sugar daddy ❃ lashton

xxi

     After the strawberry festival had ended Ashton had to take Luke back to his dorm, as reluctant as Ashton had been to do. But, Luke hadn't been to class recently and Ashton knew that he needed to return, even if that meant Ashton had to also return to work. The next morning had been sluggish for Ashton. The workday was long and there were a few texts back from Luke, but otherwise. It was mostly paper-work and Calum poking his head in to ask about some appointments. It wasn't till the end of the day that his day picked up, Luke shooting him a text to meet him at the dorm. Ashton obliged, wanting to see the boy after his boring day.  As Ashton was leaving, he was caught by Calum in the elevator. 

"Hey Cal, you've been quiet today. You alright?" Ashton had known Calum from childhood and it was weird when Calum wasn't making smart comments or had some sort of smile on his face. Sure, everybody had their off-days, but Calum always bounced back within a few hours. He had been quiet all day. 

Calum barely looked up from his phone, his shoulders shrugging before he watched Ashton press a button to the bottom floor, "Sure." His voice is drained, raspier than usual. "You have a meeting tomorrow, two. Someone found some underground artists or something and want to go over something. I have a note." He muttered as he shoved his phone into his back pocket, leaning back against the silver metal of the elevator. 

Ashton's eyes flickered over, looking the man over before nodding, looking back to the doors. He leaned forward, pushing the emergency stop button, "Talk." He spoke, looking at Calum. 

It was easier said than done, Calum didn't even flinch when the button was pushed and the jarring stop. His brown eyes stayed to the metal doors as he pushed a sigh from his lips, "What do you mean, talk? What do you want to know?"

"The fuck you mean, what do I want to know? What happened? You're not alright. So talk, Cal." Ashton didn't mean to sound harsh, but when Calum was in a mood, he tended to be better when Ashton kicked him out of it. 

Calum, finally, looked to Ashton with a scoff, "There's nothing to talk about it besides the fact that Michael doesn't love me." The sentence was spoken and even Calum could barely hold himself together. Calum often moved too fast, but he couldn't help it. When he loved, he loved deeply and that was just who he was, who he had grown up to be. 

Ashton took a breath as he took in the information, gathering that Calum had probably told Michael that he had loved him and the response had not been good. "Did he not say it back?" Ashton spoke as he leaned back against the metal walls as well. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. 

"Of course not, why would he? I said it too early. I always do." Calum muttered. "I don't know. We've been alright, y'know? It just sucks, man. It sucks."

Ashton knew it had been a while, but he had been rejected before, as a scrawny teen. "It does suck. But, I don't think you said it too early if you meant it. If you meant it and you still do, then there is never a wrong time to do so. As cliche as I sound. I think if you two are fine, then you're fine. Give him a little bit. He'll come around, how could he not?" Ashton pushed himself from the wall and scooted closer to Calum, bumping their shoulders before pulling him into a hug. "I got you, Cal."

+

    Luke sat in his dorm room, bored out of his mind. He had finished the last of his classes and had yet to see Michael since this morning, besides the classes they had together. Which Michael had hurried from and Luke hadn't questioned. He wondered what the red-headed devil was doing. Probably out with Calum. Luke had sent a text or two to Ashton, fumbling with the phone in between his fingers before tossing it to the bed that was beside his desk. Luke shifted as he sat in his char with one leg on the floor and the other bent and on the chair as he looked through the website of his college board, showing him what assignments were due and when. That was when the door busted open without warning. Luke peered back to find Michael.