#Ashton Irwin New Band | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

alisonsfics · 6 months

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disney day date

pairing: calum hood x reader

summary: as the a manager for the band, you got to spend the their day off on tour with them at disney world. it may push calum to make a move since he’s always had a soft spot for you.

word count: 3.3k

“Why am I missing somebody?” You mumbled to yourself, recounting the number of people in the van.

“Oh, I know why? Where is Calum?” You huffed. You grabbed your phone out of your pocket and quickly dialed his number. The phone rang and rang. “I haven’t seen him at all this morning.” Luke mentioned.

You let out of a sigh as you got Calum’s voicemail. “You all stay here. I’ll go get Cal, and then we can leave.” You told them, heading back into the hotel.

You were the guys’ manager, and today was a non-show day on tour. You all had decided to go to Disney for the day.

You got out of the elevator on the sixth floor and walked to Calum’s door. You knocked on the door. “Calum, are you in there?” You called out.

You heard a lot of noise coming from inside his room, and then the door swung open. Calum looked like a mess. His hair curls were all covering his face, and he didn’t even have a shirt on.

“Oh, uh hi,” you mumbled, left speechless by what you saw in front of you.

“You like what you see?” He teased you. You rolled your eyes and playfully hit his arm. “Oh shut up, you were supposed to be downstairs like 15 minutes ago.” You scolded him, doing anything to bring the conversation away from how you were ogling him.

“I’m so sorry. I missed my alarm this morning.” He said, inviting you inside. Calum walked into the bathroom and spritzed himself with cologne. You were almost drooling as you saw his back muscles flex.

To say you had a thing for Calum would be an understatement, but you were their manager, and you had no idea if your feelings were reciprocated.

Calum patted his pockets checking for his phone and wallet. You grabbed the tshirt that he had lying out on his bed. “Am I missing anything else?” He asked, walking out of the bathroom.

“A shirt might be helpful,” you told him, handing it to him. His cheeks flushed red. You both were good at teasing each other. If one of you had a sassy comeback, you knew it was only seconds til the other person made another joke.

“I thought you liked me better without a shirt?” He quipped, tilting his head to the side. It was your turn for your cheeks to heat up. You stepped forward to hit his arm.

He took a step back and held his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said, pulling the shirt over his head.

You rolled your eyes and grabbed his arm. “Let’s go, Hood.” You said, pulling him downstairs.

You got to the van, and Calum slid the door open for you. You thanked him as you stepped into the van, taking a seat next to Luke. Calum took the other empty seat next to you. “Somebody finally made it.” Michael exclaimed.

You noticed that the guys had rearranged where they were sitting while you had been upstairs. They no doubt had done this to make sure you and Calum were forced to sit next to each other.

Once you both had buckled your seatbelts, the driver pulled away from the curb. “So what took you two so long?” Ashton teased the both of you.

Calum shot Ashton a death glare. You threw up your middle finger. “I have your ticket, Irwin. Don’t piss me off.” You threatened. This earned a few chuckles from the rest of the guys.

Everyone started their own little side conversation. Ashton and Michael were talking about some new album they had listened to. Luke and Sierra were talking about Petunia. The few crew members were all talking amongst themselves.

Calum lightly placed his hand on your knee, tapping your skin with his index finger. You looked over at him. He leaned in toward your ear. “I’m sorry about being late this morning.” He whispered, not wanting to draw attention to your conversation.

You placed your hand on top of his. “Calum, I swear, I’m not mad. It’s no big deal.” You assured him. When you removed your hand from his, he kept his hand placed on your knee. You could feel the butterflies inside your stomach.

You made eye contact with Michael, and his eyes darted to Calum’s hand on your leg. He smirked at you, to which you returned a glare.

He chuckled at your reaction and went back to his conversation. “What was that about?” Calum asked, leaning in towards you again. You shook your head, dismissing it. “Just Michael being Michael,” you explained.

Calum chuckled, knowing exactly what you meant. The butterflies in your stomach only got worse when you heard Calum laugh. You leaned your head over onto Calum’s shoulder. His cheeks immediately turned bright red.

Ashton managed to take a sneaky picture of the two of you. He knew you’d want it after you finally confessed your feelings.

The van pulled up to the front gates. You got out of the van, and everyone gathered around you. You grabbed the stack of tickets out of your backpack and handed them out to everyone.

After you did that, Calum pulled you to the side. “You want to hang out together?” He suggested, praying that you would say yes.

“Yeah, of course,” you told him, smiling. Calum swore his heart skipped a beat.

“Everybody pick a ride buddy,” Luke joked, imitating a school teacher on a field trip. “I call dibs,” Calum announced quickly, and grabbed your hand. This earned a few chuckles from the other guys. “We all know why,” Ashton muttered.

“C’mon, Calum. Let’s go,” you said, tugging his hand. Calum had a lovestruck smile on his face. Anytime the guys teased the two of you, he worried you’d find about his feelings towards you. For the past year, you and Calum had a will-they-won’t-they thing going on.

Calum hated that he hadn’t been able to make himself confess his feelings, but he didn’t want to risk your friendship.

“Hey, you two, wait up.” You heard Luke call from behind you both. You and Calum turned around and saw Luke and Sierra walking towards you.

“You guys mind if we hang out with you?” Sierra asked you, smiling.

“No, we don’t mind at all.” You responded.

You all walked into the park, and you instantly felt super excited. You grabbed onto Calum’s arm, and you were practically skipping.

You caught Calum staring at you with a giant grin on his face. “You look really happy,” he said. He couldn’t get the smile off his face from seeing you all giddy.

“I have severely needed this, Cal. I have been babysitting you four for two months on tour. Some Disney magic is just what I need.” You told him, giggling.

You saw Sierra drag Luke toward the castle to take a picture. “Would you like to take a photo with me?” Calum asked, nudging your shoulder.

“Is that even a question?” You responded. On tour, you were always taking pictures of the guys behind the scenes and whatnot.

Calum pulled his phone out of his pocket, and you both posed for some selfies. Knowing Calum wouldn’t make a move, you leaned over and kissed his cheek for one of the pictures.

Luke and Sierra were still taking pictures, so you both ran up behind them and photobombed.

The first ride you chose to do was Haunted Mansion. You and Calum were in your own little cart, and so were Luke and Sierra. The ride started to move into the darkness.

You noticed Calum scooch closer to you, so your legs were pressed up against each other. “You scared, Cal?” You teased him. You couldn’t see him, but you know you earned an eye-roll. “I am not. I’m just trying to keep you from getting scared.” He replied.

“Oh, what a gentleman,” you said, giggling. You rested your hand on Calum’s thigh. You honestly worried that the two of you would never be brave enough to confess your feelings.

The ride came to halt, and a message played about how the ride would be running shortly.

“Calum, keeps your hands to yourself.” Luke and Sierra yelled towards you both.

“Our friends are kinda pains in my ass,” Calum joked, making you giggle. “Yeah, but I don’t think they mean anything by it.” You lied.

“Y’know, we could always mess with them and tell them we made out.” Calum joked, out of nowhere. You gasped. “Calum becoming the prankster? I like it.” You said, having to stop yourself from suggesting you should just actually make out.

You heard a mechanical whirring noise, and you anticipated the ride was about to start. You were listening to the noise and then, “Boo!” Calum whisper-yelled in your ear, causing you to jump.

“You asshole,” you said, hitting his arm. Calum was in a fit of laughter after seeing the shocked look on your face. “I’m so sorry,” he said, putting his arm around you and pulling you closer to him.

The ride started and continued moving.

Once you all got off the ride, you started walking towards the rollercoaster that Luke had requested.

“So, did you know have a fun time on a ride in the dark together?” Luke asked, winking at you.

“Yeah, totally Luke, we made out.” Calum said sarcastically. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him. Luke furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Calum’s face.

“Nah, if you both made out, Calum’s face would be bright red.” He said, returning to Sierra’s side up in front of you.

“Sorry about him,” Calum said, moving his arm from your shoulders. You wrapped your arms around his side. “Put your arm back. It’s been two months of tour, and my legs are sore.” You told him.

He chuckled, returning its arm to where it had been. “So, I’m just here to hold you up?” He asked, to which you nodded.

“It’s not your only purpose. You’re good company, but holding me up is one of your many benefits.” You told him, giggling.

You all continued walking, you saw Sierra taking a video of her and Luke on her phone. You didn’t think anything of it, just her taking a video for Instagram. Calum saw it too, and just before she panned the camera back to show you both, he moved his arm and took a step away from you.

It felt like a dagger to your heart. You couldn’t believe he was embarrassed to be seen with you like that. You started to doubt whether he actually had feelings for you.

“Oh, hey look, it’s the other guys,” you said, pointing to Michael, Crystal, Ashton, and some of the crew guys. You headed towards their group, desperate to get away from Calum.

Calum saw how fast you jogged over towards them, and he knew he messed up. He had only been trying to protect you. He knew if fans saw his arm around you, they’d assume you both were dating. Then, the nasty comments would start.

“Hey, you guys, we’re going to ride Space Mountain. Care to join?” You invited them all, and they all agreed.

You all were walking over there, and you were hanging out with Ashton. “So what’s up with you and Cal? You guys are normally inseparable.” Ashton said.

You shrugged your shoulders. “I don’t know. I thought we were good, but he had his arm around me. Then, Sierra was taking a video, and he literally jumped away from me. How the fuck am I supposed to interpret that?” You ranted.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, man. I’ll be your new ride buddy if you want.” He suggested. You smiled at his sweet gesture. “Thanks, Ash,” you said, leaning your head on his shoulder.

Calum, who was walking a few feet behind you both, saw you do this and instantly felt jealous. He knew it was his fault, but he cared about you so much.

Throughout the whole line, Calum just stared at you the whole time. He felt more jealous than he ever had. He was jealous Ashton was making you laugh, and you looked really happy. But Calum wasn’t the one making you happy.

Due to luck, Calum got seated behind you both on the ride.

You were riding up to one of the biggest drops in the ride. You grabbed onto Ashton’s hand and got ready for the drop.

Calum saw it and thought he was going to be sick.

Calum knew he needed to apologize to you, but you wouldn’t even look in his direction. He was also worried that he might end up accidentally telling you how he feels.

You all walked to the next ride, which had a really long line. For Calum, that meant more time to think of how to apologize. His eyes were trained on you throughout the whole line.

He noticed that you started fanning yourself to cool down. He didn’t think much of it. You were outside at a theme park, and it was pretty warm.

Then, he noticed your cheeks starting to get red. No one else seemed to notice.

“Guys, I really don’t feel good,” you said, looking more faint now.

Calum didn’t waste any time. He walked towards you. You started to lose your balance, and he grabbed your arms, holding you steady.

“I’ll take you to go cool down and get you out of the heat.” He volunteered, guiding you backwards through the line.

You didn’t protest even though you were currently mad at Calum.

Calum found a gift shop that was indoors with air conditioning. He carefully helped you sit down on the floor before taking a seat next to you.

“Here, drink some of this,” he said, handing you his bottle of water. You slowly took a few sips, trying to cool yourself down.

He grabbed the hand you weren’t holding the bottle in. He slipped your hair tie off of your wrist. “Let me get your hair up off your neck,” he said, gathering your hair and pulling it into a ponytail.

“Why am I surprised you know how to do hair?” You said, smiling at him. He was happy to see that smile again, even if you were still mad at him. “I have a sister, but mainly because I’m a man of many talents,” he joked.

“You’ll have to tell me about the other ones some other time,” you flirted. Calum was more shocked by the flirty comment than you were, but he didn’t say anything about it.

You leaned over and rested your head on Calum’s shoulder. “You feeling a little better now?” He asked you, placing his hand on your knee.

“Yeah,” you said, softly. He could tell you were still a little mad at him. Things didn’t feel completely natural again yet.

He let you relax and sent the guys a text telling them where you both were.

Eventually, you noticed the rest of the guys walking into the gift shop. “You feeling better?” Sierra was the first one to ask you. You nodded your head, smiling at her.

“We were thinking about doing a water ride next, if you’re down,” Ashton told you.

You looked over at Calum. “It’s up to you, if you’re up to it. If not, I’ll stay here with you.” He told you, sweetly.

“I’m down for a water ride.” You replied. Calum carefully helped you to your feet.

You walked with Sierra and Luke most of the way to the ride. Calum’s eyes were trained on you the whole time. He was determined to keep you safe.

After waiting in the line, Calum ended up sitting behind you on the ride since it was only one person across.

You all had a blast on the ride, and the cold water made you feel a lot better.

After finishing the ride, Calum checked on you to see if you were still feeling good. You assured him you were fine, and you headed to the next ride.

You were talking to Calum in the line. You were hoping he’d bring up what happened earlier and apologize. He just avoided the topic.

You felt yourself start to shiver. Being soaking wet from the last ride meant you were now freezing. “C’mere,” Calum said, pulling you into a hug. He wrapped his arms around your body.

Calum was always warm, which helped you feel less cold. He rubbed his hands up and down your back. You could hear his heartbeat, and you noticed how it started to race.

“Hey, um,” he started to say. You looked up to meet his gaze. You figured he was finally about to apologize. Calum looked like he didn’t know what to say.

You heard him curse under his breath, and then he started to lean in. You realized he was about to kiss you.

You took a step back, pulling yourself away from him. His eyes shot open, knowing he had screwed up.

“You’re not even going to talk about it or apologize? You’re just going to try to fucking kiss me? Absolutely not.” You said, turning around and starting to leave the line.

“You alright?” Ashton called after you because he’d seen the whole interaction. You ignored him and kept walking.

“Wait, come back,” You heard Calum following behind you. You didn’t even slow your pace. Once you had left the line, you turned around.

“Leave me alone. You fucked up, Cal, now just let me have a moment to myself.” You snapped at him. You continued walking away from him.

Calum still didn’t listen. “I need to talk to you. I care about you,” he called after you.

You stopped dead in your tracks and laughed to yourself. “You care about me? Alright, fine. You wanna talk, let’s talk.” You said, dragging him over to a corner where no one was.

“Let’s start with what the hell was that kiss about?” You asked him. He scrunched his eyebrows, in confusion. “Because I have feelings for you. I was pretty sure you had feelings for me, until you started yelling.” He explained.

“Of course I have feelings for you.” You snapped, knowing it was obvious to everyone around you. This only made Calum more confused. “Then why are you mad about me trying to kiss you?” He asked you.

You rolled your eyes. “This isn’t about the kiss. This is about how you were an asshole this morning.” You had to stop yourself from yelling. Calum was speechless. He still didn’t know how to fix what was going on between the two of you.

“Did you think I didn’t notice? Sierra was taking a video, and you stopped touching me and scooted over. You made me feel like it was embarrassing for you to be seen with me. And you knew I was mad because you know me better than anyone. And you still never thought to apologize. Just when I thought you’re finally going to apologize, you fucking try to kiss me and ignore the whole thing.” You start ranting.

Calum realized how badly he had hurt you. “Oh, shit. I am so sorry. That wasn’t what I meant by that, I swear. I was worried if people saw us all touchy in a video, they would assume we were dating. I knew how brutal people would be. I was pretty sure we both felt the same way about each other, and I didn’t want you to get any kind of hate or anything. I care about you so much.” He apologized.

You cupped his face and pulled him in to kiss him. Calum quickly wrapped his arms snuggly around your waist.

“I am so sorry,” Calum whispered, leaning his forehead against yours. “It’s okay, Cal,” you said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

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sunshine-daisies-library · 3 months

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starry eyed lies | ashton irwin x pop star!reader

author's note: had been cooking this one for a while, might be really sloppy bc i had zero time to work on it lol

summary: as a publicity stunt to boost the popularity of five seconds of summer, ashton is forced to fake date you, a rising pop star that has stolen the hearts of listeners around the world.

warnings: fighting, social media, cyber-bullying?, swearing, mentions of weed, fake dating trope, Ashton is labeled a "bad boy" lol, angst

word count: 11.0k

It was supposed to be a simple “fix-all.” Following the tour for Sounds Good Feels Good, the boys were running on a high. Their names were known all over the world, and they were loved by all girls for not only their music but their looks, too. But with a running high, things must come to an end, as the boys began to falter on their positive fame streak. From negative articles to drama tabloids being released about them, the boys were torn apart by critics and haters alike for their rock star-bad boy attitude. Wherever they made a mistake -one drink too many or ending up in another drama with other celebrities- the press was right there to pick them and prod them where it hurt. The boys’ hands were tied, and it looked like it was the end for their band as they knew it.

“I’m really at a loss here,” their publicity manager sighed, holding a news article in her hand. On the headlines it stated “Aussie Punk Rock Boys Strike Again: Another Party Gone Wrong.” Depicted in the photo were Luke and Ashton’s headshots taken by the L.A.P.D. It was yet another public disturbance report with additional fines allotted because they were under the influence. On top of that, Luke was still underage and not allowed to drink.

