Hey! Thank you for your ask. I love to theorize about Lashton!! ahah 

So my global theory is that while Ashton and Luke had feelings and attraction for each other pretty much from day 1, they struggled (and probably still struggle) to make something stable and positive about it. I believe they both had/have a hard time accepting that they are attracted to another man and on top of that their best friend. I guess the band dynamic is also a major factor and that they’d rather fuck up their love lives, than the band and their career. 

So with that my theory is that they have phases were they are flirty, cute with each other, get closer, etc. Leading up to a plateau where they kinda feel/live a couple. And then comes a downhill phase, when it becomes too much, too real, too serious, for one or the other and they freak out, or when band priorities comes clashing (management maybe? PR and stuns? that kind of thing). So they end up hurting each other a bit, and get some distance. Distance which is always hampered by the fact that they are in a band and see other almost everyday, and have to work together no matter what. And with a little bit of time and healing and longing, this goes back to another flirty phase eventually. 

Does it make sense? x) I hope it does. 

In practice that would be : first flirty phase would be the whole 1D and Selftitled era, even if that’s a long time I don’t think anything serious happened, but they were both happy with it at the time. Then a distance phase when Bryanna comes in picture and Arz a bit later. I’d believe mid-SLFL tour, Ashton and Luke started a new flirty phase that grew up during all the writing of YB era and plateau-ed when they lives together at the end of 2017. The beginning and formalization of Lierra most-likely took a shot at them, for a large art of 2018. After that, 2019 till now is a bit more blurry, I should ding on it. 

For 2011 till 2017 vision of my headcanon Lashton / theorized Lashton, you can read, if you have the time and if you want to, my lashton fic “Les histoires d’amour finissent mal en général / Love stories don’t usually end happily” on wattpad or AO3. 

I guess you could say that’s half a theory and half a headcanon ? While that’s nothing proving is wrong, that’s not necessarily much proving it right either ^^”. It’s just that it makes sens in my head. Although the amount of push-and-pull love songs that we got from YB and CALM (and we know Lashton were the main writers for that) makes me think that it might not be so out of mark. 

Don’t hesitate to ask me more or send me DM :)

Lots of love <3