Damaged ♡ Lashton ✔

Chapter 9 (⚠️?)

*potential tw (not sure, so better safe than sorry): panic attack, mention of past abuse*

The smell of bacon stirs me from my dreams and my stomach immediately growled embarrassingly loud. I stretch out my sore muscles which causes my back and shoulders to crack, eliciting a satisfied groan from me. I climb out of bed and glance down at my naked body, blushing at the sight of several love bites scattered across my pale skin. I quickly get dressed in my standard skinny jeans and a t-shirt and run my fingers through my hair a few times as I make my way out of the bedroom. Ash is standing in the kitchen, cooking on the stove and humming to himself quietly. I smile at the sight and pad across the wooden floors silently, then snake my arms around his torso which causes him to jump slightly and I place a kiss between his shoulder blades.

"Morning," I whisper as I lay my head against his back and close my eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?" His husky morning voice sends a small shiver down my spine and I squeeze him gently, nodding against his back. He rests one of his hands on top of mine and continues cooking one handed while we stand in silence. "I hope you're hungry," he says after a few more minutes, and as if it heard his statement, my stomach once again growled. He chuckles and pats my hand gently. "I'll take that as a yes. There's coffee over there and I think there might be creamer in the fridge if you'd like. Coffee cups are in the cupboard above the pot."

I nod again and let out a loud yawn as I shuffle over to where the delicious scent of coffee is calling me. I make myself a cup and then grab a fresh one from the cupboard, softly calling his name. He glances over at me and I hold the cup up in question.

"Please. Just black." I nod and pour his coffee, then take both mugs to the island and sit down on one of the stools. "You're really not a morning person, are you?" he asks as he places a plate of food in front of me and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. I shake my head and yawn again, and he lets out a small giggle, kissing my cheek again. "So cute," he mumbles before sitting beside me and taking a bite of his food.

"Do we have any plans today?" I ask, and he gasps, looking at me with a feigned shocked expression.

"Oh my god, he speaks!" I glare at him and he giggles again. "Nothing concrete. Cory and Cass invited us over for lunch today, but I told them I had to run it by you first. Whatever you'd prefer, I don't mind either way. I know you've only met them once, so if you'd rather just the two of us hang out, that's totally fine, too." He shrugs, taking a sip of his coffee, and I frown slightly.

"Well, I'll never meet them again if I don't agree to invitations. I'd love to see them again; I can tell they're important to you, so I want to get to know them better." He smiles and nods, then gestures to my untouched plate so I pick up my fork and take a bite of eggs, letting out a small moan. "Oh my god, what the hell did you do them? These are the best eggs I've ever tasted." He laughs and shakes his head at my reaction, placing his index finger to his lips.

"It's a secret." I pout and give him my best puppy dog eyes. His eyes widen and he shakes his head quickly, covering his eyes. "Nope! I will not be manipulated!" I laugh and lean forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. When I pull away, he tries leaning in for another kiss but I'm already too far away which makes him pout. He slowly lowers his hand and catches me smiling innocently at him. He rolls his eyes and takes another sip of coffee. "Rude," he mutters under his breath.

We finish our breakfast in comfortable silence and then clean up the dishes together before moving into the living room. He flops down on the couch and pats the spot between his spread legs, so I happily skip over and carefully settle myself on the couch, resting my back against his chest. He wraps an arm around me while the other one controls the remote, turning on How I Met Your Mother.