#and cal also gave me so much help and support through the whole thing everyone say thank u caaaaaaaaal

[mushiewrites]

Handsy Hyperfixation

so.....to give an idea of what this monster of a fic is, @awkwardtickleetoo wanted me to name this "Mushie's Self Indulgent Hand Fic", and in my google docs this is labeled "passing out throwing up"...so yeah. this was made back in december and i randomly wrote out 4k words one morning in a frenzy after a picture of dream's hands and thinking about how big they are...and now here we are, over 3k additional words later. it is honestly the most flustering thing I've written yet (to me), cal and i have had trouble even reading through it before it was finished... so yep. here it is! the mega self indulgent hand fic. i hope u all enjoy 😵‍💫

dream catches george starring at his hands from across the room, so he decides to give george a closer look at how much bigger they are than his, and what they're actually capable of

(lee!George / ler!Dream : 7.2k words 🫠)

Four. That’s how many times Dream had counted that George was staring at him. Although, he couldn’t tell if it really counted as staring at him; the brunette was clearly focused on his hands. He had noticed for a while now, even before today, that he would catch George staring at them whenever he would do anything with his hands. At first he figured George would be just watching whatever he’d be doing, but after a while he caught on; it was actually just his hands.

Now, Dream had a theory about why. George was so much smaller than him, and the elder loved to point it out; even more so now that they lived together. In the first two days that George was in Florida he had somehow managed to wrangle up four of Dream’s hoodies, two T-Shirts and a pair of OU sweatpants that he had no idea how George would ever be able to wear them. 

George had pointed out multiple times how much bigger Dream’s hands are, how they completely engulf his fist and some of his wrist. The blonde would let him take his hand and compare it with his own, still commenting on how much larger they were. Dream didn’t think it was weird in the slightest, but he noticed that the more time that passed, the more and more he caught George staring. It had been the fourth time in the last hour, with the older boy thinking he was going unnoticed.  Though in reality, Dream was sure he’d feel his stare from a mile away. 

“Are you really staring at them again?” Dream watched as the sudden question made George jump, wide eyes staring back at him with his cheeks turning a dusty pink as the realization hit that he’d been caught. The younger boy giggled at the way George’s jaw had slightly dropped and how quickly he had closed it with a nervous gulp.

“Staring at what, idiot? I’m not staring at anything!” George spat out after a very tense few seconds while he wracked his brain for things to say. Dream giggled at his sorry excuse of an answer and held up his hands, wiggling his fingers slightly. A smirk formed on his face as he watched George’s cheeks go from pink to red at the action, causing the older boy to break eye contact and look anywhere but at him. 

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, George,” the smaller boy shuddered at the accusation, looking up briefly when he saw Dream stand up from the couch and walk over to where he was on the other end. “My hands, idiot.” 

“What about your stupid hands?” George bit back, clearly flustered at the prospect of having to admit the truth. Dream’s smirk grew even more as he reached his destination, his knees knocking into George’s as he looked down at him. 

“You were staring. Don’t deny it, I caught you red handed George.” Dream was quick to shut George down when he saw his mouth open to protest, making sure he knew that Dream knew his little secret. 

“Y-You’re an actual idiot. You’re the idiot! Why would I be looking at your stupid- HEHEHEY!” George was cut off mid-argument when he felt two squeezes on his sides, making him fall back further into the couch cushions. 

He brought his legs up to his chest out of habit to protect himself, but he quickly realized he had set himself up as Dream squeezed at the back of his thighs, making him scream out and kick his feet up. This only encouraged Dream to grab one of the flailing ankles, gripping it tightly as he scribbled his nails quickly up and down George’s foot. The older boy squealed and fell to his side, giving Dream the opportunity to grab the other ankle and yank them down so his legs were flat against the couch cushions. Once he forcefully maneuvered the smaller boy to lay on his back, Dream straddled his waist, successfully trapping him. 

George was frantically kicking his feet against the couch, trying to dig his heel into it to gain leverage to buck Dream off but finding it harder than he thought it would be. He pushed himself up onto his elbows to try and fully sit up, hoping maybe there was a chance he could get Dream quick enough to make him crumble, but was immediately pushed back down by one of Dream’s hands against his chest. George let out a desperate whine, pushing at Dream’s knees as a last resort to try and loosen the grip they had around his waist but finding it impossible to move him. He was truly fucked. 

“Am I the idiot? I’d say an idiot is more like someone in your situation right now, Georgie.” Dream chuckled as he grabbed George’s sides once more to make him buck his hips up with a yelp. The blonde noticed that George still wasn’t looking at him, and Dream could tell he was almost too flustered to function. 

“Sh-Shuhut uhup!” George replied through his giggles. He did his best to sound intimidating, but he knew it was impossible with all his squeaks and noises. He threw his head back against the couch cushions with a cackle as Dream moved his hands up to his ribcage, squirming as the tickly feeling spread throughout his ribs. 

“Look at that, George! My hands basically cover your entire rib cage,” Dream fanned his fingers out as far as they’d go, smiling down at George as he confirmed they did in fact reach from the top of his ribs to the bottom, even a little on the boy's sides as well. “You’re just so tiny, I guess it makes sense.” 

George felt as if his head would pop at any second, his mind so floaty he felt like an overly filled balloon. He couldn’t do anything but laugh and watch as Dream’s fingers covered the expanse of his upper torso. He squeezed his eyes closed after a few seconds and brought his hands up to hide behind them, too flustered to continue seeing himself getting tickled to pieces.

But Dream was right; George WAS staring at his hands. It started a few months ago when they had been arguing over something, George stealing the remote or Dream’s phone. He was fast but Dream was strong, and so when he finally caught up to the smaller boy, Dream had gripped his wrist to stop him from getting away. The way one of Dream’s hands had completely wrapped around both of George’s wrists had him feeling faint. He swore he was genuinely dizzy when he realized how much bigger Dream actually was than him. 

“I have an idea!” George flinched as Dream broke the silence once more, cracking one eye open to see the bright smile above him. He noticed movement below his vision and leaned his head up slightly, eyes widening in horror as Dream pressed the heel of his hand into his lower tummy, moving it teasingly to make the older boy squeak out a giggle. He placed the rest of his hand down on George’s tummy, spreading his fingers out and pressing the tips of them into the soft skin below. 

“Why don’t we see how many spots I can reach with just one hand?” 

The second George’s mind registered what Dream suggested he froze, staring up into bright green eyes with a tiny nervous giggle slipping out. It was like his brain short circuited - he couldn’t find the words to protest; he couldn’t form words to describe how much that idea had flustered him. 

When he finally had the ability to move his body again he immediately pushed up, trying to launch himself forward to knock Dream off of him to escape. It turns out that Dream had anticipated this and pressed down on George’s stomach, keeping the smaller boy in place. George let out a whine, kicking his legs in a mix of frustration and excitement when he realized he truly was stuck beneath Dream’s hand on his tummy. 

“P-Please Dream! Don’t!” He managed to keep his giggles down as he felt Dream pulse his fingers against his skin once, using just enough pressure for it to tickle but not for it to be unbearable. George knew it was on purpose; if Dream wanted it to really tickle, it would’ve tickled like hell. 

“Why not, George? You seemed to be so interested in my hands before, I figured you’d like a closer look! And I’m even showing you them in action! Aren’t I nice?” As Dream spoke he began to do the jellyfish technique of dragging his fingertips together in the center of his tummy before fanning them back out, taking George by surprise and causing him to squeal. He fell into high pitched giggles as Dream continued to slowly and gently drag his fingertips in and out, following the jumpy tummy even as it squirmed away. 

Even though George wanted to return a snarky comment Dream’s way, he was unable to with how hard he was laughing. Dream had managed to position his ring finger over his ribs, digging right into the muscle between the bones. Once Dream realized this was a more sensitive spot for George, he used more pressure, giggling quietly himself as the boy beneath him practically convulsed with ticklish energy. 

“I said, aren’t I nice?” With that, Dream pressed into his lower ribs on the other side of George with his thumb, watching as the brunettes struggling became more frantic. 

“Y-YEHEHES YES! PLEHEASE NOHOHO! I’M SORRY DREHEHEAM!” Dream chuckled at his friend's reaction, shaking his head slightly as he continued to wiggle his fingertip’s into the quivering tummy. He leaned forward, using his free hand to press down slightly on George’s shoulder to keep him in place. 

“I’m sorry George, but it’s a little too late for apologies now.” Dream let out an overexaggerated sigh, playing up the disappointment before suddenly digging his fingers into George’s tummy, vibrating his hand as well. George let out a shriek, kicking and thrashing and grabbing at Dream’s hand to try and pull it off his stomach.

But Dream was having none of this. He easily scooped up George’s wrists in one hand, pressing them against his chest to keep them out of the way. Dream placed his hand back down onto George’s tummy, his fingertips almost reaching where he was keeping the older boy’s hands hostage. He wasted no time in digging back in, vibrating a little quicker to punish George for interrupting him in the first place. 

“PLEHEASE D-DREHEAM I CAHAN’T- I CAHAHAN’T BREHEATHE!” The brunette shrieked between his cackles, squeezing his eyes even tighter as he pulled at his hands to try and break free from Dream’s grip. Just as he had suspected, nothing worked. 

“You’re speaking George, that means you’re breathing. You’re just dramatic.” Dream replied nonchalantly, still slowing down to make sure George was okay. The smaller boy was taking in gulps of air between his laughter, Dream still digging in slightly but not as intense as before. He slowly allowed his fingers to come to a stop, staying in place against the warm skin. 

“O-Ohoho my gosh. W-Why?” he panted out, opening his eyes again just to give Dream his best puppy dog eyes in the hopes that he would take mercy on him and leave him (and the subject matter) alone. 

“Because, I’m just giving you what you want, Georgie,” Dream began, letting go of the boy’s wrists but grabbing one of his hands to lightly drag his thumb over the back of it to help comfort him. “We both know you were thinking about how much my hands tickle. And we both know it tickles so much because you’re so small, and my hands are so big that they cover most of your spots at one time.” 

The comment made George’s cheeks heat up, feeling as if tiny fireworks were bursting out of the freckles on his skin. He brought his free hand up to slap it over his face, hiding as much of himself as he could to try and relieve some of the embarrassment. A long whine made its way up his throat and passed through his lips without his permission, making him squirm even more due to how flustering the situation was. 

Dream barked out a laugh at that, letting George continue to hide himself as he turned his attention back to his hand on the tummy between his thighs. He pressed his fingertips against George’s stomach a few times, earning a squeak and a kick from him as well as a few stray giggles. 

“Let’s just see what spots I can reach, shall we?” The blonde didn’t wait for George to answer, instead stilling all of his fingers except his thumb that was pressing repeatedly into the lower ribs and upper side on the left of George’s body. Dream watched as he threw his body to the right, attempting to escape from the pokes and prods that were sending tiny sparks of ticklish bolts throughout his left side. 

“See, this is a good spot that my thumb is resting against,” Dream pressed in a little quicker with his thumb on George’s lower ribs to emphasize which spot he was talking about. “It lets me get your extremely ticklish bottom ribs, and it lets me press into your extremely ticklish sides! Sounds extremely ticklish, huh George?” 

Too busy laughing, George was only able to nod his head in agreement, causing Dream to coo at him and apply more pressure. This caused George’s legs to start kicking against the couch cushions again, this time a little more sporadic due to the tickly sensations that were shooting into his side and down his leg. Dream began to rub circles into the bottom two ribs, making George buck up with a screech before he reached down to pull at Dream’s hand once again. 

“Ah ah ah, no blocking me! You know what that means.” George’s eyes snapped open, flinging his hand away from his face and silently pleading up at Dream while shaking his head back and forth frantically. 

“I-I’m sohohorry! I promise I wohon’t dohoho it again!” The smaller boy tried his hardest to make sure Dream knew he was serious, but it seemed he didn’t care in the slightest whether George was actually sorry or not. He shook his head at the boy below him and smirked, grabbing the hand that George had tried to use to stop him and placing it down to his side against the couch. Dream moved his knee over George’s wrist, keeping it in place so that he once again had a free hand. 

“I’m sorry baby, but rules are rules! Now, back to what I was saying,” Dream began to continue, earning a surprised squeak from George as the hand against his tummy sprung back to life, the thumb resuming the light circles along the boy’s very sensitive bottom ribs. “This is just such a good spot. One of my favorites. Never fails to make you laugh, does it?” 

Dream could feel the hand under his knee attempt to wiggle free, so he leaned more of his weight against it, careful not to hurt George but enough that he had absolutely no hope of escaping. The older boy was practically howling at the way Dream was rubbing circles into the bottom rib, thrashing and trying to roll over to cover the spot and dislodge the tickling hand. 

After a few more minutes the circles turned into a palm pressed against that spot, rubbing slightly to help the ghost tickles subside. Dream waited until George’s laughter had calmed down to light giggling before he decided to continue with the task at hand. He pressed his pointer finger into the skin, feeling the inner edge of George’s rib and moving it slightly to press around the spaces between both sides of his ribcage. 

“My pointer finger can reach the middle of your ribs and upper tummy, how does that feel, pretty boy? Hm?” He followed the question with a series of small but powerful pokes, making George kick every time Dream landed one on his ribs. The taunting tone of his voice made it even harder for George to focus on anything but the teases and how badly it tickled. He truly was a flustered mess. 

“I-Ihihit t-tihihickles!” George couldn’t help but bring his free hand back over his face, embarrassed by how squeaky and high pitched he sounded through his giggles. Dream smiled at how adorable the sight was, using his pointer finger to do little swirls with his nail. This made George’s giggles jump even higher in pitch, making him shake his head and pull at his wrist in an attempt to hide himself even further.

“It does, huh? Right here, on your ticklish little ribs?” George whined through his laughter at that, turning his head to the side and throwing his arm over his face to hide how red it was becoming. Dream giggled, continuing to tease him as he tapped a few times on his skin before kneading in a bit. “It tickles right here, George?” 

The older boy could do nothing but nod at Dream’s question, the description he asked so nonchalantly making George’s head spin. He kept his arm over his face even as Dream decided to use a good amount of pressure to knead circles against the bones. George was wailing at this technique that was clearly tickling him silly. Dream couldn’t help but laugh along with him, finding George’s laughter to always be so contagious. He watched the brunette thrash himself from side to side like a squirmy little worm, making that comment out loud to him just to watch the tips of George’s ears turn red as well. 

“Wow, this really is a good spot, isn’t it sweetheart? You’re laughing your little heart out! You’re just a squirmy little ticklish worm, aren’t you?” The blonde cooed, making George squeeze his eyes shut even more. He knew his face was covered but he felt so exposed and so vulnerable under Dream’s hand like this. He couldn’t understand why, but he fucking loved it. 

“Okay, let’s give this sensitive little spot a break. How about we go on to the next spot?” Dream asked, not waiting for an answer as he poked his middle finger against the skin a little below his sternum three times. George jolted upwards, not laughing as hard as the previous spot but still cackling enough to let Dream know that what he was doing was working. 

“D-Dreheheam please! I cahan’t take ihihit!” George whined through his giggles, finally moving his arm away from his face and opening his eyes to plead once again with Dream. The taller boy flashed his white teeth at him through a big smile, shaking his head back at him slowly. 

“I’ve seen you take much worse than this! This is nothing,” Dream explained, as if George wasn’t the one experiencing the tickling. “You’re just a little overly sensitive today, that’s all.”

The elder rolled his eyes at that, earning a quick squeeze to the upper thigh from Dream’s free hand and making him shriek before falling back into bright giggles as the feeling disappeared as quickly as it came. 

“N-Nohohot fair, Dream!” George pouted through his jagged breathing, not appreciating the sudden squeeze to his death spot for simply rolling his eyes.

“Awh,” Dream’s caring smile was shining through for a few seconds before a more devious smirk appeared in its place, a menacing giggle spilling out from the younger boy before he continued his teasing. “Is the poor baby too sensitive? Too ticklish? Too small to defend himself?” 

George pondered the question before he slowly nodded his head, flinging his free arm back over his face to hide the returning blush. He heard Dream giggle above him, sounding much closer than anticipated. A soft breeze to his ear was enough to make him start giggling again as Dream began to whisper into his ear, giving him goosebumps and making him shudder at the tickly vibrations that came with it. George could hear the teasy-ness dripping from Dream’s words as he continued to mess with him.

“That sounds like a you problem, angel.” 

The words sent shivers down George’s spine, feeling how much Dream was loving being able to rip the smaller boy to little ticklish shreds. He knew the exact teases and spots that got to George in the cruelest ways, and Dream was using Every. Single. One. And considering they had only just reached the third finger, George wondered how he’d ever survive this. 

“Okay, now that we’ve established you’re too small, sensitive and flustered to do anything, let’s continue.” The blonde had pressed his lips against George’s ear this time, allowing the vibrations from the low tone of his voice to travel from his ear down his spine. Another chill had him shuddering as Dream pulled back, sitting straight up and readjusting his position to make sure George’s arm wouldn’t break free from below his knee. 

“D-Do wehehe have to continue? Aren’t you….bored? Isn’t there… something else you’d like to behehe doing?” The smaller boy squeaked out, trying but painfully failing to convince Dream that there were better things to do. George moved his arm slightly to watch as the boy above him quirked an eyebrow up in confusion, a dopey grin spreading across his face at George’s pathetic attempt at stopping him. 

Dream let out a low chuckle, the kind that made George want to curl in on himself from how menacing it sounded. He immediately threw his arm back over his face out of embarrassment, but Dream grabbed it with one of his hands and brought it down to join the other hand under one of Dream’s knees. George let out a long whine, shaking his head up with wide eyes. This only made Dream bark out another laugh at the sight. 

“Something else I’d be doing? Like what? Laying on the couch? Napping? Editing?” Dream scrunched his nose at the suggestions, shaking his head slightly as he weighed the options. “Absolutely not. I’d rather be right here, tickling you to bits.” 

“Nohohoho!” George giggled at that, a loud cackle following as Dream slowly dug his fingertips into the older boy's tummy. He wiggled them slightly with enough pressure to keep George laughing, shaking his head himself as he protested Dream’s actions. He tried to wiggle his hips to move the tickly fingers, but he was stuck between the two thighs keeping his arms pinned. It was then he realized how stuck he actually was. Dream watched as the brunette gulped, staring back up at him with a nervous smile. 

“Yehehes!” Dream mocked George, making the smaller boy whine and look to the side, finally breaking eye contact. “What’s wrong Georgie, too ticklish? Can’t handle it?” 

Dream still his fingers, only poking into the skin with his middle finger once more. George shook his head a little faster, squeaking as he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth while he tried to hold his laughter in. But Dream wasn’t having this. He used his middle finger to wiggle it a little to the side, just barely grazing the start of one of George’s rib bones. He nearly bucked Dream off with how hard he threw his body around. 

“Oh, that’s a good spot, huh George?” The brunette heard Dream’s question, but he couldn’t speak even if he had wanted to. “Right here, on your little ribs again? I’d say this is probably your worst spot, wouldn’t you?”

“S-Stohop Dreheheam! P-Plehease!” George pleaded with Dream, again trying his hand at Dream’s famous puppy eyes. However, the younger boy seemed to be immune to this tactic at the current moment, completely focused on pressing his middle finger to the left and right to make sure he was scraping at the tips of his inner ribs. 

“Stop? Okay George, I’ll stop.” The blonde smiled down at him, removing both hands and holding them out in front of him. George let out a sigh of relief, finally able to take a full breath. But this relief was short lived as he watched two hands dart back to his ribs, digging in quickly and vibrating against George’s bones. Dream leaned down again, pressing lips to the boy's bright red ear. “I’ll stop tickling when you stop being so ticklish.” 

George felt goosebumps rise on his skin, something that only happens when he gets extremely flustered. Dream knew this, and he raised his eyebrows with a huge grin, comparable to a little kid on Christmas morning. He paused his tickling, sitting back slightly so he could look at George fully.

“Oh, that got to you, huh? What was it this time? The way I said I was going to stop and didn’t? The way I mentioned how ticklish you were?” Dream watched the boy squirm beneath him as he tried to hide his face in his shoulder. “Or was it both? Tell me kitten, what one is it?”.

The elder just squirmed more under Dream’s intense stare, waiting for an answer from him. George stuttered through his reply, not able to think clearly due to how flustered he was. It came out quieter than he’d meant it to be, barely above a whisper as he answered Dream’s question. 

“Uhm, t-the third option.” 

Dream cooed at that, bringing a hand to his cheek to rub one of his thumbs under George’s eye. He felt as the smaller boy relaxed into the touch, essentially pushing into Dream’s hand and nuzzling his cheek against the skin. This made Dream choke out a squeak, holding in a giggle as George’s stubble tickled the palm of his hand. He had hoped that it’d go unseen but George was smirking at him now, clearly amused with the way he had accidentally tickled the younger boy. 

“Oh be quiet George. We still have two fingers left!” the blonde practically growled at George, causing him to giggle at how serious he looked. Dream leaned down closer to his face, grinning as he continued. “I’m not done playing with my tickle toy, yet.”

The brunette swore the room was spinning, feeling incredibly lightheaded at the new pet name Dream used. George didn’t think it was possible to be more flustered than he already was, but apparently this was a night of discoveries, and he added it to the secret list of things that make him melt into a puddle. 

“Ugh, Dream, you can’t say that.” 

“Why? Because it flusters you? Because it embarrasses you? When are you gonna realize I don’t listen to you? I can say whatever I want. I can do whatever I want.” He chuckled, moving his hands off of his ribs and placing his hand back on George’s stomach, his fingers spread out in the same position as before. George watched as Dream flashed him a bright smile, acting as if he wasn’t currently torturing the absolute hell out of him. “Is that fucking clear?” 

George felt his eyes growing wider and suddenly he was nodding, unable to break eye contact with Dream, as if in a trance. Dream had never spoken to him like this before, at least not this seriously. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was flustered out of his mind or just because it was Dream, but one thing was for sure - he found himself wanting to listen to him. He wanted to do what Dream asked of him. He wanted to make Dream proud. 

“Good boy, Georgie.” Dream knows exactly what that line of praise does to him, and he smirks as he says it. George felt the dizzying feeling once more, knowing that if Dream continues how he is now, he won’t be able to remember his own name. He let out a whine as Dream wiggled his ring finger lightly, squirming slightly to the left to try and relieve the feeling. 

“Stay still for me, okay angel? The more you cooperate, the easier it’s going to be for you.” 

George could only nod in response with a tiny squeak of acknowledgement before breaking out into giggles as Dream pressed his finger a little harder against the right side of his rib cage, rubbing back and forth slowly. This caused George to squeal, a loud cackle following as he kicked as much as he could. To his surprise, he was doing a pretty good job of keeping his upper body still, his body jerking slightly to the side but nothing more than that. 

“See, it’s not so bad, huh?” Dream was speaking softer than before as he watched George’s eyes squeeze shut in embarrassment. He smiled fondly down at him, moving his ring finger between the spaces of the ribs he could reach. Dream let out a small strained whine when he wasn’t able to get to as many of the bones as he’d like. 

“Nohoho it ihihis still bahahad!” George continued to try and speak through his laughter, making Dream break out into airy giggles while he continued to wiggle his fingers along the sensitive skin of George’s torso.

“Okay, still bad, but you’re doing so good!” Dream sounded genuinely proud and George thought he might combust into a million tiny pieces if he said anything else even in the realm of kindness. “I know how ticklish your little ribs are, it must be torture to endure this. But you’re doing such a good job, George. Such a good boy.” 

George whined again through his laughter, shaking his head as he realized Dream was even using praise against him now. The blonde wasn’t playing fairly - he was using all of George’s weaknesses he’d ever found out and was putting them all into play at the same time; It wasn’t his fault he was so spaced out! 

Dream began to drill his finger against the rib bones, kneading as fast as he could along as many ribs as he could reach. He lifted his palm slightly, moving it forward to get at untouched bones to make George jump. The elder could feel the way Dream‘s finger slotted perfectly in the spaces between the bones, making him attempt to buck up in ticklish agony. He was wailing now, his legs no longer kicking and arms no longer pulling every now and then - he was truly putty. He was truly Dream’s tickle toy. 

“NAHAHA PLEHEASE!” George thought he might die with how hard he was laughing, feeling his chest burning every time he sharply inhaled between his cackles. Dream heard the strain in his voice and slowed his finger to a gentle tracing, trying to soothe George and let him ride out the leftover giggles that continued on, even after Dream completely removed his hand. 

“Hey, it’s alright, George. I’m right here, you did great, okay?” George was breathing heavily, taking in huge gulps of air as his breathing finally began to regulate itself. “We have one more finger, just my pinky, but if you’re too tickled out we don’t have to do it.” 

One thing that he always appreciated and admired about Dream was his ability to be completely genuine and only want the best for the people around him. He knew that Dream would stop if George really wanted to, and because of this George decided to let him keep going. He trusted Dream and knew he would stop regardless if he wound up changing his mind. 

“N-Nohoho you- you cahahan,” George giggled out, looking up at Dream and giving him a smile to let the younger boy know he was okay. “Just…behehe quick if you cahan, okay?” 

Dream could’ve teared up at how nice George was being. He was willingly letting Dream continue, even if he had just tortured the life out of him not even two minutes prior. The fact that George felt safe with Dream was all he had ever wanted, and he had no idea how to handle the feeling. He leaned forward and grabbed George’s cheeks with both hands, lightly squeezing and squishing his face between his fingers. 

“Yes I’ll be quick! Oh my God, George, you’re so adorable. I can’t get over it. I just had to squish you.” Dream was giggling at George’s confusion spreading all over his face, his brows furrowing together and a small wobbly grin forming as he felt Dream continue to contort his face in all different ways. After a few more seconds, the blonde finally pulled back, giggling down at George and watching him attempt to hold in giggles.

“None of that, remember?” Dream was quick to put his hand back on George’s stomach, using his pinky to push into the squishy part of George’s right side and causing him to thrash to the left with a squeak. “No holding in giggles! They’re my reward for tickling you!” 

“S-Stohohop saying stuff like thahahat!” George cried out as he continued to laugh his little head off, feeling as Dream began rubbing his finger in all different directions in the middle of his side, trying to find the right place to get the biggest reaction. 

“Like what? Me saying your giggles are a reward for me tickling you? It’s true! They are my reward, why else would I be doing this?” Dream continued to wiggle his pinky, pausing for a second so George would look up at him. “I mean, besides the fact that you love being tickled.” 

George was sure his face was truly on fire with how hot his skin was, not able to control his reactions and stuttering out protests at Dream’s accusations. He was shaking his head frantically, denying and denying and denying, all while Dream sat in silence from his place on George’s hips, smiling down at him and seemingly not listening to a word George was saying. 

“Stop trying to deny it, baby. You know you do, I know you do, so let me take care of you, okay?” Dream sounded so sweet it was making George’s head spin. He felt like his head was filled with cement, letting it lay against the soft cushions below him as he stared up at the ceiling. Dream resumed his tickling after another second, startling George and causing his laughter to come out more frantic than it had been. 

George was fully dizzy now, his mind floating somewhere in space while his body remained on earth, tickled and tormented in whatever ways Dream liked. He wasn’t sure how this had even started anymore, not able to think of anything else besides how big Dream’s hand was and how badly it tickled him. The thought of Dream’s hand being able to spread over most of his torso was flustering enough, but seeing it for himself in real time was something he never expected to see. He wasn’t sure how to get his thoughts together - he actually wasn’t sure if he had any other thoughts at all, besides how ticklish it felt. 

He jolted as Dream’s remaining four fingers began to move, digging into the spots that had been tormented minutes before. George couldn’t do anything but laugh, twisting from side to side every time Dream’s pointer and ring finger scraped between the bones in the middle of his rib cage. He had never had someone’s focus so closely on a spot before, especially not to experiment and prolong the tickling process like this. George shook his head again, trying to shake the flustering thought from his brain before he actually melts into the cushions below him. 

Dream added his free hand into the mix, having explored where he could reach with one hand and now using this opportunity to truly dig into George’s ribs. George screamed, making Dream’s eyes quickly flick up to his face to make sure he wasn’t hurt. It sounded so desperate and raw, like it tore through George’s throat to escape. When he was sure George wasn’t actually in pain he continued on, squeezing and kneading and knuckling at the sensitive little ribs under his fingers. The boy below him could almost be compared to a rag doll - George was completely limp, his head thrown back with his eyes tightly shut, laughing and laughing and not putting up an ounce of a fight. 

“Look at you, George. You’re all tickled out, huh? I bet everything feels so much more ticklish now that I’ve flustered you a ton.” Dream teased him, trying to keep his voice in a light tone as he spoke over George’s laughter. The older boy nodded, unable to answer with words because of how hard he was laughing. His face was a deep red, flushed beyond repair as his hair stuck to his forehead and the sides of his face. He was sweating and tears were falling and George couldn’t tell which was which. It didn’t really matter, it was all part of the overwhelming feeling of bliss George had.

“P-PLEHE- DREHE-” He was pleading through his screams, bucking up off the couch even with Dream sitting on his waist as Dream’s pointer fingers found his sensitive back ribs, kneading circles deep into the bones there. No matter how hard he tried, George couldn’t get a full word out. This signaled to Dream that George was indeed tickled out, and he really was at his limit. 

The hands on George’s ribs slowly came to a stop, Dream using his palms to try and soothe him once more of the lingering ghost tickles that were no doubt still doing their job. George couldn’t stop laughing. He didn’t remember the last time he was tickled like this, if ever. His chest was on fire and his throat was raw, coughing slightly when he took in a particularly deeper breath. 

“Wait one second okay? I’ll be right back.” The younger boy moved off of him and stood up from the couch, walking to the kitchen and opening the fridge. Dream grabbed out two water bottles, bringing one over to George and twisting the cap before holding it out to him. 

“Thanks.” George strained out as he sat up slowly, wincing at his sore wrists from being kneeled on for so long. Dream noticed and his gentle smile turned into a concerned frown, sitting down on the couch next to George and taking the wrist that was not occupied into his own hands to begin rubbing lightly. 

“Sorry about that,” Dream apologized sheepishly, setting George’s water bottle on the side table when he was finished drinking to scoop his other wrist up, now gently massaging both and smiling when George let out a little contented sigh and closed his eyes again. “I didn’t mean to lean on them so hard. I got a little carried away.”

“You think?” Dream giggled bashfully as he felt his cheeks grow warmer, looking back down at George’s hands as he continued to rub along the skin of the small wrists. The blonde lifted them up, leaning his head down and meeting them halfway to give each wrist a small kiss. He pulled back, seeing George crack an eye open as he waited for Dream’s response.

“I couldn’t help it! Your laugh, like, activated something in me. I just needed to hear it more! It was like I became a tickle monster or something.” It was George’s turn to be bashful, knowing damn well that Dream knew the tickle monster bit always got to him a little more. He groaned, pulling his hands out of Dream’s to cover his own face, knowing he was blushing and wouldn’t be able to control it.

