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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 18 days

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Sweet Dreams--Part 11

Calum and you have dance around reality for a few months now. But after Calum leaves and returns from a trip, the reality has to be confronted.

Weeks are passing and maybe more is blooming between you and Calum than might meet the eye.

Prince!Calum x Reader Insert.

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Melvin, reads the contact name. The 11 digits that follow stare back at you from the contact record of your phone. There’s never once been a text thread. His name wouldn’t come out on your phone outside of the contact in a search. But you had your distraction. You had your time to wallow and time to let pity make a fool of you. You can’t stay there. You refuse to stay there. So you tap the phone icon. It rings and rings. It might be a bad time, you realize now, as there’s no guarantee that Melvin will answer at ten in the morning. But that doesn’t matter much now.

Melvin answers the phone breathlessly. Your name tumbling from his lips in a rush. There’s concern in your name that paints his voice as he asks, “Is everything okay?”

“I’m calling to ask you that, actually,” you answer. The words nearly don’t leave your throat. He’d always been the easier of the two to interact with. He cared--you saw that with Teagan and Charlie. He seemed genuinely interested in your life when you spoke of it. But you didn’t think the care or the concern he had for your siblings would make him worry about you. Maybe now you’re even afraid of what that means.

“What-what are you referring to? Did something happen?”

You can’t get off track here. You’re calling about Diana. You’re calling to fact check the conversation from last week and to make sure they’re not drinking again. “Do Charlie and Teagan have new winter coats?”

“Uh, yes, they do. Diana and I--we got them nearly a week ago. There’s no guarantee now either that they don’t have another growth spurt, but we’re hopeful these coats will last the season and into the next.”

The more you talk with Melvin the more you realize Charlie got the gift of talking from him. At least Diana hadn’t been lying about the coats. But the bitter bite of her words rings back against your ears. “Diana called me last week,” you start. It’s the safest way to start.

The line crackles and you hear the sigh from Melvin. Something shuts--you hear the creak of hinges in the background. “I was worried when I saw the two ignored calls from you on her phone that something might’ve happened.”

“Is she drinking? Are you?”

“I’m not, no. God, no,” Melvin returns. His offense is palpable. He sounds as if the thought disgusts him.

“And what about Diana?”

A pause. Moments are passing by, the clock in your room ticking loudly as you listen to Melvin breathe. He better say no. He better answer with the same disgust. But the longer the two of you stay in silence, the more dread leadens in your gut. “I’m trying to get her some extra support,” he answers slowly. Like he might even be unsure of the words himself.

Not an outright denial but not an outright confession either. “Could it be vodka this time that gets her to her senses?” It’s a vile question to ask. But it falls and behind it comes more vitriol. That old wound, exposed again to the elements. “Could she go zero for three with her kids?”

“Enough,” Melvin commands. It falls clipped but tired. “We didn’t do right by you and we know that. We live with it every single day. We failed you in ways no child should’ve ever been failed by a parent. But it is not easy to watch from the sidelines now. And I don’t want to make it your responsibility to let us back in after what we’ve done, but please, do not mock us. The closer you get to Charlie and Teagan, the more hope grows in your mother. And the more you shut her down, the more she crumbles. It’s not your fault. She’s got to get better, face the consequences of her actions like we all must do. But she is human.”

“A terrible condition to be human, I’ve heard.” Your chest aches. It certainly still feels like your responsibility; it still certainly feels like that wound will never close up right. You still wish to every god that you could’ve had what Charlie and Teagan had. Wish you could move the stone of anger off your chest when it comes to Diana and Melvin. But you cried for them. You begged for them and it wasn’t enough. It just wasn’t enough.

“Just, please give her grace. I’ll get her help. I will.”

“Grace is Charlie and Teagan. You can give her grace.”

“And what about you? Is there satisfaction in wrath?”

“Wrath is rather hollow.” You don’t know what you have anymore. There is something between contempt and regret filling you. Yet, you are tired of both of them. You’re tired of the wheel you feel stuck on. You’ve got to let it go. It’ll kill you if you don’t.

“We hurt you. I know that. It was easy at first to keep our distance. It gets harder now—sometimes. She just needs some extra help.”

“Then you get her help. But I don’t like knowing she’s on a spiral in the same house as Charlie and Teagan. They don’t deserve that pain. I will do whatever possible so they are not subjected to the same thing I was.”

“As you should,” Melvin agrees. “As you should. I’ve been worried about disrupting Charlie and Teagan’s routine too much. I don’t think the kids are catching on.”

You have to tread lightly. You can’t tell him that Teagan’s caught on, as unknowingly as she is about what she's stumbled upon. But you can warn him. “Children are more perceptive than you give them credit for. You can hope. But that’s not the same as the reality.”

“Was it Teagan? What did she hear?”

“I hope Diana’s kept up with bedtime stories.”

“Fuck,” Melvin whispers. You’d never be able not to answer his question. He’d hear what you’re saying between the lines. “I can’t lose them too.” It’s soft as Melvin says it, thick with emotions you can’t see, but can hear. A true terror shakes his voice.

Here you think is where you might reassure Melvin. That he won’t lose them. But you can’t promise that. You’d possibly be the hand that orchestrates it. You remain silent.

Melvin fills in the gap of silence in a flurry of panicked words. “There’s a birthday party this weekend and then a field trip next week. Please give me some time. You have every right to save them from the fate that fell you. But they’re just kids. They’ll only see what they lost out on. Give-give me just a little bit more time. If things are getting out of hand, let’s arrange something then. Okay? Just give me a few more weeks to get through to Diana.”

You only remember what you lost out on too. The dances you never attended, the nights spent hoping that your parents' breath didn’t reek in the morning. Praying you had just a little bit more attention so you could ask them about field trips, tell them about the things you were learning about in school. All you wanted was a crumb of attention, more than just the plate of food at dinner. You wished you could’ve told them about the crushes, the dreams you had--that maybe one day you’d been a veterinarian as all children hope to become. Maybe even then you could’ve told them how much you wanted to paint too.

You don’t know what’s more important, to save Charlie and Teagan from a potential fate or let them live their lives as children knowing what looms for them if Melvin is not successful. But they are just kids. They might hate you either way--if you pull them now, if you save them later. They’re just children. You don’t expect them to understand it all right now.

“You’ve got until of November.” October’s nearing its end in another week and a half. “But if I get wind of anything that even smells like Diana’s losing her grip, I’m taking them.”

“That’s only--”

“I know. And Christmas will be right behind that. But I’d rather they hate me for ruining Christmas than letting their lives be at further risk.” Doing good might mean at times having to be the villain. A spark never knows it’s going to start a wildfire, but you’re wiser than that ember. You know the damage that could be done. You know the damage you will do as well.

“End of November,” Melvin agrees. “I’ll, uh, we’ll have to come up with a contingency plan. I don’t know where you’re living these days. But I don’t want to pull them out of school.”

“We’ll figure something out,” you agree. Your hours at work will allow you to drop them off in the morning. But you’ll need help in picking them up in the afternoon. You wonder if Calum would be okay to do it. Though you don’t want to interrupt or commandeer his schedule either, you’ll still ask him. It’ll take a village to help now. You’ll need to figure out where they’ll stay. You have no qualms with them taking over your bedroom in the place you’re staying. But it couldn’t be a long standing agreement. You’d need to move and give them their own bedroom at the very least. You don’t have a lot saved, but you could afford a two bedroom apartment on your own now. The first few months would be tight, but it’d be doable now.

“Thank you,” Melvin nearly whispers. “I see how much you care for them.” The weight rounds your shoulders at his words. Is this what it means to be recognized—quiet and weighty recognition that feels like relief and lead?

Beyond a sense of duty, you only want for them what you didn’t get. Teagan and Charlie are getting everything you wanted. Watching out for them is everything you needed. They’re children who do not deserve to be punished for what was between your parents and you.

“It’s what they deserve,” you return. Melvin let’s you go and you blink up at the ceiling, swirling in your vision. You want them to be safe. You need it. But you still feel the whisper of Melvin’s gratitude. How it feels like thick humidity on your skin in the middle of summer. Your skin is hot and the tears caress your cheeks as they descend to your chin. As stupid as the thought feels,, you hope Melvin can find it in himself to be proud of you no matter what you wind up having to do.

_____________________

It’s bright--the windows to the right bring in streaks of sunlight and though Calum sometimes wishes he’d opted for a slightly lighter brown, there’s few clouds today which makes the shed feel lighter. The clear skies make the deepening chill tolerable. Your slippers rest on the floor right under the easel you sit in front of. Your socked feet tapping lightly against the metal bar on the stool you perch up on. The stroke of your brush scratches against the canvas--a deep red cutting through the top left corner.

Calum’s sure that even with your apron on the sleeves to his black and white striped long sleeved shirt will be stained forever. Not that he minds. He’d prefer to carry that little piece of you in the threads. He’ll be able to say that it’s your work if anyone asks about the stain. He’s supposed to be doing preliminary comments on this briefing. It’ll become part of the address he gives at the charity event in December, but given the magnetitude of the event it’s best to get started on these things earlier rather than later. Yet, he has no interest in the words on the document in front of him. He’d rather watch you as you gather more paint onto your brush. You stroke once, twice, and then reach for something else in the glass jar which holds other brushes and tools.

From this angle, Calum watches the twist of your lips, fingers fluttering over the jar. Debating, he concludes--you’re debating which tool to go for next. The bottom right part of the canvas is still blank. He traces the faint line you’ve etched into the white fibers. You’ve told him that you plan to include pages from several print media types--books, pamphlets, and missing posters-- layered and attached to the canvas. You don’t want to add those yet until all the painting is done and can cry before you glue them up there to keep bleeding minimal.