“I mean, really,” she pressed, tossing the paper onto the coffee table. “Another disturbance report? I thought I told you guys to cut down on parties and alcohol. What were you thinking?”

And to be completely honest, they weren’t thinking. With press on their backs and paparazzi following them everywhere they went, the boys felt completely constricted. Stress was building up in their systems and they lacked an older figure -someone more knowledgeable in the music industry- to guide them through their early onset of fame. One mistake after the other just egged each other on, leaving them feeling hopeless and self-destructive. It got to a point where Ashton considered doing one last big stunt to end his career entirely. At least then he’d finally get to go back home and away from the drama.

But he couldn’t do that to his boys. His best friends he more so considered brothers had dreamed of moving to L.A. and making music for everyone to hear. Hell, it was his dream, too. He couldn’t possibly throw all of that away for his own selfish desires. Ashton still had to admit that he was getting tired of constantly being under the spotlight with little reward from it.

“I’m sorry Manuela,” Luke said, hanging his head low. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“I hope I can count on you guys when you say that,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Because there’s only so much I can do on my end to get you guys out of the hole you put yourselves into.”

Michael leaned over his knees, determined to make things right. “Tell us what we can do,” Michael insisted. “We can clean ourselves up, we swear. We promised to take this break as a time to fix ourselves and really focus on our music.”

“See, that’s the thing,” Manuela pointed out. “Taking a break is the perfect opportunity to get out of the spotlight and focus on bettering yourselves. But, completely escaping the press and media will make you guys fade out of the music industry. So we have to find an even balance between the two.”

“How?” Calum asked curiously. A frown rested on his tired face. Anyone could tell the bad press was getting to him. It was getting to all of them. “Everyone practically hates us.”

Manuela grabbed the remote from the table and turned on the TV, connected to her computer. “That’s where we come in,” she started, sharing her screen to the boys. “What we need is a fresh face that’s receiving positive feedback to get you guys on everyone’s good side again.” She flicked through meaningless graphs and percentages of social media engagement and views on YouTube for their tour diaries and music videos. Ashton winced at the downward trend for each graph. “My team’s first option was One Direction. But considering the break they decided to go on, it’s obviously not a viable choice anymore.”

“So who do you have in mind?” Ashton spoke up, flicking his hand up to ask his question.

Their publicity manager clicked the remote to change slides. On the screen was a beautiful girl, smiling at the paparazzi. You looked shy, definitely new to the L.A. music scene but confident nonetheless.

“Woah, y/n l/n?” Michael awed. “I’ve listened to her music before. She’s sick.”

“And also America’s new pop princess,” Manuela informed them. “After touring with Taylor Swift as her opening act for the 1989 tour, she’s gained considerable popularity. She’s just moved to L.A. and records at the studio a couple blocks down. She’s new to the industry, but she’s promising.” Manuela switched off the TV and turned to the boys. “And she’s probably your only option.”

“Hold on,” Ashton said. He was struggling to wrap his head around this. “What do you want us to do with her? Record a song with her? Not to be rude or anything, but her music genre doesn’t mix well with our type of stuff, and I don’t feel like writing lovey-dovey shit.”

Manuela chuckled at his immediate disgust at the idea. “No, we weren’t thinking that,” she reassured him. “For now, at least. What we need is a good influence in your lives for the public to see. Someone like y/n.”

“So what now?” Ashton raised an eyebrow. “We just knock on her door and become best friends?”

“Ash,” Calum scolded him, smacking his knee. “Be nice. y/n and I are mutuals on social media and she’s had nothing but nice things to say about us.”

Manuela snapped her fingers. “Exactly,” she agreed. “Calum and Michael are already acquainted with her. We need a bigger step to bring you guys into the limelight.” The older woman turned to Ashton, ironically the one member that was most against this whole ploy. “We need you to date y/n.”

The four boys let out shouts of differing emotions. Michael was shocked, Calum was confused, Luke was jealous, and Ashton was no doubt opposed.

“Why him!” Luke whined. “He doesn’t want to do it, let me! I’ll gladly date her.”

Manuela shook her head, adamant on her decision. “It’s gotta be Ashton, I’m afraid,” she said. “His “bad boy” persona is the most detrimental to your overall image. He’s got to be the one. Not to mention, y/n requested him specifically.”

“Oh great,” Ashton groaned, voice dripping in sarcasm. “The plan is to sell me off as some pop star’s boy toy? How come she’s in on it and I have no choice?”

“That’s not the plan,” Manuela told him firmly. “It was created in agreement between her team and yours. She needs all the publicity she can get to boost her fame and, well, you guys are aware of your own situation. It’s all for show, Ashton. All we ask is a few dates in public and even a kiss or two for the press.”

Michael snickered. “He won’t have a problem with that,” he muttered under his breath.

“But,” Manuela cut the boy off. “We’re not asking you to marry her. It’s just a few months and then an amicable split. She’s going on tour at the end of the year, and you boys are going on your writing retreat. By then, both of you will be able to part ways and your relationship will be a thing of the past. She gets the publicity, your reputation gets fixed. It’s a win-win situation.”

“Not for me,” Ashton fought back. He wanted nothing to do with this. Hell, he didn’t want anything to do with the band anymore. Each night, he plotted excessive plans to escape his prison called L.A. and fly back to Sydney to be with his family. He was sick of the lights, the glamor, the fame.

He glanced back at his friends. His heart clenched at the dark bags under Calum’s eyes, and Michael’s uncharacteristically extra pale complexion from the lack of sleep. Anxiety had riddled the entire band, and it was clear on Luke’s hands where he had been picking at his fingertips. They were a wreck, and Manuela made it seem like he was their last hope. If he said no, they could pack up their things and go home. He’d get what he wanted all along. But Ashton couldn’t let go of the sparkling looks in their eyes when they received word from One Direction that they wanted them to open up for their concerts. He saw hope in their futures, saw something bigger in store for them. In some way, Ashton could still see that innocence in their eyes, blocked slightly by their stress and nerves. He was their last chance to bring that optimism back.

“I’ll do it,” he gave in. The boys let out whoops of joy, tackling Ashton into a hug. Ashton was frustrated beyond belief, but he faked a smile just to see his boys get their spark back.

–

Ashton was immediately regretting his decision the moment he stepped foot into the restaurant. The restaurant was too expensive for his taste, the kind of eatery that sold mediocre food primarily for you to post on social media for your “friends” to envy you. If this place was your idea as Manuela mentioned, it was only a mere insight of your personality. And without even meeting you yet, Ashton was beginning to loathe you.

The musician checked his watch again, keeping his head down and away from any prying eyes. You were ten minutes late, and if you kept this up, Ashton predicted you wouldn’t even show up. Ashton swore under his breath, growing more and more annoyed by you. He never should have agreed to this plan.

Suddenly, you came bursting through the door. Your eyes peered around the store before finding Ashton’s, immediately heading to the table he had saved. Ashton fought the urge to roll his eyes at your lack of sunglasses or hoodie. It was like you were begging for attention. Which, now he thought, you probably were.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” you apologized profusely, setting your bag on the ground and pulling out your notebook. A waitress immediately went to your table to take your orders. Ashton had only wanted water, but you ordered one milkshake and a side of cannolis. “Traffic was terrible, as per usual in L.A. I suppose. And then my publicity manager asked me to get my hair down for today, then she scheduled a nail appointment-” You took a deep breath, running out of air from talking so quickly. “I feel like a dress up doll,” you joked, giving the Aussie a sheepish smile.

Ashton, however, was not amused. He barely returned your smile, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Whatever,” he murmured. “Let’s just pretend to look happy when the press gets here. We were supposed to have a ten minute prep time but since you decided to be late-”

“I didn’t decide to be late-” you fought back incredulously.

“We only have three minutes max to plan something good for the press to take a picture of,” Ashton finished, sending a glare your way for interrupting him halfway.

You huffed, deep in thought before concocting something paparazzi worthy. “Just follow my lead, okay?” you said, watching a swarm of paparazzi approach the restaurant. The waitress set down your order and was about to dash off when you asked for two straws.

Ashton raised an eyebrow at your idea, not exactly following along. You stuck the two straws into the glass, taking a healthy sip from it. You let out a moan of delight, smiling to yourself at the taste. Ashton fought the urge to chuckle at your almost innocent-like demeanor. He coughed to cover up his laugh, still stubborn enough to maintain his grudge against your tardiness.

You took the paper wrapping of one straw and glanced up at the drummed in front of you. Tying the wrapper together, you raised the knot up. “Tug the other side,” you instructed.

Ashton gave you a pointed look but pulled the wrapper nonetheless, pulling until the paper gave way and snapped in half. The knot remained on your end, making you cheer in victory.

“I still don’t understand what the hell you’re doing,” he grumbled.

You ignored him, closing your eyes and whispering to yourself. Ashton leaned back, not fighting back an eye roll. “Great,” he muttered. “I’m on a date with a weirdo.” How was this supposed to get the band good publicity?

Opening your eyes again, you set the wrapper down. “I was just making a wish,” you explained as if it was the most obvious thing. “You never did that before? Tie a knot in the straw wrapper, pull, and whoever gets the knot gets to make a wish.”

“That’s,” Ashton took a deep breath. “The biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard in my life.”

You scoffed playfully, cocking your head to get a good look at the paparazzi. More photographers approached the windows, taking hundreds of photos of the two of you. “Try smiling more,” you told him. “Maybe people wouldn’t crown you with the “bad boy of the band” title if you did.”

“I’m not the bad boy of the band,” Ashton retorted, smiling nonetheless. It was a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it satisfied the press who started flashing their cameras more frequently at the sight of it.

Snorting, you took his hand and weaved your fingers together as you took another sip of your -now shared- milkshake. You let out a quiet giggle despite no one saying anything funny.

“You’re terrible at this,” Ashton deadpanned.

“I’ve seen people do this in movies,” you responded, shaking your head as if he said something unbelievable.

“Doesn’t mean it’s a good idea,” he said back, responding to your head shake with a chuckle.

You hummed, turning away and muttering under your breath, “Look who’s talking.”

Ashton couldn’t help but be amused by your clever comebacks. He never expected you to be able to keep up with his sarcastic comments. But here you were, dishing them out faster than he can create one.

“Anyways,” you continued breezily. “You’re so the bad boy of the band.”

“What makes you say that?” he asked, readjusting his position in his chair to prepare himself for whatever response you’d curated.

You took a pause to collect your thoughts. You took a bite of your cannoli as you thought to yourself. “First off,” you swallowed the remaining bits of the pastry. “In your first album, you’re the only one looking away from the camera frowning. Luke’s looking away, but at least he’s smirking a little bit. That’s big bad boy energy. And the bandana? Come on, you’re trying so hard to be edgy but I see your smile behind the drums.”

Ashton rolled his eyes for the millionth time that day. “Good to know you’ve done your research.”

“I have to get to know my new fake boyfriend,” you waved him off jokingly. “What am I supposed to do? Go into this blind? Surely you’ve done some research about me.”

The Australian musician hesitated to respond. “I may have skimmed the binder?” he responded, a little bit embarrassed. He didn’t expect to have to know everything about you and your career.

You squeeze his hand, reminding him you were still intertwined. “It’s okay,” you assured him. “We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other later.”

You both turned to the windows and noticed the swarm of photographers only grew in size, all of them in huddles behind cars. “You think we gave them enough to look at?” you asked. Not waiting for a response, you placed a couple bills on the table and pulled Ashton up with you.

“Where are we going?” Ashton questioned as you both braved the outdoors, instantly getting bombarded by the paparazzi. Taking on a protective boyfriend role, Ashton wrapped an arm around your shoulders and lent you his sunglasses to wear.

“Don’t worry!” you said, raising your voice a bit due to the loud calls of interviewers calling out to them. “I know a place!”

You sprinted down the street and took a sharp right, tugging Ashton along with you. Impressively enough, you were fast enough to lose the press. Soon enough, you found the place you were looking for and dove in.

The drummer blinked a couple times, trying to regain his sight after the millions of flashes nearly blinded him. Once his vision turned back to normal, he looked around the room to see a relatively empty restaurant. The lights were dim and gave the feel of a speakeasy but also had sweet handmade decorations adorning the walls. The place was endearing to him, somehow, because of how unabashedly unique it was.

You directed Ashton to your favorite table in the back corner while you went up to the counter to order for the both of them. By the time Ashton had gathered his bearings in his seat, you returned with a tray full of food.

“Welcome to the “Quilted Corner,” you introduced him to the cafe. “Everyone’s favorite eatery in the darkest corner of Los Angeles. And by everybody I mean probably just me and five other people.”

Ashton nodded dubiously, understanding the unique name for the place once he got a good look at the grandma-esque decorations.

“And what do you have in your tray of horrors?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the assorted foods.

You began to divide the food between the two of you, the mountain of greasy foods slowly turning into a valley and then nothing at all.

“I’m going to change your goddamn life, Irwin,” you declared, taking a napkin and wiping your hands with it. “This is the order Granny Stevenson -the owner- recommended to me when I first came here. I was lost in the city looking for a place to duck and cover from the paparazzi and came across this lovely place.”

You gestured to the spread of foods. “This is the “homesick cure,”” you told him. “It consisted of two double cheeseburgers, a side of fries, and a milkshake. All completed with Granny Stevenson’s special sauce.”

“And a heart attack,” Ashton deadpanned.

You ignored his statement. “This place is really special to me,” you confessed. “It actually cured my homesickness and Granny Stevenson is a grandma-away-from-home to me. This place is where I go to write songs or just get away from it all.”

Ashton poked at his order, a thin film of oil coating his fingertips. “I don’t see the inspiration factor here,” he said, his nose scrunched up. “It just looks like another fast food place in America.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, sad mis-fed rockstar,” you said with a smirk. You pointed at the one last item you didn’t mention. “Behold the Grandpa Stevenson special.” You held up the dish and smelled it deeply. “A blueberry cheesecake made in-house with all the love this place can put into it. Name a place that sells that kinda love, Ashton.”

“I’m pretty sure Burger King sold that at one point in a mall food court,” he snipped back.

You narrowed your eyes at the pessimistic drummer. “Not sold with love,” you reminded him. “Besides, they actually make this stuff here. No processed shit, only love.”

Ashton scoffed, turning his head away from the table. Love. What a load of bullshit. If you were gullible enough to buy into the “love” this restaurant sold you, you definitely wouldn’t make it in the cut throat music industry. You were too innocent. It was only a matter of time until those producers and media companies tear you apart like they did with him and the band.

Despite his negative attitude, he took a fork and tried a piece of the cheesecake. The light dessert just about melted on his tongue, the flavors of cream, blueberry, and cinnamon dancing along his tongue. It was the best thing he’s ever tried.

“Told ya,” you sang, eating your own meal with a knowing smirk on your face.

Ashton feigned a look of disgust. “You didn’t tell me shit,” he grumbled. “It tastes like every other cheesecake.” That was a lie. It wasn’t like anything he’d ever tasted. Somehow, it tasted like home.

You tried to wipe your messy face with a napkin. “No one that thinks this is an average cheesecake makes that kinda face.” When Ashton didn’t understand, you sighed, preparing to make the same face. “It’s the look you get when you touch down in your hometown after an eleven hour flight. Or the face you make when you write a banger bridge for a song you’ve dedicated weeks to. Or it’s the look you get when everything makes sense in the world.”

Ashton stabbed his cheesecake and shoveled more of it into his mouth. Pure Heaven. “Whatever,” he huffed.

The two of you finished the rest of your meal in silence, aside from sighs of content from you because the food was that damn good. You finished off your milkshake, but not before picking up the straw wrapper and tying a knot, just like you did at the cafe before.

“Pull away, rockstar,” you instructed. Reluctantly, Ashton followed suit and tugged at the paper, the knot ending up on his side this time. You cheered, clasping your hands together. “It’s your turn now! Your first wish that shall be granted by the straw gods.”

Ashton shot you a look before tossing the wrapper to the side. “I don’t really care for wishes,” he stated plainly. You frowned at his negative attitude and that look alone made Ashton’s heart lurch. He instantly felt bad for the way he’s been treating you; it wasn’t your fault the press hated him. But still, he couldn’t help but put some blame on you. It was better than wallowing in self hate, he supposed.

“It’s okay,” you collected yourself. “You can save that wish for when you need it.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m not going to need it,” he responded sarcastically.

You chuckled, taking a bite out of Ashton’s cheesecake. He let out a shout of protest but you paid no attention to him. “Trust me,” you assured him. “There’s always a time when you need a wish in L.A.”

–

“She’s weird,” Ashton grumbled, readjusting the cuffs of his button up. The boys were preparing for their interview with Buzzfeed in their shared dressing room, fighting for space in front of the mirror.

It’s been a total of three months since you and Ashton started your fake relationship and the media has been eating it up. They followed the both of you everywhere you went, hiding in cars and in alleyways to get a glimpse of the so-called happy couple. You played your part well, holding his hand in public and kissing his cheek whenever you had the opportunity. From the public’s point of view, Ashton was just as taken by you as you were with him. The media fawned over his boyish grin and blush whenever you’d readjust his beanie in the winter cold.