“Okahay, I promise I’m done! I’ve tortured you enough,” Dream giggled at how on edge the elder was, standing up from the couch and scooping the smaller boy up in his arms and making him shriek before he could even uncover his eyes. “At least for today.” 

“DREAM! What- whahat are you dohoing?!” George kicked his legs a few times as Dream carried him bridal style towards the kitchen. All hopes of containing his blush were gone as George thought about how effortlessly Dream could lift him, carrying him like he weighed nothing. He was still giggling as Dream set him down to sit on the counter a few seconds later, squirming to the side slightly when the blonde briefly wiggled his pointer finger into his side.

“Grabbing snacks! I’ve decided we’re gonna watch a movie now.” Dream explained, turning his back to George as he began to rummage through the cabinets for anything he thought looked good. 

“Oh yeah?” George couldn’t help the softness showing through his sarcasm, watching as the younger boy turned around with an arm full of popcorn and candy. 

“Yes,” He replied, handing George the snacks and picking up again, heading towards the theater room. “And since I almost killed you, I guess you can pick what movie we watch.”

The elder let out an over exaggerated shriek of excitement, making Dream jerk his head to the side to protect his ear from the volume of George’s voice. He once again couldn’t stop thinking about how easily Dream was holding him. Without permission, he let out a small squeak, eyes growing wide as they met Dream’s in embarrassment. 

The two broke out into giggles as Dream sat him down on one of the cushioned theater chairs, dropping the snacks on his own chair while George situated himself. Dream went and retrieved a huge blanket from the basket in the corner of the room, draping it over the two as he settled in next to George. Dream ripped open a pack of M&M’s, giggling through an eye roll as George leaned over into the younger boy’s space with his mouth wide open. 

“You’re such an idiot.” He shook his head fondly as he dropped two into George’s mouth anyway. The brunette giggled as he closed his mouth with a ‘smack’, sliding down in his chair to rest his back against the cushions as he pressed the button to recline it. Dream did the same, snuggling in closer to George and moving the snacks onto the blankets on top of them. 

“Watch it, or I’ll make you watch Harry Potter for the twentieth time.” 

“Oh God, I’ll never speak again, don’t worry.” 

“Dreheam!” The blonde was met with a soft smack on his bicep from a very giggly George, and he couldn’t help but laugh at his snarky comment himself. 

Dream watched as he grabbed the remote from the arm of the chair, opening the streaming app and flicking through the movie options. He let out a contented sigh, allowing himself to relax into the chair and closer to George. It was only when George picked a movie that he finally settled down, cuddling in closer to Dream and resting his head against the younger boy’s shoulder. 

Yes, George may have been tickled to the brink of death by his menace of a best friend, but if it meant ending in night like this, he would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

(you can find this fic on ao3 here!)

#lee!george #ler!dream #i.........have nothing to say #i do not apologize #and if this flusters u #u HAVE to tell me #thats the RULE 😤 #but seriously though this is like...my favorite thing i've ever written #i feel like this is my child #and cal also gave me so much help and support through the whole thing everyone say thank u caaaaaaaaal #anyway #i hope u enjoy! #also theres.....over 7k words im sure theres some typos somewhere #mushie fics #mcyt tickle #my stuff

[ladym-17]

Ms. Marvel Episode 5

Y’all I’m so confused, and so sleepy, which probably doesn’t help with the first thing. BUT the subtitles say urdu this time! Yay!

Did I fully understand what just happened? No. I did enjoy watching it though, and I’m sure that tomorrow when I’m awake and scrolling, I’ll find explainers. 

Aisha and Hasan and Sana were so cute, so heck Najma for tearing that apart. I’m not sure how much Kamala saw, if she saw all of it or if she just saw some of it. It seems she saw Najma stab Aisha at least, so maybe all of it -- maybe as she’s seeking the truth, Aisha’s seeking somebody to save her daughter and there’s some magic in that, idk.

But also, lil kid who played Sana? Adorable. So good.

But if Kamala saw all of that... oh goodness, isn’t that traumatic for this poor kid. But also, SHE’S THE STARS! And she got to meet Aisha, which hopefully brings some peace? 

I will admit, I don’t know yet how I feel about the pacing of this episode, it felt weird. Like this history stuff felt like it should’ve been a pre-title sequence and then it was just half of it and I don’t know why. But I did enjoy the episode.

Muneeba’s reaction to discovering Find My Iphone was on point. This is what my parents use find my iphone for too (less in an invasive way and more in a ‘did you reach work safely?’ way). Also yeah, poor Muneeba losing Kamala in Pakistan could not have been fun for that woman, but she knows now! I want her to tell Kamala she’s proud of her but I think that’ll come. 

THE ASSEMBLING OF THE OUTFIT CONTINUES (I’m such a huge fan of this costume stuff) -- So we’ve got components of Kamala’s blue kurta, the red dupatta, and now the lightning symbol. It’s just such good everything -- the costuming, the filmmaking, the writing -- referencing the necklace earlier so we know what’s happening when it’s on the ground. I. Love. It.

Also... the Veil? Is open? For some reason? And then it’s killing everyone (maybe the whole consuming this dimension thing), and somehow Najma’s death both closed it and gave Kamran powers (poor kid, really thought Bruno’s name was Brian) -- I was like maybe Najma’s possessing this kid? I don’t know. But like Bruno was the right person to go to... they’re fine after that explosion, right? Maybe? I hope? Please. (perhaps inciting incident for Bruno to go to Cal?)

Also Kareem, offering Kamala help, I love this man. He does not deserve the grief he is being put through, yet he still stays strong, and I hope his bonfire friends give him some support.

But Kamala and her ammi, and her nani bonding makes me very happy. 

#ms. marvel #ms. marvel spoilers #marvel

[makeupbychio]

Wildflower // C.H

(credits to the owner of the picture)

Pairing : Calum Hood x Female Reader.

Warnings : Smut, things are getting hot and heavy so take a seat. Swearing and fluff.

Words : 2.5k.

Inspired by : Wildflower by 5sos, duh. And Calum’s pink hair and also a Bad Bunny’s song called A Tu Merced and his videos that he’s been posting with his girlfriend.

a/n : I wrote this today so all mistakes are mine. Feedback is more than welcome. Love y’all and stay at home if you can, stay safe and take care.

"Calum what have you been doing this quarantine?" Calum read the sticker question on his Instagram story while he did the video for the answer.

"Well, not too much to be honest" he said with his raspy morning voice and with his notorious aussie accent. "I'm watching tons of tv shows that I left in the middle, taking the sun, believe it or not baking a lot so also exercise so at the end of this I'm not a ball so yeah".

"Do you have in mind your next hair color?" the question said. He was using a cap since he is recording the videos in the patio. It was a sunny day and people could noticed the glow the sun and maybe another thing was making on his skin. "Actually I did something the other day, I had another color and yesterday I changed it to this one I don't think you guys want to see it" he said removing the cap pointing at his blonde hair.

He answered a couple of questions related to the upcoming album releasing soon and then he said goodbye. "K' guys I'm gonna start my day, hope everyone is okay and please stay home. Love ya' and take care".

+

He didn't mean it to film this video for his social media and he had in mind to keep it to himself but he wanted to change that and posting anyways since everyone is doing something to show that we are in this together and just to goof around. He is always been so quiet when it comes to big things happening around the world and fans didn't like that about them sometimes.

The previous week he was so bored and had no idea what to do next. You and Calum already had breakfast and exercised early in the morning. It was hot outside so you bring up with the idea to be in the pool. He agreed and went upstairs with you to change into your swim suits.

You and Calum have always been a hot couple but keep it reserved to yourselves even when there is no surprise for the rest of the world even when you try to hide it. You were wearing a tiny red bikini that always drives Calum crazy. He had to control himself for not ripping it off, he wanted to enjoy the moment with you.

"Damn mama, you know how much I love you and thank God for this bikini" he said almost frustrated and kissed your neck before he asked you to help him with the sunscreen on his toned back. Then as he was laying on the grass you also applied the product on the back of his legs. You laughed when you remembered that time when last summer he was laying on his stomach all naked taking the sun and helped him with the sunscreen too for his thighs and ass.

After a long time in the sun when it was burning so much you both went to the pool and enjoyed there with music in the background.

"K' time to get out?" Calum asked you while your legs were laced on his waist and your arms around his neck. You nodded at him and with the same position he hold you with his strong arms out the pool. If it is a cold day he would do the same but in the jacuzzi.

During the last weeks you have been listening to Bad Bunny's new album. It is a hot album like he said in an interview that his mom asked him to go to church on sundays. You have been teaching spanish to Calum since you listen to latin artists and know perfectly the language.

You both are always goofing around so he was next to you dancing in the grass. 'La Santa' was playing in the back in the big speakers so you had a whole party for two. He hugged you from behind while you sang the lyrics and when the song ended he lifted you again to sit in the glass table he has in the shadows. He sit in the comfy chair and you take a sit on his lap, both still with wet hair from previous the swimming.

"Ugh, can we take a picture like this, please?" he asked you and let you know he is been dying to freeze this moment with you like this on his lap and your famous bikini. He took more than one and when he checked them he is mesmerized at your natural beauty and gorgeous body. He sent the pictures to you and you teased him how needy he is today.

You took his face in your hands to give him a peck. "What are you thinking, handsome?" you asked him knowing him perfectly he had something.

"I saw a meme about please do not cut your bangs during the quarantine and I was thinking what if I dyed my hair?" he said. You laughed at his childish idea and told him that he is doing exactly the opposite what the meme he saw said.

"And what color do you have in mind?" you said brushing his little curls with your fingers.

"Mmm I don't know why I had a pink tint upstairs" he said thinking while he rested his head on your boobs, still holding your waist.

"Now you have my attention" you said at him. He gave a little kiss to your exposed breast before he stood up to go find the tint.

Once he came back with everything he needed. You offered him to help him.

But, before you could start, 'A Tu Merced' started playing and Calum knows how much you love this one. The song basically says how she has he wrapped around her finger, that is why in the song Bad Bunny sings that he would do anything she asked him.

Calum started filming with his phone with the front camera as he left his phone in the glass table pointing at the back of the patio where you two started dancing closer since it is a little bit slow song, he tried his best and followed your hips while he sang in your ear the chorus of the song in spanish, and when he lost the rhythm he sit again and you came closer to hug him from behind and you buried your head on his neck and kissed his temple. He was fast again to put you back on his lap. "God, I love you baby. Can we spend all of our mornings like this?" he asked while he devised your lips and kissed you. You shifted yourself better to straddle him so you were blocking the view so his phone was recording your back and when Calum grabbed your ass firmly with both hands. Both of you forgot about the phone and got lost in your make out session while the songs keeps playing. Calum took advantage of what he had in front now that you looked taller on his lap and kissed your exposed skin closer to his mouth then he moved his hands up to the side of your boobs where the straps of your bikini rounded your chest. You groaned because the difference of temperature of his hot hands and the cold of his chains against you compared to the coldness of your clothed skin because of the damp bikini.

You kissed him on the lips interlacing your arms around his neck but broke the next move when the song ended and you came back to reality. “Cal, is still recording or you stopped the video?” you asked him referring to what he started what should be how you dyed his hair. Not that you wanted to do a sex tape with him, at least not in the back of the house.

“Fuck” he jumped and stopped the video immediately. You hid your red face on his neck and laughing at how you both were a mess. You protested at him to not see the video now, you were still embarrassed but he did it anyways and praised you at how amazing and hot you looked on top of him.

“You should keep the video, ya’ know if you miss me on tour” you winked at him and you felt his bulge against your clothed sex. He suggested to move on to dye his hair before he make love to you right there. 

You know he is not going to show the video to anyone and you kinda liked the take from that angle when you saw it.

Now, without distractions Calum was recording the process for his new hair color. “Day one thousand of quarantine, we are going to dye my hair” he said to the camera like youtubers doing a tutorial. He introduced you and you started doing what he wanted so you put the gloves and dyed his hair, the video was really funny and his final reaction of the result was hilarious. He was in the bathroom looking at the mirror still with the towel around his neck. “Don’t try this at home, I look like Nicki Minaj but in a bad way” he joked. 

During the rest of the day you couldn’t stop running your fingers through his pink hair. It looks amazing on him even when you miss the black curls and even more his afro and you let him know that he looks so handsome. 

Once he finished a live stream with Luke (but hiding his hair with the hoodie) on Instagram he went upstairs to get ready for bed. He looked so cuddly with his white cream hoodie and just boxers. He gave you a look, open wide eyes when he found you were wearing the empathy hoodie that he found the last week, and your black lace panties.

“I think I’m going to make this my wallpaper” he pointed at you his phone and the photo he chose. It was the exact moment of his hands on grabbing your ass and the rest was your back with little drops of sweat and water. You hid your red face and laugh on his neck at how shameless he is. "What?! We are staying at home just the two of us, it is not like someone or the guys are going to see your beautiful curves as my background" he said but definitely when the quarantine ended in a future he forgot to change the wallpaper so everyone he knows saw it, even the paps or fans when he walked in the streets and were holding his phone unlocked and cameras did catch what picture he has.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Hood" you looked at him daring him that this game can be played by two.

"Uh yeah?" he bit his lower lip and put down his phone on the nightstand as he got closer, his hands have been always curious so he dug them under his hoodie that you were wearing and for his surprise of your bare chest already. He positioned himself on top of you as you melted into the mattress. He supported his right arm by your side while the left one lifted the green hoodie to show your breasts. He licked all the way up from your stomach to your nipples, you moaned at his warm breath against your skin and arched your back when he played with your nipples. You managed to take off your hoodie so he could continue with his way now kissing your neck where he left hickeys and later you are going to notice that he left in your breasts too.

"I'm going to choose a turtleneck sweater if I want to facetime my family tomorrow" you said thinking of your next move. Got it. "What if we end what we started earlier in the pool?" you asked him with a playful grin.

"What do you have in mind? you know I'm all yours, baby girl" he said lifting his brows making you laugh.

"Ya' know like a hotter video than we did accidentally before I dyed your hair" you could feel how he got even harder against your panties and you love that you have that effect on him. You and Calum are very open mind when it comes to your privacy, it is another topic that he plays an angel role in public.

"Oh my goodness baby girl you are already the death of me" he jumped off the bed to settle his phone so the view were your bodies but from your left side so both of you can see your figures. He took off his clothes and turned off the lights so the moon light is illuminating your bodies.

You were thinking to take care of him but he had other idea. He let you know that tonight was all for you and he wanted to hear you calling out his name with no shame.

After the first round and you both were breathing hardly enjoying and waiting for your waves of pleasure after reaching your highs to pass. "Are you down for another round?" he asked you kissing your chain he gave you for Valentines day. You admired him and softly brushed his pink hair backwards, you got a little bit of the tint in your fingertips since he is so sweaty. Calum was looking down at you too, taking his time looking your features amazed of your beauty and your curves he was touching carefully, god he loves you so much. Despite your or his previous relationships, he talks for himself that you are the only who make him feel like this.

"What are you looking?" you grinned at him after his admiration.

"Nothing baby, I just love you so fucking much" he said putting your hair off your face.

"I love you too" you said, it was the most honest and tender moment you exchanged.

He was going down again to make love to you twice that night. When his fingers landed close your pussy you jumped because you were still so sensitive. He started kissing you from head to toe before he ate you out, king of oral sex. And when again you reached your orgasm and his name left your mouth loud and clear. 

He went up to kiss your skin and give attention to your side boob tattoo. It is a wildflower tattoo, not to big but when that piece of your skin is exposed it caught everyone attention.

"My wildflower" he said in a lusty voice like if he was eating his favorite meal when he kissed your tattoo. And that’s it, that’s how he got the inspiration for the song, plus he is going to have his pink hair for a couple of days that you let him clear that you love it. And he just posted on his account a short video when you dyed his hair because the rest of the video and pictures and the video from the previous night it is just for you and him.

#calum hood fic #calum hood imagine #calum hood au #calum hood blurb #calum hood #ch #calum #calum fic #calum imagine #calum au #calum blurb #5sos fic #5sos imagine #5sos au #5sos blurb #5sos #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fic #5 second of summer imagines #5 seconds of summer blurb #5 seconds of summer au #ashton #michael #luke #ashton irwin #michael clifford #luke hemmings #blurb #fic #au

[cthomashoodstory]

Best Years but Not in the Same Way (26)

Calum Hood x Reader

Previous Part

Hi I’m back again after this long time, i hope u guys still waiting for this story!!! I’m so excited wrote this part and next part!!! Enjoy guys!

Disclaimer: english isn’t my first language so… you know.

Masterlist

-

Since the surprise announcement you made with Calum earlier, the paparazzi went crazy (again). They always came whenever you went out somewhere, they followed you everywhere you go, especially you didn’t own any vehicles and you always counted on online taxi.

Suddenly, your life is being a highlight of the year again. Like, the ex of famous male singer has moved on and dating her fellow bestfriend. It suck to be famous and everyone’s eyes are all over you.

They keep asking the same question over and over; are you still in touch with Justin? Did Justin knew you’re dating? How’s Justin’s reaction? Are they dumb? You hadn’t contacted him since the break up and they knew exactly You avoided him, you avoided every questions related to him. You didn’t even care about him anymore.

And yet they really had a nerve to asked that just only for a headline.

As you were predict before, few paps been outside the studio building you were came to. You went inside with an extra effort because they really blocking your way in.

As usual petty questions came out from their mouths while took pictures of me and Calum. But we really ignored it like what’s the point if i or Calum answered their questions? It would caused a world war three. Lol.

After we got inside the building, we walked to the studio room and we meet our fellow friends Ashton, Luke, Michael. And you realized there were your other songwriting friends like Andrew Watt, Ryan Tedder, Louis Bell, Ali Tamposi, and Charlie Puth.

“Hey Palvin,” Charlie looking you confused when he saw you and Calum holding hands. “Oh i forgot. Congrats for you both.” He got up and you hugged him.

“Thanks.” You said to Charlie. “So…,” you said it while looked at them one by one as a sign for them to explain to you their project.

Then Ryan Tedder explained to you. “Oh, we wrote lyrics and Charlie and Andrew are making the beat and i called Luke immediately because i felt this song is really suits them.”

You nodded and Charlie showed you the demo that finished days ago.

“So what do you think?” Andrew asked you after the song played. “It’s pretty sick to be honest.”

You nodded at his comment. “Yes, i love it so much. It’s very thrilling and i can’t wait for the final release.” You were very excited because the moment Charlie played the demo, you really fall in love to the beat and also Luke’s voice really matched the whole song.

After hours staying on the studio, mostly joking around with friends, then we shared our thoughts about music industry, producing, lyrics and all related to music, you and Calum decided to went home.

As you walked out of the building, paps swarmed you and Calum.

“Hey Saara, what’s the thing you did at the studio?”

“How was your day, Calum?”

“You two looks good together.”

“Any new project for 5sos?”

You looked at Calum, his face was straight and ignored all of the questions. And we kept walking to the parking lot.

“Is your relationship and Justin good?”

“Any comment about Justin’s marriage?”

“Are you jealous of her past relationship with Justin Bieber?”

The moment you heard the last question, you stopped walking and Calum immediately stopped too because he was confused why you stopped.

“Can you please, for once in your lifetime, be respectful to my boyfriend? He’s literally stood beside me and all you care was asking me irrelevant questions? Please. I don’t care if you all raining me with ex questions, but when I’m with him, you better be asked about us or shut your damn mouth.” You walked faster than before so you and Calum could arrived to the car and get away from them.

After we arrived at the car, we left the parking lot back to your apartment.

“Wow, what was that about? You’ve been such a badass.” He started the conversation.

You chuckled. “Those people need to be shut. I’m honestly tired with all those questions.”

“So what do you think about our new upcoming single?” He asked you as a distraction of this situation.

“I love it already. It’s so amazing, Luke’s voice is so matched to the lyric, and the bass line, i can imagine you performing with that cool bass line.” You gave him a positive comment because you knew that song would be a hit even you only heard the demo.

-

“Hi sister,” Mali greeted you when you answered her facetime call.

After Calum drove you off to your apartment, you immediately opened your laptop and get ready to have a virtual ‘meeting’ with Mali because today is the schedule for you and her to discuss her new upcoming single. She asked you for a help and you felt so honored to be a part of her project.

You waved to her through the web camere. “Hi Mali, how you doing?” You were so excited to talk to her even though you texted her everyday.

“I’m fine, what about you?” She asked you back while she sipped her drink.

“I’m good. Wait, why your room is so dark? Oh my God I’m so sorry I forgot, timezone.” You giggled. “So it’s midnight there? OMG Mali, I’m so sorry, we supposed to FaceTime at your local time, not mine.”

Then she laughed. “Don’t say sorry, sister. I’m the one who needs your help. Don’t worry, i took my coffee since hours ago.” She raised her glass. “How’s you and Calum? Everything’s good?”

You smile and nodded. “Yes. We’re good.” “Thank you… for always supporting me.”

“I’ve always liked you since the first time we met back in 2014. You were so kind, friendly, smart and i knew that you’re a good person. I knew that you’re the right person for my brother and i will always support you till the end of time. Past is just a past and we have to left it behind and move on to the future.” Her short speech almost made you cry. Because she’s a very lovely person and you love her so much.

“Virtual hug for you, sister.” That’s the first time of you to called her ‘sister’. Not because you didn’t want to, but you were shy and also scared to called her that because ‘the past’ and also scared she would rejected you. “So i had this lyric i made and i kept it for myself and i wanna show it to you.”

You opened the notebook. “So the lyric is kinda saying sorry for everything that happened and the person is kinda missed all the memories and she felt sad. Sorry I’m suck at explaining.” You grinned and you took your guitar beside you.

“Please show me.” Said Mali.

You started to strum the guitar. “I miss laying in the park, i miss the walks out after dark

You were my first and you'll be the last

I miss the rhythm of your heart, i miss your head laid on my chest

You always said that I was the best, no one ever spoke to me like you did

And I miss you, Cal, and it's hard to take and I can't be saved

I'm sorry

That I didn't give it all to you, I'm sorry

Don't look away 'cause I gotta say I'm sorry

Just hold me 'cause the words will fade, I'm sorry

That I didn't give it all to you.” You finished the first verse and chorus and Mali gave you an applause.

“Saara, that was beautiful.” She looked so stunned. “That was meaningful.”

Yes, that lyric was meaningful to you because you wrote it years ago back in 2015 when you were ‘separate’ from Calum and you felt so guilty about it. You didn’t even had a chance to say sorry to him and instead you wrote this songs as a reminder for you that he was your first special man that came into your life. You were so blinded by your obsession and couldn’t see that the man who always there for you was Calum and you were so glad that you’ve finally opened your eyes.

Then you smiles to her. “I will email you the rest of the lyric and let me know what you think.”

-

To be continued

Next Part

#calum hood #calum thomas hood #calum hood imagine #calum hood fanfic #calum hood x reader #calum imagine #calum fanfiction #calum fanfic #calum fic #calum 5 seconds of summer #5sos #5 seconds of summer #5sos imagine #5sos fanfic #ashton irwin #michael clifford #luke hemmings #calum 5sos

[mermaidcashton]

dance in the living room, love with an attitude

authors: claire (@mermaidcashton) & laura (@maluminspace)  ship/AU: michael clifford/ashton irwin, roommates AU  prompt: “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I almost never do.”  wordcount: 10k+ warnings: swearing, implied & explicit sexual content  a/n: • written for @maluminspace & @h0tsos ‘s 5sos fic writers collab (in which we all chose from a list of AU’s and had the above prompt quote to include - check out the masterlist linked to see everyone elses!) • i do not give permission for this (or any of my writing) to be reposted, by anyone, on this or any other website. please don’t do it! • title from ‘only human’ by the jonas brothers dance in the living room, love with an attitude *** The music was probably turned up a little too loud, but it helped to drown out the nerves starting to bubble away in Michael’s tummy.  ‘I hope ‘Ashton’ likes MCR’ he thought as he half-heartedly wiped down the kitchen counters with a damp cloth. He wanted the place to look mildly tidier than it usually did for his new flatmate. First impressions counted for a lot, as his mum had told him twice this week already.

Once the splashes of milk from this morning’s mishap with the cereal had been washed away along with the crumbs from last night’s dinner of peanut butter on toast, he stole a quick glance at the clock on the wall over in the living room area. It wasn’t quite midday, which meant he had a little over an hour until his new roommate was due to arrive. That should mean that he just about had enough time to vacuum the whole flat and take a shower.  Throwing the dishcloth into the little cleaning basket on the window ledge, Michael focused on  screaming the lyrics to ‘Thank you for Venom’ and tried not to focus too much on the anxiety about the rest of the day.

Agreeing to live with someone he’d never met in person probably wasn’t the smartest of ideas. It’s not like Michael had been given much choice, though. His last flatmate had given him less than a week’s notice when she decided to move in with her short-term girlfriend and left Michael with a whole bunch of bills that his meagre paycheck could never stretch far enough to cover. Luckily, his best friend Luke had a work colleague who desperately needed a new place to live since his landlord had slapped him with a very short notice period to move out of his current flat. Luke had offered to give this work friend Michael’s contact details and the following morning, Michael had woken up to a text from a guy called Ashton who was very interested in Michael’s recently vacant spare room. 

After explaining the cost of rent and other bills in a few subsequent texts, Michael had received a very grateful reply from Ashton asking if it would be possible to  move in that weekend. Of course the blonde had agreed, eager to get the awkward first meeting out of the way as soon as possible.

Determined to get his most hated chore done before he could start collecting his thoughts and mentally preparing for the arrival of his new flatmate, Michael grabbed the portable hoover from the charging port on the tiny bit of the kitchen wall that was not taken up by the counters and cabinets. He was just about to press the ‘ON’ button when a knock at the door put an abrupt halt to his plans.

Michael huffed as he made his way over to the front door. The only people that had the security code for the entrance of the building were his parents and Luke, neither of which were due to visit today. That left only someone who had the wrong flat, or one other possible visitor; his neighbour, Calum. They’d hang out sometimes, whenever their days off matched up. Their shared interest in certain obscure and rare computer games and a mutual love of sushi and beer made for hours of fun without the chore of actually having to leave the building. Michael had definitely made sure to let Calum know that he was expecting his new flatmate to arrive today, though, so he was a little confused as to why his neighbour would be dropping by now. 

That feeling only intensified when a glance through the spy hole on his front door revealed that Calum was accompanied by a stranger. He opened the door cautiously, still feeling a little bewildered. 

“Hey, mate.” Calum grinned, waving a handful of unopened letters in greeting. “Just found this guy outside with a bunch of boxes. I knew you were expecting your new flatmate today, so I helped bring his stuff up.” His dark brown eyes surveyed Michael with something like confusion from beneath the rim of his seemingly ever-present black bucket hat. 

Michael could only imagine that his neighbour was mirroring his own befuddled expression because Ashton wasn’t due to arrive for another hour. He forced himself to look over at the stranger, whilst his mind worked over what was happening.

It appeared that Calum was right in assuming this was Ashton. He was indeed carrying a large cardboard box labelled ‘bedroom’ that would definitely suggest he was moving house. There were also a bunch of smaller boxes piled against the wall beside the front door which supported that assumption. 

“Do you guys need any more help?” Calum offered, “I’m free if…”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Michael cut in quickly. “We can take it from here, thanks Cal.” The last thing Michael wanted was more people to see the apartment in its current state. 

“No worries.” Calum smiled, “You know where I am if you change your mind.” He turned his attention to his little fluffy dog who had been patiently waiting for his post-walk nap. “C’mon Duke.” 

Once Calum and his little fluff ball had wandered off across the hall towards their own apartment, Michael turned his attention back to Ashton. Three things struck him about his new flatmate in very quick succession;

Ashton was incredibly hot. His curly black hair hung loosely around his handsome face, framing his chiselled cheekbones and clean shaven, angular jaw beautifully. His hazel eyes were striking from behind the horn-rimmed glasses perched neatly on his perfectly ski-slope shaped nose. 

He looked vaguely familiar. Michael knew that he’d seen Ashton’s face somewhere before but it wouldn’t quite click in his brain. Not that it would be entirely surprising if they’d met before, they did share a close friend after-all. It just seemed a little off that Luke hadn’t reminded Michael of the occasion they'd met at before suggesting they live together.

Despite his silence, Ashton looked somewhat annoyed, possibly bordering on angry. That struck Michael as odd. He had been known to piss people off fairly regularly but seeing as he’d barely even spoken to Ashton, this would be an all time record.

“So you must be Ashton…” Michael smiled, awkwardly tucking a strand of his messy blonde hair behind his ear whilst offering his free hand out for his new flatmate to shake. “I’m Michael, or you can call me Mike if you want. Most of my friends do.” Ashton didn’t accept the offer of a handshake, in fact he made no movement whatsoever. He simply glared at Michael with an increasing level of irritation. “Are you kidding me?” 

Michael knew that he was not the prettiest of people. He dressed casually most of the time and due to Ashton’s early appearance, he’d not yet had a chance to shower and make himself a little more presentable. He didn’t think that he quite deserved such a cutting greeting, though. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you yet, I was just…”

“You don’t even remember me, do you?!” Ashton interrupted, his tone dripping of resentment now. “Fucking unbelievable!”  Michael couldn’t remember ever feeling more confused in his life. Ashton hadn’t mentioned that  they’d previously met in his text messages so why would he be so angry that Michael hadn’t immediately recognised him now? 

The newcomer’s harsh tone had caught Calum’s attention, causing the neighbour to pause in sorting through his mail and stare unashamedly at the scene unfolding across the hall.

“This could only fucking happen to me…” Ashton huffed, adjusting his grip on the box in his arms. “I get turfed out of my flat because my landlord suddenly decides he wants it for his daughter and just when I think I’ve landed on my feet with a new place, my new fucking flatmate turns out to be a one night stand who doesn’t even remember me! Talk about kicking a guy when he’s down!”

Michael barely registered Calum’s audible gasp as realisation crashed around him. Suddenly the memory of the beautiful man that had swept Michael off his feet at a bar a few months back replayed in his head like a movie he’d seen once but hadn’t been able to remember the title of. He’d only known the guy as Ash and he’d assumed it was short for Ashley. Despite the fact that Ash’s hair had been a sexy shade of crimson, styled in a neat quiff and he hadn’t been wearing glasses, it was definitely the same guy that was standing in front of him right now. 

“Ash…” the word escaped Michael almost of it’s own volition. “But I thought that was short for… oh my god, this can’t be happening.” He cupped his own face in his hands as the reality of the awkward situation began to settle into the very fibre of his being.

“Wow, you can’t make this shit up.” Calum gasped, an almost delighted smile on his face. “What’re you guys gonna do?” 

Despite Calum’s annoying rubbernecking, it gave Michael the perfect excuse to look away from Ashton for a second. “Well I’m gonna throw something at you, if you don’t get lost right now, Calum.” He hissed. 