A knock sounds from the door and Calum turns to see his mum at the door, thanks to the addition of the glass cutouts in the door frame. He waves her in and she only opens the door just far enough for her head to poke through. “I don’t want to interrupt,” she starts. “Just wanted to say hi.”

“Hi, Mum. You’re not interrupting. They’ve got headphones in and I’m not really doing anything much myself,” Calum laughs.

She laughs, sliding in through the crack. “So only one of you is being productive. But that’s alright. Rest, too, is important.”

“Something like that.”

His mother nods and shuffles softly over to you. You turn at the touch on your shoulder, slipping your headphones down off your ears. “Hi, Joy,” you laugh.

The embrace is tight, even Calum can see how tightly his mother winds you into the one armed embrace. “The painting looks good, sweetheart. It’s coming together nicely,” Joy comments.

“Thanks, I’m trying over here.”

“You’re succeeding. How was the feedback from the check-in?”

“They’re excited. They did ask to see what printed materials I’m using for the piece and said they were a little outdated. But they replied with some other books and materials that are more updated and relevant to their mission I could use. It was constructive at the end of it,” you explain.

“And those pages are going here, yeah?” Joy asks, pointing to the blank corner.

“Yeah, they are,” you nod.

“Okay, okay. I’m excited to see where it goes. I hope you’re proud of the work you’ve put in.”

“I think I am. For right now. I’m sure once I start painting in the gold details it’s going to kick my ass again,” you laugh.

“Oh, no, I don’t think so. It looks good.”

“Thanks, Joy. And I finished off the last of those beets.”

“Oh, good, good. I was wondering. Did you roast them again?”

You nod. “Easiest way for me to get through them. But they were really good. Better than store bought.”

Joy’s laugh is loud, taking a firmer grip on your shoulder and tugging you into her. “You wouldn’t be attempting to butter me up, would you?”

“I’d never attempt such a thing. I always succeed.”

The shed falls into a round of laughter, even a round of small snickers from Calum as he unabashedly watches the two of you. Joy never falters, squeezing one more time at your shoulders. “Succeed, you do, I’ll admit. Don’t tell Calum though.”

“I won’t,” you promise.

“Hmm, well, I guess I’ll leave you to work. Need anything?”

“No,” you return with a small shake of your head. “I’ve got everything.”

“Good.” Joy presses a kiss to your forehead and then steps away.

Calum watches the way you linger, still pushed forward into where her embrace once was, like you might chase behind her. But you don’t. You lean back and put the headphones back on. But there was a pause. Long enough for Calum to see it. And he knows--or at the very least figures--what that pause means. How much you get from the small interactions with his mother. He’d be glad if you did steal his mother, as you called it, if it means that you were getting the pieces of what you’d missed.

And it’s only a moment--the briefest of pauses. The headphones are settled back on and pick up your paints again. Joy slides into the bench next to Calum and nods in your direction.

“Everything okay?”

“With them?” Calum clarifies, pulling the top of his laptop down as he sits up a bit straighter.

“Yeah. With them. You’ve been a little tight lipped lately. If it’s not something you can share I get it. Just want to make sure of course.”

Calum looks back over to you. Your foot’s tapping again, the brush ever so gently scratching over the canvas again. You’d been tight lighted about it too to some degree. The only thing Calum has is that you asked if need be, could he help pick up Charlie and Teagan from school. He agreed that he could. Considering that sessions were closing in another two weeks for the holidays until January, his free time was considerably much larger than usual. And even if you needed help once sessions resumed, he’d always be able to take a recess whenever Charlie and Teagan were almost done with school to get them.

He’s not sure what’s caused you to ask this--if you’re planning something for Charlie and Teagan, but the alternative is much more sinister. Calum turns back to his mother and she’s only watching. Her fingers are wrapping around his and he exhales. “We’re okay. But something might be happening with Charlie and Teagan. I don’t know.”

“What makes you think that?”

“They asked if I could pick them up from school in the afternoons.”

Understanding crosses her face, brows rising before she looks your way. “Parents drinking again?”

Calum shrugs at the question, but tightens his hold around his mother’s hand. He felt more comfortable telling his mother more about your situation than his dad. She was a bit more careful with what information she was given. “If anyone, it’s probably Diana. But they haven’t said anything to me. Not yet anyways.”

“Will their current living situations support Charlie and Teagan?”

“Temporarily, I’m sure. But not long term, I don’t think.”

Joy hums and it’s a sound that Calum knows well. Her wheels are turning. “Well, we shouldn’t assume. But if they need help relocating, we can help. If not here, then wherever they feel most comfortable being of course.”

“We will. We will,” Calum agrees.

The conversation between you two had been short--that you needed a plan in place should you need it. Only as he rethinks through the conversations, does he think it was confirmation. I just need to have a plan, sooner rather than later. He should’ve pressed more about it, he thinks. But he does trust you. If there’s anything he needed to know, you’d tell him. But that doesn’t mean Calum can easily swallow down his desire to help. Yet, trust is the only way any of this will work. Choosing you means choosing trust.

“How’s the garden going?” Calum asks.

“It’s all mostly harvested. But good.”

“Any new recipes you think you’ll try?”

Joy laughs, patting at Calum’s hand. “Oh, no, not this time around. Gave it to the staff mostly. But if you are interested, I could always use a second pair of hands for the spring planting. We can put something together.”

Calum knows that dance--dangerous as it is. He laughs. “Do you need some help right now?”

“Oh, no, no, I came out here just to say hi to the two of you. Feels like I haven’t talked to my boy properly in a few weeks.”

Calum waves her in, arms opening for a hug. “Love you, Mum,” he whispers into the embrace.

“Love you too.”

Calum remains until she lets go first and when she does, he slides back into this original spot. “It's been rather boring lately if I’m honest.”

“Hmm, nothing from the boys either?”

Calum shakes his head at the question. “Nothing that I’ve heard. Well, there is Michael’s birthday next month”

“Yes, yes, his mother was talking to me today about that. She said he’s just doing dinner?”

“That’s what he said he’d prefer. Ashton, Luke, and I are still working out the details and getting a table reserved.”

“Do you know who I talked to recently?” Joy asks. She grins as she speaks, a little bop to her head as well. It’s good news then.

“Who did you talk to recently, Mum?” Calum laughs.

“Do you remember Ms. Brenda, Joshua’s mum?”

Calum nods. He still keeps in contact with Joshua from time to time. It’s not nearly as frequent as Luke, Michael, or Ashton. But Joshua and Calum were thick as thieves as kids on the time. “I remember Ms. Brenda.”

“She told me Joshua is proposing at Christmas.”

Calum whistles. Joshua had told him that he was dating seriously and they were moving in. That was only a few months ago, maybe almost a year, but not more than that. “Wow. God, we are really growing up, huh?”

“Oh, god, you can say that again,” Joy laughs. “When’s the last time you talked to Joshua anyway?”

Calum had texted Joshua a few weeks ago, mostly to say he hoped Joshua was doing well and Joshua replied with his usual, hanging in there by my toes, but hanging. As they’d gotten older Joshua moved away from football. In high school, he’d gotten a little gig to help out at home. But he didn’t talk about it much and since, Joshua mentioned he’s swapped from trade work to an office job. But the conversations were filled more with jokes and laughter than catching up on their lives.

Calum shrugs a little. “A few weeks ago. He said he was doing alright, but not this alright to be proposing. Has Ms. Brenda given up her banana bread recipe?”

“No,” Joy laughs. “But I’m going to get it from her eventually.”

“One of these days,” Calum teases. “If I get any more updates from the boys, I’ll be sure to share. As long as you share too.”

Joy holds up her hands, one at her chest. “Swear it,” she grins.

“The holidays are coming up soon too. I’m sure they’ll have some juicy stories then. ”

“Never fails,” Joy hums. “Anything you want? While we’re on the topic of the holidays.”

The question does make Calum ponder. There’s nothing that he wants that he thinks could be given by his parents. His gaze falls back to you. The sun cascades down around you, propped in the almost perfect center of the room. It's a small floor plan to begin with--the shelves help give storage without sacrificing the too much square footage. But finding a good place to put the easel for you really only had a few places to go--along one of the walls that was taken up by the bench and table or go into the center. But it’s nice to have your work at the center. What Calum really wants is time with you, time where you don’t have to worry about anything, where nothing is hanging over your head.

“Something that I could get would be ideal,” Joy laughs.

Calum snorts. There’s no embarrassment about being caught. “Can I take a rain check on that question then?”

“Absolutely, son. Absolutely. But besides the stuff with their parents, you two are okay, right?”

Calum regards his mother. The grays are prominent and continue to grow more so as the years pass in her hair. She shares a nearly identical cut to Calum’s though her sides are cut nearly as close as his. Calum had teased his mother when she first cut it that she was copying him. Joy never denied it. Just hugged Calum in tight and laughed. It’s going to destroy him when he can’t get one of those hugs--bone crushing and warm. Calum wonders if he’ll ever be able to recover from such a loss like that--death or not. He doesn’t know how you do it. How you’ve survived this long, but you do. He’s glad that for the time being the both of you can get soul warming hugs from his mother.

Because she’s real and present and looking back at him with the same concern she used to direct his way when he’d talk about a bad day at school. But instead of feeling like a child, instead of feeling small, he finds himself proud that he looks back into his mother’s face and knows that he’s got nothing to hide, that he can put it out on the table and she will always be there for him. He’s a little scared, how much he feels and how much of him is so willing to take the risk to get hurt again.