On your end, you were genuinely falling for the boy. Behind closed doors, he was just a boy from Australia, new to the fast paced life of being a celebrity. You saw through his cold facade, slowly cracking through the walls he put up around his heart, and you had a feeling you were growing on him. He’d still quip sarcastic comments and roll his eyes, but you didn’t miss the small smile that would rest on his face when he thought you weren’t looking. As rare as his genuine smiles were, you relished those moments because it was the only times you’d see the real Ashton, not the one he’s put out for the paparazzi.

Ashton, however, was still holding out his grudge against you, albeit very weakly. His tough exterior was indeed toppling slowly. Your kind nature was just too sweet to not find you a little endearing. Ashton would never admit that you had grown on him a little, and a small part of him possibly looked forward to your weekly dates. He learned so much from you, it was as if he never wanted to stop listening to you. Not that he would tell you that, though.

“That’s all you’ve ever said about her,” Michael shot back, glancing at the mirror to check his hair one more time. “Come on, mate, it’s been three months. Surely you have something new to say about her?”

Calum agreed wholeheartedly. “Yeah, she’s come to the studio during her breaks from recording. That’s not even in your dating contract but she still does it.”

“Not to mention she gets us coffee every time,” Luke piped up. “That coffee is addictive, where does she get it?”

Ashton couldn’t help but smile at the thought. He knew you’d always stop by the Quilted Corner -no matter how far of a walk it was- to pick up some coffee. And he knew you always tried to be slick about it, but he’d always catch you tucking away a slice of blueberry cheesecake in the band’s fridge, just for him. He’d never mention it, though. He wanted to let you have your fun.

Calum let out a shout, pointing at the drummer accusingly. “Aha!” he cheered. “I knew she was growing on you!”

“What the hell are you going on about, Cal?” Ashton demanded, exasperated by his friends’ antics.

Calum continued his childish shimmy, the other boys gleefully joining in. “You got that dumb smirk on your face,” Calum smugly pointed out. “You’ve got it bad for y/n, don’t you.”

Before Ashton could respond, the director shouted, “Five minutes till shooting!” Glaring at the boys to keep them silent, Ashton made his way to the chairs in front of the camera, silently praying for this interview to be quick and over with.

“Welcome to Buzzfeed, boys,” the director’s assistant approached them with a smile. She was petite but her voice was strong and insistent. “Make sure to always look at the camera, but above all, smile and don’t look down. The viewers want to see your faces, okay?” Nodding in confirmation, the boys readied themselves for the camera as the assistant swiftly moved out of the way.

“Yeah Ash, don’t doze off dreaming of y/n,” Luke snickered into his ear, making the other boys chuckle along with him -aside from Ashton, of course.

–

The interview went as well as one could expect. The questions about the boys’ past were still continuously brought up but the boys answered the questions with grace they could only credit to Manuela. Luckily enough, the interviewer seemed to enjoy their responses, noting a significant maturity in the boys. They seemed to have gotten over their party phase and turned into serious musicians during their break from tours and parties.

“Final question is for Ashton,” the interviewer shuffled through their papers. “Sources have spotted you and new singer songwriter y/n l/n around L.A. quite a bit following the end of the North American 1989 tour. Now, you both have confirmed your relationship and made it very clear you two are together. Has y/n been an influence in the reshaping of your image in the media?”

Ashton bit the inside of his cheek. Just remember what Manuela rehearsed with you, he thought.

“Yeah, y/n’s been great,” he answered, trying to not sound as monotone as he did during his practice runs. “She’s been such a great influence to me and the boys, always keeping a positive outlook on things. I learn a lot from her, and I’d like to think she’s learned quite a bit from me, too.”

“Like jumping into the neighbor’s pool at midnight?” the interviewer jested, referencing the one time Ashton had drunkenly trespassed his neighbor’s home while they were on vacation.

Ashton tried not to cringe at that one memory, heavily wanting to keep that part of him in the past. “Definitely not that,” he laughed awkwardly. “But definitely in a sense of navigating newly received fame and things like that.”

“That’s great to hear,” they hummed. “Should we be expecting anything from you guys? Maybe a collaboration of some sort?”

The drummed shrugged his shoulders honestly. “It’s all up to her,” he responded. “We’re still taking a break from touring, but we do have an album in the works. Writing music with her is definitely on the table, for sure.”

Ashton wasn’t sure what word vomit was spewing from his lips. Last time he checked, it wasn’t up to you whether or not you wanted to collab with the boys (you were clearly apprehensive about invading his space), he didn’t want to write music with her (possibly due to the fact that the last time you had a joint writing session, he was stuck staring at you curled up on the other side of the couch; you were just mesmerizing but he’d never admit that aloud), and he hated lovey dovey shit (because he hated the warm feeling brewing in his stomach whenever you’d smile or laugh at his jokes). But it wasn’t like he liked you, right? He had to focus on his career, his boys, his life. Not a relationship that’s destined for failure no doubt because of the media.

“I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for you guys, thank you so much for coming to our studio today!” The interviewer finished off the closing statements for their interview while Ashton was left inside his head.

Truth be told, he was conflicted. He had, in fact, gotten significantly closer with you, closer than he’d expected to be at the very least. He still tried to be closed off, tried to push you away from him so he wouldn’t get attached and heartbroken in the end. You just made it so damn difficult.

“Nice responses, Ash,” Michael patted his shoulder as they gathered their things in their dressing room. “Really downplayed how much you liked her there.”

Ashton raised an eyebrow while picking up his phone from the side table. He was stupid enough to not look at the text messages. Particularly the ones from you that stated you were on your way to the studio for your own interview.

“What are you saying, Mike?” Ashton asked tiredly, tired of the relentless teasing and questions he’s gotten about you all afternoon.

“Mike’s saying that we know you’re in so deep with her,” Luke spoke up from the back as he slipped on his jacket. “Like, L-word close with her.”

Love? Why the hell would he love you? This was all a fake set up for their careers, why didn’t they get that?

“Can you guys knock it off?” Ashton snapped, finally raising his voice. “I don’t like y/n and I never will. I don’t even like her as a friend. She’s obnoxious, annoying, and so unbelievably difficult to work with; the two of us will never work out. And thank God for that because if I have to spend more than 10 months with her to save your asses’ careers, I’m leaving the fucking band.”

“Ash-” Calum said meekly.

“No!” he cut him off harshly. “I’m sick of being pushed around like a fucking doll for publicity. The band was doomed from the start because the press won’t leave us the fuck alone. And using y/n as a last Hail Mary is as stupid as it is useless. She’s going to be nothing more than a washed up young celebrity like the rest of us and fade to the past.”

“Ash!” Michael stopped him. “That’s enough, we get it.”

Ashton didn’t piece together their hastiness until it was too late. He turned around to see you standing before them. He didn’t even hear the door open. Your eyes were welling up as your mouth was slightly opened by his outburst.

“Hi guys,” you weakly greeted them.

Ashton took a step forward, freezing when he saw you stagger back. “y/n,” he whispered, unable to know where to start with his apology.

“I have an interview in ten minutes,” you informed them quickly. “I’ll see you around later, yeah?”

You seemed to have taken that as final as you pushed them out of the dressing room and closed the door shut. You didn’t move from the door until you heard all of their footsteps trail off and out of the studio. You let out a shaky breath you didn’t even know you were holding in as you hang your head low. And to think you thought he actually might have liked you, too.

A knock interrupted your thoughts. “Ms. l/n?” a voice spoke up. “My name’s Ryan and my buddy Shane and I wanted to know if–”

“Sorry,” you said, opening the door sheepishly. You hoped your face wasn’t giving away your embarrassment and hurt you were experiencing. “I-um, I think I need to be alone for a sec.”

“Oh!” the taller one exclaimed. “To call Ashton? I think I saw him walk that way.”

You bit your lip, nodding painfully slow. “Yeah,” you croaked. “Thanks, I’ll be headed there soon.”

You didn’t leave any time for debate or questions as you pushed through the pair and walked in the opposite direction, straight to the bathroom. The two men glanced at each other in concern.

“What’s up with her?” Shane asked.

Ryan only shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it’ll remain unsolved,” he mused wisely.

“That’ll be a great name for a show one day!”

“I know right?”

–

You were lucky that there was enough conflict in both of your schedules to postpone your date to three weeks after the interview. To say you were anxious was an understatement. You picked at your fingernails as you waited for Ashton to arrive at the park.

You were conflicted with the entire agreement. A part of you wanted to end the agreement, rip the contract into shreds. Ashton was right, wasn’t he? This plan was useless, and your fifteen minutes of fame were almost up. It was only a matter of time until you were no longer relevant. Then what would you do? You’d have to go back home and start over, and maybe that’s better than what you had for yourself now: a fake relationship for attention.

But at the same time, you had fallen hard for Ashton. Behind his rough exterior was a shy musician that was passionate in what he did. He loved music, but loved his friends and family more. You admired him for that, realizing that he only had a harsh image because he was protective of who he loved. You only wished that he saved that part of himself for you, too.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” a soft voice spoke behind you.

You turned around on your bench to see Ashton standing, hands sheepishly in his pockets. His cheeks were red from the cold as his eyes were trained on the ground.

“Of course I did,” you responded somewhat brusquely. “It’s part of the contract, afterall.”

Ashton scoffed, making you raise an eyebrow irritatedly. You had every right to be a bitch to him. He was the one bad mouthing you in the first place. Your mixed emotions had sat in your stomach for the past few weeks. Your anger was winning out the heartsick feeling.

“What are you scoffing about, rockstar?” you quipped, disgust filling your tone instead of affection as it usually was in the nickname you gave him. “I signed that paper as much as you did.”

“It wasn’t like it was my fucking idea,” he shot back, frustration fueling his voice. He pulled at his hair and laughed, but there was no humor behind it. “In case you forgot, I was forced into this bullshit! And to think I was actually going to apologize to you.”

“About which part?” you shouted back sarcastically. “The part where you called me obnoxious and annoying? Or how about when you couldn’t stand to spend any more time with me or else you’d quit the band? Oh I know! How about when you called me a washed up celebrity? Take your pick, rockstar! You’ve got plenty to choose from!”

“Don’t fucking call me that!” he raised his voice higher than he ever had before. “God, I’m fucking sick of you and your “holier than thou” bullshit! You’re only in this shit for the money and the fame. I’m tired of playing this game and being a fucking plot device to launch your career! Maybe if you actually had substance instead of putting up the “innocent girl from a small town” act, people would like you more! Because Jesus fuck I don’t!”

What Ashton failed to realize was that your ten minute grace period between meeting and the paparazzi coming was up. The photographers circled around you like predators stalking their prey, starving for anything to satisfy their appetites. You were too caught up in your argument, too, oblivious to the prying eyes of the public.

“Don’t act like you’re so perfect,” you spat. “You want my honest opinion about you? I think you’re nothing but a stuck up member of a boyband who’s pissy because the attention’s no longer on him anymore. Face it, Ashton! You’re just like everybody else here! Self-centered, fucked up, and ignorant as all hell. Maybe that’s why the media fucking hates you! It’s not because they twist your actions, you just are a fucking terrible person and it’s about time you realized that!”

Ashton silently seethed, opening and closing his fists as he tried to find the right words to say. “You really think that?” he asked in a low tone. He wasn’t really sure if he wanted to hear your response. Despite his harsh words, he truly craved your validation and he knew that he wasn’t going to hear what he wanted.

“Yes,” you swallowed. “I do.” Silence filled the cold air as you stood at a standstill. The air filled your lungs like icy needles, not yet thawed for the seasonal change that was yet to come. It was like a test between the two of you. Who was going to be the first to bite the bullet and say what’s been on your minds?

You made your decision. “Let’s end this,” you said, voice wavering. “Let’s put the both of us out of our misery and end this once and for all. I think we both got enough of each other.”

Ashton was taken aback. He thought the same thing, but he didn’t think you’d be the one to say it. If he was being honest, he didn’t want to end it. If he could spend the rest of his life on a tightrope, teetering towards anger and frustration for eternity just to be with you, he’d do it. But he knew he was hurting you as much as you were hurting him. He knew what he had to do.

“Good,” he agreed, mustering enough strength to not cry right there. He really was losing the one good thing he had going for him. And it was all his fault. “I’ll have Manuela reach out to your manager. You can..lose my number, I guess.”

“If that’s what you want,” you told him smoothly. On the inside, you were crumbling apart.

Ashton forced a nod. “Yeah, that’s what I want.”

–

He didn’t expect things to get as bad as they did. Ashton knew the paparazzi was everywhere, he always did. But dammit, he got so lost in his anger that it slipped his mind. And the one time it did, everything went wrong.

But for the first time, the blame wasn’t on him. Not in the eyes of the media, at least.

Is America’s Sweetheart y/n l/n Actually a Monster?

Pop Princess y/n l/n rips Australian Musician Ashton Irwin Apart

End of an Era: Irwin-l/n Break Up is Messy and Unexpected

Even on Twitter, you couldn’t catch a break.

#y/nl/nisoverparty

#y/nl/nisasnake

#y/nisthebiggestbitch

#y/nl/nisOVER

On every magazine and gossip column was a picture of your encounter with Ashton at the park. Lucky for Ash, the media only got a glimpse of your rant at him and didn’t get any footage of him yelling back at you. To the public, he looked like the innocent party while you looked completely wicked.

Oh God, Ashton thought. I just ruined her life.

The weeks that followed were rough. Manuela called for a group meeting and told them that their ratings have gone through the roof. 5 Seconds of Summer were finally back on the good side of the press and were labeled as the “innocent boys from Australia” that got “led down the wrong path.” Manuela was happy that her plan had worked; 5SOS is back on track, but she was disappointed at what it cost.

“Is there anything we can do to help her?” Michael asked at the end of the meeting.

Manuela pressed her lips together. “I’m afraid not,” she sighed. “y/n’s manager cut off all ties with us. I think we got the message that she wants nothing to do with us.”

Calum checked his phone, cringing at the amount of tagged posts he was in. All of them bashing you and everything you’ve worked so hard to create.

“We have to do something,” Calum pleaded. “She’s not just a coworker; she’s a friend. She’s always been there for us, even if Ash wasn’t here, she’d come by. We can’t leave her hanging like this.”

“Ash,” Luke turned to his friend, blue eyes pleading and desperate. “Can you talk to her? Maybe we can work something out. Anything.”

Ashton stammered before he responded. What could he do? He was the very last person you’d want to see right now. He got you into this mess and painted you out to be a monster. The blame should have fully been on him. You wouldn’t have yelled at him if he didn’t push you over the limit.

“Why should it be me?” he asked. “She hates me.”

Michael scoffed at his friend, clearly upset at his poor attempt at weaseling his way out of this. “You’re joking,” he deadpanned. “She adored you. Whether you liked her or not she was your biggest supporter. When you weren’t around at the studio, she talked the world about you. You may have not liked her, but she loved you. So you have to fix this.”

“Boys, relax,” Manuela insisted. “I’m certain her publicity team has a plan set for situations like these. She’s probably going to keep quiet for a while then re-emerge into the public scene again once the public wounds have healed. So it’ll be in her best interest and yours if you keep quiet and not cause a scene. Not when the public finally has a positive outlook on you.”

“That’s so..” Luke huffed defeatedly. “Wrong.”

Manuela patted his knee comfortingly. “That’s the music industry, love.”

–

You truly fell off the face of the earth. Ashton was at a loss. After the presumed “silent break” you took, he thought you’d get back into the swing of things. Media tabloids had died down, and it seemed like the public had forgotten about your argument and moved onto the next interesting thing. But you didn’t come back. Not even to your studio, the place remained empty. You didn’t respond to his calls, all of them going straight to voicemail. Your manager only picked up her phone once, insisting he stopped calling if he knew what was best for him. Not even your friends answered his frequent dm’s.

Your instagram was dormant. The last post was of Ashton a month back, playing his guitar and smiling down at his lyric book. He didn’t even realize you took that picture until you posted it. He was a little shocked that you kept it up, considering all things, but at the same time you didn’t post anything anymore. You used to post everyday, updating everyone about your hectic life. All that was left were the photos that remained on your page. Ashton had caught himself too many times scrolling through, just to see your smiling face again. He beat himself up over the fact that his last glimpse of you in person was nothing but a broken shell of who you once were.

Ashton pushed the door open, entering the last place he thought of that you could possibly be in. The smell of the restaurant was the same as it always was, full of spices and sweets that made his mouth water. But he had to stay focused. He needed to find you and talk to you.

Behind the counter, an older couple approached him. Ashton immediately recognized them as the Stevensons, the couple you adored more than their own food. It seemed like they recognized him too once they reached the counter space.

“You must be Ashton,” the older woman said, readjusting her glasses. Her wrinkles appeared as she greeted him with a smile, a sign that she lived a life full of laughter and smiles. The kind of life you confessed you wanted desperately. “y/n has spoken so highly of you.”

