Labels [lashton/malum]

Chapter 12: Lunch

Edited May 2021

"Do you want my pudding?" Michael asked, sliding the cup towards Ashton.

"Hell yeah. You want my chips?" Michael hummed with a nod as he took the package.

"Alright, I got an apple juice for Ash and an orange juice for Mikey," Luke said as he sat down bedside Ashton, passing them each a juice.

"Thanks Luke," Michael took the juice, his voice less small and shy after a month of being around each other.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Calum shoved Luke's shoulder as he rounded the table and dropped down beside Michael.

"What'd I do?" Luke asked defensively through a mouthful of chicken salad.

"Gross, Luke," Ashton grimaced.

"You told Matty Benson that I was busy this weekend!" Calum hissed, no real venom in his voice.

"You are! We're practicing, getting drunk, then going to breakfast," Luke said.

"Have you seen Matty Benson? I'd ditch you losers any day for that ass," Calum pouted.

"The guy eats Taco Bell every day, I'm not sure you'll be missing much," Ashton said.

"Fine, but I'm getting plastered and one of you is going to have to hold my hair while I throw up," Calum flicked his metaphorical hair off of his shoulder.

"Not unless I beat you to it," Ashton smirked.

"Ashton, you weigh like 50 pounds less than me, I can drink you under the table in five minutes."

"Wanna bet?" Ashton raised his eyebrows.

"Please don't bet," Michael rolled his eyes

"For the love of god," Luke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You're on, Irwin." They shook hands to seal the deal.

"Um, I have something," Michael said in that soft, shy tone that he hasn't used in a while.

"Lay it on us, Mikey," Ashton said with that soft, encouraging smile that he always has when talking to Michael.

"It's only a rough draft but, I don't know," Michael shrugged hesitantly as he pulled a beat up notebook from his backpack. He flipped to a marked page and laid it on the table. "Just don't turn the pages please." Ashton carefully touched the tattered notebook and angled it to where all three of them could read the neat scrawl. At the very top of the page, in cursive lettering was the title of the page, Social Casualty.

"You wrote this?" Calum asked, his forehead slightly creased.

"Yeah, I, it's not amazing but, I don't know," Michael wasn't very sure of what he was saying so he let his mouth fall shut.

"Michael, this is amazing, why didn't you tell us you write songs?" Ashton smiled wide.

"You've heard one before," he shrugged.

"What? When?"

"In the auditorium."

"You wrote that?" Luke gaped.

"Mikey, you are so much more incredible than you give yourself credit for," Calum shook his head, running his finger against the lyrics on the page. Michael's cheeks flushed as he slid the notebook back towards himself and slipped it delicately into his backpack.

"Can I have a copy of that? My mind is absolutely drowning in ideas!" Ashton said excitedly. Michael nodded with a shy but equally excited smile.