#ashton Irwin series

[suchalonelysunflower]

Villain

Sinners and Saints - Chapter 2

Pairing: Mafia! Ashton Irwin x Fem! Hemmings! Reader

Summary: Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? After seemingly accept to help her, Ashton would not make it easy for the reader to find his good graces.

Warnings: Violence, swearing, blood, guns, threats, kidnapping, murder, mentions of abuse, injury. Some grammar mistakes (English is not my first language I’m sorry)

Word count: 5.9k

Author’s Note: I’m keeping it, and if you don’t like AU’s don’t read them 🤷🏼‍♀️ Thank you all for the support with the first chapter, it means a lot 🩷 And remember to reblog, comment and like the post if you enjoyed it ❤️ Hope you like it and happy reading 🌻✨🦋

Series Masterlist

“Careful, angel” You could hear the smile in his voice dripping with condescending sarcasm “We don’t want you to get hurt”

Still, you kicked and fought and bit and yelled “fire” hoping anyone could hear and come and help, but the music was too loud and you were at least ninety percent sure the walls were soundproof. You could not see anything besides the darkness of the velvet inside of the - you guessed - bag over your head. Your heels dug into the ground as the minions Ashton probably hired from the slums tried to drag you away.

“Get the fuck away from me!”

“Motherfuck-!” One of them yelled after you sunk your teeth deep into his hand. You smiled at the faintest taste of blood that lingered on your tongue. If you were going down, at least they’d know you fought back.

Ashton rolled his eyes with a sigh “You know,” He said “You used to be fun”

“Fun?!” You yelled turning your head toward where you thought he was, still dragging your feet as two pairs of arms dragged you “I would show you fun, you sick son of a-”

“Ah-ah better be careful with your next words, angel” Ashton tutted. You felt his breath next to your ear, goosebumps jumping up on your skin as he leaned down and whispered “We both know you like it”

At that point, you were hoping you had a bag over your head so that he would miss the way your cheeks flamed up at his proximity. But if you had to guess, he probably wore a devilish smirk right now, and oh, how you wanted the satisfaction to erase it completely.

“GODFUCK-” You smiled as you heard Ashton’s groan in pain after you kneeled him near his crotch.

“Oops”

Soon, your wrists were grabbed by one of his hands, pulling you closer to him. You could feel his heartbeat next to yours as he took off the covering of your face.

Hazel, angry eyes were staring right at yours, you didn’t dare look away. You couldn’t. His gaze scanned your face, lingering a second too long on your lips before his stare found yours again, looking back with something hidden in them, something that made your breath get caught up in your lungs the second you noticed the soft caressing of his thumb against the skin of your wrist. It was a challenge, it had to be. You knew Ashton’s tricks too well to fall for them so easily. But having him so close made you realize exactly why it seemed so thoughtless to give it all away.

“Why do you have to be so difficult?” He asked, words like velvet coming out of his mouth.

“I don’t know,” You answered, staring back at him with anger “Why do you have to be such an asshole?”

Ashton chuckled, “Ouch, and I thought we were getting along”

Suddenly, you felt someone yank you from his grasp and carry you over their shoulders to the exit. You kicked and screamed, but all was fruitless as you were thrown inside a car where they tied up your wrists and ankles, and covered your face with another blindfold.

“Believe me, angel. I had no intentions of tying you up this soon” Ashton’s voice came floating as you felt the seat next to you dip under his weight. You scoffed in annoyance.

“Bite me, Irwin”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, love” He said “And try and keep quiet, alright? Don’t make me gag you… Unless you want to”

The car started moving, and just like that, you were completely at his mercy.

*

During the whole car ride, you were completely silent and still. You didn’t even give him the satisfaction of breathing hard, and you knew you were driving him crazy. Well, if the consistent sound of tapping his fingers on his knee told you anything, that is. You had to repress a smile at that.

Ashton liked the chase and fight. You noticed it the second you saw that glint in his eyes. One does not get the name Lucifer by playing fair and liking it.

“Turn over here,” He told the driver “Take the next exit and then straight home”

You rolled your eyes. Of course, he didn’t want you to know where he lived or how to get there, it was all part of the protocol your father used with all of his associates as well. How many times have the driver picked you up from school and a random man was sitting at the back with a bag over his head and his hands bound with tape if anything?

But you’ve already sold your life to the devil. You promised everything he requested to save Luke from whatever hellhole he was caught up with. You trusted him despite yourself because no one else would’ve helped you due to the nature of your last name. Ashton knew this. He knew that you weren’t going to betray him, you couldn’t even if you wanted to while your brother was nowhere to be found. So what was all this circus? Was it just to humiliate you further?

“Someone’s awfully quiet over there” He taunted. You said nothing “Aww, cat’s got your tongue, angel?”

You kicked what you hoped was his seat and heard him laugh quietly. Your cheeks burn red as you bite your tongue from ever answering him. There will be nothing left to say until he starts helping you with the search.

Sometime later, the car came to a halt. You heard how Ashton’s men got out of the vehicle, feeling how it got lighter once they did. You were still sitting in place, not moving unless moved to become more of an inconvenience for anyone because they knew that if they tried to touch you, some of the bruises you left on them might become worse.

That’s until you felt a familiar grasp on your arm.

You tried to hit him once again, but Ashton was pulling you from a distance of a few steps ahead of you. He took you up some stairs and you heard a big door closing behind you. Suddenly, the light came through.

“Now, listen,” Ashton said as your eyes adjusted to the light and the new environment “I don’t want any funny business here, you got it?”

Your head was reeling too hard to even speak. Your eyes started to look around, familiarizing yourself with this new threat. The two of you were standing in a grand entrance lobby, the main staircase not too far behind in the room. There were guards on each door, some even waiting with firearms in their hands, ready to draw. The marble floors decorated the room with elegance, nothing you wouldn’t expect from someone in this line of business.

But what really impressed you was the size of this mansion. Of course, you had your fair share of them, coming from a big, important family, it was nothing new. But knowing that Ashton lived there alone… it sure felt lonely.

Yet, you barely had time to ponder on that as Ashton grabbed you by the arm again and dragged you up the stairs.

“You are never to leave this room, understood?”

“What?”

He opened up a door, practically throwing you inside and making you lose your footage.

“This door stays unlocked for me at all times” He sternly ordered “Don’t get in my way, don’t bother me, and don’t come looking for me. If you do, somebody better be dead or I’ll make sure they will be”

Ashton slammed the door after that, leaving you completely alone.

Immediately, you ran to the door, but when you opened it you found two guards standing with their broad backs facing you, both of them with guns.

You groaned and slammed the door shut. Falling to your knees as you desperately and angrily wiped away the tears that could not stop falling. You cursed Ashton’s name over and over again, hitting the ground until your knuckles were scraped and started to bleed a little bit. By then, almost all of your anger was contained and you were left feeling numb once again.

You stood up and cradled your hands with each other, looking around the green sage-painted room. The door of the bathroom was opened, so you went in to clean up the dirt and blood from your hands and fingertips. You noticed it had a bathtub; and towels; and the cabinet was filled with ibuprofen, bandages, and a first aid kit.

You looked back into the room and also noticed how the sheets were new, and the blankets over them were placed perfectly aligned with the pillows. You rummaged through the closet and found different outfits mostly consisting of sweatpants, hoodies, workout clothes, and a set of pajamas. The realization that Ashton got someone to get the room ready for you while you were driving to his house caught you by surprise.

Still, a cage was still a cage no matter how fancy it seemed.

The next thing you did was try to get to the windows, but as you suspected they were nailed shut and made with bulletproof glass.

“Smart,” You thought “You win this round, Irwin”

Suddenly, the antics of the day caught up with you as you let yourself fall into the sheets and the bed. You didn’t know how or when, but when you woke up, you were tucked underneath the blankets.

*

The next morning Ashton woke up with a major headache. His mouth was dry and his hair was sticking out in various directions. He got out of bed with a groan and with the everyday motivation coming from the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen.

But his thoughts are quickly scrambled by loud knocks at the door.

“Fuck… What?!” He shouted, rubbing his eyes, still trying to wake up.

“Sir?” One of his bodyguards talked through the other side of the door “I- uh. I’m afraid something’s happened… eh, with the guest. She- she’s not in her room, sir”

“WHAT?!

Immediately, Ashton was out of bed and putting on his sweatpants, grabbing the gun that slept next to him on his bedside table. He opened the door and put the front sight up against the guard’s neck and under his chin, making the man gulp when he saw the anger in his boss’ eyes.

“Say that again” He demanded.

“Th-the- the maid went to give her br-br-breakfast but the girl was not-”

Ashton rolled his eyes and murmured a “Fucking idiot,” before he went up to check up on the room across the hall.

Empty.

“Shit,” He cursed, punching the door frame and turning toward his crew “I want eyes on every fucking room in this house. The pool. The garden. The fucking sheds! Not a single rock left untouched! That’s Y/N Hemmings we’re talking about!”

“And if we find her?”

“When you find her you bring her to me. I’ll deal with her”

The men scurried quickly, leaving Ashton shirtless and alone in the hall. He cursed out loud and headed toward his office to check the cameras. Surely, if his idiot guards could not handle you, you still mustn't've gone too far-

Ashton backtracked a little bit, turning toward the door of the office and opening it completely. You almost laughed at his face when he saw you sitting there in front of his computer. But you quickly decided to ignore it and just go back to work. He has you trapped, but that does not mean you owe him any interactions.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He asked.

You noticed how his chest was rising and falling with anger he tried to keep at bay. The scars that adorned his skin seemed to come alive at that. His eyes were trained on you, waiting for an explanation.

“Starting the investigation” You shrugged.

“How did you-?”

“Please, I still remember your mum’s birthday. You’re the type of man who would use that as his password. I didn’t need to try that hard”

Ashton saw red at your comment. He slammed the gun to the desk and grabbed you by the arm, surely leaving bruises as he dragged you out.

You started to fight, punching him wherever you could. But he suddenly stopped and grabbed your other wrist with his hand, twisting it a little bit, just enough to make you complain and to stop your attempts to hurt him.

In his eyes, you could see the reason why people say he’s the angel of death. There was nothing but anger and hatred as he looked at you. It scared you for a moment, but it wasn’t going to make you run away.

“You said you would help me” You spat at him.

“I never said I would make it my priority”

“You motherfuck-” You cursed him out, trying to escape his grasp but it was useless. Yesterday he might’ve been playing a little bit, but now he was showing you his real strength.

Ashton shoved you back into your room, not even looking as he said “Change of plans, since you want to be a brat, you’ll be treated as one”

Then, he slammed the door and you heard the lock being put on.

You ran up to it, banging on it and fiddling with the knob to no avail. You cursed out his name and yelled at him, demanding to be let out.

“WE HAD A DEAL!” You’d shout until your voice gave out, but it all fell on deaf ears.

What have you gotten into?

*

Hours later, while you’re trying your best to pick the lock of the windows, the door opens.

“That’s not going to work, you know?” A kind voice said, “Believe me, I’ve tried”

You turned around to find the blond girl from the bar. She was smiling at you, leaning against the door frame. But the way she smiled… It seemed too familiar. Then, it hit you.

“Lauren,” You breathed her name, she laughed.

“About time you remember me!” Lauren said, walking into the room and sitting over the bed, patting the spot next to her “I almost thought you forgot about me”

“It’s not that,” You said, complying and sitting beside her “It’s just- wow, you were so little the last time we saw each other. And now…”

“I know, right? The glow-up did me good” She joked “And so it did to you. When you gave me your name yesterday, I must admit it took me a while. But when I noticed how my brother started to act…”

You rolled your eyes at her comment about Ashton “So being her prisoner is special treatment?”

“Having him agree to help you is special treatment. You know how he is”

But that was the thing, you didn’t. You’ve known of him, of his reputation, of his deeds. But Ashton Irwin was a complete stranger to you. Whoever that person at the end of the hall was, he was far away from the boy you used to know.

“Are you-?” You cleared your throat, not knowing how to ask the question.

“In the family business?” Lauren finished for you “No, I’m only working at the bar and as Ashton's assistant for a few months. Took a sabbatical from uni. Harry is also going there but he’s more applied to his studies” She laughed “Ashton never wanted us involved, even made us change our last name for a while so we don’t get connected to him or all of this.”

“I’m glad,” You smiled. “I would’ve done the same thing if I had younger siblings. My brother’s did try it with me, though. But, you know” You looked at her, and something flashed in her eyes “You look a lot like her”

“I know,” Lauren smiled at you, putting her hand over yours “And, I haven’t said it yet, but I truly am sorry about your brothers. It’s a shitty situation”

“Tell me about it,”

“But I know if anyone is going to find Luke, it’s Ashton” She assured you “And, don’t tell him this? But I did have a little girl crush on Luke way back when. So I really do hope you’ll find him”

You laughed at that, promising to keep quiet “Be honest with me, Lauren. Am I doing the right thing by trusting Ashton?”

She sighed “If I’m being honest, I would tell you that you already know never to trust anyone in this line of work. But as someone who knows Ash, and knows everything he’s been through and done… He’s a good guy, Y/N. Or at least better than the rest”

You nodded, understanding what she meant. Yet, your heart was still doubting. Still worried you made the wrong choice by coming to him.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Lauren said, getting up and handing you an old cellphone, “Ash told me to give you this”

“What for?”

“Communication, emergencies. You name it. It only has his number on it, but I snuck mine before he could notice” She gave you a wink “Talk to you later, okay?”

“Hey, Lauren?” You called for her before she left “Thank you. Thank you for everything”

The girl smiled and closed the door, leaving you alone with your thoughts and that old phone in your hands. So you decided to test it.

Me: Couldn’t you have found one phone from this generation?

Ashton: They can easily be tracked. You know that.

Ashton: So, sorry if you wanted games installed.

Me: Are you going to let me out so I can continue with the investigation?

Ashton: Are you going to be a good girl for me and do as I tell you to?

The redness of your cheeks went up to your ears. Groaning as you read that message.

Me: Fuck you, Irwin.

Ashton: Still with that attitude, angel? Too bad, I was going to ask you what you wanted for dinner. Guess the chef will skip that request, then.

Me: I will be caught dead before having dinner with you.

Ashton: Good. We can finally benefit each other, then.

You threw the phone against the wall, denting it a little bit with no damage done to the phone. This was going to be a long day.

*

It was 2 AM when the sound of the door banging against the wall woke you up.

“Get up,” Ashton’s voice rang through your head as you sat up “We’re leaving”

“What?”

He was standing in the middle of the room dressed in an all-black suit, his hair was pushed back, leaving just a wild stand of honey-colored curls to fall upon his forehead. To anyone else, it would seem he was headed to a party, but you knew that could not be the case. He scoffed, already annoyed.

“Are you deaf?” He asked, cocking his gun without even meeting your eyes “I said get up, we’re leaving. Now”

“I’m not going anywhere with you”

Finally, he looked up at you, refusing to accept the challenge that you presented to him.

“I don’t think you understand, angel-”

“Don’t call me-”

But before you could finish your sentence, he took two long strides to your bed and put the gun right up your forehead, fingertips on the trigger.

“When I say you jump, you ask how high. If I tell you to move, you move. This isn’t daddy’s little playground where you can make the rules, princess. I’m in charge here. You work for me. You belong to me. Understood?”

You said nothing, staring directly at him with all the hatred you felt for him at that moment. His hazel eyes mirrored yours, feeling nothing but disgust under his gaze. Yet, you knew he was serious.

“I don’t like to repeat myself, angel. But for you I’ll make an exception” He said gravely “Understood?”

“Yes,” You said through gritted teeth.

Ashton put away his gun, snapping his fingers. Never taking his eyes off you as a maid brought a change of clothes into the room. It was a long-sleeved, black cotton shirt; a pair of black cargo pants; a multipurpose belt; and a can of pepper spray.

“What’s this?” You asked, picking up the tiny can.

“You’re going to blend in with my security team”

“Then shouldn’t I be carrying a gun as well?”

Ashton laughed, “Nice try, angel”

“Irwin, I’m serious! How am I supposed to protect myself with just this?!”

“Then I guess we’ll figure it out,” He said, sparing one last look at you. “I expect you to be downstairs in five minutes”

“What if-”

“Try me. Just once and you’ll see what I’m capable of”

He left the room, leaving you alone huffing and rolling your eyes at the image of him that once was there. But, having no other option, you did as you told.

Downstairs, a couple more guards were standing with Ashton at the door. You noticed a black Range Rover ready to go just outside. One of the guards came toward you, a bag in his hand. You stopped him.

“Is that really necessary?” Ashton raised his brow, and you rolled your eyes “It’s the middle of the night, Irwin. It’s not like I would see much anyway”

The guard looked back at his boss, shrugging. Ashton looked back at you, eyes hard as steel. He didn’t say a word, just turned around and started walking to the car. For a moment, you smiled to yourself for that small victory.

You sat in the back in the middle of two guards, Ashton went up the passenger seat. You frowned. It was not normal for someone that important in this line of work to be in such plain sight. But then again, the glass and the whole car were bulletproof, and the windows were tinted black. And, to top it all off, everyone knew not to fuck up with Lucifer himself if they weren’t ready to face the consequences firsthand. After all, only a fool would try to kill death.

“One of the alarms went off at the club,” Ashton said before you could ask him “Someone tried to break into the offices, killing one of mine.”

That answers the way he was dressed, although you guessed that no matter the occasion, he would dress the part. Still, it didn’t seem like a big deal to wake all of you up in the middle of the night. You’ve walked the hidden halls of the club before, you knew they were well-guarded and with the right security system installed. Ashton surely had the right people to take care of all that. Unless…

“Lauren?” You asked, letting the worry slip in your words.

Ashton barely moved his head, you assumed that hearing the name of his sister come from you must’ve surprised him a bit.

“She’s fine,” He said, dryly “I don’t- She doesn’t work there unless I’m with her”

You nodded. Smart choice from him. Yet, that doesn’t explain why you had to come at this time. But when asked about it, Ashton just gave you the silent treatment until you got there.

Once you were parked, Ashton went out of the car almost immediately, leaving you and his men to follow him.

“Call Clifford,” He ordered to the group of men standing at the door “I don’t care if you have to drag him out of his bed, remind him of the favors he owes me” He turned to another guard “You. I want the list of names of the people that came in yesterday and tonight. I want a background check on their families as well. As for you…”

“Sir, everything was accounted for. Nothing was stolen. Our team is looking for hidden mics and cameras as we speak”

“I don’t fucking care if they took anything or not” He spat “I want to know, how the fuck did they manage to get in the first place?!”

“Sir-”

“No, you listen here” Ashton threatened, just inches away from that man’s face “I’m going in there, and you better pray to your pitiful god that we don’t find anything. If I do, if I even hear about someone who did, you bet your little sorry ass that there will be hell to pay. Starting with you. Don’t make me the villain just because you don’t know how to do your job. Don’t play with me because you will find me, and that will be the last thing you do”

You stood there, shivering. If that was because of the chilly wind or Ashton’s words, you didn’t know, nor were you particularly excited to find out either. Seeing him angry was nothing new to you by now, but it was entirely different seeing his anger aimed at someone else.

Ashton dismissed his men, turning back on his heel and walking up to you. The two men that were by your side rapidly scurried away, leaving you on your own with the devil.

“Anything you want to tell me, angel?” He asked, eyes set on yours.

“What?” You scoffed “You think I had anything to do with this?”

“All I know is that you randomly appeared at my door less than 36 hours ago with some sob, pathetic story, asking for help. And now people have tried to break in”

You couldn’t help but let out a breathy, insincere laugh. Yet, Ashton remained as serious as ever.

“You’re kidding,” You stated “I’ve broken all ties with my family. You know this. Why else would I ask for your help?”

“Because all Hemmings lie, angel,” Ashton said, taking a step closer to you “That’s all they do. And don’t think for a second I believe every word that comes out of your mouth just because you come here with sad eyes, demanding help. I’ve taken a risk by even considering helping you-”

“Then why did you? Why did you say you were going to do it?”

You asked out of genuine curiosity. If helping you was “such a huge risk” for Ashton, then why did he even accept it in the first place? Still, he gave you nothing with his silence.

His eyes were dark, familiar to the boy you once knew, but at the same time so far away from the memory you once held. It was impossible to get a read on him, to know what he was thinking at any given time. He was just standing there, merely a whisper away from you, yet so distant. He was a man with no conscience, no soul, and no mercy.

“I didn’t lie to you,” You told him after a while “I just want to find my brother”

Ashton contemplated you for a moment “And if I refuse to offer any help?”

“Then I will find someone who will” You lied, knowing that no one but him would be able to help you. But hoping Ashton would believe it enough not to question it “You tell me to go and I’ll leave, right? So I’ll be out of your hair if you’re so scared that I might do something”

Your intention was never to walk away, but you knew exactly what buttons to push to get a reaction out of him. And, sure enough, you didn’t walk even one step before his hand grabbed you by the wrist and turned your body around, chest colliding with his, face to face.

He held your wrist at the level of his eye, watching intently over you, trying to decide whether or not to believe you.

“You’re getting on my last nerve, angel,” He said, quietly but with a hint of a threat lacing his words.

