Work Text:
2020!ashton
2015!luke
Third POV
Ashton and Luke were a happy couple, always smiling and making everyone else smile too. But lately, it's been completely different. It all started four months ago when Luke found out he was pregnant with his and Ashton's baby. They were both ecstatic, hugging, and crying the whole day Luke told Ashton.
It wasn't until two months after where everything went in the wrong direction. The band was having a rehearsal, nothing major since Ashton was watching over his pregnant husband like a hawk, always wanting him and the baby to be safe. Luke had convinced Ashton that he would be okay doing this rehearsal, he was only three months along anyway.
Ashton had agreed to let him go hesitantly, saying that if Luke felt anything wrong he should call out Ashton's name and that he was only two meters behind him. Luke had rolled his eyes and kissed Ashton hard for him to shut up. Ashton went behind his drumkit, Luke was handed his microphone, and Cal and Mike were already ready.
They started with singing Old Me, a new song of theirs written by Luke and Ashton with some of their friends. It's about how they've grown up so much since they started with the band, and everyone in the band absolutely adored the song. It wasn't until the bridge came around, Luke started feeling weird.
He turned his mouth away from the microphone, wincing, but quickly getting back to singing the song. Nobody paid any attention to the little wince that left Luke's mouth, too focused on their own instruments. The song ended, Luke not wincing through the rest of the song, but his stomach was still hurting a lot.
Something was wrong.
Luke walked over to Ashton that was busy chatting with Calum, but Luke needed his husband's attention more than Calum right now. Luke was discreetly rubbing the lower part of his stomach while poking Ashton's shoulder blade. "Hey, lovebug. What's up?" Ashton turned around to look at Luke, completely ignoring Calum. Luke was about to tell Ashton his problem when he was cut off by a pain in his lower area.
Luke screamed, falling to the ground with tears pouring out of his eyes. "Michael, call an ambulance!" Ashton yelled, Michael quickly doing what he was told after seeing his bandmate in absolute pain. Ashton dropped to his knees beside Luke, Calum pushing some pillows under Luke's head so he would be comfortable. "Baby, can you talk to me and Cal?" Ashton tried.
Luke was whining, tears still falling fast from his eyes. "A-ashy, i-i-it hurt-hurts so m-much" Luke chocked out. "Don't worry, the paramedics are on their way, baby." Ashton was stroking Luke's hair slowly, knowing it normally calmed his husband down when he had panic attacks. "Ashton," Calum said and pointed at Luke's pant leg.
It was completely soaked in blood.
Ashton knew what that meant, and he tried holding back his tears. It was already hard to see the love of his life in immense pain but to know they also lost their baby. "A-ash, w-what's h-ha-happening?" Luke asked, knowing that his husband was sad. He could see it on his face. Before Ashton could answer his helpless husband, the paramedics rushed in.
They looked at each other, nodded, and brought Luke up on the stretcher.
(✿◡‿◡)
It was five hours later, Ashton was bouncing his leg nervously in the waiting room of the hospital. And Luke was placed in a hospital bed, staring off into space.
He had lost their baby.
He had seriously just lost their baby, and Ashton was gonna be pissed at him. The doctor that had been in here earlier, had said he had lost their baby because of wrong placement, which was commonly known in pregnancies. How was he gonna bring this devastating news over to his husband? He doesn't want him sad, or even worse, mad at Luke for losing the baby.
"Mr. Irwin, you're husband is here. Shall I send him in?" a nurse asked softly, knowing Luke broke down in tears just two minutes ago and was still fragile. "Yes, please." The nurse nodded and went out of the room, only to come back five minutes after, Ashton trailing after her. His face lit up when he saw his husband looking safe. Luke didn't look happy, but he wasn't dead.
"Hey, lovebug." Ashton smiled. Luke didn't smile back, just kept staring out of the big window that was casting sunshine into the room. "Are you okay?" Ashton was hesitant with asking that. Seriously, who would be okay if they just lost their unborn baby? "No" Luke whispered into the silent room. He felt tears pressing against his eyes.
He looked up at the white ceiling, thinking about ways to tell Ashton that he lost their baby. It was all his fault. If he hadn't been so persistent about going to that stupid rehearsal, none of this would have happened. "Will you tell me why?" Ashton grabbed his younger husband's hand, it was colder than usual. Luke's skin was almost always warm like fire.
Tears rolled freely down Luke's face now. He looked down at their joined hands, silently praying Ashton would still be holding his when he told him the awful news. "I lost the baby, Ashton. I know it's all my fault, and you have all the rights in the world to be mad at me." Luke looked away, biting his lip so hard that blood came pouring out of it.
"Lu, I already know that. And it's not your fault at all. You couldn't have prevented it in any way." Ashton wiped the blood away with his thumb after tilting Luke's face towards his. "But I could! I could've just stayed home, but I was too dumb to know it was a bad idea!" Luke screamed. He just couldn't hold it in anymore.
He broke down.
Falling into Ashton's hard chest, hyperventilating and still squeezing Ashton's hand tightly. "Promise me you'll never let go. Promise you'll never let go of my hand, of this life, or of this marriage" Luke begged, looking at Ashton with wide pleading eyes.
"I promise."
(✿◡‿◡)
"Are you sure you can do this?" Ashton asked unsurely. "How else are we supposed to go home?" Luke chuckled, but it wasn't a happy chuckle. It sounded forced coming out of his mouth now. Almost like Luke was forcing himself to be happy. Because he was, ever since three months ago.
After they lost the baby, Luke tried to return to his happy life. Two months later, he was diagnosed with depression and has been living with it ever since. "Let's go then. Just stay close to me, never let go of my hand." Ashton kissed Luke hard since it looked like Luke needed a lot of comforting right at this moment.
They walked out to their car, paparazzi's and screaming teenage girls waiting for one glance at their favourite celebrity, ready with cameras. It was already too much for Luke, but he had to smile for the fans. He had to look happy. So he did just that, not once letting go of his husband's slightly bigger hand.
Paparazzi's tried to grab Luke's bicep, to make him turn around so they could get a better picture of him. Luke shook the hand of his arm and squeezed Ashton's hand a little. Someone tried to do it again, and Ashton looked at the man, really trying to stay calm. "Don't touch him." Ashton took the hand off of Luke's arm, breaking their hand contact.
Luke whimpered and quickly rejoined their hands. "Is it true you two lost the baby?" one question screamed above the rest. Luke looked up to see Ashton with stormy eyes. His were the same except being laced with sorrow, they were knit with anger. Luke's eyes watered, trying to hold them in until they were in the car.
Once they were both in the car, Luke curled into Ashton's chest and cried for the baby who failed to come into this cruel world, as Ashton tightly held Luke.