“He’s not the one coming across like a shithead right now.” Ashton scoffed, setting the box in his arms onto the floor. “Being a nosey neighbour still makes you a hell of a better person than the guy that flatters their way into your bed and gives you amazing sex but then gives you a fake number!”

“That’s right.” Calum agreed. “People that do that are the worst. At least have the balls to tell the other person you’re not looking for anything long term before you disappear the next day.”

“Calum, I swear to god…” Michael hissed. 

Ashton shook his head angrily. “He’s right, if you never wanted to see me again, you could have just said. I wouldn’t have wasted some of my best moves on you.” 

“Oh, what were the moves?” Calum smirked, prying his way further into the conversation. 

His neighbour’s blatant disregard for the seriousness of the situation was annoying to say the least. It was also the last thing Michael needed to deal with right now. “Piss off, Calum!”, he snapped. 

Duke yapped disapprovingly at Michael, his tiny eyes focused on the blonde man as his human’s smirk grew even further across his face.

“Oh, you can shut up as well!” Michael snapped at the tiny pooch. “Now you’re yelling at a dog.” Ashton rolled his eyes. “Maybe it’s a good thing you blew me off, looks like I had a lucky escape from dating an arsehole!”  Michael really couldn’t envisage the situation getting any worse. At this rate he was going to be searching for another roommate instead of enjoying a pleasant lunch with this one, like he’d hoped. 

“I didn’t give you a fake number!” Michael protested. “I swear, I’m not like that, and I really liked you! I broke my phone, the same weekend we...met.” He felt his cheeks begin to colour, trying his hardest to ignore Calum’s snort as he focused on Ashton’s disbelieving face.

“It took me two weeks to sort out a new one, I had a little pay as you go in between, I had a different number, and I-you did call, then?” Michael paused his blurted explanations to blurt out a question, instead. He had been wondering every time it was late and he was alone for 6 months whether or not he’d missed a call from the best one night stand of his life. 

“Of course I did!” Ashton threw his hands up in exasperation, startling Duke and sending him scuttling back into the still-open doorway of the opposite flat. “I thought we had a connection, we said we wanted to see each other again; that doesn’t happen that often for me! Maybe it does for you…”

“Oh, it definitely doesn’t.” Calum smirked. “The only man who comes to see Michael regularly is the Domino’s delivery guy.” 

Before Michael could blow up at him, Calum backed up properly into his flat, resting his hand on his front door. “It’s a shame, actually,” he continued, smiling encouragingly at his neighbour. “Michael is really a great guy. He always has time for me and Duke; whether it’s for beers, a listening ear, or belly rubs.” 

He throws a wink to Ashton as he shuts his front door with a click. “I’ll leave you to figure out which one is for me. Welcome to the building!” 

Michael knows he needs to gain control of the slightly-stunned silence left in Calum’s wake, fast. He needs to say something apologetic, or charming, or cool. “Do you like fish fingers?” Or that. 

Ashton blinked a few times in quick succession, and Michael wanted to throw himself down the stairs. 

“Do I like fish fingers?” Ashton repeated, pushing his long black hair back with both hands.

Michael flushed again, at least thankful for the fact that he no longer had an audience for the most embarrassing encounter of his life. “It’s just, I thought we could have lunch, and talk, and I’m not really much of a cook, but I have fish fingers, right, and everyone likes fish finger sandwiches...don’t they…” He trailed off, hoping Luke perhaps had another co-worker who needed immediate accommodation. 

Ashton fixed him with the most intense stare he’d ever received in a conversation about freezer food, and Michael tried to match his unrelenting gaze in a way that would make him look less like he wanted to cry. Ashton’s eyes really were beautiful, seeming almost magnified by his glasses. He looked thoughtful and sad now, rather than judgmental and angry, and Michael would take that.

“I do.” Ashton decided on, after what felt like an eternity. He stooped down to pick up his box again, muscles tensing, and Michael’s mind began to wander. 

He remembered Ashton’s arms looking just like that as he lifted him up for the last few feet of the journey to the redhead-at-the-time’s bed. Michael could almost feel his fingers digging into the bare skin of his thighs all over again. The memories of slow, wet, considered neck kisses being broken with teeth, and the delicious burn that started low and spread like wildfire as Ashton stretched him out like he was born to do it.

“Michael? After you?”  Michael snapped out of his daze, dragging his eyes away from Ashton’s lips where they had landed at some point in his reminiscing. He stepped back so Ashton could enter the flat and set the box down by the sofa. “Yeah, great, come in, make yourself at home, I’ll get the rest of your boxes!”   As soon as he was outside in the corridor, Michael let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. ‘Okay, Clifford - you need to snap out of it. Relax and smooth things over so you two can live together.’ He told himself, as sternly as he could manage. ‘We need a roommate more than we need to get laid.’

‘That’s debatable.’ Another voice - which sounded more like Calum than himself - chimed in before Michael shook it off and picked up the stack of cardboard boxes cluttering up the corridor.

‘Okay, you can do this. Damage control. Just be normal. Go in and face this head on. You can do this.’ Michael murmured, running his tongue over his bitten lips as he took his first steps back to where Ashton was waiting.

He hip-checked the front door closed as he re-entered the flat, placing the boxes next to one Ashton had carried in, before straightening up to see Ashton sat on the sofa, looking both nervous and delicious. 

“I…” Michael faltered under Ashton’s almost shy gaze, then caught sight of a slice of Ashton’s firm, hairy stomach from where his t-shirt was riding up slightly.

“I just need to go to the bathroom. Then we can...talk, and eat. Okay?” Michael forced what he hoped was a casual, winning smile, and then scuttled across to the bathroom the moment Ashton made a noise of agreement and nodded his head.

Michael clicked the lock shut and put the toilet lid down as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his sweatpants. He began tapping away with urgency as he took a seat on the toilet, pulling up his message thread with his best friend.

SOS!!!! 🚨

Luke!!!!

Where are you

LUKE FUCK HELP ME YOU DICK

With each message he sent, Michael could feel his panic beginning to swell back up in his chest. Finally, three dots began moving across the message to indicate Luke was writing. Help was on the way.

🥺🥺🥺 What’s up

Michael felt what he knew was an unjustified rage at Luke and his fucking emojis as he furiously typed a reply.

Oh nothing, I just had sex with my new roomate!!!

Michael jumped when his phone immediately started vibrating relentlessly, sliding his finger across the screen and holding it gingerly to his ear. 

“Hello?” He whispered into the receiver. 

“WHAT!!! What do you mean you’ve slept with him?! Ashton was due there at 12, and it’s now...12 minutes past 12! That’s INSANE, even for you! I cannot believe-”

“Luke!” Michael hissed through clenched teeth, turning on the cold tap on the sink before he spoke again. “Not today, idiot! Remember, months ago, when I broke my phone? That weekend, I hooked up with that guy I met at The Alchemist? Red hair, big arms, amazing mouth-”

“Yes, I remember! What’s that got to do with it?” Luke cut in. 

“It was Ashton. I only knew him as Ash, remember? And obviously I never saw him again because I had no way to contact him after I broke my phone. But it’s him, Luke - he’s in my living room! In OUR living room! What am I gonna do?! I am freaking out!”

“Oh my God! You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Mike! You’ve had your new roommates dick in your mouth before he even moved in! Classic you.”

Michael could practically hear Luke’s eyeroll. “This is not classic me! Dick! Help me, Luke!”

“What do you want me to do, I can’t unfuck him for you!” Luke shot back. Michael let out an involuntary whimper and slumped further down on the toilet. He was so screwed.  

***

Michael emerged from the bathroom, Luke’s advice ringing in his ears as he approached Ashton on the sofa.  ‘He’s a really nice guy, Mike; just talk to him. Explain what happened after you hooked up, and say you hope you can put it behind you and be friends. I think he’ll be cool, honestly. Just try not to trip and land on his dick and you should be golden.’ 

He took one last deep breath as he sat down on the black leather beside his one-time lover.

“So, Ashton...I...listen, I’m sorry that I broke my phone and made you think I’d ghosted you. I’m just an idiot that dropped his phone outside Sainsbury’s. And I’m really sorry I didn’t recognise you straight away, I was just expecting someone I hadn’t, and your hair, and glasses, and-” Michael could feel himself starting to babble but he couldn’t stop himself; he was so desperate for Ashton to like him. He was trying not to think about why it was this important to him. 

Ashton held his hand up to stop him with a small smile. “Michael, it’s okay.”  

Michael stopped short in his unravelling with a look of surprise. “It is?”

Ashton’s smile grew wider. “Yeah. I was just a bit blindsided, and I was hurt at the time back then, you know? But you explained, you apologised, and you seem like a nice guy. Luke sure can’t talk you up enough, and I trust him. I have no reason not to believe this is gonna be all good.” 

Michael blinked, unsure if this was too good to be true. “Yeah? So...we’re good? You’re gonna...stay?”

Ashton relaxed back into his seat, toeing his shoes off and under the coffee table. “If that’s okay with you, yeah. We’re both grown ups; we can keep it platonic and put the past behind us, right? Friends?”

Michael nodded, trying to hide the gulp in his throat. “Yeah, of course. Right. Great. Friends.” He could definitely do this.

***

He could definitely not do this. 

It’d been a long one month, two weeks and three days of trying to convince himself that he didn’t want to be anything more than Ashton’s friend and roommate. 

Some days, Michael thought it was possible to put those lingering feelings away and focus on their blossoming platonic relationship. After all, Ashton was everything most people could ever want in a flatmate. He was tidy, considerate, fairly quiet and respectful of personal boundaries. The slightly older man was also great company. Michael has had many pleasant conversations with him over breakfast and in the evenings before they went to bed. 

As lovely as all of that was, Michael had started questioning if it was worth the growing ache in chest for more. Each new thing he learnt about Ashton made him more sure that he was probably the closest thing to the perfect man that Michael would ever know. It was a cruel twist of fate that had meant his one opportunity to have Ashton for himself had slipped through his fingers, quite literally. He cursed himself on a daily basis for that one clumsy moment when he’d fumbled pulling his old phone from his too-tight jeans outside the supermarket and had been forced to watch his only chance with Ashton sink into a muddy puddle. 

Whatever higher powers existed had been even less kind to have that strong, gorgeous, well-hung man turn up on Michael’s doorstep months later, as his only hope of being able to keep the flat he’d grown to love. 

Every day since then, seemed to have presented a new challenge or torture. First it was the tight t-shirts and vests Ashton wore more often than not. They accentuated every muscle of the raven-haired man’s torso and displayed his strong biceps in all their glory. 

Then came the sleepy morning routine they’d subconsciously fallen into. Ashton would emerge from his room in nothing but his loose grey sweats and crooked glasses, his hair ruffled and his eyes heavily lidded, before joining Michael for a hasty breakfast which usually consisted of cereal or toast and mug of strong coffee. It was during these sluggish mornings when they’d started to bond over their mutual love of crime dramas and fantasy movies, among other things. That had naturally led to evening-long Criminal Minds marathons whole weekends debating whether the Lord of the Rings movies or the Harry Potter movies were the better adaptations of their original books. Those playful arguments had spilled over into text messages now, so Michael couldn’t even escape his torturous living situation when he went to work. 

Despite all of that hardship, the most latest and arguably the toughest challenge Michael found himself facing, was Ashton’s morning yoga. At first, the older man had kept that part of his morning routine confined to his bedroom. For some reason or another, over the last week or so, Ashton had decided that the living area was a more suitable location for this activity. 

If Michael thought that sleepy, shirtless morning Ashton was hot, then sleepy, shirtless morning Ashton doing the ‘downward dog’ was positively off the fucking scale. The way his large hands pressed into the yoga mat and the way his strong arms and legs tensed as he straightened his back and pushed his arse up into the air lingered in Michael’s mind all day. These images often flickered through his mind at night too, when he was alone in his bed with nothing but his hand for company. 

Deciding that a little get together with some friends would help dispel some of the tension, Michael floats the idea of asking Calum and Luke over for a ‘lads night’. Ashton had agreed easily, being a generally social person, he’d seemed enthusiastic about the possibility of hosting a mini party. 

A group message is created and it doesn’t take long to settle on the following Friday night for beer, snacks and a FIFA tournament. 

Ashton seemed to have been looking forward to it, often mentioning how excited he was to get to know Calum better and asking Michael to help him decide between certain snacks to purchase for the occasion. 

All in all, Michael was proud of himself for the idea, focusing on hosting a couple of friends had certainly given both him and Ashton something new to focus on. 

It was only when Friday arrived that Michael started to doubt his plan. Watching Ashton arrange plates of snacks on the kitchen counter, with the cutest concentration face he’d ever seen, started to make Michael wish they were spending the evening alone instead. He quickly pushes the thought of his head, berating himself for thinking something so stupid. It’s not like anything could happen between them even if they were alone, they were roommates now, that’s where their relationship ends. 

“So....” Ashton broke the silence enveloping the flat as he finished pouring a bag of cheesy Doritos into a bowl. “Did you finally solve the mystery of who was stealing people’s shit from your fridge at work?” 

Michael was caught off guard by the question. He’d been watching Ashton so intently that he momentarily forgot about everything else. It took him a moment to remember that he’d been keeping Ashton up to date with the ongoing lunch burglar drama at the DIY store he worked at. “Oh, umm no, not yet! But Brenda finally told Linda to stick her fake friendship where the sun doesn’t shine.” 

A genuinely delighted smile burst into Ashton’s face as he headed into the living room area. “Good for her! Linda sounds like a bitch…” 

It really meant a lot to Michael that Ashton took such an interest in his work life. The fact that he cared so much about people he didn’t know, but was aware they meant a lot to Michael, was also heartwarming. 

Before Michael could go into more detail about the break time drama, a knock at the front door interrupted him. “Oh yay! Our first guest!” Ashton beamed, jogging off towards the front door to greet Calum.

***

As soon as the beer and wine had started flowing, Michael’s ever-present pining for Ashton dulled to an almost non existent haze at the edges of his mind. Sure, his knees felt weak every time Ashton flashes him that dopey smile of his and he might have blushed whenever their knees touched as they competed against each other in a thrilling game of virtual soccer. 

That was all better than his usual all-consuming lust, so Michael was somewhat proud of himself. He even managed to surprise the urge to let Ashton win their game, and was almost smug when his player sent the football flying past Ashton’s keeper to secure a 2-1 win. 

“Motherfucker!” Ashton grumbled, throwing his control pad into the sofa as he fixed Michael with look that was almost definitely the hottest gaze he’d ever been caught under. “I’m gonna get you for that, Clifford.” It sounded like a promise that held more weight than the simple challenge to a rematch it was probably meant to be. 

Michael had to fight back a whimper, staring into Ashton’s beautiful hazel eyes this closely was too much. The intensity of it all rendered him momentarily speechless and he was all-too glad when Ashton got to his feet and headed for the kitchen. 

“I need to drown my sorrows.” The black-haired man laughed, breaking the tension that had descended on them before heading off to the kitchen. Ignoring the knowing looks from his two friends, Michael picked up Ashton’s discarded controller and tossed it to Luke. “Your turn to face me, Hemmings. Let’s see if I can beat my all time record of beating you 6-1”��

“Fuck off! You have never beat me that badly.” Luke huffed, picking up the control pad that had just landed in his lap. “I’m gonna enjoy kicking your ass in front of your new boy-“

“Shit, we’re out of beers already!” Ashton’s interruption came at exactly the right moment in Michael’s opinion. He really hadn’t wanted Luke to finish that sentence and now he wouldn’t get the chance. 

“I’ll go to the shop for some more, does anyone have specific requests?” The eldest friend asked as he traipsed back into the living room area. 

“Oh you don’t have to go!” Michael shrugged, “you should stay here, we’ll send Luke instead, he sucks at this game anyway.” 

Luke scoffed, waving his hand defensively. “You’re not getting out of playing me that easily!” 

Ashton laughed, his eyes sparkling as he checked that his wallet was still in his jeans pocket. “It’s fine. I’m already out of the competition and I wouldn’t want to give anyone else an unfair advantage.” 

Maybe it was just the effects of the beers he’d already drank, but Michael could have sworn that Ashton’s gaze lingered on him a little longer than it probably should have. “You’re too nice.” The blonde beamed fondly, “I’ll transfer you my half of the money in the morning, unless you wanna take a tenner from my room?” 

“Oh is that an open invitation?” Calum asked, a lazy smile curling the corners of his lips. “You owe me at least that from when we bet on whether or not Luke could drink that tzatziki sauce last time.” 

“Fuck off, Calum! I don’t owe you a penny, I won that bet, Luke’s a fucking wuss…” 

“Hey! I am not!” Luke interrupted incredulously. 

“Okay, I need to hear that whole story when I get back!” Ashton giggled. “I’ll just grab a case of whatever beer is the cheapest though, yeah.” 

There was a general murder of agreement before Ashton headed out of the front door. Michael fond him watching until Ashton had disappeared into the hallway, swinging the front door closed behind him. “He’s so nice…” The blonde sighed dreamily, still gazing at the closed front door. “Don’t you think he’s just the best?” 

Calum and Luke exchanged a ‘is he for real’ glance before silently agreeing that this was the perfect opportunity to tease Michael about his blatant love for Ashton. 

“Yeah, he’s pretty special.” Calum agreed, smirking slyly. “You really can’t sing his praises highly enough, can you?” 

Shaking his head, Michael finally returned his attention to the TV. “You really can’t, he’s just so kind and sweet.” 

Calum nodded in agreement. “Not bad to look at either!” 

“Right?!” Michael giggled, oblivious to the fact that his tipsiness was making his lips too loose.  

“Hey Mike.” Luke cut in, reaching over to nudge his friend’s shoulder. “How’s being in love with your flatmate working out for you?” His conversational tone was entirely at odds with mischief in his eyes. It confused Michael but the youngest friend’s words were altogether too bold, a blatant overstep if ever there was one. 

Despite his inner rage at being called out like this, Michael fumbled, unable to cobble together an appropriate response. “Ugh, I don’t even… You’re so far-“ 

“There’s no point denying it anymore.” Calum chuckled, “I can feel the sexual tension between you two from across the hall!” 

“God, I bet it’s like watching a car crash, isn’t it?” Luke asked, picking up the bowl of M&M’s on the coffee table. “It’s horrific but you can’t tear your eyes away? Am I right?” 

Calum nodded. “It’s like watching a bad fucking soap opera.” 

Michael felt offended and embarrassed but still no words seemed to form coherently in his mouth. 

“At least it’s a bit less tragic now we can be sure it’s not entirely one sided!” Luke stage whispered with a calculating look on his face as he met Calum’s gaze.

“Yeah, it’s mildly less irritating!” Calum laughed. 

“Wait, what do you mean?” Michael sputtered. “Ash and I agreed that our one night stand is ancient history, we’re not-“ 

“Oh puh-lease!” Calum scoffed. “If you two haven’t fucked again by the end of this month I’ll eat my bucket hat.”

***

Ashton had returned with a case of twenty four bottles of beer and as a result, lad’s night had ended up running into the early hours of Saturday morning. 

Having drank his way through more than his fair share of that case, Michael didn’t end up rising from his pit until noon had long since been and gone. 

“Ah you are still alive!” Ashton chuckled, tearing his attention away from the TV to look at his flatmate. 

This was definitely not fucking fair. Michael didn’t need to look in a mirror to know that he looked exactly as he felt - rough as all hell. Ashton on the other hand, still looked as dreamy as ever. His black curls, although slightly ruffled and fluffy, were still on the stylish side of messy and he’d somehow found the motivation to get dressed, too, something Michael wasn’t even contemplating.

 “I’m glad you’re up now, though, I wondered if you had anything planned for dinner?” Ashton asked, peering at Michael from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. 

The thought of food made Michael’s stomach lurch unpleasantly and he had to fight to hold back a wretch. 

Ashton gives a sympathetic giggle before pausing his show and rising to his feet. “I’ll take that as a no. Don’t worry, buddy. I have a plan but first…” he jogged over to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle. “Why don't you go and take a shower while I make you a tea? You’ll feel better after that and then we will talk dinner!” 

As Michael plods over to the bathroom, he shoots one last look over at Ashton, busily preparing mugs on the countertop and tries his absolute hardest to remember a time that he wasn’t in love with his flatmate.

***

As always, Ashton was proven to be 100% correct. 

Michael felt a million times better once he was showered and snuggled on the sofa with a mug of steaming tea. 

“You look a little more alive now.” Ashton smirked, sparing Michael a sideways glance before returning his attention to ‘Law and Order’. “Do you think you can handle talking about dinner yet?” 

The ache in Michael’s stomach felt a lot more like hunger than it had done when he first woke up and the thought of food didn’t make him feel like throwing up anymore so he nodded. “What’re your plans, chef?” 

Ashton’s cheeks turned a rosy pink as he shrugged. “I couldn’t bear to see you try to cobble together another freezer meal so I thought you might like me to teach you a simple pasta dish?” He suggested, his tone a little shy like he was worried what Michael’s reaction would be. “I’ll do most of the work, but I thought if you helped out, you’ll learn how to make something other than Super Noodles.” 

Michael couldn’t even be mad at the subtle dig at his cooking skills. He was terrible in the kitchen and it was just a little embarrassing that Ashton had noticed just how dyer his cooking skills were. “When you say simple, do you mean like a recipe and technique you can write on the back of a postage stamp because that’s about the level of my skill.” 

Rolling his eyes, Ashton casually threw his arm around Michael’s shoulders. “Don't be so hard in yourself, buddy! I once taught Luke how to make scrambled eggs on the stove so he didn’t have to be a savage and use the microwave anymore, so there’s definitely hole for you, I promise.” 

Michael tried to focus on the hat Ashton was saying but all that his slow, hungover brain could process was that he was pressed against his stupidly gorgeous flat mate’s side. The heady smell of Ashton’s minty body wash and the soft scent of his fabric conditioner felt intoxicating and Michael could do nothing besides allow his head to drop into Ashton’s shoulder. 

To the blonde’s surprise, Ashton shuffle away or call him out on it. He simply rests his own head on Michael’s and laughs. “We’ll make a chef of you yet, Clifford.” He promised.

***

They spent a good three hours, watching reruns of C.S.I and making plans to start a Marvel movie marathon after dinner. They sat close to each other the whole time and Michael noticed Ashton watching him from the corner of his eye on at least three separate occasions. 

By the time Ashton suggested they start making dinner, Michael had gone over his conversation with Calum and Luke the previous night, about sixty times. His two best friends had convinced him that Ashton wanted Michael just as much as Michael wanted Ashton. 

“The way he looks at you, dude.” Calum laughed. “He’s practically imagining you naked at any given moment. It’s getting uncomfortable.” 

“Don’t be stupid!” Michael reprimanded. “He doesn’t think of me like that anymore. We had a one night thing months ago. That’s it. Nothing else will ever happen between us again, we’re just flatmates.” 

Calum and Luke exchanged a sceptical glance before bursting into laughter. 

“Yeah right!” Luke huffed sarcastically. “Do you know how many times I hear your name come out of his mouth at work these days?” 

Michael’s cheeks reddened. He had no idea that Ashton talked about him at work. It felt kind of surreal to imagine his roommate relaying snippets of their home life to Luke. 

“Let me guess!” Calum interrupted. “About a thousand…” 

Nodding, Luke drained the last of his beer. “Yeah and that’s just before lunch!”

“Honestly, if they don’t bang soon I’m gonna knock their heads together.” Calum sighed. “Did you know Michael comes over to my place most mornings so he doesn’t have to watch Ashton do topless yoga?” He asked Luke disbelievingly. “I want my lie-in’s back!” 

At the time, Michael hadn’t believed his friends. He didn’t think that there was even a remote possibility that Ashton still carried a torch for him. But in the clear light of day, Michael couldn’t deny that all the signs were there… perhaps there could be more between them after all. 

He followed Ashton into the kitchen, rolling up the sleeves of his grey oversized sweater, trying to clear his mind enough to be able to process learning a new skill. 

“Okay, this is like the simplest recipe I know but it’s delicious and tastes so much better than the freezer junk you usually make for yourself.” Ashton rambles as he grabs a saucepan and a frying pan from the shelf near the cooker.  

“Hey, freezer junk has been my lifeline on many occasions, I’d probably be dead without it.” Michael scoffed, only half joking. 

Ashton rolled his eyes fondly, handing Michael the saucepan. “Fill this with water for me and then put it on the back hob, while it’s boiling I’ll teach you how to make the sauce.” 

As Michael carried out his instructions, he couldn’t help but admire the concentration on Ashton’s face when he began rifling through the fridge and cupboard, pulling out various ingredients. 

Once the pan of water was safely on the job Ashton had indicated, Michael returned his full attention to the slightly older man.

“Right, the first thing we do for the sauce is put 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil into this cold pan.” Ashton explained, pushing his glasses up his nose a little, reminding Michael of a hot English teacher or something… fuck, it was already difficult enough for Michael to concentrate without random fantasies about Ashton fucking him over a desk running through his mind. “Usually I’d never add oil to a cold pan, but for this particular recipe, it works because if the pan was already hot, the first ingredients would burn before the rest was in there.” 

There was something about the way Ashton talked with such passion and confidence that made Michael wish he was confident enough to just drag him to the bedroom, his need for more from Ashton becoming unbearable. He forced himself to nod, pretending like he understood when really, Ashton could be telling him absolutely anything right now, and Michael would not know the difference because all he can think about is the way Ashton had groaned at the feeling of Michael’s nails running down his back and how he’d growled Michael’s name as he neared his climax. 

“Can you pass me the basil?” Ashton asked, pulling Michael out of his memory. 

The blonde surveyed the ingredients on the countertop. Luckily he recognised most of them, so he picked up the basil by process of elimination and handed it to Ashton like a dutiful sous chef. 

Ashton looked mildly impressed as he took the bag of basil and took out handful. “We want about ten or so decent sized leaves and we tear them in half before adding them to the oil, okay?” He waited for Michael’s nod of understanding before tearing the leaves in his hand and dropping them into the pan. 

“Then we need to chop 6-8 cloves of garlic directly into the pan.” Michael looked back at the little stack of ingredients and frowned, noticing an instant problem. “We only have one clove of garlic…” he pointed out, biting his bottom lip worriedly. 

Ashton burst out laughing as he picked the garlic up from the counter. “This is a whole bulb, babe…” he explained, apparently not even noticing his use of the supposedly accidental pet name. 

It was difficult for Michael to feel too offended by Ashton’s laughter when he’d just called him babe, though, so he let it go, focusing on the term of endearment, no matter how accidental it might have been, rather than the humour at his dumb mistake. 

“It’s the smaller, wedge shaped pieces that are cloves, please don’t mix that up if you make this without my help.” Ashton chuckled, breaking six cloves from the bulb and picking up a tiny knife he’d laid out next to the oven. 

“Don’t laugh at me!” Michael pouted. ���I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I almost never do.” 

Ashton gave him a fond smile. “You’re not alone in that, I promise…” 

It was hard not to feel comforted by Ashton’s lopsided smile, so most of his embarrassment slipped away fairly quickly. 

“I just chop off the little hard parts at the bottom of each clove and peel the skin off before chopping it directly into the pan. Don’t chop it on a board or you’ll lose some of the flavour.” Ashton explained carefully. 

Michael watched with interest as Ashton demonstrated his technique with the first two cloves. He handed the third to Michael along with the knife and gestures for him to add it to the pan. 

It took him probably three times longer to chop that one clove into the pan, than it took Ashton to do the first two, but he was encouraging and patient. The older man praised Michael for completing the tiny task, seeming genuinely impressed.

Once all six cloves of garlic had been added to the pan, Ashton turned on the hob into a medium heat. “Okay, so we stir this together for about five minutes. Can you do that while I open the tin of tomatoes?” 

Michael nodded, picking up the wooden spoon from the counter and storing the simmering ingredients together. It already kinda smelt like his favourite Italian restaurant and his tummy grumbled impatiently. 

“One thing I should specify is, you need to use tins of whole tomatoes, not chopped.” Ashton explained as he poured the first tin of tomatoes into the sizzling pan. “Can you pour in the second one?” 

Michael did as he was told and watched as Ashton squished the whole tomatoes down and stored them into the red eat of the ingredients. 

“Mmm it smells so good.” Michael sighed, breathing in the delicious smells. 

Ashton looked proud of himself as he offered a smile. “Can you take over the stirring while I add the salt?” 

Michael took the spoon from Ashton, ensuring that their fingers brushed. 

There was a moment of eye contact and a silent shifting of tension between the two of them. If ever there was a time to bite the bullet and kiss Ashton, now would be it. His nerves failed him though and he dropped his gaze to the simmering pan. 

Instead of moving around Michael to pick up the salt as he’d done for the tomatoes, Ashton simply reached past the blonde, pushing him against the counter momentarily before he pulled back to add the salt to the pan. 

If Michael had been fully alert, he’d have recognised that for the flirtatious move it was meant to be, as it was, he put it down to a simple lack of judgement on Ashton’s part and continued to concentrate on stirring the sauce.

***

The tomato pasta tasted as good as it had smelt. It turned out to be exactly what Michael’s hungover body had needed. 

He and Ashton had eaten it at their little table in the kitchen. Conversation had flowed freely as always, skirting around flirtatious at times but never quite enough for Michael to pluck up the courage to take things further. 

“The only thing that would have made that better would have been a nice glass of white wine, but I thought you were still a bit too delicate for that.” Ashton giggled as he picked up the empty plates from the table and carried them over to the kitchen sink. 

“Hey, you drank as much as I did!” Michael pouted, picking up the empty glasses and following Ashton to the sink. “How’re you not hungover.” 

Ashton chuckled as he ran the water into the washing up bowl. “You’re just a lightweight, Mikey.” 

It wasn’t the first time Michael had been called that so it didn’t take him by surprise. He laughed it off as he grabbed a tea cloth ready to dry the dishes that Ashton washed. “One day you’ll stop teasing me, Irwin.” 

Ashton shook his head. “Don’t count on it, babe… you’re too easy to make fun of, that’s not my fault.” 

There it was again, that little slip, a fond nickname that roommates probably shouldn’t have for one another. 

Quickly pulling himself together, Michael nudged his flatmate in the arm, just hard enough to pull a surprised “oof” from him. 

“Careful now.” Ashton warned jokingly. “You don’t want to start a scuffle you can’t finish, Clifford.” 

Michael threw caution to the wind and nudged Ashton again, deliberately keeping his gaze on the plate he was drying. 

“That’s it!” Ashton huffed, scooping up a handful of bubbles and swiping them across Michael’s face. 

The blonde spluttered and shook his damp fringe out of his face before fixing Ashton with a glare. A few acts of retaliation flashed through his mind. He could have whipped Ashton with the tea cloth or splashed him with dishwater but none of that happened. 

There was something about the way Ashton’s eyes were sparkling, almost like he was daring Michael to do the thing he’d been too scared to do this whole time. He refused to let another opportunity pass like before when they were making the pasta sauce. Michael tried not to overthink as he stepped forward and cupped Ashton’s face with one hand before leaning in and kissing him. 

