babush-cat

[babush-cat]

hi hazel, congratulations on the milestone <3!! i am here to request some dog pics please and also if ur up for it, perhaps some mashton with "the intimacy of borrowing a jacket still warm from their body heat" ? <3

hi teresa! here is the prompt!

mashton: the imtimacy of borrowing a jacket still warm from their body heat

It starts as something small. Michael isn't even that cold, but he gets chilly easily these days and always feels more comfortable when his sleeves are longer, like the fabric resting against his wrists is a miniature blanket that he can bury himself in. When Ashton takes the light blue cardigan off and Michael asks if he can slip it on, he's anticipating a quick joke about stealing Ashton's fashion sense when they turn the stream on, then getting too warm in a few minutes and taking it off again.

He doesn't expect the immediate rush of warmth and comfort that he gets the second the soft fabric touches his skin. He can smell traces of Ashton's new cologne on it, and underneath his fingertips the fabric is soft from Ashton's wear, despite him having bought this particular cardigan recently. It's the most comfortable sweater he's ever worn honestly, too big in just the way he likes, warm without being suffocating, and downy without the vague scratchiness that most of the other cardigans he's tried on has.

When he finally looks up from marveling at how nice the texture feels against his skin, he finds Ashton's eyes on him, bright and amused.

"You like it?" he asks, dimples popping.

"Yeah," he says. "I should borrow stuff from you guys more often."

"Not you, too," Calum groans while the others laugh.

It's funny, the band used to share clothes all the time, to the point where half of the shirts they wore on tour belonged to the band as an entity rather than one individual person. The all stopped swapping as much when they found their own styles, but the other three still sometimes borrow an article here or there, and they don't always give them back. Michael is the only one who rarely does so, too attached to his baggy shirts and too particular about the fit of each pair of pants to feel fully comfortable swapping outfits with someone else. His clothes make him feel more like him, and wearing something that belongs to the other boys makes him feel like he's playing dress-up or hiding behind one of them instead of being himself.

Except, maybe, for this sweater. He doesn't mind the way it envelopes him like a hug, especially when the faint spicy scent of Ashton and his lingering body heat makes it feel like a hug from him, specifically.

Michael loves how Ashton hugs. He always holds him securely, but never too tight, and he's not a brick wall like Luke or made completely of hard, lean muscle like Calum. Hugging Ashton is like hugging a live teddy bear, and most of the time Michael curls his hands into fists to keep from clinging. He could stay in a hug like that forever, but as cuddly as they all are, an hour-long hug isn't something he wants to ask for, especially when Ashton loves moments of contact but doesn't prefer prolonged ones when he's not in control.

"Start the stream, dude," Luke says to Calum, coaxing Michael out of his thoughts. He fiddles with one of the buttons on the cardigan and steps out of the line of sight of the iPad as Calum sets up, struggles to start the stream, then eventually succeeds after many unhelpful suggestions from the rest of them. The joyful noise of Luke and Calum interacting with fans forces him to focus, and he spends the stream discussing "Complete Mess", dropping hints about their upcoming projects, and laughing at everything going on. It's not a very comprehensible stream, but it's fun, and he only brings up how comfortable the sweater is once more. He takes it off soon after, because if he keeps it on for much longer he's worried he won't be able to give it back.

-/-

Michael doesn't mean for it to happen again, but spring in the UK is chilly. Michael handled the cold a lot better as a teenager than he does now, and he forgot to bring his jacket when they decided to grab breakfast today. The walk back to the hotel isn't overly long, but it's breezy and Michael never quite warmed up after walking over to the restaurant, even while drinking a hot cup of coffee. He's dreading the idea of stepping out of the building and back into the cold.

"You okay, Mike?" Ashton asks, nudging him while the rest of the group heads out, chatting easily amongst themselves. Michael grimaces and tugs the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt over his fists.

"Fine. It's chilly."

"You're too Australian," Ashton says, sighing and tutting like a disappointed parent. "Other places get cold, Michael."

"I know," he whines, even though he's smiling. He's used to the other three teasing him for how cold his hands get or how much he complains about the weather when it's anything less than sunny and warm. In response, he loves sticking his icy hands on the back of their necks and seeing them jump.

"Here," Ashton says, shedding the fuzzy brown coat he put on when everyone stood to go.

"Then you'll be cold," Michael says, holding his arms out in front of him in an attempt to fend Ashton off. The coat looks incredibly soft, though, and he already has goosebumps on his arms in anticipation of the sudden dip of temperature between the restaurant and the outdoors.

"You need it more than I do," Ashton snorts. "I'll be fine for the walk back, but you'll complain the whole way otherwise."

"Oh, I see," Michael says, mouth twisting up in a smile. "You're just trying to shut me up."

"Never," Ashton grins. Michael lets him slip the coat over his shoulders, immediately feeling the same warmth and comfort that he got from the blue cardigan. He doesn't like the texture of this coat as much, but it's still warm from Ashton's body heat despite him only wearing it for a minute before passing it to him. Michael wraps it around himself and sighs in contentment.

"Better?" Ashton asks, brushing a hand over his shoulders again to get the jacket to unbunch, fretting like a mother bundling her kid up for their first winter.

"Yeah, thanks."