Your eyes shifted due to his proximity, going from that hazel color of his eyes to the pinkness of his lips. You caught yourself at the last second, focusing on the chain that hung from his neck over his chest. But the smirk he gave you let you know that he caught you staring.

“Like anything you see, angel?”

You rolled your eyes “You’re impossible, Irwin”

“Maybe,” He said, a smile present in his voice as he lowered his head and whispered in your ear “But as you said, I’m your only hope”

“I didn’t-”

“SIR!” A man yelled behind you. Both turned toward him “We found something-!”

Suddenly, all you could hear was the sound of a gunshot followed by the thud the guard’s body made when it hit the floor.

Ashton turned around quickly, pushing you behind him as he tried to grab his gun from his pocket. It all happened so quickly, that you didn’t even notice the second shot being fired until Ashton groaned and grabbed the side of his arm.

You acted quickly, grabbing Ashton’s gun from his pocket as you started to fire it in the direction where you assumed the shooter was. You pulled Ashton from the back of his collar, awkwardly maneuvering him to safety while you kept shooting until you hit the back of a building. You pushed Ashton against the wall, watching briefly as he sunk to the ground while you tried to focus.

Most of your body was hidden behind that brick wall, but your periphery gave you enough balance to locate the threat. You watched a shadow run from the roof of the club to the alleyway beside it. The guns from both your parts kept shooting bullets in your direction, neither of them hitting the target.

The shadow then jumped on the hood of a car onto the passenger seat. The sound of the tires burning against the floor hurt your ears, and the headlights lit up as they sped away. And, just like that, they were gone.

Your ears kept ringing while you tried to stabilize your breathing. The beating of your heart was going ten thousand miles per hour as the reality of what just happened sunk in. But, what the hell happened?

“What happened?” You whispered to no one in particular “We were just-”

The dryness of your throat forced you to keep quiet. The truth was, you never experienced cross-fire before. You knew how to shoot a gun because your brothers taught you against your mother’s wishes. You knew the basic steps you needed to follow in case there was a shooting. Yet, this was the first time you shot someone - or against someone - and the fact that you couldn’t tell if the shaking of your hands came from fear or adrenaline disturbed you a little.

“Angel,”

You blinked, seemingly being pulled back to earth with his voice.

Ashton was sitting next to you, panting as his hand covered the side of his upper arm. He looked up at you, but the hatred you once saw in his eyes was now replaced by some sort of mischievous gleam. He was grinning at you.

“Well done,” Was all he said before a hiss escaped his lips.

“Oh my god, Ash” You kneeled by his side “I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s fine,” He said, trying to move “I’m fine, the bullet didn’t even - fuck. It didn’t even hit, barely grazed me-”

You rolled your eyes, grabbing the buttons of his jacket and opening them to slide it off.

“Take a guy out for a drink first” He joked as you started to open up his shirt “Although, I can’t say that I mind-”

“For fuck’s sake, Ash. I’m trying to see where the bullet hit you!”

From your position, you couldn’t just shrug off his sleeve. So you grabbed his shoulder and pulled him from the wall, accidentally letting go too early and leaving his head to bounce off the wall by the effect.

“I told you, I’m fi-fiaaagh- The fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Sorry,” You cringed, trying to locate his wound “I can’t see it properly…”

Ashton then swiftly pulled you from your hips into his lap, sitting you properly before he raised his arm and bent it with his hand behind his head.

“Better?” He asked, breathing in deeply from the pain.

You stared at him, perplexed by his actions. But then you shook your head and located the wound, trying your hardest to ignore that you were sitting in Ashton Iriwin’s lap.

His other hand danced over the side of your knee, never touching it, but barely grazing it with his fingertips. His eyes were set on every move you made, never leaving your face. When you noticed it, he smiled at the slight blush that covered your cheeks.

“So,” You said, calmly “Are you going to give me a proper gun now, Irwin?”

“I’ll consider it”

“What? I basically saved your life!”

“You have a poor technique” He shrugged “I can give you some proper points later”

“Proper points?”

Ashton then grabbed his gun from beside you, took out the bullets, and pointed it at you.

“You see this?” He said, “This is how you grabbed the gun, one misfire and you’d be out a finger, angel. You’re lucky my guns are well-calibrated. But we’ll go over that later”

“Sure,” You said, giving him a small laugh in disbelief “Well, you’re lucky that bullet barely left a cut. We- You should go disinfect it before it catches anything”

“I’ll survive then,” Ashton said, lowering his arm and letting it rest on your bent ankle. caressing the skin.

“For now, Irwin”

“Ash,” He said.

“Huh?”

“Earlier you called me “Ash” It’s the first time that I’ve heard it”

“Well, I thought you were dying, so…”

You gave him a small smile that he returned, his fingers still touching your skin as his eyes never left yours.

“We should-” You stammered “We should head back, see if anyone else is injured?”

“So that you could call Peter, “Pete” if he got himself a boo-boo?” You groaned as you rolled your eyes and got off his lap, starting to walk toward the club “I was joking!”

*

Soon, you and Ashton and a couple of guys from his security team were scuttering the roof from where the shadow started to shoot. There was nothing there that could lead them to anything or anyone. It was completely deserted.

“And you’re sure you’ve watched someone run-”

“Yes!” You repeated for the thousandth time, giving them a walkthrough “I saw them appear over here, and then run toward the alleyway. They jumped and got into a car, someone was already waiting there”

Ashton hummed, “We’re going to review the footage, and see if we can trace the license plate or the type of car they were using. That would narrow the list”

“A lot of enemies, Iriwn?”

Ashton shook his head “I don’t think I have anything to do with this, angel”

“What do you mean?”

He walked over to you where the shadow allegedly started shooting. He turned you around and pointed to the two guards that were marking where the two of you had stood before the shooting.

“Tell me when you see it,” He whispered to you.

You scoffed. There was nothing left to see. The man who was supposed to be Ashton is with his back exposed to the shooter while the one representing you was barely in sight. They could’ve easily-

And then it hit you.

They could’ve easily shot Ashton in the back of his neck. But they didn’t.

Ashton was not their target.

You were.

#5 seconds of summer #5sos #suchalonelysunflower #ashton irwin #5 seconds of summer fanfiction #calum hood #luke hemmings #michael clifford #sinners and saints #don’t blame me for what you made me do #Ashton Irwin fanfic #ashton iriwn 5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer ashton #ashton 5sos #5sos fanfic #5 seconds of summer fic #ashton Irwin series

[let-the-bands-take-c0ntrol]

Adore You (Part 4)

A/N: I don't even know if people still look at this blog, but someone messaged on AO3 asking me to finish this series, so I decided why not!

Ashton IrwinXFemale Reader

Part 3

Warnings: talks of alcohol use, embarrassing moments, food, fluff

A groan of pain left your lips at the bright light coming through the curtains. Your head was pounding and your mouth felt dry as the Sahara Desert. You peeled your eyes open only to squint once again at the bright light. You turned away from the window and found yourself facing a nightstand with a picture of Ashton and some people you didn’t recognize. “Oh fuck,” you moaned out, placing the pillow over your head. You had almost forgotten you had called Ashton drunk last night. Worst of all he saw you puking your guts out and you asked to go home with him. “Take a deep breath,” you whispered to yourself, breathing in deeply through your nose and slowly out your mouth.

You timidly pulled the pillow off your face and sat up straight in the bed. You were still wearing the same clothes from last night. You didn’t remember falling asleep, but must’ve done so in the car. Your eyes scanned the room, taking in the bits and pieces of Ashton that you could gather. Your attention landed on the picture again, taking in the people surrounding him. They all had a similar shade of hair as him, bright smiles painted on their faces. You concluded it was his family after a few minutes and a smile embraced your own face at their happiness. After placing the picture back into its spot, you slipped out the bed. You sucked in another deep breath and decided to finally leave the room and face the embarrassment. 

Ashton wasn’t anywhere inside the one bedroom apartment. A computer desk in one corner being disheveled and a waste paper basket overflowing with crumpled up paper. There was a pillow and blanket on the couch, letting you know Ashton had slept on there last night. Your fingers traced along the back of the couch as you made your way towards the desk, eyes locked on the pictures clipped around the space. Ashton didn’t just take pictures for the school journal. The ones in front of you now showcasing various places and people. The way he took pictures captured the true essence of the subject. It was an art and he was damn talented. You continued to look through his stuff, trying to find out more about Ashton. It was the sound of the door opening that made you turn towards the entrance and see Ashton coming in. “You’re up!” he grinned, closing the door with his foot. 

“Uh yeah,” you muttered, hands going behind your back in embarrassment at being caught practically snooping. “I was just looking at the pictures,” you finally admitted, watching as he sat a bag down on the kitchen counter. 

“Those are from my trip back home,” he said, walking over to you to grab one of the polaroids. He smiled at the picture and then handed it over to you. “That one is my sister for her birthday. She wanted me to take some professional looking shots,” he told you. Your fingers grazed over the picture and you laughed at the clearly non-professional pose of cake being smashed into her face. 

“She’s pretty,” you commented, handing back the picture. He nodded at your words, setting it back in its spot. “Do you travel a lot?” you questioned, eyeing a section that showed landscapes. 

“Only when I can. Harder to do now that I’m in school,” he commented, heading back towards the counter. There were a couple of the same location, but with a timestamp to show the progression of the light change. It was then you realized you had no idea the time of day. Did you sleep through the morning? Was it late afternoon? You had absolutely no clue.

“I thought you might be hungry when you got up, so I went out to get lunch,” Ashton said, answering the questions running through your head. 

“Thanks,” you muttered, suddenly shy in front of him now. You hadn’t contacted Ashton in two days and when you finally did, it was because of a drunk call. He didn’t seem to mind, digging into the bag to take out containers of food. Yet for some reason you felt guilty. “For everything,” you added on, finally walking towards him. 

“You don’t have to thank me. I just wanted to make sure you were safe,” Ashton reassured. You shook your head at his words and his eyebrows furrowed at the action.

“No, I just-” you began, swallowing hard. “I was going to call you today and say yes to your date proposal-I’ll admit I blanked when you had asked me the question because no guy has ever been that up front with me.” You began to pick at your nails an action of you being nervous which Ashton had picked up on. 

“I’m sorry I drunk dialed you and that you had to see me like that.” He had been sitting at the counter, elbow resting against the counter and chin in the palm of his hand. A chuckle left his lips at your words. “Don’t laugh at me!” you exclaimed, only making him laugh even more. 

“I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you,” he began, “It’s just-you’re cute when you’re flustered.” Your mouth clamped shut and your eyes widened in shock. Ashton tossed the bag into the trash bin and slid over one of the boxes to you. “Eat,” he said, digging into his own food. You stared at him dumbfounded for a second, then climbed into the barstool next to him. The two of you sat in silence for what felt like an eternity as you began to eat at the food he had gotten you. After some time you chanced a glance in his direction. He had already been watching you with a phantom of a smile on his face. Ashton had been trying to figure out what to say to you since your apology. He didn’t mind that you drunk dialed him. Didn’t mind that he was the one to come and get you. Ashton was in fact quite pleased that you even asked to stay with him last night. It showed how much you trusted him and it made him feel relieved. 

“Usually a few dates have to go by before I reach this stage with someone,” he finally spoke. His heart warmed at the smile that came to your face. “But, I seem to have a soft spot for you.” You giggled at his words and relaxed in your spot. 

“Well, we’ll have to fix that then,” you replied, earning a nod in return. The rest of the afternoon was spent with you and Ashton making plans for a proper date. One that wasn’t on campus or as a result of a drunk frat party night. After the food had been finished, Ashton offered to drive you back home. The next time you would see him would be for the date and you had to admit you were excited for it.

#5sos #5SOS #Five Seconds of Summer #5 Seconds of Summer #Ashton Irwin #5sos au #5 Seconds of summer au #Ashton Irwin au #5sos blurbs #5 Seconds of Summer blurbs #Ashton Irwin blurbs #5sos imagines #5 Seconds of Summer imagines #Ashton Irwin imagines #5sos writings #5 Seconds of Summer writings #Ashton Irwin writings #5sos series #5 Seconds of Summer series #Ashton Irwin series #5sos fic #5 Seconds of Summer fics #Ashton Irwin fics #5sosimagines

[carryonafi]

where did the party go.

ashton irwin x reader; ANGST

a/n: heyyy lovers!! 2 posts in a row (almost) whaaat!! i’ve been working recently because i just went through my entire google docs and sorted everything out 😭 this is something i’ve been working on for quite some time now and requires a little bit of backstory. there will be another part to this series, and possibly a third? let me know if you want to hear about some of the key moments in the 2013–2016 period! so without further ado, this is part one of “where did the party go.”! 🤍

content warnings: sexual innuendos, heavy drinking, smoking, mentions of declining mental health

words: 2.4k

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

background: Your relationship with Ashton has been public ever since the beginning, starting in 2013 and continuing to flow and experience the life of 5 Seconds of Summer all the way until the band went on a break at the end of 2016. During those years, you took on the struggles that Ashton and the rest of the band faced which left them all having you as a permanent resident in their life. However, your relationship becomes rocky when Ashton refuses to communicate until the very moment he can’t take it anymore. His impulsive decision leads to you moving out, yet still being in his life because of the others and their friendship with you.

— POV: Ashton —

I could see nothing beyond her. Of course she would be here… of course. Heart stuck in my throat, I turned my attention away from her as soon as she started to look in my direction. We had ended. Months ago, yet I still couldn’t pull myself out of the mindset that she was still mine. I was still waking up next to her every morning, head on the fluffy pillow she claimed when we first moved in and hovering over the shadow of her figure in our bed. Yes, it was still our bed. It would always be. Everywhere I went she followed me whether it be the scent of the hair mist which stuck to the bathroom tile, the fluffy blankets she had chosen for the house, a few products left behind like she was coming back… she wouldn’t.

The music was bass heavy, rattling the table which in turn shook the floor and bounced off of the walls, reverberating in the guest’s ears. In the house I was suffocated, wanting and feeling like a beggar when I so much as looked her way.

“It’ll be like the iHeart Radio night all over again!” Michael made the comment, the rest of the group lightheartedly laughing despite the known tension. I left the circle almost immediately after that, not being able to bear hearing her sickeningly sweet giggle as she clung to any one of my friends besides me. I secretly wished the same, just over a year ago we were sharing smiles at each other and trying each other’s drinks, unable to separate as we made our way to the escort and back to the hotel in a blur.

The back porch brought an odd comfort to me, it was a change of pace from all of the lights inside. Calm, soft, warm yellow lanterns and fairy lights above proudly grown ferns. Although I did feel like an asshole for exiting at a time when people were talking to me, I just couldn’t handle the voices that weren’t her’s. I couldn’t handle her’s either. The vast green soothed me and the euphoria of a deep breath from a joint hit quickly, the blue smoke wandered together, then parted once hitting a certain point in the air. When it couldn’t carry the oxygen anymore. Familiar… Maybe. Maybe that’s why there were now tears obstructing my vision.

A sudden rush of consciousness and self pity struck my senses, cutting deep and forcing me to stand up off of the porch and make my way back inside the house within seconds. Hours felt like seconds and once enclosed, nothing was real. Not the people, not the music, not the house which was once our’s and now holding me alone, not the slow drift of which my rationality began to slip.

“Come on, Ash…”

She was real, though. Touching me, feeling for the stairs with her high heels, whispering words that I couldn’t understand— I went weak. I let her hold my weight, and her soft touch was replaced with a mattress. Clouds. Heaven. She was down with me, pitifully listening to me stutter apologies through tears and a lack of sobriety, begging her to let me hold her one last time before she found better. I mumbled with full confidence that I loved her. I loved nothing more than my weakness.

“I… I can’t.” She uttered those words which was the only blur I remembered hearing, it had to be the worst of it. Not her reassurance or her hushing my pathetic tears, I had to remember what she had pledged herself to. She wasn’t coming back.

Her dress was in my arms during the hours until I woke up, like she had vanished with all that was left being her clothing and a sweater missing from my closet. Everything came creeping in pieces, coming back with each step I took down the party soaked stairs. One led me to her hands, the next led me to her voice, breathing my name and encouragement to help me, then my knees led me to the hardwood of the living space. It was impossible to exist without thinking of her, from the moment I’d wake up it would be torture right away. I wasn’t lying next to her figure. I wasn’t waking up and rolling over to the side, her small, warm frame snuggling up to mine making soft hums and mews in her sleep. The smell of her hair, the freckles lightly dusting her cheeks and nose. All for me, just for me. Her morning voice, mumbling my name into my neck and chest as she desperately tried to get closer to my comfort. My arms enveloped her until she disappeared, then I remembered she wasn’t here again. She couldn’t.

When I walked around the house I imagined her happily skipping alongside me, dragging me over to the couch just to cuddle and burrow in the soft blankets for the rest of the day until one of us had to eventually finish a task.

No more fleeting kisses, no more shoulder rubs, no more long nails tracing my shoulder blades while my fingertips gave the same treatment to the dimples on her back and the dips in her hip bones. No more of her cheek pressed to my chest, arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace because she just didn’t want to let go. No more of the stubbornness which kept me smiling at how ridiculous she could be.

When I got home I would expect a long hug, she always stood on her tiptoes to hug me so her lips could meet my cheek.. or my own. Always warm, everything she possessed was warm. Her giggles, her lips, her voice, everything. Without her everything was just cold. I never rested comfortably because it was so, so damn cold.

I could feel her. Right there. The rise and fall of her chest, hips flush to mine as her soft, pink pout glossy with need stared up at me as a way to beg for attention. Her doe eyes, big and wanton silently telling me how much she needed my love, for my hands to trace her skin and plush valleys. For her small ones to grab mine tightly, tangle in my hair, whisper against my lips about how I needed a haircut before I shut down the sense of coordination for her thoughts with my hips meeting her thighs.

The days lulled by slowly without her there, I thought back to the night she left every single day. My words were not the right choice, she was willing to be there. She was willing to help me, but I didn’t think that something already broken could depend on something else the way I did to her. I had nightmares about the sounds of her heart wrenching, yet gentle sobs as I told her my thoughts. The promise ring still sat on my bedside table on her side just waiting for the day that I could really pull myself together and face her. My only weakness. My only reason, which could have been mine from the beginning if I was smarter. If I had worked harder.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

“Looking dapper, aren’t you?” Michael had noticed that I’ve been emptily staring into a mirror for what felt like forever. The abrupt sound of his voice pulled me from my thoughts as I blinked, looking at his reflection behind me.

“Oh, totally. Just can’t get enough of myself.” I replied in a sarcastic tone of voice, rolling my eyes as I smoothed a hand down the front of my suit. Award shows were fun, for the most part. A lot less stressful if we didn’t have a performance, we didn’t have to worry about becoming presentable once again. What can I say? We put our all into anything we play.

Michael grinned in a silent laugh at my reply, scrolling through his phone while Calum did the same and Luke was idle in front of the other mirror. He’d started wearing a lot of eye makeup, not that it was a bad thing. He was getting incredibly good at it, just to think a few years ago he barely felt comfortable putting on some chapstick in public. “Listened to Y/N’s new single yet? Pretty dope.” Michael hummed, nudging Calum’s shoulder to show him something on his phone which was presumably the cover or something… because he nodded in approval and made a comment that I didn’t hear. The sound of her name made me shiver, I took a deep breath and pulled myself away from the mirror to sit across from the others. Their conversation made no sense to me as I was still quite caught up in my own mind, my world of thoughts surrounding me about what this song could sound like. Would I ever listen to it? No, to save myself, probably not.

The one thing missing from this was her by my side again, squeezing my hand and holding on through the swamp of cameras and flashing lights. I could always remember her being the only thing I felt, in all of the chaos. I hadn’t even registered that we had made it out to the car and were sitting in the back already, I snapped back into reality again.

“You good, dude? You’ve been sorta spacey today.” Calum did the same as Michael did to him earlier and nudged my side, I defensively nodded and silently dismissed his worries. If I talked about it, I feared that it would all come out at once without being able to put a filter on my thoughts. Soon enough, we were back in that atmosphere again. Hopping out of the car and putting on an attitude towards the cameras but a different comfort for the fans who just wanted to see us up close, another car rolled in behind us after our driver had gone but I didn’t look. I started hearing her name again, hushed in comparison to all of the other desperate shouts and calls for attention. Fuck, wasn’t I lucky? I just had to keep moving, smiling, waving, making jokes and avoiding the mention of the girl haunting me.

This night was slow. So fucking slow, I just wanted to sit through this and get out of the venue as quick as possible. I wanted to go back to our bed, hold her knitted crop top up to my face and breathe in her scent which was long gone by now. However, we had to mingle. We just had to walk around and talk to people, I couldn’t leave by myself… it was worth a shot to try to enjoy the last few hours of the event. So far, I had been holding myself together pretty well and Luke stuck by my side to make sure I wasn’t left alone in my head. I knew he would do this for me, he wouldn’t hesitate to help me when I needed it. Even if I never vocalized it.