The raven-haired man’s lips felt every bit as soft as they had done on that night seven months ago. Ashton didn’t kiss back with the same hunger and desperation that he had done back then, though. 

Michael stepped back, feeling his cheeks heat up in an embarrassed blush. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, Ash…” 

Ashton bit his bottom lip between his teeth as he stared at Michael intently. “No…” He said, finally breaking his silence. “You just shouldn’t have waited so long.” 

The older man’s words had barely penetrated Michael’s brain before he was being  pressed against the counter behind him. Ashton’s lips were on his again but this time they were working just like they had been that night at Ashton’s old place. 

The intense kiss pulled a whine from Michael and he automatically wrapped his arms around the older man’s neck. 

It started as a fairly simple kiss but it quickly began to build momentum. It was the crack in the dam holding back all of their emotions for all this time. 

“Ashton…” Michael gasped as they pulled apart for air. “I know we said we should just be friends but…” 

“Fuck being just friends.” Ashton mumbled as he worked kisses down Michael's neck. “I can’t pretend anymore.” 

Those words were all Michael needed to hear in order to relax into this. “I can’t tell you how bad I’ve wanted this.” He whispered. 

Ashton slipped one of his thighs between Michael’s as he nipped at the blonde’s neck. “I think I have some idea.” He groaned. “I never stopped thinking of the way you moaned my name that night, Michael.” The older man confessed, pulling back just enough to look Michael in the eye. “Wanted it again since the moment I walked in here.” 

The way Ashton was looking at him like he wanted to devour every inch of Michael, had the blonde melting. “Me too.” He crashed his lips against Ashton’s in another desperate kiss as he subconsciously rutted against the older man’s thigh. After the months Michael had spent feeling kind of lonely and touch-starved, the tiny amount of friction was enough to have him whimpering against Ashton’s lips. 

“Uh, you sound and taste even better than I remember.” Ashton muttered, pressing his thigh harder against Michael’s crotch to pull another little gasp from him. 

“Ashton! Fuck, please, I…” Michael’s head tipped back as he lost his fight to regain any sort of control over his own body. He was in Ashton’s control now, and Ashton knew it.  

“Come on…” Ashton coaxed, stepping back from Michael as he took both of his hands in his to pull him away from the kitchen counter. Michael whined high in his throat as he easily followed where Ashton led. 

Michael had hardly been into Ashton’s bedroom since he had helped him move some furniture the day he moved in; it had almost felt too intimate to go into Ashton’s personal space given the history between them. Seeing it now, cozy and dark with slithers of light coming through the window from the lamp posts outside, gave Michael a chill; it felt like Ashton was sharing a secret with him.

He followed Ashton’s lead dutifully all the way to the bed, accepting the deep kiss Ashton offered him as a reward, before the older man peeled his oversized sweater from his torso, breaking away to pull it over Michael’s head. Michael wanted more contact, but was disappointed when Ashton gently but decisively laid him down among the crisp sheets, instead. 

Ashton pulled his own t-shirt over his head in one fluid motion and flicked the lamp on his bedside table on, bathing the bed in a warm glow that made Michael feel like he was in a dream. 

Michael gazed in wonder at Ashton as he climbed into bed beside him, letting his eyes travel all over his arms and chest, taking in the extra tone and definition in his body since the last time he’d been able to stare at him like this; clearly, the yoga was doing more than just allowing Ashton to ‘find his centre’. 

He didn’t think he was anything special to look at, but he could see Ashton mirroring his own actions, eyes full of lust searching all over the parts of Michael’s body he could see, and even his gaze lingering on a part he couldn’t.

 “Ash,” Michael breathed out, surprising himself with how far gone he sounded already. “Take ‘em off, I wanna…” He trailed off as Ashton’s eyes snapped up to meet his own, holding eye contact for only a moment before he nodded almost imperceptibly, shuffling down the bed and taking hold of the waistband of Michael’s sweatpants. He returned his gaze to the pale man before him, biting his own lip as he allowed his fingertips to graze the skin of Michael’s hips. “These too?” Ashton questioned in a low voice as he brushed the fabric of Michael’s underwear.    

“Oh God, yeah”, Michael answered, squirming slightly from the infuriatingly gentle feel of Ashton’s touch. Ashton didn’t need to be told twice. Michael shivered with the feeling of being suddenly completely exposed as his sweatpants and underwear hit the carpet. Michael looked up at Ashton through his lashes, braced up on his knees in his black, ripped jeans. “You’d better be planning on losing those in the next second, Irwin.”

Ashton smirked as he undid his jeans. “And I mean your underwear, too!” Michael amended hastily, hungry to see if his memory of Ashton’s body was accurate. 

The dark-haired man’s smirk grew wider at Michael’s clarification, pulling his zip down and allowing his jeans to fall open, exposing only bare skin beneath. “Underwear?” 

Michael’s jaw dropped a little, prompting a deliciously filthy laugh from his roommate. “For the record, roomie - I don’t wear underwear.” Ashton winked as he yanked his jeans down as far as he could in his current position, before wriggling around to pull them off completely. Michael was pleased to see that, if anything, his memory had been selling Ashton short. Blame it on the alcohol. 

Michael didn’t know how to decide on what to do first; on one hand, he wanted to kiss Ashton non-stop for the rest of eternity, but on the other hand, if he didn’t get filled up in the next 10 minutes, he was definitely going to throw a tantrum. Luckily, he realised, it probably wasn’t up to him. All of his experience with Ashton so far told him that the older man would definitely be taking the lead, and this was definitely not a problem for Michael. Indeed, it had worked out very well for him last time, when his staff night out started at the bar and ended with Ashton eating him out like his life depended on it. 

“What are you thinking?” Ashton’s sultry voice broke through his thoughts, apparently wanting a coherent answer despite the fact that he had just begun to run his fingers up and down Michael’s sensitive, pale inner thighs. Michael let out a shuddery breath as he tried to use his words to tell Ashton he wanted anything and everything possible between them, right there and then. Perhaps the way his cock twitched when Ashton let one his nails run over a faded stretch mark right at the base of one of his thighs would speak for itself. 

“Maybe we should get right to, huh, gorgeous?” Ashton teased, withdrawing his touches to lean towards his bedside table. He pulled open the top drawer, fumbling only for a moment until he found what he was looking for. The lube and condom were dropped carelessly onto the mattress as he shut the drawer again, returning his attention to the man almost-beneath him immediately. “We’ve got plenty of time for all the other goods stuff; right now, I need to fuck you, and I know you need me to fuck you...don’t you?”

Michael wondered at what point in his life he had begun to communicate exclusively in whines, but Ashton seemed to be into it, so it didn’t matter. Michael watched impatiently as Ashton popped the top on the half-empty bottle of lube, wasting no time in squirting a generous amount onto two fingers on his right hand and pulling Michael’s leg fully around his hip with his left.

Michael’s heart jumped as much as his cock when Ashton breathed gently on the lube coating his fingers in an attempt to warm it slightly before he brought them straight down to Michael’s bare hole, rubbing over it in a firm circle.

Michael was glad he didn’t have the problem of not wanting his roommate to hear him getting fucked, anymore, as he let out his loudest, neediest whine yet. Ashton proved he had meant what he said about not taking their time with their second tryst, sinking his index finger inside Michael in one fluid motion. Before Michael had got to 10, Ashton was opening him up at a steady, delicious pace and was driving Michael crazy in record time. 

Michael wouldn’t claim to be a pornstar or anything, but he didn’t normally have a problem with stamina. If Ashton kept it up like this, though, Michael was in danger of coming before Ashton’s thick cock got any closer to him, and that was unacceptable.

“Ash, please, I can’t...I want, ne-your cock, please!” Michael cried out as Ashton probed his spot one last time before immediately acquiescing to Michael’s begging. Michael wriggled at the loss of Ashton’s fingers, but took comfort in the fact that Ashton was already tearing the condom packet open. 

Michael watched in awe-tinged anticipation as Ashton gave himself a couple of loose tugs once he had the condom on, before closing in on his lover once more, making sure Michael was laid comfortably on the pillows as he positioned himself over him. Michael clung to Ashton’s shoulders as he lined himself up, just resting the tip on Michael’s slick hole for a moment.

Ashton’s hazel eyes bore down into Michael’s green ones with a soft fire as he raised one hand to brush Michael’s fringe out of his flushed face. Michael let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding as Ashton pushed in - slowly, but all the way.. He felt like he was sinking and floating simultaneously, and wrapped his arms around Ashton’s neck to anchor himself here, with him, in this moment. 

Ashton pressed his face deep into Michael’s neck, kissing and sucking his way up towards Michael’s ear. “You good?” He murmured, shifting his hips a miniscule amount. “Yeah,” Michael breathed, “S’good, please…”.

With a final nip to Michael’s neck, Ashton pulled back slightly and began to move his hips properly, his cock sliding halfway out each time as he began to build a steady rhythm for them. Michael felt that perhaps in their sexual relationship so far, he was earning himself the reputation of a bit of a Pillow Princess, and so he began to move his own hips to meet Ashton’s building thrusts. Ashton groaned, long and loud, at the heightened sensations Michael’s movements brought, and they began to work together towards their goal. 

Suddenly, Ashton’s mouth was crowding his, his tongue sliding into his mouth in a glorious kiss that Michael never wanted to end. He couldn’t tell if it had been 10 minutes or 10 hours when he felt that familiar feeling begin to bubble in the lower stomach. Ashton had begun to up the pace of his thrusts, his hips occasionally stuttering as groans rumbled low in his throat, so Michael knew they were on the same page. 

“Ash,” He murmured in the millisecond between kisses. “Touch me, please, I’m getting so-” Michael broke off into a moan as Ashton was already wrapping a firm hand around his neglected cock, stroking it with determination and flicking his thumb over Michael’s dripping head. “You close, baby?” He murmured, eyes drifting over Michael’s face and the arousal present there. Michael was starting to writhe slightly and his head was flopping to the side on the pillow, but Ashton wanted his attention. With his free hand, he took Michael’s chin and turned his head to meet Ashton’s stare. The moment Michael was forced to meet his strong, heated gaze, his hazel eyes boring down on him with such intensity, Michael felt the kick of heat and it was all over. He cried out Ashton’s name and let out a series of curses and moans as he came, hard and hot over Ashton’s hand and their sweaty stomachs in equal measure.

Michael hadn’t finished himself before he felt Ashton taken by surprise, as well; his hips shooting forward to fill him to the hilt for the last time as he spilt into the condom, releasing Michael’s chin to brace himself through his orgasm on the pillows. “Michael, fuck!”

Michael regained enough control to watch Ashton’s face through hooded eyes as he came, moaning and unrestrained as he finished. He thought he looked heavenly. 

As they both fought to catch their breath, Ashton pulled out gingerly, releasing Michael from his grip as he moved away to remove and dispose of the condom. Michael wriggled in place, trying to get comfortable to recover from what he hoped would be the first of many. Ashton came back from the bin in the corner and flopped back down, alongside Michael now, lifting his arm to allow Michael to snuggle in under it when he wrapped it around him. “So…” He said, sounding casual as you like. “About the whole platonic, friendly, roommate thing…”

masterlist for the 5sos ficwriters collab  • my masterlist

#5sos writing collab #my writing #mermaidcashton #maluminspace #5sos fic #5 seconds of summer fic #5sos #5 seconds of summer #mashton #mashton fic #mashton smut #mashton fluff #Michael 5sos #ashton 5sos #Michael 5sos fic #ashton 5sos fic #ashton irwin #Michael clifford #Michael Clifford fic #ashton Irwin fic

[debbiechanclub]

Best Two Out of Three, Part 8

@what-does-mine-say and I just keep cranking these out because we’re a tad bit obsessed XD. I’m a little nervous about this part? And I don’t know why? Everyone is mad at each other so brace yourselves.

Also: thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support for this fic. My only hope is to make y’all happy with my words.

Best Two Out of Three

Part: 8/26

Pairing: Kenny Omega x OFC and Adam Page x OFC

Warnings: Alcohol use, language, angst

Word Count: 3.3k

Catch up on previous parts here.

Alex pushed her way back into the Best Friends’ locker room. James sent her a look from where he sat on the couch, watching the monitor in the corner. “Well. You won, at least,” he commented.

She completely ignored him as she crossed the room and sat down in her cubby. She was not in the mood—and it was obvious. He gave an apologetic sigh. “I’m sure Adam didn’t mean to do what he did,” he said. “Things happen in the heat of the moment.”

She continued to ignore him as she rifled through her suitcase. All she wanted was to get changed and leave—

“Alex.” 

“What?” She glared at him. He frowned.

“Are you okay?”

The genuine look of concern on his face made her stop. No, she wasn’t okay. But before she could say so, Chuck and Trent came through the door. Neither of them so much as looked at Alex as they walked into the room. She grabbed her clothes and started for the bathroom—but then Trent said something that made her stop dead in her tracks.

“Are you fucking Kenny again?”

Chuck let out a frustrated breath. “Dude, come on,” he said; but Alex spoke over him.

“What?” Her voice came out in a hiss, full of venom. She couldn’t believe the nerve of him, asking her a question like that in front of Chuck and James. It wasn’t any of his business.

But he didn’t really care. “Chuck told me what happened before we left the hotel last week. And after what just happened out there… it sure seems like there’s something you need to come clean about, Alex.”

Alex took a step closer. “That’s not any of your fucking business, Trent.”

He scoffed. “That’s a yes.”

“Dude, lay off!” Chuck unexpectedly burst. “You’re being a total dick right now!”

Trent’s eyebrows arched. “I’m being a dick? She’s the one who’s been toying with your emotions for the last year!”

“WHAT?” Alex exclaimed. She was incensed. It took all of her not to throw her clothes in Trent’s face. Chuck must have thought she might because he jumped up and stood between them.

“Alex, I don’t think that, I swear,” he said. But Trent wasn’t done.

“Oh, don’t play dumb,” he spat. “You flirted with Chuck all the time while you were fucking Kenny last year because you knew he’d give you the attention you wanted but weren’t getting from Kenny. You take advantage of his feelings for you, Alex.”

“TRENT, SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Chuck whirled around to glare at him. James jumped up and stood between them.

“Okay, now’s probably not the best time for this,” he implored. But Alex had heard enough.

“Fuck you, Trent,” she spat. “And get off your high horse before you break your neck. It’s not like you’ve never tried it with me despite anyone’s feelings.”

She threw her clothes forcefully across the room and started toward the exit. Chuck’s shoulders slumped. “Alex, he’s not speaking for me!” he called. But she was already halfway out the door, trying to ignore the tears stinging at the back of her eyes.

* * * * * * * * * *

“I told you he couldn’t be trusted!”

Callie burst into The Elite’s dressing room. She half-hoped Kenny would be there so she could tell him exactly what she thought of him—but he wasn’t. Honestly, it was probably for the best.

“I know,” Adam breathed. He was still heated from his interaction with Kenny at ringside. He didn’t understand it. “I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt… but he acted like a fucking asshole out there.”

He sat down on the sofa at the far end of the room and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Kenny had said to him before he’d left. Question me all you want, but this one’s on you. And the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Callie rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re sleeping with each other again,” she muttered.

Adam bit down on his jaw. As angry as he was with the situation, Alex was still his friend and that wasn’t his business to tell. So, he changed the subject. “I’m sorry, Cal. I’m sorry I got you disqualified. I just felt like I was the only person in your corner out there, and it pissed me off. It shouldn’t have been that way.”

Callie moved to sit beside him. “No, don’t apologize.” She placed one hand on his arm and the other on his back as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you even more for sticking up for me out there. Even though Alex is your friend, I never doubted you. I knew you had my back.”

Adam squeezed her hand on his arm and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Of course I did.”

Callie leaned into his touch; but then she winced. “Ow.” She reached up to rub the back of her neck; that running knee Alex hit her with had done a number on more than just her mouth.

Adam’s brow furrowed. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Just sore.”

“Here.” He adjusted so that he could massage her neck, rubbing his thumbs in firm circles over the muscle. He leaned forward and placed feather-light kisses on her skin, moving down her neck to her upper back and across her shoulders. Callie let out a contented hum as she placed her hand on his thigh. He growled lowly in her ear. “You know what that noise does to me.”

Callie raised her eyebrows and sent him an innocent smirk. “Do I?” She turned and leaned toward him. “I think I might go take a hot shower; see if that helps ease some of the pain.”

Adam didn’t need to be told twice. He stood from the couch and pulled her to her feet, into his body. “Is that an invitation?”

She didn’t say anything. She just reached up and pressed her lips against his—right as Kenny walked through the door.

He froze like a deer in headlights when he saw them. “I’m just getting my phone,” he said. He moved across the room toward his bag, trying to get in and out as quickly as possible; but Callie cut her eyes at him.

“Thanks for having my back out there.”

Kenny bit down on his jaw. “I’m not the one who cost you the match.”

“Oh, fuck you, Kenny!” Adam erupted. He took a step toward him. “I saw that little smirk on your face when Alex hit Callie with that running knee. You weren’t in her corner any more than Chuck and Trent were.”

Kenny put his hands on his hips and looked up at the ceiling. He knew he and Adam needed to talk, but not right now. It wouldn’t solve anything right now. He took a breath and looked him in the eye. “You’re upset, and I get it. But I’m not doing this right now.”

He grabbed his phone and started toward the door. Adam yelled after him. “Oh yeah, walk away. Alex knows what that’s like.”

Kenny paused, his hand white-knuckled on the doorknob. He had half a mind to turn back around and punch Adam. But he just sent him a hard look over his shoulder and went out the door to find Alex.

He typed up a text to her as he walked down the hall, but he didn’t need to send it. He found her as he rounded a corner; and as soon as she saw him, her face crumpled up and she started to cry.

He rushed toward her. “Baby, what’s wrong?” He took her face in his hands and looked down at her with concern in his eyes. “Why are you crying?”

“Trent…”

That was all she said before she buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “What did he do?”

Her words came out muffled and tear-ridden. “He asked about us… and then we got in a fight and—”

A choked sob interrupted her. Kenny pulled back and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Come on, let’s find somewhere we can talk.”

He took her by the hand and led her down the hall until they found an empty room. He brought her over to the couch and sat her down, rubbing soothing circles over her back. “Tell me what happened,” he gently said.

Her shoulders shook as she spoke. “Trent and Chuck hate me.”

His brow furrowed with confusion. “What? No. They’re your best friends. Why would they hate you?”

She looked back up at him, her eyes watery and red. And then she said, “I think Chuck’s in love with me.”

That only confused Kenny further. “What?”

Alex buried her face in her hands. Kenny wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him. And then, for better or worse, she let it all out.

“When we were in Vegas for Double or Nothing last year we all got really drunk and Chuck told me he loved me. But I didn’t think anything of it, and it became like a running joke and Trent and James always make fun of him for it and Chuck always denies it. But in the locker room just now Trent flat-out asked if I was fucking you again and then he accused me of toying with Chuck’s emotions because I flirt with him and—and now I feel like I’ve just been hu-hurting Chuck this whole time and like I’m a te-terrible fucking per-person…”

Her body wracked with sobs and she couldn’t speak anymore. Kenny hugged her as tight as he could. “You’re not a terrible person,” he assured. “And they don’t hate you; I promise. Trent’s just an asshole.”

She pulled back and looked up at him. “Are you upset?”

“What?” he repeated. “No! Absolutely not! Why would I be upset?”

“Because we just worked things out and now I’m telling you I think my best friend is in love with me,” her words broke as she finished; but Kenny adamantly shook his head.

“No. How Chuck might feel doesn’t change anything about how I feel, Alex. We worked things out and that’s all that matters.”

Alex’s lip trembled again, and she reached up and wrapped her arms tight around his neck, clinging to him as if he were the only thing that mattered in the world. Kenny returned her embrace, squeezing her tight. Telling her without words that she had nothing to worry about.

She sniffled as she pulled back so she could look at him again. “I just want to go back to the hotel with you and forget about all this.”

He frowned as he wiped her cheeks dry again. “I wish we could. But you know I can’t leave yet, baby. We’ll go as soon as we can, alright?”

She just nodded, tears in her eyes.

He kissed her forehead. “How about we just stay here for a while?”

She nodded again. He leaned back against the couch, bringing her with him. She pulled her feet up as he drew her into his side, tucking her underneath his arm. And as she snuggled against him, Alex felt like Kenny was the only thing that made sense.

* * * * * * * * * *

Later that night, Alex rested with her head on Kenny’s bare chest as they laid together on the bed in his hotel room. In the interest of taking things slow, she hadn’t planned on sleeping in his room that night—but that had been before the fight with Trent. It had been awful telling Chuck that she was staying with Kenny; she’d barely been able to look at him. Eventually, they would have to talk about what Trent had said. But not tonight. She couldn’t handle having that conversation tonight.

“How’re you feeling?” Kenny traced his fingers over her skin as he held her. It sent a pleasant tingle up her spine.

“Better,” she said. “But I’m dreading having to face Chuck and Trent tomorrow.”

He let out an agitated breath. “Yeah, I want to talk to Trent.”

She pushed herself up to look at him in surprise. “Why?”

“Because I don’t like what he said to you, Alex. Our relationship is our business, and I’m not just gonna let him get away with speaking to you the way he did.”

Alex bit her lip as he looked into her eyes. It turned her on more than she’d expected it would, hearing how protective he was. But it also worried her. “You can talk to Trent; I actually wouldn’t mind seeing you put him in his place,” she said. “But I would appreciate if you left Chuck out of it. He actually stuck up for me against Trent tonight.”

Kenny nodded. “Of course. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

She smiled and placed her head back on his chest, content.

“I need to talk to Adam, too.”

Alex’s brow furrowed. “About what he did during the match?”

She felt him shake his head. “No. I didn’t like how he put his hands on you, but that’s not it.” He paused. And then he said, “He said something to me back in the locker room that really pissed me off.”

Alex sat up to look at him again. “What did he say?”

Kenny’s face fell. “It was a low-blow comment about how I treated you before. He implied I walked away from you.” He shook his head. “It took all of me not to haul off and punch him.”

Alex frowned at the remorse in his eyes. And suddenly, she felt protective of him.

She moved so that she straddled his lap. He ran his hands up her thighs as she leaned toward him. “Fuck what Adam or anyone else thinks. We worked things out and that’s all that matters,” she said; and she kissed him.

Kenny grabbed her hips, eagerly deepening the kiss as she moved against him. She nipped his bottom lip as she moved her mouth to his neck. He let out a growl. “I thought you wanted to take things slow?”

“Tonight’s a special circumstance,” she purred. “You’re upset, and I want to make you feel better.”

He emitted another satisfied groan and leaned back against the pillows as she kissed her way across his chest and down his abdomen, moving lower and lower. She reached the waistband of his shorts—and her phone vibrated loudly from the nightstand.

Kenny leaned up. “Was that yours?”

“Yeah,” she breathed in annoyance. She reached for her phone, intending to silence it and carry on; but her brow furrowed when she saw the screen. It was a text from Adam.

“What is it?” Kenny asked.

She pursed her lips as she picked up the phone and unlocked it. She read the message silently to herself before answering Kenny. “It’s Adam. He wants me to meet him at the bar.”

Kenny rolled his eyes. “Of course,” he said as he flopped back down against the pillows.

Alex frowned, still straddling him. “I don’t have to go.”

“No; I know, baby,” he apologetically returned. “I’m sorry. You just got me all worked up.” He drew in a deep breath. “I actually think you should go talk to him.”

That surprised her. “You do?”

He nodded. “Yeah. He’s your friend, and I know what happened during the match is weighing on you. If you can work it out with him tonight, it’ll be one less thing worrying you tomorrow.”

Alex bit her lip. He made a compelling argument. But the thought of talking to Adam made her suddenly nervous—especially after what Kenny had just told her he’d said.

“Go,” Kenny gently encouraged. He gave her smirk. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

She gave him a small smile. He was right; it would be one less thing weighing on her if she and Adam could make amends tonight.

She climbed off him and changed into a pair of jeans. Once she’d pulled on her shoes, she gave Kenny a kiss. “I’ll try to make it quick.”

“Please,” he breathed, and she hurried out the door.

She made it down to the bar in two minutes. Adam was already there, sitting at the bar with two glasses of whiskey in front him. Alex arched a brow as she walked over.

“Rough night?”

He pursed his lips. “One of them is yours.” He slid a glass toward her. “It’s a peace offering.”

She eyed the drink as she slid onto the stool next to him. “Is it the cheap shit?”

He smirked. “Maker’s Mark.”

She bobbled her head. “That works.” She took the glass—but then she paused. “Does Callie know about this?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes,” he assured. “I figured it’d be better to meet you in neutral territory than go up to your room.”

Alex took a sip of the whiskey. It burned on the way down. “Well, you wouldn’t have found me there anyway. I’m actually staying with Kenny tonight.”

Adam’s eyebrows arched when he heard that. “So I guess you two talked, then?”

She nodded. “Yeah. We’re taking things slow.”

He laughed lightly to himself as he brought his glass to his lips. “Sleeping in his room doesn’t sound like taking things slow.”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on it,” she shot. “But Trent and I got in a huge fucking fight in the locker room after the match, so I’d rather just keep my distance for now.”

Adam’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why did you and Trent get in a fight?”

Alex let out a breath. “Kenny,” she simply answered. And then she added, “Speaking of fights, Kenny told me you had something smart to say to him in the locker room.”

She sent him a sidelong glance. She could tell by the look on his face that she didn’t need to clarify what she meant. “Well, it’s like I said when we talked, Alex. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

Alex looked away again and took another drink. She understood his concern, but she was over listening to other people’s opinions about her personal life. It must have been obvious, too, because Adam changed the subject.  

“I’m sorry for what I did during the match tonight,” he said. “I let my emotions get the best of me.”

Alex scoffed. “Well there’s one thing you and Callie have in common.”

“Alex, come on,” Adam returned. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

She frowned down into her glass. “I don’t want to fight with you, either.” She gripped the glass harder. There was something on the tip of her tongue, and she wasn’t sure if she should say it. But she couldn’t bottle it up any longer. “I miss the way things used to be, Adam,” she said. “Before you started dating Callie. I miss my drinking buddy.”

She turned and looked him in the eye. Adam’s face fell. “I can still be your drinking buddy, Alex. That doesn’t have to change.”

His eyes were so sincere; so sad. And even though Alex desperately wanted to believe him, she just couldn’t. “I’m gonna go. Thanks for the drink.” She downed the rest of the whiskey and grimaced as she stood from the bar. Adam didn’t try to stop her as she left. He didn’t know what to say.

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[adrischrv]

REGNUM [L.H] - Chapter 3

Author´s note: Hi! Here´s the third chapter! English is not my first language so lemme know if there are any mistakes. 

Word count:  2,902

Introduction.  C1. C2. 

The morning after the ball was quiet. The lack of Queen Susan’s joyful life was as strange as the King’s laughter and everyone in the palace could feel it. Even, though I only knew them for a short time. I remembered finding my mother talking on the phone with the Queen about nonsense to serious business matters, I was infinitely grateful to the Queen for taking my mother away from a couple of lessons.

Gardenstone has a particular way of saying goodbye to its loved ones: people would write a word describing such people on an acorn, they would gather and water them all over the forest. A nice old lady explained to me that different trees sprouted like the oak tree and when they grew up a person was also born with the written word in a way that reflected the impact you have on the world even after you die. She could assure me that people with good intentions would come out of the words of Queen Susan, King Robert, and Prince Jake. 

“Fifty delivered and about… sixty more arrived.”

Luke nodded, tired. I left the piles of papers on the big desk in front of him and took a seat on the other side.

After he had been appointed King and after the farewell, thousands of petitions from citizens and nobles had arrived in the early hours waiting to be authorized. Seeing the load of papers, I offered to help Luke and avoid the collapse of my neighboring country. My mother decided to do the same on her own by talking to the dukes and duchesses who feared for the future of Gardenstone as it was justly uncertain. 

“I slept for two hours… and everyone wants me to approve petitions, I don’t understand why.”

Luke had spoken more to himself, but that didn’t stop me from laughing a little.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, paying attention for the first time all morning.

“Of course they want you to approve petitions. They’re taking advantage. Since your father, may he rest in peace, is no longer the king, they expect you to approve everything he didn’t. But I hope you have not approved many, parliament will have a lot to discuss and it will probably be exhausting.”

Luke was stunned, looking for the right way to hide his inexperience.

“It’s parliament’s job, exhausting or not.”

“They wouldn’t give the same importance to every role and something important might be disapproved of or something unimportant might be approved, it’s risky.”

“If you know so much, why don’t you do it?”

Clearly, the regulation of his tone had a flaw causing it to come out more aggressively than planned.

“It would be a pleasure. I firmly believe that I can do it better than you, Your Majesty.”

Luke let go of the pen in his hand and crossed his arms. If I didn’t think it was funny I’d say he was trying to be intimidating but suddenly he relaxed his gaze.

“I’d like to check that out. Oh, and also about approving petitions, princess.”

I clenched my fists but like him I relaxed my gaze, ready to give an intelligent answer.

“I’m sorry I dared to think I was talking to a king, when it is clear the long road you have to be considered one.”

The slamming of the door interrupted Luke from saying - surely - something stupid.

“Busy, Your Majesty?”

Calum’s brown hair peeked out, smiling at the sight of me.

“Go ahead, did you get any sleep, Cal?”

Calum snorted at Luke’s question, taking a seat next to me at the desk, and took an exhausted stance, dropping his hands down his pants.

“Are you kidding? Mom keeps calling, I had to turn off my Jhin just like Dad. Who, by the way, sent me to find out if you had authorized his request.”

The “Jhin”, modern devices from cell phones that had the option to call among other things, and characterized by a function that allowed an easy finding of information about any individual, in the past there were social networks that were eliminated in the International Revolution and changed by the Jhin.

“You find it in this rubble and I’ll authorize all the requests you want” Luke sighed leaning back in his seat and pointing to the papers in front of him.

Calum looked at him sorrowfully, none of them in the mood. Said and done, Calum managed to find the petition he recognized by the notorious “H” for “Hood” in one corner of the paper, leaving it on top of all the others.

Luke took it, signed it without hesitation, and took a second to read.

“You should read it and then sign it, you know?” Calum mentioned, gaining the satisfaction I hoped to get from correcting Luke.

“You have my absolute trust, you know?” Luke replied in the same tone without taking his eyes off the document, opened his big eyes, and handed it to Calum who accepted it immediately. “Are you my Diplomatic Adviser? What about your father?”

“After what happened last night, he thinks it’s time for me to take his place. I would eventually, but it seems to him that I need to be by your side now to support you and test my training,“ Calum replied, noting the anguish in his friend’s expression. 

I had nothing to say so I got up and directed my interest to the books on the shelves pretending not to pay attention.

“I suppose your father went with your mother to his village…”

“You guess right,” Calum paused for a moment. “Hey, I know you’re not well. It must be hard to lose your family… I can’t imagine waking up without my parents and my sister… but you’re not alone, I’m here if you need to talk.”