“We’re okay,” Calum answers. “I told them about Nora though.”

Joy whistles, brows rising at the news. “How’d that go?”

“Better than expected.” He’d prepared for the day he told you about Nora. How it might send you into a panic or even worse might cause an argument given how some that hurt still lingers, how he still mourns what could’ve been while discovering how much of the desire isn’t broken or gone with you. But thankfully it didn’t. For all that could’ve happened, nothing bad did.

“How do you feel about that? Now that it’s out there?” Joy asks, reaching for his hand again.

Calum shrugs, gazing back up as a shadow passes. A few birds flying overhead, he assumes. “It feels like I’m hiding less things now. Like I can be human with them more. But it’s hard. I-” His throat jumps. Fear he can place as it thumps in his veins. “I love them. But the last time I loved someone like this…” The words are catching. He wants to get them out but the emotion seizes his throat.

“It ended poorly. I know, I know,” she whispers in return. Both her hands wrap around Calum’s left hand.

“Yeah. But it’s so strange. To know that this all falling apart is still a possibility but not caring as much. All I find myself focused on is what I can still experience. Like even if it does have to end, and I don’t. I really don’t want that. But if it has too, I don’t want regrets on the table.”

“Well, that sounds like something to me. Like you know what you want,” Joy returns. “Sounds like you know what’s worth taking the risks for, which in turn, means you don’t have regret.”

Calum notices the hand retreating now from his space. A bottle of water rests onto the table, on the coasters you insisted on having for the shed. “It’s a good thing I don’t have plans on leaving. I’m right here, love,” you whisper against his cheek before pressing a kiss to the stubble he knows he needs to shave.

Calum takes his free hand and tugs you back when you go to step away. Your legs hit the edge of the bench with a stop thump. There’s red and gold paint on the end of the sleeves decorating the threads. Your fingers are stained too, but that doesn’t make Calum hesitate as he threads his fingers through yours. “You’re supposed to be painting.”

“I took a hydration break,” you laugh. He spies now the second bottle of water in your hand that’s now being lowered to the table. With your second hand free, you reach into the pocket of your apron and unearth a clean rag and drape it over his shoulder. “For any snot.”

Calum laughs, head dropping into your stomach. “If we’re keeping score about who’s cried the most, I think you’ve got me beat.”

“I’m a water hose, sue me.” You press a kiss to the top of Calum’s head though.

The paint is tacky against Calum’s fingers. His skin will be stained red and gold too, but it doesn’t matter. He drags his thumb over yours, a soothing action back and forth. You are there. You are just within reach. “I won’t,” Calum answers. Your hum is reassurance coupled with the squeeze of your hand.

Calum takes a deep inhale, attempting to commit to memory the way you smell in his clothes. The smell of paint powering over everything and yet, there is something so deeply you at the root of it--fresh like how clean linen smells. He tries to only take a minute or two, knowing that you’ll probably draw back first to head back to your painting. But you stay in the embrace.

“You two hungry by chance?” Joy asks. “I’ll go fix us something.”

Calum nearly tells her that she doesn’t have to go. But she’s giving his one hand one last squeeze as she slips out from behind the table. Joy gives your shoulder a squeeze and then slips out the door; it shuts softly behind her. You stand, towering over Calum. But he pulls you even closer into him, hands winding around your waist.

“You’re going to have paint all over your face,” you laugh.

“I don’t care.”

“Is everything okay?” you ask.

“Yeah. Just…I love you, that’s all.”

“I love you too.” The return is even and quick. You ease him out of his embrace and Calum looks back up at you. “Is now an appropriate time to make an inappropriate joke about why I’m not leaving you?”

“No,” Calum laughs. “Now is not the time for an inappropriate joke, but thank you for asking.”

The cap on the water releases with ease and you pour a little bit of your bottle onto the rag. The touch is tender as you swipe it over Calum’s cheek and forehead. “You’ll let me know when I can, right?”

“Yeah, of course. The world needs all your inappropriate jokes.” Your work is steady on his cheek, one hand holding ever so gently against his chin. “Sorry to interrupt your hydration break.”

“Not an interruption at all,” you laugh. “How’s the speech coming along?”

Calum gingerly tugs at the rag in your hand. “You see how that laptop is closed?” You nod. “That’s how well it’s going. I don’t even need to worry.”

“Or are you too distracted?”

“Some might say those are the same.”

“Yeah, all people named Calum Hood,” you snort, before taking a sip from your bottle. Your gaze is steady. But Calum can see it, the question brewing behind your eyes. “Would I be correct in assuming that I’m the first person since Nora?”

There it is. Calum doesn’t even need to ask what you heard. “You are.” He’s sure it’s more obvious than needed but at least you asked.

“I know I can’t promise not to break your heart. But I’d like to politely ask for the space to prove to you I’m not her.”

Calum knows you’re not her. It’s not even a comparison of people, just a comparison of situations. He’s right where he was before. And it’s all different than it was before. Less tense, more space to converse and to be. But he’s scared. He doesn’t want to fall on his face again, doesn’t want the person he cares about most taken away from him. “Since when do you have a polite bone in your body?”

“Since my sarcastic timing isn’t always well loved. And I know that’s rich coming from me, considering everything I’ve done and yet to tell you. However, still, I wanted you to know that I want this relationship with you.”

Calum knows that on an intellectual level. But it’s nice to hear the words again. “Thank you.” It feels too small a phrase for what he means. Because what he means to say is that you are right--you and Nora are two different people. These are two different relationships. But the fear has a strong hold. What he means to say is the sound of you saying that you want him makes his stomach knot, makes his toes curl, makes Calum feel like a kid again in the most innocent of ways. What he means to say is that he never wants to forget that, but he knows he’s human. So he will forget, but please always remind him.

The kiss to his forehead is wet, no doubt to the water on your lips, but gentle. “I’ll tell you as many times as you need to hear.”

If he could have you say it all the time, he would. But Calum revels in the whisper of your voice even as you slip away. He knows you’re in a bit of a time crunch. The paint will need plenty of time to dry so you’re trying to get through this with enough time to spare. He lets you go, promising him to himself that he’s going to spend the entirety of the night having you say it again and again how much you want him.

“Baby,” he calls out, just before the headphones cover up your ears.

“Yes, my love?” you ask, turning on the stool.

“I’m glad it’s you.”

“You’re glad it’s me?”

Calum nods. “Yeah, I’m glad it’s you.” He’s not sure if you understand, if you’ll get what he’s saying. But he is glad it’s you. Someone that got to know him from the ground up, someone that he got to know out of pure interest. He’s glad you’re who you are and that the two of you have this. Truly, what other ways can he say it? He’s just really glad it’s you.

You smile, headphones covering your ears, but you’re still facing him. “I’m glad it’s you too.”

______________________________

The heat from the oven grazes your arms as you slip the tray onto the rack. The orange pumpkins dyed into the white dough smile back at you--gaps between their carved teeth. You hope it’s not too much--that you’re coming over with a basket of things for what might be a pretty small holiday. But you are curious--has Mevlin made progress with Diana? Charlie makes no mention of noticing anything strange. Teagan hasn’t tipped you off that more things are happening out of the ordinary. It looks as though things might be on the up and up. Yet, you know looks can and will be deceiving. Its hardly been a week but the anxiety is gnawing on your innards—a feast for it and starvation for you.

With ease you wind the white timer for 10 minutes and set it down onto the counter. The ticking seconds are background noise for you cutting persistently through the crackle of plastic as you tear open the package of black tissue paper. The orange plastic pumpkin mirror the cookies--blackness around their gaped teeth, a hollow but practiced smile. You line the bottom of the buckets with a couple sheets and then start to toss in the socks, and stickers. They get a book to color in each, a fresh pack of coloring pencils, and Halloween pins for jackets or backpacks. Charlie gets one in the shape of a ghost and you slip a bat theme pin packet in for Teagan.

The candy waits in big bags--an unfortunate reality that you’d waited a little too long to get the smaller bags for the occasion but Calum promises to help when you get back to divvy up the remaining lollipops, chocolate, and other sweets into bags for people on staff and their children too considering he’d gotten a hefty amount of the remaining bags as well when he accompanied you on your errand run for the baskets. Teagan likes the sweeter stuff and Charlie’s a big fan of chocolate. So you slide a bag of the respective kind of candy in front of each one of the brackets for them.

“Oh my god, a ghost,” Declan laughs, sliding in next to you at the kitchen island.

“Boo,” you smile in return.

“You know that you and the Prince are both adults? I didn’t suspect the two of you to be into Halloween this hard.”

“These are for my siblings,” you return.

Declan pauses, hands having stretched out towards the back of Snickers, Reeses, Almond Joys and other chocolates. “Oh. Well, that makes a lot more sense. Need help?”

You know you don’t. There’s only the candy left aside of their bags of cookies that you’ll be putting together after they cook and cool. “If you’re truly that bored, sure,” you offer.

It’s an easy out, a way for Declan to slide into the bench at the table and take a load off before he works. Dinner will most likely be starting soon and you’re hoping that your timing hasn’t interrupted Declan’s work. He started to take weekend dinner shifts most often. “I’ve got time. Just vouch for me if Janet chews out my ass.”

“I hope I’m not in the way. The cookies only have like another 8 minutes or so and I will always vouch for you if Janet comes.”

“You’re not in the way,” Declan answers, but takes the bag into his grasp and pulls it open.

You slide him a few more sheets of black tissue paper. “I was trying to time between shifts,” you offer.