– POV: Reader –

There it was, the movie moment. The prolonged eye contact before an invisible pull drew the two closer to each other until they finally met in the middle, though that didn’t happen. You saw him from afar, shuffling alongside Luke and unable to hold eye contact. His hair was tame, but you knew it at its best. Thick, messy curls, damp from a shower, hanging over his lustful eyes at your favorite times, pushed back into one of your clips so they weren’t disrupting his focus. You knew the best of him, and you needed to see that again. It wasn’t you that ended things, but the chase after he realized his mistake hadn’t stopped until 6 months after you two ended. Bad idea, maybe? Your heels clicked along the tile, drowned out by the natural sounds of people laughing and congratulating, drinks flowing, claps on the back. You was drawn to him the minute Luke had pressed a hand to his shoulder and left his side.

“Hi.” One word that spoke a thousand all at once, Ashton turned with a look of… fear in his eyes. It didn’t go away when your eyes met, but his expression definitely softened.

“Hey, stranger.” He breathed, the soft ring of honey around his iris and between the forest green majority shrinking as his pupils dilated out of love. That was it, from the moment he spoke you knew that the pieces were already mended. There was healing. You bit your lip to hold in your smile, but you just couldn’t. It was contagious, Ashton shared a hesitant smile back with relief. ‘Are you upset with me? Have you forgiven me for making one of the biggest mistakes of my life?’ He wanted to ask, but better yet, your eyes told him more than enough. “I loved the song.” Ashton lied, he hadn’t listened to it.

“Oh, yeah?” You stared up at him, from the trouble he seemed to be having with eye contact earlier, he sure wasn't having any now.

“Yeah, you really deserve that nomination.” He mused, pupils darting up and down from the tip of your toes all the way up to your done-up, hairspray and product doused hair.

“I appreciate that.” You gave a warm smile, hands knitting together neatly in front of yourself. It wasn’t until you made eye contact again that you realized you were wearing his favorite color, his favorite cut– a nice baby blue tight around your hips and fanning out around your frame. Time was cut short, the award ceremony was starting in less than 10 minutes now.

Ashton cleared his throat, checking his watch. “We should… probably get to our seats.” He said softly, still lingering like he didn’t want to leave you behind.

You simply nodded in agreement, bidding him an awkward goodbye before stepping away and letting that invisible string loosen its hold.

The interaction left you slightly lost, even more lost than the moment you actually ended your relationship. It felt like walking away from an opportunity, the real embodiment of stepping away from a chapter in your life. Were you at peace? Maybe, but it was unfinished. You couldn’t sit through this award show, with performance after another the wait was getting more and more unbearable to handle

You needed to speak with Ashton, burn the bridge or rebuild it.

Where did the party go?

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Part 2

#5 seconds of summer #5sos fanfic #ashton irwin #calum hood #luke hemmings #michael clifford #5sos series #5sos smut #5sos x reader #ashton irwin x reader #5sos angst

[littledrummeraussie]

tell me all the things that you couldn't before.

masterlist. | want to be added to my taglist?

warnings: brief mentions of sex. a nightmare. hurt/comfort. lots of loving for Ashton. badboy!mechanic!Ashton AU.

word count: 5435

author’s note: This fic was written back in January, 2020, as part of the infamous A Permanent Chase fic, which I'm not sure will ever see the light of day as it only lives in my head and my heart.

The original concept is the following (to help you understand the fic better):

Ashton (in the beginning appearing as Fletcher) comes back to Sydney, where he starts working at Calum's garage as a mechanic. Shortly after this he meets our girl and starts to pursue her. They do start dating, but after some complications happen, and she finds out Fletcher is not the person he tells people he is, but someone else (Ashton), and she quickly breaks things up between them.

What she doesn't realize is that she and Ashton have met before, just after graduation at a beach party, where they fell in love for a night, but never saw each other again. Ashton does recognize the girl, but she doesn't recognize him for a long time, until finally Ashton does tell her the truth about their past.

The story is a mess - the original idea included gangs and street racing in which Ashton also partakes, lots of chasing after the girl in different places and scenarios, who eventually starts to put together how Ashton really loves her and actually wants to protect her from things happening around the city. (This is a huge reason why I never really worked on the story - I couldn't decide on anything, so it's just a big mess.)

They eventually make up and finally kiss at another beach party (full circle), and decide that they want to start a relationship with each other. There are lot of added stories to them in my mind, all of them following the main story above.

I also realized over the years that in some ways they are kinda toxic, but I cannot help it, I love my babies so much. So if you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask them.

Feedback and reblogs are appreciated!

-----

It was well past midnight when you realized that there was something out of the ordinary. At first everything seemed to be normal, your night started like any other: you stopped by the garage after work, parking your car just outside the building and greeted the boys who were still working there. You’ve convinced Ashton to finish early, making Calum close up for the night, and dragged your boyfriend up the stairs to his flat.

He was in a really good mood, and with a cheeky grin he pulled you into the shower with himself. His hands were searching and grabbing at whatever body parts they could reach, and after he’d promised you the best fuck of your life, Ashton picked you up to cross the tiny apartment to his bedroom, where he made good on his promise. You were lying in a tangled mass afterwards, watching the last rays of sunshine peeking through the window, painting Sydney in the most beautiful shades of pink, orange and yellow.

You were ready to make some dinner, but Ashton preferred cuddle time, and held you close to his side while he ordered Thai food from one of his favourite places. You spent the time kissing and talking about your day until the guy arrived with your order, and you ate in comfortable silence in the kitchen, playing footsie all through dinner. Usually this was the time when you went out to have fun around town, or just lay on the couch, watching the TV mindlessly, but the last few weeks have been different.

Since you’ve decided to take up some courses to help you with your work, it meant that eventually you needed to take exams on them as well. You had your doubts when you first approached Ash with the idea, but he was supportive, and in his own way, he helped you with your studying and papers. It usually meant buying you coffee or letting you rant about your problems – or ordering food when he thought you could use the extra time. And his apartment was much quieter than your noisy neighbourhood. He did not mind you staying over if it meant cuddles, food sharing and sex – all three of those happened regularly, so he did not complain.

You have already started revising notes when Ashton came up to you and gave a kiss on your neck. You leaned back against his chest, looking up at him with a smile.

“You’re going to bed?”

“Yeah, I promised Calum that I will open in the morning, since someone decided to drag me away early,” he leaned forward to press another kiss on your forehead, his red locks falling over your face. “And I don’t want to keep you away from your notes and books, which are clearly more interesting than your own boyfriend.”

“How tragic,” you laughed, turning around on the kitchen chair to wrap your arms around him. “Please file a complaint, and I will talk to the management.”

“And what will I get as a consolation prize?” he quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Blowjobs.”

“Oh, plural? That doesn’t sound so bad,” Ashton grinned at you, brushing a lock of hair behind your ear. “When can I start collecting them?”

“You know how offices work – it might take a few weeks to get an answer,” you bit your lip to hide a smile, and Ash just huffed at you.

“If it was up to you, I wouldn’t get my blowjobs for the next 30 days or so,” his fingers found a way into your tied up hair, slowly pulling out strands and combing them back into an even messier bun. “Any way to file a complaint about filing complaints?”

“I might know someone who can help you,” you tilted your head forward, pressing a small kiss on the skin of his stomach, then quickly blew a raspberry on it. “But only during opening hours.”

“You are terrible,” he laughed, grabbing your face and pulling you closer to plant a kiss on your lips. “Alright, I’ll leave you to your notes.”

“Don’t hog the blankets,” you poked his side, and Ash laughed again, pushing your hand away. “Good night, Cardinal.”

“Is that a joke on my hair?”

“You tell me,” you winked at him, and he leaned back to give you another kiss.

“Good night, you monster.”

* * *

You knew something was up when you heard noises from the bedroom. The flat was really small, with no actual doors between the bedroom, the living area and the kitchen, and at first you thought the all-nighters you pulled would bother Ashton and he wouldn’t be able to sleep with the light on in the kitchen. But he was a heavy sleeper, still and calm, and the only thing that ever broke the silence was his light snoring. But not tonight.

The first thing you heard were the rustling sheets, a pillow thumping down onto the floor, the bed creaking under his weight. There was a loud gasp, more rustling, something hitting the nightstand or the bed frame, then another loud thump on the mattress. More gasps, more heavy breathing – you could hear the panic in the way he was trying to catch his breath, choking on air, like he couldn’t get enough oxygen into his lungs.

You pushed yourself out of the chair, running to the small bedroom to check on Ashton. He was tangled up in the sheets, body twisting around as he tried to kick off the covers, thrashing in his blanket prison. His arms were swinging, trying to grab onto something (or someone), hitting the pillows and the bed with every move. He pushed his head back into the pillow, turning it left and right as he was panting, his Adam’s apple moving almost in a frantic, panicked way.

He was no stranger to nightmares – when he was exhausted or just had a bad day, he would go to bed early, resting his head on your stomach, hugging your body close to him like a pillow, and that usually did the trick. He slept soundly and without interruption. But sometimes he was just so lost in his own head that he forgot about it all, not caring about the dreams sneaking into his sleepy mind, and he usually woke with a start in the middle of the night. He would curl his body around yours, telling you that he’s okay, he just had a bad dream, he will fall back to sleep soon – he only ever asked you to hold his hand during these moments.

But tonight was different, Ashton never had a nightmare like this, one that physically shook him. He was fighting so hard to wake up, but nothing seemed to work. You dropped onto the mattress, climbing closer, and grabbed him by his shoulders, shaking him with all the strength that you had.

“Ashton! Ashton, wake up! Ash! Wake up!”

Suddenly he bolted up, eyes wide open, staring at the wall and taking in a lungful of air, making himself dizzy in the process. You shifted closer, climbing between his legs, and wrapped your arms around his trembling body. You held him close, running your fingers over his back, murmuring soft words into his ear as he buried his face in your neck, taking deep breaths, trying to calm his hammering heart.

“I’m here, Ash, it’s okay. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

He locked his arms around your waist, pulling you closer, never loosening his grip on you. You ran your hand up to his shoulder, lightly massaging his tense muscles, caressing his neck, brushing your fingers over his hair. His skin was cold and sweaty, his hair wet and sticking to his forehead. His breathing was slowing, and you moved your head to press a small kiss on his temple. He tensed for a second, but then melted into your arms once again.

“It’s alright,” you whispered, still stroking the red locks at the back of his head. “It’s over. It was just a dream, it’s over. I’m here. You’re awake. It’s okay.”

His breath was hot on your neck as he inhaled deeply, nuzzling his face back into your skin. His muscles were slowly relaxing, but he was still tense and sweaty, and a shiver ran through his body. He tried to burrow closer to get more of your warmth, and you let him stay in your arms like this for a few more minutes. When you could feel he was a bit more relaxed, you pulled back a little, lifting his head up to look at you. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, and it took him a few seconds to get out of his daze.

Ashton’s gaze skipped over yours, instead focusing on the chain hanging from your neck. The silver ring he gave you almost a year ago was hooked on a thin necklace, the weight of the metal resting between your breasts, a comfort you never knew you needed. You still remembered the time when he wore it on his finger, playing with it whenever he started getting nervous. He called it a good luck charm, something he desperately needed while he was chasing after you. But once he got hold of your heart, he gave it to you – since then it became something much more than just a piece of jewellery. For you: a reminder; for others: a warning.

His clumsy fingers wrapped around the ring, slightly tugging on it. You slowly tilted his head up again, trying to catch his eyes. His hazel ones finally found your gaze, and you gave him a small smile, lightly running your fingers over his stubbly jaw.

“Hey, you’re okay?”

Silence, then a nod.

“How about you go and take a shower? Get warmed up,” you rubbed his arms, trying to warm his still cold skin. “And I will change the sheets.”

Another nod.

Ash let go of your necklace, slowly peeling himself out of the bed, starting to go to the bathroom, then stopped, looked back at you. You gave him another encouraging smile, nodded at him that it’s okay, you both will be fine, after which he finally made his way out of the room. When the lock clicked and the shower started up, you let out a breath you were holding back. A thousand questions were running through your mind, but you didn’t want to take too much time thinking about them. You wanted to make sure Ashton was comfortable after his nightmare, that he can come back and relax into the bed, wrapped in your arms, and sleep off this horrible experience.

You started stripping off the sweat soaked sheets, pulling out a fresh set from the drawer, working methodically in changing them. After that you opened the window, letting in fresh air, the slight breeze clearing away the remaining shadows from the room. You reached into another drawer, choosing a soft pair of sweatpants for Ashton, and finally went to the kitchen, making tea, waiting for him to finish up.

The lock on the bathroom door clicked, and it opened with a slight squeak. Ash stood behind the door, a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping on the tiles from his red hair. You stepped to him, holding the pants out for him. He took them from your hands, his fingers brushing against yours as he did, and that made him look at you.

“I made you tea,” you nodded towards the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe. “If you want some.”

“Thanks,” his voice was quiet and small, and he coughed a little to make his throat work. “I– I’ll be there.”

“Take your time.”

You stepped back to the kitchen, piling up your books and notes to shove them to the corner of the table. You knew there was no way you would go back to studying, not tonight. Any exam could wait – Ashton needed you now.

After a few more minutes he emerged from the bathroom, shuffling to the kitchen, and dropped down onto the chair next to you. He sighed deeply, then leaned forward, resting both his arms on the table, and put his head down on them, hiding his face. You watched him, how his back moved as he was breathing in and out. His muscles were still tense, you could see it from the way he was holding himself. You scooted a bit closer, and slowly put your hand on his elbow, a tentative touch. When he did not flinch away, you started to lightly rub his arm, up to his shoulder, down on his back, then back up again.

When you reached the back of his neck, Ash moved his head to the side, looking at you as you stroked his drying locks with your fingers. His hazel eyes were searching you as you were working through the tangled ends, brushing them back from his face. He let out another small sigh when you touched his face, caressing his cheek, which made him nuzzle into your hand.

“Do you want to talk about it?” you asked, resting your hand back on his arm.

Ashton looked at you for another second, then hid his face back in the crook of his elbow. You waited for him, you knew he needed time to work through the thoughts in his head, to decide if he wanted to face them again. He slowly pushed himself up, reaching for the mug in front of him, taking a sip of his cooling tea. His fingers were running over the rim, circling it mindlessly as he focused on something in front of him.

“You… left me.”

There was silence in the kitchen – his words left you speechless. It sounded silly at first; you knew how you felt about him, how first his attention was unusual, almost uncomfortable at times, and that you wished he would give you just an ounce of space; how you started to miss him when he wasn’t around, how you watched over your shoulder if he would appear somehow, stalk behind you, keeping his distance, but never taking his eyes off of you. You knew he had his reasons to do so, and you learned to love him for that – it wasn’t so hard, he found a way to your heart, and you willingly let him in. You never wanted to let go of him ever again.

“I have no intention in doing that,” you reached out to take his hand in yours, squeezing it. “And no reason.”

“But what if you do?” he whispered, pulling his hand away. “What if you find one?”

“Ash… is this something you’ve been… thinking about lately?” you asked softly, your fingers going up to your necklace, running them over the ring.

He did not answer; his eyes were still trained on the same spot as before. He was drumming on the tabletop, the rhythm getting more and more frantic and complicated. You desperately wanted to reach out and stop him, to make him look at you, to let him know you were there, you were listening, that you wanted to understand. But it seemed he was lost in his own thoughts – thoughts that brought out a nightmare that clearly shook him to the core.

“Ashton,” you said in a small voice. “Don’t push me away. Please.”

Those words made him look at you. Those words were his words, begging you to give him another chance, to make up for the mistakes he made when you met again. They were Ashton’s words, not Fletcher’s; they made you stop in your tracks, made you listen to him. They broke you in a way you’ve known you will never be broken again. That was the first time you’ve really let him into your heart, and you never wanted him to leave.

Ash sighed deeply, slowly turning around in his chair to face you, though his head was down. His fingers nervously twitched in his lap, and he started wringing his hands, looking for the rings he usually wore to play with. He once told you that sometimes he felt naked without them, and he liked wearing at least one to mindlessly spin it around, or take it off and put it back on. You moved a little closer, pushing your knees against his, slowing down his bouncing feet. Leaning forward you reached for him, pushing your fingers between his tightly clasped ones, and interlocked them. There was a slight shake to his hands, and you gently ran your thumb over his skin, trying to calm him again.

“I’m sorry,” he finally breathed, slowly looking up at you from under his lashes. “I’m just… unsure.”

“Of me?” you tilted your head to the side, trying to see all of him. He just shook his head.

“Of myself,” Ashton answered, rubbing your hands with his thumbs. “If I’m good enough for you.”

“Of course you are,” you squeezed his fingers in yours, pushing your forehead against his. “You are my Ashton. How could you not be good enough for me?”

“That’s not what everyone else thinks,” he said with a humourless laugh. “People talk, all over town.”

“Some neighbourhood gossip won’t make me leave you,” you shook your head. “What could they tell me that I don’t already know? I know you, Ash, I know who you are.”

“You have the heart of an angel, and I’m the devil who’s holding you back,” he whispered, tilting his head down.

“Maybe I’ve had enough of heaven,” your hand went to his jaw, slowly tipping his chin up to look back at you. “If hell is where you are, then I’m packing all of my bags to be with you.”

“Y/N…”

“Or maybe they have it the wrong way around,” you continued. “Cause you definitely feel like heaven to me. Maybe it’s not their definition of the place. But screw them – my heaven is all tattooed up and gorgeous.”

A blush coloured his cheek, and he moved closer to rest his forehead on your shoulder, his legs bracketing yours. You were tangled up in each other, silently sitting in the kitchen for a few minutes, Ashton’s hand on your thighs while you played with the hair at the nape of his neck. Then he slowly pulled back, rubbing his eyes – was it tears, or sleep, you didn’t know – and looked back at you again.

“Your parents still hate me,” he added, resting his elbow on the table, leaning his head against his hand.

“They hate everyone,” you answered with a shrug. “They even hate me. That’s not an accomplishment.”

“I’m sure they would prefer anyone else over me,” he searched you with his eyes. “Someone who can give you a real future.”

“What do you think, what does a girl need?” you quirked an eyebrow at him, and it was his turn to shrug.

“Financial security?” he asked, and when you rolled your eyes at him, he continued. “Someone like that guy you work with – what’s his name? Liam?”

“A suit and tie?” you shook your head, putting your hands on his knees to lean closer. “Really, Ash? When I can have you, your jackets and chains, and the fire red Mustang? Well, tough luck, because you’re stuck with me for good.”

“But am I enough for you?” Ashton sighed, reaching for you and holding your face in his hands, making you really look at each other. “I wanna give you the world. Hell, I wanna give you the galaxy. The universe. But I’m just this guy, fixing cars and running my mouth at people. And you… you’re smart and beautiful and could get anyone you set your eyes on.”

“And that’s you,” you nuzzled your face against his hand, looking at him pleadingly. “You’re the only one I want.”

“What if Liam asked you on a date? Or one of the guys at that course? What if you get along so much that you realize that you could just… do better than me?” his gaze slipped down to the ring resting against your chest, saying the next words looking at it. “You know I would do anything for you… but I know I can’t keep you forever.”

“Ash, how long have we known each other?” you asked, reaching for him, brushing his hair behind his ear.

“7 or 8 years. Dunno. Why is that important now?” he sighed, shaking his head.

“What do you think… how many guys did I date during that time?” you questioned him, but did not wait for an answer. “Only two. And you wanna know their names?”

“Please don’t kick me when I’m already down,” he whispered, but you’ve had enough.

“They are Fletcher and Ashton. They are you, Ash. I might have had a few flings and one night stands, and sure, I went on a few dates with guys. But it was only ever you I had a real thing with. It was only you who was ever good enough for me.”

“Then why did you even go on those dates if you didn’t want anything from them?” the question left Ashton before he could stop himself, and you could see him flinch when he realized what he’d said.

“I wanted to know how I felt about other people. I wanted to give myself a chance, see how we could work out. You know – if you never try, you’ll never know,” you shrugged a little while reaching for his hand, slowly interlocking your fingers with his. “And I– I think I wanted to know how you would react.”

“Remember the hole in the wall?” he quirked an eyebrow at you, and you needed to stifle a laugh.

“I was always waiting for you to show up during your dates,” you confessed, squeezing his hand in yours. “You know, just crash them. I wanted you to crash them. I know it took me a long time to let you in…”

“Well, half the time you were mad at me,” he said, leaning closer and resting his forehead against yours. “For one reason, or the other.”

“And in the other half I desperately wanted you to kiss me,” you finished, nuzzling your nose to his.

“You know I would have done it in a second,” he breathed. “I wanted to walk up to every single one of those guys and tell them that you’re… that you’re…”

“Come on,” you whispered, licking your lips. “Say it.”

“Mine.”

“Don’t think I was never asked on dates at my job or at school,” you gazed at him while saying the next part. “I was, numerous times. You know what I say to them when they call me pretty? Thank you, my boyfriend thinks so too. Or when they invite me for coffee? Thanks, but Ash is already bringing me some. And when they don’t want to let it go, I say: trust me, you do not want to meet him.”

“Are you really saying those things?” he asked you, and you nodded.

“I’m also implying that I’m having the best sex of my life, and I don’t plan on giving up on that,” you finished with a smile.