Ashton rewards him with another smile that overtakes his entire face. One thing that Michael learned during lockdown is how much he loves seeing his friends smile in person, especially Ashton. He has a way of making every beaming smile feel like a glimpse of the sun. Michael looks forward to seeing that grin directed at him for the next few months.

"Come on," Ashton says, placing a hand at the center of Michael's back and coaxing him forward. "The others are waiting."

Michael tugs the sleeves of Ashton's coat over his fingers, then steps into the cold. The walk back to the hotel is the warmest he feels all day, even under the stage lights at their show later that night.

-/-

It becomes a thing after that. Every time Michael feels a little bit cold, Ashton is there with a jacket or sweater to wrap around him. Ashton himself doesn't need them most of the time since he runs warm, but without fail he provides one for Michael whenever he wants it. Michael likes it best when he gets one that Ashton was just wearing, rather than one he brought "just in case." Ashton's body heat warms him down to his bones the way no fabric or yarn alone can, but any of Ashton's fluffy sweaters or light jackets help.

Luke and Calum have definitely caught on that Ashton keeps giving him clothes under the excuse of Michael being cold, but neither of them have said anything or interfered. Michael's thankful for that. Luke or Calum both have a different fit for their clothes that wouldn't be as cozy on him, and he likes that this is something for him and Ashton. Although they're a group of four best friends, they each have their individual dynamics within the group, and he likes that they all understand that a ritual between two of them doesn't need to be something that all four of them partake in.

Calum is going to start teasing soon, though. Michael can see the amusement in his eyes every time clothing exchanges hands backstage or on the bus.

Calum isn't here right now, though. They've long left behind the days when they could only afford one hotel room for the four of them, sharing beds and kicking each other in their sleep, all four of them chatting long after they should've gone to bed, and playing pranks on whoever was the last to wake up in the morning. These days, they each get their own room. Michael appreciates it, because he likes having his space after being packed together on the bus, but they usually end up hanging out in the evening anyway unless someone makes other plans.

Michael's plan right now is to knock on Ashton's door and grab a sweater, because the air conditioning in his hotel room is colder than he'd like but he knows he won't be able to fall asleep later if he accidentally turns it too warm messing with the thermostat.

Right as he's about to open the door and head across the hall, however, someone knocks on the door. He glances through the peephole and smiles.

"Hey," he says, flipping locks and tugging the door open to reveal Ashton smiling on the other side. "I was just coming to find you."

"Yeah?" Ashton asks. "Looking for this?"

He tugs on the hoodie he's wearing, something gray and worn enough that Michael's not sure what the original logo on the front was supposed to be.

"I figured you'd want it," Ashton says, already stripping it off, tugging down his t-shirt underneath so he doesn't accidentally take that off in the middle of the hallway, too. "You can't handle normal air conditioning anymore."

"Hey," Michael says in a token protest. He doesn't mind, though, not when Ashton is already holding the hoodie out for him to take. He slips it on easily, sighing in contentment at the way it blankets him. Ashton reaches around and adjusts the hood for him so it lays nicely.

"Thanks," he says, burrowing into it like a turtle finding shelter in its shell and slipping his hands into the pockets.

"I was thinking of watching a movie," Ashton says, gesturing back to his room. "Want to join?"

"You're not going to go exploring? I thought you were trying to see something new in every city we stop in," Michael asks. He's been invited to many of these outings so far this tour, but going from staying in LA to a different city each day tends to burn him out more than the concerts themselves do. Ashton is the opposite. He loves absorbing every new place they stop at by seeing as much of it as possible, especially since he wasn't allowed to during lockdown.

"Nah," Ashton says, shaking his head. "I'll do a bit of sight-seeing tomorrow, but I'm tired tonight. I'll let you choose the movie, if you want. Everything's set up in my room."

Michael hums. He was going to stay in and watch tv until his brain melts, but watching something with Ashton sounds better, especially when he's already wrapped up in his hoodie.

"Sure," he nods. "Let's do it."

"Great," Ashton grins. Michael pats his pockets to be sure he has his room key and phone, then gestures for Ashton to lead the way, snuggling further into the hoodie again. The warmth that he feels will stay through the next few hours, pressed near Ashton on the bed so they can both see the tv at the best angle, and he'll still be able to feel it lingering when he falls asleep back in his own bed, still wrapped up in Ashton's hoodie and warmth.

#on the fic blog too #hazel #allsassnoclass #mashton #fic rec #5sos fic

[babush-cat]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME

ajfjsJKFGJDKDH he was a last minute addition fjjdhf glad u like him <3 he finds the concept of toes very amusing

#ana #chamaleonsoul #ask #gjjfksjfkdjd aw shucks man

[babush-cat]

sea monster au masterpost!!! ive been talking about this one for a While so heres a collection of old and new doodles... can u tell which ones are older lol

so basically this started because of des @cakes-curls​ coming up with the concept of sea monster ash cus of this pic and then requesting a doodle of him and slime michael.. full credit to her for the original idea which has spiraled out of my control <3

but wait! there is fic for this!!!! meghna @reveriesofawriter​ actually wrote this wonderful one shot when i first started drawing these and it’s one of my favorite things ever, go read it please <33

the og doodle is under the cut along with a couple extra ones (floofy haired ash for jess @daydadahlias​ whos basically a co-author to this au at this point <3)