“You timed it well. How much candy am I giving your dear old sibling? Whole bag? Half?”

“No more than half? They’ll be going trick-or-treating this weekend too.”

Declan laughs, reaching into the bag for a handful. “Oh, your parents are going to hate you for all this extra sugar.”

“Perhaps that’s the point.” Perhaps, you’re adding fuel to a forest fire. But you’ll add it. You shimmy a few extra packets of the nerds into the bucket.

“Are they still super young? Your siblings, I mean.” Declan tips the bucket in your direction a little for you to get a better view. “Too much or too little?”

You peer onto the bucket. It’s not empty, but it does look a little sparse. “Tiny bit more if you don’t mind. And they’re still in elementary school. Nine and seven.”

“And you’ve never talked about them before because?”

You didn’t know about them before. You were terrified of what it meant. There’s a small part of you that feels vindicated. You knew something would happen with your parents involved. You knew that if you got too close you’d wind up in a mess. But god, there’s a larger part hoped you’d been wrong.

“It’s complicated,” you answer. “My parents and I aren’t close. But I am trying to be there for my siblings at the very least. They’re important to me.”

“Well, I--should it matter in the slightest-- think you’re killing it. This enough?”

You take a peek into the bucket. There’s enough candy that you know Melvin will be dealing with wrappers and sugar highs for at least a week. You nod. “Thanks for your help.”

“Anytime.”

“How-how are things with you?”you ask. There’s a bit of hesitation. The timer ticks around you and with the baskets full, including the extra bits of tissue paper tucked in, there’s still something that lingers. Something that you don’t want to fall flat with Declan--like you know how friends do.

Declan shrugs. “They’re going.”

The shrills interrupts what you think might’ve been on his tongue. Declan turns, kitchen towel already fall off his waist as he tugs on it. “Just going?”

“These extra shifts are a little bit killer, but they’re helping pay off the work I had to get done to my car, so it’s all evened out.”

“What happened to your car?”

“Brakes needed to be replaced, and new tires.”

You hiss at the answer, watching Declan slide the tray onto the aisle. The cookies are a golden color now around the edges--perfectly cooked. “At the same time?”

He nods. “Same time. I could’ve done the brakes myself but they were closing in on being dangerously thin. I was already going to have to go in for the tires so I just tacked on the brakes and figured I’d work out the money later. Was not the smartest financial decision, but it was either taking two days off from work or just one. I need my remaining PTO for the holidays.”

“Your sister’s graduation right?” He’d mentioned it once to you before but hadn’t really talked about it since.

Declan nods. “Yeah.” It comes slow. And you’re not sure what’s causing his hesitation but he laughs with a shake of his head. “I shouldn’t be shocked you remember that.”

“Yet you are, you jerk.”

“Credit where credit is due. My apologies.”

“What is your sister studying?”

“Data Analytics. She’s got a job lined up too once she graduates.”

A feat you know given the current landscape. A whistle leaves you. “A whiz, I see.”

“Just don’t let her hear that.”

“Promise,” you laugh.

“Her plan is to move out in another two years time, I think,” Declan offers. “Of course it all depends on how the market stabilizes."

“Do you know if she is looking for roommates? Could help her a little bit but it comes with its own risks of course.”

Declan shrugs. “I’d offer for her to move in with me. I know our parents are going to be a little overbearing, but it’s not cool to move in with your older brother and his roommate. But I did at least tell her that if she’s interested in my complex, to let me know. I’m only a ten minute drive from our parent’s place so she’d still be close enough to them too.”

“Sounds like that’ll be nice if it works out.”

“Time will only tell in the end. Things still going good at the new job? You sure you don’t want to come back to us?”

It’s a tease and you can tell by the way he bats his lashes. But even just the offer makes your heart leap. You think you’d take this job back in a heartbeat if you could. But Forest has its perks. There was a reason why you had to leave. “It’s good. It’s a lot more hectic than here on average. But pays the bill. Health insurance is a small step down but not that I needed more than yearly check ups for anything.”

“Good health is a fountain of wealth in the end,” Declan returns. “I’m glad it’s going well. I think Val said she tried to pop in but didn’t see you.”

“I’m back of house right now. Until I get licensed to bartend. When that happens I’ll be on the front a bit more.”

He nods, a hum falling from his throat. “Sounds like the place is still stretched thin though.”

More than a handful of times you’ve heard runners complain about how many shifts they’ve been asked to cover. The kitchen staff is pretty solid. It’d come up as you worked more than the person you took over for left because of needing to move back home for family needs. But Turner seemed to still be struggling to retain servers. You were sure that she’d train you up by now but perhaps the concerns you voiced about your relationship with Calum were keeping her from getting you onto that boat. Though, once you got on the bar you’d undoubtedly have to learn tables too.

“It is,” you agree after a meaty pause. “But it’s not so much that I think I’m getting screwed over. I guess. I know my time will come once I move to the bar.”

“Does it make you nervous at all? To move to the floor? Given your relationship, I mean.”

“Makes Calum more nervous than me. But seeing what I have of the bartenders right now, I’d run food and take care of those right at the bar. Right now, it’s like a bridge that I can’t see enough to worry about if I'll have to cross it or not.”

You slide over to the cookies, testing the temperature with your finger. They feel cool enough and you gingerly wiggle them loose from the sheet. Declan slides you two plastic bags. “I guess in some ways it’s like not trying to stress yourself out twice about things,” Declan states.

“Yeah,” you nod. You seal up the last four cookies for Charlie. Two more remain on a piece of paper towel. Declan takes the sheet and moves it to the sink. “Oh, I can wash it.”

With a pointed stare, Declan turns on the water and squeezes a bit of dish soap onto the sheet. “What was that? I can’t hear you over the water,” he shouts.

You’re not sure what you expected but when he’s done, you toss him one of the remaining cookies, hoping he doesn’t drop it but hoping just a little that it tumbles. Declan catches it with ease. “For all your hard work,” you return.

He snorts. “Thanks.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Oh, anytime as long as I get fed cookies at the end of it.”

The door to the kitchen opens, you catch the movement from your peripheral and look up from Declain. Calum peeks his head through the door. “Ready, baby?”

“Yeah, I just finished up.” You offer Declan the second cookie as well. He waves it off.

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll see you around.”

“I’m not going to eat it,” you laugh and Declan huffs before plucking the sugar cookie from your fingers.

“You owe me,” he calls out around his bite. “I need advice on what to get my sister for her graduation present.”

“Call me. I’ll help. But you can’t go wrong with money.”

“Aye, yeah, I thought about that. But I want to do something more personal. As the oldest, I can do better than that.”

The bags of candy rattle in your grasp as you slip the shopping bag they’re in on your wrist. The two baskets are wrapped securely into the curve of your fingers from the plastic handles. You get Declan’s concerns. The pride in his voice makes you realize perhaps you’re less alone than you felt with Charlie and Teagan’s situation.

You nod at Declan. “We’ll cook up something. Be thinking about what she likes or what she needs. Text me whatever you think of and then we’ll grab coffee or something to solidify a plan.”

“Thank you,” Declan grins. “You’re a life saver.”

“Don’t I know it,” you laugh over your shoulder. Calum steps in closer, his fingers brushing over your wrist as he takes the Target bag with the leftover candy.

“Shut up. No one told you to brag about it.”

Calum holds the door open for you. “Sorry I couldn’t help with the baskets. But it looks like you still had some help around.”

“Don’t worry. I know you had other obligations. Declan sort of forcefully helped out. In a way.”

“Declan has a sister?” Calum questions. “Didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, he does. She graduates university in December.”

“Oh, that’s nice. I didn’t realize Declan was old enough for a sister graduating uni.”

“He’s 27. So not that much older.”

The lights on Calum’s truck light up briefly and you two slip inside. You’re not sure what you’re about to head into. Though you hope it’s good news, there’s dread in the bottom of your stomach. Calum doesn’t know. You only asked if he could help pick up Charlie and Teagan from school. But he doesn’t know.

“When’s your next day off again, baby?” Calum asks. You were off today--having spent most of that time doing laundry and cleaning out your car. But then came by after were done so that both you and Calum could go over to your parent’s place--at Charlie’s request that Calum come.

“Uh, next Tuesday, I think,” you return. “I have to look at the schedule again.” You take a picture of it when it gets posted. You can only imagine what haunts you in the photo album of your phone should you ever go back through it more thoroughly.

“When you do, can you let me know? Next month we’ll need to schedule a fitting for outfits to the auction and banquet. It’ll be pretty straight forward for me. But I know they’ll want to do your measurements, talk about what you’re comfortable wearing and show you some pieces. It’s….going to be a lot. But it won’t take the whole day.”

That part you hadn’t considered. Though you were still working on the painting religiously in the evenings, the banquet was being pushed further and further down on your list of concerns. Having to actually go was a dream, or perhaps you held onto some delusion that you wouldn’t have to go. Though you definitely did. “I’ll let you know,”you return.

“I’ll be there, the entire time,” Calum promises, a hand on your knee. “It’s really not bad. If you want, we can sit down together and look at stuff to help you prepare. Brands, maybe colors, silhouettes and such.”

“That would be nice.”

“Of course, baby. I’d be happy to.”

The first part of the journey is smooth, the tires gliding down the road. Calum seems to find a sense of content with his hand on your knee, a gentle gliding up to the middle of your thigh and then a slide back down. Rhythmic in a way that you’re partially sure it’s not conscious. It feels unbothered, unworried in a way that only the subconscious is capable of doing. And the longer his palm slides along your denim cladded knee, the longer you think about the mess Calum could be walking into. He might already suspect, but it is still your responsibility to be transparent, to tell him what’s going on in your life even if it’s hard, even if it’s tiring.

