the noise which just so happens to be in the kitchen; as usual. His mother stands before Ashton along with his brother lurking over her shoulder, reading a paper held by their mother. Smiles are worn on both of their faces, their smiles grinning from ear to ear.

"What's going on?" Ashton grumbles, his hand scratching the back of his neck. Both Luke and their mother look up, noticing his presence; smiles still plastered on their faces. Their mother looked over at Luke, a 'tell-him-what's-going-on' look shot towards him. Luke clears his throat before speaking, Ashton still left confused.

"Mum got a new job! Now she doesn't have to work two part time jobs!" Luke exclaimed, joyful cheers filling the kitchen.

"And this is actually a job that'll pay just as much as my old jobs, combined." his mother comments. A smile forms on Ashton's face, his smile feeling like it'll never fade. "But there's one tiny problem." His smile soon fades, his face showing confusion.

"I bet it won't effect us," Luke pipes up, breaking the forming tension.

"I'm sure it will Luke," Ashton tell his brother. "mum would never tell us anything that didn't have an effect on us let alone have anything that would do with us." They both turn towards their mother, both of them now confused. She lets out a deep breath prior to speaking, the tension slowly growing.

"The new job takes place in Perth," she confesses. "we have to move there." Both of the boys' faces drop, their eyes growing wide as well as their mouths.

"When would we leave?" Luke musters.

"Preferably next week," she responds.

"Does it have to be next week?" both boys question in unison.

"Can't we finish the school year? School will be dismissed for the summer in just a couple of weeks." Luke states. Their mother stops to think for a second before speaking once more.

"I'll try to work something out with my new boss." she responds. Both Ashon and Luke nod in agreement before parting ways, both boys heading to their rooms. Ashton crawls back into bed and continues sleeping for a few hours, a mixture of emotions going through him.

♡

He only slept for a half hour before getting up, his groggy voice still present. He heads back downstairs a familiar note left on the kitchen counter.

'went out to work, will continue working the same jobs until we move. Also, Luke went over to Calum's for band practice.'

Ashton finishes reading the note before placing it back on the counter prior to starting his usual routine for the weekends. He picks a fruit from the fruit bowl, taking a chunk out of the apple right before he gets ready for the day.

As usual, he rummages through his closet, clothes scattered throughout his room by now. Finally, he manages to find a somewhat decent smelling shirt, the dirty clothes in his closet now pilling up. Quickly, he throws it on, the shirt clinging to his bare skin. He slips into a pair of decent smelling track pants, his day ready to start.

Flipping through what seemed like endless channels, Ashton's eyes grow heavier and heavier. Small snores escapes his lips, the couch throw pillow tucked under his arms. It must've been what seemed like hours of sleeping, the garage door slammed shut, Ashton immediately awaking from his slumber.

"We're back," Luke called out, expecting Ashton to hear. A small grumble leaves Ashton's lips as he enters the kitchen, multiple bags being carried by Luke. As a natural response, Ashton helps his brother with the various bags and puts the contents away, most of the contents being food.

"How did practice go?" Ashton asked his brother, starting off small talk.

"Fine, we were able to book a gig for the upcoming Sydney Locals festival." Luke announced, eagerly.

"That's great, when is it?"

"Next Friday,"

"So, you plan on performing the day we graduated as well as the day of the formal?" Ashton questions, surprised.

"Huh, never thought of it like that." Luke shrugged. "I'll figure it out, somehow." The two boys continue unloading the contents of the bags until Luke stops, a thought occurring to him. "Dammit, I forgot."

"What?"

"We need a drummer for our performance." He looks over to Ashton, a sly smile starting to form.

"No, no, not under any circumstances." Ashton states. "There is nothing you can do, say, or give that'll change my answer."

"Not even Vegemite?" Dammit. One of Ashton's weaknesses. Vegemite. Only a true Australian is able to endure the bitter salty taste of what is known as a 'delicacy' to Australians.

Taken from the bag was a container of Vegemite, Ashton's crave for the salty spread growing. Luke could sense his brother would crack at any second, the anticipation growing.

"God dammit Luke, fine." within a matter of milliseconds, the container of Vegemite was taken from him, Ashton now representing Gollum. He can just imagine his brother sweetly caressing the container, muttering "my precious". "In front of how many?"

"I dunno,"

"Well try to give me a close estimate." Ashton sighed.

"Possibly two hundred to five hundred." he responded. "You'll just be drumming, it's not like you'll be singing." he added. "Unless you want to, then we can work something in for you."

"No it's fine," Ashton comments. "I don't want to sing." Just a couple seconds after debating what role Ashton will be doing for the Sydney Locals festival, their mother stumbles into room with multiple bags in each hand. As an instinct, both boys grab the bags from their mother, a smile appearing on her face.

"Thank you boys," she says. The both nod as a response, the contents of the bags being put away. "Luke," their mother starts. Luke pauses and turns to her, her eyebrow raised. "did you tell your brother the news?"

"Yeah, he said he'll be drumming for us." Luke mentioned.

"Did you have to bribe him?" she then asks, not believing him straight off the bat. Luke sighs as a response, Ashton holding up the container of Vegemite.

"So that's why you got Vegemite." she concludes. Luke gives a smirk prior to a chuckle escaping his lips, his head shaking in the process. For a second, everything seems perfect, that is until their mother brings in moving boxes. And in that very moment Ashton realizes that this is the sad reality.