Ashton ducked his head, blushing at the compliment. Even when you were gone you still managed to light up the room and make him seem like a better person than he actually was. “That’s actually why I came here,” he told them. “I was wondering if you had seen y/n come by.”

The gentleman beside Mrs. Stevenson shook his head. “Afraid not, son,” he responded. “Not for a while, actually. We were quite disheartened about that, but that girl is always so busy, isn’t she?” Ashton smiled, trying not to wince as he cringed on the inside.

“Let me make you something, honey,” Mrs. Stevenson insisted, rushing to kitchens before he could refuse.

Mr. Stevenson ushered Ashton to the booths, away from the restaurant regulars. Ashton ran his fingers through his hair, the rain soaking his brown locks. Spring was a bitch with the rain, but he knew how much you loved it. “What brings you here, son?” he asked. “You usually come with y/n. Don’t tell me she’s in any sort of trouble now, is she?”

Ashton sat down, dusting off his jeans. “Not exactly,” he answered honestly. “H-have you not heard in the gossip tabloids?”

“Oh no,” Mr. Stevenson waved his hand. “We were never one for those magazines. Sarah is always strict on rechilut.”

Ashton nodded along. “I did something wrong,” he confessed heavily. “And I hurt y/n. Not physically, but honestly it feels worse. I want to make things right, but I don’t think she even wants to talk to me.”

“That’s nonsense,” Mr. Stevenson insisted. “y/n would never cut ties with people like that. Especially you, she was very fond of you.” It seemed like everyone knew that except for Ashton himself. “y/n talked to me like I was her own grandfather. Now, all my kids are grown up and moved out of California, so they don’t come around much. I appreciated her company, and I know for a fact that you shouldn’t give up on her.”

The drummer’s shoulders slumped guiltily. “I don’t think I deserve that,” he told him. “I was awful to her. I did everything wrong. I don’t think she’d believe me if I told her I loved her all along.”

“Do you really love her?” Mr. Stevenson asked him softly.

Ashton looked up into the older man’s gray eyes. He saw so much life, so much wisdom in them. If he looked deeper, he saw himself in his eyes, the him he missed all along. “Yes,” he answered truthfully. “I really do.”

Mr. Stevenson patted his shoulder affectionately. “Then lead with that,” he advised him. “I’ve lived a long life, Ashton. And most of my life has been spent with my dear Sarah. If there’s anything I learned from that, it’s that sometimes you need to shut the hell up and let your love speak for you.”

Ashton let out a tearful chuckle at his advice. Mrs. Stevenson rushed out of the kitchen, a steaming plate in hand. The older woman set it on the table in front of him.

“I hope you don’t mind that I guessed what your homesick cure was,” she said sheepishly. “Artie said I should stop guessing but I had a gut feeling on this one. I was right for n/n, I hope I was right for you.”

Mrs. Stevenson set down the plate to reveal a healthy serving of spaghetti and a glass of water on the table. Ashton’s heart clenched at the sight. “Did I get it right, dear?”

Ashton couldn’t even respond, he just nodded wordlessly like a child on Christmas morning, eager to play with his toys. Mrs. Stevenson chuckled at his response, ruffling his hair gently like a mother would. “Eat it while it’s hot, honey,” she told him. “And I’m sorry, but it seems like someone forgot to order another package of straws. You’ll have to drink from the glass, I’m afraid.”

Artie stood up from his side of the booth, playfully rolling his eyes. “I’m on it, honey,” he responded, following closely behind his wife. Before leaving to the kitchen, he turned around and gave the boy a wink.

Left to his own devices, Ashton tucked his hand into his jacket and nearly jumped out of his seat in shock. Pulling it out, he realized it was the knotted end of the paper straw wrapper from so long ago. Turns out he really did need that wish.

“Let me make things right,” he wished in his head. “I just want one last chance to do the right thing.”

Setting it on the table, all Ashton could do was hope that whatever was out in the universe heard him.

–

Soon enough, you did emerge from the shadows of your hiatus. You were lucky to have a loyal enough fanbase to keep you afloat, and your tour was still set for that summer. You were grateful for the fans that stuck around, and the new ones that came along the way. It was a rough journey, but you tried your best to power through it to the best of your ability.

Now, you were in your dressing room at the venue you were expected to perform in, an absolute fucking wreck. You were curled up on your couch, trembling and unable to even raise your head from your chest. Sobs filled your room, but you insisted to every manager and passersby that you needed to be alone and fix it yourself.

To tell the truth, you never truly recovered from the media frenzy that took you and Ashton by storm. You knew you had every right to turn the tides on him, revealing to the world that he wasn’t the perfect saint everyone painted him out to be. But you didn’t, and no one on your publicity team was able to figure out why.

The reason was that you were still unexplainably attached to Ashton. Somehow, even though he put you in the situation where everyone started to hate you, you couldn’t help but now be able to understand why he acted the way he did. How he was overprotective of the boys and acted out of self preservation simply because of how cruel the media could be. By no means did you excuse him for putting you in that situation, but you still grasped some understanding.

The difference between you and the drummer, however, was that he had a support system: his boys. You were practically alone to deal with the mess, cornered and vulnerable.

You were shaking frantically in your room, unable to free yourself from your thoughts. Only one look at your phone caused your entire psyche to crumble. One fucking tweet about you shook your confidence. Some anonymous user critiqued your music, only attributing your success to your past “relationship” with Ashton. Those simple words broke down the walls you were just beginning to rebuild, and now you were stuck in your dressing room, thirty minutes before you were called onstage.

Meanwhile, Ashton was navigating through the maze backstage looking for you. A bouquet of your favorite flowers were in one hand, a handwritten card in the other. He figured you’d be somewhere backstage, prepping for your show. He didn’t count on you being in your dressing room since you told him in the past that you loved to watch the crowd from behind the curtains.

But to his shock, you were still in your pajamas hyperventilating on the couch. Ashton has witnessed this before; he’s experienced this before. But seeing you go through the same struggles he and his boys went through caused his heart to ache even more.

“y/n?” he called out to you. You didn’t respond, eyes still trained on the ground as your grip around your legs tightened. Ashton set his things down on the side table, instantly kneeling in front of you.

“Ashton?” you finally spoke, voice raspy and exhausted. For a split second, you thought you were actually hallucinating, envisioning the one man you needed but feared the most. But his cologne wafted into your nostrils, alerting you it was him in the flesh. “What are you-” You heaved a deep breath, choking out a sob. You could barely take the overwhelming stress towering over you like a deadly ocean wave. It was only a matter of time until it took you under and swallowed you whole.

“Love, I’m going to need you to breathe,” he instructed, his hands finding yours. In your anxious state, you were able to distract yourself from your worries at the mere touch of his calloused fingertips. It was a silent calling to you, gently beckoning you back into reality but not quite succeeding.

Ashton took your hand and pressed it against his chest, tucking it underneath his slightly unbuttoned shirt. His warm skin electrified your palm, making your heart race -not from the anxiety- but from butterflies. “Pay attention to my breathing and try to copy it, okay?”

At first, you struggled to listen to his instructions. You worked on your anxiety with your therapists over more sessions than you could count. You tried box breathing, yoga, and even journaling but nothing ever calmed your nerves, especially after the media went after you.

But suddenly, you concentrated on the slow rise and fall of Ashton’s chest. The way his chest hair tickled your palms in a way that made you want to scrunch your nose at the feeling. How his heart was beating nearly out of his chest but you could tell he was trying to minimize it so he could attend to your needs first.

You felt your Ashton.

Moments that felt like hours passed until your breathing went back to normal and your tear stained cheeks dried. Ashton kept your hand against his chest, occasionally squeezing it to bring you back to reality when you teetered back into spiraling. This time, though, he rose from the ground and sat beside you. You let him move your legs over his lap as he practically held you against him. His smell was overwhelming. You could smell his cologne and shampoo, even the faint scent of weed from off his lips. He was intoxicating. He was the drug, dangling above your head, and you were weak, enthralled, captivated, addicted.

You found yourself leaning in to kiss Ashton, a real kiss this time. No corner of the lip bullshit that the press ate up every time. You didn’t expect him to kiss you back with the same fervor as you, hand wrapping around your waist and the other behind your head. It was sloppy, wet, and all shapes of perfect that you couldn’t describe. The taste of tea and weed transferred from his lips to yours as he pulled you in deeper. You gripped his shirt in your fist, hoping in your mind to mold your body against his and disappear from the world, anything as long as you were with him. His love was your poison and, at the same time, your cure.

Reality began to sink in, making you push Ashton away forcefully and standing on your feet. He flew back into the couch, eyes wide and lips swollen. His perfectly slicked back hair was a gorgeous mess, curls gracefully falling down his face. Confusion riddled his face as he watched you curl back into yourself.

“What are you–”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” you whispered, unsure if you were saying that to him or yourself. “Why did I do that?”

Ashton stood up and reached for your hand, only for you to jerk back. “D-don’t touch me!” you exclaimed, scared of your own volume. Anxiety began to knock at your door once again, creeping in like a deadly virus into your system. “How could I be so stupid? Haven’t you put me through enough?”

You started to pace around your room, Ashton watching you move frantically back and forth until he got dizzy. You murmured to yourself not so quietly, scolding yourself for your stupidity and cursing him out for his enticing nature. All over again, Ashton was seeing you crumble.

“y/n, stop,” he ordered firmly, gripping your shoulders. You jerked to a stop, pausing to look Ashton in the eyes. You found yourself getting lost in the pool of hazel, wide eyed and entranced. “You’re going on stage in twenty minutes. Whatever’s going through your head right now, quit it. All of that can be put on pause until after the show, you hear me? And if that voice in your head brings it up while you’re out there, shut it down. What matters now is you, your music, and your fans. Fuck that voice telling you you’re anything short of great.”

In his empowering speech, you forced yourself to listen to his words, ignoring the person those words were coming from. Taking his advice, you cleared your mind of the past few months and only focused on this moment: your first concert of your North American tour.

Rushing to get ready, you scrambled around your room to prepare your hair and makeup. Ashton picked out your clothes for the concert, something simple that you absolutely adored but you paid little attention to the way your heart pounded at the thought. And in those twenty minutes, you were set for the show.

Your microphone in one hand and guitar in the other, you made your way straight to the stage. Ashton followed close behind you to ensure you didn’t misstep or forget anything. Mere inches away from the stage, you whipped your head around to meet his gaze just one more time.

“Thank you,” you whispered gratefully. “I know we haven’t talked, but thank you. Can I look for you after the show?”

Your heart shattered at the shake of his head. “I’ve got a plane to catch right after your show so I can’t come by after,” he told you remorsefully. “But if you’ll have me, I’ll be right here when you come back from tour. Maybe then we can start again, correctly this time. None of the cameras, scripts, or any of that, yeah?”

The sound of your name being chanted by the crowd was nearly deafening, but his words reached your ears and you smiled softly at him. In the corner of your eye, your stage manager pointed at her watch to inform you it was time to go up. Wordlessly, you pressed your lips one last time against his.

“Don’t be a stranger, Irwin,” you told him, turning on your heel and pushing through the curtains. The crowd shrieked and screamed at the sight of you, instantly bringing a proud grin to Ashton’s face.

This was only the beginning of something new and truly beautiful, Ashton thought to himself, hands in his pockets as he made his way to the VIP section.

–

Several months have passed since your North American and European tour and it has been almost a full year since you started your publicity stunt with Ashton. Throughout the tour, you and Ashton -and the boys, of course- kept close contact with each other, never going more than a day without a phone call or video chat. Over this period, you felt like you finally got to know the real Ashton, not bits and pieces he’d accidentally let slip when he first got to know you. This time, he was real and genuine, and that only made me love him more.

You tiredly dragged your suitcase up your apartment complex’s stairs, heaving at the ridiculous weight as you made your way down to your apartment. You didn’t expect to see a certain hazel eyed drummer standing behind the door when you unlocked it.

“Surprise,” he said sheepishly, balloons and blueberry cheesecake in hand. Tears instantly filled your eyes, you dropped your suitcase and wrapped your arms around his neck, nearly causing him to drop the dessert.

Truth be told, you weren’t expecting to see him so soon, if at all. Your journey with your mental health has been a long one, and there were plenty of ups and downs. A part of you -one you were a little ashamed of- didn’t expect him to keep to his word that he’d be here now. Despite the plenty of calls and talks you had to rekindle your relationship, that nagging voice in the back of your head kept on asking “what if?” What if he took back what he said about wanting to start over? What if it was all in your head, and he never wanted to see you again? But without fail, Ashton was there, willing to rebuild your relationship into a close-knit friendship. And now he’s here, asking to make it something more.

“You’re here,” you murmured into his chest, taking in his smell that you missed so dearly. “I didn’t think you’d come this soon. How did you even get in?”

Ashton pulled away, holding up your spare key. “Your friend gave it to me today,” he explained.

Grinning you brought him back down into a hug before settling in and opening the box of cheesecake. Taking out two forks, the two of you ate straight from the box and caught up on everything, though there wasn’t much considering how often you both talked while you were away.

“I’m really grateful you let me back in,” Ashton spoke up once the box had emptied.

You were half listening, polishing off the plate of its sweet crumbs. “You let yourself in, silly,” you snorted, not quite understanding what he meant. “You’re the one who got a hold of my apartment key.”

Ashton chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Not that,” he laughed. “I mean letting me back into your life. I still don’t think I deserve it.”

“We talked about this, Ash,” you leaned back, setting your fork down. “We both said things we didn’t mean that day. We recognized it and we worked from it. We’ve moved on, and we’re friends. I think you deserve it as much as I do.”

Ashton’s cheeks were tinged red as he tried to think of the right words to say. “I know,” he started. “But sometimes, I wish we had..more.”

“More?” you raised an eyebrow. It took another second of you watching the drummer blush in embarrassment and vulnerability before it finally clicked. “Oh.”

Ashton stood up abruptly, wiping the invisible specks of dust off his jeans. “You can forget it,” he rushed in humiliation. “I-I just couldn’t stop thinking about that night of your first concert, how it felt, how you felt- and-”

“Ashton, slow down,” you giggled, standing up, taking his hand and tugging him toward you. A small smile rested on your face. “I still think about that night, too,” you confessed honestly. “And I want that, too. Whatever it is that you want.”

The drummer looked up from your intertwined hands and into your eyes. He swore he saw stars in them. “Will you be my girlfriend?” he asked. “Again?”

You pulled him down into a kiss, your lips craving his all over again. “Yes,” you answered confidently as soon as you backed away to catch your breath. “I will be your girlfriend. Again.”

The two of you shared a laugh, enjoying the silent but welcoming comfort of each other. Standing in the middle of your kitchen, lips coated in sugar and blueberries.

“What was your wish?” Ashton asked, pulling you closer to him as he broke the s. “Back at that restaurant when we first met?”

You hummed in thought, eagerly pressing your lips against his one more time to relish the moment. “My wish was that whatever we had back then,” you whispered, letting him in on your secret. “turns into something more.”

“Well your wish came true, didn’t it?” Ashton smiled, a warm feeling bursting in his chest.

You leaned your forehead against his, eyes fluttering closed. “Yes, Ash,” you said. “Yes it did.”

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writersdare · 1 year

Text

Give Me Attention | Ashton Irwin

Pairing: Ashton Irwin x Reader (she/her)

Summary: Ashton and Y/N had been friends for a while. However, everything changed once she found out an unpleasant secret he thought to hide from her.

Warning: angsty, an intimate moment, a bit of cursing and mentioning of alcohol

Word Count: 2 947

Requested: yes

Author’s Note: This one was actually hard! I've been working on this one for quite a bit, and really hope you'll like the story. I'm still not sure about the whole concept, but I like to try new ideas, so I don't regret choosing this path. If you watched a film "Matthias & Maxime", you'll maybe recognise one scene from there. Besides phrases from the requested prompt list I also used another, quite a known one. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts! Thank you for your patience on this one ♡

Friday was supposed to be for parties or at least for something fun. However, Y/N had her own meaning of fun, and Ashton did not exactly like it.

“You do realise I’m not a plumber?” the guy was lying on a floor, head inside a kitchen counter, where pipes of a sink were.

“I believe in you,” Y/N smiled, changing a wet towel to a dry one. “Besides, you’re almost done, don’t complain,” she giggled and stepped back, taking a moment to appreciate Ashton’s naked back. “You’re so sweaty.”

“Oh yeah?” he mumbled, puffing loudly, while he was trying to screw the pipe. “Next time you’ll clean it yourself and I’ll look at you.”

Y/N bit her bottom lip, but couldn’t hold a giggle again. The guy was slightly mad and salty, she knew, though, he was just tired. It was a late evening, and Ashton was her lifesaver, as no one agreed to drive at such time and fix the pipe. It wasn’t even a big deal, it just clogged up! Well, perhaps, “just” was a wrong word, as Ash had a hell of a night. A drummer of one of the most popular bands in the world was cleaning a freaking sink…

“You’re the best, Ash,” Y/N said, smiling, and filled a kettle with water before heating it on a stove.

