Chasing Ashton -Lashton Hirwin-

Chapter Nineteen; 'I saw myself in you'.

Chapter Nineteen; 'I saw myself in you'.

"I can't believe this is happening" Louis mumbled to Harry, Harry gave him a look and then looked at Luke, his face as pale as snow,

"You okay Luke?" he asked, Luke just nodded and then shook his head as he ran off to the bathroom, everyone watched him leave and then looked around the room,

"Uh, I'll go?" Michael said softly. As he approached the bathroom he knocked lightly and called through the door, "You okay?" he heard footsteps and then the door clicked open, Michael walked in slowly and looked at Luke as he paced the span of floor, "Pacing, right, what's wrong?"

"Huh, nothing? This was such a bad idea" Luke said quickly, "Such a bad idea, such a bad id-" he was cut off by the doorbell and with that his stomach lurched, "I think I'm gonna be sick" Luke said sitting on the floor,

"You two, you know, spend time together, right?" Michael asked confused, Luke nodded,

"Yeah, all the time, but, never in public, or with people around, not people that we know anyway, we just don't, we haven't, his jo-"

"Luke stop talking, there's nothing to worry about" Michael cut Luke off, he was talking so fast, he looked at the door as Ashton appeared in the doorway,

"Everything okay in here?" he asked, Luke held his thumbs up but kept his head hovering over the toilet, occasionally coughing and spluttering, Michael smiled a little and then put his head down,

"Alright, uh, sir?" Ashton laughed at him and Michael looked up, "What's so funny?"

"You don't have to call me that, we're not in school, or class." 

"Oh, hah, I knew that, cheers" Michael said nervously as he walked out the bathroom, he shut the door behind him and let his breath go.

"Lukey, what's wrong?" Ashton asked sitting beside him and rubbing his back,

"This, was a very bad idea, I don't know, I feel sick"

"It's just stress, you're okay" Ashton kissed the back of Luke's neck, "You're okay" he whispered. After a while Luke composed himself and the two of them waltzed downstairs hand in hand, the room fell silent as they walked in and Luke looked at the floor,

"I feel sick again" he mumbled, he went to go back upstairs when Louis piped up,

"C'mon then, tell us how you two got together"

"Yeah, we wanna hear it" Liam smiled, Luke stopped at looked back at them, he nodded a little and smiled.

"So yeah, that's basically everything" Luke smiled. For the past hour Luke had been telling the boys about his and Ashton's secret meetings, that one weird weekend they spent together, all the times Ashton helped him after he was beaten up. Everyone eventually stopped seeing him as their teacher and began seeing him as a friend, just, one of the boys.

"Why'd you like Luke?" Michael asked,

"What?" Ashton said confused,

"Oh, that came out wrong, I mean, why do you, no, uh, I-"

"I know what you mean" Ashton reassured, "I guess, I don't know"

"For an English teacher you're crap with words" Harry laughed throwing a pillow at him,

"God I know" Ashton laughed, "I tell you what, I'll start here...I was bullied, relentlessly throughout school and college because I was gay, and it got real easy to spot who was being bullied and by whom as I grew up, it's half the reason I became a teacher. When Luke started I guessed he'd get picked on for being the 'new kid', but never because he's gay, I didn't think people still did that" Ashton explained, Michael looked at the floor as guilt flooded his mind, "I just new I needed to help him, and I needed to, I dunno, protect him? It wasn't fair and still isn't fair that he gets bullied for it, and, I guess I just saw myself in him" Ashton smiled, he squeezed Luke's hand a little and smiled at everyone else, "It was the weirdest relationship I've ever gotten into, like, secrets and lies, but it's nice when we're together, it's like, our own little world and I know that sounds really crap and girly but I don't care" Luke blushed as the words spilled from Ashton's lips, the boys took in every word. In the few minutes of Ashton talking their entire perception on Luke and Ashton's relationship had changed, they weren't just a teacher and a student any more, they were two people that were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but in the end it made something so right happen.

"So, is this it now? Is this the end?" Louis asked,

"What do you mean?" Luke asked,

"Well" Louis started, "You two kinda had to fight to even be in a relationship, then all the secrets, I mean you two can't go parading around college kissing and stuff but now you've told us, surely this is the end for you two? Not the relationship but, the struggles?"

"No, Louis" Ashton said as his smile dropped, he looked him straight in the eyes, and with a tone full of fear uttered, "This is just the beginning."