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luke didn't mind sharing a bunk with ashton. actually, you could go as far as to say he enjoyed it. loved it, even.
there's just something comforting about having ashton close. he knows that ashton would most certainly protect him - from whatever horrible things could be lurking in the dark of a moving bus and the lot - that aside, ashton sometimes seemed less human and more like a giant teddy bear. soft, warm, and always available for a cuddle.
while on the road with the take me home tour, the two fell into a sort of routine when liz was back home for a bit. every night, luke would make a call home, exchanging the general 'i love you's' and 'i miss you's' and 'yes, mum i have clean underwear's' - much to luke's utter embarrassment and his bandmates delight - before saying goodnight and promising to call first thing.
which is exactly how the first few nights of the where we are tour started.
once the initial teasing from the phone call from michael and calum was over with, and luke was officially knackered to the point he was mumbling things that didn't make much sense, ashton would somehow manage to collect him from his favorite spot on the bus - the small corner by the window behind the table, which for the record, is easier said than done - and herd the younger boy back to the bunks. usually, getting luke to change into his sleep clothes wasn't worth the effort - since he always whined and pouted until ashton gave in - so he was left be, since his jeans came off the second they set foot on the bus for the night anyway, while ashton stripped down to his boxers.
"ashhhyyy. come cuddle." luke whined one night from their bunk, his voice laced with yawns and occasional squeaks from said yawns. meanwhile, ashton just smiled and shook his head.
"patient, lukey boy. unlike some of us, i kind of want to brush my teeth so i don't wake up with my breath smelling like something died in my mouth." he chided, directing the last bit at michael, who tossed a wad of paper at ashton's head in response. that only managed to start a back and forth war of paper throwing, calum eventually joining in as well, leaving luke by himself in the bunk growing more impatient by the second.
eventually though, the bus driver yelled at them to knock it off because it was dangerous and 'if you don't stop that this minute i am turning this bus around'. much to luke's relief, that set the routine back in motion and ashton quickly finished getting ready for bed before climbing in next to his companion, who was getting a bit droopy eyed attempting to stay awake.
ashton smiled down at the younger boy, who was situating himself on ashton's chest. even though luke could be qualified to a literal giant, he still managed to make himself so small when he wanted to. ashton loved it. it's easy to love on someone when they're small and fragile looking.
"you don't have to stay up for me, luke. you can go ahead and get some sleep." ashton mumbled, ducking his head to nuzzle into the blonde fluff on top of luke's head. "i can entertain myself." luke hummed contentedly, sinking farther into ashton's chest and letting strong arms pull him closer.
he could probably sink through ashton all the way, if he wanted it bad and thought about it or not.
but luke is too tired for thinking. or doing the amount of movement required to sink through a person's chest.
"shhh. less talking. more cuddling." luke whispered mid-yawn. he was already fading fast, teetering on the edge between consciousness and sleep.
ashton wants to gently nudge him over that edge and onto some nice, fluffy soft pillows. or maybe clouds.
slowly but surely, luke slips into sleep. his back gently rising and falling in time with his breathing. ashton's so close he can almost hear the air blowing in and out of luke's nose.
but he can't.
calum and michael are talking outside the bunk. speaking in their own special way of whispering that's less of a whisper and more of a softer tone of their regular volume. ashton's about to peek out of the curtain and tell them to shut up and go to bed, because they have a busy day tomorrow and he's in one of his 'dad' moods again, but calum beats him to it, whipping back the curtain separating luke and ashton from the rest of the bus.
"say cheese, loverboys." he singsongs just before a camera flash goes off in ashton's field of vision. michael's giggling behind him, standing on his tiptoes to try and get a clear look over calum's shoulder at the picture before the picture goes up on twitter. ashton can tell he can see by the shit eating grin that suddenly crosses his friend's face.
ashton rolls his eyes and flicks them off, making both of them giggle. "get some sleep, ya cheeky bastards." he instructs, pulling the curtain back into place and snuggling luke a little closer.
he swears he can hear calum and michael still giggling from their bunks, but he couldn't care less, honestly. all that matters is his luke, who's still blissfully unaware of everything going on around him.
just as it should be.