Chapter Text
Hood's diner was never really crowded during lunch hours, only the occasional group of older men working construction coming in during their breaks to grab a cup of coffee or a slice of pie. The building was small and only managed to house up to thirty people, but it was a place that Ashton held dear to his heart. It had been the place he went to after discovering that his wife had passed away, wanting to get away from the hospital and take a breather. The place then looked like I did right now: vacant, but still held a little bit of heart that made the place feel like home. Ashton went back every now and then to feel at home again, bringing Lily along on occasion. The owners, a married couple around the same age as him, were always a delight to see when he came in. They eventually became Ashton's best friends, something Ashton was grateful for in the long run.
When he and Luke arrived at the diner it was pretty empty, aside from what appeared to be a tourist sitting at a booth in the back. Calum, one half of the couple who owned the place, was resting his head on his hand, looking bored. The minute the bell rang to signal their presence he lifted his head up, smiling wide at the sight of his friend. "Ash! It's been a while, how have you been?" He moves away from the counter and pulls Ashton into a hug, both boys having smiles wide.
"Just dropped Lily off at her first day of school," Ashton says, moving away from Calum to put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Came here to take our minds off of the fact that our kids are away for a couple of hours."
Calum gives Ashton a knowing look before nodding and grabbing some menus, leading them over to one of the booths. "Doubt you need to hear the special, it's the same as every Tuesday you come in here. So might as well just get you started on drinks, I'm assuming you want Mikey's lemonade."
Ashton chuckles. "I do come here too much don't I? Yeah, that sounds really great," He looks across the table at Luke. "I recommend trying it, Mikey makes some amazing lemonade, not too tart but not too sweet either. As for the special, it's just a double cheeseburger and some fries."
Luke gives him a smile before turning to Calum. "Yeah, what he said." they hand back their menus, and the minute Calum leaves Luke is reaching across the table to intertwine their fingers again. It's comfortable and it leaves the feeling of warmth running through Ashton. Luke's thumb is stroking his knuckles softly as they don't even speak to each other, just simply holding hands and observing.
Ashton is the one that breaks the silence. "You said that you were always on tour to never get a chance to bond with Aiden, what's your band like?"
The twinkle in Luke's eye when he says that is hard to miss. "We're not much, but one day we are going to be. We've only managed to do some small tours, just around Australia but I know we've got the talent and the drive to make it outside of this country. That's actually how Andrea and I met, she came to one of my shows when we were performing at the Annandale." Ashton watches how the sparkle in his eye never dims as he continues on, discussing their songs and how he has a bright look on the band's future. Their food comes out a few minutes later, Calum smiling as he glances down at their clasped hands before giving Ashton a wink and heading back towards the kitchen.
"What record company are you guys going through?" Ashton asks after they take a break to eat their food, taking a sip of his lemonade.
Luke puts his burger down on his plate, still chewing the little bit in his mouth. "The record company in the heart of Sydney, Hi or Hey? We've been recording some stuff there in hopes of finally getting an album out but we've been seriously lacking on getting a proper producer. The one we worked with before didn't seem to care for our music, he only wanted the money that came along with helping us. Quitting with him meant no more studio time, but I'm willing to wait until we can work with someone who cares. Plus the break has given me more time with Aiden which is something I'm not going to complain about."
Ashton 's eyes widen. "I work at Hi or Hey Records!"
"You said you were your own boss," Luke questioned. "Does that mean you own part of the company or?"
Ashton bites his lip. "Kind of? I, um, actually built the company from scratch with my wife's family. Her father was a part of some rock band in the eighties and he wanted to do something with his money to benefit up and coming talent, and after my wife and I got married he asked if I wanted to be involved with it and I agreed. I'm one of the lead producers there, but I wouldn't say I own it. It's still under her family's name and I'd like to keep it that way."
Luke nods and Ashton knows what's going to come next. There was a reason he kept his mouth shut when it came to talking about his job, and it was because of-
"That's really amazing of you," Luke replies, Ashton's hand in his again. "Wanting to keep it under her family's name. I'm pretty sure if your wife was still here she would of been proud of you, not just for the company but for Lily." It's the last thing Ashton expects to hear, far too used to the usual reaction he gets when he mentions his job. It leaves him a with a sense of happiness and a bright view of what could come from being with Luke.
They finish lunch a few minutes later and walk hand in hand back towards Ashton's car. They still have a couple of hours to kill before their kids get out of school, and while Ashton wants to spend as much time as possible with Luke he knows he has to get to work. So he takes Luke back to his car, parking beside it and the minute he puts the car in park he hears Luke clear his throat.
