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luke's bubbling laughter was all that rang through ashton's ears that evening and for ashton, it was all he needed.
both boys had met the brunette boy in front of the large field a few blocks away from home, so they could head to lunch togather as a trio.
so far, ashton could see that luke adored the boy already and he was glad. calum had a wonderful time getting to catch up with ashton again, and he got to tell luke embarrassing stories of ashton when they were both mindless children. honestly, the only reason that ashton ever let it go on for so long was that he got to hear his angel laugh light up the small coffee shop.
as luke looked at the older boy in front of him, with creases in his eyes and his mouth open mid laugh, luke knew he was falling more in love with the boy each day.
luke was so okay with that.
as the air fell cold, and the sun trailed it's way down their side of the world, the boys bid goodbye to one another and both groups parted ways to their respectful homes.
on their way to the irwins's, luke couldn't help but notice how exquisite their universe was. things he had never been found of looked like they should be preserved at a museum, like the gardens of golden spring buds, the waves of clouds in the sky and the deep green tones of the tall trees that towered his tall frame, with the most vibrant hues of reds bleeding through the small cracks of light.
it was just like michael again.
where luke was content, and happy with his life.
it was weird. how life worked. if you told luke an year ago he would be here with another boy, actually happy, the guilt might have actually eaten him alive. sometimes, part of him thinks he's the shittiest guy to ever exist, that he moved on from michael. but he knows michael better than anyone, and that boy never had a bad bone in his body. he would never want luke to suffer. if he was alive, it would have killed him to see the state that luke was left in. lifeless. he would have told him that luke deserved to be happy. but luke still can't bring himself to fully believe it.
knowing michael, he might have just sent ashton to him. maybe it was a sign from his angel that he was okay with luke letting his heart be vulnerable again.
because luke's heart was now anchored deep inside the other boys, and his lifeline was blindly attached to the hands of this boy who carried the whole world in the twinkle of his eyes. they were undeniably threading chasmic waters, and if ashton was to fall, luke wouldn't hesitate to jump.
the irwin's house was empty, and for the rest of the day, they ended up in the same position they woke up in, their long limbs threading the oceans of fleece blankets, the blonde's head on ashton's shoulders and his arms wrapped around his bare chest. ashton's face was snuggled in luke's hair, and luke was sure he couldn't make out anything that was playing on the screen in front of him, but for ashton, all that he wanted to see was right in front of him.
they stayed in each other's arms for a while, just soaking up the beauty of each boy and marveling at the tiny details that made them so wonderful. they didn't get much time to do this, as luke had to spend much time at university so they often liked to slow down, and float around whenever they could.
the bliss didn't last too long, as ashton suddenly pushed luke off him. luke was confused, as he wasn't sure what caused him to suddenly block him out when he noticed the line of blood flowing down his nose and the side of his mouth, and his laboring breaths that were quickening by each second.
luke didnt even have time to react and dial the three numbers, when his boy let out the most heartbreaking cry, fell face first in front of him off the bed, and his whole body broke down in convulsions. his mouth was foaming, and luke could barely breath as the scene escalated in what felt like mere seconds.
and neither did he hear himself screaming with the phone in his trembling hands, as the medics broke down the bedroom door behind him and ran their way to luke's sobbing figure.
ashton's eyes rolled over and all that luke could see in the clear whites of his eyes were michael.
and all he could hear was michael was screaming at him to make the pain stop.
and all luke could do was watch. he was once again deemed useless. his fate was at the hands of a cruel universe, that felt like for all that it was worth, just wanted him to suffer.