Luke smiled sideways, quietly accepting his proposal.

“You need to take a break, it’s all happening so fast,“ Calum said, almost reading his mind. “The kingdom needs you to be in good shape.”

Frustrated Luke rose from his seat to sit in the corner of the desk.

“I don’t know what else the kingdom needs, and that will be your first task. Also, stop sending in paperwork, close down the possibility of sending in a petition until further notice.”

I was going to tell him how reckless it was to shut down the arrival of petitions but I finally stopped to think about the matter I had provisionally ignored: I had no power in Gardestone and I didn’t know what was going to happen to the alliance. 

“His Majesty, His Highness, young Hood” A guard appeared at the door with cards in hand which he dealt to the three of them. “Their Majesties King Ashton and Queen Lauren of Lauxwell would like you to attend a dinner they have arranged for themselves tonight.“

“Are those harpies still in my palace?” Luke raised an eyebrow. The poor guard did nothing but nod. “Get rid of them. I want them out.”

“Are you crazy?” exclaimed Calum, clearing his throat as he realized the mistake he had just made. “I mean, are you sure you want the Irwins out? As your royal advisor, I don’t think it’s true to your word, your majesty. King Ashton won the duel and the terms-”

Luke raised a hand to stop Calum from talking. 

“Guard, I need privacy, if it’s not too much trouble…”

The Guard bade farewell with a bow. 

“You too, Princess,” said Luke, “you can request as many maids as you need for tonight, but that’s no reason for you to stay here another second.”

I blinked uncertainly as to how to respond to his insinuation… or insult. I was still debating what was most appropriate.

“Did I not make myself clear? -Or would you rather stay here and stare at me a little longer?”

“I can’t ask my eyes to meet this turtle,” I answered, in the most pleasant tone I could find and advanced to the door.

“Are you sure? I can turn around if you need to,“ I heard him scream from the hall.

Halfway down the hall, I decided that I had to set certain limits for “his majesty” if I was going to live with him and his insufferable attitude for one more second. With that in mind, I changed my direction back to the office and stopped short when I heard my name in the conversation.

“-I’m serious, Cal Amberly is unbearable!”

Eavesdropping had never been something I enjoyed, much less needed. I knew there was nothing good about it… and yet I stuck my back to the wall outside the office. 

“-the whole kingdom is depressed. Just by spreading the word about Princess of Maredale’s temporary stay they have begun to produce the best quality products, the children went out to play again” Calum debated. “Your people feel the comfort they have not received from their king.”

“Is that what they want? Miss “I got a lesson in something important” and “I can run a country on my own”?” Luke asked, trying to imitate my voice. “Nonsense! I bet she can’t choose which well-known book to read without help, so many classes have been useless if she can’t speak for herself and waits for her mother to do all the work for her. A babbler! that’s what she is. Even that Ashton idiot has more courage than she does.”

I thought I’d walk through that door to tell him how wrong he was. I could even make a scene and choose to tear all of his fine clothes into pieces that would be scattered all over the palace. 

But I didn’t. Because deep down I knew he was right.

I spat cautiously. My eyes were threatening to drop the tears. 

“Please, Luke. You don’t know what you’re saying,“ Calum replied. “Queen Elizabeth is going to be back any minute and I don’t think she’d like to hear the way you express about her daughter.“

“If the Queen does anything, it will only show what a coward the Princess is.”

Without realizing it, I was walking with a strong step to my room.

Luke was telling the truth, what was the point of taking classes and lectures if I couldn’t speak for myself?

Ashton had said it too, though much more subtly. He implied that I could take charge of my destiny and it must not be like my mother had planned all along. 

Courage- I didn’t have it. I wanted to find it and show it off like a new toy, but that’s not how it works. 

“Princess, I was looking for you.”

Lidia interrupted my walk into the room, looked into my eyes that were probably already a little red and wet. She gave me a warm smile and took my hands and led me into the room. I sat down on the edge of the bed and talked, holding back my sobbing.

“Lidia, I was about to do the same thing, but…”

She hissed as her hands were lost in the closet.

“Quiet, from the look of your beautiful face I can tell you heard something…”

Lidia stood in front of me with a bright ruby red dress in her hands, a golden ribbon, the colors of the Gardenstone, all around. The silk fabric adjusted perfectly to my body, falling to my feet with a discreet opening at the side of my right leg; the waves of my hair embraced me. Suddenly it did not seem that I had been crying for the fool that the King was.

“….and by the look of you in this dress, I can tell you will shut the same mouths that said something about you.”

¥

The main dining room shone on its own even though the green decoration was quite noticeable, it looked like Christmas. The red walls looked soft, smooth, and warm, I liked to think that and the spruce chairs had been Queen Susan’s idea. In the center I expected a long table with food, a lot of exquisite food, I didn’t think I had seen those delicacies before, I assumed they were typical of Lauxwell. Around the table, the guests - mostly servants of the palace - had already begun to enjoy the food, while the nobles were talking and eating slowly. 

I took a breath, looked up, and entered the dining room. 

Lauren saw me first, smiled for a second, and went on with her meal. At her side, Ashton adjusted his tie and looked at me for a few seconds directly in the eyes as if he wanted to tell me something. My mother, who had returned from her talks, nodded approvingly. Calum took his attention off a plate, looked at me, and elbowed Luke. Luke did not flinch. 

“Sorry I’m late, go on with your dinner.“

“Princess, please sit next to me.” Ashton stood up, offering a chair. 

“No, sit next to me.” Luke did the same. “You are a guest in my kingdom, after all.“

They shared a challenging look, Luke just wanted to annoy Ashton and have the satisfaction of being able to ignore me all night. 

Luke’s eyes were fixed on me, seeking a truce not to favor Ashton.

“I am flattered, your Majesties,” I smiled innocently, “but I find the company of King Ashton more… appropriate.”

I took a seat next to Ashton. He politely placed a glass of red wine in my hands, for a moment our fingers brushed and I felt my cheeks warm slightly.

“Your Majesty Luke,” called my mother, “I am proud to report that all the dukes and duchesses are now calm again in their respective states. I have said some flattering things about you…”

“Thank you, your maje-”

“I hope I’m not wrong…”

I looked for my mother’s look on the other side of the table along with the opportunity to tell her that she was wrong, so wrong…

“I hope my daughter has contributed something today.”

Too late to talk about Luke.

I alerted the blond man’s intentions, as dirty as mine a few seconds ago. He had the luxury of taking a sip of red wine before responding.

“I found the company of Princess Amberly a bit… “ He looked me straight in the eye “…Comfortable.”

I took a bite of my food, waiting for him to cut off eye contact. He didn’t. The urge to stick something into those blue eyes increased with every second…

“If you find it so comfortable I can suggest that you keep it with you for a while longer.”

My mother’s words not only interrupted the discreet discussion between our eyes but also took us both by surprise. 

“What do you mean by that, Mother?” I asked.

“I am going back to Maredale, and seeing first-hand the opportunities you have at Gardenstone to demonstrate your potential, I think it is necessary for you to stay here. If His Majesty Luke approves, of course.”

“Of course I approve, Queen Elizabeth. It will be a real… pleasure.”

I didn’t look at Luke, I didn’t look at anyone. I released all frustration of such a decision at the plate in front of me.

Lauren told a story about a night she had decided to stand guard at a volcano on the Lauxwell border near a funeral home. She described it as a bleak, lifeless place too cold for even the heat of the lava to drive away. A giant beast with big legs and a wet muzzle with traces of blood was found, a wolf big enough for her to have faced it alone… but she had done it, she had hunted the beast and divided the skin among her friends in her kingdom. There was something so horrific about her story that made it interesting and kept us all at the table expectant and eager to hear more. 

Throughout the dinner I felt an extra pair of eyes on me, I had the luxury of finding the owner, and the simple fact that they belonged to a certain self-centered brat brought a smile to my face. 

“-that’s how I took my father to the bandits who threatened the kingdom. They will rot forever, end.” She took her cup up and drank it to the bottom. Everyone around her applauded, sighs of relief and fear sounded as well. 

“Thank you, sister. With these stories full of courage, we thank you for attending this dinner.”

Ashton extended a hand indicating to the servants to leave the dining room nicely, some stopped and thanked him, others took leftovers from the table mistakenly hidden between napkins and took them away. 

“Ridiculous, we have never forbidden them to eat. I guess we’ll have to start.“

Luke mumbled to Calum, he laughed but his face was afraid, he thought Luke was capable of it. 

Seconds later the two left the dining room followed by Lauren who walked with her head held high despite being under the influence of alcohol. I admired her in silence. 

A black hair stood in my way, accompanied by a wide smile. 

“Amberly, would you accompany me on a night walk in the gardens?”

“Of course.” 

Our arms intertwined, I tried not to blush at the sudden closeness as we got lost in the garden with the moon guiding our every step. 

#5SOS #5 seconds of summer #5sosfanfic #luke hemmings #luke hemmings fanfiction #luke hemmings fic #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings series #luke fanfic #king!luke #readregnum #ashton irwin #ashton irwin fanfic #michael clifford fanfic #calum hood fic #michael clifford #calum hood #5sosfam

[littledrummeraussie]

knitted sweater for two.

Word count: 5800+ Author’s Note: Merry Christmas you all!  ❤️ This was a beast and a half, and thanks god I’m finally finished with it.

masterlist.

Ashton was already done with the Christmas party, and it has only started half an hour ago. He felt silly standing there in his green sweater with Naughty written on it in white cursive letters – his choice wasn’t the worst one, there were a lot more ugly sweaters going around in the house that could have won a contest if they’ve ever started one. No, it was more of the fact that he was obviously ditched by his partner who should have worn a red Nice sweater, completing their couple costume for the night. And what good does a couple sweater do if you do not have a girlfriend to wear it with, right?

It was Calum’s famous Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, the time of the year when he invited all of their friends and made them wear the most ridiculous winter clothes. He even found a tiny, matching red sweater for Duke, who was running around the place, making sure he gets all the pets and treats from his new friends. Ashton has already given him a handful of crackers to munch on, after which Duke started to follow him for more goodies.

Ash tugged on the sleeves of his sweater, wishing he could take it off and throw it in the dumpster, and wear his usual black clothes instead. He felt like he stood out like a sore thumb, like everyone was looking at him, like they all knew that he should have someone by his side with that stupid red jumper on. He desperately wished he could slip away up to Cal’s room and rummage through his closet, find the old band sweater they’ve made for that charity event, and wear it instead of this green monster that was mocking him.

But he knew how much this party meant for Calum, especially this time, and he didn’t want to be the friend who leaves when everyone else was busy having fun. So Ash started looking for Luke and Michael to join them and their girls, hoping for at least a few laughs before moving on to someone else, spend a little time with them as well, and after that maybe he can say that he had enough, thank Cal for the party, and go home. But before he could spot any of his mates, he heard a low whistle, and caught sight of Duke – the dog yipped at someone, running around their feet, and then happily trotted into the kitchen after them.

”Come on Duke, let’s get you something normal to eat,” he heard a girl’s voice, and curiosity got the better out of him.

He made his way towards the kitchen, and peeked inside; the girl’s back was to him as she opened a can of dog food, then turned around to find Duke’s bowl. Ashton needed to stifle a laugh as he looked at her – she was wearing a black dress with the exact same green sweater he had on. It had the same colour and pattern, with the word Naughty on the front, just like his own. He quickly pulled back from the doorway and cast a gaze around the room, looking for a matching red sweater. For long moments his eyes searched, but he couldn’t find any guy with a Nice one that could have been the companion of this mysterious girl.

Ashton looked back again, watching the girl giving Duke his food and a little ear scratch, after which she started to clean up. There was something in her that made him want to talk to her – maybe their matching Christmas sweaters, or the fact that he didn’t know who she was, even though it looked like that she felt at home at Calum’s, and really, how was it possible that he did not know who she was? He knew everyone at this party, except for the girl in the kitchen. He needed answers, and an excuse to talk to her; so he grabbed two cups from the nearby table, got some punch in them, and slowly stepped closer.

She was crouched beside Duke, fussing over the tiny dog sweater he was wearing, quietly talking to him. Ashton tried to come up with something, anything that he could say to her and start a conversation, but it felt like the girl made him tongue-tied. He felt awkward, and in the end, that was the thing that gave him the idea.

”Well, this is unfortunate,” he said finally. ”Looks like one of us have to change.”

The girl looked up at him then, clearly not expecting anyone to be in there with her. Then her eyes scanned his sweater, and she pulled a face.

”That’s an ugly sweater you have there.”

 * * *

 When Calum called me up and asked if I could help him with his yearly Christmas party, and also look after Duke during that time, I’ve almost said no. His invitation came at the worst time, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to explain to him why I preferred to stay away from a party where my ex-boyfriend could also be a guest, probably with his new girlfriend. But Cal was already caught up on the drama that went down a few weeks prior, and promised me a cheating-boyfriend-free night with nice food and Christmas punch, and the mandatory Christmas sweaters. And of course, Duke – his adorable little pup whom I’ve been babysitting on and off for the last year.

I’ve been friends with Mali for quite a while, and she was the one who introduced me to Calum when he was looking for someone to take care of his dog while he was on tour. It started out as kind of a side job, but we’ve soon realized that Duke and I were a really great team, and that Cal and I shared the same sense of humour, and suddenly I’ve gained a really close friend in him.

In the end I did say yes to the party, especially after he let me slip a secret he’s been holding onto for some time now, and I knew I wanted to be there to support him. And since it was Christmas, it was also time for presents, and I ended up buying him and Duke matching sweaters for the night. We’ve even made a video of him wrestling the pup into the tiny red jumper, which he sent out to his friends as a reminder that the party was happening really soon, and that he was waiting for them at 7 PM. We’ve spent the afternoon preparing food and drinks, hanging up decorations, and sharing stories – me about my breakup and how moving on was working out for me, and Cal about his good news and his plans for the upcoming year.

When the guests started to arrive, I’ve taken a step back, and let him spend time with them. Even though they were all really friendly and welcoming, I knew that I’ve promised him to keep an eye on Duke during the night, because he was a little firecracker, and could end up causing trouble and maybe even eat the food that wasn’t meant for him. I’ve left the party for a few minutes to change, and to put on the sweater I’ve brought with myself. It was meant to be a couple thing, me wearing the green Naughty sweater and my boyfriend wearing its pair, the red one with Nice written on it. I’ve thought of the irony of the whole scenario – me being the bad one, finding him screwing a friend of mine when I wanted to surprise him. The red sweater ended up at the bottom of a box full of his other things that I’ve left on his front door, never wanting to see him again.

I did keep my own Christmas sweater, mostly because I didn’t feel like buying a new one for myself. I also knew I was going to spend most of my time trying to keep up with Duke, and who knew how messy that could get? After the party the sweater could go to the trashcan, and I could forget about the guy and my heartbreak, and start making new memories.

The party was in full swing and I’ve already caught Duke munching on various crackers and pieces of meat in the first half hour, so I’ve decided to keep him out of the living room for a while. With a whistle I made sure I had his attention, and motioned for him to follow me. He happily ran after me as I’ve walked into the kitchen.

”Come on Duke, let’s get you something normal to eat.”

He patiently waited next to his bowl, and I gave him a few ear scratches for being a good boy. This has been our routine for the last year, and I usually spent this time sitting beside him on the floor, talking to him quietly about everything that came to my mind. Sometimes it felt good speaking about concerns and fears without anyone trying to solve them for you, and Duke sure didn’t care about my problems – this made him such a good listener. Then suddenly Duke stopped eating and looked up; I also caught a shadow looming over me, and I’ve followed the dog’s gaze, watching a man stop next to me.

”Well, this is unfortunate. Looks like one of us have to change.”

I’ve run my eyes up to his face, recognizing him immediately. He was smiling, waiting for some kind of reaction from me. Then my gaze moved down to the sweater he was wearing – the exact same green one that I had on, the word Naughty written on it in white. I’ve wanted to see if he really can take a joke, just like Calum told me a hundred times, and pulled a face.

”That’s an ugly sweater you have there,” I answered, holding his gaze.

His face fell, looking shocked, like this wasn’t the answer he expected. He nervously held onto the two cups in his hands, his lips already forming an apology, and I let out a laugh at this.

”Come on, I’m wearing the exact same thing,” I’ve nodded down at my sweater. ”I basically called mine ugly as well.”

He looked at me quietly for one more moment, then burst out laughing. It was the cutest thing I’ve seen in a really long time. I stood up from next to Duke, who continued eating like nothing happened, and smiled at the guy. He gave me one of the cups, which I accepted with a thank you, then leaned against the counter, waiting for him to say something else.

”I’m Ashton,” he said finally, holding out his hand for me.

”I know. You’re one of Cal’s mates,” I shook his hand, nodding towards the living room and the other guys in there.

”How’s that you know who I am, but I don’t know anything about you?” the question left his mouth before he could stop himself, and it made me laugh once again.

”I mean, your face is all over Calum’s pictures, it’s not rocket science.”

”So – will you tell me your name?” he quirked an eyebrow, then a smirk appeared on his face. ”Or should I ask Duke? He seems to know you really well.”

”I’m Y/N,” I answered, then added, trying to sound really serious. ”And we have a really close relationship with Duke, thank you very much. He gives me company, and I give him food. A win-win situation, really.”

”Oh, I’m sure of that,” he nodded, taking a sip of his drink. ”So how do you know Calum?”

”Is this an interrogation?” I’ve pushed myself away from the kitchen island, never taking my eyes off of him.

”I’m just curious, that’s all,” he shrugged his shoulder, and continued holding my gaze; it was like a game, who can hold on longer, who will be the first to look away, who will win?

”You know what that did to the cat,” I sipped my drink, and tried to locate Duke in the kitchen while still looking at Ashton. I wasn’t about losing a staring contest – especially if it gave me the option to openly stare at Cal’s best friend without feeling guilty about it.

”I’m allergic to them,” Ash said, still watching me curiously. ”Could kill me as well. So what now?”

I’ve rolled my eyes at him with another smile, then stepped to the back door. Duke was already waiting there, running out to the garden the moment I’ve opened the door, looking for new places to sniff and claim as his own. I went after him, following him with my eyes from the porch. Calum did an amazing job putting up decorations and ornaments there, placing candles in jars and lighting them, hanging up paper garlands and a few hidden mistletoes for the couples in love. I’ve made sure to memorize them all and step away from under them – no need hoping for Christmas miracles, those could wait another year. But a little flirting didn’t hurt anyone, right?

”Am I interrupting something?” Ashton asked from behind me, stepping out to the porch as well.

”I’m puppy sitting Duke,” I answered him finally, and he stopped beside me, his gaze following the dog in the garden. ”Mali told Calum that she thinks I’m fit for the job, and Cal agreed – so now both him and Duke are stuck with me.”

Ashton leaned his elbows against the porch rails, suddenly really quiet. His fingers were drumming on the side of his plastic cup, clearly trying to come up with his next question. Then he looked at me again, nodding towards Duke.

”Just puppy sitting… or is there something more?”

”Well, he’s a nice guy, and I like hanging out with him. But I’m sure that’s no news for you,” I bumped his shoulder with mine, then sat down on the stairs.

He stayed there leaning against the rails, both of us watching Duke for a few more minutes, but then he joined me, sitting as close to me as he could without touching. Duke finished his next round around the garden, and ran up to me, putting his little paws up on my knees, asking me to pick him up. Ashton took my cup away while I picked the dog up, letting him find his spot in my lap; after that he just lay down, enjoying the little pets and ear scratches he got from me.

”He definitely likes you,” smiled Ashton, looking from me to Duke, then back again.

”He likes anyone who gives him food,” I snorted, giving the dog a quick belly rub.

”That sounds like Calum,” Ash added, then reached over to pet Duke’s head.

”You should know,” I let my eyes stay on him until he looked back at me, and I grinned at him. ”I mean… he’s your best friend.”

”Well, this best friend certainly did not tell me anything about cute dog sitters,” Ashton slowly bumped his knee against mine, giving me another questioning look.

Ashton was definitely a curious man, and I started to put together the pieces based on his questions and comments. I was sure he knew about Calum’s good news, the one he wanted to share during tonight’s party. He just didn’t know if I was the reason for Calum’s happiness, or if it was someone else Cal wanted to introduce to the group. And really, it made sense – Ash was ready to get to know me better, he was ready to charm me with his smile and words, but only if I was available. If I was dating Calum, I would be off limits for him.

”Does Cal know you’re flirting with me?” I quirked an eyebrow at him, mirroring his questioning look. Ash stayed quiet for another moment, then finally asked what must have been on his mind for the past 20 minutes.

”Are you Cal’s mysterious new girlfriend?”

”You know, he would be a terribly bad boyfriend if he left me here in this ugly sweater without at least putting on its pair,” I answered with a faux-annoyed huff, holding Duke a little bit closer, and it made Ashton laugh.

”I’m sorry,” Ashton said, trying to hide his smile. ”I’ve just thought that… it might be you.”

”No! No, it’s fine,” I smiled back at him, moving my knee to bump his, just like he did before with me. ”I absolutely adore Calum, but he really is just a friend. And I know his girlfriend, and she is amazing. You will meet her pretty soon.”

”Yeah, he told me that much,” Ash nodded. ”But still, he did not tell me anything about a dog sitter.”

”Maybe Duke asked him to keep our relationship private for now,” I lifted the pup up to give a kiss on his little face. ”Right Dukey?”

 * * *

 Ashton was mesmerized by the girl – she was funny, flirty, and she absolutely adored Duke, which he found really cute. He wasn’t sure where the night would lead them, but he knew he wanted to remember her, remember tonight, the girl in the green sweater giving kisses to Duke. He slowly pulled his phone out, trying to snap a picture of Y/N and the pup, but he failed miserably, because she caught him the minute he took the first picture. But she just laughed, and started to pose for him, holding Duke close to her face.

”Do you have a dog?” Y/N asked him, putting Duke back into her lap, running her fingers through his soft fur.

”Maybe I should get one,” Ashton answered, a fond smile spreading across his face. He could already imagine waking up next to her in his bed on Christmas morning, and maybe later go to a shelter and adopt a dog together. He had it bad for her.

Now that he knew she wasn’t Calum’s girlfriend, there was only one thing holding him back: did she come to the party alone, or did she bring someone else? Maybe he missed the guy in the matching sweater. Maybe he wore something else, making it impossible to figure out that he came with her. Maybe he stayed at home, and couldn’t make it to the party. There was only one way to find out, so Ash gathered all of his courage.

”So what’s up with the sweater?” asked Ashton a few minutes later while they were still sitting on the stairs in Calum’s garden.

”What’s up with yours?” she directed the question back at him.

”It looks good on me, don’t you think?” Ash gave her a grin, and Y/N started laughing.

”It gives me terrible nightmares,” she said finally. ”I’m only wearing it because I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good sweater in case something happens with Duke. But he seems perfectly content.”

”Were you also stood up? Cause you know, I was planning on bringing my girlfriend to this party, I even bought the sweaters and everything. And then she told me she’s not interested anymore, and just left,” he told her his story, taking another sip of his punch. ”Apparently she’s more into rappers than drummers.”

”She must have a terrible taste then,” Y/N commented and pulled a face, which made Ashton laugh.

”So where’s your Nice guy? Because he’s clearly not at this party,” asked Ash again.

”Turned out he wasn’t very nice after all,” she said, looking at Ashton. ”Definitely did not deserve the sweater I’ve bought for us. I wanted to surprise him with it, there were a few Christmas parties we were invited to, and we could have worn it to those. But when I wanted to give it to him, I found him in bed with a friend of mine, and that was the end of us. I’ve left it at his door with his other stuff, and now I only have this green thing that I just really want to get rid of.”

”Sounds like we both hate these sweaters,” he smiled, and then with a little flirty move tugged on the girl’s jumper. ”Maybe they bring us bad luck.”

”We should definitely take them off,” she chuckled, shaking her head and taking another sip of her own drink.

Ashton couldn’t take his eyes off of her – he definitely wanted to get rid of the jumper. He wanted to peel that stupid sweater off of her and give it a permanent place on his bedroom floor. He wanted to unwrap her, see for himself how the black dress hugged her body, feel her hair between his fingers as he kissed her lips. Wanted to pull the dress off, to push her against the wall or the door, down on the bed, taste her skin, hear her moaning his name as he slowly made her lose her mind. He wanted to lose his mind with her in that moment, in every moment that came after that – he wasn’t hoping for only one night, but definitely for forever.

”Maybe you would prefer the Nice one,” he said, sliding a little closer to her. ”And I just happen to have a red sweater, ready to be worn by someone nice.”

 * * *

 Ashton slid a little bit closer, his thighs and shoulders pressed up against mine. I took a moment to look back at him, let my eyes linger on his hazel ones, trying not to gaze at his full lips. They looked soft and kissable, and more than anything, I just wanted to feel them against mine. I’ve never told Calum that I’ve found his friend really attractive, but I had a feeling he knew it even without my confession. Ashton’s chin dropped a little, almost like he was ready to lean closer, when the door behind us suddenly opened, and we both looked back at Calum.

”Sorry for interrupting,” he gave us a wide smile, and scooped up Duke who jumped down from my lap and ran up to him. ”But there’s someone I’d like you to meet. That is, if you’re done.”

He didn’t say anything else, just winked at the both of us, and went back inside. It felt like the spell was broken, the moment passed, and we were just sitting there in awkward silence. I quickly stood up, smoothing out my dress and sweater, almost running up the stairs.

”Uhm… we should go,” I stepped on the porch, trying not to look at Ashton.

”Yeah, maybe we should,” he said quietly, and something in his voice made me stop.

I turned around to say something more, and not knowing he was right behind me, crashed into him. He grabbed my arms to steady me, and suddenly we were back to the moment Calum interrupted. Ashton’s eyes focused on me, then slowly looked up above us, and I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. I’ve followed his gaze, already guessing what might have caught his attention – there, between the decorations was a perfectly placed bouquet of mistletoe.

”Damn you, Calum,” I let out a half-sigh, half-laugh, and met Ashton’s eyes.

”You smell so good,” Ash said slowly, stepping a little bit closer. ”I wonder how you taste…”

”Probably like Christmas punch,” I whispered, sliding my hands up on his shoulders.

Ashton’s eyes moved to my mouth, gazing back and forth as he quickly licked his lips. Then he leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine, moving closer until our noses touched.

”May I…?” his question was somewhere between a murmur and a breath as he brushed his lips against my lips.

I pressed against him, letting the touch linger for a moment, feeling his breath against my skin as he slowly moved his head to the side, sliding his tongue along the seam of my mouth and deepening the kiss. One of his hands found my cheek, angling my head to kiss me the way he liked it, and I’ve run my tongue along his own, tasting him. He made a satisfied little groaning sound, pulled away and caught my bottom lip with his teeth for a short moment, pressing another soothing kiss on it.

”Definitely like Christmas punch,” he breathed against my lips, looking at me with hooded eyes. ”Fuck.”

”I really wish you would kiss me again, but…” I whispered with a small laugh, squeezing his shoulders. ”I’m pretty sure Cal’s waiting for us.”

”Damn you, Calum,” he laughed too, pressing his mouth against mine for one more short kiss, then took my hand and quickly led me inside the house.

 * * *

 In the end we’ve all got to meet Calum’s girlfriend, who was the sweetest girl ever. The guys tried to tease them as much as they could, but she was witty and quickly caught on with their shenanigans, and they’ve decided that she was definitely the perfect fit for their friend. It was clear that Cal was head over heels with her, and the feeling was mutual – they’ve never let go of each other during the night.

My eyes lingered on Ashton whenever I’ve thought that he’s not looking, but he always ended up giving me a quick wink or pursed his lips, almost like sending a kiss my way. I wished we were back on the porch, under that stupid mistletoe, and that he would kiss me again for real.

When the end of the party drew closer and people started to go home, I’ve helped Calum clean up the mess, knowing he would want to spend the rest of the night with his girl, not thinking about spilled drinks and Duke getting drunk on them. Duke was happily snoring in the girl’s lap as she talked to the people who were leaving; I’ve tried to see if Ash was still there, but as the house calmed down, it was clear that he had already left.

I was gathering my stuff, ready to leave as well, when Calum pulled me closer and gave me a hug.

”Thank you for everything. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

”I have a feeling I do,” I smiled back at him, giving his arm a squeeze.

”You know,” he continued, throwing his arm over my shoulder and leading me towards the door. ”He’s a really great guy. And not just because he’s my best friend.”

”He’s really nice, yeah,” I shrugged, trying to not show how disappointed I was now that Ashton left. ”But I’m not sure I’m ready for something new.”

”Is that what you’ve told him when he had his tongue down your throat?” he cocked an eyebrow at me and I’ve blushed a deep scarlet.

”Cal! You weren’t meant to see that,” I pushed at his shoulder, but he just laughed, and gave a kiss to my cheek.

”Just so you know, I might have asked Ash to take you home. No needs to thank me, but you’re welcome.”

Calum stayed true to his words; when I’ve stepped outside the house, I saw Ashton leaning against his car, smiling at me. I made my way towards him, hoping Cal wasn’t peeking at us from the window – it was enough that he saw us kissing, I didn’t want to give him any more reason to tease me in the future.

”Did you say goodnight to Duke?” he asked me, making me smile back at him.

”He even got a kiss from me. He’s a really special little dude,” I teased him, and Ashton pushed himself away from the car.

”Oh really? I might just get jealous of him,” he brushed his fingers against my face. ”What a lucky dog he is.”

”Your hand is cold,” I laughed, pulling away from him when his fingers slid down to my neck.

”Hmm, is there any place for me to warm them?” Ashton asked me, and slid his hands down to my waist, pushing them under my sweater, and resting them on my hips.

”I think you just found one.”

”Maybe these jumpers are good for something else as well, other than reminding us of people we want to forget,” Ashton squeezed my hips, looking in my eyes. ”They are definitely good hand warmers.”

”I know Cal asked you to take me home,” I started, sliding my hands up on his shoulders once again, holding onto him as we talked. ”But you said something about having a lonely red sweater at yours…”

”Would you like to try it on?” he gave me a smirk, his hands slowly sliding down, pulling me closer like that. ”I bet it would look fucking amazing on you.”

”Well, you’ve said that one of us have to change,” I bit my bottom lip, leaning closer to his ear and whispered. ”And you definitely look like someone who deserves to stay in their Naughty sweater.”

 * * *

 His body was warm against my back, and he smelled like sunshine. Or maybe it was the sun itself peeking through the curtains of his room, making both of us shift in the bed, moving closer to each other. Ashton had one arm around my waist, his other hand brushing the hair away from my neck to press small kisses on it. His movements were slow, still sleepy, and I could feel his smile against my skin.

”I’m ticklish” I mumbled into the pillow, still half-asleep, and he gave me a chuckle.

”Noted,” he kissed me just under my ear, then whispered. ”Definitely going to use it against you.”

”And this is why you deserve the Naughty sweater,” I opened my eyes and turned around to face him.