“Hell yeah, I am,” Ash chuckled and carefully stood up, being on all fours at first, as he was afraid to hit his head. That would be a dramatic end of the night, truly. “It should work now,” he sighed and turned on a faucet. The water flowed down easily and finally didn’t end up on the floor.

“Thank you so much! Really! I’d hug you, but—“

“I’m sweaty, yeah, I got it,” Ash smirked and took his own white shirt on a chair to wipe his body a bit. “I’m gonna take a shower, alright? You better get me something stronger than tea,” he warned, seeing two cups on a table.

“Alright,” the girl chuckled and stood up to check if she had something on a shelf.

Y/N and Ashton knew each other for a while. In fact, she was a good friend of all four guys from the band. Ash lived closer to her place, so it was rather natural to spend evenings together occasionally.

Rather quickly the girl reconciled with her romantic feelings towards Ashton. They were just there, for him, it was stupid to deny. However, Ash always treated her like a friend, and Y/N didn’t even dare to make a step or give a little hint. It wasn’t like she suffered from low self-esteem; no, that was in the past. The girl just preferred to call herself a realist. Ashton and Y/N were as if from different worlds. His working schedule was a total mess, his relationships were, maybe, even crazier. Y/N knew if something more had ever happened to them, she could not stand unseriousness. The feelings were too strong, and they’d grow stronger, if they were a thing. It was just smarter to have Ash as a friend to avoid a risk of loosing him eventually.

“Feeling better?” she smiled, when Ashton came back to the kitchen. He wasn’t wearing a t-shirt, and drops of water were still noticeable on his chest. “How is this disease called? When a person leaves a shower without a proper use of a towel?” Y/N smirked, trying not to stare at Ash too much.

“Oh, c’mon, are you shy?” the musician chuckled, and she hated, when he was getting a bit spicy with her.

Y/N only grinned and gave Ashton a glass of Martini, when he set down next to her.

“Well-deserved,” the girl joked.

“Thank you. And yes, I’m feeling better. But do you know how I’d feel even better? If you didn’t call me in the middle of the night to fix your pipe.”

Y/N rolled the eyes, and the guy giggled, quickly leaving a kiss on the cheek. Ash smelled like her showering gel; slight alcohol notes hit the nose, too.

“I’m only joking. You know you can call me any time,” he smiled.

“It’s not that late anyway,” Y/N mumbled, but grinned back. They enjoyed teasing each other, no one was offended there. However, when Ashton’s phone ringed, the girl got slightly upset. Who could call him at twelve p.m.?

“Oh, sorry, I gotta take this,” Ash stood up. “It’s Cassy, I’ll be in a minute.”

“Cassy? Not sure if I know who it is.”

“My girlfriend,” the guy said it so easily as if he just announced the weather forecast for tomorrow. “Oh, shit, I forgot! I met her in a bar a week ago, didn’t I tell you? I’ll be back,” Ash rushed up to the living room.

Y/N’s heart dropped, and a smile was wiped from her face completely. A girlfriend then? Who he met just a week ago? That was new. At that moment the girl started to feel uncomfortable for asking him to come over to help. Perhaps, she wasn’t allowed to do so any longer, as he was in damn relationship. And what kind of friends they were, if Ashton didn’t even tell her such news?

“Sorry,” Ash smiled, coming back to the kitchen quite quickly. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Y/N smiled back, making a sip from her glass. “Listen, I didn’t know you were dating someone, I’m sorry I called you–“

“What? No-no, what are you talking about?” he outraged softly. “I told you, you can call whenever you need me.”

“I don’t think it’s right anymore, you have a girlfriend, Ash, you shouldn’t be at my place,” she shook a head, struggling to hide how upset she was. Well, the girl tried, but all her strength was as if drained by the recent news.

“Y/N, we are friends,” Ashton stared at her eyes with his grass green. The phrase was so simple, and yet it hurt so much. The truth was painful. “So, it doesn’t matter. I still can come over and can stay at your place tonight,” he smiled cheerfully, but the girl shook a head again.

“No, I think you should spend the night at your place. It’s not that far from here anyway,” the girl whispered and emptied her glass.

Maybe she wasn’t right. Maybe it was stupid to behave like that and demand Ashton to come back to his place. Y/N wasn’t exactly sad he got a girlfriend – after all, that happened before, too – she was just upset Ash didn’t tell her right away. It seemed he didn’t even plan to. If not the call, who knew for how long the girl would stay oblivious?

"You can’t skip my birthday party, Y/N," Calum mumbled, sitting on a couch in a music studio the other day. Y/N was sitting next to him, resting a head on a back of the couch. When the girl confessed that she probably wouldn’t be able to attend the party, Cal didn’t even look surprised – it was just out of discussion, she was coming. So, the musician kept his eyes on a phone screen, trying to complete a level in some silly game. "What’s the matter anyway? You don’t want to get me a present, do you?" he chuckled, joking.

"It’s not that," Y/N sighed and turned her head towards the friend. Ashton wasn’t in the studio that day, and being honest, it was for the best, as their relationship wasn’t great since the guy announced he had a girlfriend. They didn’t talk about it, pretended they were fine, but hung out less – never alone, only with the rest of the band. It was hard to tell what was in Ashton’s mind, and why he just couldn’t tell the truth from the beginning. It had been three weeks, and they still didn’t figure it out. Y/N felt extremely stupid, she needed to let the things go, it wasn’t a big deal anyway. She just couldn’t understand why it still bothered her so much. And was his new girlfriend that special that he didn’t want to introduce to her? It was ridiculous.

"What is it then?" Calum stayed calm, his voice sounded even slightly indifferent, however, Y/N knew he cared.

The girl hesitated, feeling rather unsure if she needed to raise that topic. Although she was the one who started it, saying she wouldn’t be at Calum’s party, so perhaps, there was no way out.

"Is Ashton’s girlfriend gonna be there?"

"Why would she be there?" Cal finally put the phone away. He was quite amused by the question.

"Well, cause she’s his girlfriend," Y/N chuckled, finding his answer quite annoying.

Calum turned his full body towards the girl and stared at her.

"Wait… He didn’t tell you? They have a contract, it’s a PR relationship."

"What?…" Y/N gasped. When did they end up in that stage of their friendship where Ash stopped telling her anything about his life? The girl felt ashamed. She certainly didn’t enjoy looking stupid in front of Cal, however, the guy knew much more than both of his delusional friends did.

After being angry for a while, Y/N came to conclusion that she needed to stop thinking about Ashton that much. Clearly, he didn’t care about her or their friendship anymore, so why should she? It all felt quite childish, but the girl was sure that the main kid in their situation was Ash. Even when it was her, who ended up dancing with different guys up all night at Calum’s birthday party, ignoring the friend completely.

"She drives me insane," he growled, staring at Y/N, who was cuddling a random dude and moving her hips to the tempo of music. How wasn’t she still tired?

"To be fair, you did lie about your relationship," Calum chuckled, glancing at the mutual friend and making a sip from his glass.

"I had my reasons," Ash mumbled annoyingly, not being able to take the eyes off her even for a slight second.

"And she has her own," Michael commented, resting a hand on the friend’s shoulder. However, Ash shook it off rashly and hurried up to approach Y/N, when noticed the "dude’s" palm going down her waist.

"Don’t do anything stupid!" Luke begged, but Ashton didn’t hear him.

"Hey, Y/N, I need to talk to you," his whole body was tense. The musician wasn’t looking at the guy and was only staring at Y/N’s eyes.

"We kinda busy, man," the stranger made a step forward, and Ashton placed the hand on his chest quickly, pushing the cause of his bad mood aside. Ash grabbed Y/N’s wrist gently, but persistently, and pulled her from one room to another, where no one could bother them.

Calum moved to that apartment just recently, so some places were still on renovation, just like the guest room they appeared in. It was almost empty except for few old closets and kitchen counters, which, apparently, were left by the previous owners. It smelled like dust and damp, nothing pleasant.

"What the hell?" Y/N outraged, once Ashton shut the door behind them. "I was having a good time!"

"Yeah? Well, I had a shitty time!" the guy snapped at her and touched his face with a palm, standing in front of Y/N. "Shit, I… What the hell is going on, really? You’re ignoring me, hanging out with some pricks instead!"

"You don’t answer my questions, why should I answer yours?!"

"I got jealous, alright?!" Ash spilled out before thinking, and his voice became softer immediately. "And I know, I’m not allowed to be jealous, you aren’t even mine."

The phrase was absurd to Y/N. Wasn’t he the one who had a girlfriend? It didn’t already matter if it was a fake one. The girl set on a counter that was covered with some plastic tape, and shook her head.

"I gave you space, so you could enjoy your relationship, which, by the way, you didn’t even tell me about."

"Fuck," Ashton sighed heavily and touched both Y/N’s hands. "I’m sorry, alright? I just… didn’t want to tell you. Don’t you remember how you reacted that night? You didn’t even allow me to stay at your place!"

"I didn’t allow you, because you hid from me the fact you got a girlfriend at first place!" she outraged and broke the touch. "I don’t care if you have a girlfriend or not, if it’s PR or not, I just want you to be honest with me!"

"Do you? Are you really so indifferent about me having a girlfriend?" unlike Y/N’s, Ashton’s voice was calm.

The girl shoved him in the shoulder and made an attempt to jump off the counter, but her legs happened to be pressed against Ashton’s.

"Answer me," he demanded and touched her palm again.

"Yes, I don’t care," Y/N replied coldly, watching him bending down and leaving small kisses on her fingers. It became hot all of a sudden, and a heart started its race away from the feelings. It was too late to run, though.

"You’re lying to me," Ash took her second hand and left the kisses on the fingers again.

"I learnt from the best," the girl smirked, but the corners of the lips twitched, when the musician placed his palm on her knee.

"I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want to upset you. Do you think I’m so happy about having this fake relationship?" the green eyes pierced hers, while the hand moved from the knee up. He had no shame.

"I wasn’t upset."

"Stop lying to me," he whispered and brought his face close to hers.

"What are you doing?" the girl didn’t breathe. Y/N also wanted to speak less, being scared to gasp accidentally due to everything what she was experiencing at that moment.

"Proving that you’re wrong," his lips almost touched hers, and the hand was under the skirt, when the girl gathered the remnants of self-control and placed a palm on his lips.

"Fake one or not, but you have a girlfriend. And these lips that… I maybe dreamt about at nights are kissing someone else," Y/N whispered, looking at her own hand. "I’m not doing this," she looked up at Ash. His pupils were dilated by all the emotions that were rushing through his veins. He wanted nothing but her, to hold Y/N in his arms and to kiss her lips, not… someone else’s.

"I’m sorry," Ashton whispered. "I signed the contract. You know how important the job is for me," his voice was trembling a little, as if he wasn’t sure about his own words.

"No one can force you to do that. Others don’t do it," Y/N was speaking the truth. "And I’m not asking you to cancel the contract because of me. You know I’m not like that," she smirked and took away the hand from his lips, once Ashton stepped back. "Even when I found out you had a girlfriend, you didn’t tell the whole truth. Why?"

Ash smirked and shook his head, looking away.

"It’s stupid."

"The whole situation is stupid, Ashton," Y/N chuckled coldly and jumped off the counter. "So tell me. Why didn’t you tell me it was all fake from the beginning?" she was looking at his eyes, but the guy didn’t look back.

"I wanted to see your reaction."

"Are you satisfied?"

"Y/N…"

"You’re just unbelievable," the girl rolled the eyes and headed to leave the room, but Ash caught her by the waist. "Let me go. I really don’t want to see you now," she tried to hold back the tears.

"Like it or not, I am not leaving you. If you want to go, I’ll go with you," he touched her chin, so Y/N could glance at his eyes. "I know I fucked up. But we’ve been friends for a while, Y/N. And I needed to know…"

"You could just ask me," the girl interrupted. "Do you really think I’d say I didn’t like you?"

Ash laughed shortly and turned his head away.

"What’s so funny?" she outraged.

"What’s funny?" Ash asked and returned his gaze back at Y/N. "I’ve been making hints here and there, and you never reacted!"

"Wait… You’ve been flirting with me?"

"For the past year, but thanks for noticing," Ashton shook his head. "You’re so annoying."

"Well, it’s only your fault it wasn’t clear," Y/N allowed herself a small smile.

"Oh, it’s my fault?!"

"Yes," she giggled.

"Come here," Ash chuckled and began to tickle her sides. "My fault then, huh?"

"Stop!" the girl laughed.

The musician smiled and pressed her head against a shoulder, then hugged Y/N tight.

"I’m sorry, Y/N. I know it was stupid. But… Is there a chance that you’re not too mad at me, and we can go on a date any time soon? I’ll cancel the contract…"

"I’ll think about it."

"You’ll think?!"

The laughter rang out behind the door of the old guest room again. Ashton was not going to let her leave his arms that night, although Y/N wasn’t planning to. They both knew that the hardest part was just ahead, but maybe they could go through it together. After all, there was a chance that the girl was simply mistaken, and they didn’t need to lose each other. To take the risk and actually be together was worth it all.

taglist: @dgrangaa, @gracieboogirl

– gif and photo aren’t mine and belong to the rightful owner –

All stories are original and written by me. Do not copy, trace and post anywhere without permission and credit. The stories are fictional, they do not correspond to reality and written just for fun ♡

Masterlist | Taglist

#Ashton irwin #5sos blurb #5sos imagine #5sos imagines #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer imagine #5sos #5sos angst #5sos fic #Ashton Irwin imagine #Ashton Irwin angst #Ashton Irwin x reader #Ashton Irwin x y/n #ashton 5 seconds of summer #ashton 5sos #ashton 5sauce #Ashton Irwin blurb #writersdare #writersdare ashton 5sos

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daydadahlias · 21 days

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Do you know what’s going on with Eternity Speedway?

yes because i know everything <3 no, not actually, but after some Discussion with our most informed Ash Stan, one Crystal Kindahoping4forever, I have a basic idea of what's going on!!

now, lock in for a jessay <3

ok so!! the brunette Chris Stapleton that Ashton is looking so longingly at in these band pics is a guy named Mac Hanson (no, not the rugby player),

who Ashton has actually played shows with before!! Do you recall his oh so talented robot dance? we have Mac to thank. Everyone say thank you Mac for getting Ashton on stage in such tight pants <3

Anyway, Ash is "pretty well known in the districts for his drumming greatness" and when someone asks him to session or help them out w/ anything, he literally always jumps at the opportunity (and always has; this is nothing new)!!

Since 5sos has been on their "break" (and even before it), Ash has been writing songs with other people (think of all his LP, Matt, and Andrew adventures last year), and also performing with them. this man loves a sidequest (which we all knew; like he has a fucking luxury candle business lmfao, bro just likes Doing Shit). So, when it comes to stuff like this, you can literally just think of it as another side quest!! I mean, think of it this way fr, he's already finished his solo album lol. That thing is in the final stages of production and probably ready for release within the year. And, as Luke said in an earlier interview, 5sos won't be back in the studio until later this year, so what is Ash supposed to do to bide the time? the man literally goes stir-crazy without something to do. he has music ADHD. if he's not creating, he feels like he's wasting time. so this new band (which is COUNTRY ROCK??? HELLO?? a genre he never gets to explore with 5sos!!), is just another new sidequest for him <3

also, bare in mind that Ash hasn't promoted this band at all on his public social media; it's only been posted on the other guys'. usually Ash only uses his socials to promote stuff that's for the furthering of his own career (like the candle buiz and his solo music) so that kind of gives the implication that this is mainly Mac's thing/band and Ash is helping them out/having fun until 5sos is back in the studio. like, i don't think he's doing it with the intention of it getting attention, because he's literally only posting about it on his private account, not his main.

there's also no indication of this being "his new band" like everyone's freaking out about. it just kind of seems like... a band that he's playing with?

so I think is a pretty clear indication that it's just supposed to be an Ashton thing... not an Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds of Summer Thing, if that makes sense? He's allowed to have fun and do things on his own without people falling over themselves :/

also not to start shit, u guys, but do u notice how... luke's been doing solo marketing/modeling/performing/releasing (and is literally going on a fucking tour by himself later this year) and no one's raised this much of an uproar?? yeah just think that's a little funny <3

#pigeon #anon #hope this helps shawty #yeah nobody worry. 5sos is not breaking up #have yall seen the people being like 'god i need to hear what C L and M think about this... they've been so loyal and now ash is doing THIS #like im sorry what the fuck do you mean THEYVE been loyal and ash hasn't sdfgh??#luke is going on a SOLO TOUR?????#and ashton has been NOTHING but supportive of that #so twitter users can shut their fucking mouths my god #michael has been DJing for ages???#nobody knows what the fuck calum is up to ??#why is it that when ashton does something all of a sudden it's him being unloyal???#when all he's EVER BEEN to that fucking band is their literal #no 1 supporter???????#like im sorry who do u think runs the fucking band account????#morons

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wiiildflowerrr · 7 months

Text

'5 Seconds of Summer have proven why support acts shouldn't be overlooked'

Daily Mirror (UK), 5 October 2023

'5 Seconds of Summer may have had a helping hand from One Direction but almost eight years since their last tour with the group, the Aussie lads have proven they're more than enough, writes Daniel Bird...'