“I want to say thanks,” you start, capturing Calum’s free hand for a moment to give it a squeeze. “For agreeing to help me with my siblings. I do know I need to explain what’s going on right now. It’s just hard—I guess it’s also shame. But Teagan noticed that Diana missed tucking her in a few nights back in August or so. And things just sorted to feel off with how pushy she started to get. Melvin confirmed a couple weeks ago that she’s drinking again.”

Calum hisses, his hand squeezing against your knee. “I am so sorry, baby. That’s so awful.”

“Melvin asked for some time to get her more help. He’s worried about disrupting too much of Charlie and Teagan’s schedule. I gave him until the end of next month to make progress with her. But if she’s not better, I’m taking them in for a little bit.”

“Outside of pickup from school, what other help do you need? I-there’s-whatever you need, I want to help.”

You know Calum’s being careful. You can hear how much might be behind those words. “We might need a room at the palace if that’s okay. I don’t know how suitable my room is long term. Until my lease is finished and I find a two bedroom apartment.”

“We have space. That’s not a problem.”

Your cheeks are warm. He says it so easily like he doesn’t have to think. And some in ways he probably doesn’t have to. But the deep pressure of his hold tells you that he means it deeply. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m really sorry that this is happening. To them. To you all over again in a way. All three of you deserve so much better. But I think you’re doing what you might’ve wished someone did for you. And that in and of itself is incredibly powerful.”

The tears burn. You watch the way the highway signs wave in their wake. It’s not exactly what you’d want, though maybe in your younger years you did wish someone to save it before it started. And you can be that light. You can be the hero that your siblings need, even if they’ve never wanted for one. “I just hope they don’t hate me.”

“I can sympathize with that fear, baby. They’re kids right now. They maybe won’t get it immediately. But when they get older, you can explain more. And maybe you and Melvin find a way to frame it so it doesn’t seem so bad right now and they don’t take it so hard. And I hope they don’t hate you either. I can’t say they won’t. But Charlie and Teagan seem like kids that would at the very least listen.”

You hope. You’d beg of the universe that Charlie and Teagan at the very least listen to you, understand that you don’t want to make any changes to their lives unless it’s to improve it. But they are just kids. Temporary displeasure for more stable and permanent change seems like a fair price to pay, but you know they’ll take years to see it that way.

“I hope,” you return softly, sniffling back the snot that threatens to slip down your cupid's bow. “I hope.”

Calum motions to the glove box. “Tissues if you need them. But I’m here. Mum is too. So is Dad. You’ve got people in your corner. I’ll talk to security and we can get Charlie and Teagan set up so they’re safe and they have a nice place to hang out. We’ll create a plan so that they’re always on time to school and picked up and for any after school activities they’re in as well. All hope is not lost.”

Hope is not lost. Just beaten and maybe a little battered. “You sure you still want to be with me?” you tease, taking out the small pouch of tissues from the glovebox.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. But I am going to make sure Charlie and I have the best jack-o-latern on the block, so be prepared for that.”

“Not if Teagan and I have the best one.”

“Oh, game on, baby. I hope your mouth is not writing checks you can’t cash.”

“All my checks are good.”

Calum gives a disapproving hum but risks a glance in your direction. “We’ll see about that. We’ll see. Is it this exit or the next one?”

“Next one,” you answer. “Once you got off, I’ll help more.”

“Next one. Got it. Thanks.”

“No, thank you.”

The front of the house is dark when you arrive. There’s no lights bleeding through the curtains. There’s no flutter or wide swinging of the door as you and Calum ascend the stairs. You’re not sure what this means and from what you can see there is at least one car in the driveway at the very least. There were two--a car for Dian and Melvin each. But you’re not sure who drives what. It feels a little pointless to knock on the door, but you do so anyway. It sits unanswered for a minute or two.

Calum’s hand rests gingerly in the dip of your lower back. “Want to try the door bell?”

It feels silly to think you haven’t had to use the doorbell in months. But you wait a moment more and then reach for it. The toll rings out, so much so that even you hear it from behind the closed door. The seconds pass and you don’t hear anything. Melvin had told you to come at this time. You worried nothing had happened in the meantime but a few seconds later you catch a faint call, “Coming, coming!”

Melvin smiles as he opens the door. There’s light but from deeper in the house, from the kitchen you think. The front of the house is dark. “Uh, we’re in the backyard,” he notes, pushing his glasses back up on his face.

You nod and step inside. “Okay.”

“That’s cute,” he comments, pointing down to the buckets in your hand. “For Charlie and Teagan?”

“Uh, yeah. There’s a lot of sugar as a warning.”

“To be expected,” he laughs. “Just head straight back. I’ve got to run upstairs and I’ll be right back down in a minute.”

Calum slides in around you, giving Melvin a passing greeting before taking a couple steps further ahead of you. You watch Melvin though, as he ascends the stairs one hand on the railing. He moves quietly though you distinctly remember the sixth step always having a little bit of a squeak to it. So far, there’s no Diana. Not that you can see but you know you’re staring too much when you notice just how Melvin skips over the second noisiest step too.

“Ready?” Calum questions.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” you return and then catch up. “It’s just this way.” You lead Calum deeper into the house, past the living room and kitchen to the sliding glass doors. Charlie and Teagan sit at the wooden bench in the backyard, two pumpkins resting already on the table on top of newspaper. The big kitchen trashcan sits outside--ready and lined with the black garbage bag.

The two turn at the sound of the door sliding in the grooving, faces immediately brightening up when they spot you and Calum. Teagan slides out and rushes up the porch steps. “Hi!” she laughs colliding into your lower body.

“Hi,” you laugh in return.

Charlie follows up behind his own cheer leaving his throat. You wrap him up in a hug as well. But as you do, you pause. He’s hitting the middle of your stomach now, and creeping towards your chest maybe. Just a few weeks ago he was maybe just starting to hit your waist. But now you feel it in your bones. In the next couple of years, you’ll be looking him directly in his eye. It would break your heart for it to be sooner, but the longer you take in the extra inches, you think it might be sooner.

“You’re getting so tall,” you marvel.

Charlie laughs. “Yeah, I guess so. The basketball coach asked me if I’d considered joining the sport last week.”

“No more baseball?” Calum questions, slinging his arm around Charlie’s shoulders.

“Never giving up on that. But I might consider basketball too. If they don’t share the same season schedule.”

You know you shouldn't be shocked. It’s supposed to happen. They’re supposed to grow up. But as Charlie collects his basket full of goodies and carries on back to the table, you find yourself still in awe of how much he’s grown. They won’t be little forever--a terrifying thought to have. But they still laugh, digging into the baskets for their first pick of candy.

“We’re supposed to wait,” Charlie notes, warning Teagan of some previous agreement. You think you hear somewhere in there where his voice cracks too. Maybe it’s just in your thoughts. There’s no way he could be headed towards puberty young. You didn’t.

She huffs, but places the box of Nerds back onto the table. “You could let me slide.”

“No, Dad said to wait, so we wait.”

“Where is Dad anyway?” Teagan questions. Her gaze falls behind you back towards the house but when she doesn’t seem to garner enough for an answer she looks back to you. “You going to help me destroy Charlie and Calum from over there?”

The shock glued your feet. You hadn’t made it from the bottom of the steps of the porch but you soldier on and settle onto the bench next to her. “No, sorry. Any ideas on what you want to do with this here pumpkin?” you ask with a slap to the side. It’s a dull thud, but the gourd is still firm under the weight of your hand.

She nods, reaching for a stack of papers. “I drew up some ideas at lunch. Which one do you think is best?”

As you begin shuffling through Teagan’s ideas, you can catch the murmur of Calum and Charlie discussing too. For a brief moment, you lock in again on Charlie’s voice. There’s nothing there, not another crack. It’s enough that you think you could convince yourself that you imagined the earlier sound. But you know it’s a fruitless wish. So you zero back in on the four sketches--one has furrowed brows and though the brows aren’t quite even in the drawing, you do like the added touch. You slide it out towards her. “I like this one.”

“That was my first choice. But I liked this one too a lot.” She reaches for the drawing with the word, Boo written in a speech bubble out from the pumpkin’s mouth.

You look back up to her pumpkin. Charlie’s chosen pumpkin is shorter and wider, which you think would fit the words a bit more. But Teagan’s pumpkin is much taller and a tad bit narrower. The word would inevitably wrap around the side. “I think given the pumpkin you’re working with this one is the best bet,” you return, holding the picture in your hand up a little bit more. “The pumpkin’s a bit too narrow for the word. But if you really want it, we can try to make it work.”

Teagan holds the design up to the pumpkin, eyes flickering up and down from the picture to the pumpkin, around the edges of it. “I think you’re right.”

“Save that one for next year, if you want. Then we can make sure you get the right size pumpkin for it.”

“There’s also the tiny pumpkins we’re going to paint too today,” Teagan begins, “so I’m sure I can use that design on one of them.” She points to the side of the table you’re at but there’s nothing a top of the table so you look down and spot a collection of six mini pumpkins waiting.

“Oh, yeah, that works too.”

The four of you wait for another minute or two, but you can see how antsy Teagan and Charlie are getting. They fidget near their boxes of candy and near the tools assembled on the table for carving. Melvin made it sound like it would only take a minute or two. It settles into your gut that Diana’s the reason for the hold up. And behind that lead is bile at the realization that Melvin may not be getting to her. If your lungs could collapse at a thought, this would be their undoing.