”I think I can live with that,” he brushed his nose against mine, pushing our lips together for a few seconds. ”So… how do you take your coffee?”

Ashton grabbed his pants from the floor and made his way to the kitchen after another few minutes of kissing. I’ve thought about waiting for him there, but I didn’t want to miss a moment with this amazing man, so I’ve followed him, picking up one of the sweaters on my way out and put it on. Ash was making toast and was rummaging through the fridge for something to eat when he looked up at me – there was a glint in his eyes, and I knew he already has a comment for the situation. He stepped closer, pulling me to his body and pushing his hands back under the jumper.

”This,” he tugged on the garment. ”Is my sweater you are wearing.”

”Are you sure about that?” I’ve pushed myself up on my tiptoes, running my fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. ”I seem to remember having the exact same one…”

”Well, yours stopped right around here…” he smiled at me, caressing my hips under the sweater, then with a wicked smile, slid his hands lower. ”And mine stops somewhere around… here.”

”You might have a point, Irwin,” I giggled, leaning against his chest, and he hugged me close to himself.

”You know, I’m pretty sure Duke set us up,” Ash rested his head on top of mine, slowly swaying with me.

”Does he get something in return from Calum? Belly rubs and steak?” I smiled, already picturing Duke munching on his well-deserved dinner.

There was a short ping coming from the counter next to us, and Ashton grabbed his phone, looking at the text message on the screen.

”Speaking of the devil,” he snorted, then read the message to me. ”I hope you both been naughty.”

”Wonder what he talks about,” I rolled my eyes, but a blush was colouring my cheek, and Ashton did not fail to press a kiss on it.

”Let’s show him how naughty we were,” he grinned, then picked me up and brought me to the living room, already tugging on my sweater.

”Ashton! What are you doing?” I laughed as he peeled the green jumper off of me, throwing it on the floor next to the other one.

He held me close as he took a picture of the two green sweaters piled next to each other on the floor, then started typing his message to Calum. Goddamn it, we look good together. I stifled my laugh against his shoulder as he sent the text, then picked me up again. He brought me back to his bedroom, laying me down on the bed, and leaned over me. I’ve pulled him close to kiss him, and he willingly came, slowly resting his weight on me.

”Do you think we still have time to get another set of ugly sweaters for ourselves?” I’ve asked Ashton as he kissed down my neck.

”They would just end up on the floor as well,” he brushed his lips against my collarbone, then pushed himself up to be face-to-face with me. ”And anyway, no sweater could be ugly on you. Definitely not these lucky ones.”

”Oh, so now they are lucky sweaters too?” I’ve booped his nose, and he scrunched up his face.

”Well, if I’m correct, you are in my bed, under me, and you definitely don’t look like you want to leave,” he grinned back at me. ”You see? Even naughty boys like me get presents for Christmas. And if I might add, what an amazing present you are.”

”You just convinced me to keep that sweater, you know that, right?” I shook my head with a smile.

Ashton pulled me closer, then suddenly rolled us over – now he way lying on his back, and I was able to sit up on him, and look down at his still grinning face. He too was the most perfect gift I could have asked for this Christmas.

”You know, now they give you life-sized boyfriends as well with the sweaters,” he said, running his fingers up my thighs. ”And you can keep them after Christmas as well. Do you think you would… like to get a new one?”

”I kinda like the one that came with that Naughty sweater,” I caressed his chest, running my hands to his shoulders, and down his arms to lace our fingers together. ”He seems like a really nice guy, actually.”

”Good,” he smiled at me and squeezed my hand in return. ”Cause he kinda likes the girl in the Naughty sweater as well. And really hopes she would spend Christmas with him.”

”Remind me to borrow some mistletoes from Calum,” I leaned down to kiss Ashton, who pulled me to his chest. ”Cause from now on I’m willing to find all the excuses to kiss you whenever I want to.”

”Won’t Duke get jealous, though?” he asked, sliding his fingers into my hair, angling my face towards him. ”He seemed to like your kisses too.”

”I think Cal’s girlfriend will make up for my absence. I found a much better kissing partner. He even tastes like Christmas punch,” I brushed my tongue against his lips. ”I’m really into that, you know.”

”Good,” Ash answered, catching my lips again with his own. ”Cause I’m planning on getting drunk on you too.”

#ashton irwin fanfiction #ashton irwin x reader #fiction time #ashton irwin #afic: knitted sweater for two

[doof-doofblog]

"What Do I Get?" ...  "Me!"

Friday 11th September 2020

Good evening everyone! So sorry for the late post, I was away from my laptop over the weekend and I've only had now to catch up with Friday's episode! I've decided that tomorrow I will do two posts, one following up tonight's episode and obviously the second one following Tuesday's episode! I want to make sure my blog is up date as much as possible. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend.

Let's look back at the episode in hand, you will remember that Thursday's episode ended with Vinny attacking Martin in the Minute Mart after he was caught fleeing from Ruby's club. The episode started exactly where the last one finished off, Martin is lying on the floor unconscious, poor Vinny is worried and panicking about what he has just done, he calls his brother Jags for help! How is Vinny going to get himself out of this?!

Back at the Vic, Ian has just poured his heart out to Sharon, revealing that he has fallen in love with her, and he's adamant that she feels the same way about him. To his devastation, she admits that she loves him as a dear friend and as someone she trusts, but not in the way he is thinking. Poor Ian so confused, I'm sure he's feeling completely taken aback, especially after the lies Dotty filled his head with. Ian states to Sharon that she gave him all sorts of looks and signs and signals that that was how she felt about him, but I think it comes to the realisation that he accidentally misread them. Sharon assures him that nothing needs to change and they can still carry on how things are, but to Ian's dismay, he feels as though everything has changed between them now - how can he carry on living with her knowing she doesn't feel the same way about him?!

At the Atkins household, we last saw Gray approach Chantelle about her wedding ring. He is unaware that she pawned it so she could get some money to get away. She's come up with the story to tell him that the stone in the ring had come lose, so she's going to have it fixed. He is constantly questioning her, asking her why she hadn't told him in the first place, he lunges at her a smacks the table in a rage. Softly, out of fear, she says she'll have the ring back in a few days and she also questions him back - Asking him whether he thinks she took it off because she's fallen out of love with him? Only his snide comment back is "Can you blame me?!" ... As they're trying to talk things through, their daughter Mia walks into the room, nearly giving away Chantelle's escape plan. Chantelle tries to swerve Gray off the suspicion and says she'll take the children out for the afternoon while he does his work at home. Gray then goes into Chantelle's bag, takes out her purse and car keys and gives her only a £10 note to spend and says "The should be more than enough!" - he walks away with her purse and car keys, leaving her with no choice but to come back home!

Back at the Minute Mart, Vinny is waiting for his brother, only for his Mother, Suki, to walk in. She sees Martin lying on the floor and begins to ask questions. She tells him that he needs to flee and act as if he wasn't there and doesn't know a thing. Jags follows behind her, she tells him they all need to get their story straight and instructs Jags to wipe the CCTV. Whatever the plan Vinny and Ruby had, Ruby doesn't want to go ahead with it anymore, she's seen phoning Vinny claiming it was a mistake! Could they both be in big trouble for what they were going to do?! Is Martin going to realise who it was he chased and ended up being attacked by? What I also want to know is, what does Suki have anything to do with the situation? Why is she getting involved? I've said it before and I'll say it again - i'm convinced there's much more to the Panesar family that we haven't seen yet. I'm really intrigued to see if we'll find out anymore about their past and why they came to Walford!

Callum is still clearly feeling disappointed in Ben for lying to him. Ben is pleading for Callum to help him and his Dad and asks him to try and get the CCTV footage of him wiped. Callum scoffs and can't believe what his boyfriend is asking of him, Callum has worked hard to get where he is in the Police, how could his partner ask him to jeopardise his career? Callum states to Ben that all he cares about is himself and his Dad, he always seems to come second best. What relationship are they going to have when it's all based on lies?! Callum leaves leaving Ben looking guilty, worried and panicked. Is this another bump in the road that Ballum will be able to overcome?

Back over at The Vic, Dotty decides to make an appearance, even though she's not welcomed with smiles. Sharon immediately tells her to leave but Dotty can't help but make fun of Ian. Acting with pride and sarcasm, asking him if he really believed that Sharon actually loved him. Ian just bows his head in embarrassment, for a split second there is silence as the locals listen in and react to what they've just heard. Max, who is sat on the other side of the room, tells Ian to just ignore her as Dotty leaves with a smug grin on her face. I think it's then that Ian realises he's been made a fool of and been lead to believe something which isn't true. Everyone is sticking up for him, Sharon and Max are all saying that Dotty is just talking rubbish - even though part of me is thinking that Max isn't going to be best buddies with Ian when he realises that Ian bought the Vic with his share of the restaurant. Later on upstairs, Ian is packing his things away, Sharon is trying to persuade him that nothing has to change and that he can stay, but Ian is having none of it - he blames her for leading him on, being too intimate and being with each other over lock-down. Sharon apologises deeply for giving her friend the wrong impression but she can't seem to realise that she's done anything wrong - which to be fair, she hasn't - I'm sure she thought Ian was there for her just out of support and for genuinely being a good friend. Ian then confesses "I bought you a pub!" - that was another reason he bought it for her, because he loved her! It's only then Sharon realises that his feelings for her really do run deep!

Meanwhile, Ruby has been trying to get hold of Martin, she noticed Vinny from across the Square and he shoots off. Ruby then looks down the Square to see an ambulance, as she gets closer, she realises it's Martin lying in the back of it. She rushes to be at his side. Suki tells her not to worry and that she was the one who called the ambulance. As Ruby looks on worryingly, Ash approaches her Mum and asks her what has happened. Suki then instructs her quietly, as she looks over Ash's shoulder in the distance to the Police, to say that Vinny was with her all day if anyone asks her any questions. Ash looks confused but then as she looks behind her to see the police, she understands she needs to do as her Mum tells her.

At home, Ben is waiting for Callum to return. As he walks in, it's clear they are both reeling from the information that they've both been made aware of. Ben is the one who breaks the ice and instantly apologises to his boyfriend for lying and for putting him in a terrible situation. He admits he's messed everything up, Callum is silent and listens carefully as Ben makes his apology. Ben begins to explain the whole situation regarding his Dad and Danny, even mentioning the moment when Danny had a gun and that was when he lost his hearing. He compliments Callum and basically thanks him for being so loving and caring towards him when he was going through the most difficult time in his life, and that because of that he couldn't bring himself to tell him what had happened and upset him. He states that he doesn't want to lose his partner because of it. Callum instantly tells him that that is not going to happen, it's then that Ben sighs and says to him "I do not deserve you!", this is such a beautiful Ballum moment, Callum smiles slightly and agrees that finally that that is something they can both agree on. Ben sighs and then goes to the draw and pulls out the box containing the house key, instantly Callum is shocked and begins to ask whether it could be something else, Ben explains that he was going to do it the day before, before anything happened but obviously he couldn't ... he opens the box - "Move in with me, Cal!" ... for a split moment, it looks as if Callum is about to smile a huge smile - but then he says "How do I know you've not just done that now? Thinking that it would fix everything!" - Ben is left devastated, his lips curl and he places the box on the kitchen table, softly saying "Stupid idea!" and walks out! Callum is left staring at the box. At his point, I do feel sorry for Ben, he's trying to do everything he can to make it up to his partner, but he just doesn't seem to be having any of it.

Outside on the Square, Chantelle is looking defeated. Her daughter Mia asks her whether or not they'll be going on their adventure. Chantelle sadly shakes her head and tells her daughter that it wont be today, she also asks her not to mention it to their Daddy either. Mia smiles and says "I'm good at keeping secrets!" - Mitch then joins Chantelle and the children in the garden and says that he's booked them a holiday for the following day, and even though he understands that Gray may not be able to get the time off work, he would love it if Chantelle and the kids would go with him. Chantelle's face lights up - could this be the opportunity she needs to finally get away? It would be the perfect excuse to get away from Gray and it will also be the best opportunity she could get to make her escape plan work! She agrees and tells her children that they'll still be going on their adventure!

Okay - just putting it out there!!! Does anyone think something is going to happen between Tina and Frankie?! I can just see it happening. Tina isn't fond of Frankie to begin with, saying to Peter that her disability isn't going to help when it comes to serving drinks to a bar full of people. Frankie then proves her point to Tina and deals with a situation with some customers. She gets them to leave the bar and smiles at Tina - "Happy?" - Tina is then seen looking closely at Frankie. Is she going to slowly start getting feelings for the girl, and with Frankie somehow going to be getting closer to the Carter family, will she perhaps take advantage of Tina's feelings and lead her on, just to get closer to Mick, Ollie and the family?! Who knows?!

Back at the Mitchell house, Ben walks in a room where Callum is on his own, just thinking to himself. He says to Ben that he hates everything that is going on. He hates not being able to trust his own boyfriend. Once again, Ben tries his best to apologise - trying to explain that he didn't think, he was trying to protect his lover but also the fact that he was worried that Callum would put his career before him. Callum again tells his boyfriend that he loves him, they both share a smile at each other and Callum begins to get back to matter at hand. He informs Ben that CID will have the CCTV footage back in a few days time and he can try and delay it. The only way that they can move Ben away from the scent and the one thing that will stop Ben from going on the run, is if they decide to set Danny up and get him to go to the police without him knowing. Callum looks in shock, but perhaps it could be the only way of getting Ben and Phil out of trouble?!

The Panesar family are reeling over recent events and what Vinny has done. Ash is angry at her family for getting her involved and making her lie to the Police. Suki is basically telling them all to agree to the same story. Kheerat is trying to keep the peace saying that everything will be fine if they all say the same thing. Ash is angry and leaves the room. Suki instructs Vinny to change his clothes, it's only when she also leaves the room that Jags approaches his brother and asks him whether he's sick of things happening and that everything they do - there's always a victim. He reveals that he and Habiba had been seeing each other, but after he took her to one of his jobs to collect rent, she dumped him. I think that Jags is slowly starting to realise that the way he's been living his life, is not normal. I think it's clear that the Panesar family have been involved in horrendous things and it looks as if Jags is wanting to change his ways. He couldn't believe he could have someone as beautiful as Habiba, and now she's dumped him, he can see that the family do is wrong. He pulls out a poker chip and says that Kheerat can now have it, it used to bring him luck but he no longer wants it and maybe Kheerat needs more of the luck if he's going to be staying with the family  He says to his brother that he is going to change his ways and he's going to do everything he can to win Habiba back.

The last scene of the episode, Chantelle is whispering on her phone. At first we're not too sure who it is she's speaking to, until she makes her way down the stairs of her front door and Kheerat approaches her. She says to him that he's not supposed to be there, but he confesses he can't help but worry about her and making sure she's okay. He claims that he and Chantelle both know that there is something between them, Chantelle doesn't deny it, but she begs him to go before Gray sees. He pulls out the poker chip Jags gave him and tells her that he wants her to have it, and that any time she wants to cash it in, to give it back to him. She looks a little confused to begin with, she asks "What do I get?" ... Kheerat then leans in and smiles, "Me!" and places it in her palm. Chantelle encloses it with fist and fingers and as he walks away, she's left with a soft smile on her face. Will Chantelle find a way to confide in him before it's too late? Will Gray find the poker chip? Will the poker chip be found at the scene when Chantelle sadly passes away?

I feel the poker chip is going to be something important, either it'll go missing, Gray will find it, Kheerat will find it and some how, some way - it will come to light about Chantelle's abuse at the hands of her husband. I do believe eventually Kheerat will find out and he'll do anything to get justice for her. What do you guys think? I apologise once again for this post being so late, but I promise there will be two blog posts tomorrow! Thanks again for reading, it truly means the world. Thank you everyone xXx

#eastenders #chantelleatkins #grayatkins #kheerat panesar #jags panesar #vinny panesar #ash panesar #suki panesar #ianbeale #sharonwatts #dottycotton #callumhighway #benmitchell #tinacarter #frankie lewis #habiba ahmed #ballum #martinfowler #rubyallen

[captainjetrocketboy]

I’m Tryna Understand These Days ~ 6

Also on Ao3.

Chapter 6: I Think of It a Thousand Times

Saying Callum was nervous would be a tremendous understatement.

He’s downright terrified of how tonight was going to go.

Convincing Ben to have dinner with him was easier than he thought it would. Sure, he might have looked surprised at first, but he quickly brushed it off and asked if there would be drinks there, too. Seems he was just in it for the free food, and not anything else. 

It can’t be for anything else, though, could it? They were mates after all, and mates don’t treat each other to a nice dinner other than for the fact that only one person was paying. In this case, only one person was paying and cooking.

All signs pointed to this being a date between them. A sort-of date, rather, since Callum thinks he’s alone on that assumption. It was really a spur of the moment decision on his part, suddenly being overcome with the feeling that he should do something—anything!—for Ben.

Especially after their running encounter, in which Callum had stupidly distracted Ben enough for him to fall flat on his face. His heart almost stopped when he thought he heard something crack. And it did when he saw the blood smeared across the other man’s face. He felt absolutely awful, and his offer to take care of the injury was the least he could for Ben.

Thank the stars that the cut wasn’t deep at all. It didn’t take long for him to clean the blood off Ben’s charming face, and he had applied a bit of ointment to help it heal faster. 

And when they had locked eyes, the world seemed to stop turning. Just for a fleeting moment, Callum thought he saw that love again. That burning passion that Ben always showed him flickered through the fog, and Callum was desperate to hold onto that. If that stinking phone never went off, he wonders what they would’ve done about the tension that suddenly appeared between them.

He knows he probably overreacted, but how could he not? He saw the man that he loves get hurt, and it tore what was left of his heart into even smaller pieces. It pained Callum to know that he caused so much pain to Ben, and not just physically, either.

When they were skirting around town, shagging in the back alleyways or behind closed doors, it was made apparent to Callum how euphoric Ben could make him feel. But it was always temporary. Callum had someone—his fiancée, no less—to go home to, leaving Ben in the dust when their time was up. 

It wasn’t fair to anyone. He was lying to Whitney for the longest time about who he was, but he was also denying Ben something that they both wanted. 

Then in the end, everyone was left with nothing that they wanted. Whitney didn’t have Callum as her husband, Ben didn’t have his love for Callum reciprocated, and Callum didn’t have either of them.

If he didn’t regret pushing away his love for that man before, he definitely did now. 

What a fool he was to think he deserved a happy ending. He destroyed the lives of so many people, and he didn’t know how to make any of it right.

But maybe it was a blessing in disguise, Ben losing his memories. Specifically the ones that involved Callum. This could be his chance to start over with him. To do things properly this time. Show Ben that he wasn’t the only one who loved what they had. Ben deserves nothing but the best, and Callum would be condemned to hell before letting him down one more time. 

His thoughts kept stewing in his head as he walked into the parlour, grocery bags in hand. He had just gotten the ingredients for the best meal that he could cook for them. As he passed by Jay, he saw the fellow squint his eyes a bit.

“What’s all that for?”

Callum set the bags down on the nearest table to rest his arms. “Ah, it’s nothing, really. Just for dinner.”

Jay didn’t sound entirely convinced. “Dinner? With what you’ve got, you could probably feed an entirely family.”

Callum let out a sigh. “Yeah, it’s a bit overboard, innit? I just got so excited, I wasn’t exactly sure what to get.”

He saw Jay cross his arms as he took a step forward. “Y’know, I think I’m starting to put the pieces together here.”

He tried to keep his smile, but Callum gulped, unsure of what Jay was suggesting. “W-What’re ya talkin’ about?”

“First, I come into work hearing ya clamour up in your flat, cleaning the place like a madman. Then ya beg me for a day off, scurrying off to Ben for God knows what reason—”

“How’d you know I went to see Ben?” Callum interrupted, his turn to act confused.

Jay only pulled out his phone, his face unreadable. “Cos he’s just messaged me, inviting me to dinner with the two of ya. Says it’s your treat.”

Callum wasn’t surprised that Ben wanted Jay to join. It just showed how close the two of them were, and it made Callum feel happy for them. But what he wasn’t happy about was how Ben ignored his request of this dinner being between just him and Callum. As ridiculous as the thought was, it felt almost like Ben had sensed the date-vibes and promptly tried to avoid that.

“Well… as much as I’d like for ya to be there…” Callum was starting to lose his footing. He wasn’t sure how to explain it all to Jay.

His boss was in his face now, expression dark and voice low. “What are ya playin’ at?”

He didn’t have a response. His throat closed up, blocking any words he had from escaping his mouth. He could only shake his head in denial.

“I ain’t an idiot, Cal.” Jay scoffed, pointing a finger accusingly at Callum’s chest. “You think I don’t know when someone’s tryna shack up with my brother? He’s been with plenty of blokes who’ve done the exact same thing you’re about to do, and they couldn’t leave fast enough after they’ve gotten their fix.”

Callum kept shaking his head. “It ain’t like that, Jay! I swear!”

“Then what is it like then, eh? Ya dump Whitney right before her wedding, and now you’re so desperate for attention that you’re goin’ after Ben? How long until you break his heart, too?”

“I won’t break his heart. I…” Callum couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence, the final two words failing to come out.

Jay sighed and stepped back, resting a hand on his hip. The other one rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Look Callum… I like ya, alright? You’re a good bloke, and I don’t care about who ya fancy. But whatever you’re doin’ with Ben… I just want ya to be careful. He’s been through enough.”

Callum nodded slowly. “I know, Jay. I promise ya I’ll be careful with Ben. But… thank you. For understandin’. I’ll explain later, okay?”

Jay let one of his hands squeeze Callum’s shoulder. “You can tell me when you’re ready, Cal. We’re mates, and I’ll support ya with whatever you’re goin’ through.”

They shared a glance, Jay’s encouragement making him grin, if only a little.

“Thanks again, Jay. I’ve made a mess of a lot of things, but I want to do this right.” Whatever ‘this’ was between him and Ben, he wasn’t going to turn back now.

“Good on you, mate. Now get up there and get cookin’ before the food spoils.” Jay teased as he too gave a small smile.

Callum laughed along, and picked the bags of ingredients back up, making way for the stairs. He didn’t make it past the first step before he heard Jay shout.

“But hey! If ya do anythin’ to upset him, you’ll be the next stiff we take care of!”

“Never!” Callum yelled back. For once in his life, what he said was the absolute truth. 

He never wants to upset Ben ever again.

- - -

His nerves started to act up again when he heard a knock on the door.

Well, he was already a wreck before it even came close to the time Ben said he’d come over. He had made a tiny mistake with the recipe, and he thought his head might explode as he checked and rechecked over the steps to find where he went wrong. 

It the end, the food turned out fine. He just hopes Ben enjoys homemade lasagna. Who doesn’t, right? Leagues better than the frozen stuff at the Minute Mart, that’s for sure.

Then he spilled some of the sauce on the front of his white dress shirt, and a bit on his trousers. Callum made sure all the kitchen appliances were turned off before he scuffled to his dresser. He knows this is supposed to be a casual hang out, but he can’t help himself. He replaced his top with a light blue button-down, which he tucked into his new khaki slacks. He did without the blazer, even though he really wanted to put it on. 

If someone said he was dressing to impress, Callum wouldn’t deny the accusation. Yes, he was putting on something nice for Ben. Did it have to mean anything? No. Except, it did mean a lot to Callum. A whole lot.

So when another incessant knock rattled the door, Callum briskly found the nearest mirror to run a hand through his hair one more time. He had to make sure he was presentable, at the least.

Finally, he approached the door that was threatening to come off its hinges with Ben’s pounding. He took in a deep breath—and two or three more, just to be safe—before letting the other man inside.

They greeted each other, and Callum could swear that Ben was getting more beautiful as the days went by. Seems that he wasn’t the only one who tried to dress nice. Beneath his leather jacket, Ben wore that deep red polo shirt with the black and white collar that complimented his body very well. It’s one of his typical outfits, sure, but Callum loves every single one of them, so he sees no problem there.

He jokingly scolded Ben for arriving five minutes later than they agreed. He put on his best angry face, but it quickly made way for an amused one when Ben tried excusing himself. Something about being ‘fashionably late’. Callum just laughed at Ben’s explanation of it as he set up the table.

Dinner started off without a hitch, and Callum couldn’t be more glad. No food dropped to the floor, no drinks spilled, and their clothes were spotless.

They didn’t stop talking for a second. The conversation flowed like peaceful waves at the beach, them moving from topic to topic with ease. There was always something to talk about with Ben, and Callum relished in it. He didn’t have to put effort into the typical conversation starters, because he could say just about anything to Ben and they’d have a full-blown discussion about it. Didn’t matter if it was something that happened at work, or the latest gossip in town. Ben listened to Callum, and he listened intently to Ben. 

When the plates were cleared, Callum went to wash them off as Ben sat back in his chair, sipping on the wine they had taken out.

“That was delicious, Cal. You’re one hell of a cook.” Ben praised.

Callum smiled at the compliment. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of hearing a happy Ben, because it made him just as happy. “It’s nothin’, really. But thank you.”

“Nothing? I beg to differ, good sir. You could probably sign-up for one of them cooking competitions.” Ben announced from where he was resting his legs on an adjacent chair.

“I suppose I could.” Callum replied with a chuckle. “I’ll blow the judges away with my five-star lasagna.”

Callum never had enough confidence to brag about himself like that. He supposes Ben just helps bring that part out for them, and only them, to see.

When the dishes were clean and left to dry, they moved the conversation to the living room. Ben brought the wine bottle and glasses over, too, setting them down on the coffee table. Callum was nursing his drink as he was engaged in some story Ben had.

“He was terrible at it, too. The bloke probably couldn’t screw in a bolt right, so I bet you can imagine how he was in bed.”

Despite the topic hitting a still-sore spot, Callum didn’t find himself minding. It was probably the wine weakening his inhibitions. He just got so lost in Ben’s presence that he forgot to keep track of how much he’s had.

So he giggled along with Ben, feeling like a bit like a schoolboy chasing after their crush. “He don’t know what he’s missin’. Joke’s on him, really.”

“That’s what I’m sayin’!” Ben was leaning back in the cushions, looking comfortable as he drank from his glass, as well. The rosy tint in his cheeks suggested he was getting a bit drunk alongside Callum.

“Seriously, anybody would be lucky if they were with ya. He’s a downright fool for leaving ya like that.”

Ben still laughed, but it didn’t quite sound the same. It was more hollow than the ones that came before.

“Now that’s the joke of the day.” He said, eyes downturned to the red liquid in his hand.

Callum caught on, and he regretted bringing this up again. But Ben had to know that he was worthy of affection, no matter who it came from. “Hey, I ain’t joking. You’re special, Ben. I know you are.”

Ben slowly shook his head in disagreement. “I appreciate that, but it don’t feel like it lately. It’s always been about cheap sex. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a bit of fun every now and then. But I… I kinda want somethin’ more, y’know?”

Callum didn’t take his eyes off Ben. “Yeah… I know.”

Ben lifted his head up, a curious expression lining his features. “Have you ever been in love, Cal?”

There wasn’t any malice or accusation in his tone. It was pure curiosity, and Callum couldn’t bring himself to lie to Ben. Not like this. 

“I… I have.”

“How’d ya figure it out?” Ben sat up slightly, placing his now empty glass back onto the table.

“That’s a tough question to answer,” Callum started, running through his head how he could possibly explain his love when the man was unknowingly right in front of him. “I think I knew when…”

Ben’s gaze was digging into Callum’s soul. He was staring at him, waiting for his response and wanting to know more. Those blue oceans were almost taunting him, he thought.

“...When I wasn’t afraid of who I was. The person I loved—still love—helped me find the real me. He saw me, and I saw him.”

The corner of Ben’s mouth turned upward. “Sounds like a nice bloke. This the same guy who helped ya come out?”

Callum nodded. “Yeah. That was him.”

“What happened, though? Are ya still together? Ya don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

A sigh escaped Callum as he leaned forward, his arms flush with Ben’s. “We… never got the chance to get together before he… left. I still regret what I put him through… so when ya find that one person you love, don’t let go, alright?”

“Right…” Ben quietly responded. He started to play with the ring on his finger. “I’m really sorry about him, Cal. Whatever happened, I’m sure he knew ya loved him, too.”

Callum’s eyes met Ben’s, and the feeling that washed over him was almost too intense. He loves this man so, so much. He just wishes he got the chance to say it to him personally. Ben had told him that he loved him, so why couldn’t he say it back? He hates to think it, but that night when they argued… it must’ve been the same night he thought Callum didn’t love him back. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The next moments happened too quickly and too slowly at the same time. Callum wasn’t sure what came over him, but seeing Ben so… emotional and supportive with him was the last straw. He couldn’t keep up this act anymore. His gaze shifted down to those precious lips, and Callum knew he can’t just be mates with Ben. Not any longer.

Callum went for it, closing his eyes as he kissed Ben.

He was overcome with relief, pain, love, and so much more. He was careful not to move too fast, reverently pressing his lips against the other man. It felt right finally succumbing to his desires. If he tried hard enough, he could pretend that nothing had changed. He almost felt Ben lean into it, as well.

But the moment didn’t last long. Ben pushed against Callum’s chest as they were forced to separate. He had an exasperated look on his face.

“What… What was that for?”

“I… I’m not sure…”

Ben was standing now, his hands on his hips. “Look, I’m all up for a shag as much as the next guy, but we’re mates, Cal. I thought that was what you wanted us to be?”

Callum stood too. “I never said that was what I wanted!”

“Then what the hell was that just now? Especially when we were just talking ‘bout our failed love lives!” Ben’s voice was raised as he spoke. He seemed to have sobered up after their kiss, his happy expression nowhere to be found.

“I just… I just don’t understand how you could look me straight in the eyes and not remember…” Callum shouldn’t have said that. He’s let out too much, and it won’t be long before Ben picks up on it.

“Remember what, Cal?! Is there something else I should know about ya?” Ben was flailing his arms at his sides, motioning between the chasm of space between them. “Or… is there something ya wanna say about us?”

Callum couldn’t meet Ben’s glare. He looked down at his shoes, the glasses on the coffee table… anywhere that wasn’t Ben. He’s messed up again… and he doesn’t know where to start to make it better.

“So c’mon. Tell me, yeah? Were we ever more than just mates?”

#eastenders #ballum #ben x callum #ben mitchell #callum highway

[an-ambivalent]

Into The World Of Sins [Yandere! BTS] Epilogue

There was warmth, and there was an occasional breeze which swept them slightly once in a while. Unlike the first and last time when [Name] was here, the touch of the breeze did not feel like iron rods covered in lava, which was as cold as icicles, digging into one’s skin. It felt the way a breeze was suppose to feel; cooling, welcoming and refreshing.  

In this universal realm where the virtuous aura of heaven mingled with the dark energy from the underground, everything was in a state of almost perfect ambivalence. As a result of this ambivalence, those who could not be judged to have a concrete ending after life, and committed sins on the same ratio as their good deeds, or those who were going to be given the results of the trials they faced to decide their fate, ended up here, in the limbo.