#the first drawing along with all the red ones and the the ones under the cut are from like. december... #i think its obvious when u look at michaels hair gfhjHJFD i only draw his new hairstyle now.. but also i find it interesting to kinda see #my evolution since then.. like its not drastic but it feels pretty obvious #anyways #mashton #michael clifford #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #calum hood #babushcat.art #5sos #5 seconds of summer #sea monster au #sorry for all the tagging i just feel wrong not giving credit where its due fhgfhfjgf #artsos #cake #just a smidge of it lol #i honestly love doodling this au its just very relaxing for me gfhjGHGFHJD #still pretty happy with the concept of turning the tats into like. markings ngl p big brained of me #anyways im probably definitely gonna draw more of it.. esp with the turning human concept

[babush-cat]

happy birthday @lukemichaelcalumashton thank u for being my friend and also i love u very much

#mashlum #calum hood #ashton irwin #michael clifford #babushcat.art #monse #mashton #cashton #5sos #artsos #on the sideblog cus i legally cannot post smooches on main #/j but i would combust probably hgjgHGFHJDF #ily monse im trying not to be too sappy but im very grateful we started talking!!! ty for understanding me and for going feral with me <3 il #ily* lmfao

[babush-cat]

hello <3 for the wip game: blue, hand, laugh, curl!

teresa do you want to know something heartbreaking? only one of these words appears in any of my mashton wips, and it only appears once. my docs are in a bit of a mashton drought right now it seems, so we're going lashton for most of these instead

blue

“Whatever you’re comfortable with,” Ashton says.  The psychics in the room don’t really seem comfortable with anything, but Liz nods and produces her tarot deck.  She’s had it for as long as Luke has been paying attention, and the edges are frayed with use.  It’s a standard tarot deck with a blue back, only as impressive as she makes it at any given moment.

“Wait,” Persephone says.  “Have Luke deal.”

hand (I went with hands instead, as I liked those sentences better than my singular mashton hand sentence)

He never should’ve left home.  He’s going to die with only the fish for company, family none the wiser, and he didn’t even tell them goodbye.

Then strong hands are gripping him, pulling him out of the sea.  The sun is blinding, his lungs burn, but his first taste of the open air feels like rebirth.

laugh

Calum slings an arm over his shoulder and Michael laughs.  Luke leans into the touch, grateful for the warmth of another person next to him after the numbness of the performance.

“You definitely sang.  You sounded great,” Michael says, worming his way in between them and holding both of them too close.  Luke wrinkles his nose.

“You definitely smell.”

curl

Ashton passes the dog off, and he does settle once he’s allowed to curl up in Michael’s lap.  Michael strokes him gently, the open adoration on his face making him look more like the Michael Ashton first met, before he learned the meaning of tragedy.  Cradling both dogs to him but still bearing the harsh marks of his sadness, Ashton feels like this Michael is a compromise between the one he will never get back and the one he still has trouble recognizing.

send me a word and I’ll scour my wips for a sentence that includes it!

#oh my god i am so excited for all of these. i am so intrigued. psychics??? persephone??? near drowning????? grief and angst????????? #all of these have me so eye emoji i am so. i am eating this thank you for these little snippets and good luck on the writing!!!! #i love ur style so much <333 #and its ok fhjfk i love that you tried to find some mashton for me ahahah #hazel #allsassnoclass #the last one really gives me so many feelings. really love the way you write

[babush-cat]

for the wip guessing game can i ask about "smile" and "night" please -hazel

hello @allsassnoclass my dear <3 thank you for these!

smile

"No way, my couch sucks. It'll fuck up your neck," Ashton insists, clumsily patting the space next to him. He cracks an eye open, smiles against the pillow, "You haven't even told me your secrets yet."

night

There's a picture frame on the nightstand, a young girl and boy grinning toothily at the camera. Michael assumes they're Ashton's siblings—he's mentionned them once or twice before.

Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in

#couldnt find a more interesting one for night somehow (except one i already used dgfhjdgfhjdgf) #these are from the same wip and also the wip im pulling most of the quotes from as its my main one rn #ask game #fanfic meme #babushcat.txt #ask #anon #hazel #allsassnoclass

[babush-cat]

hi hello hello hola buenos días

'eyes', 'hands' and 'colour' for the wip game pretty please?

hola buenas tardes <3

eyes

Captain Irwin sighs again, closes his eyes, and when he opens them they’re sad still but the hurt has subsided and he gives a lopsided smile, teases half-heartedly, “You know, being cute isn’t gonna get you out of every pickle.”

hands

Michael knows he didn’t. But it’s easier to pretend like he did. The loneliness claws at his heart, leaves marks in its wake, and he holds its hands, drives the claws deeper, punishes himself for ever even daring to hope for something else.

color (this is literally the ONLY one i found across all wips gfhHJHD)

So that’s what they do, Ashton questioning him over his favorite color, songs, movies, everything, like a rapid fire game of twenty questions. Luke finds himself relaxing over the course of the trip, Ashton’s quick wit and humor keeping him on his toes while simultaneously making him feel comfortable.

Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in

#idek if im continuing the one the word color is from gfhjhHJDHFDf im kinda amazed i havent used the word that much???? #thank u for sending these in <3 choosing only one for eyes was very difficult lmfao #first two are from the same wip <3 #ask #ana #chamaleonsoul #ask game #fanfic meme #babushcat.txt

[babush-cat]

i am here for the wip game i am here hello! how about "giggle", "sleep", "small" & "pretty" 🥰

hello maya beloved thank you <3

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Michael doesn’t miss a beat, blurts out before he can even think about what he’s saying, regrets it immediately, until Ashton giggles and then he doesn’t regret it as much anymore.

sleep

Michael stays there until the moons are up in the sky and the red night has fallen, until his lids are too heavy, and he eventually falls asleep, body numb from the chill that has set into his bones.

small

“Long night of work ahead of me,” Ashton admits with a grin, takes another sip. There’s a small, red heart on his wrist, Michael notices. He hadn’t seen it before. “How have you been?”

pretty

Luke sighs next to him. “I don’t have a lot a friends, you know,” he admits. “And the ones I have, I made a long time ago, which means they’re, uh. Pretty much stuck with me at this point,” he chuckles, rubs the back of his neck. “I’m not very good at meeting new people.”

Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in

#maya #beecosmic #ask #ask game #three out of four are from the same wip <3 thank u for askin!! <33 #fanfic meme #babushcat.txt #sorry i kinda cheated with the sleep one it was the most interesting ghfjghdf

[babush-cat]

Fanfiction Work-In-Progress Guessing Game

Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in

#👁👄👁 what if #fanfic game #ask meme

[babush-cat]

for the wip game: hand, blue and curl <3

hi teresa!! 💜

hand (used 60 times in part one, here's the first):

Regardless of who’s playing that night, Ashton gives them his full attention, claps at all the right places, and throws a dollar or five into their tip jar at the end of the night. He’s a sucker for anyone’s art form, no matter if he understands it or not. It’s special to them, and he’s grateful for the chance to experience someone else’s passion first hand.

blue (used 14 times):

He clutches a sparkly acoustic guitar in one hand, baby blue painted nails biting into the strings as he waves at the crowd and settles onto his stool. “Hello,” he says, voice swaying from a deep register to a higher head voice with one single word, elongated through a crooked smile.

curl (used 10 times):

It’s fucking adorable, seeing him all curled up in the middle of Ashton’s large bed, eyes fluttering like he’s barely hanging onto the last shreds of consciousness in an attempt to wait for Ashton’s return, a pleased twitch of his lips being the only acknowledgement that he knows Ashton returned as he lets his eyelids cover the blue beneath completely.

#oooOOOH im so excited for this that looks so good 👁‼️ #the first one is making me so soft. i love your characterisation sm <3333 #ok all of them are making me soft and yeah no the description in the last one. adorable 🥺😭💖 #amanda #lifewasradical #fanfic

[babush-cat]

for the fanfic wip game: blue, mullet, thigh, giggle <3

i like where your mind is going with these teresa! sadly i do not have any blue but i got all the other three <3

mullet:

In his sleepy haze, he almost forgot about last night, dressing up to go to one of their friend’s Halloween party, putting together this improvised costume that includes an old football shirt his dad got him, one of the many gym shorts he owns, some sports sunglasses and a cheap blonde mullet wig he bought last week.

thigh:

Duke doesn’t trust people very often, it took him months till he stopped acting like the most unintimidating guard dog whenever Luke walked into his apartment. But he took an immediate liking to Ashton, plopping himself on the man’s lap the first time Calum brought him home, declaring Ashton’s thighs as his favorite place to nap.

giggle:

Calum thinks it was pretty funny, staying in character for the night, it definitely brought a lot of giggles out of Ashton throughout the party which is his favorite sound in the world.

Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in

#COACH CALUM COACH CALUM COACH CALUM #SO EXCITED FOR THESE also the one with duke 🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭💖💖💖💖💖💖🔪‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ #thank u maya im eating this #fanfic #maya #calumsash

[babush-cat]

True love

#mashton #is what my mashton heart projects onto everything #but honestly first one could be ash or cal and the second one mike or luke #if there wasnt the first text that first person couldve also been mike. actually #im gonna go 3/4 with luke

[babush-cat]

i think hes rlly cute and floaty ok gn

#im just impatient lmfao ill try to put together a masterpost when i wake up pls remind me #babushcat.txt #ill take better pics too lol im just tired but i wanted to show. Him #and this is hella zoomed in #ashtons giving him air btw <3

[babush-cat]

i think i might have to start using the tag Tooth-rotting fluff instead of just Fluff cus goddamn every conclusion to these oneshots is cheesy as all hell

#me not sure how to finish a fic: uuuuuh ‘man how he loves his bf wow he is madly in love wow loveydovey omg love love’ #yeah that will do bam posted #like bro i cant keep getting away with this. im starting to feel cringe #babushcat.txt

[babush-cat]

hello hello maybe 80 for mashton pls ily - monse<3

hello @lukemichaelcalumashton beloved <3 sorry this took so long! also it got a lil long winded sorry gfhjjgf hope u like it <3

~2k words, here on ao3!

send me prompts and characters/pairings!

—★—

“Aren’t you gonna get in trouble?” Michael asks as he climbs into the passenger seat of Ashton’s old beat up car, triple-checking that no one saw him sneak out of the school. The engine sputters in slightly worrying ways—Michael’s never been in this car but Ashton’s snuck Calum out before and neither of them died, so. It’s gonna have to do.