A moment later Ashton started laughing – it was his first real laugh of the night, and he hid his face, trying to stifle his giggles. It was the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard. Suddenly the night wasn’t that dark, but instead everything seemed to start to glow a little bit. It was Ashton’s smile, shining through the blacks, dark blues and grays of the night, warming up the chilling air around you, shifting everything back to your usual teasing, but loving normal, the one you’ve built up together.

“I love your smile,” you whispered when he finally looked back at you, still trying to catch his breath. “I know I’ve always told you that you should wipe that grin off of your face, but god, I’m happy you never did. I just… there are so many things I just love about you that I’ve thought I hated before. Like your snake tattoo, or your loud car and obnoxious sunglasses… your terrible jokes and sexual innuendos, and how you never fail to say them at the worst times… I love your stupid red hair, and…”

“My hair is not stupid,” Ash mumbled, a smile still playing at the corner of his mouth.

“No,” you shook your head, reaching once again for him to brush your fingers through his red locks. “No, it’s not.”

Ash nuzzled closer, closing his eyes for a moment to enjoy the caresses and light tugs on his hair, making a small noise that almost sounded like purring. He turned his head, brushing his lips against your wrist as you wrapped a curl around your finger, pushing it behind his ear, stroking your hand down his cheek and jaw. Hazel eyes followed the movement of your fingers until you ran your thumb over his chin, and his gaze finally found yours.

“Can I kiss you?” you asked him softly, pulling back a little to see his face.

“Are you asking for permission?” there was another small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and a slight blush coloured his cheeks.

“Just checking if you are in the right headspace,” you returned his smile, and he nodded shortly.

“I would love that.”

Without a second thought you leaned forward, one of your hands sliding up the back of his neck and into his hair, the other one cradling his jaw, tilting his head a little to the side. His breath was hot on your face as you moved closer, cheeks and noses brushing, lips slowly pressing against each other – one soft, the other slightly chapped. You kissed his bottom lip, moving to the top, nuzzling closer and closer, until he opened his mouth and let you kiss him deeper, brushing his tongue against yours as you both tasted the other. Ash made a needy little sound as you nipped on his lips and kissed his chin, his jaw, brushing against his cheek as you nudged your nose against the soft skin behind his ear.

“I chose you, Ashton. I’ve been choosing you every single day since that night on the beach, and I’ll do it as long as you let me. I’m freakin’ in love with you if that hasn't been clear before,” you breathed softly, kissing the shell of his ear. “You’ve been on my mind for the last 8 years, and if that’s not love, then you have to find a better word for me, because I’m failing here, and you know I’m good with words. But you just have this effect on you where I completely lose my sanity, and I would gladly give up on it forever, if it meant I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Ash reached for you and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you out of your chair, and sitting you on his lap. His hand rested on your thigh, keeping you close to his body, as his fingers ran through your hair, guiding your face to his again. It was his turn to kiss you, and he started with the softest of touches, just to feel each other’s breath on your lips, the warmness of the other’s skin, the shiver running through you when you’ve finally lost your patience. Noses and lips pushed together, and he kissed you deeply, tongue brushing against yours as you were holding onto his shoulders. His scent clouded your mind, his touch burnt your skin, and you never wanted this moment to end.

“I love you,” Ash pulled away just enough to brush his lips against yours as he spoke. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

You pressed another kiss on his temple, cuddling closer in his lap to feel as much of his skin as you could. His arms wrapped around you more strongly, and he rested his head on your shoulder, pushing his face into your neck. For a few minutes you’ve stayed like this – slow caresses on waists and backs, fingers brushing over hair and tattoos, lips leaving small kisses wherever they could.

“Come on,” you ran your thumb over Ashton’s cheek. “I think it’s time we go back to bed.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to keep you away from your studying,” he started apologizing, but you shook your head, smiling at him.

“Screw exams. You’ll always be my first priority,” you tugged a little on his hair, tilting his head up towards you. “How does that sound to you?”

“Like something I’ve always wanted from you,” Ash returned your smile, then reached for your hand to kiss your knuckles. “Thank you, beautiful.”

You climbed down from his lap and reached for him to pull him up from the chair. You made our way back to the bedroom where the sheets were freshly changed and the pillows fluffed up just as Ashton liked it. He hesitated for a moment – the nightmare was still fresh in his mind, and even after you’ve talked through everything, he was still a little bit shaken from it.

“It’s alright,” you leaned against his side, pressing a kiss on the tattoo on his arm. “I’m here now.”

“I’m– scared to fall back to sleep,” he admitted, then sighed deeply. “It’s stupid, I know.”

“No, Ash. It’s perfectly normal,” you pushed yourself up on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Don’t ever feel ashamed, especially not because of your dreams. You’re human, it’s okay to fall sometimes. I’ll always be here to pick you up.”

“How did I get so lucky?” he turned to you, gathering you in his arms for a hug, resting his head on top of yours.

“Must have been that lucky charm of yours,” you answered with a smile, feeling the ring resting between your bodies.

“You are my lucky charm,” Ashton whispered, brushing the hair back from your face.

“Well, then you should definitely hold onto me.”

He huffed at you with a smile, shaking his head. You pulled him down on the bed, both of you getting comfortable under the blankets – Ash scooted as close to you as he could, nuzzling his face between your head and shoulder. You wrapped your arms around him, letting him rest his weight on you, running your fingers through his hair.

“You smell so good,” he mumbled against your skin, pushing his nose to your pulse point. “Am I not too heavy?”

“You’re perfect where you are,” you continued brushing your fingers over his curls, skimming them over the back of his neck, down his shoulders, then back up again. “How are you feeling?”

“Like maybe I will be able to fall asleep,” he breathed, then reached for the ring hanging from your neck. “Is it okay if I stay like this?”

“Your peace of mind is worth every numb limb and hours spent awake,” you kissed his forehead, then the hand holding onto the ring. “You would do the same for me. And just so you know, you make an excellent pillow.”

“You too,” he closed his eyes, resting his hand back on your side, cuddling close. “Will you… will you hold my hand? Please?”

Without another word you slid your fingers against his, interlocking them. He squeezed your hand in return, letting out one last sigh as he slowly let go of all the tension that kept him awake. His body melted against yours, muscles relaxing as his breathing evened out, and in a few minutes all you could feel was his light snoring tickling your neck. You brushed your fingers through his hair again, pressing one last goodnight kiss on his forehead before resting back against your pillows.

Ashton slept soundly in your arms, head resting on your shoulder, arm thrown over your waist, fingers interlocked on the bed. He fit perfectly against you, his weight all the comfort you needed in your life. You would have stayed up all night just to make sure he had no more nightmares, but his soft sleepy sounds slowly lulled you to sleep too. The last thing you remembered was his lips brushing against your neck as he shuffled in his sleep, and you fell asleep with a smile on your face. You knew for sure he was your forever – and you planned on reminding him of that every single day for the rest of your lives. Even if it meant chasing away his nightmares every night. Because he was worth it.

#ashton irwin #ashton irwin x reader #ashton irwin fanfic #afic: a permanent chase #series: a permanent chase #ashton irwin fanfiction #fiction time

[plushyluke]

luke as barbie and the magic of pegasus

#luke as barbie series #swan moodboards #luke moodboards #luke hemmings #lrh #ashton irwin #afi #5sos #lashton blog #bottom luke blog #calum hood #cth #michael clifford #mgc

[nimrats]

STAR OF THE NIGHT ━━ 00. people watching

calum doesn’t know why he’s at a fashion show, of all places.

sometimes, although he’s considered a famous guitarist due to the band, he forgets the first part. famous, i.e. being invited to fancy parties, award shows, places he would never have found himself if it weren’t for his status. yet here he is, glass of fancy champagne in his hand as he stands with ashton who he’s letting do most of the talking to another musician at the after party. calum knows who he is, heard a few of his songs throughout the years, but he’s not focused enough on anything to care about what he’s saying. luckily, ashton is used to him letting him carry the conversation when meeting new people.

his focus is on practically everyone else in the room, mind on autopilot as he people watches. he saw a girl, one of the models from the show not even an hour before, making out with some celebrity he knows he’s seen on a billboard before. another girl is clearly not interested in the conversation she’s having with someone he doesn’t recognise, but the smile on her face stays put until she can eventually break away from the conversation. he doesn’t know what he’s looking for, just letting his eyes flitter around the room as he casually sips at his drink.

then his eyes land on her.

he recognises her immediately, she’s changed out of the last outfit she wore on the runway, most of the models had. but if you had asked him, he wouldn’t be able to recount what exactly she was wearing. for him, the appeal was her alone. her dark hair had been straightened as it fell past her shoulders, white dress swaying against her thighs as she walked impressively well in the high heel stilettos she wore. she smiles at people as she greets them with her red coated lips and incredibly straight teeth, one of the waiters immediately passing her a drink. he doesn’t know her name, but he knows she’s the star of the night. whether it was just to him, or the rest of the audience too.

to her, the after parties are the worst parts of her job. she can stand on a runway with ease, has learnt to feel comfortable under prying eyes staring at every superficial part of her body. one thing elsie finn had not mastered, was interaction. she knew she had to uphold appearances, pretend to be interested in whatever some fashion designer had to say so that they’d consider her in the future for a job. her livelihood was something she was proudly good at, even though some would say it wasn’t hard to do in the first place. but she would always feel out of place in a conversation with someone that doesn’t really know her, which is why she had gone to find her getaway place she often resorted to.

last thing she expected was to find someone else on the, what she thought, was an undiscovered balcony getaway on the third floor of the mansion they were in. she had found solace leaning against the railing at previous parties she had wanted to get away from, having been there many times before for similar events. but she had never been accompanied by anyone before. and she definitely wouldn’t have expected the stranger on the balcony to become such an important figure in her life as time went on, but life was funny at pairing people together in that way.

◂◂ㅤㅤBACK TO MLIST ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ CHAPTER ONEㅤ ㅤ ���▸

nimrats © 2022 pls don’t steal thnx

#🧶 > star of the night ! #calum hood series #calum hood x reader #calum hood x you #calum hood x y/n #calum hood x oc #calum hood blurb #calum hood angst #calum hood fluff #calum hood imagine #calum hood #calum 5sos #calum hood fic #5sos #5 seconds of summer fic #5 seconds of summer #5 second of summer imagines #michael clifford imagine #luke hemmings imagine #ashton irwin imagine

[ghost-of-you]

5sos + Tags

bonus:

#5sos #5sosedit #mc #ch #lh #ai #flashing tw #ive had this idea in my head for a while #let me know if this should be a series lol #5sos+tags #fun fact all the tags yelling at me specifically come from the same post but not the same person lol #my edit #5 seconds of summer #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #calum hood #michael clifford

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Moment's Surprise--Epilogue

Whether it’s called an accident or the fates of the universe, you and Calum find yourselves taking on the next level of your relationship: parenthood.

Reader (Gender Neutral) X Calum. Multi-chapter Series.

Series Note: Across this series, pregnancy is discussed thoroughly. While I have made this series specifically a reader insert and have done my best to avoid coding for cis women, I am taking this moment to acknowledge that this content may not be suitable for every reader. I want to acknowledge even if I’ve been careful some things (like uteri) are still mentioned and if that causes you discomfort please DO NOT read this. You may keep scrolling (as there is a read more) / skip this series as necessary.

Series Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7| Chapter 8 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

~4 Years Later

The true madness of this time of year, outside of the holiday craze, is Calum having a full house with two kids now who are home all the time. You take off from work to be there and Calum takes days to work from home to help as well. Though this year in particular is fuller than others with new music on the horizon. But Calum enjoys it nonetheless. You follow behind Calum as he pulls up the rear of the band. Though normally, Calum took radio interviews and his work solo, he’d ask you to bring the kids along. As Calum called it, he wanted a “Take the kids to work day” and today would be light enough for interviews that Calum could tote them around the radio station, but still handle most of the interviews solo. There is one interview towards the end of the day, that Calum did want both boys to sit in with him for and the prospect of helping Dad with his work made Amiri and Arran ecstatic. 

But currently, this interview is one that Calum has to do by himself. As he settles into the cushioned chair, he throws one last glance back through the glass windows of the room. Amiri waves, a big grin lighting up his face. Calum waves back before traveling up to find your face. You hold onto Amiri’s hand and still carry Arran on your opposite hip. But your smile is still big and then a moment later, you’re leading two duo of kids away back towards the green room that the boys were just in before settling in for the interview. He can see you’re talking but he can’t hear the words. Amiri gives one last wave but a thumbs up and Calum returns with a kiss thrown in his direction. 

“Welcome back,” the host starts. The voice is big and chipper in Calum’s ears, but he’s only ever focused on you and the kids. “We’re in the studio with the hottest band still even after a four year hiatus, 5 Seconds of Summer. Welcome back boys.”

“Oh, thanks for having us,” Ashton replies with a smile. 

“You four are back in a big big way. And some of you have major additions to your crews, family and things, Calum, in particular,” the hosts teases. 

The sound of his name gets Calum to turn around fully. “Uh, yeah,” he laughs, readjusting the headset. 

“So we’re up to two baby boys for you. How does it feel? Any plans for more?”

“It’s-it’s great,” Calum starts. “My spouse and I- we put the kids first really with things. So it’s sort of easier that we’re on the same page and uh, baby two definitely is easier in some ways but it also makes things a bit more challenging. Balancing out the attention can sometimes be tricky. As for more, unclear. Two was our sort of max.”

“You’re crushing it,” Luke cuts in. His tone is colored by his own awe. “This man will be on a Zoom call with the one of them on his hip, fixing lunch, dealing with a juice spill, a dog and still like actively participating. He’s like a real life Superman or something.”

“Sounds like quite a full day for you, Calum,” the host tacks on. “Care to tell us more about that?”

“The days are quite full,” Calum agrees with a laugh. “But I wouldn’t get anywhere with my spouse or the support of these fellas. When I just need to be a dad that day or just need to be a husband, like I have to take a step back for my kids or my spouse, they understand. So it’s nice to have that support. These men have been integral in me being able to be there for my kids, for me to be Superman.”

“I love my nephews, man!” Michael chimes in. “They’re so fucking cute and I don’t know how you say no to them, Cal. Like they’re just so little and adorable.”

“Uh, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes they just win. Like when it’s an extra cup of juice after dinner or something, you just let them have it,” Calum laughs.

“Ah, that’s the secret to parenting,” the host laughs. 

“Just one of the many,” Calum returns. 

“So we’ve got kids, dogs, juice spills, and we’re getting new music. There’s been rumors around the mill that a certain single might get its live debut here at Jingle Bell Ball next week? Hmm, what about that fellas?”

“Did you hear about this?” Ashton asks, looking at the other guys. “I must’ve missed that one.” He says it with a grin, so everyone understands the playful tease to the statement. 

The rest of the interview goes well and in the breaks between interviews, Calum pokes his head into the greenroom. Amiri looks up from the sound of the door opening. “Hi, Dad,” he greets, pushing up from the table. It looks like he might be drawing but Calum’s not entirely sure before he’s wrapping Amiri up in a hug. 

“Hey, buddy. What’s going on here?”

“Drawing,” Amiri returns. “Alphabet is next too!”

“Hmm, yes, definitely got those ABC’s in too, kid.” Calum walks further into the room, Amiri at his side. Arran sits next to you munching on some snacks, goldfish Calum’s sure as the two year old has become adamant about having the snack once a day. Another small thing to keep the peace, to keep sanity. It’s countered with a lot of fruits and vegetables. 

“Daddy!” Arran cheers. He only loses two goldfish in the process as they clatter to the floor. You're swift to pick them up off the floor. 

“Hi!” Calum returns. “How’re the goldfish treating you?”

“Good,” Arran smiles. 

Calum notices a tug at his pant leg and looks down to Amiri. “Yes, Amiri?”

“Bafroom, please. I really gotta go.”

“Okay, I’ll take you to the bathroom,” Calum agrees and pushes forward to kiss you on the cheek and kiss Arran’s forehead. “Alright, Amiri, one bathroom trip. All aboard?” Calum reaches out his hand.

Amiri takes it. “All aboard!”

“Excellent, here we go.” 

Arran hands you back the bag of his snack. About half of the goldfish remain. “Done,” he tells you.

“You’re done?” you ask. 

Arran nods. “Done,” he repeats. 

“Okay. We’ll save the rest.”  You place them back into the backpack you have full of things to occupy and feed the two boys with. Arran watches and spies his normal drawing bag. 

“I draw?”

“You want to draw too?” you ask to make sure you understand. 

“Pwease.”

The lost ‘l’ sound makes your heart melt just a little and you nod. “Okay, you can draw too.” You help him get set up at the small table in the room, opposite of where Amiri’s stuff still lingers. The moment you resign yourself to stay on the floor as all other attempts to get back to the couch are thwarted by Arran’s insistence that you draw with him, you hear the door open back up. 

“You guys ready?” The voice asks. You’re sure it’s a production assistant or someone else wrangling the band for the interview. 

“Uh, Calum’s with one of his sons. But once he’s back, we’ll be ready,” Ashton returns. 

“I’m with who?” You turn then to the sound and spot Calum approaching just behind the assistant. 

“We’re getting rounded up,” Luke returns. 

“How many until we can work with you Dad?” Amiri asks. 

“Right after this one,” Calum answers, leading Amiri back into the room. He excuses himself around the assistant who’s still holding the door open and gives a quick thanks. 

“When your lunch?” Amiri asks. You snicker at the question, but know that Amiri’s dead decision on getting the answer to it. The times you and Calum have gotten onto each other about skipping meals only means that the kids have picked up on it as well. 

Calum’s a bit speechless for a moment but walks Amiri back to his spot in front of his coloring. “It’s Dad’s job to worry about you and your lunch, not the other way around.”

Amiri is not satisfied with the answer and puts a hand on his hip. “Dad.” 

Calum laughs but squats down to Amiri’s level. “Dad’s going to eat right after the interview you help me with. Be thinking about what I should get okay?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Amiri answers. 

“I love you, buddy. So much,” Calum returns, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Be good while I’m gone, Arran,” Calum warns. 

“I good!” the youngest cheers back, the red crayon tight in his hold. 

“You okay, babe?” Calum asks you. 

“I’m good, love.” It’s only a nod between you two. But you both know everything else that’s to be said behind it. If any of that were to change, you’d give a shout. If Calum needed anything, he'd only have to give you a shout. The two of you are always just a call away. “Go be a rockstar, Dad. I’ve got them.”

“Love you,” Calum whispers before standing. 

“I know,” you tease, lightly tapping his calf as he heads for the door. You figure the interview won’t take too long. But you still work to keep Amiri and Arran occupied as much as possible. Arran sticks to depicting his version of a soccer field with him and Calum and you doing drills. Amiri works on a mock up drawing of a bass and you grin knowing what it means. “You excited to give Dad his gift?”

Amiri nods, but it’s not as eager as it normally is. “Yeah, I’m excited.”

“You sound blue. Am I hearing you right?”

Amiri shrugs. “I’m scared,” he whispers. 

“You’re scared. Okay. It’s okay to be scared. Do you know why you’re scared?”

“Worry, I fink.” His brows pull together. He’s not quite sure that’s the right word. But the last time he felt like this you and Calum called it that. It feels the same--like the voice in the back of his head keeps telling him what if it all goes wrong. 

“Worried. Okay. Do you know about what? What are you worried about?”

“What if-What if Dad doesn’t like it? What if he fink it silly?”

“Bud,” you coo, reaching your head across the table. You leave it palm up for Amiri to take if he wants. “What do you think will happen if he doesn’t like it?”

“It hurt,” Amiri states. “Hurt my feelings.”

“Yeah,” you nod, “yeah if Dad doesn’t like it that does sound like it would hurt your feelings. What else do you think will happen?”

Amiri sniffles just a little, eyes finally flicking up at you. The tears are welling along the bottom of his eyes. “What if he won’t love me?”

“Amiri David Hood, your dad loves you more than you know. And if he doesn’t love you over a bass he doesn’t like that you made for him, I will personally and I mean this 100 percent honestly, kick his ass. And then I will sit you two down and you can tell him how much his actions hurt you way worse than whatever I did.”

“Matua, you said a bad word,” Amiri giggles. “You said we can’t say that.”

You reach into your pocket, where you keep spare change for moments like this. You find a dime and hand it over to Amiri. “It was worth it. But how does that sound? If he hurts your feelings, you can let him know. We won’t accept behavior like that.”

“Thanks, Matua.”

“Anytime, love. Anytime.”

Another few minutes pass and then Calum returns, making a big show of throwing open the doors. “Where are my boys?” he asks, looking into the room. He purposefully looks over your group. 

Arran giggles and runs from your arms to Calum’s legs. “Here!”

“Oh that’s one,” Calum laughs. “There’s one more. Where is he?”

Amiri clutches the picture to his chest and you two share a small moment’s glance. You nod over your shoulder to Calum. “Go,” you whisper. “I’m right behind.” Amiri nods, kissing your cheek before heading over to Calum. 

“Oh, lookie there, there’s the other one,” Calum teases. You start to clean up the crayons and paper, getting them back into the backpack before standing too. “Hey, Amiri, everything okay?” Calum’s voice is soft as he asks and you’re praying Amiri keeps it together long enough for the surprise. But even if he doesn’t, you know that it’s okay. 

