Coming Up For Air

4.3

"It's not just where you lay your head

It's not just where you make your bed

As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?"

-Gabrielle Aplin, 'Home'

⚑ Luke ⚐

Saturday started normally, with Luke waking up at about 9:30 in the morning when his toes got too cold from sticking out of the bottom of his bedspread. He got up, hopping on the balls of his feet so as to make contact with as little of the freezing hardwood floor as possible. His flat didn't have heating yet, but usually Calum woke up before him and turned on the hot water heater, which thawed things a little bit. Unfortunately for Luke, Calum had gone to Niall's last night and hadn't come home until about 4:30 in the morning, so he was still sleeping soundly in his room.

Saturday, however, did not stay normal, because as soon as Luke pulled a moderately oversized sweatshirt and some baggy pajama pants on and stumbled, shivering, into the living area, he was assaulted brutally by the heady smell of waffles.

Waffles?

"Good morning!" Ashton trilled from the kitchen, where he was standing in sweats and a Sum 41 tee-shirt. Luke blinked sleepily.

"Hi." He said, smiling. "Why are you here?"

"I'm making you breakfast because I think you're cool." Ashton informed him, pouring some batter into the waffle maker. "Your flat's cold as fuck."

"You think I'm cool?" Luke asked happily.

"Not at all, actually. But you're my boyfriend, so I figured I should probably do something nice for you every once in a while."

"I like you." Luke said as he walked over to Ashton, feeling all soft and sweet inside, like melted cotton candy. "Even if you don't think I'm cool."

"You only like me for my waffles." Ashton frowned and squirmed as Luke wrapped his arms around him from behind, tucking his chin on Ashton's shoulder. "Get off me, you carb-crazed fool."

"I like you for your waffles and your kisses." Luke whined, navigating around Ashton so he could peck him on the cheek. "Good morning. You look nice."

"The pillow does wonders for my complexion." Ashton grinned helplessly in Luke's loose grip. Luke kissed him on the cheek again, and then the nose and then the lips, still kind of astounded that he got to hold Ashton whenever he wanted to.

"Luke?" Ashton laughed after the last kiss. "You're adorable and everything, but your morning breath is not."

"Oops." Luke giggled. "Be right back."

"There will be waffles waiting!" Ashton called after him.

There were, in fact, waffles waiting when Luke got back.

"This is good." Luke said, with mild surprise as he slathered jam onto his waffle with a plastic knife because he and Calum had forgotten to bring the utensils from the last flat.

"Thank you. I pride myself on my breakfast-making abilities. It's one of my only useful talents." Ashton nodded, taking a bite of his own waffle which had nothing on it at all because, as Luke knew, sugar in the morning made Ashton feel sick.

"I disagree. I think you have lots of useful talents." Luke said, winking at him and elbowing his side lightly. "But this is one of your best. You must have done this for your entourage of girlfriends past to get this good."

"Mm. Not really." Ashton said blandly, shrugging.

"Really? What's the big occasion, then?" Luke said, swallowing some milk out of his glass and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.