Ashton grins from behind the wheel as he goes to switch the music, “They were gonna fire me soon anyway, might as well give them a good reason!” Michael huffs, buckling his seatbelt and watching as Ashton hunches over and digs through the door’s inner compartment, the rattling sound of CDs muffling his voice when he asks, “Where d’you wanna go?”

Michael sighs, slumps down the car seat, “Anywhere, really. Just not here.”

Ashton hums, then lets out a triumphant sound and pulls out Green Day’s American Idiot, grinning at Michael. He asks distractedly as he pops it into the CD player, “Is your seatbelt on?” and then proceeds to enthusiastically air-guitar along the opening notes coming out of the speakers.

Michael blinks at him.

Ashton turns to him, still bopping along to the music, looks at him expectantly. His eyebrows quirk up as if to say, so?

“What—of course it is.”

Ashton just smiles and nods, eyes flicking down to where Michael’s seatbelt is obviously buckled in because why the fuck wouldn’t it be. Michael might be reckless sometimes but he’s not an idiot–well. Not to this level at least. He’s not desperate-to-fly-through-the-windshield dumb, just. Regular-dumb.

But he doesn’t really get to comment on it as Ashton steers them out and away from behind his highschool, humming, “Anywhere but here, hm. Are your parents gonna find out?”

“Oh, definitely, yeah,” Michael snorts. His parents are probably getting an email or a phone call in the following hour and his phone is going to be buzzing with message after message and he’ll ignore them all and get lectured when he gets home, maybe get one of his consoles confiscated and ‘hidden’ in that one drawer his father doesn’t lock on purpose, and it’ll all start over again next week. It’s just routine at this point.

“Well, if we’re getting caught anyways. Let’s make the most of it,” Ashton laughs.

And it’s not that bad, all in all, skipping with Ashton. It’s fun and chaotic and he’s sure his parents are gonna get a call from Mr Darby from the video store on top of the one from the school, but he can’t really find it in himself to care as he feels lighter and more free than he ever has, running and wheezing alongside Ashton and his joyous laughter.

—★—

The second time Ashton asks him, Michael frowns and brusquely says, “Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

Tact has never really been his forte, he tends to barge into conversations with the grace of a pumped-up hippo and always ends up putting his foot in his mouth—but Ashton’s never all too phased by it, only mildly annoyed in a way that doesn’t feel like he takes offense, just that he wishes Michael’s manners were better for his own sake. Kind of like his mom.

Michael knows he’s lucky his friends are both patient and just as annoying as him.

Ashton cocks a questioning eyebrow at Michael’s frown from where he’s clutching the wheel, “Why would I think you’re stupid?”

“Why are you asking if my seatbelt is on. Of course it’s fucking on. I’m not a dumbass.”

Ashton scoffs, rolls his eyes. “As the driver I’m responsible for anyone in the car with me, aka you, so your safety is important to me ‘cause if something happens to you, I’m the one going to jail. Never said you were a dumbass,” he pauses, grins, “you dumbass.”

Michael punches him in the arm and Ashton cackles and bats at him, yelling at him to refrain from any violence against the chauffeur, and then they’re off and Michael settles into his seat. He still thinks it’s weird—his parents drive him all the time and they’ve never asked about his seatbelt, at least not since he was like, a dumb baby or like maybe five years old or something. But Ashton is weird like that, so Michael lets it slide.

—★—

He brings it up to Calum and Luke and gets confirmation that Ashton’s used the line on them when he drove them around. So he really just is like that, kind of an overbearing weirdo—or, in Calum’s words as the ultimate suck-up, a kind and caring friend, you dickhead.

It becomes a thing anytime Ashton drives them around, he says it so automatically, like it’s ingrained in his brain and he barely registers that he’s doing it at all. When they’re all in the car together they make a game out of it at first, Luke, Calum and him calling out sir, yes sir! in unison and making Ashton scoff—or giggle, depending on the day. 

After a while, though, it becomes automatic for them too, a new part of a routine that Luke and Calum describe as sweet and wholesome and that Michael tries not to think about too much. There’s a lot of things he tries not to think about too much when it comes to Ashton—and the things are piling up, actually, and he tries not to think about that either.

But he doesn’t fully understand where this seatbelt-checking habit even came from in the first place until one particular afternoon. 

He’s in the car with Ashton, as has become customary, Ashton swooping in from his early shift at the video store—somehow, somehow Mr Darby took a liking to him—and Michael stumbling out and rushing to the passenger seat. They’re driving around idly, brainstorming for something to do, when Ashton informs him that he has to go pick up his siblings from school early today. 

Michael’s never stuck around long enough to be in the car at the same time as Harry and Lauren, but he knows Ashton is usually tasked with taking them to school and back, so he shrugs and lets Ashton steer them towards the elementary school. He waits in the car as Ashton goes to fetch them, and the little seven and ten year olds barge into the car with a chorus of greetings and calls of his name.

“Hi Michael!” Harry practically yells while Lauren loudly complains that Harry’s too loud. 

Michael gives them high-fives and hides back into his seat. 

He doesn’t have siblings of his own, and although he’s met all of his friends’ siblings before, he’s always a little hesitant around Ashton’s, feels a little awkward around them.

He’s always wanted a little brother.