Charlie looks back to the house. “I’m going to go look for Dad,” he states.

It flashes before your eyes--how he might discover Diana drunk, Melvin doing his best to coax her from the glass, or worse, an argument. His world would crumble in an instant. You know that it might be the wind to bring the house of cards down and it might make whatever you do in the future make more sense, but you call out his name instead. He doesn’t need to be dropped into reality just yet.

“We can get started, if you want. I think Calum and I count as adult supervision,” you tease. “Even if just barely on Calum’s part.”

“Excuse me?” Calum laughs. “I have been well into adulthood for quite some time now. Not nearly as old as you, but it still counts.”

Charlie laughs at the exchange. “No, but like, we always do it with Dad,” he counters. He’s not moved closer back to the bench, hovering in the few feet between the bench and the deck steps.

“You can blame me,” you counter, nodding for Charlie to come back. “C’mon. Teagan’s got ass to kick--yours specifically.”

“Oh no, now that’s unfair,” he retorts, inching back towards the table, back towards safety. “And you owe money to the jar.”

“Add it to my tab,” you grin, sliding him an apron.

“Game on,” he grins. Devious as it is, you count this as a win. You know the trouble won’t get smoother, won’t get easier, but Charlie doesn’t need the veil torn down just yet.

As you help Teagan into her apron, you notice her own concern, the flickering of her gaze back up to the house. God, what you wouldn’t have done to save her the first time, when she snuck down to that kitchen and caught those few seconds of the cabinets slamming.

“Do you want to scoop or cut?” you ask, trying to pull her back. You can save her now, even if it’s only for pumpkin carving. “After we get the outline done, of course.”

“I’ll take a stab at the cutting.”

You snort at the pun, but nod. “If it’s too tough, just let me know and I’ll take over.”

She nods and takes the sharpie with ease to begin outlining the brows, eyes, and mouth of her jack-o-latern. She works with little hesitation until she has to make the brow on the right with the one on the left. Charlie and Calum laugh from their side of the table as Charlie works to get the knife through the thick rine.

“Please watch your fingers, yeah?” Calum states as Charlie works.

Teagan slips out from the bench and takes a couple steps back. You watch her and she tilts her head just a little. “I can’t get the brows straight for the life of me,” she laughs.

You lean over to get a more straight one look. The right brow is just a little lower than the left. “It’s now an aesthetic choice. Adds to the character,” you offer.

She snorts. “We can call it that.”

As she returns back to her spot, you hear the slide of the glass doors. Melvin slips through but pauses with the door not fully closed behind him. You see it, the flash of fear and disappointment over his face. It makes you wonder if he ever consider that even this particular path of action would have its own cost? The hand of the universe is always perfectly balanced--for every x that is solved, there is a z.

The two of you lock gazes, as you stand to help Teagan with getting the gourd open, and you know that Melvin’s truly not prepared. Neither are you. The two of you are wading in the same sea. Neither one of you has a buoy, neither one of you have a life vest for what’s coming or what’s already here. The difference between you and Melvin are merely only the reasons that brought you into this stormy sea. You already know the cost of every choice. You already know that every action you take or don’t take will come with its own weighty consequence. You know the cost of keeping Charlie from going inside is that when the truth does come out, it will destroy him tenfold. You know when you take them in, when you do what you must do, there will be anger and resentment. As much as it scares you, you know you’re going to do it--regardless. You don’t know how to navigate those feelings. You don’t know how to live with the fear of what you know must be done. But you will still do it.

Does some part of this feel like deja vu for Melvin? Not that you envy his position. He is at the crossroads of his own impossible trolley problem. If Melvin wanted to save his wife, save the mother of his children, Charlie and Teagan would become the sacrifice. If Melvin wanted to save his two youngest children from the same fate that fell upon you, his wife would become the sacrifice. You watch the crushing reality swallow him whole. You’ve never seen true horror on someone’s face until now. Until Melvin watches as you work the knife through the flesh of the pumpkin and the foundation of a tradition cracks.

You could and would do whatever necessary to protect them. You wish you could tell him, say to him that this is the moment of sink or swim. This is the very second to decide if he’s going to let Diana’s own choices destroy what he’d worked so hard to build. But you’ve the rest of the rind to get through. There’s Teagan waiting eagerly to your right with the spoon to scoop out the innards of the pumpkin. So you look back down to the work you’re doing, sliding the knife through the tough outer flesh and resign yourself come the end of November, even if you have to sink, Charlie and Teagan will still swim.

You can only hope Melvin’s accepted that fate too.

9 notes · View notes

styleshood4evr · 2 months

Text

not proof read, no title yet

calum hood x mc

this part doesn’t really have any warning just swearing, sexual context

18+ only minors dni

please please leave feedback I’ve been trying to develop this story line and decided just to post what I have so far.

word count 2,075

Violet and her father had a relationship somewhat reminiscent of Lorelei and Rory Gilmore. Her mother had run off when she was just a toddler leaving her dad with her and his new, but growing company. She grew up with him as her best friend, spending as much time in the office with him as possible, limiting the times he had no choice but to pawn me off to a sitter. That was a perk of being the boss and owning your own business after all.

Violet stands in his office now, the sun barely peeking the horizon, and holding the framed picture of her, four years old dressed in one of his button down shirts so big on her that it dragged the floor. The photo was taken in this office when it was still brand new to him. She stood where she is now in front of the big glass windows with a cheesy grin, hair in braids. She’s clad in the same thing now, the same shirt from all those years ago that now brushes her mid-thigh (with a pair of bike shorts underneath just in case). Every year for his birthday Violet recreates the photo with the same shirt and hair in braids. And ever since she’s been old enough, she “sneaks” into the office early to give it a little organizing and cleaning as well. While he may be great at what he does, creating a successful business with employees and awards from nothing, he lacks in that of keeping his own space nice and tidy.

This year felt even more special since it’s been nearly 6 months since Violet has seen him in person, since she’d been away at college, taking summer courses directly after spring semester to get ahead. While she has never missed his birthday, She hadn’t out right mentioned her arrival, opting to surprise him here, with his clean, organized office, and obligatory birthday morning shot of tequila. Traditions are traditions after all. His party had been fully planned with the receptionist, Susan she’d grown up around helping iron out all the details for her. It was grand that his birthday fell on a Friday this year. Friday’s have always been half work days, so it made perfect sense to have the party tonight.

She was sitting in his chair, having finished the organizing, watching the sun make it’s arrival over the city. He should be arriving in the next 30 minutes at least, so she opts to look over her to do list for the day and scroll tiktok until the door opens.

“Fuck!” Violet hears as she spins around in the chair and meets the face of a man who is definitely not her dad.

“Well, good morning to you too,” She smiles at the man. “I take it your Calum?”

She knew her dad had a new assistant but had yet to put the face to the name.

“Y-yeah, I’m so sorry, I thought you were Mr. Hart.” He says.

“Oh, just what every girl wants to hear.” Violet quips back as he approaches the desk, setting down the coffee he brought every morning as part of his assistant duties.

“No- shit, ‘m sorry, you must be Violet? I just definitely wasn’t expecting you to be here, and I didn’t see Mr. Hart’s car so I thought it was empty.” Calum had heard of her of course. He’d been in the office now for almost a year and almost immediately asked about the adorable photo sitting atop his boss’s desk. She definitely is a woman now, and he can see just how much she does look like her father.

“Don’t worry,” she giggles at his obvious embarrassment. “Just a little birthday tradition.”

He notices then how incredibly clean and neat the office is compared to how he left it last night, and the odd outfit she wears.

“I try to keep him organized, but he won’t have it, this place looks incredible.” He smiles at her. “The outfit is from the photo, right?”

“Thanks, yeah he’s a masochist in his mess, and yes I always recreate the photo for his birthday. Speaking of, would you mind?” Violet returns his smile, standing from the chair and hands him her phone with the camera open.

“Oh, yeah, of course” Calum takes the phone, trying not to be too obvious in his eyes dragging down her tanned legs.

“Would you do a regular, and .5 too please?” She poses the was she was in the original, hands by her side and a closed lip smile on her face.

“Here you go, I took a few if you want to check them out first.”

Violet takes her phone back scrolling though them and thanks Calum. It’s then her dad makes his appearance.

“Now, what do we have here?” They both snap their heads up and Violet immediately rushes her dad throwing her arms around him causing her shirt to ride up. Calum takes notice of the tight shorts covering her bum.

“Happy birthday, daddy!!!” Violet says when she finally releases from the hug.

“Happy birthday, sir.” Calum chimes in.

“Oh, you spoil me V, and thank you both.” Her dad replies taking in the office. “And I see you’ve wreaked havoc on my chaos, it looks great.”

“Coffee’s on the desk, sir.” Calum says starting to exit to his own desk right outside Mr. Harts office.

“Wait!” Violet says causing Calum to halt. She grabs a bottle of tequila front her bag and smile. “It’s tradition.” She grabs the two shot glasses she brought with her and pours them each handing one to her dad and one to Calum, taking the bottle for herself since she didn’t account for Calum, but felt the need to include him anyhow.

“Um, is this a test?” Calum asks looking between her and her father.

Violet wears a shit eating grin and tips the bottle towards the men, her father clinking his glass to Calums with a wink.

“Here’s to hell. May our stay there be as fun as our way there!” Violet says. Calum watches as Violet takes a swig from the bottle and his boss shoots his own letting out a snort laugh in surprise.

“Cheers,” he replies following suit.

“Alright, Calum go ahead and get started now.” Mr. Hart tells him as Violet is packing away the liquor.