"I had a great time," Luke says, rubbing his neck as he speaks. He's not making eye contact and he appears to be blushing, the entire thing making Ashton give him a fond smile. "I'm not sure if you did, or if you felt what I did when we were there, but I would really like to do this again sometime? I don't mind if Aiden and Lily are there when it happens, we could probably do a family thing with them, but I would just like to see you again." He looks like he wants to say something else but can't seem to form words, so Ashton just says it instead.
"I do kiss on the first date," he says and Luke begins to suck on his lip ring in what Ashton considers to be nerves. He leans across the center console of his car to press his lips against Luke's in a chaste kiss, a kiss that doesn't say much but at the same time says everything.
When he goes to pick Lily up from school a few hours later, she's endlessly chatting about all of the new friends she made as she piles into the car, while Ashton is listening with a smile on his face. He glances over to where Aiden is darting across the playground to jump into Luke's awaiting arms, both of them hugging each other tightly as Aiden rambled on about his day as well. He loves seeing Luke interact with his son, can see the love in Luke's eyes as the boy throws his arms up in the air as he discusses his day. It's the same love he feels for Lily and it's beautiful to see it on someone else.
Luke looks over to where he is standing with Lily and a fond look comes across his face. He gives Ashton a tiny wave and a wink that makes Ashton blush before turning away and taking his son home. As Ashton gets into his own car to take Lily home, the smile never leaves his face.
*
"What if they disagree?" Ashton is asking Luke as they pull up to Luke's parents house, where Lily and Aiden were currently being babysat. They had finally managed to get a date night together in what had been a long while, and while Ashton could easily classify his night into one of the best nights of his life, he was nervous about telling his daughter about it. "What if they throw a huge fit and-"
Luke is laughing and it makes Ashton frown. "Babe, I promise you that they are not going to get mad, alright? You saw how excited they were when we told them we were dating, they are going to be just as excited when we tell them the news I promise." He kisses Ashton's knuckles in reassurance but Ashton's nerves are still present. They both get out of the car and head towards the front door, Ashton wringing his hands together when Liz opens the door and gathers her son into a hug.
"Lily and Aiden just finished dinner and are watching a movie upstairs," she tells them, leading them upstairs to the spare bedroom that Liz had put aside originally for Aiden, but as time went on it also became Lily's room as well. That's how it was at their house too: Lily and Aiden refused to have separate rooms, leaving Luke and Ashton to purchase a bunk bed so the two of them could stay together.
It had been two years since the first day of school, two years since Luke and Ashton had met and had their first date. Ashton can count on those two years being the best years of his life, those years being filled with cherished memories and moments that he never wanted to take back. It had only been about six months ago that he had asked Luke to move in with him to their house and ever since then he's pretty sure he's never been happier.
"Daddy!" Lily squeals as she leaps into Ashton's arms to hug him. "Grandma said that you and papa had a surprise for us when you got back. Is it a puppy?"
Ashton laughs, kissing the top of his daughter's head as he puts her back down on the ground. "Not a puppy, but who knows, maybe in a few years we can get one." He looks over at Luke and takes his hand, their fingers lacing together as Ashton takes a deep breath. "The surprise is that papa and I have decided to get married."
The response is quick and loud.
"Do I get to be a flower girl?" Lily is shouting, rambling on about how she needs a new dress and how she wants Liz to curl her hair while Aiden is sitting on the bed in the guest room, a sad look on his face. That wasn't the response Ashton was expecting. He kneels down next to him and looks at him.
"What's wrong bud?" Ashton asks him, taking in the boy's pout and folded arms. Aiden usually did this when he didn't get his way or when he was about to cry, and that was the very last thing Ashton wanted.
"Does this mean I'm not papa's favorite boy anymore?" he sniffles and Ashton knows he shouldn't laugh but he can't help but let out a little chuckle.
"That's ridiculous!" Ashton tells him, wiping away one of the tears streaming down Aiden's cheeks. "You will always be papa's favorite boy for the rest of his life, alright? No one can replace you buddy, especially not me. I promise you'll always be number one in papa's life." He holds out his pinky, Aiden smiling and wrapping his own around Ashton's. He wraps his arms around Ashton's neck and hugs him tightly.
"I love you daddy," he says into Ashton's ear and it makes his chest tighten. Aiden had never once told Ashton he loved him, not even in the past two years of him being around more and more. He hugged the boy back tighter, returning the sentiment into the boy's ear before carrying him to the car, Lily in Luke's arms as they head back home. He feels something grab his hand across the center console on the way back, feeling the familiar cold of a pinky ring as he laces their fingers together, giving a squeeze on Luke's hand.
"I love you," he says to him.
Luke squeezes his hand before responding, "I love you too."