Full article / review of The 5SOS Show Manchester below (link):

'Arguably one of the biggest bands right now, it's no surprise that 5 Seconds of Summer are continuing to sell out arenas.

Having seen the four Aussies at the start of their career, playing in venues with a capacity of 300 with tickets being sold for less than £15, to now seeing them at stadiums and sold-out arenas, they've come a long way. Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin first joined forces in 2011, uploading videos to YouTube and amassing a string of fans.

One of those happened to be Louis Tomlinson from One Direction, who invited the quartet to support them on their 2013 Take Me Home Tour. They went on to support the 1D lads for another two years on the Where We Are and On The Road Again tours, performing to millions of fans across the globe.

But while they were warming the crowd up, the group were also busy with their own music, with early releases including Out Of My Limit and arguably their best track, Heartache on the Big Screen, they soon went on to establish their own name, 5SOS (five sauce). With this new-found fame came their own fans, in their thousands.

Tickets for their headline shows would sell out within minutes as fans packed venues to hear their favourite songs live. But in 12 years, they've proven that support acts shouldn't be overlooked. Many of us go to gigs, often missing the support act or not taking anything away from them but these lads were different.

Was it their humour? Their childish energy at times? Their on-stage banter with one another? That's something we won't know but their recent show at Manchester's AO Arena on the The 5 Seconds of Summer Show was certainly one of their best. Opening the show with Bad Omens, certainly set the mood for the night as Luke, Calum, Michael and Ashton delved through their back catalogue and delivered an electric set.

Part of the show included audience participation, with a giant red dice being launched into the audience by Hemmings, allowing the crowd to choose the next song, with Voodoo Doll being chosen, much to the excitement of the 21,000 roaring fans. This opened a gateway for the lads to discuss their past, with Ashton recalling staying at a hotel over the road from the arena while supporting One Direction.

"About ten people knew who we were at the time, now look," he exclaimed while reflecting on their meteoric rise to success as he recalled performing at smaller venues before the band managed to sell out the biggest indoor arena in Europe. But while reflecting, the group looked towards the future as they stated their plans for the next few months are pretty empty.

This, however, is for good reason as lead guitarist Michael is set to welcome his first child with his wife, Chrystal Leigh Clifford. Joking about his future, he laughed while saying he will be going from playing in front of thousands of fans to having a "house covered in poop" before Luke interjected, adding he will be able to teach Clifford's daughter how to wear make-up.

Anecdotes aside, the group certainly showcased their performance skills and failed to stand still for the cheering crowd as they made their presence in the arena known. Having seen the lads perform countless times, this was certainly their best performance to date.'

#the 5sos show manchester #one direction #5sos #5 seconds of summer #calum hood #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #michael clifford #louis tomlinson #daily mirror #british newspaper #gig review #concert review #4 october #2023 #the 5sos show tour

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ashtons-lemon-tree · 23 days

Text

Under the Moonlight

Written as a part of the friends to lovers @5sos-fic-fest

Can be read here on AO3

Rating; Teen and Up Audiences

Archive Warnings; No Archive Warnings Apply

Category; M/M

Fandom; 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)

Relationship; Michael Clifford/Ashton Irwin

Additional Tags; Friends to Lovers, Songfic, Song: New Emotion (The Aces), Partying, Alcohol, Love Confessions, Drunken Confessions, Shut Up Kiss

Language; English | Word count; 682

Summary; Ashton reveals his feelings for Michael at a party celebrating their album release

Notes; Prompt; Songfic to the tune New Emotion - The Aces

#rpf #5sos #5 seconds of summer #mashton #michael clifford #ashton irwin #michael clifford x ashton irwin #5sosficfest2024 #songfic #friends to lovers #ao3 link #ao3 fanfic #fic fest #5sos fic fest #Spotify

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suchalonelysunflower · 1 year

Text

The Man Who Can't be Moved (a.i)

You, Again Spin Off

Pairing: Soulmate! Ashton Irwin x Soulmate! fem! Reader

Requested? Yes, by the amazing @littledrummerangie

Summary: Ashton is giving up on finding his soulmate after all his friends have their "happily ever after" But fate is funny... and sometimes a bitch.

Warnings: Kinda angsty feelings but with fluff. Language. Some grammatical errors (English is not my first language I'm sorry)

Word Count: 4K

Author's Note: This was overdue! I had so much fun writing it! Remember the REBLOGS are super important and so are COMMENTS and INTERACTIONS please SUPPORT YOUR WRITERS. Hope you like it and happy reading 🥰🦋🌻

My masterlist // tag list in bio!

Ashton prided himself on having patience. A lot of patience, actually, growing up as the oldest child and then having a group of friends that never quite grew up from the childish mischiefs of teenagers will give you lots and lots of patience. So it took a lot for him to ever say:

“I’m done!”

Michael crooked his brow at the sudden outburst of the previously quiet man and lowered his drink.

“You haven’t even finished your sandwich,” Calum answered with a mouthful of leftover spring rolls from the night before.

“I don’t think that’s what he meant…” Michael intervened.

Ashton groaned, throwing his head back and looking at the ceiling of their break room. He didn’t mean to say that out loud, he was just thinking about it. And now Michael is looking at him with pity in his eyes.

“I’m just done!” He repeated, not caring anymore as his hands went to cover his face.

“C’mon, Ash! you can’t just give up!”

“Who’s giving up?” Luke chimed in as he entered the room with his own lunchbox, proudly wearing his new wedding band in his left hand. Ashton groaned again.

“Ashton says he’s done”

“But his sandwich is right there,”

“That’s what I said!” Calum cheered, opening up his soda can.

“Could you guys just-” Ashton groaned as he sat up again, running a hand down his face before letting out a deep breath “Nothing, forget it”

The guys looked at each other and then at their friend, not knowing what could be wrong for him to suddenly burst in the middle of a working day. Michael offered him a small smile as he put his hand over Ashton’s shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. Ashton nodded but didn’t lift his gaze.

“Ash, what’s wrong?” Calum asked, now concerned with his friend's attitude.

“Nothing, I’m fine”

“And I’m the king of England”

“Luke-” Michael warned with a pointed look “Ash, you can talk to us, you know?”

“I know,” He sighed “And I will if I need to- Anyway, it’s late and I got some paperwork to fill”

“But we just sat-”

Yet the words of his friends fell silent to his ears as Ashton stood up and gave his sandwich to Calum, grabbed a bottle of water, and left the break room in the middle of their lunch hour without saying another word.

If was honest with himself, he knew he acted poorly toward his friends, but he knew he would make up with them eventually. It was just hard to see them today… No, it was hard being him today.

Ashton didn’t consider himself to be a lonely man. He enjoyed the company of his friends and he got along with his other co-workers. He had a family that loved him and that he loved back; a garden filled with plants and vegetables that he proudly shows off to anyone that asked; he’s an incredible dog-sitter even when his apartment didn’t allow pets and he had to sneak them all the time. He wasn’t lonely, but there was something missing.

No, there was something wrong! He was sure about it. How could it be that he’s twenty-eight years old and has still never found his soulmate?

It wasn’t a problem before, he didn’t even think about it twice. He was more than okay with staying single or being in short relationships with people who - like him - were just waiting to meet their right match. The only thing is that Ashton’s right match seemed to have never existed at all.

The world around him seemed to mock him for that fact. It first started at Luke’s wedding, the vows he exchanged with his soulmate didn’t leave a dry eye at the ceremony, and Ashton looked with pride and a bit of jealousy at how in love the newlyweds were the whole time, feeling his heartache at the longing for something like that.

Then it happened again when he overheard Michael on the phone with his soulmate. Their story was not an easy one. With it Ashton learned about the possibility of the soulmate mark disappearing, filling his head with intrusive thoughts about what could’ve happened to his soulmate and if that’s the reason he couldn’t find them. But when he heard Michael laugh and saw him smile wider than ever when talking to her, he knew those fears were just that and, if anything, fate will come through. He was really happy for them and their new beginning.

But today was something else entirely, something he couldn’t quite control and it happened when Calum was taking his first bite of food. The image of a dove was newly marked upon his skin, and even though Ashton was more than happy that he finally found his soulmate, it also hit him with the fact that he was the last one to find his soulmate. And that broke him.

All of his friends were happy and in love. All of their partners couldn’t have been more perfect for them. And while he shares their joys, it was hard not to dwell in the pain of knowing it might not happen for him. At this point, who knows if he even has a soulmate?

A few minutes later after failing to quiet his mind with some paperwork that’s not due in over a week, Ashton felt something light hit his head before a ball of paper appeared bouncing on his desk. When he looked up, he found Michael smiling at him from the door.

“Real mature,” Ashton said, rolling his eyes and going back to work.

Another paper ball hit him.

“Michael!”

“Grab your coat, we’re going out,” He said before turning away.

“It’s the middle of the day!”

Michael turned around so that only his head was visible through the door - even if the walls were still made of glass.

“And I’m your boss, so if I say let’s go, you go”

A string of curses left Ashton’s mouth as he reluctantly grabbed his coat and followed after his friend, catching up with him before the elevator came.

“You know, one day you’re going to get tired of that ‘I’m your boss’ excuse and that day I’ll finally be happy”

“Mmmh yeah… nope! I don’t see that happening”

“I’m going to quit”

“Good luck with that”

“I’m serious,”

“And I’m your boss so shut the hell up and let’s go”

When the elevator hit the lobby Ashton was more than ready to kill Michael, but the latter didn’t seem to care as he hummed a little song and walked out of the building with Ashton beside him.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“We’re getting some coffee” Michael answered like it was nothing.

“We have a full-on working coffee machine at the office”

“I also want some donuts, is that a crime?”

No, but Ashton might commit one.

Still, he followed quietly, surprised to see that Michael hadn't started a conversation yet. He just kept on walking to the coffee shop a few streets down, humming the song that Ashton knows will haunt his dreams later on. But he was thankful for it.

He had to admit that this walk was not a bad idea - although a bad excuse - it helped him clear his head to be out of the office environment and away from those glass walls that create no sense of privacy. Now, he could actually breathe some fresh air and allow himself to relax.

“You’ll be okay,” Michael said, unprompted as they turned to the street of the coffee shop. Ashton looked at him, but he was smiling back already “I know you don’t want to talk about it so I’ll just say it. Your soulmate is out there somewhere and you’re going to find them. And you’ll be okay until then. You are an amazing person, Ash and anyone will be lucky to have you as their soulmate”

Ashton scoffed “Yeah right,”

“I’m serious! I believe Calum cried a little bit when he found out you two weren’t soulmates”

That made Ashton laugh and Michael considered a win, wrapping his arm around the older’s shoulders.

“If I know something about soulmates is that they come when you least expect them and are who you least expect them to be. And you, my friend, will find someone as weird as you. I promise”

Ashton pouted but still leaned his head on Michael’s shoulder as he patted his cheek like a father to his son.

“‘m not weird”

“Awww, yes you are. Do you know anyone else that lives barefoot but puts on socks to sleep?”

Michael laughed at Ashton’s offended face, opening the door to the coffee shop without really looking when someone was getting out. In a matter of seconds, this person seemed to have lost their balance when faced with two tall men hovering over the door, and they started to fall.

“Woah, hey!” Ashton said, catching the person with one hand on their waist and the other one holding them under their arm “Are you okay? Sorry about my friend here, he’s as clumsy as a…”

Yet his words got stuck in his tongue as the stranger lifted their head. If someone were to tell him that an angel appeared in front of him, he would believe them. This girl was wearing an old jersey and plain tights, her hair was wrapped in a bun under a beanie, and her face was clear of any trace of makeup. And when she looked at him, oh, Ashton could swear he had never seen those eyes before.

“No, no, I get it,” The girl said with the sweetest voice Ashton has ever heard, accompanied by a smile that made him forget his own name “I’m just glad I didn’t spill my hot chocolate all over you”

“Y-yeah! That would’ve been… something, yeah” He stumbled on his words, cursing internally at himself. Has this whole soulmate thing blocked him from ever talking to girls again?!

“Uh, thank you for catching me,” The girl said, blushing as she lowered her gaze.

“No, it’s- it’s nothing” Ashton smiled “I’m glad you’re okay and that your hot chocolate is okay”

He cringed but the girl just laughed. And god does he want to hear that sound again.

“You can - um - you can let go of me now. I promise I’m not going to fall”

Ashton’s eyes widened as he immediately let go of her “Shit! right, sorry! I promise I’m not a creep or anything! I just-”

The girl laughed again and put her hand on his shoulder, making Ashton stop his rambling at once.

“You’re fine, don’t worry about it” She smiled “Well, I got to go… see you around then?”

“Ye- yeah! See you…”

Ashton stepped back so that she could leave the coffee shop, she thanked him once more and waved goodbye as she turned the corner. Ashton stood there with a smile, waving back until she was completely out of sight.

“Well, that was painful to watch,” Michael said next to him, making him jump for he had forgotten his friend was still there “Anyway, the line is too long so we might have to go to the other one down the street if you don’t mind. Also, could you text Calum to see what donut he wants? My phone died”

Ashton rolled his eyes, taking his phone out “He’s getting the cinnamon one, he always gets the cinna-”

And there, just under his coat and under his shirt he could see something that wasn’t there before: a small black line barely making it out under the amount of fabric.

Immediately, Ashton pushed back his sleeves and gasped. There it was, a beautiful butterfly taking flight in the middle of his wrist. His soulmate mark.

“Holy fuck!” The two men exclaimed before Ashton turned around and ran in the direction the girl went.

He looked around the sea of people, trying to catch a glimpse of her. She couldn’t have gone far? Unless she had a car or took an Uber… No, she must live nearby, or at least he hoped she would. He just had to find her before it was too late! He had to at least know her name!

But she was nowhere to be found. Not in the streets or at the stores. And if Ashton wasn’t feeling down before, he sure as hell was now. Still, he knew he would see her again. So, he walked back to the coffee shop, defeated and with no motivation… until something on the floor caught his eye.

“Hey, you’re back! Have you found her?” Michael asked when he saw his friend come back.

“Nope,” Ashton sighed “But I got this!” In his hand, he held a beanie, but not just any beanie, it was the beanie she was wearing. Now, he was smiling “It must’ve flown away because of the wind!”

“Great! Now how are you going to give it to her?”

Ashton opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it when he realized he hadn’t had the foggiest idea.

“Maybe she’ll be back for it? I can wait for her here, I’ll just ask Calum to bring me my laptop so I can continue working… if that’s okay with you”

Michael shrugged “Fine by me! It’s your soulmate. But are you sure you’re going to wait for her to come back?”

“Yeah, I mean it’s a coffee shop. How hard can it be?”

Answer: Very.

The first day was easy. Calum and Luke practically sprinted toward the coffee shop once Ashton told them what happened and were very invested in the details. Michael had to go back to the office but allowed the boys to stay there and meet Ashton’s soulmate once she came back.

The problem is she didn’t come back that day.

Or the day after that.

Or the day after that one.

Ashton has taken it upon himself to bring his laptop every day and work from the coffee shop - a perk of having the boss as a best friend, one could say. He was there at 8 am when they opened and stayed till past 9 pm when they closed, and only then did he go home after the manager calmly explained to him that if he’d stay there any longer, he’d have to call the police. Always with the beanie next to him in case she were to appear.

At lunchtime he’d be joined by the guys, always offering the same sad smile and a shake of his head when they arrive to confirm that his soulmate has not come back yet.

“It’s been three days, Ash,” Calum says “Are you sure that’s her beanie?”

“I’m sure,” Ashton answered tiredly, playing with the piece of fabric with his hands. “Caitlyn says she comes around often, but not every day. So I’m sure it’s just a matter of time now”

“Who’s Caitlyn?”

“The second shift barista, she’s the one that bakes the cupcakes”

“Are you familiar with everyone in the shop?” Luke asked, Ashton, chuckled.

“Mostly, yeah! The first shift barista is Alan, he’s studying design so I might’ve found us a new intern by the end of the year. Lucy is the head baker, but she has Caitlyn and Jossie to help her during the day. The manager’s name is Greg and he’s always helping and doesn’t charge me for water refills”

“You’re spending half your salary in this shop every day so you’re not kicked out, they better not charge you for freaking water!” Michael commented under his breath.

“And the regulars. I don’t know their names but they are here every day around the same time” Ashton shrugged “I could be waiting in worse places, to be honest”

“As long as you’re sure…”

“Calum, I’ve waited all my life to meet my soulmate, what’s a day more? or a month? or a year?” He smiled “I finally know she’s out there somewhere, and she could come back any day now. I’ve lost her once and I’m not about to do it again”

And so he waited. And waited. And waited…

Every day he’d come back and fuel his caffeine addiction. On Saturday he decided to bring a book that he managed to finish. Jossie also offered him to try their new carrot cake for free and let him decide if it was good enough to put on the menu. Every once in a while his eyes would drift to the door, hoping to see her there and wondering what he would say once they are face to face again.