“Yes, sir.” He replies heading to his desk without protest this time.

Violet hauls her tote bag over her shoulder and goes in for another hug with her dad.

“I’ve got to get going, there are preparations to be made.” She says.

Her dad gives her a smile and shakes his head. “Oh, my little girl, all grown up. Thank you for this, really. I love you and I’ll see you later.”

“Love you, dad.” She replies heading out.

Calum is sat at his desk now starting to respond to emails and flagging anything important for Mr. Harts attention.

“You got the invite for tonight, right?” Violet asked Calum stopping in front of his desk.

“Yeah! Susan said it’s alright to bring a friend, that’s cool with you?”

“Of course,” Violet smiles. “Like the invite said, very casual. Think college party but the beers cold and everyone is actually civilized.”

“Great, I’ll see you later, then.” Cal replies.

Calum was giddy the rest of the day. With finishing school and working he didn’t have too much time for social activities. He was already looking forward to the party, even if it was for his boss and would probably be filled with his older coworkers, but now he had Violet. Violet who he took a tequila shot with at 8 am. Violet who was fucking hot and seemingly kind enough to show up at the ass crack of dawn to surprise her father with a clean office and an adorable photo recreation. Not to mention when he checked his phone he had a new follower on Instagram. Violet. Her account was private but he saw that they had a couple mutuals which must be how she found him. She looked for me. He immediately requested to follow her and texted Luke, his roommate, best friend, and plus one for the party.

Cal: I met Mr. Harts daughter

Luke: yeah?

Cal: She gave me a tequila shot before work even started. “Birthday tradition” with her dad.

Luke: it’s giving cool girl

Cal: It’s giving she followed me on Instagram, and I didn’t even give her my handle. No personal conversation.

Luke: woah

Cal: So, this is love?

Luke: she must be hot

Cal: Guess you’ll find out tonight. Maybe there will be more young folk than previously expected. ;)

Luke: here’s to hoping

Violet couldn’t help herself. As soon as she made it back to her dads house she searched Calums name on instagram. It was a shot in the dark but it worked considering they actually had mutuals. Susan had told her that the new assistant was young and hot. She had failed to mention the aussie accent, or his tall stature. He must be at least 6 foot compared to her dad who he was only a bit shorter than. She was intrigued, and wanted to know more. His instagram wasn’t private but it was very resume friendly. Pictures of him and his friends, even some from the company christmas party that Violet couldn’t make it back for. She also discovered a few tattoos on his arms, that she couldn’t see earlier since he was wearing a dress shirt. She had a rule, though about “stalking” people. So even though he wasn’t private she still hit that follow button. Plus, it would give him the opportunity to request a follow to her. Which he did a couple hours later and she accepted immediately. She spent her afternoon prepping for the party. She made sure her dads house was clean and stocked the fridge with beer and seltzers, as well as put together a couple different pre-mixed cocktails in those big drink dispenser things you always see at barbeques. As far as food prep, she pre-placed an order for pizzas and picked up the cupcakes and cookies she had ordered. By the time her dad got home around 4, Violet was lounging on the couch with her best friend, Josie, or Jo for short. They were already ready considering the casual nature of the party. She wore a pair of denim overalls with a ringer tee, while Jo wore a band tee with jeans. (photo inspo below) Violet left her hair in two braids and pulled on a denim dad cap that had “gone fishing” embroidered on it.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/761530618269233551/ Violet

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/27654985204269331/ Jo

When Calum got off he drove straight to his apartment he shared with Luke. He was reeling over Violet. It was fucking ridiculous honestly, like he’d never met a woman before. He had already looked through all 137 of her Instagram photos. Almost all of the recent “dumps” included her with another girl. He was a little worried that she was already in a relationship with said girl based on the photos. But maybe they were just best friends, who posted suggestive photos together. He wasn’t judging and he was really trying not to be a dick imagining the two girls, being intimate. When he got home, Luke was sitting on the couch scrolling his phone.

“Dude, look at this. Do you think she’s into girls?” Calum asks tossing his phone to the blonde boy with Violet’s insta open.

“Huh, aren’t all girls into girls nowadays? Doesn’t mean she’s not into guys too.” Luke replies. “Did you look at her story?” He asks noticing the pink ring around her profile photo.

“Wait, no click it.” Cal replies leaning over the couch.

The photo popped up, a mirror pic of the two girls. Violet clad in overalls and a backwards cap, the other in a t-shirt, both of their tongues stuck out touching at the tip. (inspo - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/491666484332704814/

“Fuck,” Luke says. “They’re both pretty fucking hot. I say, the photos don’t prove any sort of committed relationship. You’ll just have to find out, mate.”

“I feel feminism leaking out of my body at the thoughts in my head, ugh.” Calum sighs taking his phone back and heading into his room to get shower and get ready.

#calum hood #5sos smut #luke 5sos #calum 5sos #smut #calum hood au #calum #calum 5 seconds of summer #writing #calum imagine

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unlikelyempathpruneauthor · 6 months

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Nothing Lasts forever nothing stays the same pt:4

A/N: hey hey hey, sorry for my terrible absence, so this is from the continued series in the Calum master list, this is probably like super old stuff but I figured I would continue it for those who have been waiting for ever. again so sorry I never came back up here. so here we go! thank you love you all!

2014

Today was the release of your 3 eps and you were all pretty chaotic at the house today.

At the moment you were calling your mum, “you sure you aren't spreading yourself too thin? Are you guys eating and drinking water?'' She asked, going momma bear on you two, “yes mum we are fine, the stress comes with the job,'' Luke said as she hummed, “yes I know darling, but you don't need to work all the time. I trust you two to take care of one another,” she said as you glanced at luke and nodded, “yeah mum don’t worry, we will,” you said as she sighed, “alright well i love you both, please be safe and lord don't get any tattoos,” she said as you looked at one another with a smirk, “yes mum we won't, don't worry benny is here all the time,” luke said as you giggled and ended the call heading downstairs.

“So, you didn't get any tattoos yet?” he asked as you purse your lips, “uh no, haven't gotten one yet, why?” you asked as he shrugged, “would you want to get one with me? Like… a twin thing?” he asked you glanced at his eyes, “are you for real?” you asked as he nodded softly, “yeah, do you have any idea what we could get?” he asked as you shook your head, “i'm not sure, lu are you serious? When would we get this done?” you asked as he sighed, “not sure our 18th birthday maybe? And also it could be a part of your graduation gift?” he said as you rolled your eyes at him.

He was using this as a way to get a tattoo, your graduation, you ended finishing school overseas and well you finished thankfully, luke on the other hand decided to just drop out of it because he was not being able to do work any of the work, and when you finished he was really proud of you for finishing school and he thought why not get a tattoo.

“Lu, you can still finish school, you know that? And you don't have to do anything for me,” you said as he shook his head, “nonsense, we are getting a tattoo bean, we have a couple months, so whatever you think looks nice, we’ll get it done,” he said walking away leaving you as you shook your head with a smile.

After the release of your ep’s you were now filming your very first ever music video that included other people than just you guys..like an actual crew. You were all so happy that your ep’s were a hit, especially, she looks so perfect. Ash and Micheal had worked on this song together fast one day and we all immediately chose it for one of our main ep’s.

You were getting dressed in your dressing room as lu walked in asking for fashion advice, “y/n! Should i wear this top or this one?” he asked as you looked between both of them and chose the black one, “it's more punk i guess, i don't know, now help me,” you said as you pulled out two tank tops of your own, he looked at both of them and shook his head, “No? No what lu?” you asked as he looked for a t-shirt as you frowned, “what lu i don't want to wear a t-shirt, help me pick out between these two,” you said as he glared at you, “y/n as your brother i don't want to choose a shirt that will make guys want you, but since you asked the black one is nice,” he said as your lips formed a line and you shook your head, “in that case i will wear the red one, i don't want to match with you in a music video, we have enough christmas photos as is,” you said as he rolled his eyes leaving to go get his makeup done as you finished getting dressed.

Once you were all ready you all got into places and started to film. You felt so much excitement, the energy in the room was exactly how you wanted it, your lives were going to change after this. You were finally living your dreams.

“CUT…okay y/n you and Luke have a bit too much eye contact and chemistry, try looking at uhh calum more,” the director said as you nodded, “okay let's roll these two scenes one more time…and ACTION!” he said as you moved over to calum who was singing and looking with a smirk making your chemistry public in the music video and well of course to all your fans.

Weeks later as you were scrolling through twitter you had seen 5sos trending in the hashtags. You quickly sat up in excitement wondering why you were trending in the first place. You were quick to click on it and it had clips of you and Calum in the SLSP music video. You sighed then clicked on the tweets, you then looked at the comments.

@mikeycult2011: Is it just me or are y/n and Calum announcing their relationship in this video?

@calumy/nclub: so i think it's settled, y/n and calum are dating and not holding back.

@hemmotwinsdaily: y/n and calum are def dating, have you seen the behind the scenes?

That comment caught your eye, you clicked on the video with a small clip inserted…

You two were standing next to one another as you danced to the beat, then it moved on to a clip where you were being asked questions, “so y/n is this song about you?” the camera man asked as you giggled, “why?” you said as calum spoke, “its because shes so perfect, that is why we wrote this song..” he said as you giggle, “well who wrote the song?” he asked as cal grinned, “well i didn't, but i sung it..” he said and you looked at the camera man, “he's just jealous that i'm so perfect and he isn't,” you said looking at calum with a smile as he playfull rolled his eyes, “y/n..” he says softly making you smile, and then it cut to the others.