Lauren is recounting a detailed play-by-play of her day when Ashton kindly interrupts, giggling slightly, “Alright alright, you’ll tell me more about what Katie did later okay? Is everyone’s seatbelts on?”

Michael smiles at the familiar line and Harry pipes up, proudly declaring “Yes!” while Lauren groans and complains that she’s not a baby anymore all the while trying to stealthily buckle her seatbelt.

“I’m gonna be eleven, Ash, I’m not seven anymore,” she says pointedly, nose upturned snootily, and Michael snorts as he exchanges a glance with Ashton.

Harry protests, “What’s wrong with being seven!”

“What’s not wrong with being seven?”

“What’s not wrong with you!”

“Hey, don’t talk to your sister like that you little gremlin,” Ashton scolds, turning in his seat to frown at Harry.

“I’m not a gremlin!”

“Yeah you are, you little monster,” Ashton grins, face scrunched up as he leans over and reaches his hand towards the backseat to mercilessly tickle Harry. “You little gremlin!! You ate food after midnight didn’t you?! I know you did!”

Harry squeals in delight, mouth wide open in his laughter showing off the gap where his baby tooth fell. Ashton keeps making ridiculous monster noises while Lauren rolls her eyes like she’s too good for elementary school shenanigans as a soon-to-be middle schooler, and Michael looks on and tries not to focus too much on the way his heart clenches at how cute the scene is.

At how cute Ashton is, his treacherous brain supplies, and he tenses his entire body in an effort to keep the thought at bay.

“Alright, seatbelt on, good,” Ashton confirms once he lets up and Harry’s gasping for air and batting Ashton’s hand away, pleading for mercy. “You too, good,” Ashton then says knowingly in Lauren’s direction, who pretends to be fascinated by the window crank. He sits back up and throws a look at Michael, the corners of his lips quirking up teasingly, “Is your seatbelt on, Mike?”

Michael rolls his eyes and makes a show of triple-checking, then salutes, “Affirmative, boss,” which makes Ashton grin as they drive off.

His heart is a little soft at the whole ordeal, Ashton’s caring nature shining through every word and action right before Michael’s eyes, and Michael clutches the strap tightly against his chest, bites down a goofy smile.

He tentatively asks Harry if he likes the Gremlins, which sets him off on a tirade as he pulls out his Gizmo plushy from his cute ass little backpack while Lauren tries not to show just how much she also loves the movies, until she finally cracks and the tirade becomes a heated argument between the two children about which movie truly is the best.

Michael tries to pretend that Ashton’s fond smile then coy proposal to stay over for snacks—and to help him babysit the ‘parasites’—don’t affect him as much as they do, because he doesn’t know how to live down the way his cheeks flush and the way his heart starts playing bongos with his ribcage.

—★—

“Look at you, with your fancy car!” Ashton laughs as Michael pops the trunk open to fit Ashton’s suitcase.

“Haha, real funny,” Michael deadpans. His car’s an old bulky thing that’s bound to be banned from the streets soon enough, inherited from his mom as his first car once he finally passed his driver's license while Ashton was finishing his very last college semester in London. Michael wanted to surprise him by picking him up at the airport all by his little self.

And surprised he was, as he was expecting not only Michael but Calum and Luke as well. Once Michael was done peppering his entire face and neck with kisses and both of them were satisfied with how much they’d crushed each other’s ribs in their tight embrace, Ashton had asked if their friends were waiting in the car, and the glee with which he’d exclaimed, “You finally did it!” and jumped back into Michael’s arms made the grueling, miserable, never-ending weeks of driving school totally worth it.

Michael opens the door for Ashton like the proper gentleman he is, holding his hand under the pretense of helping him into the passenger seat and, not being able to resist, bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to the back of Ashton’s fingers. He’s missed him so fucking much.

He slides into the drivers’ seat and buckles in, tells Ashton he can pick the music from the CDs in the glove compartment because of course this old thing doesn’t have a fancy Bluetooth player. Before he comes out of park, he asks absently, “Is your seatbelt on?”

“Yep,” Ashton says, and Michael looks up and checks him over to confirm, nodding to himself. Then his eyes meet Ashton’s and they both freeze.

Ashton blinks at him, mouth slightly parted in a silent oh. Michael blinks back.

He clears his throat, face warming up as he turns away. “Well, um. Good.”

He sees Ashton bite down on a grin from the corner of his eyes as he starts to pull out of his parking spot, cheeks probably red at this point.

Ashton ends up fishing out American Idiot from the glove compartment and Michael doesn’t comment on how utterly not romantic the choice is, opting for sneaking a few way too fond glances at Ashton’s enthusiastic air-guitar instead.

He can’t wait to get home and kiss that man silly.

#self rb #im sleeping im sleeping

[babush-cat]

hello hello maybe 80 for mashton pls ily - monse<3

hello @lukemichaelcalumashton beloved <3 sorry this took so long! also it got a lil long winded sorry gfhjjgf hope u like it <3

~2k words, here on ao3!

send me prompts and characters/pairings!

—★—

“Aren’t you gonna get in trouble?” Michael asks as he climbs into the passenger seat of Ashton’s old beat up car, triple-checking that no one saw him sneak out of the school. The engine sputters in slightly worrying ways—Michael’s never been in this car but Ashton’s snuck Calum out before and neither of them died, so. It’s gonna have to do.