Is she thinking of him as well? Hoping to see him around town, maybe? Did she wonder where he could be right now, not knowing that he was waiting right there in the place where they met a few days ago when he discovered the beautiful mark on his wrist?

He thought it was ironic that he got a butterfly for a soulmate mark, knowing they don’t last long in the wild but are a wonderful spectacle to look at from afar. The first moment he got with his soulmate was just a glimpse of what could be, and now he’s hoping, praying even, to get to see it again.

Even on Sunday when the coffee shop was closed, he still went there and sat by the door. This time he convinced Calum to come with him and bring some drinks and snacks as they waited in the cold for hours to no avail. She still didn’t show up and now Cal had a runny nose and a cough.

But he didn’t lose hope. Every day at closing time, Caitlyn and Greg would come to say goodbye, saying how sorry they are that she didn’t show up yet. Ashton just smiled at them.

“She will. I know she will, I can feel it”

However, that feeling started to turn into worry when the one-week mark rolled around. This time his friends were already waiting for him inside the coffee shop, and Ashton knew what it meant.

“For the love of god, not an intervention”

Luke pulled up a cue card “Ashton, you are my friend and I love you very much -”

“Michael, is this your idea?”

“Hey!” Luke protested “At least let me finish before you interrupt me, I have some pretty nice stuff to say about you”

Ashton sighed and shook his head.

“Okay, fine! I get it, and you’re right. I should stop this and just go home and hope that fate will let us meet again”

“Ash-”

“But the thing is I’ve waited for fate to come around. For years I’ve waited to meet her and when I finally do, fate comes around and pushes her away from me! If I can’t trust fate then I’ll create my own. And the only solution for me was to just wait for her and see what happens because if my fate is so cruel to never let me see her again, it won’t be for a lack of trying on my part. You all have your soulmates and your happily ever afters, I just- I just thought that maybe this was the way to mine…”

When he looked back up, he saw the understanding on his friends’ faces.

“Ash, you know this isn’t healthy,” Luke said, taking a step closer and patting him on the back.

“I know,” He replied “But today marks a week, so boss? Is it okay if I stay here today and go back to the office tomorrow?”

Michael rolled his eyes “Of course, buddy. In fact, if she manages to show up today, you’ll have the rest of the week free”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then dinner and drinks on me”

When the guys left, Ashton walked up to the counter and made his regular order for breakfast. Alan smiled at him and gave him a cookie for their one-week anniversary. Ashton smiled and thanked him before going back to his usual spot and opening his laptop to start working. Maybe if he’s distracted by work the day could go faster.

The doors of the coffee shop opened and closed many times during the next few hours, but none of them caught Ashton’s eye for none of them were her. His hope was starting to falter as the morning grew into an early afternoon when the doors of the shop opened again.

“Excuse me?” He heard someone say and he froze in place “I think I might’ve left my beanie here a week ago? I was wondering if-”

Immediately Caitlyn shouted “Oh my god! Ashton!”

If that embarrassment wasn’t enough already, Ashton cringed before looking toward the counter. He didn’t see Caitlyn’s eyes gleaming with joy, or heard Greg’s thunderous claps, or even paid attention to Jossie and Lucy’s heads peeking from the kitchen window. All he could see was his soulmate looking back at him with an incredulous smile and dressed in a stewardess uniform.

Oh.

She made his way back to him at the same time he got up from his chair and met her halfway. The two of them were speechless, to say the least.

“Hi,”

“Hey!”

They both said at the same time and blushed. The girl looked away but Ashton could not stop staring at her, marveling at the sight. She was real, she was real and she was here in front of him!

“I- um… I got this for you” He said, reaching behind him and picking up her beanie from the table “I found it on the street the other day, and - yeah, I thought you might want it back”

The girl could barely hold her smile, carefully taking the beanie out of his hands.

“Thank you,”

“I also wanted to ask if you - well, if you got a -”

The girl laughed as she raised her hand and pulled on the sleeves of her coat, showcasing a perfect replica of Ashton’s butterfly as her soulmate mark. Ashton giggled and showed her his arm, letting the butterflies touch as they found each other again.

“I think we have a lot to talk about,” She said, smiling up at him “Ashton, right?”

“Yes, and you are…?”

“Y/N”

“Beautiful,” He couldn’t help but say, blushing at her smile.

“What a coincidence we find each other here again, huh?”

Ashton was about to answer but Greg beat him to it as he yelled “He’s been waiting here all week!”

If he ever wished for the earth to swallow him whole, now would be the right time for that wish to come true as he glared at Greg with panicked eyes. Y/N, on her part, turned to him with wide eyes and parted lips.

“You-”

“Look, I’m sorry,” Ashton apologized. “I never got your name and when I realized you were, well, my soulmate and then I found your beanie I just- I just thought that maybe I’d see you again when you came around for another hot chocolate?”

“You waited here for me for a whole week? I’ve been working, flying all over the country I never thought - Oh my god, I am the worst, aren’t I?”

“Huh?”

“I knew I should’ve come back the moment I noticed the mark! But I was already late for the airport and, well, I never thought someone could do these kinds of things for me. I’m so, so sorry I made you wait”

“What? no, no, no! Not at all!” Ashton instinctively went to cup her cheek, making her rambling stop in a second “I would’ve waited a hundred more days if it meant I’d get to see you again”

Y/N placed her hand on top of his and sighed “Could I maybe make it up to you over lunch? And we’ll get to know each other better”

Ashton laughed “You took the words right out of my mouth, angel. But…”

“Yeah?”

“Could we have lunch somewhere else? I’m kind of tired of the smell of coffee”

“Of course!” She smiled, grabbing Ashton by the hand and leading him out the door “My car is right there at the corner, would you mind coming with me and waiting five minutes so I can leave my luggage at home before we go?”

Ashton gave a slight tug on her hand and brought her closer.

“No problem. I’m a very patient man”

* * tags: @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @mystic-232 @talksoprettyjjx @theshyspy @hoodhoran @hoodharlow @littledrummeraussie @bubblegum183 @irwin-fletcher-ash @wiiildflowerrr @another-lonely-heart @aabc5sauce @in-superbloom @sadcupofcoffee @personalmuyverypersonal @vtte @as-hs-blog @himbohood @sofiaaraee @irwindoll @weasleytwinscumslut @fairytrice @colourfulcal @nibin0912 @hfkait @savagejane1 @youneedtocalumdown @ashtonsunflower @nicebasscalum @calumspupils @secretsicanthideanymore @alltimesos @wontlastimokwiththat @cncoangelss @whywontyoulovemecami @theimpossiblehologramtree @perriexed @abiancajg @rewmuslupin @icelily13 @bookthingz @lendeluxe

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nicksbestie · 2 years

Note

This might seem specific but could I please request one where the reader Is the opening act for the tour and she goes on tour with them but ends up falling in love with Ashton?

Thank you!!

OPENING ACT

Pairing: ashton irwin xreader

word count: 897

You never thought it would come to this. Never in the world did you ever think that writing shitty songs in your notes app, never to be heard, would lead to opening for a world famous band. And being heavily in love with their drummer, who you thought didn’t reciprocate the feelings.

The rest of the band was hiding smiles behind their hands. Ashton was sitting holding his head in his hands. They’d spent the entire afternoon teasing him about his choice for the opening act this tour. He’d fought tooth and nail to make sure the girl he wanted to open for them was chosen and signed.

“She’s talented!”

“Ashton. Admit it! You think she’s cute.”

“She has a beautiful voice.”

“Were you even listening to it? You zoned out staring at the screen she was on.”

“Ugh! I give up.”

The rest of them gloated. He wouldn’t admit it. But they all knew he had picked you for more than just a good voice and the ability to play an instrument, because every other option had the same things too, but they weren’t picked, were they? Case rested. Something was running through his mind and everyone knew it, including him.

Today was a huge day. You had done online Zoom and Skype meetings to set up everything, especially finding a new manager, but today was the day you were meeting the band in person. Tour starts in 2 weeks, and they were practicing rehearsals and wanted you to join them on one of the venue’s stages nearby so you could get a feel for performing on an actual stage instead of just inside your room in a house or studio. You were more concerned with the fact that you were meeting them in person than the practicing of it. You had two weeks to be completely ready for performance. You had two hours to be ready and try not to lose your shit in front of the band.

Well, you held your shit together for the most part. Key words being “the most part”. Your voice shook at the beginning and clammy palms were a classic staple of nerves and made sure to show their appearance, but you survived. And happened to notice that whenever you glanced around that Ashton quickly diverted his eyes. It was quite the evening.

Two weeks flew by quickly. Tour had started, and it was nothing like you’d even imagined. It was so much better. You had recorded 10 of the songs you’d written in the past years, and put out an album. The band had retweeted and reposted all the posts about it, and people actually knew the songs! It was absolutely surreal having a crowd of thousands singing your songs back at you, smiling, crying, laughing, hugging other people. It was insane to see the light in people’s eyes and the fun they were having. It was also crazy to see that every show, instead of preparing for his own performance, Ashton was seated slightly off stage, a small smile on his face, watching the entire act. Every day you shot him a small smile back.

The boys made fun of him for it of course, but he had long gotten past the stage of denying that he felt anything for you. He knew it was written all over his face. You knew it was written all over yours. But doing anything about it on tour? Absolutely not. It would be highly inappropriate wouldn’t it? The main act being in love with the opener. The media’s definition of a scandal.

However, that being said, you were slightly surprised when you were finishing the final show of the tour, months later, and you were trying to walk off stage when two arms pulled you into an empty space behind the stage once you were out of sight.

“Ashton?”

“No, it’s the tour manager. Of course it’s me.”

“Okay. In the nicest way, what the hell are you doing pulling me back here with no warning? I thought I was being kidnapped for a second!”

He let out a small laugh, dimples showing.

“If I kiss you, will that stop your rambling and questions?”

“What?? If you- what?”

He shrugged.

“You look at me the same way I look at you. And I’ve been waiting six months to get off this damn tour so I could finally act on it. So, if I’ve severely mistaken, feel free to run away, yell, slap me across the face if you want. But if I’m not, then fucking kiss me already because I’ve barely been able to focus on my drums knowing you’re standing right off stage watching.”

If you hadn’t clenched your jaw earlier, it would be on the floor.

“You’re not wrong.”

The smile returned.

“So if I were to…”

He trailed off, both hands placing themselves on the sides of your face.

“...would that be okay?”

It was your turn to smile.

“Absolutely.”

He leaned in, the smile on his face til the second lips met in a searing kiss. Good thing there was a wall behind you and his hands had moved to the bottom of your back, or you might have fallen over. Lasting as long as humanly possible before oxygen was required again, you reluctantly pulled back.

“So. Can I call you mine now?”

You laughed.

“Yes.”

#5sos #5sos x reader #5sos fic #5sos angst #5sos fluff #5sosfam #ashton irwin angst #ashton irwin fluff #ashton irwin x reader #calum hood x reader #calum hood angst #calum hood fluff #michael clifford x reader #michael clifford fluff #michael clifford angst #luke hemmings x reader #luke hemmings angst #luke hemmings fluff #lgbtq authors

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calpalirwin · 1 year

Text

New Beginnings

Summary: Avery Ryan wanted three things from life— love, her career, and to feel like she wasn't ever sacrificing one for the sake of the other. But was that even possible?

Word Count: 4.7k

Part 3

Avery pushed open the door to the bus, her yoga mat tucked under her arm. She was expecting to hear the rustling in the kitchen area of Ashton making breakfast and the smell of coffee dripping into the pot, a routine she’d grown accustomed to during these first few months of touring. A quiet morning spent alone with the man who silenced the butterflies while the world slept on around them. So, when she heard a “So, Avery, who’s your celebrity crush?” she stilled in her tracks.

No… no, no, NO! She knew that interview like the back of her hand, and the thought of Ashton seeing it made her cheeks turn the same color as her hair, and her heart race in her chest. Was it too much to wish for the ground to open and swallow her whole rather than continue to walk towards her doom?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A wave of warmth washed over Avery’s cheeks, and she giggled despite herself. “Oh, that question’s gonna get me in trouble,” Avery giggled again at the interviewer. She didn’t need to look over at Ajani to know that while she was rolling her eyes, Ajani had the same trouble-making grin on her face as their interviewer.

“Oh, c’mon,” the interviewer continued to goat. “The whole world knows that Avery Ryan was off the market before she became a household name. But we’re all human, right? We all got our celebrity crushes, don’t we?”

“Oh, we do,” Avery assured them.

“So?” the interviewer pressed.

“Ashton Irwin.”

Ajani busted into a fit of laughter beside Avery. “Little quick to answer that one, huh, Ace?”

“Oh, shut up!” Avery laughed with Ajani, covering her face with her hands. “Like anyone who says he isn’t at least one of their celebrity crushes is a liar.”

“Facts.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Avery heard a laugh that wasn’t Ashton’s she breathed a sigh of relief. “Morning, Mike,” she greeted, plopping down on the couch next to him. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah, wanted to catch Crystal before her day started. Catch her up on everything.”

“Mhm, a likely story,” Avery teased, tilting her chin at his phone.

He laughed again and clicked his phone shut. “Yeah, I was telling her about your and Ash’s relationship, and how you both seem at a stalemate. And she mentioned the video. Thought I’d give it a watch. You know this interview is four years old? Still true?”

Avery decided to go with honesty. She nodded.

Michael broke out in a grin. “So, do something about it. Make a move.”

Avery scoffed. “Why can’t he make a move?”

“Aren’t you a feminist?”

“Yeah…”

“So, why can’t you make the first move?”

“Because it’s…” her voice trailed off as she fought to find the right words. “It’s a long story,” she decided with a huff.

“Well better get to telling it before Ashton gets up.”

“So, the abridged version is that Drew— my ex— and I grew up together. He moved to LA first. We reconnected when I moved there. We started dating. Moved in together. Planned our lives together. Everything. But once things started taking off with the band, something changed. Like… I dunno, like he saw the band as something I was only going to do short-term. And he couldn’t figure out how the life we wanted with each other could fit with mine and Ajani’s dreams for Lucky Mess. He started picking fights about whether he could trust me out on the road. And then he cheated on me with his high school girlfriend while I was on the road. And there was no moving past that for either of us. I didn’t want to try to make it work after that. And even if I had, he chose her, so it didn’t matter.”

Avery saw Michael’s jaw tighten and she knew he had felt that similar pain in the past. As a musician, she assumed they all had at least one story like that. “Fuck…” he muttered. “And Ash? He knows?”

“He knows the basics. That Drew and I dated. That we broke up. And that Drew is now engaged to the girl he left me for.”

Michael whistled low. “That’s fucked.”

“Yeah. But Ash doesn’t know that we broke up because Drew cheated. And it’s not even that I’m still hung up on Drew. But the engagement happened literally the day we all started working together, so it’s like a new pain if that makes any sense.”

“No, yeah, that makes sense.”

“Yeah. And then he and his fiancée showed up at the beginning of the tour. And… I know in my head that Drew and Ash are not the same person. I know that I can trust Ash. But…” her voice trailed off.

“It’s a risk,” Michael said knowingly. “A risk that you got a fresh reminder of. But take it from someone who’s known Ash a long time. He’s going to put in the energy he wants returned. He won’t give ultimatums because he doesn’t want to get ultimatums. He won’t make his partner compromise on their dreams for his benefit because he doesn’t want to have to compromise on his dreams for theirs. Plus, he’s totally smitten with you.”

Avery smiled and rested her head affectionately on his shoulder for a minute.

“And how do you know all this stuff?”

“You think it was a typo you got to that pool party 2 hours ahead of everyone else?” His green eyes danced with mischief and trouble.

“That was you?!”

Michael laughed. “It was Cal, actually.”

“You’re much more observant than you let on, Mike. Should I be worried?”

“Nah. I only use my power for good. Pinky swear.”

They were still laughing when Ashton finally stumbled sleepily from the bunks. His shirt rode up as he raised his arms above his head in a stretch, his mouth dropping open in a yawn. Michael’s thumb swiped at the corner of Avery’s mouth. “Stop drooling,” he whispered low so Ashton couldn’t hear, winking as he did so.

She slapped his arm playfully, laughing loudly. “Can you blame a girl?”

“Oh, just make a move. Speaking of moves, wanna play chess? Playing against Luke gets old.”

“Love to,” she chirped.

Ashton watched as Michael pushed himself off the couch and started searching for something. “Videogames already Mike?”

“Nah, were playing chess,” Avery answered.

“Aw, I lost my morning buddy?” Ashton fake pouted.

“Seems like it,” Avery laughed.

“Sorry, mate,” Michael shrugged, his green eyes surprisingly apologetic.