“Yeah.” It doesn’t sound super convincing but there’s only so much you can do to help as you get the things organized. 

“You can tell me anything, okay, buddy. Dad’s always here for you. Do you still want to help me in this next interview?”

“Please.”

“Okay, bud. Thanks for all your help. Do you want to wear the big headphones for Dad? It’s a big job.”

“I can do it,” Amiri laughs. 

“Alright! You think about what Dad should eat after?”

“Vegetables,” Amiri returns. He follows alongside Calum out of the room. Arran’s situated in Calum’s arm. 

“Okay, We can arrange for that. Anything else?”

“Fruit.”

“Consider it done,” Calum returns. You follow behind them and down the hallways. Amiri rattles down through his considerations and for the time being, the question seems to have distracted him well enough. Calum settles into a chair and gets Arran on one thigh and you help Amiri up onto Calum’s other thigh. They get a snug squeeze from Calum and laugh. You help Amiri get the headphones on and snicker just a little at the way they almost swallow his entire head. 

“They so big,” Amiri calls out. 

Calum laughs and gets one ear free for Amiri. “Yeah, they are.” He notices the upside piece of paper. From the backside he can see the green and black and brown indentations and color of the marks and crayons. And he almost asks what it is thar Amiri holding but the question dies as Arran reaches up for the microphone. 

“Okay, so, clearly I’m losing here,” Calum laughs.  “Arran, can you let Matua get it right? Do you want to help?”

“Help!” Arran declares. 

“Okay, you can help them.” You get Arran’s hands situated on the right angle and then push the microphone so that it’ll catch Calum’s voice and also pick up hopefully Amiri and Arran should either one contribute. 

“Does that look good to you, Arran?” you ask. 

He inspects it before giving a definitive nod. “Yes.”

“Perfect. Thank you for your help.”

“Fank you,” Arran returns. You settle in the seat behind Calum knowing that you’ll no doubt need to readjust something at some point. Only a few minutes pass before the interview truly starts up and Amiri smiles just a little. He drops his head back to look at Calum around the headphone. 

“This strange,” Amiri giggles.

The radio host pauses for a moment and laughs at Amiri’s confession. “I heard it was a big day for you too, Amiri.”

Amiri turns back to the host. “I help my dad!”

“Yeah, how’s that going so far? Have you been having fun?”

Amiri nods. “Yes. Fank you.”

“Oh, so polite. You’re welcome,” the host laughs. “Your brother is here too? How’s that?”

“Arran’s cool,” Amiri returns with a proud nod. Calum laughs at the exchange and gently encourages Arran to say hi if he wants.  The two year old proudly declares his presence and everyone’s laughter bubbles. The questions start to roll more for the band and you watch Amiri closely. He turns his attention back and forth from his uncles as they answer to the host as they speak. His hands pull a little at the paper with the drawing with each question. 

“So, how are we feeling about taking the Jingle Bell Ball once again? Do you guys feel like pros?”

“We love playing live shows,” Luke answers. “And no matter how much we do it, we want to make sure we’re, like, putting on a good show. So it’s comforting and like, nerve-wracking all at the same time.”

“Anything new and exciting you four are looking to debut? A laser light show? Maybe some backup dancers?”

The joke lands well and Ashton takes the question to answer. “The band has always been the four of us and about our music, so we want to for the time being to keep it that way. But who knows? The future’s full of possibilities. Though I’m thinking of new kits.”

“Ah, there we go. A good new kit could be fun. I’ve heard though, Calum, you might be looking to add a new bass to your rotation?”

Calum’s brows knit together. “I’m sorry? I don’t--”

“Dad,” Amiri interjects. 

“Yes, buddy? You okay?” The confusion of the host’s question falls away as Calum turns his attention to Amiri. 

“I told Matua ‘bout this. And I’m scared.”

“Scared? What are you scared about Amiri?”

Amiri reaches for the drawing and flips it over. A forest green instrument stares back at Calum. It looks like a bass, given the number of strings. There’s a brown neck and black and gold floral accents. “I made it. For you.”

“Oh, bud, this is so great. Thank you,” Calum exhales. He kisses Amiri’s forehead. “I love it.”

Amiri points to the door and Calum turns his attention in that direction. You’re already crossing the room to take hold of a case. “No, Dad. I made it. Like a new bass. For you to play wif.”

Calum sputters for his words as the rest of the guys shuffle over as much as possible. You’re careful as you crack open the case and a forest green bass stares back at him. “Buddy, what? You had a bass made for me?” Calum asks. 

Amiri nods. “Early Christmas,” he grins. 

“Oh my god,” Calum whispers. “It’s beautiful, son. Thank you.”

“You like it?”

“Like it? Amiri, I love it. Thank you so so much.” Amiri nods before the two embrace and Calum looks back over his shoulder to the bass. There’s specs of something like glitter or something reflective that catch in the light of the room. “I’m so blown away. You designed that?”

“Yep! Matua and Arran helped some. But I even paid for it!” Amiri boasts. “

You lean down into Michael’s microphone as everyone in the room seems a bit confused. “I gave him the card and he put the card into the machine and we signed together. So he ‘paid’ for it. But he’s been working hard on this since June. He came up to me after one of your days swimming and said, ‘Matua, I want to make Dad a bass for Christmas.’ And I was like, pick one out from a store that you think he’ll like or have one made. And he was adamant that he wanted to design one top to bottom. So, uh, Calum, all those extra doctor’s appointments and errands were me taking Amiri to the shop to work with the folks to design this bass. We’d spend an hour with them so he could screw in stuff and help them get the paint color right. And I don’t know much about how they actually build a bass. But if Amiri becomes a craftsman, I think we know why now.”

Calum looks back to the bass and is blown away by the fact that Amiri wanted to do something like this for him. “I’m going to eat so many vegetables to make up for this,” he laughs. 

The room bursts into laughter. But Amiri knows what it means and he kisses Calum on his cheek. “So many,” Amiri giggles. “Love you, Dad.”

A week later, as the crowd starts to roar, Calum swings the forest green bass to his side and squats down to Amiri and Arran’s level. They give him a fist bump each. The headphones over their ears are to protect their hearing and sometimes Calum wishes they could hear the quick blessing he whispers over them. But he wonders if it’s better this way. If part of the routine is the silent care and love Calum pours over them. You fist bump Calum once he stands up fully and the two of you share a quick kiss. 

The track, deep bass and the hint of Babylon, rises and Calum turns back to the band as they give each other one last fist bump and head up the steps of the stage. You catch the bass drum as Ashton settles kicking up. More people working the stage start to bustle about so you pick up Amiri and Arran to make sure they can still see Calum. Today, the Jingle Bell Ball set is the debut of Calum’s new bass and you were halfway anticipating Calum saying he can’t even touch the instrument because of the reason behind it. 

But you’re glad he did take it. Amiri beams in your arms, watching as Calum works his fingers over the strings. Every second Amiri spent drawing and helping assemble the instrument matters ten times more in this moment. The set isn’t long as there are many other acts gearing up to follow. You set Amiri down first about halfway through the last song. You readjust your shirt after getting Arran down. Amiri shouts up at you and you don’t quite catch it all. You go to signal to him to give you just one more minute because the last notes are ringing out but instead he takes off. He bolts for the stage and your heart races in your chest. Arran, who notices Amiri taking off, jets off two. 

“Fucking hell,” you mutter. Amiri stays at Calum’s side and it takes Calum just a second to realize that Amiri’s there until he notices the crowd giving a big ‘Aw’ as Amiri pats at his leg. Just as Calum gets down to the squat, Arran comes running out too. 

Calum looks back over to you. You seem frozen for a moment before you start towards the stage. He signals for you to stay. He thinks you’re apologizing, but can’t confirm it. Kids are kids, he knows. At the end of the day, they’ll do kid things. Calum gets both boys into his arms and then gets over to the rest of the boys to give a quick bow. It’s not easy with both kids in his arms, but Calum dips his head and then carries Amiri and Arran off stage. 

“I’m so sorry,” you rush out, coming up to Calum. 

He shakes his head. “It’s okay. What happened?”

You reach up to help him out of his inner ears so that they can get packed up with the rest of the gear. “I’m not sure. I went to get Amiri down and I think he asked me something but I couldn’t hear him and then he took off,” you answer, following behind Calum as he steps away from the side of the stage.

“Can you get the headphones off for me?” 

You walk behind Calum for a step or two and then he pulls off the side of the hallway. You work the headphones down from Amiri first and then Arran second. You hold the orange and red pairs of headphones in your hands as Calum looks over to Amiri. “Hey, Ri, what happened there? You coming on stage?”

He looks frightened for a moment at the question. “I asked Matua if I could go. I got excited.”

“Hey, no. It’s okay that you got excited. But Matua couldn’t hear you over the noise. You’ve got to stick with them. You shouldn’t run off like that. There’s cords and you could’ve easily tripped and fell. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Amiri’s eyes widened at the realization. “Oh, I’m sorry, Matua! I thought you said yes.”

You run a hand over his hair, the curls coming out in full force the older he gets. “Hey, you didn’t get hurt. So for now, no harm, no foul.”

“Arran, you shouldn’t run off either,” Calum adds. “I know you want to follow what Amiri does, but I want to keep you safe too.”

“I should stay with Matua,” Amiri interjects. “Sorry again.”

“Apology accepted, dear.” You kiss his head. 

“Sowwy,” Arran tacks on as well. 

“Apology accepted,” Calum returns. “And in awesome news, Amiri, the new bass absolutely shreds.”

The fear that filled Amiri’s face melts away as he perks up and smiles. “Really?”

“Oh, one thousand percent, it shreds,” Calum laughs. “Thank you again for making it for me.”

“I want to make more things!” Amiri declares. “Maybe I can make cool sticks for Uncle Ash?”

“I look forward to all your creations, Amiri. They’re brilliant. Absolutely phenomenal.” Amiri rattles on about all his other ideas and Calum carries them both down back towards the green room. Arran interjects sometimes with lines from the songs that they sung on stage and the whole trio of them fall into their normal rhythm of laughter. As you stay close to them, you catch the glint of your bands and think about how inside of each of them is one inscription that reads together, till death. And if death means your two kids giving you a heart attack and Calum being there, then you’ll take it all the way to the end. 

Tagging: @carma-fanficaddict @wonderlandiswhereitsatyo @busstop @wiiildflowerrr @sunflowercalum @fandomfoodiedancer @rosie-posie08 @icelily13 @one-sweet-gubler @markaylafruitcup

#calum hood #calum hood fanfic #calum hood fic #calum hood series #dad!calum #boyfriend!calum #tw: pregnancy #pregnancy mentions #calum hood x reader #calum hood x gender neutral reader #calum 5sos #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #michael clifford #5sos #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fanfic #5 seconds of summer fic #calum hood imagine #calum hood fluff #5sos imagine #5 seconds of summer imagine #h writes

[doveabovetheworld]

A concept:

You and Ashton met through work when you started a new job as 5 Seconds Of Summer’s official photographer/social media coordinator, but when you wake up next to him after a party, your whole life takes a turn.

#new fic #series even? #5sos #5 Seconds Of Summer #ashton irwin #calum hood #luke hemmings #micheal clifford #ashton 5sos #calum 5sos #luke 5sos #micheal 5sos

[suchalonelysunflower]

Looks Red, Tastes Blue (a.i)

Pairing: Vampire! Ashton Irwin x Fem! Reader

Summary: Winds change, and people can’t be trusted. An origin story and a new beginning. Based on Looks Red, Tastes Blue by Mayday Parade.

Warnings: Angst. Blood. Violence. Characters deaths. Mentions of wounds. Mentions of bible and god. Murders. Torture. Suicide. Some grammatical errors (English is not my first language, I’m sorry)

Word count: 7.2k

Author’s note: Spooky season! This might become a series, but focus on the *might* Please don’t forget to reblog, like and comment! SUPPORT YOUR AUTHORS ❤️ Hope you like it and Happy Reading 🦋✨🌻

My masterlist // taglist in bio!

1815

The dark clouds roared with thunder, the rain will be here soon. This type of weather was not unusual, especially during this time of year when the sun goes to sleep and forgets to wake up for at least another three months. The waves crashed down on the coast, he could see them all perfectly from where he was standing. The dark, sharp rocks at the end of the cliff where his mansion stood showed no mercy as the agitated waves came looking for shelter from the storm.

Inside, the mansion was cold. The dark wooden floors and brick walls let the humidity find its home within the darkness. Not a sound could be heard except for the distant crackling of the firewood in the chimney, illuminating the drawing room and the solitary figure that stood there.

Baron Ashton Irwin, at the young age of 28 was already growing a couple of gray hairs due to the stress. His hands were clasped at his back; his suit, immaculate; and his long hair fell perfectly against his shoulders. He was the image of elegance and chivalry. Yet, his mind was the one giving him trouble.

Now, he stood in front of the window, carefully watching the clouds crash against each other and counting the seconds from the lightning to the thunder. He was never fond of storms, hating them since he was a child, still hiding behind his mother’s embrace. But now the expectancy of rain was his only comfort. Maybe that will calm them down.

“One… two… three… four…” Then a vigorous crash came down and filled his ears.

He breathed in deeply, his fingers finding comfort on the soft threads of his suit. He was looking up, for looking down might reveal his greatest fears. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. None of this was supposed to ever happen.

When he thought about moving to the country house that belonged to his family for generations, he never expected this type of welcome. He never expected for rumors to spread around like wildfire; hearing people talking about how he got his title and his fortune, as if his father was not a renowned royal all his life, and his father before him and - But that didn’t matter. No, not at least for the townsfolk who saw him as a threat.

Ashton has heard everything already. How he murdered his family to make a pact with the devil, selling his soul in exchange for power; or, how he bathed in the blood of virgins to keep his youth; or how he was the seed of Satan himself, trying to gain dominion by enchanting the innocent and then devour their blood and heart. And, of course, none of that was true.

He blamed it on the newfound obsession with purity and witchcraft. How men wanted to present themselves as the voice of God among men, condemning all the different souls that longed for more than bible tales and blind obedience to something they could not see nor hear. They prided themselves on their following, blind and ignorant, as they sentenced and killed everything in their way in the name of a higher power. Believing their own sins might be forgiven… but they know they never will.

His back stiffened when a warm, soft touch rounded his waist. But he immediately relaxed when he felt her cheek pressed against his back.

“It’s late,” She whispered, standing on her tiptoes to kiss the back of his neck. Ashton couldn’t help but smile as his hands rested over hers.

“I know,” He said with a sigh “But I can’t find it in myself to rest, not now at least”

“You’re worried they’ll come?”

Ashton could feel the hidden fear in her words, hugging him tightly and making the bump in her belly remind him what was at stake.

“Rumors only grow, my love, but are futile most of the time. This, however, feels different. For some reason, the wind won’t let me sleep, and the storm is as restless as myself. A bad omen is creeping up my back and I can’t shake it off”

“What can I do to help?”

With a soft smile, Ashton turned around to face his wife. It took him a few seconds to breathe her in, as she took a step back to give him space.

Her soft face and kind eyes brought nothing but comfort to the man with a heavy heart. Her hair fell perfectly on her face, reminding him how much he liked it that way instead of the updos the ladies now wore. Her white nightgown made it seem like she was floating, ethereal as it fitted her tummy perfectly, proudly showing they were expecting soon.

It was almost magical how the simple sight of her made all of his worries disappear. It has been like that since they met; when they were young, foolish, and free to do whatever they dreamt of. He fell for her the moment he saw her, and bowed in front of the angels to always protect her and do her right.

Now he can only hope he’ll be able to keep that promise, no matter the cost.

Ashton took a step forward, cradling his wife’s belly with a warm, soft touch.

“You are doing more than enough, my love,” He said, smiling when he felt their baby kick “You and this little манчкин are all I need”

He leaned over to kiss her forehead, a smile playing on her lips.

“I can still see that you’re worried”

Ashton sighed, knowing he couldn’t escape his wife’s knowing eyes.

“It’s this town,” He finally admitted “They don’t like us. They don’t like me” His eyes drifted back to the window “Coming here was a mistake, I just know it. But it’s too late now, or I’m afraid it might be”

Maybe things would’ve been different if he accepted the invitation of going to the church the first Sunday they settled. Maybe it would’ve been different if he let the women of the town visit his wife, but the first months of the pregnancy were hard for her as she lay in bed almost all day, crying in pain for him not to leave her side. Maybe it would’ve been different if his attitude toward the town’s rumors was more assertive instead of playing it off as something that would wear off any day now.

Now the weight of his heart burned with guilt. His fingers barely brushed the back of her head as she hugged him, letting her heart beat along with his as her soft breathing got mixed with the fire cracking in the chimney.

For a second he got lost in the fire, letting the red invade the hazel of his eyes as he held her close in his arms.

“We should move,” He said, not meeting her eyes “Let’s leave this place, and start over”

“You can’t start over when you already lived your life,” She said, mumbling the words against his chest. Her words were accompanied by a yawn - the pregnancy always made her sleepy, so it made Ashton giggle softly as he kissed her head “Besides, where would we even go? Your father left you this house, Ash. We have no business anywhere else”

“We can make the world our business if we want to, my love” He pulled away and cupped her face “It’s just- I got a bad feeling about this place. We can always come back to the city, find a place near the fields… Maybe find another coast so our children can know the sea”

She smiled, softly “You know I would follow you till the end of the world, Ashton. And if this is what you want, then I’ll go with you. I trust you” She grabbed one of his hands and placed her on her belly “We trust you”

Ashton couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh as he looked at her in the eyes. Never once did he see a starry night as the one that set upon her gaze, knowing he could look at her galaxy forever and never get tired of it. So he couldn’t help but lean down and capture her lips with his.

And he kissed her. He kissed her with all of his might because he could not believe how lucky he was to be so in love with a woman like that. Or better yet, how a woman like that could love him despite everything that’s been going on.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” He confessed against her lips, pressing his forehead against hers

She kissed him again “You’re a good man. You don’t claim to be perfect, nor to be the one that judges others. You’re a good man, Ashton, with a good heart capable of loving and healing. I-... I couldn’t fall for anyone but you”

He leaned over to kiss her again, to claim her lips as his own when the sound of thunder reverberated through the mansion again. But the sound brought more than the lightning.

“Do you hear that?” Ashton whispered, feeling how his hands turned cold even under her touch.

Then, the faint sound of footsteps and chatter filled the air. Iron crashing against one another mimicking the clouds crashing above. And Ashton knew what it meant.

With confident steps he walked over to the window to confirm his suspicions: They were here.

“Ash…” He heard her call, and he knew he had to act quickly.

Ashton turned to her, acting as calmly as he could, no matter how terrified he actually was. He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I’ll handle them,” He said, he hoped.

“Ashton-”

“We’ve got nothing to hide, my love” He assured her and himself “I will be alright”

The sounds came closer “I don’t like this, Ash. Let me go with you”

Ashton shook his head “The last thing I want is for you to get sick in this weather. Go to the baby’s room, and hide for a while. They are just confused and scared, I’ll talk to them and come get you once they’re gone”

“But-”

“It’s okay,” He kissed her once again, just in time to hear banging at the door “I love you,”

She sighed, “I love you, too” She started to walk away from the room before she turned back “I’ll wait for you, okay?”

“I’ll find you, don’t worry”

With one last reassuring smile, he watched her walk away. Yet that smile faded the moment she was out of sight and the storm grew louder. Ashton took a deep breath and armed himself with courage before making his way to the entrance, passing through various halls with paintings and portraits on the wall till he reached the main staircase. He took one last look at their latest family portrait that hung there: Him standing proud as his hand rested upon his wife’s shoulder while she sat in a white dress, one hand on her belly and excitement in her eyes for what was to come.

Ashton could not wait to replace that portrait with a new one of them becoming three. He could not wait to see their child sitting between them, hoping they would look like their mother. But for that dream to happen, he had to solve some things first. And that included the loud pounding at his door.

The first person he saw was Reverend Lockwood, a man in his fifties with a big nose that hung over his face and a belly so full it should be shameful, who wore one of those awful white wigs that were supposed to make him above everyone else. He was - according to himself - the highest authority in town. He managed the church and was a self-named mayor since no one seemed to correct him or contradict him. Everyone in town seemed to follow his every command as if his words were sent from the highest power and he was the holiest man alive - although his two marriages and lord knows how many bastard children would likely say otherwise.

When Ashton first moved in with his wife, he was welcomed by Reverend Lockwood, but after Ashton rejected his invitation, it seemed like Lockwood’s new hobby was to hunt him down. And Ashton would bet his entire inheritance that he was the one spreading the rumors about him and his family just because he was not about to fall on his knees and adore this phony as all the other brainless townsfolk did.

Behind the Reverend, a mob stood proudly. All the men and a few of the women of the town looked at him in fear and anger. They were holding torches and chains, shovels and knives, ropes and bags. From the start, Ashton knew this was not a friendly visit, but for the first time, he allowed himself to see the seriousness of the situation.