The universe preferred to believe the best in everyone so initially, when the non-judged or trial-goers entered, their souls were a floating white circle with specks of gold. They radiated pureness which was almost to the level of pureness emitted by heavenly creatures. In juxtaposition, souls belonging to hell, were black floating circles with specks of crimson, and constantly screeched. Depending on  what results the trial-goers ended up with,  they would hopefully either end up with specks of gold, or unfortunately, with specks of crimson.

It was time to evaluate another returning soul in the limbo.

The soul’s retained their consciousness and memories of their life. Initially, when they were ‘non-judged,’   they had no physical existence which could be similar to a living being. Hence, their mobility was limited. They were only able to float around, and respond to the questions they were asked. Once they returned as ‘trial-goers,’ depending on whether they were destined for heaven or hell, decided if they would be allowed to retain all of their memories, and earn back their physical form.

The returning soul of the protagonist, moved to the marked circle, where the otherworldly spoke once more.

“[Name] [Surname],”  It was said. While these words were uttered by a neutral voice which was usually void of any emotions and strains, this time, there was a hint of proudness in it. [Name] recalled her first visit in the limbo clearly, and knew it would be pointless for her to attempt to reply. Besides, more than anything, at the moment she was feeling a rush of different emotions and feelings surge through her. See, the memories from her journey to travel Into The World Of Sins, and recalling moments with her lover(s) from each world, was overwhelming her.

“It is now time for your judgement. Throughout your journey through the worlds, you have done, experienced, and shown many things. In your first life, your good deeds aligned with your bad, but in this journey, you have shown who you are, and what you are truly capable of. In the World Of Gluttony, you displayed selflessness, but not to the point where you risked your own safety. This ended your lover’s gluttony.

“In the World Of Sloth, you were incapable of having the strength or the courage to go on when things were rough. You avoided conflict because it caused you great fear, and by not having the motivation to pull through, you encouraged your imprionser’s sloth.

“In the World Of Pride, you understood the limitations and boundaries that exist between relationships even when that relationship is with someone who only wants the best for you. You knew when to encourage him to use his strengths for his own good, and when to hold him back for your own good. You were successfully able to prevent him from becoming too prideful to act on his own accord which would have caused him to hurt you.

“In the World Of Wrath, you showed kindness and empathy in the right time, even when your own safety was at risk. You were able to reach out and touch the heart of someone who had forgotten love. You minimized his full potential for wrath by teaching him love once again.

“In the World Of Lust, you were too giving and obedient. You failed to realize the dangers of simple submissiveness to others’ awful treatment for you. This manifested his lust to the point where a promising future was sacrificed.

“In the World Of Envy, you knew the importance of pursuing your own happiness, and acted against all odds to achieve it. You respected and accepted yourself. That part of your self-love transferred to your partner. He also came to accept himself for who he was, and did not envy others anymore.

“In the World Of Greed, you admitted to your flaws and improved on them for a better future. You stayed content, and improved for more when you needed to. You set an example, and did not let your lover become corrupted by the greed he could have. Out of seven sins, you ended five -- an exceptionally brilliant result. You have reached the heavens,” The voice spoke, and just when he said that, the environment of the limbo changed instantly; it was the heavens.

Moments later, [Name] shone brightly and blindingly. She became a heavenly spirit from a small floating circle, and retained her human physical creatures. As she had transformed, there were seven poofs of smoke that slowly arose around her, and formed a circle.

Seven past lovers -- each held out his hand to her.

She looked around herself with wide eyes, and all of them -- Vampire! Jin, Emperor! Yoongi, Artificial Intelligence! Hoseok, Dragon-Shifter! Namjoon, Incubus! Jimin, Fallen Angel! Taehyung and Mafia Boss! Jungkook -- they were smiling at her softly, and looking at her with loving eyes.

The otherworldly spoke for the last time.

“Who will you choose as your happy ending?”

Thank you, Trivia & Acknowledgements 

Hello! With the epilogue published, I would like to say that Into The World Of Sins series is officially completed. Thank you so much for reading, and participating in the quizzes of each chapter. I did not expect over 200+ to participate in each quiz, and I am absolutely still baffled by how much support I received. Out of all platforms,  my readers on tumblr were the most supportive. You have no idea how much your messages and compliments meant to me. It motivated to keep writing this story when I did not want to, and with your encouragement and support, I was able to complete it. Thank you, I love you all so much ♥ This story was an experiment because I wanted to make it more reader-interactive and it was so much fun! Watching you guys having a breakdown over what ending it would be was so funny lol. Here are some facts for you:

-For the first chapter, ending one was bad ending and ending two was good ending. In the second chapter, it was swapped so ending one was good ending and ending two was bad ending. And that was the order they were in. With each even number chapter, ending one was good ending. 

-In World Of Greed, Jungkook says  “I did it because I love you [Name], and I’d do anything for you. I’d end the world for you if you wanted me to,mo chuisle mo chroi.” I got the last part from a movie called Millionaire Dollar Baby, and from Gaelic it translates into something along the lines of: “my pulse, my heart.” or “my darling, my love” and I based it on the first translation which I thought was the perfect way to end the chapter. 

-In the World Of Wrath, Namjoon was suppose to be a Kelpie instead of a Dragon-shifter.  A kelpie is a shape-changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend. But I stuck with dragon-shifter instead since it was easier to implement. Maybe I’ll do a Kelpie au one day? :D

-Originally, Taehyung was going to be the sin of Lust but I decided to give it to Jimin. 

-Jimin was suppose to be a fairy, but it may have ended up being too similar to the fallen angel concept Taehyung was given so I gave him incubus instead. 

-J-Hope was suppose to be a siren or a werewolf, but his bad ending was literally the plot of my story The Little Mermaid so I decided against it, and gave him artificial intelligence. There is more to his story than what meets the eye ;D

-Jungkook was the hardest au to choose for. I was out of ideas, and that’s why I asked for your input to what he should be. Out of all, mafia was my favourite. Thank you to the anon who suggested it! 

Last but not least, I have a few people I’d like to thank. 

@mysticmikalla for listening to my rants about this story when I was filled with uncertainty and helping me decide the au for Jungkook. Thank you for all of your help Mika ♥

@starbabytae for making beautiful aesthetic boards for the series. :D ♥

@chikinika gave me endless support, encouragement, and reassurances when I was literally melting in insecurities for my writing. ty so much cal ♥

and once again, thank you for reading <3 feel free to share your thoughts about the whole series! Like which chapter was your favourite and why? Or what chapter you think could have been done better and why etc. :) 

#yandere bts #yandere x reader #seokjin x reader #yoongi x reader #hoseok x reader #namjoon x reader #jimin x reader #taehyung x reader #jungkook x reader #yandere bangtan #yandere seokjin #yandere yoongi #yandere hoseok #yandere namjoon #yandere jimin #yandere taehyung #yandere jungkook #yandere kpop #bts mafia au #bts x reader #bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts reactions #bts vampire au #bts demon au #bts royal au #bts seven deadly sins au #into the world of sins #epilogue #ambivalent writes

[bananashemmo]

The Fight (Part 3)

Pairing: Y/N/Ashton

Rating: All

Request: Yes

Words: 2.000+

Summary: It’s not often that Ashton and Y/N fight but when Ash decides to go clubbing for another night in a row Y/N calls him out. But things get twisted as Ashton has to go to the stage minutes before and they are pulled apart right in the middle of the argument.

The burning feeling of tequila running down your throat made a grimace cut to your face. You were trying your really best, you were, but the unfamiliar feeling made your eyes almost burst into tears.

How did someone enjoy the feeling? How could someone see this as an escape to get a better life? The only thing you could feel was the pain like cuts in your throat.

You looked confused for a minute just starring out in the air. How had this turned into a good idea and how the hell did you end up here?

Your face was buried into the palm of your hand and you were gazing without blinking at the bartender standing in front of you.

Latina, a little younger but fresh like the cold air outside. He didn��t seem like minding that you were hovering over the bar table like any other alcoholic could do on a usual Friday Night. It was like he was used to it and you weren’t surprised.

Whatever this place was, you didn’t understand that the boys were so desperate to visit it.

Already at the beginning with the 20$ pay to get inside and being mistaken for a minor you were getting frustrated. The bodyguard outside must have felt a bit embarrassed when you almost forced the driver’s license in his face.

It wasn’t the first time you had been mistaken for being younger and at any other night, you would have shown a bit of sympathy but not tonight.

Just the air brushing past your face could get on your nerves.

“This one’s good for hangovers.” The bartender commented, catching your attention.

His finger was pointing down at a red drink that pretty much looked like a Bloody Mary. You glanced down with furrowed eyebrows and adverted your eyes back to his.

“Do I look like I’m in a full on hangover?” You asked, reaching your hand up to touch your forehead. You were sweating but still feeling cold at the same time.

You didn’t feel sick but you could imagine how you looked from far apart. Many words could you describe but none of them were hungover.

“Just assuming.” He hummed, and cleaned off the Royal Beer glass in his hand, “I’m not saying you look horrible I’m just saying that if you look for something to really clear out your problems that’s the one.”

You quivered your eyebrow, thinking, You weren’t sure if he was just being polite to cure whatever your feeling because he was concerned or if he just wanted to sell you one of the most expensive drinks on the card menu.

“I think I’ll pass.” You pushed the empty glass of tequila forward and grabbed your other drink instead. Something simple, a light cider, and definitely not something that would kill your inner organs like that bloody mary.

“Whatever you choose.” He said with a wink and serviced another customer sitting at the other end of the table.

You leaned your head away from the table and took a look around the room.

People were dancing like crazy you didn’t understand where they got the energy from. When you passed eleven at night you just knew it wouldn’t be without a book in your hands and your reading glasses almost falling off your nose.

Some were also sitting down at the paid tables where you could order drinks in large bowls with ice cubs. You had always admired how they found it funny to sit there at the early mornings drinking your brain out.

It wasn’t that you were supposed to be an angel because you weren’t. You had your moments where you were off track as well but it was mostly when you were younger.

You had learned to control your drunk moments and only drink respectfully. You didn’t want to drown your body like any other girl at this club did.

Maybe it was the reason why the boys wanted to show up. Things had no strings and everybody could act like they wanted to without worrying about problems and much else.

You looked back at the bartender who was talking to the old customer next to you.

He seemed to enjoy his job. Found it funny to be the only sober at the club, but still didn’t have to worry about all the problems he had. He could talk to people all he wanted without worrying saying something wrong.

Because they wouldn’t remember it the next day.

Maybe that Bloody Mary was a great idea. You needed something to flush your thoughts away because sometimes, the depression hit.

You didn’t want to think about. It made your stomach ache with pain and your head turn dizzy. More than it already was doing because of the alcohol and you didn’t like it. You hated it.

You knew it was wrong to leave and you knew no matter what you always promised each other even if you could get pissed off and angry. You wouldn’t just leave like that.

But the way he had been so brutal made you want to smack your head against the table. You had done nothing to deserve the way he was treating you, and that was the reason why you wanted to punish him.

“You know, I’d like that Bloody Mary. Strong, please.” You begged the last part and looked at the bartender who gave you a sympathetic smile.

“On me.”

You looked to your right in confusion when a male in a white dress shirt showed up. He had black hair that was pulled into a quiff and a light stubble. Apart from that he still had a younger face.

“Oh really?” You commented, but not as loud as you had expected and he waved his credit card in the air.

You didn’t even get the chance to say no, you were too stunned because it had been a while since someone had shown up like this. You were usually with the boys which meant no other boy would show up all of the sudden.

“My name is Anthony.” He reached his hand forward, introducing.

“Y/N.” You smiled back, deciding just to shake his hand and moved just a bit to the left.

Not because you wanted to invite him to sit down but because he was a little too close for your liking.

“A Bloody Mary? A sad face? Please, enlighten me. Who broke your heart?”

You looked at him confused. Did you look like a starter pack for singles?

“Nobody did.” You shook your head, not wanting to share your privacy.

“Oh come on.” Anthony mentioned, leaning forward to move a strand of hair away from your face. “I know a girl when I look at her.”

You quivered an eyebrow at him unconvinced. He was coming way out of the blue you hadn’t seen him not even on the dance floor. He was probably one of those who sat at the paid tables with a Dom Perignon.

“You’re sad about something a boy you liked said. He didn’t break your heart but he said something that hurt you very deeply and know you don’t know how to handle it.”

You didn’t know if he was comforting or creepy. You didn’t like the way he was smiling at you, yet you were too tired to even care if he was hitting on you. It was a lost coss at the beginning.

“You’re not sure if you’ll forgive him or not. I know it can be hard but please open up to me.”

“I’d prefer if she opened up to me instead, Gel-boy.” A tall frame came from Anthony’s behind and even though you felt a burning sensation in your stomach it was only by a quick second replaced with relief.

Anthony looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he noticed Cal and the others stand behind supporting Ashton’s back.

You almost wanted to roll your eyes because he had brought them along but you couldn’t help but feel just a little bit happy to see him.

“Now if you would excuse me... I’ve got a lady who’s got all the rights she has to yell at my face.”

You looked up at Ashton when he pushed past Anthony to get to you. His hand was inviting you to grab it and even though you were pissed you gave him hopeful eyes.

Pushing past the crowd you left Anthony alone with the rest of the boys and were followed by Ashton towards one of the public bathrooms. Luckily nobody was in sight so you were able to speak in privacy.

You didn’t want to yell at him, you didn’t want to scream. You could tell that he was having the same feeling and he slowly leaned you against the wall to press his forehead against yours.

“I said something that I can’t take back.” He laced your fingers and looked at you deeply into your eyes.

“.. And all I can think about is rewinding the clock to that moment just before ‘Stupid’ took over. I should never have said the words I said because it came out of anger and not how I’m feeling.”

You tried your best not to cry because imagining the words in your mind hurt.

“I know that it’s going to take a while before you forgive me and I know it takes a bigger heart to forgive than saying sorry. You’re my most precious thing in this world and not everyone can deal with the stuff we’re going through. It’s life living on constant stress being in this industry and you do it for me every single day. Take your time out just to make my life the easiest. I don’t think I can ever fully describe how much I love you for taking so much of your time to be with me here on this tour. I’m sorry Y/N. I’m so so sorry of what I did. I wish I could erase it from our minds.”

He was whispering the last part while leaning his forehead against yours. Almost only brushing.

You could feel how he was shaking and how he was trying not to stumble over his words. He had been practicing the whole speech on his way to the club and you were surprised about his skills.

“How-, How did you find me?” You swallowed deeply and looked into his hazel eyes.

“I know my girl... Luckily it always brings me back to her.” He whispered the last part and traced some hair behind your ear.

You nodded your head by his words and sighed carefully.

“If you promise me. Really promise me that you won’t say something like that again... I'll forgive you.”

“Of course I’ll promise you that.” He started to pepper your face with kisses, waiting for the second he saw a small smile appear on your face.

“You know I love you so so much what’s hurting you is also hurting me.”

“I love you too.” You leaned into his touch and enjoyed the silence.

Completely blocking out the loud noises of bass coming from the disco area. You were just resting in his warm embrace enjoying the peaceful feeling of his heart beating against your ear.

“So do you want to go back and get a drink?” You asked carefully.

Ashton snorted like what you had said was a complete joke. You didn’t understand what he was hinting at but then he laced your fingers even tighter.

“Of course not. We’re going home to the hotel, find a movie on Netflix and then we’re going to couple the rest of the night.”

You didn’t say anything but the smile on your face told a million words.

Swinging an arm over your shoulder he held you close as you came outside to the cold streets, walking down holding each other for dear life.

#THE FINAL PART #5sos #5 seconds of summer #myt #2018 #5sos imagine #5sos imagines #5sos preference #5sos preferences #5sos sotry #5sos story #5sos smut #5sos fanfiction5 #5sos fanfiction #5sos fanfictions #5sos blurb #5sos blurbs #5 seconds of summer fanfiction #luke hemmings #calum hood #michael clifford #ashton irwin

[crownedbyluke]

You Won’t Be Lonely (Part Two)

Premise: Tours are always hard, but being away from Calum for six months sounds like the worst thing in the world to you. When you decide to stay back to take care of Duke, it hits you even harder. With two months until you can see your boyfriend again, you worry you’ll struggle more than you had before. For Calum, he already knows why this tour is harder, but he just wants those two months to go by until he can see you again.

Word Count: 2,000 (we’re getting in)

Part one

The flight to London was longer than you were expecting it to be. The last time you did it, you’d had a raging headache and had fallen asleep almost immediately. This time, you were too anxious and full of adrenaline to see Calum again that it made sleeping almost impossible. Halfway through, you finally fell asleep and when you woke up, you were landing in Heathrow in ten minutes. You couldn’t help the excitement that started rushing through you. The two months away from Calum had been torture. Crystal spent a lot of time with you before she joined the guys and then once she did, your other friends and family were in rotation. You had practically ran at Mali when she got back from vacation because that meant you were seeing Calum in a week. She had laughed and hugged you back before taking over the spare room in the house for her. You felt the plane land and you turned your phone off airplane mode instantly. There were two texts from Calum waiting for you.

Can’t wait to see you babe.

Crystal is picking you up since I’m stuck at the venue, but once I see you again, oh babe. We’re gonna have some fun.

You blushed at the last one, leave it to Calum to make things dirty. You nearly ran off the plane and through customs, eager to finally be back with Calum. Once you saw Crystal waiting, it all became more real. You were seeing him in a couple hours and that made your heart start to race.

“I’m taking you to the hotel to drop your stuff off at Cal’s room and then to the venue,” she said once you guys got into the car.

“So, no Calum right now?” you asked with a bit of a pout.

“You two are so cute. Soon Y/N. You gotta drop off your stuff first,” she said laughing at how your knee was still bouncing like crazy.

“I know, I know. I just, I’ve missed him so much,” you said looking out the window. You weren’t paying attention to the scenery that flew by. All you could think of was how close you were to Calum and how you couldn’t wait to finally be in his arms again. Crystal handed you the room key to Calum’s room while she waited for you in the car. You again, nearly ran towards the elevator so you could speed up the whole process. When you walked into the room, there were rose petals everywhere and a bag with you name on it. You set your stuff down and picked up the card.

For my one and only. Wear this tonight for the show. Can’t wait to see you dancing around in it. Love you. Xx, Cal

You slowly opened the bag to find a black dress inside. You stared at it for a second, realizing that with the open back, you wouldn’t be able to wear a bra. You shook your head about Calum’s choice, but went to put it on anyways. You touched up your makeup a bit, threw on some high tops and headed out the door, grabbing your purse and room key. Crystal whistled at you when she saw you coming towards the car.

“Hush. He did this,” you said and got in.

“I know. He told me. He also wouldn’t stop talking about how he couldn’t wait to see you in it,” she said, pulling out from the parking garage and heading towards the venue.

The venue was alive with fans waiting outside. Crystal had to show her badge several times to get back to the parking for everyone. She handed you the backstage pass that Cal had saved for you. You laughed a little when you realized it said Only Cal’s on it. Crystal lead you through the maze that was backstage, saying hi to everyone as she went. You knew some people, but not everyone. She knocked on a door and you laughed when Michael picked her up right away.

“I missed you,” he said carrying her away.

“It was like an hour!” she laughed but she was smiling from ear to ear anyways. You stood in the doorway, just sort of waiting to see if Calum had a similar response. You pouted a little when you realized he wasn’t in the dressing room.

“He had to go do some bass stuff since his bass has been acting up. He’ll be back in like five minutes,” Ashton said when he saw your face. You nodded and went to enter the room until you were being picked up and spun around. You squealed and once you were set back down, you turned to find Calum standing behind you, a giant grin on his face.

“I missed you so much!” he said pulling you in again for another hug. It took your brain a second to catch up but once it did, you were squeezing him back.

“I missed you too,” you said quietly. He pulled away to look you up and down, a smirk coming across his face when he noticed the dress.

“You always look so good in black. Come on, I’ll show you around,” he said taking your hand.

“And you always look so good in that hoodie I gave you,” you said smiling up at him. It was the green one, your favorite one.

“Only ever wear it for you,” he said smiling back down at you. You thought he was going to show you around, but then he opened another door. Before you fully realized what was happening, Calum had you pinned against the wall, his lips on your neck. A small moan left your mouth from feeling his lips on your skin again.

“Fuck babe, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he said in between kisses. You tangled your fingers in his hair, gently pulling so he’d let go of your neck.

“Considering I missed you just as much, I have a faint idea,” you said pulling him down to finally kiss you. His hands were all over your ass, him humming slightly at feeling your body in his hands. He gently bit your bottom lip making you moan into his mouth. You pulled at the hoodie, trying to tell him how badly you wanted it off. He got your hint and pulled it off to reveal that he wasn’t wearing a shirt underneath it. His hands went back to your hips, pulling you into his body, needing to be close to you. You heard the zipper of the dress and felt Calum pulling it off of you.

“Fuck, you are the most beautiful girl in the entire fucking world,” he said bringing his lips back to your neck. You reached out and pulled at the belt around his waist. He groaned and undid his belt, pulling his pants down with it.

Calum’s fingers were drawing little circles along your back, your breathing finally calming down.

“You sure you have to go back home in three days?” he asked trying to make a joke, but you both knew the question meant more than that.

“I mean, I could stay for a week. Mali is with Duke,” you said curling more into him on the couch.

“What about two?” Calum asked leaving light kisses on your shoulder.

“Cal-”

“I know, but it would make this so much easier if you could stay longer. Please. Two weeks on tour with me and then the month and a half until your home state show won’t be as hard,” he said giving you the puppy dog eyes. You could never say no to those eyes. He had a point though. If you stayed with him for two weeks, the time apart wouldn’t feel as long.

“I don’t have enough clothes to stay that long,” you said sadly. You were ready to say yes and yet, there was another thing keeping it from happening.

“I’ll buy you some,” he said intertwining your hands to bring your hand to his mouth for a kiss.

“Cal, you don’t have to do that,” you said rolling your eyes at him.

“I enjoy spoiling my girlfriend though,” he said smiling at you. You were just about to cave in when you heard the knock on the door.

“Cal, fifteen minutes to showtime!” you heard Ashton call.

“Be right there!” Calum yelled back slowly pulling himself from the couch. He handed you your clothes and started pulling his back on.

“Calum-”

“Tell me your decision after the show okay babe? I love you. I want you with me at all times. I don’t know what’s holding you back from saying yes, but I know it’s a good reason. I’ll zip you up,” he said helping you get up from the couch. He did zip you up and he did kiss you again before leaving the room. You didn’t really have a reason besides that you just didn’t enjoy tour life. It was never something that interested you and even though it would mean staying with Calum longer, it just didn’t feel like the right thing for you. You couldn’t stop thinking about it the entire time Calum was on stage either. Yes, you loved watching him perform and seeing him be so confident was a major turn on, but there was something that was keeping you from saying yes to staying for two weeks. You just couldn’t tell what it was. Towards the end of the show, you headed backstage. You were so in your head that you didn’t hear Calum calling your name once he was off stage.

“Babe, Y/N!” he shouted and finally got your attention. Your head snapped up to look at him, some tears in your eyes.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked running to you and putting his arms around you.

“Cal, I can’t stay for two weeks. I don’t have a reason, but I just, there’s something. I’m sorry,” you said some tears falling. He pulled you into his chest knowing you just needed to be held for a minute.

Back at the hotel, you were still upset about not being able to stay. You couldn’t give Calum a reason and you felt like the world’s worst girlfriend for it.

“Okay. It’s okay that you can’t stay for two weeks. You’ll just stay for the week yeah?” he asked sitting on the bed, rose petals moving around him. You nodded and went to sit next to him, but he pulled you into his lap.

“Don’t be upset about it. It’s okay. You don’t have to explain everything to me. I support you always,” he said kissing your shoulder. It was his favorite thing to do when you were upset. He knew that there was something about it that always cheered you up.

“I feel like I’m letting you down. Like I’m the worst girlfriend ever,” you said quietly looking away from him. You felt guilty about it and the guilt was eating away at you constantly, making you feel like you could throw up at any moment.

“You are not letting me down. Look at me,” he said gently lifting your chin up with his finger.

“You are the best girlfriend in the world. I love you with my entire being. Might even love you more than Duke. There is nothing you can do to let me down ever,” he said smiling at you. You believed him because it’s Calum. You loved him with everything you had and when he said things, you listened to every word. You nodded and kissed him quickly before getting up to change into clothes you could sleep in. When you came back in the room, you watched as something fell from Calum’s jean pocket. You picked it up and tapped him on the back.

“You dropped this,” you said finally coming to realize what it was. The box was half opened and you could easily see the ring that was inside it.

Also, so sorry about that cliffhanger. I didn’t mean to but then it happened and oops. Hope you guys are enjoying it! What are your predictions for the next part?

the tags of awesomeness: @thruheavenandhighwater @cocobuttercalum @thebookamongmen @bbycal @cartiercalum

#d writes #my writing #calum hood #5sos #5sos fic #calum hood imagine #calum 5sos #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #michael clifford #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fic #5 seconds of summer fanfiction #calum 5 seconds of summer

[hysterialevi]

Lotus pt. 4 (Batjokes)

Author’s note: First off, I just want to say thank you guys for all the nice comments you’ve been sending me. I’m so glad to see how much you’re all loving this, and it really makes my day to receive those messages. So thanks again, and enjoy :)

From Avesta’s POV

THE MORGUE

Taking one last look at Bruce’s damaged corpse before they slid it into the cold chamber, I thought back to when I first found him during the attack at Wayne Enterprises, suddenly regretting that I didn’t end his misery right then and there.

The poor man died believing he had no one left, and it certainly didn’t help that Waller treated him like a lab rat during his final moments. I knew the Director had her reasons for using Bruce as a test subject, considering how hard it was to find living victims of Lotus, but human experimentation just...didn’t sit right with me. This was war, yes, but if we stripped ourselves of our humanity...then we’d already lost. I should’ve pulled the trigger when I had the chance.

Approaching Bruce, I bowed my head respectfully and gazed at his blistered, scarred face, drowning in disbelief that the Joker actually managed to take him down. Bruce and I may not have ended on the best of terms, but it was still  clear to me how much he cared about Gotham. He always did what he thought was best for others, and never showed fear. The fact that someone finally beat him, even with all his resistance...it was more than discouraging. I let out a despondent sigh, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill.

“...I’m...I’m sorry we couldn’t save you, Bruce,” I softly said, trying not to break down. “Even though we didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye all the time, you were a friend to me. And I know how much you sacrificed to help make this city a better place. My only regret is that it never helped you in return. That I never helped. I just hope you can find peace now...wherever you are.”

I took a breath, gently placing a hand on top of Bruce’s in a comforting manner. It was unsettling, how...dead...he felt. Even just by touching his skin, I could tell he was no longer breathing. Something about him just...lacked that human warmth I was so used to. It made me think of when Bruce and I investigated Riddler’s body, and it was just one more reminder that he was truly gone for good. I pushed those memories away and focused on the present, regardless of how hard it was to think about. 

“...Don’t worry,” I reassured, tightening my grip. “Your death won’t be in vain. The Agency will hunt down Joker, and we will ensure he’s brought to justice. Harley too. Gotham will be safe. You just rest easy now. It’s the least you deserve...after everything you’ve done.”

I heard a pair of footsteps sneak up behind me.

“Saying goodbye, Avesta?

Whipping around at the sudden intrusion, I found Director Waller prowling towards me with that signature glare of hers as she eyeballed Bruce’s body, barely phased by it. When did she get here? Had she been watching this whole time? I quickly blurted out an explanation.

“I wanted to see Bruce one last time before they put him away.” I said, almost ashamed for some reason. “He was a friend of mine, despite our arguments. I just wish it didn’t have to end like this.”

Waller nodded in understanding and straightened her glasses, linking her hands behind her back. 

“Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s in shock. The rest of the Agency also believed he’d be able to pull through. Everyone was really rooting for him. Bruce had already survived so much longer than the average victim...well, I suppose we all just got too hopeful.”

I gazed at the floor, hesitant to express my true feelings about the situation. “What...what are you gonna do with him...?” I asked. “Are you going to give him a proper burial?”

Waller gave me a look that said she’d been expecting this question. 

“There will be a service held at Divinity Church, but we can’t give up the body just yet.”

“Why not?” I said, sounding more defensive than I intended. “Bruce dedicated his last moments to us -- to our research. The least we can do is repay him by letting him die with grace. He deserves to be buried with his parents. Not kept in some refrigerator at the morgue.”

Waller’s glare intensified at that comment.

“I understand your frustration, Avesta,” she replied, trying her best to stay calm, “but we can’t allow sentiment to get in the way of our work. It sounds cruel, but Bruce is our best chance at finding a solid cure for this damned virus. Not to mention Blake’s informed me about the unrest surrounding his death. When someone as big as Wayne is killed by the Joker, it’s inevitable people will panic. I’ll have to address Gotham’s civilians at some point. Try and ease their nerves. For the moment though, the body stays here. Understand?”

Biting my tongue to prevent myself from protesting further, I reluctantly decided to go along with Waller’s plan, and dropped the argument for now, sighing in disappointment.

“Of course, Director. I...I understand.”

“Good,” she said bluntly, “then we’ll never have this conversation again.”

Marching past me before I could say anything else, Waller took hold of the tray supporting Bruce’s body and firmly slid it forwards, shoving him into the cold chamber with a metallic thud as she shut the door tight. Meanwhile, I stood idly by, powerless to stop her no matter how much I wanted to.

“Well,” Waller straightened her suit, “now that that’s done, we have other problems to deal with. I’ve heard reports saying that Joker’s been spotted poking around Wayne Manor. Seems like the clown wasted no time in taking advantage of Bruce’s death.”

He’s not the only one, I thought to myself.

“We need to go there now,” the Director continued, heading for the morgue’s exit. “This is the closest we’ve been to Joker in days, and I doubt he’s going to make another appearance anytime soon. I want you and Agent Fox to come along with me. You two knew Bruce the best out of all of us. Perhaps you can figure out what Joker was looking for, or if we’re lucky, where he’s gone. Oh, and bring your gas mask. Never know when a surprise might reveal itself.”

I stared at Bruce’s cold chamber with guilt, my gaze lingering for a little longer before I finally followed Waller. 

“...I’m right behind you, ma’am.”

From The Janitor’s POV

LATER THAT NIGHT

Skipping down the steps to the morgue, I whistled a merry tune to myself as I plopped a bucket on the floor and dunked my mop in it, sweeping the room clean. The morgue wasn’t exactly my favorite place to be, and it honestly creeped me out at night, but the good thing was there weren’t hordes of furniture blocking my way...unlike some of the agents’ offices. 

Was it really so hard for people to pick up after themselves? They were seriously a pain in the ass to clean sometimes, and there were so many of them. I supposed they thought I was some magician who could get rid of a mess with the snap of my fingers. Psh. Yeah, right. I wished.

