“Waiting for you to take the show.”

Word count: 1814

Warnings: language. (Should I even make that a warning anymore?)

A/N: I was in the mood for some domestic Lashton, so basically get off my back. It’s so cute. I don’t really have a substantial plot. I have extreme writer’s block for some reason smfh. But the idea was cute, so I’m here. This is basically just fluff. Like the whole thing. Every single bit. So enjoy some pretty much entirely mindless fluff.

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“Ow, Ash, that hurts.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Luke answered through gritted teeth. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Ashton continued cleaning Luke’s injured fingers with the peroxide and a cotton ball. Thank god he’d had the foresight to buy a first aid kit. He applied the Neosporin, and secured the band-aids on the cut fingers.

“There. It should be good as new by morning,” Ashton kissed each bandaged finger softly and looked up at a pouty Luke.

“Thank you, Ashy,” Luke sounded tired.

“I don’t mind, baby,” Ashton assured him and put the kit away. “How were you supposed to know the guitar string would break?”

Luke cuddled up to him when he sat back down. He was still somehow able to fit his large frame in Ashton’s arms, so Ashton held him close. He kissed Luke’s forehead and rubbed his shoulders, trying to think of something, anything he could do to take Luke’s mind off of it.

“What if we went to the beach later, hmm?” Ashton offered. “If you wanted? We always have a decent time at the beach.”

“Okay,” Luke agreed softly.

Ashton couldn’t be convinced that having Luke live with him wasn’t the perfect set up. It was like touring again, or back in the early days when they all lived together. Except this was just he and Luke. With Calum and Michael only a phone call away.

The idea was to heal each other—though at first it was just drinking and fucking to forget about what was going wrong in their lives for a little bit. But as time progressed, they started untangling their assorted issues, one by one. It was gentle, and slow, and like trying to unravel a tight knot. But they were getting somewhere with it at the very least.

But it hadn’t been enough yet. Luke was still going through it mentally, and Ashton felt somewhat helpless at times. He felt so useless when things were bad. But he stood by him unflinchingly, because he knew things were going to get better.

Ashton suspected the pain had somewhat subsided in Luke’s fingers when he heard him sigh quietly. Ashton played with Luke’s growing hair, wrapping the curls around a finger so he could see the way the ringlets looked. He loved Luke’s hair like this, and it was only getting longer, and more beautiful. He especially loved when they went to the beach and Luke’s curls got all big and wind blown. Maybe that’s why he suggested it, now that his mind had wandered.

Petunia gave a huff from where she was sleeping beside the couch. She was awake now, Ashton gathered, and Luke perked up at the sound.

“Is that my pretty girl?” Luke smiled and looked over from where he lay on Ashton’s chest, and held out his arm to her. “Come here, piggy baby.” Ashton was basically just holding Luke up now.

Petunia’s nails clicked as she trotted over at Luke’s call. “My baby,” Luke hummed and leaned over to kiss her on her nose.

“Hey, pig,” Ashton whispered softly and stroked her back and sides fondly.

“Did you have a good nap?” Luke asked, holding her whole face. “I hope so, darling.”

Petunia just looked at the windows where Luke had drawn all over them in bright red expo marker.

“Dad, I’m hungry,” Luke pulled a fake voice for her. “And I’m not gonna look at you till you offer me f-o-o-d.”

Ashton giggled.

“Laugh all you want, Petunia and I have an unspoken routine: she ignores me till she gets hungry, then she cuddles me when she’s fed. It’s a really good system.”

“You’re a lot like that too, you know,” Ashton smirked. “You only love me after you’ve raided my kitchen.”

“So what do you call this, then?” Luke smirked and gestured to how he was lying on Ashton.

“Some strange swap in the multiverse,” Ashton smirked, “unless you’re actually hungry.”

Luke considered it. “I mean, I could eat.”

“I honestly don’t know why I expected you to say that you weren’t hungry,” Ashton sighed. “Get up. I’ll make you some food, I guess. But only because you’re injured.”

Like got up and examined his fingers. “Oh, I’d almost forgotten.”

“Well don’t tell me that,” Ashton smirked. “I’m the one giving you food, remember?”

“Oh yeah, I’m so injured. I honestly don’t know how I’ll make it through the night.”

“That’s it. That’s the drama I’m looking for,” Ashton teased and went to the kitchen. “You want leftovers? Eggs? A sandwich?”

Luke and Petunia followed, and Luke perched himself on the island counter. “Surprise me.”

Ashton decided on sandwiches. Luke kissed him softly as a thank you when he handed it to him, and dug in immediately.

“Alright, Piggy,” Ashton said to a very patient, but very expectant Petunia. “You hungry, girl? You want some food?”

Petunia must have recognized the tone and the words, because she practically pranced at Ashton and huffed excitedly.

“Well, come on then. Let’s get you fed, princess,” he giggled.

And once everyone was occupied with chewing, Ashton felt at peace.

“Stop stealing my chips, you bastard,” Ashton swatted Luke’s hand away.

“Please?” Luke practically begged, “one more, I swear.”

“Yeah, I gave you one more, three chips ago. Now you’re just robbing me,” Ashton pointed out.

Luke made a pouty face in response.

“Luke, don’t do that. Don’t pull the face. There’s a whole bag over there.”

“I don’t wanna walk. I just want one last chip.”