Still, as politely as he could, he stood his ground and took a step forward. He was not about to welcome them into his house, let alone to let them think he was going to surrender, even if he had nothing to hide in the first place.

“Reverend Lockwood,” He said solemnly, acknowledging him with a nod and not even looking at the mob “What do I owe the pleasure?”

“A pleasure indeed, sir” Lockwood smirked “But I’m afraid it’ll be more for us than for yourself”

“I see you brought your crowd” Ashton dismissed his comment, finally addressing the others “It’s a shame you didn’t warn me in advance, Reverend, I would’ve prepared you some supper before whatever show you promised”

“Cut the act, Irwin” Lockwood spat “Despite what you might believe or make others believe, we know what you really are”

Ashton blinked twice at him, frowning as he crossed his arms over his chest and asked “And that is?”

“A monster!” Yelled one person in the crowd

“Murderer!” Yelled another

“Blasphemous!”

Reverend Lockwood stood there with a smile, Ashton just sighed.

“You are all gravely mistaken!” Ashton talked over the crowd, loud enough for everyone to hear but with no hint of anger in his voice “I am nothing but a man trying to live a happy life with his family. What sins have I committed that makes me different from any of you?” The whispers of the crowd were filled with hatred “Has your Lord taught you nothing with his words? Has the blinded faith you have over a man of flesh and bone prevented you from seeing beyond what you consider fair? Or did the poison of false words already do its job?”

“How dare-“

“No, Reverend, how dare you! Coming into my house to accuse me of such lies, burdening my family and all of these people who you claim to protect. I’ve done nothing but love my life as I seem fair, minding my own business. Something you, Reverend, could very much take as an example”

The way in which Lockwood’s jaw clenched at Ashton’s words gave him some sense of triumph. He knew there was nothing to fear, no crimes were committed nor moral laws were broken. He was a good man, not the monster they claim to know.

Still, it seemed that the trial wasn’t about to be over so soon.

“You deny the charges?” Lockwood asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I deny them,” Ashton answered confidently, looking defiantly at the man in front of him.

“Then,” He asked, a taunting smirk starting at the corner of his lips “What about your wife?”

There was a change in the wind. Strong tides whistled around the silence and tension. The breaking of waves did nothing but simulate Ashton’s own shattering as the question sunk into the pit of his stomach.

His face turned as white as snow, swearing his heart started to beat slower. A fear, a horrifying feeling settled in his guts, in his chest. Rage.

“What about my wife?” Asked Ashton, voice commanding and grave. Never once taking his eyes from the puritan.

“You might deny your sins, Irwin. But you can’t deny hers”

“What sins?!” He shouted, feeling as if his body was nothing but a burning fire, ready to fight “She’s done nothing-!”

“I saw Mrs. Irwin dancing with the devil!” A voice cried from the crowd.

Ashton looked over Lockwood’s shoulders. Opening his mouth to speak but the shouting continued.

“I saw Mrs. Irwin crying tears of blood!”

“Mrs. Irwin made my house burn down, a deal with darkness! I saw it! She’s the devil’s wife!”

“Devil! Devil! Devil!”

The cries of the people were unstoppable, getting louder as they pound inside Ashton’s head. The feeling of drowning in mid-air caught him by surprise as his legs shook when he faced the crowd, looking frantically at them, begging them.

“N-no!” Ashton cried, shaking his head, but his voice died amid all the lies “No! You’re mistaken!”

How did it happen? His wife- his wife who has never left the manor. His wife whose smile could conquer the world and make the bravest man yield before her. His wife who’s the kindest, most beautiful soul he has ever met… Accused of witchcraft.

“Lockwood!” He cried, taking a step closer to the man until they were face to face, knowing how much that man was enjoying seeing him so desperate “You know those are all lies! You’ve known her! She would never-“

“I know what I know, sir” Lockwood answered gravely, but the tint of mockery in his eyes still shone through “And I know that I am a man of god. And if you were to say the same, you would let us make Justice in his name”

“I won’t let you do this!” Ashton told him, jaw tense and eyes filled with hate. The reverend scoffed.

“God doesn’t ask permission”

Ashton looked at him with disgust before grabbing the lapels of Lockwood’s shirt and bringing him closer “You are no god”

The reverend only smiled with sufficiency before he signaled the men of the mob. One, two, three… there were more than twenty by the time they came to the door. Ashton recognized them before three of them attempted to grab him.

He fought against them, throwing punches and kicks to slow them down. But every time he delivered a blow, three more would follow. They grabbed him by the jacket, by the shirt, and by the hair. They knocked down his knees and allowed him to fall to the ground before securing his hands behind his back.

Ashton watched with his face on the ground as ten men broke down the door to his home. Desperate tears escaped his eyes as the screams ripped through his throat.

“NO!” He would cry, trying to get away, but one of the men had his knee upon the small of his back, making it impossible for him to move “NO! LEAVE THEM ALONE!”

It was excruciating to listen to such heartbreaking screams. He called her name, bleeding through every word of warning, hoping she would listen and stay hidden.

“She’s with child! Leave her alone!” He’d beg to anyone who would listen, purposely ignoring the shattering sound coming from inside his home “Take me instead! Take me! Do what you want with me but leave them be!”

The man who was holding him down grabbed Ashton by the hair, pulling it until he was kneeling with his face directed at the reverend.

“There’s nothing you can do, Irwin,” Said Lockwood, looking expectantly at the manor “Just let the Justice make its path”

“This-” Ashton spat, “This is not justice!”

“Maybe not,” He admitted, “But it’s God’s will”

“Ashton!”

His wide eyes followed the sound, tears flooding his view as a wrenching scream passed his lips.

On top of the manor, in the window by the sea where he was standing mere minutes ago, he could see a white nightgown floating with the stormy breeze. There, his wife was standing at the edge, face red and puffy as the tears marked her cheeks. The wind caused her baby bump to be revealed against the soft fabric, an angelic sight for someone who was deemed to be anything but.

She yelled his name again, looking at him through the crowd. But she seemed tense, almost afraid to even look down. That’s when Ashton noticed the cut on her arm and the crimson blood dripping from her fingertips. Behind her, one of the men that invaded their home was holding her by the hair, tauntingly pulling and pushing just enough so she would believe she’d lose her balance and fall to the breaking of the waves against the rocks.

Ashton called her name, cried out for her, but to no avail. She would not hear him.

“NO!” Ashton trashed and turned, but more men came to hold him in place “Let her go! Take me! TAKE ME! LET HER GO! SHE’S HURT, SOMEONE HELP HER! LET HER GO!”

But the mayhem did not stop. The chants from the crowd grew louder when they noticed her upon the window. The storm gathered its strongest winds as the clouds clashed against one another. But all Ashton could hear besides his own screams was white noise.

He wanted nothing more than to be there with her. To cradle her face and wipe out those tears; kiss her as he promised her time and time again that they’ll get out of there as soon as they can. That their family will be safe.

Oh, how he wished he could go back in time. Wished he’d never left in the first place. Then they would not be trapped inside this nightmare, unable to wake up. He failed them, he failed her. “I’ll handle them,” He said, foolishly thinking he could protect her and their child. Now, as his heart threatens to come out of his body, there’s nothing he can do but beg to deaf ears and empty stares.

“Ashton!” She cried again, but the air in her lungs got stolen as a hand wrapped around her neck.

Her parted lips were all Ashton could focus on, the way in which she gasped for air and her hands found their way to sink her nails into her attacker’s arm, covering him with blood as well.

“NO!” He’d yelled, over and over again to no avail.

The whisper of his name crossed her lips when her eyes finally found him. He called out her name, bleeding through his throat and pain; his eyes never leaving her as he begged her for forgiveness. She looked at him with red, tearful eyes filled with something that could only be described as love. He knew what that look meant. He could not look away. Those were the eyes of the woman he loved, the look that only he would recognize among a thousand. He would not spare a moment away from them.

Even if that moment was taken away from them so abruptly.

Ashton watched the exact moment in which her eyes widened for the last time before they shut close. The last gasp that got trapped between her chest. A lonely tear ran down her cheek. And the amount of blood that sweeps from the horizontal cut across her throat, cleaning her from all of the sins she’s never committed.

Silence. That’s all it was.

Silence as her feet lost all support and slipped through the edge, making it seem as if she was the one taking the leap willingly. He wanted to run, foolishly thinking he could catch her before she hit the ground, hoping he could save her from the current nightmare of an endless void below. Yet, his feet were unable to leave the ground, feeling how his hope was falling with her, lost forever.

But all he could do was watch in slow motion as the white figure soared through the stormy winds one last time. Perfectly framed face covered by her hair, eyes closed and pink, parted lips, flying freely before the sea claimed her as his. Like an angel whose wings got stolen way too soon.

Silence. But not for long.

Legend has it that no cry was ever as broken as his. That the seas mourned with him and stood still for a moment, allowing him to try and take his own heart out of his chest, for that would hurt less than listening to the tragedy that tinted the night.

Thunder and lightning accompanied his lament, harmonizing with the sound of loss and heartbreak no man should ever feel. Like Orpheus who cried for Euridyce and won the sympathy of the gods; this cry would’ve broken their hearts.

Ashton fell forwards, curled in pain as the sobs got lost on the ground and were replaced by the naked anger of a man who just lost everything.

He looked up to see the reverend standing in front of him, the ghost of a smile forming on his lips, thinking he already won. Next thing he knew, everything went black.

*

The first thing he noticed was that he could not move his legs or arms. Something heavy was hanging from his ankles and he felt his body being carried over. Even when he opened his eyes he noticed the darkness, and when he tried to scream there was only a muffle coming through his ears. He could only guess by the pain in the back of his head, that he was being taken somewhere to die; he was blindfolded and gagged as if he would try to escape the fate he so longly awaited.

All Ashton could think was “Why am I not dead, yet?” He should be dead, it was obvious that the reverend would not let go of him so easily. But the thought that crossed through his mind almost instantly was that he wanted to be dead. He had nothing else to live for anymore.

There was an abrupt halt to every movement. Ashton could hear the sound of footsteps coming closer before he felt two sets of arms grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him to the ground. His knees scrapped the rocky surface, cutting through his skin. But he made no sound, no effort to be noticed.

The cold wind made him shiver, and aware that he was wearing just a thin shirt and raggy pants. The piece of fabric that gagged him cut through the corners of his mouth, making him savor the metallic taste of drying blood. He moved his hands, just enough to notice the burning of the ropes against his skin, and for his feet, he could only guess the same, though it felt heavier. He stayed on his knees for what felt like forever before his head was yanked back with a few strands of his hair, and suddenly he could see the clear skies again.

How long did he stay unconscious? He did not know, but it was enough for the storm to pass and show the full moon’s light. Ashton thought that it couldn’t possibly be enough. It’d never be enough.

Suddenly, the image of Reverend Lockwood appears before him. He was still wearing his wig and formal clothing. The same smug expression was drawn on his face. He needn’t say anything, he knew Ashton already guessed what was happening. Still, the young baron never took his eyes off of him, not once.

The wind grew stronger as the moon took the highest place of the night sky, witnessing as a young man didn’t fight as he was made to walk to the edge of a cliff, the sound of waves crashing below made him think of home.

“I thought it would be fitting,” The reverend said. Ashton didn’t answer.

Instead, Ashton looked at him, and everyone else present in their eyes, memorizing their faces and remembering the names of each and every single one of the people responsible for the death of his soul.

He stood straight, like a King. Never bowed or broke in front of his enemies. No one, not even Lockwood dared say a thing. The winds were changing once again, the minutes till midnight were counted and gone. And Ashton, in the silence of his heart, promised them that they will regret it. Every single one of them will regret it.

And with that, he took a step back. Feeling as the wind hit his back before he closed his eyes. The moon was the last thing he saw before everything turned black once more.

*

The water was cold as he sank.

The force of the hit made the knot on the gag lose, making the fabric float away as the water snuck inside his lungs. He kept on sinking.

The ties on his hands gave out as well as the ones on his feet. There was no resistance, only poor techniques.

The moonlight made the waters clear. Shinning above him. His hair framed his face as it floated gracefully. It was peaceful. Beautiful. Free

Twas the moon that saw his heart stop. The redness of the blood did not flow or pump. It was cold as the water surrounding him, as the beating slowed down with every moment of calmness that came with the ending of things. Until there was nothing but silence.

But when the blood turns as blue as ice, heart frozen. The cells in his bloodstream started to move backward, turning blue as the sea, craving for something to feed. Feeling like he could not breathe.

Eyes wide open in the middle of the sea.

*

No one talked about it out loud, but whispers only grow.

They knew what was coming for them. They were expecting it.

People tried to flee before, but he always found them.

It was always a mystery, they said, no one knew how those bodies were always found with such marks across their bodies, drained completely of any blood they might have left. Nobody had the same wounds; some would end up with broken backs; others with their heads turn the other side; people rumor about a man whose throat was cut in half, but there was no trail of blood, just an empty, open wound.

They all had the same marks upon their necks, though. Two small holes under their left ear were theorized to be left after continuous torture, a mark of the devil, perhaps. And not only that, but they all had another thing in common: They were all found in the morning with the most horrifying looks on their faces. Almost as if they’ve seen a ghost from the past that came back to haunt them.

The devil acted quietly and at night. One victim every forenight, no matter the gender. Only a few could be considered safe beside the children. But there was no denying that anyone could be next.

Some say that they saw the devil lurk in the darkness, with blue marks upon his veins on the inside of his arms and eyes glowing hazel in the dark. Others say that they saw him by the sea, sitting alone by the rocks under the abandoned manor. A few claim that they fought him and won, but no one believes them.

Reverend Lockwood always dismiss such rumors, smiling as he tried to reassure the people that nothing was wrong and that it was probably some children’s tale. But everyone in town knew how he locked all the doors and all the windows of his home before the night came.

Lockwood knew what was coming for him, he just didn’t know when. That’s until he learned about John Proctor’s death. There were no other men in town. The devil left him for last.

He was wise enough to send his family away before the night came. He locked all the doors and threw all the keys. He opened up his bible and held the crucifix on his chest, praying for salvation in a candlelight dimmed room.

The night was dark and quiet. The widows and orphans stopped crying about their losses a long time ago, the ones who dared to stay in the haunted town, at least. There were not many left, after all, but there were enough to remember what happened for years and years to come.

Silent prayers were the only sound that could be heard that fateful night. But meaningless words as the ones the reverend recited were of not much help, for a quarter past ten, the wind began to change.

“Our father, who art in-” The sound of a stomp made his skin crawl “H-h-heaven! Hallowed be th-thy name-” Goosebumps aroused at the flickering on the candle “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as-”

“There is no Heaven for people like you, Lockwood”

The voice echoed through the walls. The few patches of hair the reverend still had on his head perked up in fear as the crucifix slid from his fingers and fell to the ground.

“No, n-no, please!” He begged, looking frantically around the dark room.

“You knew I was coming,” The voice continued, making the old reverend’s heart go faster and faster “You should feel honored, actually, to be deemed this important”

“I- I don’t understand!” Lockwood cried “It can’t be! I forbid it! In the name of God”

The voice laughed, suddenly sounding closer.

“Oh, Lockwood, you can’t forbid anything here. After all, god does not ask for permission”

The light of the candle died in a second, suffocated by the sudden lack of oxygen in the room. Then, in the corner, standing very still with a smile plastered on his face, stood the devil himself.

Lockwood, frightened at the image, fell from his chair and into the ground, opening his mouth to speak but without any noise coming out as he dragged himself to the opposite corner of the room.

The same man that he’s seen jump out of the cliff not so long ago was standing in front of him. Clothes as dark as night; his long hair perfectly combed and styled; a silver necklace with two simple bands hanging from his chest; hazel eyes shining like a predator who’s just caught its prey… So beautifully twisted it was impossible to put into words. He hadn’t changed a thing except for his smile, so charming; so frightening; so cruel and deadly.

It was not a normal smile, no, it was the smile of the devil.

“No…”

In an instant, Ashton was standing in front of the frightened man, grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt and picking him up from the ground with a newfound strength he rather enjoyed.

“I am god,” Ashton smiled “And this is my justice”

*

When they found Reverend Lockwood’s body the next day, it was rather unusual.

The body still had marks all over it; the cross embedded and burned in the flesh of the dead man’s chest was certainly a novelty, and the face of horror was similar to the ones seen in the previous victims. It was the blood that threw people off.

This time the killer did not drain the victim’s blood as it usually did. For whatever reason, that might be, although people do claim it was because it was tainted, and the killer had some sort of dignity or whatnot. Instead, the blood was smeared all over the wall, spelling the message:

“This is god’s will”

*

2022

“For the thousandth time, Luke. If you’re going to convince a girl to give you her number, you should not read her fucking mind first” Ashton sighed over the phone, having had this conversation countless times.

It was another sunny day in L.A. Ashton found he likes it way more than the grey clouds of London where he spent the last portion of the twentieth century - It was the music that drew him in when the Beatles first started, but it can get quite boring after a few decades. He’d just gone on his daily coffee run, catching up with Calum that just moved in closer to him after spreading some mayhem in the southern part of the continent. And now he was trying to convince Luke, once again, that when girls say they like someone who could read their mind, they do not mean it literally.

“It didn’t work out last time, so what makes you think it’ll work this time?”

He passed the bookstore that Michael owns, saying hi to him as he walked passed the window, but not daring to come in while there were customers. He did, though, checked himself out on the reflection. Whoever said that beings like him can not see their reflection or walk under the sun was gravely mistaken.

After two centuries he still didn’t look a day older than twenty-eight. His hair was shorter now and his skin was adorned with tattoos that healed way too quickly and served to hide those blue marks of his veins. The only thing that changed was the lack of beating of his heart but, well, no one needed to know that.

He caught a glimpse of the two dangling rings on his necklace and let a sudden moment of nostalgia run through his mind, as a small, sad smile crossed his lips. After all, not all wounds can be healed with time.

“Yeah, Luke, I gotta go” He sighed, walking away from the man in the reflection “We can talk about it tonight, alright? Just, stay away from her childhood memories. You’ll thank me later”

He hung up the phone just in time for the crosswalk light to turn red, so he waited, not really paying attention to his surroundings when all of the sudden, a door opens across the street.

It was a quick glance. One of those that makes you take a double look. But it was gone the moment Ashton recognized it. He took a step forward, but the loud horn of a Tesla that was about to run him over, made him take a step back and let his coffee cup fall to the ground.

A sudden desperation took over him, cranking his neck up to see beyond the passing cars. He had to make sure it was really-

“No,” He thought “It can’t be-? No, but what if-?”

The light turned green and Ashton started to run. He would push past the people walking in the opposite direction, mumbling apologies as his senses heightened. Which way? Who? What? Where?

He was about to give up when all of the sudden he spotted it: the same shade of hair color, shining under the sun in the middle of sunset boulevard.

For the first time in nearly two hundred years, Ashton shivered. A pit of emptiness filled his stomach as he gathered enough courage to approach and- and do what? Well, it didn’t matter at this point, given that he was already walking toward this person, and before he knew it, his hand was on their shoulder.

“Hey, I-”

It has been a while since Ashton was left completely breathless by someone. But this wasn’t just anyone. The hair, the face, the eyes… oh, those eyes. He would always remember those eyes, that look, how they shined in the darkness. How many nights he spent forcing himself to remember them, even at his lowest he knew those eyes would pull him through anything. And now…

“I found you,” He whispered

“Excuse me?” The girl he’d unconsciously - consciously - stalked looked at him quizzically, ready to take out her pepper spray at any minute.

It took Ashton a second to realize that he was a complete stranger. He immediately took a step back.

“Oh shit,” He said, laughing and blushing awkwardly but without being able to take his eyes off of this girl “I’m sorry, I- I thought you were- Thought I recognize you from somewhere”

The girl rolled her eyes “Let me guess, from a dream?” She mocked.

“Uh, do guys actually use that line?”

“I don’t know, you tell me, stranger” She shrugged, ready to walk away again.

“W-wait!” Ashton hated how needy he sounded. But he can’t let this go just yet, not if it really is her “I’m sorry, I’m a dick. I shouldn’t have scared you, I promise I’m not a-” The girl raised an eyebrow at him “You just seem very familiar. May I ask your name? If that’s okay, I don’t want to make you even more uncomfortable”

The girl seemed to relax a bit more, and Ashton smiled at that.

“I’m Y/N, and you’re not a dick” She sighed “I’m just new to the city and you never know who’s a creep and whatnot”

“Y/N…” Ashton repeated, loving the way it rolled off his lips with such ease “I’m Ashton,”

He extended his hand and she took it, shaking it lightly. And for that brief moment, the wind started to change. A new hope settled inside his chest.

Y/N took her hand off first, but the touch still lingered. He knew she felt it, too.

Ashton cleared his throat “So! What brings you to the land of opportunities?”

“The same thing as always, I guess, to find that opportunity and make something out of myself” She smiled “Not more interesting than the next person, I’m afraid”

“Oh, I bet you are quite interesting,” Ashton rushed to say, blushing immediately “I- I mean, I can tell that you’re a very interesting person, Y/N. Not at all like other girls!”

“Wow, you really said that at loud, huh”

Ashton looked embarrassed “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” He sighed “Sorry, I’m just not very good at- well,”

“Flirting?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while”

“How long?”