Sticking my mop into a corner, I attentively scrubbed away all the dirt and dust gathering there as I continued to whistle, the melody bouncing off the metal walls in harmony. Things were oddly quiet tonight, and normally I appreciated the silence, but today just felt...weird...for some reason. 

It wasn’t the peaceful type of quiet that I enjoyed. It was more like the silence that ensued when you held your breath out of fear. But maybe that was just the vibe the morgue gave off. After all, I was in a room full of dead people. No matter how superstitious you were, that had to be unsettling to some extent.

Dragging the bucket behind me as I moved on to a new section, I splashed the mop into the soapy water once again and carried on with my routine, switching to a different tune. The hushed nature of the morgue was actually starting to grow on me, and I found myself more at peace than when surrounded by chattering agents. The agents didn’t bother me necessarily, but it was good to have some alone time once in a while.

With all the talk about Joker, the Lotus virus, Wayne Enterprises being attacked, and now, Bruce Wayne’s death...it was nice to shut all that out for a second. Even if I didn’t see it myself, just hearing about the pandemonium in Gotham made my hair turn grey, and the stress kept me awake every night. Luckily, I had this job to keep my mind occupied. Being a janitor didn’t buy me a mansion, but it kept me alive. And right now, that was all I cared about.

Before I could savor my solitude any longer however, a suspicious bang suddenly echoed throughout the room, causing me to freeze mid-action as my ears perked in interest. I glanced around in curiosity, peeking around the walls.

“Hello?” I called out. “Anybody there?” 

No answer. Ah, well. It was probably just my imagination playing with me. I shrugged it off and dismissed the interruption.

Just as I was about to resume my work though, the same bang emitted a second time, and it had a bit more force behind it. Now I was certain I wasn’t just hearing things.

“Hello...?” I repeated, a bit louder than before. “Is that you, Calvin? Andrew? I told you guys, you’re not gonna get me like last time. You can only scare me so much before it gets old.”

But still, nothing. Instead, the morgue only remained as lifeless as always, and after a minute or two of waiting, the bang happened again. I started to become anxious.

“...g-guys?” I could feel my heart speeding up. “C’mon, Cal. I-I know it’s you. Just...just come out.” 

Complete silence.

Placing my mop in the bucket, I decided to investigate and wandered past the cold chambers in search of my friends, only to leap out of my skin when I realized the bang was coming from one of the chambers themselves. 

Tripping to the floor out of panic, I frantically scooted back towards the wall, desperately trying to get away from the source of the noise as the bang became more frequent and the color drained from my face. It looked like something was trying to break out from inside, and once I squinted my eyes at the label a bit, I realized that the chamber belonged to none other than Bruce Wayne himself. Wasn’t that guy dead? What the hell was going on? Why was his chamber’s door pounding?! I screamed at myself to get up and run, but my legs wouldn’t budge.

Finally, with one last bang, the door slammed open and a sea of frozen mist oozed out of the chamber, blasting a wave of ice-cold air in my direction as it clouded the entire morgue. I shivered at the sudden drop and my teeth were chattering, but what emerged from the chamber made me tremble more than I ever had in my entire life.

Crawling its way out in a sluggish manner, I saw the reanimated corpse of Bruce Wayne dragging itself to freedom as a horrifying breath escaped it -- almost like it hadn’t felt the kiss of oxygen for a hundred years. Its skin was nearly the same shade of snow, and the pale base only made the scars on its face stand out more. How...how was he moving...?! Was I seeing shit? I had to be...! There was no way in hell this could be real. People couldn’t come back from the dead...right?

Paralyzed with terror, I remained as motionless as a statue and watched while Bruce weakly lugged himself out, flopping onto the floor like a fish. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe...hell, I couldn’t even shout for help. All I could do was sit there like a duck waiting to be shot, and my heart felt like it was about to hammer through my chest. I planted my hands into the surface beneath me, bracing myself for what was coming.

Pushing himself up from the floor, Bruce slowly rose to his feet like a corpse taking leave of its tomb, and his shadow towered over me as a predator would when waiting to kill its prey. But worst of all -- glaring at me from under those dark strands of hair, I spotted a pair of empty, cold blue eyes making contact with mine, one of them damaged from the infection. 

I held up a protective arm in front of myself, uncontrollably shaking as Bruce skulked towards me.

“...How...how are you alive?” I breathed out, unable to even get my voice above a whisper. “The Lotus virus...it...it killed you!”

Bruce glowered and snatched me by the collar, bringing me close to his face as I let out a pathetic whimper, verging on tears. He practically snarled at me, baring his teeth like a feral animal. 

Bruce let out a low chuckle.

“...It certainly tried.”

#telltale games #telltale batman #the enemy within #bruce wayne #john doe #joker #batjokes #fanfic #story #lotus

[female-overlord-3]

A Simple Text

Me being productive and super inspired wrote another Love, Simon/ SVTHSA fic. Earlier meeting in the books guys so book spoilers. AO3 tags pretty much explains why I wrote it. Thank you so much to @imawriteriwrite and @bluemoon-golden for both looking it over and being my beta’s! Love you both. This is fluff and might lead to more (read: yes there’s gonna be more if this writing streak continues)! 

*updated 4/1/18 at 4am cause I realized I put the pre-beta’d version. Oops!

An early meeting AU because someone just wanted their best friend happy. What if Simon saw Bram leaving the Elliott Smith shirt? 

They stare at each other frozen. Simon doesn’t know what to think. Bram doesn’t know what to think. It’s like the universe stopped just for this moment to signify how important it is, how life changing this one simple moment is.

It was just a simple text to grab a textbook.

Si man please grab my Math textbook? I left it in Abb’s locker like an absolute moron and it had all my notes! Please please please Simon I will love you forever! -Nick

So here he is standing just a few feet from his and Abby’s locker because Nick asked since Simon was nearby and needed some air. Bram is standing in front of his locker with a plastic bag looped through the handle of a locker staring wide eyed at him, his hands frozen writing something on a piece of paper against the locker. Simon’s locker.

At first Simon doesn’t know what Bram is doing until he sees something white poking out from the bag. ‘No this isn’t-’ His thoughts are racing and he takes a step forward shattering the moment. Like the star athlete he is, Bram bolts the opposite way, pen, paper and bag forgotten as he disappears down the hall. Completely at a loss Simon just stands there in utter shock until his eyes turn back to the bag on his locker. Slowly, he makes his way over and hesitates before removing the bag and peaking inside.

It’s a jersey cotton t-shirt with a logo from Elliott Smith’s Figure Eight. He looks down at it in complete awe then his eyes the paper and pen laying on the floor. It’s blue green construction paper and written on it is a finished note.

I’m assuming Elliott understood that you would have made it to his shows if you could have.

Simon stands frozen again as his brain tries to stop imploding. It’s Blue, Bram is Blue. Cute, adorable, quiet, shy Bram is Blue. Some things are starting to click like as he stares at the perfectly straight print on the note, those times Bram blushed at him, the comment about how being straight or white as the default is annoying, Bram who had his birthday after MLK day which means 118 is January 18th his birthday and Green from Greenfeld. God he’s an absolute oblivious idiot!

Putting the note in the bag Simon turns around to walk back to his car on shaky legs. Somehow he drives himself home without crashing into something, makes it upstairs to his room without trouble, then falls face first on his bed still in disbelief. Shouldn’t he be doing something? Why is he just laying here, doing nothing while the guy he’s in love with is out there and so close?

No Blue needs space. He needs time and he must be as shocked or at least freaked out about being found out and- oh god there was a reason he was there so late with the school pretty much dead. He didn’t want to be seen, for people to know he left the shirt. Pulling the shirt out and tossing the bag behind him to get rid of later, Simon holds it in front of him just just stare at it again. It’s just a t-shirt, some fabric with a bands logo and it shouldn’t mean so much but holy shit it does. This shirt means the world to him after the decreasing messages from Blue which was horrible, and especially after the last one Simon sent getting no reply.

Groaning he buries his face into it hoping maybe he can smother himself with it in frustration. No he can’t do that now with such a special shirt and a very special someone out there. Simon takes a deep breath then lifts his face from the shirt only to feel something stiff when his hands move the shirt. Spreading out so the shirt lays flat, he lifts the neck to see inside and there’s another piece of Blue Green construction paper. It’s a note with the same perfect print.

P.S. I love the way you smile like you don’t realize you’re doing it. I love your perpetual bed head. I love the way you hold eye contact a moment longer than you need to. And I love your moon-grey eyes. So if you think i’m not attracted to you, Simon, you’re crazy.

Below the script is a phone number and Simon doesn’t know whether to text or call the number right now or just wait because he is really lightheaded and feels like he’s going to pass out. His heart is beating like crazy, whole body buzzing with warm tingles while a smile so big breaks across his face, cheeks aching because he knows who Blue is and Blue gave him his number.

They need to talk, to figure everything out and- and he needs to tell this stupidly cute and frustrating guy how much he loves him too.

Now the big question: how?

-

Bram runs, he runs and runs until he’s back on the field where Garrett is waiting for him to take him home. Garrett is smiling at him until he sees the panicked look on his face, concern replacing the excitement. “Bram you okay man?”

Panting he just stares at his best friend and for some reason the question makes him laugh. God is he okay, ya if what just happened is as okay as their new president. No he’s actually horrible and terrified because the person he’s in love with now knows who he is, that he’s Blue and everything is ruined because he’s going to lose this amazing guy. His laugh turns a bit hysterical for a second before he has to catch his breath again, his legs turned to jelly so he stumbles and lets himself drop on to the grass so he can just lay in his back and hope for lightning to hit him or the ground to swallow him up.

Once his breathing is something close to normal he lets out a long sigh and closes his eyes. “I- I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”

He hears Garrett’s feet walking over and sit next to him, just being there as silent support. “I hope you get to okay.” He finally commented as they sit there for a bit longer before silently standing and walk to Garrett's car to head home.

Bram thanks Garrett for the ride and it’s only once he’s in his room lying on his bed, that he starts actually thinking about what happened.

Now Simon knows who he is. Now Simon has is number. Oh god now Simon has his number and the notes he left!

Bram wants to just die already or maybe he can stay in his room forever. He doesn’t know how to feel about this. He’s both horrified this happened but also a little excited. Of course the horror overrides the excitement but now Simon knows who he is, that he’s Blue.

What should he do now? Bram asks himself. Should he email him? Wait to see if Simon uses his number? Wait til tomorrow? He doesn’t want to because honestly right now all of that seems terrifying and now he’s starting to get nauseous.

Taking a bit to think about it, waiting til tomorrow sounds the best for right now. If he loses Simon then he loses Simon. If he gets some form of reply about the shirt or who he is… he’ll cross that bridge if it ever happens.

He gladly let’s sleep take him so today can be behind him.

-

Nick, Leah, and Abby are all settled in the basement at Simon’s after Simon begged and pleaded with his friends to help him so he spilled his verbal guts to them about Blue and eventually Martin. Nick finally caved and told Simon that he actually didn’t leave his textbook. He didn’t say who asked him to do it but that all he had to do was get Simon back on campus and to his locker as soon as possible. For some reason that just makes Simon feel worse.

It takes a literal stranger to make him see who Blue was. Simon was so stuck on all the wrong clues and his stupid crush on Cal to see what was literally right in front of him.

Sinking to the floor Simon just lets out a loud sigh before he looks at Nick with morose eyes. “Tell whoever that is thank you and that i’m a colossal idiot.” Nick just grins at him as he nudges his best friend with his foot. “Ya I will but first we gotta get your guy back!”

Leah and Abby grab his arms to pull him up and bring everyone into a group hug.

Once the questions and teasing was done, the crazy hopeful plan they all come up with is ready to be set into motion.

If everything goes well, Simon reluctantly agrees to go to this restaurant place Abby insists they should celebrate at but he remains firm on Bram only coming if he's comfortable doing so. Leah seems hesitant on joining but she concedes when Simon asks her to be his moral support. If she doesn’t like the place then they’ll take her home.

God Simon hopes this works.

-

Bram drives to school in an almost numb mood. He goes through the motions of parking and heading to his locker but the realization of Nick standing at it catches his attention. “Hey Nick.” He greets him a bit confused. Nick isn’t usually this early and he’s almost always with Abby, Leah or Simon in the morning.

“Morning Bram!” Nick beams at him before seeming to remember why he’s there. His smile turns a little sheepish but doesn’t fall as he brings out something from behind him.

It’s a piece of paper and a large case of Halloween themed Oreo's.

Bram blinks at it before his tired brain makes everything click, his eyes go a little wide as they flick back and forth from Nick to the Oreo's.

“Um ya so ‘you know who’ is really really sorry but also a complete idiot. He- I mean they also say that he hopes this is romantic as hell.”

Bram takes the offered items, or well he supposes they’re gifts now, a little shocked at what’s happening before his eyes go down to the paper in Simon’s script decorated with soccer balls and his shirt number, to read it. It’s a letter.

Dear Blue,

I am a complete ass and i’m so sorry for being such an idiot. This is a very hopeful apology, the first out of three. I should have put all the damn clues together way sooner but of course i’m still dense and can’t seem to apply actual logic to these types of things. I guess you make me illogical. Leah and Abby punched me when Nick told me with a very disappointed face your full name was Abraham. I also realize that i’m even more of a moron and what 118 means.

I still meant what I said about the last email. You’ve become my best friend and I still want to keep you but this goes however you want it to go. We can go back to emailing and not knowing each other’s real identities or by some miracle you can accept these poor attempts at a romantic gesture. Abby has my next apology.

-Love, Simon.

Bram can’t seem to breathe as he rereads the paper again then one more time to make sure he’s not actually dreaming. His eyes cautiously peer up to Nick who’s still smiling as he leans with his back against the lockers.

Nick just shrugs. “I think I know why Garrett sent me a text now.” He gives Bram a pat on the shoulder before wishing him good luck and heading to his own locker.

Left standing there Bram kind of wants to sink to the floor into a puddle because of course Simon would want to do something like this. Taking a deep breath he tries to calm all these whirling emotions and head to first period, the paper folded and tucked into his bag while he puts the Oreo's in his locker. Guess he just has to wait for Abby now.

He doesn’t catch her until the passing period between second and third. Her face lights up when she spots him and with determination she makes her way to him.

“Hey Bram! We’re heading out to eat after rehearsal. Join us if you want to, I was told not to pressure you so i’m going to just give you these and be on my way. Garrett is tagging along so just find him. Again a serious idiot who is willing to grovel. Leah will be at lunch.” She gives his shoulders a gentle squeeze when Bram’s eyes widen in fear. “Hey simple and quiet. No one is going to know unless you want them to okay.” She reassures him and it actually helps. “Thanks.” She hands him a CD case and another paper, this one decorated with music notes, lyrics to some songs, and the Elliott Smiths shirt. He takes them quickly and gives Abby a small smile before dashing to his next class.

Settled in his seat Bram finally looks over the CD case to see a list of songs, all their shared favorites, and the letter which he’s extremely tempted to read so he asks to go to the bathroom to do so away from prying eyes.

Dear Blue,

Music has always helped me calm down and find some semblance of peace. I added all the songs we’ve mentioned and a couple of new ones I think you might like. If you haven’t noticed all the awesome art is thanks to Leah and before you freak out about them knowing, they swore on WAHO that they’d never say a word. I think they’re all more protective of you than me right now which is a given since I did some very shitty things to warrant it. It’s because of them I was able to think of this very sappy and romantic apology. They’ll have your back just like they have mine. I’m honestly really nervous right now and hope you somehow forgive me.

I want you to know I did hope it was you because I call you cute Bram in my head but of course Simon Logic made me think you were straight. God i’m so dense and clueless for someone who’s supposed to be in Hufflepuff. I won’t see you at Lunch because of rehearsals but that’s where apology number 3 is with Leah. I hope it makes you laugh but it might make you blush. I didn’t tell you you’re cute when you blush did I? Well you are and again i’m sorry. I hope I see you after rehearsal.

-Love, Simon.

Bram is a mess of emotions during fourth and he starts to get a bit nauseous the sooner the clock ticks to lunch time. He doesn’t know what he’s feeling right now but he’s does know he’s forgiven Simon since apology number one. The second and whatever the following apology is just cements how much he really does love this stupid boy and his determination to express how truly sorry he is.

He returns to class and tries to stop the smile off his face, folding then placing the letter with the other before trying and slowly failing to pay attention in class. When the bell rings to signal it’s lunch Bram’s hands are shaking and he can feel his heart go a mile a minute. It’s almost like he’s on autopilot as he makes his way to the cafeteria but stops just at the doors that lead inside. His eyes see Leah and Garrett at their table with Morgan and Anna who are off to the side. The former two are chatting away as they watch something on a phone while Garrett and Leah are talking about something huddled together. He can spy an orange packet and another letter which is the only thing that propels him to start walking towards the table.

He hovers a bit before moving to sit next to Garrett. He’s greeted with an arm slung around his shoulder and a small smile from Leah. “Garrett’s lucky that I didn’t punch him for what he did.” The comment makes Garrett freeze as he turns to give his best friend his version of puppy dog eyes. “I didn’t do anything besides send a random text man. I just- I just want you to be happy Bram.” He confessed and who could stay mad at that? He does punch Garrett’s arm lightly before turning his attention back to Leah.

For some reason he’s back to being shy again, the words coming out soft and hesitant.

“So you… umm. You have something for me?” The words are all mumbled together but she seems to hear him clearly as she passes him a packet of Reese's that has a folded note on it and the last letter. This one is Harry Potter themed with lightning bolts, the houses, a small drawing of the castle, owls, and a snitch. “You’re an amazing artist Leah.” The comment makes Leah blush as she gives him another quick smile before digging into her lunch. Garrett and her respectfully scoot down the bench to give him some small form of privacy. Bram really appreciates it.

As much as he wants to read the letter, the small note on the Reese’s is what he reads first.

It does make him blush and laugh, a short chuckle he tries to cover with his hand but both Leah and Garrett snap their head to look at him in awe. They’re both burning with curiosity but can’t get over the shock of hearing him laugh.

Leah’s voice has a touch of wonder when she says, “I think that’s the first time i’ve ever heard you laugh.” Garrett just stares at him with a shocked smile. “Same” His voice is as almost a whisper like he doesn’t realize he said it.

The whole thing makes Bram blush harder as covers his face with one hand and pushes the Reese’s with the note open towards them.

It reads: Oreo’s are still better than sex but like always you’re the exception. Here are your sub-par Reese’s.

Bram quickly leaves them with his gifts in hand as they start laughing, the phrase ‘what a dork’ and ‘omg’ the last thing he hears before he’s out of the cafeteria and walking to his car. He wants total and complete privacy when he reads the last letter so what better place than his car.

Dear Blue,

So i’m now freaking out and still nervous. I think this is what you must have felt like when you were sure i’d actually be intelligent and start figuring out all the clues you left. This is horrible. I think i’m actually getting nauseous (yes i’m using that word now) but i’m still also trying to stay hopeful that you don’t just trash all of these letters or not show up after.

I’ll be honest and say i’d be really sad but if that was what you wanted then i’d just have to suck it up and take the hit. I hope you like the Reese’s and the note. It took me almost 8 times to write the word sex, hell it took me a good 5 minutes to write it here. I sorta wish I didn’t have rehearsal so I could be there to see if you did blush or laugh. I think I might die if I hear your actual laugh though but i’m pretty sure it would be worth it. I’m getting a little tired of saying that i’m sorry because I feel like it’s kind of being overused so here’s another crack at trying to be romantic. Je suis désolé mon cher Bleu. Je t'en supplie, pardonne-moi.

-Love, Simon.

Nothing. Bram’s brain crashed and he’s drawing up a blank, just a blank nothing. The only thing stopping him from going to find Simon right now is class and that Simon is rehearsing. Also the still lingering fear of coming out to people he doesn’t actually know aka fellow students. Garrett was fine. His parents were fine. Leah, Nick, and Abby are fine too but it’s still so new and frightening.

Bram also selfishly wants to keep the emails and what’s going on with Simon mainly between them, keep this private intimate thing they have just for a little bit longer. He can make himself wait till the end of school.

-

Simon cannot make it to the end of rehearsals. He’s literally dying and the fond but annoyed look Abby keeps shooting him doesn’t help. It’s not his fault he keeps zoning out okay, he’s trying his best with everything that’s going on right now.

Finally they get the dismissal from Ms. Albright to go and it takes everything in Simon to not just run out and find Leah or Nick or be brave and go to Bram first. Abby hooks their arms together and it helps ground him just enough to calm down and change. She also makes sure he keeps the make-up on this time.

Once they’ve changed out of costume and start making their way to the parking lot, all his nerves and fears start coming back the closer they get. Simon keeps switching back from keeping his eyes on the ground and searching the crowd of people.

He tries not to be devastated when he only sees Nick and Leah at his car. Abby squeezes his hand in apology.

Nick and Leah seem to notice them and Nick all but sprints towards them as he tackles them in a hug. Leah catches up and sees the faces both Abby and him are making. She groans and nudges Nick. “Don’t you have something for him?” “Oh right!” He digs into his pocket to pull out a folded piece of blue paper and pushes it into Simon’s hand. “He would be here but well- just read the note man i’m sure he’ll explain.”

Unfolding the paper Simon reads the same perfect script and just seeing it lets him breathe again.

Dear Jacques,

Reese’s are not sub-par. I have no idea how I’m going to actually talk to you in person, it was just so much easier by email and even now writing it down. I need to talk to my mom first about going out but I know she’ll let me since I would be Garrett's ride. I also might need just a little bit more time before I actually see you, but I do want to see you again. The only thing stopping me from doing so at Lunch was that you were rehearsing and i’m honestly not sure what I would have done or said. I also hoped that you were Jacques.

As for all the apologies, I forgave you pretty much at the start of the first letter. The two that followed just cemented it and made me miss you even more. I’ll see you soon.

-Love, Bram.

P.S. No I don’t want things to go back to the way they were. I think i’m ready for a little bit of change.

P.P.S. Is it bad I do still want to keep you to myself via our emails? I don’t want to hide if this, us, becomes a thing but I still want to keep this private intimate thing we have. Does this make sense?

Simon covers his face with the note and he feels like it might melt off.

Bram wants to see him. Bram forgave him. His plan wasn’t a total fail and Bram doesn’t hate him. They’re going to see each other!  

“Oh my god I need to change!” is the first thing that comes out of his mouth as he leaves his friends to jog to his car. He drops his keys twice and almost hits the car next to him when he opens the door.

A hand grabs his arm and steers him to the passenger side. “I’ll drive Si, you just sit and- i don’t know breathe? Maybe put that away for safekeeping.” Abby taps the blue paper that’s currently crushed against Simon’s chest and he quickly lays it across the dashboard to smooth it out. “I- yes. Smart. I just- help me?” Everyone kindly laughs at the strange voice he’s using and easily pile in so they can head to the Spier's residence. Simon needs to pick up a shirt.

-

It’s a gay bar/restaurant and now Simon wants to die for a whole new different reason.

“Abby really?” He bemoans as they head inside and if Bram doesn’t join them he would totally understand.

She just smirks at him and pushes him through the door. “Why not? We should celebrate for finishing rehearsal and you not being an idiot. Also just think,” she tilts her head so only he can hear “i’m sure you want to hold hands and sit next to each other.” Simon’s face is now permanently red. For life. Why are they friends.

“Maybe.��� He mumbles a little excited at the possibility of it but he’s still concerned for Bram. He’s not sure how he’ll feel about all of this. “I just- i’m worried this might be too much for him.”

“I think he’ll be fine.” A soft voice answers him.

Simon spins around so fast he crashes into Nick and then almost stumbles back into Abby. Leah just sighs and rests a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “We’re being shown to our table now guys.”

Simon stands with his hands covering his face and all Bram can think about is how adorable he is right now. The others follow the hostess while he and Simon hang back near the waiting area.

Bram has no idea how but he crosses the few steps between them and stands right next to him, close enough that their shoulders brush together. A small gasp escapes from Simon and now Bram is the one blushing.

“Hi.” Simon squeaks out and gathers as much courage as he can to lift his head and look at Bram. Somehow it’s harder for him look away now.

A small smile greets him and after all this time Bram can finally stare into those moon-grey eyes. “Hi.” he answers and presses their arms together. “We should- um I think-” Simon sends him a smile, understanding what Bram’s trying to say. “Join the others? Ya.” He nudges their shoulders and takes a step before pausing and ducking his head. “I’m really glad you came Bram.” He takes a shaky breath before adding, “And that it’s you.”

Bram didn’t realize how much hearing Simon say his name all hopeful and softly would affect him. He thinks he could listen to only that for the rest of his life. “I’m glad it’s you too Simon.” 

Their hands brush as they walk to join the others, grinning so wide it hurts. Of course their friends make sure to save them a spot so they sit together.

Even though this place is supposed to be a safe place for them, they keep their hands under the table. Both feeling brave they sit pressed together and slowly link their pinkies together.

Garrett ordered for Bram and Leah ordered for Simon so now they just wait for their food arrives.

Of course out of their entire group Abby and Garrett are bouncing in their seats trying their best to let their mutual friends be.

Simon and Bram share a look then shrug.

“Out with it before you both explode.”

Both Abby and Garrett take in a long breath of air before firing off questions one after the other.

“How long has this been going on!”

“Did Spier grovel enough?”

“Simon how can you call yourself a Hufflepuff after this?”

“What did you think about the plan Bram?”

“We have your backs okay, you know that right?”

“Spier I will murder you if you hurt my best friend.”

“Ditto Si, sorry but I'm still annoyed at you.”

“True but we’re all going to make Addison’s ass grass right?”

Leah, Nick, and Abby agreed and then the conversation turned to how they’d make Martin pay for what he did.

Simon gets a little weird about that because he still doesn’t know if he wants to deal with that situation. He closes in on himself just a little but when he says, “Hey it’s- i’m fine about the Martin thing okay. I just don’t want to deal with it anymore so can we just leave it?” Bram looks around to everyone who’s frowning at Simon and then it clicks for him. He didn’t realize anything could make him that angry ever. Bram turns to Simon and gives him a firm questioning look that Simon answers with a meek nod.

“If I see him I might punch him.” Bram says it with such certainty because it’s an actual fact.

Leah flicks a tiny paper ball at Simon. “I call dibs after you.” Simon slowly lifts his head to look at Leah, their eyes having a silent conversation before she grins. “You may have fucked up Si and we’re all still a little mad about it, but what Martin did was cruel and it shouldn’t have happened.” She kicks her feet against his under the table before smirking. “Now I want to know what that Reese’s note was about.”

Bram laughs at the suggested look Garrett gives them and Simon buries his face into his shoulder.

This time it’s Abby and Nick who stare at Bram because again they’ve never heard him laugh before and Nick’s on a team with him.

“It’s just easier to be brave when you don’t know who the other person is.” Bram admits. Now his and Simon’s hands are laced together, he gives it a light squeeze and gets one back.

Simon lets out a rather loud sigh that’s met by everyone awwing at him. He’s never been more thankful for a waiter to arrive with food.

It’s maybe a little bit after that Simon realizes he still has his face pressed into Bram’s shoulder. He moves to pull away but Bram’s hand tightens in his, their eyes meet and they both seem to understand what the other’s trying to say. They’ve slipped so easily into this, being near each other and face to face, the fear and anxiety of how they’d make this work all gone.

It’s the best meal either of them have ever had.

-

It’s after they’ve paid their bill and are hanging out near their cars, that Abby and Garrett realize their questions were never answered.

Simon and Bram share a fond look as they think about how all of this started.

“You guys remember that anonymous post?”

“Omg it was Bram!” Leah gushed.

Bram gives them all a sheepish smile. “One of the most terrifying actions of my life. I’m glad I did it.” They’re in public but that’s not stopping them from standing just a little too close. “I’m glad I emailed you.”

“I’m glad I sent Nick that text!” Garrett winks at them.

“Oh great. Our own personal cupid.” Simon’s drawls. Bram and him give Garrett a flat look.

He holds his hands up in surrender but keeps smiling. “I felt bad at first but I no longer regret it okay. You guys are freaking glowing.”

“Did you like all the sappy gifts?”Abby asks. Her arm is hooked through both Leah and Nicks, who also want to know.

Bram shrugs. “They were alright.” His voice is monotone and Simon gives him a blinding grin as everyone else groans at them. Bram can’t stop the smile that spreads across his face as he looks to Simon. “Well more than alright. Actually really freaking perfect. Of course you’d go all out.”

Simon’s voice goes soft as he just stares at Bram. “I had to.”

“Damn that was sweet.” Abby whispers, breaking their small moment.

They slowly settle into silence and enjoy this bonding moment where they’re all just highschool kids hanging out enjoying life.

A pensive look crosses Nicks face but he looks hesitant to share what's on his mind.

Simon has a feeling he knows so he gives him a small smile. “So… what are you guys going to do now?” Abby and Garrett frown at him but Nick’s dejected face makes them sigh in understanding.

Bram thought he’d be more worried about that question, the big ‘what now’ but he’s not, or well he is but now it seems a little easier to handle. He knows there’s going to be some things that are unavoidable, that they’ll face some hate but he has so much more support now and he does feel a lot better with not having to keep such a big secret anymore.

Simon has already had to deal with some of the backlash of coming out but he can’t be mad because it’s been pretty tame so far and there’ll always be people who just won’t understand or accept it. He’s out now and it’s like he can breathe so much better . His only worry is for Bram and what he’ll want to do but there’s that tiny part of him that hopes they can be together, go on dates and possibly be boyfriends.

“We’ll figure it out, talk about it.” Bram voices. “I already told Simon that I think i’m ready for a little change and I think I got pretty lucky to end up with my long time crush.”

Simon’s eyes go wide at that new bit of information. “I’m the cute guy that you can’t talk to!” He whispers and hides his face in his hands. “Why am I an oblivious idiot?”

“Well at least you’re going to be my oblivious idiot.” Bram blushes when he says it but he keeps his eyes on said adorable oblivious idiot. He’s just incredibly happy right now.

Simon is just- he’s so happy he doesn’t know what to do with himself. “I don’t deserve you.” he bemoans. “Oh I- I never thanked you for the shirt.”

Leah snorts. “The one you kept under your pillow? Also the one you’re wearing?”

“Betrayed!”

“Shut up you’re just sappy.”

Their laughter is interrupted by a phone chiming, of course, everyone checking theirs to see who’s it is. It’s Abby’s, a text from her mom wanting to know when she’ll be home.

“Well guess it’s getting pretty late guys. Ready to head home?”

Everyone reluctantly agrees because there is a thing called school they have tomorrow and all of them are still underage to stay out past curfew.

Simon and Bram linger a bit, not wanting to leave each other just yet.

“I’ll uh text you when I get home? I- I have your number now so we can do that and only if you want to-” Bram chews on his lip as he looks around before bringing Simon into a quick hug. “I’ll be waiting.”

They part and get into their respective cars, grinning like fools the whole drive home.

#love simon #My writing #fic #spierfeld #Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda spoilers #spoilers #Simon Spier #Bram Greenfeld #svthsa #love you shay #love you maud