“Nah, no worries. Might get breakfast made quicker without having to help the tiny one reach the plates and cups every two seconds,” Ashton teased, winking at the woman who rolled her eyes and scoffed. He laughed as he got breakfast going, and they set up their game.

“How’s it going?” he asked a little while later, sitting down beside Avery.

Her eyebrows were pulled together, her tongue poking out slightly in the corner of her mouth. “Good,” she said as Michael slowly moved a piece.

“Where’s mine?” Michael asked, looking at the two coffee cups and a large plate of food Ashton placed on the coffee table.

“Bread’s in the cupboard, eggs are in the pan,” Ashton told him while Avery took a bite from one of the pieces of toast, smiling at Ashton in thanks.

Michael rolled his eyes. “Your move,” he told Avery as he got up, muttering under his breath something vaguely that sounded like “And I don’t mean chess.”

If she heard Michael’s less than subtle second statement, she gave no indication. Instead, she wiped the crumbs from her mouth before reaching for her mug to take a sip, studying the board methodically. “Check,” she said, moving a piece and taking another bite of toast.

“Check?!” Michael asked bewildered, leaving his plate on the counter, and rushing back over to look at their game. He quickly moved his king out of harm’s way. “Uncheck!” he said, sticking his tongue out at her before going back to make his food.

“Actually, it’s checkmate,” she replied, moving to block his king in so he couldn’t move it. She leaned back against the couch, her side pressing into Ashton’s. He draped his arm over her shoulders and returned the smile she tossed his way. Ashton swallowed the urge to kiss the side of her temple, not wanting to ruin the soft moment they were creating.

This time Michael didn’t come running back. He just kept making his plate, shaking his head the whole while. “Rematch?”

“You’re on,” she grinned, quickly leaning forward to reset the board. Michael kept shaking his head, but this time Ashton didn’t think it had to do with him losing at chess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s a great crowd out there,” Avery grinned at Ashton as she came off stage.

“You say that every time,” he told her as they stepped off to the side. Her hand found his heart, and his found hers, feeling it pound wildly with adrenaline.

“That’s cuz it’s true every time. Best fans in the world.”

“Every artist says that, too.”

“Again, that’s because it’s true. It’s fuckin incredible to be able to create something that people can relate to, and that they love it enough to want to relate to it.”

“Well, you’re pretty easy to love.”

Her cheeks flushed and her eyes widened.

“Your work,” Ashton rushed, scratching nervously at the back of his neck. He couldn’t believe he just blurted it out like that… “Your work is easy to love. The way your mind works is beautiful to witness.”

Her cheeks flushed more, and she ducked her head. “Thanks,” she mumbled. “You’re pretty great yourself.”

They lapsed into silence, her heartbeat slowing to match the pace of his, the thoughts they wanted to voice trapped in their throats, eyes searching for understanding in the other. Out of all the tour rituals Ashton had, his rituals with Avery had become his favorite. There was a palpable ache in him to know that tour would end far too quickly for his liking. That one morning very soon he was going to have his morning coffee and not have her giggling at him from across the table. That these moments of finding stillness in each other’s beating hearts, reminding them that they were very much alive were limited. At first Ashton thought that he didn’t want to give it up because it was a hard transition going from the chaotic sound of touring to the deafening silence of being home. But the more moments he shared with Avery, the more he realized it was her that he didn’t want to give up.

Avery didn’t want to give Ashton up either. Ever since the second show, her attention had continued to drift to be centered on Ashton. She could only hope that her trust wasn’t being misplaced; that she wasn’t someone misreading all the signs. But in the middle of the doubt, there was reassurance. Reassurance, and the much-needed comfort that came from the predictability of her routine with him. And she appreciated his patience as she grappled with her lingering hesitation more than she would ever be able to properly express aloud. But maybe everyone was right. Maybe it was time to make a move. A clear, no-room-for-misinterpretation move.

When the stagehand came up to give Ashton a minute warning, Avery and him reluctantly stepped apart, their hands dropping to their sides. “Don’t forget to put your contacts back in after your shower,” he reminded her.

“Thanks,” she smiled softly. “Hey, Ash?” she asked as he started to turn away, her fingers wrapping around his wrist.

“Yeah?” he asked, turning back around. The hand on his wrist tugged Ashton downwards, while her other hand snaked around his neck. She stretched up on her toes and Ashton didn’t hesitate to meet her halfway. With one arm wrapping instinctively around her back, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, before cupping her face gently as their lips met. Electricity surged through him as the kiss went from tender and timid to hungry and passionate. And damn it all to hell, as quickly as they started, they had to stop.

“Break a leg, rockstar,” she breathed.

Ashton’s cheeks were already sore by the time he got behind his drum kit, every part of his body tingling. Whatever buzz he got from playing was nothing compared to the high of kissing her and the way she managed to be both completely in control while surrendering herself to him in the same breath. It was the confidence of a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to give in to those wants. And fuck if feeling wanted wasn’t one of the best feelings in the world.

I’ve got the best friends in this place,

And I’m holding on!

“Thank you! We’re 5SOS!” Luke shouted into the microphone.

“And we’re Lucky Mess! Good night. Houston!” Ajani finished.

They all took a bow and as they walked off, Ashton wrapped an arm around Avery, pulling her into him and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “You killed it, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear.

“Couldn’t have done it without you, rockstar,” she beamed up at him. And he knew she meant the song, but he also knew she meant more than that. And Ashton couldn’t help himself. He spun her into him, both of his hands cupping either side of her face and kissed her the way they would have kissed each other earlier if they had more time. They giggled against each other’s lips as their friends whistled and whooped their encouragement. One of her hands left Ashton’s hair to bat them out of their way as they made a beeline for the bunks, collapsing onto the covers and into each other. There was no way in hell they were giving each other up now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was no need to voice what Ashton and Avery became to each other after that night. It felt good to just know where the other stood without having to say a single word. To know that they could just be two people finding a stillness in the other in the form of warm coffee mugs, stolen kisses, hearts beating in time, and nights spent tangled up in each other.

“Seems like things are going pretty well with you and Ash,” Calum spoke up as they all hung around the bus on one of their nights off, not looking up from his phone. Ajani was next to him doing Luke’s makeup while Michael and Avery played chess at the kitchen table.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Avery answered, not bothering to look over at the man.

“Good, cuz the whole world knows. Someone posted that little smooch he gave you last week at our Houston show,” Calum explained.

“Oh?” Avery asked while Ajani snatched Calum’s phone from him with a “Gimme that!”

“Rank?” Avery asked her.

“Off the charts. It’s really good.”

“And what are people saying?”

“Good things,” Ashton’s voice told her before pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Oh, look at you all dressed up,” Avery told him grinning. His hair was damp from a quick shower, a short-sleeved pink button-up unbuttoned to a dangerously low level, and black dress pants. “Got a hot date?”

“Yes?” he asked in a hopeful tone, the green and gold dancing in his eyes.

Avery laughed. “Alright. Let me go grab my things.”

“What about our game?” Michael asked, crossing his arms.

“Hmm…” Avert looked at the chessboard, her tongue clicking in her cheek. “Checkmate,” she shrugged, moving one of her pieces and ending the game.

Michael’s green eyes blinked once before going wide. “How?! How do you always win?! Luke, stop getting pampered and come play with me!”

Avery laughed more as she got up from her seat and grabbed Ashton’s hand in hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This is actually really nice,” Avery told Ashton as they walked around downtown. “To do something we’d be able to do if we were home.”

“Complete with slack-jawed strangers,” Ashton joked, jerking his chin at the people whispering and pointing as the two of them walked by.

Avery laughed, pushing his shoulder. “Oh, be nice. At least no one’s alerted the press yet. Did you ladies want a picture?” Avery asked, turning around to the group of about five or so young women. They’d been following the pair for about the last block or so, trailing about fifty feet behind, giggling as they tried to gather the courage to speak up.

“Oh, my God, could we?!” one of them asked, while the others dug around for their phones.

“Yeah, of course.” Avery waved them over.

“So, are you guys like dating?” another one of them asked nervously as they started taking pictures.

“Yeah,” both Ashton and Avery answered, smiling at each other.

They continued to make small talk as pictures were taken. Then the group of women thanked the couple for their time and wished them well with the rest of tour.

“So, dating, huh?” Avery teased as they started walking again.

“You said it too,” he reminded with a giggle.

“Well, it’s the truth, right?”

“Course it’s the truth.”

“And it’ll still be the truth when we get back home, and all this goes away?” Avery asked, biting into her lower lip. She was realizing now that she hadn’t wanted to have the conversation of labeling what they were not because she was secure in what they had, but because she wasn’t. She didn’t want to hear the truth if the truth was that this meant more to her than him.

“Hey, look at me,” he said, stopping and spinning their bodies so they faced each other.

Avery held her breath as he leaned down and she stretched up on her toes to help him close the distance. His lips found hers, then her cheek where he licked a long stripe up the side of her face. “Ashton!” Avery squealed. “The fuck did you lick me for, you fuckin weirdo?!”

“There!” he grinned in triumph. “I licked you, so you’re mine now.”

“I am my own person, thank you very much, sir,” she grumbled, wiping at her face.

He giggled, “But?”

Avery grabbed his hand and sloppily licked the top of it. “But, if we’re marking things as ours, you’re mine, too.”

They were still giggling when they started to walk back up to the venue, finding paparazzi milling around. “You good?” he checked, pulling Avery closer to him.

“Are you?” she countered playfully. “Ash, it’s just some people with cameras. I’m used to this, or did you forget that your girlfriend also happens to be a talented musician?”

“I could never forget that.”

“Ashton! Avery!” they called out as the drummers got closer, cameras flashing. “Where’s everybody else?”

“Probably having a quiet night in,” Avery shrugged.

“And where are you guys coming from?”

“Just getting back from our date,” Ashton told them.

“Date?! Are you guys dating now?!”

“Yep,” they both answered. “Enjoy your night, guys.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Between the kiss at the Houston show, and the run-in with both fans and the paparazzi a week later, the news of Ashton and Avery dating spread like wildfire. So, when Avery's phone rang a few weeks later with a number she recognized despite deleting, she was slightly taken aback but not completely shocked.

Avery knew she should decline the call, but she hit accept. “Hello?”

“Hey, Av. You got a minute to talk?”

“I answered the phone, didn’t I?”

Drew let out an exasperated sigh. “Can you set aside the anger long enough to listen to what I have to say?”

“What’s left to say?”

“A lot, actually. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since LA. Seeing you again… I just miss you. I miss watching you in your element. I miss… everything. Everything about what we were. What we had. And I know I’m the one who fucked everything up. I made my peace with that a long time ago. But I want to try and stop myself from making another mistake. So, I broke up with Madison. Because I realized I didn’t want to give her the life I wanted to have with you. And… I guess I’m saying that life is still yours if you want it.”

“You are… unbelievable. You had years to realize this. Years to have this conversation with me. So, the fact that you’re having it now that you see me finally moving on—"

“I know,” he cut her off. “If I’m the villain in your story… That’s on me.”

She sighed. “You’re not the villain in my story. We just weren’t meant to be, and I finally learned why.”

“I really am sorry for how our story played out. And I wish you nothing but the best. I hope you can at least believe that much.”

“Thank you. And for what it’s worth, you’re not giving Madison my life by being with her. So go rectify that mistake while there’s still time. Bye Drew.”

“Bye Av.”

The line went dead, and Avery wiped at her face in irritation, letting out a small scream as she did so.

“You good?” Michael asked. With everybody off doing their post sound-check/pre-show routines, Avery had almost forgotten Michael was seated a few feet away from her playing on his Switch.

“Life would be a lot easier if you could just hate some people, you know?”

Michael laughed and set the game aside. “Yeah, but then you wouldn’t be you. So, he saw the pictures of you and Ash and finally realized he lost you for good, huh?”

“I swear do you guys just operate from the same script?” Avery asked as she moved to plop down beside him on the couch. She was grateful it was Michael instead of Ajani who had overheard the phone conversation with Drew. As much as Avery loved her best friend, she didn’t need a reminder that she was stupid for wasting any amount of energy mourning the man who had single-handedly blown up any future they might have shared.

“Yeah, we get this nifty little instruction booklet once we hit puberty. The ‘call her up and beg for a second chance once she’s moved on’ is right between ‘break her heart because you’re intimidated by her success’ and ‘what to do when she gives you a taste of your own medicine.’”

Avery laughed, then sighed. “Is it bad that I don’t hate him? I mean I hate what he did. But I don’t think that makes him a bad person. A bad ending doesn’t mean it was a bad story, you know?”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. I think breakups get a bad rep. That they’re these pressure cookers of angst. That the only way to ever get over it is to learn to hate them. But I think that’s a bunch of crap. Like some relationships don’t work. Doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the good anyway.”

“Sometimes I still think it’d be better if I could hate him, though. So, I don’t feel like this…”

Michael furrowed an eyebrow. “Uh-oh… can I not be your friend anymore because you’re about to break Ash’s heart? Man, I really liked having another only child friend to hang out with, too.”

“What? No!” Avery laughed. “God, no. I love Ash.”

“You do?!”

Avery blushed. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Have you told him?”

“I don’t know how. Plus, I’m scared. What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

Michael snorted. “For one thing, I doubt that. Ash is completely head over heels for you, trust me. And for another, aren’t you a musician?”

“Yeah?”

“So, we got a whole stage full of instruments to help you tell him. Or I can distract you by being really bad at chess while you work up the nerve.”

Avery laughed again. “You’re actually a pretty decent chess player. You’ve just been playing against a really bad one for years, but don’t tell Luke I said that.”

Michael laughed with Avery. “Alright. Should I set up the board then?”

“Think I’m gonna give that talking through music thing a try first,” Avery told him, standing up and patting his leg. “But set it up anyway and we’ll try to squeeze in a game before we go on?”

“Deal. And hey, Avery?”

“Yeah?”

“I know putting your faith in someone new is hard. Especially after what you’ve been through. But don’t let that fear make you push Ash away. I don’t want to have to pretend to not like you.”

“You’re a good friend, Mike.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton’s heart was racing in his chest as he caught his breath at the top of the stadium stairs. Fuck, this shit was steep. He used his arm to wipe the sweat off his face and when he turned to jog back down, he saw Avery making her way across the top of the stage.

Ashton frowned. Normally at this time she was tucked away on the bus, reading her way through the thick completed collection of Sherlock Holmes.

Ashton could see her pick up a guitar and start playing, but he couldn’t make out what it was as he started to jog back down the stairs.

I think that I’m all-in.

You’re perfect.

God, I need you.

Just say you need me too.

Her voice rang out. Why did she sound like someone just broke her heart? Ashton jogged faster down the stairs, jumping the last three at the bottom, his sneakers slamming into the concrete floor.

And I want you every night, to wrap my arms around you.

Say it a thousand times.

Come closer, oh come closer.

Maybe it’s a little too much. Whoa.

The more she sang, the less he recognized. Curious, and a little worried at the sudden burst of inspiration, he stopped, waiting for her to finish and notice him.

I don’t wanna fuck this up. Whoa.

I don’t wanna say too much. Whoa.

But I think, I think, I think.

I think I’m in love.

“Hey,” he said, smiled up at her. “Is that true?”

“Hey.” She returned the smile soft and a little sad.

“Is that true?” he repeated, nodding at her guitar. “What you were just singing?”

Her lips quivered as she nodded, a tear sliding down her face. She sniffed, quickly wiping the tear away. “Yeah.”

“Oh, sweetheart…” Ashton braced his hands against the stage floor, hoisting himself up. “Why are you saying that like it’s a bad thing?” He kept his voice soft as he moved to stand by her.

“Because… Drew…” Her voice shook, the doubt taking over.

“What about Drew?”

“He cheated. That’s how our relationship ended. And I’ve spent the past two and a half years trying to figure out how to get past that. And then with you… Everything has been effortless. So different from everything I’ve experienced before. In the best of ways. So, when it came to letting myself love you… I’m powerless to stop it. It’s like loving you was something I was always destined to do. And that terrifies me. It terrifies me how easy it is for me to love you. Because if you don’t feel the same… The only thing I ask of you is that when you break my heart, you do it nicely.”

“That’s not fair,” he chuckled softly.

“What’s not fair?”

“You don’t get the first kiss and the first I love you.”

“You love me?” Her voice came out small.

Ashton wrapped his arms around Avery, pulling her into him, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Of course, I love you,” he murmured, resting his forehead against hers, seeing the swirling shades of green in her eyes that have transformed his life every day for the last eight months. “And I’m scared, too. I don’t ever want to fuck up what I have with you. Because you… Avery, you are worth everything I’ve been through. All of it, the good and the bad. And I want to keep facing everything with you, even if it’s scary. Because you’re my new beginning.”

Avery giggled, nudging her nose affectionately against Ashton’s. “That might be the cheesiest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Ashton kissed her sweetly. “It doesn’t make it any less true. I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too, rockstar.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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