He laughed “A lifetime, probably even more”

Y/N squinted her eyes at him, almost as if she was analyzing him. Ashton couldn’t help but smile, his wife used to do the same thing when she knew something was up with him.

“Alright,”

“Alright?” He asked, confused.

“We can go for coffee”

“We can?”

“If you want,” She shrugged, but Ashton could tell she was nervous as well. He smiled widely.

“I do!” He said, eagerly “Mine actually fell a few streets down and I couldn’t even taste it”

“A tragedy!” Y/N gasped mockingly, smiling right at him “Then, it’s my treat. And maybe I can give you some pointers on how to flirt with strangers”

Ashton smiled as they started walking side by side “I would love that, actually”

“Okay, first up: Don’t just approach strangers on the street. How do I know you won’t drain my blood or something?”

A nervous laugh escaped his lips, but he covered it up with a cough “So why are you inviting me for coffee then? If you’re not sure I won’t do that”

Y/N shrugged as she looked at him with familiar eyes “I don’t know. You seem…familiar. Maybe we met in another life”

“Yeah,” Ashton smiled, “Maybe”

*

*

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[let-the-bands-take-c0ntrol]

Adore You (Part 5)

Ashton IrwinXFemale Reader

Part 4

Warnings: pure fluff, tender moments, food, nature, photographs, wars

Dress comfortably, but bring a change of clothes. I’ll pick you up at 5am. 

You stared at the message over and over, sleep still in the corner of your eyes and a yawn leaving your lips. You hadn’t been daydreaming the day before when you got Ashton’s text during the afternoon. He had written five in the morning and somehow you set an alarm to wake you up at 4:30am so that you could get ready. It was Spring Break and you were supposed to be sleeping in, not waking up at the ass crack of dawn. You were barely into your break either which meant things were not at all what you expected it to be. Since Ashton dropped you back off at home the two of you had been messaging non-stop, aside from the times he would work. The two of you had just been talking, getting to know each other a bit. Ashton’s message about picking you up was the last thing you had heard from him. 

The sun wasn’t even out yet and you had no idea what Ashton had planned for your date. Let alone why he chose 5am as the start time. You had just finished packing a spare set of clothes when Ashton messaged you that he was there. After giving yourself a quick look in the mirror to ensure you looked “on the first date” presentable, you gave yourself a quick pep talk before leaving. 

“Good morning,” you smiled, waving at Ashton. He was leaning up against the side of his jeep, dressed in navy colored sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. The grin on his face was bright for the early morning. 

“Good morning, I hope you slept well?” Ashton said, he opened the car door for you. You slid into the passenger seat, tucking your backpack between your feet. 

“Sorta. Having to get up this early made me anxious,” you confessed, Ashton gave you a slight frown, closing your door and jogging to the driver side. “Why are we up this early?” you asked once he was inside the car. 

“Well. . .I thought we could watch the sunrise,” he said, a beautiful smile coming back onto his face. “But we gotta hike to the spot.” Your head whipped over to stare at him in bewilderment. Ashton kept his attention on the road, but from the dimple poking out of his cheek you could tell he was trying hard not to look at you. That explained why he wanted you to dress comfortably. 

“You got me up at 5am to hike just to see the sunrise?!” you reiterated, nearly in disbelief at the revelation. He finally gave you a side glance, a guilty look on his face this time. “Ashton!” you whined out, slumping into your spot only to earn a giggle from him. “This is practically kidnapping.” 

“It’s not kidnapping if you voluntarily got into the car,” he said, “I just didn’t specify the activity.” You rolled your eyes at his words, elbow resting against the door and chin landing into the palm of your hand. It was silent for a moment and Ashton took another glance in your direction. “I promise it will be worth it,” he said, right hand reaching out to give your thigh a reassuring squeeze. You relaxed in your spot at his words and gave him a sly smile.

“You better be right. If not, you’re making it up to me,” you told him. Ashton held out his pinky to you and you hooked it with your own. Both your thumbs met in the middle, locked with a “kiss.” The rest of the car ride was spent getting to know each other more until you made it to your destination. 

     You wheezed out air, head rested between your legs and hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath. It had been a while since you last hiked and your hiking locations were never this steep. Daylight was starting to peak out, the early morning air crisp and somehow burning your lungs even more. A few trees surrounded you on your left and boulders to your right. Your eyes focused on a beetle scurrying by with a rock in hand, one eye closed tight. You felt Ashton’s hand gently land on your back, his face soon appearing in front of yours. “Here,” he said, holding a water bottle in front of your face. You reached out for it, cracking it open and spilling a bit of the water as you brought it to your lips. 

“You’re trying to kill me,” you said over the rim. He laughed, hiking his backpack up his shoulder even more. 

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, “You had said you used to hike, so I thought. . .” 

“No, it’s fine-this mountain is just hella steep.” Your breathing finally got back to normal, and you stood up straight to give him a weak smile. 

“Yeah this mountain wiped me out the first time I climbed it,” he told you. He gave you a concerned look and you sent a thumbs up to him to signify you were good to go. 

“Did you collapse at the top?” you asked, slowly trailing behind him. Ashton paused, his hand reaching out to help you over a log that was in the middle of your path. 

“I did, actually,” he laughed, “Legit waited an hour before I decided to go back down.” He didn’t let go of your hand as the two of you continued your trek up. Soon Ashton pulled you through a grove of trees on a flatter part of the mountain and you found yourself looking at the most breathtaking view. “The sun should be fully rising in three, two, one,” he said, glancing back and forth between his watch and the view. A gasp left your lips and your hand came up to cover your mouth. It was silent and you basked in the view, sucking in a deep breath and slowly releasing it. 

“This is. . . “ you whispered, trying not to disturb the silence. “Absolutely gorgeous,” you finished off, you felt Ashton’s fingers brush against yours and your own fingertips tickled his. He fully grabbed your hand then.

“Gorgeous indeed,” Ashton whispered back, you could see him looking at you out of the corner of your eye and you smiled to yourself. “I uh-I brought my camera for some pictures,” he said after a few minutes. You looked at him then, a smirk playing on your face. 

“To document a first date?” you questioned, receiving an eye roll from him.

“No, to document the sunrise, but this lighting looks fantastic on you, so I wanted to ask if it’s alright-you might be in some of them?” You laughed at his words and glanced back towards the stunning view then at him.

“Snap away,” you told him, gesturing towards the view. He pulled his backpack from his shoulder to pull out his camera. A second later you heard the snap of the camera, and then a few more clicks. You didn’t know if you should pose or not, so you stayed taking in the scenery. “Do you always carry that thing with you?” you asked, gulping down the water Ashton had given you halfway up the hill. 

“Not all the time, but I can’t resist a good photo opportunity especially in nature.” He turned the camera on you this time. You gave a quick smile and pose before waving him away. After a few more pictures were taken, the two of you found a rock to sit on and fully absorb the quietness. You laid your head on his shoulder and in turn Ashton laid his head on top of yours. 

“I can see why you’d like it up here,” you commented, “It’s peaceful and it feels like everything in the world will be just alright.” He wrapped his arm around your shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

“Can forget assignments and deadlines exist from up here too,” Ashton said. You nodded in response and the two of you sat in silence for a while. A hum of comfort left your lips and you felt Ashton’s head move against yours and briefly felt his lips ghost at your hairline. The two of you watched the sun slide higher up into the sky and your eyebrows furrowed as you thought about the message Ashton sent you the day before. 

“Why’d I need to bring a change of clothes?” you asked, finally breaking the silence. Ashton looked down at you with a grin.

“Ya get sweaty while hiking,” he told you, “And this isn’t our final destination.” Your eyebrows rose in surprise at his words. He laughed at your response. “What? Did you think this was just a hiking date? I made plans, Sweetheart.” He bumped his shoulder against yours and shot you a smile. You bumped him back, and Ashton stood up. He dusted dirt off his bottom then reached his hand out for you to take. 

“Okay then, what is next on the agenda?” you asked, grabbing Ashton’s hand and allowing him to pull you up. He pulled you into his chest for a hug, the two of you shuffling a bit in embrace. You looked up at him with a smile on your face.

“Depends,” he hummed, smirking down at you. 

“On?” you questioned, the embrace breaking as you both started to descend down the hill. You followed closely behind Ashton, marking where you were stepping.  

“On if you like french toast sticks because I know this place that does like every flavor under the sun,” he said over his shoulder. Ashton stopped for just a moment and turned his body in wait for your answer. 

“I honestly can’t remember the last time I had french toast STICKS, so I’d say. . . of course I’m down!” you said, earning a grin from Ashton. The climb down was always easier than going up and sure enough by the end of it you were starving.

     Ashton sat next to you in the booth. The heat radiating off his body and warming your already hot skin. The two of you had changed clothes in the back of his Jeep before heading towards the french toast place. You didn’t realize how drenched in sweat you’d be and was grateful Ashton suggested you bring a change of clothes. Now the two of you were in the cool of the diner, but still the tension lined your skin at his close proximity. A menu being shared and your hair stood on ends as he wrapped his arm over your shoulder, scooting closer to you. You swore he’d be able to hear how hard your heart was beating, and you tried your damnedest to not stare at him from the corner of your eye. “What flavor do you fancy?” he questioned, raising a hand to push his glasses up his nose. 

“The red velvet sticks sound amazing, but I keep looking towards the tiramisu ones,” you responded. “What about you?” 

“Hmm cinnamon roll is always my go to,” he bashfully admitted. You laughed at his admission, at least it wasn’t the classic french toast sticks he was going for. “Do you want to maybe try the variety special? Since you’re having trouble deciding.” Your eyes widened at the variety special list. 

“Ash, that’s way too many sticks for me,” you mumbled, eyebrows furrowing. Two french toast sticks from the sixteen list flavor board. 

“How about we share it? Whatever's leftover can be boxed up,” he suggested. 

“It’ll allow me to try both the red velvet and tiramisu,” you said in agreement. It also gave Ashton the chance to try something other than his usual order. Once your order was taken, the two of you found yourselves in a game of thumb-of-war as you waited. “So how’d you f-find this place?” you asked, trying to invade Ashton’s thumb as it nearly pinned yours down. 

“I’m all about the mom and pop shop places,” he said, tongue sticking out as he once again tried to pin you down. “One day of procrastination led me here. . .curiosity really.” You smiled at his words, understanding how curiosity got the better of him. The entrance to this place held knickknacks that’ll draw in any magpie. It was something new you were learning about Ashton. Just from his accent it was clear he wasn’t a local, but he seemed to become one just by finding local eateries. Ashton became distracted as the tray of food came towards your table. You took advantage of it and pinned his thumb down. 

“I win!” you shouted in triumph, hands lifting high in the air. 

“That has to be considered cheating,” he argued, moving his cup of fruit juice to make space for the two large plates. All you could do was laugh in response, shaking your head as he tried to plead his case. 

“There are no rules to thumb-of-war,” you teased, eyes widening in surprise when Ashton stuffed one of the french toast sticks in your mouth to shut you up. He bit down on his lip to hold in the laughter at your reaction. Your expression changed into delight at the taste. “Which one was that?” you asked, mouth still full. 

“Uh I think it was the blueberry pie one,” Ashton said, helping himself to the food as well. You licked your lips in satisfaction, grabbing your own fork to dig into the meal. You couldn’t help but smile around your fork over at Ashton. If this was what he did on first dates, then a second date was definitely in the cards. Until then, you were going to enjoy your morning with the dimpled man.

#5 Seconds of Summer #5sos #Five Seconds of Summer #Ashton Irwin #5sos au #5 Seconds of Summer au #Five Seconds of Summer au #Ashton Irwin au #5sos blurbs #5 Seconds of Summer blurbs #Five Seconds of Summer blurbs #Ashton Irwin blurbs #5sos series #5 Seconds of Summer series #Ashton Irwin series #5sos imagines #5 Seconds of Summer imagines #Ashton Irwin imagines #Five Seconds of Summer imagines #5sos writings #5 Seconds of Summer writings #Ashton Irwin writings #Five Seconds of Summer writings #5sosimagines

[littledrummeraussie]

surprise! on tour.

all the things we dream about series | series masterlist / masterlist.

Word count: 2225 Warnings: poly!Cashton. on tour. surprise visit. heavy flirting. small bit of public teasing. clothes sharing. dirty talk. masturbation. creampie and cumplay. blink-and-you’ll-miss-it anal play & breath play. they are basically sharing the girl. soft cuddles and aftercare moments. the whole thing. Author’s note: hello yes, I’m back on my bullshit, have another go at poly!Cashton and reader having hot and heavy sex at the hotel room on tour after not seeing each other for weeks. inspired by the picture above.

Feedback is always appreciated! ❤️

want to be added to my taglist?

- - - - -

“Okay, okay, one more!” Ryan grinned at Ashton and Calum as they posed in front of him, showing off their instruments. “You look badass!”

“You also have a nice ass,” the comment came from somewhere behind them, and their heads whipped in that direction, disbelief and surprise crossing their features. “Both of you.”

“No way you’re here!” Ashton exclaimed, a wide smile making his face light up while Calum laughed as well, not being able to take his eyes off of you.

It took a lot of planning and some help from the crew, but you finally had the chance to surprise your boyfriends on tour for a few days. The secret was so well kept that even Michael and Luke didn’t know about it until that morning; you didn’t want them to somehow spill it for Ash and Cal before the time came. They pretended to be hurt, claiming they would never, but then a second later they both agreed that okay, maybe it happened before.

Ryan was texting you all day long, keeping an eye on the guys so he could find the perfect spot and moment to arrange the big meeting, which he also planned on capturing. Looking back later you just knew you all will cherish the moment he caught of them realizing you were there. It was pure luck that they did not see you sneaking up on them, but it was worth every reaction in the end when you finally got to compliment their pose and nice backsides.

“Come here you,” Ashton opened his arms and you wrapped yours around his waist, snuggling up to him as he kissed your temple. “You sneaky little ninja.”

“Missed you, asshole,” you giggled, tugging on the hem of his shirt before reaching for Calum, manoeuvring around his bass to get a hug from him too. “Missed you too, grandpa.”

“And she says I’m the asshole,” Ash snorted while Calum groaned, burying his face in your hair.

“Not you too,” Cal pinched your side, making you swat at him with a giggle. “You know you like it.”

“Maybe I could convince you to wear something else? I’m sure there are some hidden gems in your bag. And in yours too, sir,” you directed the last part at Ashton who furrowed his eyebrows.

“What’s wrong with this?” he looked down at himself and you rolled your eyes, tugging on his shirt again while you leaned into Calum, his hand on your waist, squeezing you.

“It’s the dirty wife beater,” you laughed. “Maybe I could take this off of you… once the show is over… and never give it back, huh?”

“This one will end in your closet as well, I can see it,” Calum started stirring you towards the stage while Ashton’s hand slipped into yours. “Say goodbye to it Ash.”

“Yes, say goodbye to it, because this one will definitely end up in my bag and come back to LA with me so you can finally put on something else that looks much better on you,” you groaned, already thinking up ways to get rid of the affronted item.

“It’s a shame,” Ash clicked his tongue, fingers tightening around yours as he pulled you to his chest again, Calum following, making you trapped between their bodies. “Would have loved to fuck you in the dirty wife beater,” a smirked tugged at the corner of his mouth, hips rolling against yours to emphasize his words.

“I’d rather wear your vest… with just some nice panties…” you kept your eyes on Ashton, voice dropping lower. “…and maybe one of Cal’s ties… what do you think?” your head leaned back against Calum’s shoulder, tongue quickly swiping over your bottom lip.

“Highly approved, baby,” it was his turn to rub against your ass, his desire for you clear under his baggy pants. “And you know… having you like this… might have given me an idea…” he pressed his lips against your cheek, exchanging a heated look with Ashton, and you were sure he already knew what had crossed your boyfriend’s mind.

You couldn’t wait for the show to finally end – and it hasn’t even started yet.

 * * * * *

  “Shit, that’s it baby, ride my dick!”

You whined as Calum entered you again, burying your face against his sweaty neck, his skin hot and smelling like sex and cologne, his hands grabbing your ass as he moved you up and down on his cock. Ashton’s vest was sticking to your back, drenched from the sweat on all of your bodies as you were sandwiched between your boyfriends, Calum’s body under yours while Ashton kneeled behind you, his hands roaming over your skin wherever he could reach you. Now you understood what Calum was referring to earlier when they hugged you between them before the concert, how he was already planning on having you like this once you were back in the hotel room.

Ashton’s fingers slipped under the sides of your panties to snap them against your skin, the sting making you hiss, teeth grazing Calum’s ear. He chuckled at your reaction, mumbling something about how good you feel against him, around him, how he missed having their girl all to themselves. Ash made an approving sound behind you, now moving his hands over your hips, thumbs digging into your flesh where the lace of your panties were stretched over you. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you and Cal, how your body melted against his tanned skin, his tattooed arms holding you close while he worked his hips up and into you, cock buried into your pussy with every thrust.

His thumb dragged over the material of your panties again, nail slightly scratching the skin where it did not cover your ass, and he could see your pussy tightening around Calum’s dick, both of you groaning at the sensation. You were wet and pink and beautifully inviting, making Ashton wrap his hand back around himself as he fisted his cock, your wetness from before the switch making the slide easier. He breathed heavily, trying to hold back his pleasure as he rubbed the pad of his thumb against your pussy lip where you were stretched around Cal.

“You look fucking gorgeous,” his voice was low and husky, and that combined with the wet sounds as he jerked his cock you knew he was getting impatient.

You pressed a sloppy kiss against Calum’s jaw and he let you go at that, helping you sit up on his waist, and Ashton was there in a second, letting you lean against him as you still slightly rode Cal. Calum caressed your thighs while Ashton’s hands covered your tits under the opening of his vest, squeezing them teasingly. You panted as you finally slowed down to a stop, head resting on Ashton’s shoulder as you looked up at him.

“Thought you’re going to say ‘you look fucked, gorgeous’,” you giggled breathlessly, nipping at his jaw, and he pinched your nipples in reply.

“Well, you definitely look fucked,” his arm slid around your waist, lifting you off of Calum just enough to bend you back over him, quickly pushing his cock into you. “But not enough…” he added.

Calum grabbed the end of the tie hanging between your breasts to pull you closer, capturing your lips in a kiss as Ashton started pounding into you. You buried your fingers into his hair, holding onto him as you moaned into his mouth, his hands grabbing your waist where Ashton was holding onto you. You felt their hands tangle together on your body, both of them moving you up and down on Ash’s cock, the pace quick and hard, and you felt yourself trembling between them. Calum’s nipples dragged against yours, making something twist in your stomach, ready to snap and push you over the edge– and then Ashton quickly pulled out of you, making you clench around thin air as you felt your own wetness slide down your lips and thighs.

“No, no, please… please…” you started begging them, so close to your release, nails digging into Calum’s shoulders, lost in space and time as you couldn’t decide which way to move, where to push, who to ask for mercy.

It took only a second and you felt someone enter you again, strong hands on the back of your thighs as they kept you against their bodies. You soon realized it was Calum who finally took pity on you, quickly fucking up into you, cock filling your pussy perfectly with every thrust, lips mumbling messy, dirty words against your lips as he urged you to cum with him. You unconsciously squeezed around him, already too lost in the feeling to fight it anymore: the way his pelvis dragged against your clit, how he grabbed onto your ass, a fingertip teasing your puckered hole lightly – the moment your orgasm rushed over you you felt his chest rumble with a deep groan, cock pulsing inside you as he came, still working his hips against you to get the most of his own pleasure.

You heard a hissed ‘shit’ from behind you, your hazy mind picking up the wet sounds as Ashton kept himself on the edge, watching the two of you come together. Calum’s fingers tightened on your hips as he pulled out of you, helping you stay on your knees above him. He grabbed your ass again, pulling your cheeks apart and you felt yourself getting hot at the thought of how he was offering you up for your boyfriend, and you wiggled a little, letting him know you wanted it too.

Ashton muttered under his breath just like Calum a few minutes ago, words of ‘so hot’, ‘gorgeously fucked’ and ‘you like it messy, don’t you baby?’ filling your ears, and the only thing you were able to do was to whimper approvingly. You felt Ashton’s tip tease your clit, nudging it against your hole to catch the cum dripping out of you before rubbing it against the lace of your ruined panties, then in one slow, smooth thrust he was back inside you, cursing as your pussy wrapped around his cock.

“Come on baby, that’s it, give us one more,” he pulled out and pushed back into you, building up a pace you both like, one that always made you come quickly. “Do it sweetie, come on!”

Calum’s palm cradled your jaw as he pulled you in for a kiss, tongue massaging yours while his thumb dragged against your throat, just the slightest pressure on your neck. His other hand slid down your body, smoothing over your nipples and stomach before he pushed his fingers against your clit. He kept his fingers still, but that was still enough to push you over the edge – the way Ashton was pounding into you made your body jolt against Calum’s hand, the friction so perfect it made you see stars as you started cumming. Ash fucked you through your release, chest melting against your vest covered back before his body stiffened, teeth biting down on your neck as he finally reached his own orgasm. You felt his cum filling you up, hot and sticky and so so welcomed – it made you whine when he fucked into you a few more times and you felt him slip out of you.

