𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑴 & 𝑯𝑶𝑷𝑬; 𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑻𝑶𝑵

chapter 3

sometimes a minuscule moment can make a substantial impact.

like when someone says 'i love you' without a care in the world, yet it makes a huge impact.

when you're in a car and you're watching the water droplets race down the window, betting on one of them to win, and being filled with destructive disappointment when that little touch of water would lose.

when you're with your best friends, the most important people in your life, playing charades in a very messy living room with pizza boxes and empty beer bottles everywhere, while extremely drunk.

luke's head was pounding, but he wasn't going to be the first to call it quits for the night, because that would make him a loser, and luke robert hemmings does not want to be this weeks loser, again.

"a bird! no, wait? oh i know!! it's a cactus!" calum yells, nearly breaking the windows and luke's eardrums in the process.

"no, you dingbat, it's obviously luke's dog, petunia. look at it? are you stupid?!" michael says, shoving his finger in his ear and turning it about. gross.

"you're all fucking stupid. that's obviously not my goddamn dog michael you idiot. are you guys blind? it's a fucking bed, a comfy, soft bed!" luke adds in, a big, proud smile on his face.

"i think you're wrong,"

"i know you're wrong, both of you!" calum says, laughing.

"i think all of you need to stop drinking, you's are losing too many brain cells. if you can't tell, it's a stage. and that's the crowd, and that's us," ashton says, pointing to the parts of his drawing on the board.

michael, calum and i all stare at the picture, finally understanding what ashton was actually trying to draw.

well, he actually could draw, but we were all so drunk and delirious that we couldn't even see it properly.

"i think you boys should stop drinking, you've been at it for hours," ashton says, looking at them like a disappointed father.

ashton stopped drinking around two hours ago, because he doesn't like getting super drunk and having to deal with the hangover the next day.

smart man, luke thought to himself.

"what are you? our father? we're fine," michael said with a slur in his words.

"michael shut the fuck up. let's go to bed and cuddle, i'm tired," calum says, making grabby hands at michael.

michael sighs drunkenly but stands up, albeit with a large sway, and grabs calum, leading him to their room.

"goodnight fuckers," he calls out before we hear the door shut.

luke and ashton were alone in the living room, silence taking over. for some reason, there was a little bit of tension.

luke skulled the rest of his beer and sat it down, staring up at ashton.

"how are you feeling today, ash?"

the question caught ashton off guard, not really expecting luke to be sentimental and caring while in a deliriously drunk state.

"today's been good, a nice distraction. i enjoyed being with you and the boys, i needed it," ashton says, smiling small down at luke.