Ashton grins from behind the wheel as he goes to switch the music, “They were gonna fire me soon anyway, might as well give them a good reason!” Michael huffs, buckling his seatbelt and watching as Ashton hunches over and digs through the door’s inner compartment, the rattling sound of CDs muffling his voice when he asks, “Where d’you wanna go?”

Michael sighs, slumps down the car seat, “Anywhere, really. Just not here.”

Ashton hums, then lets out a triumphant sound and pulls out Green Day’s American Idiot, grinning at Michael. He asks distractedly as he pops it into the CD player, “Is your seatbelt on?” and then proceeds to enthusiastically air-guitar along the opening notes coming out of the speakers.

Michael blinks at him.

Ashton turns to him, still bopping along to the music, looks at him expectantly. His eyebrows quirk up as if to say, so?

“What—of course it is.”

Ashton just smiles and nods, eyes flicking down to where Michael’s seatbelt is obviously buckled in because why the fuck wouldn’t it be. Michael might be reckless sometimes but he’s not an idiot–well. Not to this level at least. He’s not desperate-to-fly-through-the-windshield dumb, just. Regular-dumb.

But he doesn’t really get to comment on it as Ashton steers them out and away from behind his highschool, humming, “Anywhere but here, hm. Are your parents gonna find out?”

“Oh, definitely, yeah,” Michael snorts. His parents are probably getting an email or a phone call in the following hour and his phone is going to be buzzing with message after message and he’ll ignore them all and get lectured when he gets home, maybe get one of his consoles confiscated and ‘hidden’ in that one drawer his father doesn’t lock on purpose, and it’ll all start over again next week. It’s just routine at this point.

“Well, if we’re getting caught anyways. Let’s make the most of it,” Ashton laughs.

And it’s not that bad, all in all, skipping with Ashton. It’s fun and chaotic and he’s sure his parents are gonna get a call from Mr Darby from the video store on top of the one from the school, but he can’t really find it in himself to care as he feels lighter and more free than he ever has, running and wheezing alongside Ashton and his joyous laughter.

—★—

The second time Ashton asks him, Michael frowns and brusquely says, “Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

Tact has never really been his forte, he tends to barge into conversations with the grace of a pumped-up hippo and always ends up putting his foot in his mouth—but Ashton’s never all too phased by it, only mildly annoyed in a way that doesn’t feel like he takes offense, just that he wishes Michael’s manners were better for his own sake. Kind of like his mom.

Michael knows he’s lucky his friends are both patient and just as annoying as him.

Ashton cocks a questioning eyebrow at Michael’s frown from where he’s clutching the wheel, “Why would I think you’re stupid?”

“Why are you asking if my seatbelt is on. Of course it’s fucking on. I’m not a dumbass.”

Ashton scoffs, rolls his eyes. “As the driver I’m responsible for anyone in the car with me, aka you, so your safety is important to me ‘cause if something happens to you, I’m the one going to jail. Never said you were a dumbass,” he pauses, grins, “you dumbass.”

Michael punches him in the arm and Ashton cackles and bats at him, yelling at him to refrain from any violence against the chauffeur, and then they’re off and Michael settles into his seat. He still thinks it’s weird—his parents drive him all the time and they’ve never asked about his seatbelt, at least not since he was like, a dumb baby or like maybe five years old or something. But Ashton is weird like that, so Michael lets it slide.

—★—

He brings it up to Calum and Luke and gets confirmation that Ashton’s used the line on them when he drove them around. So he really just is like that, kind of an overbearing weirdo—or, in Calum’s words as the ultimate suck-up, a kind and caring friend, you dickhead.

It becomes a thing anytime Ashton drives them around, he says it so automatically, like it’s ingrained in his brain and he barely registers that he’s doing it at all. When they’re all in the car together they make a game out of it at first, Luke, Calum and him calling out sir, yes sir! in unison and making Ashton scoff—or giggle, depending on the day. 

After a while, though, it becomes automatic for them too, a new part of a routine that Luke and Calum describe as sweet and wholesome and that Michael tries not to think about too much. There’s a lot of things he tries not to think about too much when it comes to Ashton—and the things are piling up, actually, and he tries not to think about that either.

But he doesn’t fully understand where this seatbelt-checking habit even came from in the first place until one particular afternoon. 

He’s in the car with Ashton, as has become customary, Ashton swooping in from his early shift at the video store—somehow, somehow Mr Darby took a liking to him—and Michael stumbling out and rushing to the passenger seat. They’re driving around idly, brainstorming for something to do, when Ashton informs him that he has to go pick up his siblings from school early today. 

Michael’s never stuck around long enough to be in the car at the same time as Harry and Lauren, but he knows Ashton is usually tasked with taking them to school and back, so he shrugs and lets Ashton steer them towards the elementary school. He waits in the car as Ashton goes to fetch them, and the little seven and ten year olds barge into the car with a chorus of greetings and calls of his name.

“Hi Michael!” Harry practically yells while Lauren loudly complains that Harry’s too loud. 

Michael gives them high-fives and hides back into his seat. 

He doesn’t have siblings of his own, and although he’s met all of his friends’ siblings before, he’s always a little hesitant around Ashton’s, feels a little awkward around them.

He’s always wanted a little brother.

Lauren is recounting a detailed play-by-play of her day when Ashton kindly interrupts, giggling slightly, “Alright alright, you’ll tell me more about what Katie did later okay? Is everyone’s seatbelts on?”