“I have a hard time believing this is the last one.”

“Ashy... Baby,” Luke grabbed Ashton’s hand, and looked into his eyes. “Please?”

Ashton sighed and pushed the plate towards Luke—who kissed him in excitement and gratitude. “Whatever, get off me,” Ashton added melodramatically but leaned into Luke’s hug.

“Thank you, Ashy,” Luke continued, kissing his cheeks and jaw. Eventually, he settled down and ate the chips gratefully, and Ashton sat on the floor to spend time with Petunia, who nuzzled him now that she was fed.

“All you Hemmings’ are the same,” Ashton smiled fondly. “You only love an Irwin when food is involved. But I’ll forgive you cause you’re so fat and cute.” He kissed her forehead and scratched her back till she rolled on her belly, and then he scratched that too, cooing soft words to her.

Ashton looked up at Luke to find him videoing them. “No flash photography,” He held up a hand to the camera, “Leave Piggy alone, please.”

Luke just giggled and adjusted his position to point the camera at them again. Ashton tried to block the camera, again. And when they both were giggling messes, he tried to grab the phone from Luke’s hands entirely.

“Civilians can’t film her without her permission,” Ashton attacked Luke by tickling him. “It’s against the law!”

Luke fell to the floor in a fit of laughter, practically writhing out of Ashton’s hands. Even Ashton was laughing uncontrollably now. “Stop stop, Ash, I cant breathe,” Luke practically wheezed.

“Shoulda thought about that before you broke the law,” Ashton teased, but slacked up. He kissed Luke’s smiley and blush blown cheeks.

Luke caught his breath, and kept his grip on Ashton’s shirt so he’d stay in place right over him. “Every time you tickle me we end up in a compromising position,”

“Yeah well maybe if you’d keep your legs closed...” Ashton teased, and smacked the outside of Luke’s thighs from where he rested between them.

“Are you calling me a slut?” Luke said in obvious mock offense. His eyes got that teasing twinkle, and the corners of his mouth were twitching.

“Indirectly,” Ashton smirked. “Why? Are you gonna deny it?”

Luke bit his lip on a smile, “fuck you.”

“Actually, I’d rather fuck /you/,” Ashton smirked.

“Mmm I’m sure you would,” Luke’s flirtatious tone practically told Ashton that he’d rather that, too.

“Am I that predictable?” Ashton hummed.

“Yeah, kinda,” Luke looked up at him, and widened his legs to accommodate Ashton more comfortably.

“Careful, Lu.”

“What?” Came the innocent response and lip bite.

“If you think I won’t fuck you here on the kitchen floor, you’re wrong,” Ashton nearly growled. “You’re playing with fire.”

“Mmm. Good, it’ll keep me warm,” Luke rubbed one of his calves up Ashton’s legs.

“Such a slut,” Ashton shook his head fondly and kissed Luke. He felt Luke’s arms circle around him, pulling him down to deepen the kiss.

The sound of familiar clicks and pants came around the kitchen island, and Ashton felt a cold wet nose hit his cheek. He broke the kiss and giggled. “Petunia’s obviously not having this.”

Luke laughed at the displacement, and how Petunia was pretty much shoving her head between theirs, “Petunia’s eyes say: ‘dads chill out. It’s cuddle time.’”

“They say: ‘dads, chill the heck out, I eat in here.’” Ashton giggled got off of Luke to cuddle both of them. “I’m starting to think making out on the kitchen floor is a bad idea. Every time we do it we get interrupted.”

“That’s right! I forgot Calum called us last time.”

“When it’s not one child, it’s the other,” Ashton smirked.

“She’ll fall asleep soon,” Luke sighed petting her soothingly. “Pretty baby wanting to cuddle with us. So sweet. I love you.” Ashton was about to make a quippy comment when Luke turned to him, “and I love you.”

Ashton hummed. “I love you.”

“What will we do at the beach?” Like asked examining the bandages on his fingers.

“Get you some ice cream, write our names in the sand, swim...” Ashton kissed Luke’s forehead, “Whatever you want, baby.”

“I wanna swim. And write our names in the sand. And eat ice cream. Get a double scoop and I’ll share the cone with you. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Ashton took in this moment, and the moments just before—the smiles and happiness and giggles. He would trade everything he had to keep that smile on Luke’s face. There was nothing more gratifying than seeing his band mate—his best friend, his /soulmate/—with a genuine smile again.

And he knew the moments like this wouldn’t last forever, but he would hold him through a million bad days for the hope of one good one.

“Hey, Lu?”

“Hmm?”

“Stay here forever.”

There was a slight pause. “Okay.”

Ashton leaned onto Luke’s shoulder and got an excited lick from Petunia right across his nose.

“I want you here, too, Piggy,” Ashton assured her.

“Thank you for taking such good care of me, Ash,” Luke sighed softly and leaned onto the top of Ashton’s head.

“I’d bandage your guitar injuries every day if you wanted me to.”

“And make me food?”

“Only because you’d be injured.”

Luke giggled.

“C’mon then,” Ashton got Luke up and smacked his bum. “I want to see how nice your ass looks in swim shorts again.”

“Okay, okay.” Luke laughed, and turned to Petunia. “C’mon, Princess. Maybe we can convince daddy to get you some ice cream, too.”

And they definitely would.