You felt heavy and tired as your limbs gave out and you crashed against Calum’s chest who was readily waiting to catch you, holding your panting form closely, fitting your head under his chin. A second later a warm, wet cloth was running over your body, softly cleaning you up after your intense love making, and then Ashton joined you too, pulling you away from Cal until he could fit you between their bodies, legs and arms tangled together in a sweaty heap. You felt his forehead knock against yours, noses nuzzled together as he was finally able to kiss you, softly pressing his lips to yours, soothing and loving. Cal hummed happily behind you, his own lips on your ear and the back of your neck as he cuddled you, content in his own pleasure still buzzing through him.

“Missed you, sweets,” he mumbled, tugging on the blankets to pull them back around the three of you. “Thanks for the surprise.”

“Yeah, thanks for the surprise,” Ashton giggled quietly, voice full of excitement and love. “You have no idea how much we needed this. Needed you.”

“I can still feel it dripping out of me, just saying,” you whispered, trying to keep your own giggle at bay, but couldn’t help it anymore when you felt their fingers attack you, tickling your skin wherever they could reach you. “No, stop it!”

“Gonna need to bring you on tour with us from now on,” Calum sighed as his hand settled back around your waist. “You always have an attitude when we leave you alone for too long.”

“You just gotta fuck the attitude out of me again and again, huh?” you moved a little until you could push against both of them, a moan leaving your lips when you felt Ashton roll his hips into you again, his cock already hardening against your stomach.

“Don’t mind if we do, baby. Right, Cal?”

You felt the other boy groan, his own dick twitching against your ass.

“So fucking right.”

 - - - - -

taglist.

@mymindwide​ @fuckyeah5sostakemehome​ @suchalonelysunflower​ @talkfastromance4​ @ashtonsunflower​ @in-superbloom​ @perfectnouis @jbh-castaway @whywontashloveme​ @scvrllet​ @wiiildflowerrr​ @bebewheezy​

#poly!cashton #poly!cashton x reader #ashton irwin x reader #calum hood x reader #cashton #ashton irwin smut #calum hood smut #fiction time #series: all the things #afic: all the things #i'll see myself out

[plushyluke]

lashton as squishmallows (pt. 1?) 🧸🫧🍯

#another series i feel #im tryna post cute filler while 5sos are dead #not in the mood for edits but we’ll see #FANFIC SOON <3 #swan edits #swancore #lashtoncore #lashton #luke hemmings #ashton irwin #5sos #lrh #afi #michael clifford #calum hood #cth #mgc #bottom luke #lashton blog #bottom luke blog

[nimrats]

ㅤ ㅤ ✿ ; STAR OF THE NIGHT, ̽ ₊

calum hood ❣︎ model!oc

warnings ; mentions of toxic family relationships / abuse and eating disorders. swearing and probably alluding to sex / sexual innuendos, but i won’t write smut. ✧₊˚·

°.* ʚ he doesn’t know her name, but he knows she’s the star of the night. whether it was just to him, or the rest of the audience too. ɞ *.°

OC ୨୧ ELSIE FINN ── learn more !!

taglist available!! just ask :)

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 𖦹 CHAPTERS ! 𖦹

prologue ── people watching

#🧶 > star of the night ! #calum hood blurb #calum hood angst #calum hood fluff #calum hood imagine #calum 5sos #calum hood #calum hood x oc #calum hood x y/n #calum hood x you #calum hood x reader #calum hood series #calum hood fic #calum hood oneshot #5 seconds of summer fic #5sos fic #5sos fanfic #michael clifford imagine #luke hemmings imagine #ashton irwin imagine #calum hood smut

[absolutewhore101]

Requests Are: Currently Closed (opening soon!)

MASTERLIST LINKED AT BOTTOM

WHO/WHAT I WILL WRITE FOR:

Stranger Things

-Steve Harrington

-Eddie Munson

-Jonathan Byers

-Nancy Wheeler

-Robin Buckely

-I will not write for any of the kids, regardless of the actors age, as they are depicted as minors

Marvel

-Bucky Barnes

-Steve Rogers

-Tony Stark

-Bruce Banner

-Matt Murdock

-Natasha Romanoff

-Please let me know if there's someone else you'd like, the MCU is massive and I cannot type out that many people :)

5 Seconds of Summer

-Ashton Irwin

-Luke Hemmings

-Michael Clifford

-Calum Hood

Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit*

-Haldir

-Lindir

-Aragorn

-Thranduil

-Legolas

*I've only seen the LOTR/Hobbit movies, I haven't read the books. So, if you request a specific book character that I don't know, I can give you an author who would be more than happy to write it for you !

Criminal Minds

-Spencer Reid

-Aaron Hotchner

-Derek Morgan

-Luke Alvez

-Emily Prentiss

-Jennifer Jareau

-Penelope Garcia

-Tara Lewis

The Hunger Games

-Finnick Odair

-Peeta Mellark

Harry Potter

-Harry Potter

-Hermione Granger

-Ron Weasley

-Draco Malfoy

-Fred & George Weasley

-Sirius Black

-Remus Lupin

WHAT I WON'T WRITE:

Smut

Romantic pairings with minors

Anything gross

If there's anything you don't know, send the request anyway, and I'll let you know!

GENRES/TROPES:

Fluff

Angst

Paternal fics (mother/father characters)

Platonic

Send requests!

Link to my masterlist !!

#absolutewhore101 #5sos fanfic #5sos x reader #x reader #ashton irwin x reader #calum hood x reader #luke hemmings x reader #michael clifford x reader #marvel #marvel x reader #stranger things #stranger things x reader #5sos #stranger things 4 #eddie munson #steve harrington #joel miller x reader #the last of us #taylor swift title series

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Moment's Surprise--Chapter 14

Whether it’s called an accident or the fates of the universe, you and Calum find yourselves taking on the next level of your relationship: parenthood.

Reader (Gender Neutral) X Calum. Multi-chapter Series.

Series Note: Across this series, pregnancy is discussed thoroughly. While I have made this series specifically a reader insert and have done my best to avoid coding for cis women, I am taking this moment to acknowledge that this content may not be suitable for every reader. I want to acknowledge even if I’ve been careful some things (like uteri) are still mentioned and if that causes you discomfort please DO NOT read this. You may keep scrolling (as there is a read more) / skip this series as necessary.

Series Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7| Chapter 8 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Epilogue

Joy returns to the living room, refilled glasses in her hand. In the months that she’s stayed with you, the two of you have obtained a ritual. While the weekdays can feel like a whirlwind, you two still try to build a space in the evenings that are a bit slower. And over the last five months, you and Joy make an evening ritual of watching at least one episode of a show together. A Korean romantic drama currently holds your two attention and while sometimes the antics felt overdramatic, the laughs were more than welcomed. The weekends, when they are not filled with errands, are dedicated to either a maximum of three episodes or a couple movies. It’s nice to have a space for just the two of you to bond. 

This weekend is no exception. You and Joy have agreed to finish out the season as there are only two episodes left. Between the first and second episode, there is a small snack break. And you need it. The last week or so a background feeling of being uncomfortable had settled. Though you had managed to continue on with your daily life and tasks, today just seems to be the day that the feeling cannot be ignored. The break had given you a chance to get up, as a struggle that it was, and walk around. But now that you were settling back in for the last episode of the show, you had a feeling that the sort of discomfort should be something that you vocalized more. 

Your due date was still two weeks out. And even though you’d told Calum it was just an estimate, you still used it as a sort of benchmark. Two weeks wasn’t terribly early, but you didn’t want to believe anything would happen just yet. There was still time. “You’re sure you’re okay?” Joy asks, watching you readjust yet again in your spot on the couch. 

You nod. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

She holds her gaze on you for a moment longer. Your brows seem to be wrinkled just ever so slightly at the middle of your forehead and they’ve been that way for the last couple hours as well. She didn’t want to suspect anything was wrong, but Joy also knows that the thing can’t dismiss is her own gut. “Let me know if that changes, alright?”

“Of course,” you return, “you know that.” You hit play and the show’s introduction and theme song cues up around you. 

It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. But as much as you felt like not yourself in the last few weeks of your pregnancy, the reality of giving birth and becoming a parent frightened you. What if you fucked it all up? What if you weren’t cut out to be a parent? All the books and sessions couldn’t truly override the fear that creeps up. What if it all fell apart on you before you even had the chance to feel like you had it together in the first place?The episode doesn’t even settle into your brain as it goes. You’re too caught up in the spiral of your thoughts. And like a pinch, your stomach hints at a twinge of pain. 

“It’s okay, just breathe, dear.”

You know it’s Joy. Her touch is soft and reassuring. But your own heart races in your ears. Your blood thumps against your veins, jumping at your neck. Could it all really happen right now?

“Just breathe,” Joy softly commands. 

You take in a breath, letting it slide in through your nostrils and when you exhale you let it all slip out over your tongue and lips. It feels easy enough but the seconds continue and the pain doesn’t exactly stop. You repeat the action, inhaling and exhaling. 

“That’s it,” Joy praises. She waits for the confirmation that the contraction has passed before she moves towards the coffee table. Her fingers are steady as she dials Calum’s number. The phone rings and rings and rings in her ears. The voicemail picks up and Joy leaves a brief message, knowing that she will call back again. The next call is to your doula. This time the phone connects and Joy talks calmly. You listen in on the evenness to her voice, the accent that colors her words and it’s a small wave of peace. 

_________________

Calum’s phone rings from the right of Michael. It’s the second time it’s rang in the last five minutes. He halfway wonders if he should answer it, knowing he never has previously. But everyone knows Calum’s been on edge. Since the baby shower, getting him to settle longer than ten minutes before he’s checking his phone has been hard if he’s out without you. Michael understands it the most.  Calum just doesn’t want to miss anything, he wants to be there after having been away for so much of your pregnancy. 

Before Michael can settle his internal debate, the door to the room opens and Michael looks up to see Calum returning from the restroom. “Your phone’s rang twice since you left, mate,” Michael states, lifting the device up off the table.

 Though it is a weekend, and the guys agreed not to let the band interfere too much with personal time off, the weekend was the only time Calum left okay enough to leave you, since he knew his mum would be there with you. So the guys worked around it for the time being. In all honesty, it hadn’t mattered at all until it came to vocal sessions which were mostly done individually with the group session sprinkled in and right now. Today only needed to be a couple hours long to review the tour plans, the set, lightning and ensure that everyone was squared away for the Oceania dates starting up. 

Calum nods as he takes his phone. “Thanks.”

He sees the two missed calls and voicemail from his mother. And in that moment, Calum’s barely thinking about the meeting still left. He calls his mother back, head swiveling to see where he set down his keys. They’d been in his pockets but he took them out he remembers at one point in the day. “Mum?” Calum states once he hears the split second of the call connecting. There’s a shaky edge to his voice that even rattles his own ears. 

“Hi, love. Did you get my voicemail?”

Calum shakes his head. “No, no, I-I just called back when I saw you called twice. Is everything alright?”

Ashton gives a small whistle after noticing the panic swivel of Calum’s head. Calum snaps his head up in the direction and his keys come arching through the air at him from the gentle toss Ashton gives them. His mother’s voice floats in through the phone even and calm. “How fast can you get home?”

“I can leave now. What’s going on?”

“I don’t want your blood pressure to go through the roof,” she teases. “But thank your stars.”

“Are they in labor?” Calum asks aloud, tucking his phone between his shoulder to keep it pressed to his ear. He pats his back pocket and he’s still got his wallet where he left it. Calum’s fingertips feel like they are buzzing. The entire room snaps to Calum. They’d been listening in a polite way. Where one looks away and tries to actively tune out the conversation. But the word ‘labor’ causes everyone to tune into what Calum’s saying. 

“Yes, son, it’s still early on. So we’ve got some time. I’m finalizing the hospital bag.” The moment his mother finishes the sentence Calum’s turning on his heel back towards the door. “The doula’s on her way. Things are okay on this end.”

“I’m on my way,” he answers. 

“Drive safe, Calum. They’re going to be okay. I’ve got them. Promise.”

The buzzing crept up his arms, and his head started to swim. Panic. Calum knows the signs of the fear flooding his body. Recently the signs and the fear have plagued him more consistently than before. But the promise, the sincere weight of his mother’s words to ease the fear she knows is consuming him, puts a pause on the building fear. “Thanks, Mum. I’ll be home soon.”

“Of course. See you when you get here.”

The call ends and Calum slips the phone into his back pocket, fingers finding the keys and fob to his car as his feet cross over the threshold. The hallway suddenly feels endless, but Calum keeps putting one foot in front of the other. 

“We’re getting baby Hood or what?” The voice echoes and Calum pauses to look back. All three of the boys are spilling out of the room. Ashton paused two steps from the door and Michael and Luke crowd around him. “Is it really happening?” Ashton asks. His smile breaks out across his face bright and wide. All of them hold wide grins on their faces. 

The sight makes Calum smile too. A bit more of the fear is pushed down, his head feels less like he’s swimming. “It’s really happening,” Calum answers, his voice carries down too. 

“Oh my god!” Michael screeches. He bolts down the hall and collides into Calum’s chest. “Tell them we’ll be there once you give us the all clear,” his voice is soft as he speaks. 

Calum returns the embrace, tight, but quick. Hands pat backs and the slap is a slight echo up each of their chests. “You guys will be one of the first to know. Promise.”

The two men separate and Michael gently shoves Calum along. “Go, man, go! You have a baby to meet!”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Calum laughs in return. He takes a step down towards the exit doors. 

“You’re not going fast enough,” Michael huffs. “Run! Go!”

In a light jog, Calum carries his body down the hallway, throwing one last wave back at his friends. “Love you guys!”

“Love you too!” The trio choruses back. 

Where Calum’s drive home, longer than he would ever want thanks to traffic, is a mixture of frustration and excitement, the second Calum steps into the house he is relieved to only seem calm. You are pacing, the distinct heavy sigh of your sustained breathing cuts through the low volume of the TV. But there’s very little panic. A couple bags are nestled next to the door and Calum’s attention snaps down to the Duke closing in around his feet. Calum watches as Duke walks over to him, big eyes staring up at him and then looking over to you. 

“I know,” Calum states to Duke. “That's why I’m here, big guy. I got ‘em, okay? Promise.” Calum’s careful as he approaches you, one not wanting to startle you and two because even though everything in him wants to comfort you, he knows there are somethings he will just never be able to understand. 

“Baby, I’m here, okay? What do you need from me?” he asks gently. He’s half aware  that getting the bags into the car is probably a priority. He hasn’t spotted his mother yet, but all he really wants and cares to focus on is you. 

You complete the lap across the living room to him and rest your head on his shoulder. “They’re not too bad right now-the contractions. I just, I’m scared now too.”

He hums, dropping his head a little to rest against yours. “It’s okay to be scared. Fear in some ways means progress.”

You nod again. “Pacing helps for now.”

“Let me get the bags into the car and we can pace, okay?”

“I’ve got the bags,” his mother states. He’s not sure when she came up or where she came from. He only nods and keeps his attention on you. He doesn’t even worry something might be missing from the bags. There's a checklist for the checklists and Calum knows Joy won’t let the two of you falter at this moment, not in the slightest. Calum sways as you sway. He breathes as you breathe and having the mirror keeps you focused. Though there’s the twinge of fear that creeps up, you keep focused. 

You can put together the drive. After three more laps in the living room, Joy and Calum are able to get you into the car. The neighborhood passes, the highway opens up. You are staring at the back of the cars in front of you, focusing on the license plate numbers as Calum talks next to you. You know you’re responding because you’re laughing. You know you’re aware because you remember how Joy kissed your forehead and promised she’d be there at the birthing center soon to meet you two and her first grandbaby after she got Duke settled. You know you’re aware because even you poke fun at how Calum raced to get home but couldn’t at least snag one of the boys to get Duke like they had agreed to do, though you know the agreement really was that the boys would alternate on who would check up on Duke while the three of you were away.  

But no amount of breathing and reading off licenses and laughter really prepares you for the moment when you’re actively squatting, Calum’s arms hooked through your armpits to hold your weight and your back is up against his chest and you’re swearing you’ve never sweated so much in your entire life. Because even as the contraction does subside, though the relief won’t really be long, you know just on the other side of this is actually rearing a child. It’s actually real. And how can it all be real in the thick fog of sweat, and groans, and breathing? How could it all be real?

“I’m here, okay? I’m here,” Calum whispers into your ear. “You’re doing so well, love. You know that?”

Another contraction seizes your response, the gratitude replaced yet again with your breathing to ride through the pain. Calum’s chest expands against your back and you follow it to take the inhale. When his chest decompresses, you follow that lead to exhale. You can’t tell if he’s saying anything else at the moment, but you can feel the gentle brush of his lips against the shell of your ear. 

The squeeze releases its grip from around you. Your head falls back just a bit and Calum doesn’t fight it. He lifts his head to accommodate you and then presses a kiss to your cheek. Now around your tongue aren’t the words thank you, because when you look at Calum you can see even the worry on his one face. “So, how was your day?” you ask in a tease.

Calum laughs, shaking his head. “You don’t get to ask me that. Not right now.”

“Oh why not?” you return. Your grin is brief, mostly because you can feel part of the fatigue trying to settle too thickly on you. 

“You’re literally giving birth. I don’t think anything else matters.”

“Huh, could’ve fooled me.” You’d want to give a shrug, but you can’t, not with the lock Calum has under your arms. But you still try anyway. His smile replaces some of the worry lines. It makes your chest ease up a little at the sight. 

The water is warm and you’re grateful for the small respite as you settle down into it. Time doesn’t really matter but you think how the hours must be crawling by for everyone else. Here though time feels like a foreign concept. Who cares how many hours? Who cares how many days? Who’s counting the seconds? There is only just now. The wall of the pool is thick enough that you do find it steady to recline into, but Calum settles behind you. It’s a comfort, you know he’s close, to hear his voice soothing at the part of your brain still attuned to him. Not that you’ve tuned everything out, you’re just zeroing in. 

The drops and aches and contractions are all alerting you. You want to make sure you can hear it, the call from your body that once you start pushing there will be no stopping. You are zeroed in. You’re thankful that Calum is here and that your doula’s helping and you catch the nurses that pop in to cheer you on, but you are zeroing in. You don’t want to miss it. And you’re not sure you ever would. 

What feels like a fleeting thought becomes a screeching reality. There’s Calum in your ear, softly encouraging you. There’s water lapping around you. There are grunts of exertion and without hesitation, you reach down knowing the head’s beyond crowned. You’d think it’d be harder and it is hard work; it is taking nearly every ounce of consciousness to remember to push but not to go too hard, but there’s something natural about it too. To catch his head and as another push sends him out you gently guide his body up. 

And there is the very real thing in your arms. There are tears stinging behind your eyes and you can’t tell what’s sweat from what’s tears on your face. Not that it matters how separate the two are, because there is the very real thing in your arms. 

“Amiri, look at you,” you coo. A rush of pride fills you, and the laughter turns up into a victorious cry from your lips. Amiri is the very real thing. There’s no room for fear. You love him--instantly, deeply, and fully you love the tiny baby boy in your arms. 

“He’s so small,” Calum laughs from behind you. His hands hover like he wants to touch, but he’s too scared. And then with a rush of braveness, Calum runs his fingers gently over the top of his son’s head. “Hi, Pumpkin.”

“Welcome to the otherside,” your doula says softly. 

__________________________

You watch Calum cradle Amiri to his chest. Amiri’s tiny hands rest near the silver fern tattoo on Calum’s bare chest and from your vantage point, it’s almost like Amiri’s holding the plant. You know the truth, that Calum is utterly obsessed and you are too, but mostly tired. Calum smiles up at you. “I’m whipped. Like I knew it was a high chance before, but god, he’s perfect.”

“You say that because you’ve yet to change a diaper,” you tease. 

“Even his shits will be perfect.” A small tuft of laughter creeps up your chest. You gently run your fingers along Amiri’s back. He hardly stirs at the action, but you don’t mind it. “Thank you,” Calum whispers. 

“You don’t have to thank me,” you state. 

“I do. What you did wasn’t easy and no little task and I so appreciate it. For our little boy. I can’t--” Calum pauses hearing his own voice choke around the words. “I really can’t thank you enough.”

Pressing a kiss to Calum’s lips, you only pull back enough to glance down to Amiri again. “I know, love. I know. I’d do it again for him.”

“So a second child could definitely be on the horizon.”

You laugh besides yourself but nod. “Yes, but you’ll have to be prepared for the second round of, ‘Will you still love me if I shit myself in delivery?’” you state. 

“You didn’t this time,” Calum counters. “And you know I would.”

“Guess I’ll have to get pregnant again to see if you’re really man about your word.”

Calum’s grin is still a tad watery from his tears, but it’s just as bright as before. “Don’t give me any ideas."

Tagging: @busstop @wiiildflowerrr @wonderlandiswhereitsatyo @icelily13 @fandomfoodiedancer @markaylafruitcup @one-sweet-gubler @carma-fanficaddict @sunflowercalum @rosie-posie08

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