Michael smiles at the familiar line and Harry pipes up, proudly declaring “Yes!” while Lauren groans and complains that she’s not a baby anymore all the while trying to stealthily buckle her seatbelt.

“I’m gonna be eleven, Ash, I’m not seven anymore,” she says pointedly, nose upturned snootily, and Michael snorts as he exchanges a glance with Ashton.

Harry protests, “What’s wrong with being seven!”

“What’s not wrong with being seven?”

“What’s not wrong with you!”

“Hey, don’t talk to your sister like that you little gremlin,” Ashton scolds, turning in his seat to frown at Harry.

“I’m not a gremlin!”

“Yeah you are, you little monster,” Ashton grins, face scrunched up as he leans over and reaches his hand towards the backseat to mercilessly tickle Harry. “You little gremlin!! You ate food after midnight didn’t you?! I know you did!”

Harry squeals in delight, mouth wide open in his laughter showing off the gap where his baby tooth fell. Ashton keeps making ridiculous monster noises while Lauren rolls her eyes like she’s too good for elementary school shenanigans as a soon-to-be middle schooler, and Michael looks on and tries not to focus too much on the way his heart clenches at how cute the scene is.

At how cute Ashton is, his treacherous brain supplies, and he tenses his entire body in an effort to keep the thought at bay.

“Alright, seatbelt on, good,” Ashton confirms once he lets up and Harry’s gasping for air and batting Ashton’s hand away, pleading for mercy. “You too, good,” Ashton then says knowingly in Lauren’s direction, who pretends to be fascinated by the window crank. He sits back up and throws a look at Michael, the corners of his lips quirking up teasingly, “Is your seatbelt on, Mike?”

Michael rolls his eyes and makes a show of triple-checking, then salutes, “Affirmative, boss,” which makes Ashton grin as they drive off.

His heart is a little soft at the whole ordeal, Ashton’s caring nature shining through every word and action right before Michael’s eyes, and Michael clutches the strap tightly against his chest, bites down a goofy smile.

He tentatively asks Harry if he likes the Gremlins, which sets him off on a tirade as he pulls out his Gizmo plushy from his cute ass little backpack while Lauren tries not to show just how much she also loves the movies, until she finally cracks and the tirade becomes a heated argument between the two children about which movie truly is the best.

Michael tries to pretend that Ashton’s fond smile then coy proposal to stay over for snacks—and to help him babysit the ‘parasites’—don’t affect him as much as they do, because he doesn’t know how to live down the way his cheeks flush and the way his heart starts playing bongos with his ribcage.

—★—

“Look at you, with your fancy car!” Ashton laughs as Michael pops the trunk open to fit Ashton’s suitcase.

“Haha, real funny,” Michael deadpans. His car’s an old bulky thing that’s bound to be banned from the streets soon enough, inherited from his mom as his first car once he finally passed his driver's license while Ashton was finishing his very last college semester in London. Michael wanted to surprise him by picking him up at the airport all by his little self.

And surprised he was, as he was expecting not only Michael but Calum and Luke as well. Once Michael was done peppering his entire face and neck with kisses and both of them were satisfied with how much they’d crushed each other’s ribs in their tight embrace, Ashton had asked if their friends were waiting in the car, and the glee with which he’d exclaimed, “You finally did it!” and jumped back into Michael’s arms made the grueling, miserable, never-ending weeks of driving school totally worth it.

Michael opens the door for Ashton like the proper gentleman he is, holding his hand under the pretense of helping him into the passenger seat and, not being able to resist, bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to the back of Ashton’s fingers. He’s missed him so fucking much.

He slides into the drivers’ seat and buckles in, tells Ashton he can pick the music from the CDs in the glove compartment because of course this old thing doesn’t have a fancy Bluetooth player. Before he comes out of park, he asks absently, “Is your seatbelt on?”

“Yep,” Ashton says, and Michael looks up and checks him over to confirm, nodding to himself. Then his eyes meet Ashton’s and they both freeze.

Ashton blinks at him, mouth slightly parted in a silent oh. Michael blinks back.

He clears his throat, face warming up as he turns away. “Well, um. Good.”

He sees Ashton bite down on a grin from the corner of his eyes as he starts to pull out of his parking spot, cheeks probably red at this point.

Ashton ends up fishing out American Idiot from the glove compartment and Michael doesn’t comment on how utterly not romantic the choice is, opting for sneaking a few way too fond glances at Ashton’s enthusiastic air-guitar instead.

He can’t wait to get home and kiss that man silly.

#mashton #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #babushcat.prompt #babushcat.fic #ask #fanfic meme #monse #lukemichaelcalumashton #michael clifford #ashton irwin #5sos fanfiction #this one got edited down so much to stay kinda relevant to the prompt im crying gfhHGHFDF #i made the prompt kinda like. front and center theme of this its almost corny #maybe not even almost. actually its super corny. sorry about that fdbhGDHSGDHJ #hope u like it still ;u; <3

[babush-cat]

me: alright i have a title i have a summary i have my authors notes, my text is formatted, everything looks good, i think im ready to post! ...am i? ready to post? .....i am, right? 

ao3 additional tags: :)

#send help please #babushcat.txt #istg im losing years off my life