Okay maybe it was a little flirty between you two, but i mean how were they assuming that from one clip. You knew luke would be all over it because as soon as you were getting out of bed luke walked in slamming your door, as you looked at him with wide eyes, “Lu! At Least knock! You can't come in here like that!” you said as he shook his head, “NO there is a reason, you and calum are blowing up on twitter and instagram- uh pretty much everywhere, PEOPLE ARE EVEN SHIPPING YOU!” he yelled as you rolled your eyes, “Lu i was just following directions from the director, it's not a big deal,” you said as he walked back and forth, “what? Of course it's a big deal, we can't have people thinking your dating,” he said as you rolled your eyes, “luke robert hemmings, your being dramatic,” you said as he nodded, “okay fine i'm being dramatic, then why are we meeting with our media team later?” he said as you went pale, “what?” you said as he raised his eyebrows with a glare and walked out.

It was mostly true, there had been a meeting at the label to talk about our album but then Luke went on so they would talk about how we all wanted to continue with this, of course it was routine for us to do this when we release stuff.

As you walked in, Calum was looking for you, but you just looked away because of Luke and when he grew distracted, you sat next to cal. He then whispered, “why is he freaking out?” he asked as your lips formed a line, “uh, its about uh- wait have you seen twitter?” you asked as he shook his head, “no why?” he said as you purse your lips and took out your phone and showed him as he scrolled for a good few minutes as his jaw dropped and looked at you, “yeah that's why he's freaking out and apparently that's what this meeting is about,” you said as he nodded, “oh, but what exactly?” he asked as you shrugged and that's when the team walked in and you were all paying attention to what they had to say.

They pretty much told us all that this happened with every band and or artists, a scandal of some sorts, especially if there was a girl in the band. But you and cal behind the doors were together, you were dating. So how was this going to be resolved without hurting you two and the band.

“Okay, y/n your brother has told us that he wants these rumors to go away, but this is about you, and we suggest that we keep doing what we are doing, which is not say anything about it because this way in their eyes we are not confirming nor denying anything. You two clearly are good friends, and we can keep it that way from now on in the production, it's just how you two continue to act and if it's like this, we are more than happy to keep it that way, it's good publicity with the album coming out,” she said very eager as you looked over at luke who was a nervous wreck of course, but it was your life, “i think we should keep going like this, me and calum are just friends and if people can't handle a conversation between me and cal then they just have to get used to it. And also I think the fans are freaking out a bit just because this was our first music video and behind the scenes,” you said very blatantly as she agreed with you but seemed a tad bit upset but you knew if you agreed to what she said, it would have been worse.

As you and cal were in your booth together for the meet and greet, you two talked before fans were coming in, “i'm tired,” you spoke as cal looked over at you worried, “do you need a break? You can take a nap if you want,” he said as he looked over at Benny as you shook your head, “no i'm not that kind of tired, i'm tired of hiding us. I want to be with you, I just- i want to be with you, I'm tired of lying..” You said as a small sob escaped your mouth as his eyebrows knitted together softly as he held you despite eyes on you two, “I know love, I'm tired too, I know it's not easy, but we will make it, we just gotta let this pass, and well hopefully luke will be okay with this” he said as you nodded, “i hope so, i'm tired of this,” you said as you looked over at him while cal bit his lip, more than anything he wanted to hold you and kiss you but he knew he couldn't do that, especially here..

“Hi! How's it going?” you asked the girl that came through first, as cal was signing some stuff and having his own conversations, “its going good, how are you doing?” she said as you nodded, “it's going well, you gonna go to our acoustic show later? It's gonna be fun!” you said as she nodded, “oh yeah i am, you guys are amazing, when will you be doing stadium tours?” she asked as you looked at cal who shrugged, “i'm not sure when, but when we do you'll be the first to know,” he said with a smile as she nodded saying goodbye as the next person came through and after a while when fans were going over to your brother you and cal looked at one another with wide eyes, “stadium tours?! Like our own, not with one direction? Don't get me wrong they are awesome to open for but could you imagine doing our own?” you said as you laughed as he nodded, “i mean yeah we already have a bunch of ep’s out w-we have a whole selection! And with our album out we could,” he said as you nodded, '' I know! Oh my gosh!” you said as you two freaked out for a whole 5 minutes before talking to fans again.

As you walked down the stairs you had seen the house was quite empty, you looked around seeing no one was there, as you walked into the kitchen you made yourself a cup of tea. As you were waiting cal had crept up behind you giving you a big hug as you freaked out, “cal! Put me down!” you whisper yelled as you slapped his arms, “Cal! I'm serious! What if they catch us?!” you said as he kissed you placing you on the counter top as he grabbed the side of your head and you grabbed his neck. When he pulled away, you got down and slapped him, “Cal! Give me a warning next time,” you said as he smirked as you just stared at him, “cal what am i missing here?” you said as he sighed and kissed you again, “well love, you're brother and our best friends are going to london, which i think leaves us to…do, well anything you like..” he said as you frowned and you had totally forgot that this weekend your brother was going to london and you jumped hugging him and giving him a few more kisses.

As you two laid in bed he smiled admiring you, “what is it?” you asked as he shook his head, “no nothing, just looking at my girlfriend…which reminds me, we have a date tonight,” he said as you looked at him, “We do? What since when?” you asked as he chuckled, “starting right now, don’t worry it's later, which is why i will leave you to get ready, i'll be here to pick you up at 7,” he said as you giggled, “Cal you live one door away,” you said as he kissed you before leaving, “i'll be here at 7,” he said reminding you as you smiled. As soon as he shut the door you were quick to shower so you could plan your outfit and have enough time to do your hair and make up.

Your mom then called you up as you were getting dressed, “hey mum!” you said putting your shoes on, “hey darling- oh are you busy? I can call you back?” she said as you shook your head, “what no mum, i'm not, just getting ready is all,” you said as she nodded, “oh really for what may i ask?” she said with a smirk as you smiled, “a date with cal mum- i know what you're gonna say its too risky with eyes all over me, but i've never actually really gone on a date, so i just wanna experience this once, please?” you said as she smiled as you looked over at her with a frown, “mum what?” you said as she sighed, “i'm really happy you two are finally going on a date, i was gonna ask you if you and cal were up to anything because this would be a good chance to go out together without your brother knowing,” she said as you sighed, “oh mum- you should have just said,'' you giggled as she smiled, “oh darling, you know i'm here for the both of you, joy will be so happy to hear this, please send us pictures,” she said as you giggled.

As you said goodbye to your mum, on cue, cal knocked on your door and you opened it with a smile, you gasped as you saw him with flowers in his hand, “oh cal, you didn't have to get me anything,” you said as he brought you into a hug, “of course i did, love i have been waiting to do this, even if we had to do it like this,” he said as you giggled, “oh cal, i am the luckiest girl in the world,” you said as he brought your lips into his, “and i'm the luckiest guy in the world…now lets go, we have a pretty huge night might i add,” he said as you nodded as you left the house hand in hand getting into the car.

When you arrived you saw that you were downtown and he had been leading you towards an abandoned building, you looked towards it then spoke, “bubs, where are we going?” you asked as he smiled, “it's a secret love, the whole point is that you don't know, i know how you love surprises,” he said as you two walked in and you glared at him playfully, “you better not be planning to kill me,” you said walking up the stairs as he quickly turned at you as he laughed, “love, i'm not going to kill you,” he said as you giggled and arrived to the top of the building..It was a rooftop dinner, Calum had managed to set it all up while you were getting ready and he couldn't be more proud.

You walked up to the top, and you were fascinated with the view, you turned over to him as he admired you. He loves how your smile curved onto your cheeks and your dimples followed, “what?” you whispered as he looked down hiding his cheeks that were currently blushing, “nothing, just…im so in love with you,” he said in a whisper as he brought you close as you looked up at his brown eyes that told you everything you needed to hear, you knew what he meant was forever, you two never said i love you yet, so you knew that this was forever.

“I love you,” you said as he looked at you in awe of what you said, he knew he loved you since he met you, “you..do?” he said as you nodded, “i do, i love you more than words can describe, you make me feel safe. You are my person cal,” you said as he fell in love with you even more than he could ever describe, “i've loved you since the day we met, can't really describe it, but i knew that you would be in my life more than you already were…i can't believe this is our first date, and we have been together for 2 years already,” he said as you smiled, “i know i'm sorry, i promise you soon we will have many more dates to come,” you said as he kissed you and you grabbed onto his neck bringing you in closer.

As you ate dinner the night flew by so fast as you were in the park together walking hand in hand. It was a private park, so no one would be there to spy on you guys. You walked into this flower area, you were amazed by the flowers and how many there were. As Cal pulled you in closer to his chest, you looked up and kissed him. He put his hand in his pocket to get something out. It was a small box, you gasped as you looked at him, “what-” you said as he cut off, “i'm not proposing…yet, but this is just a promise to you, that i'll be here for you forever, no matter what you are first for me now and forever because i love you so much, i would move the sun and moon for you if i could, you're home to me..okay maybe i am proposing..” he said as you smiled with a giggle, he opened the box that revelaved the small ring and placed it on your finger. It was a simple ring, no attention would be brought to it, but you saw that inside it had engravings of the year you started dating, as well as a C in it.

As morning came you woke up to cal sleeping on your chest as you giggled, you laid there a while rubbing his head as you felt his every breath and heartbeat that came through. You smiled seeing how peaceful he was sleeping in your arms. You then heard a loud thump as you jumped quickly heading to the door as you heard through it and the other 3 have finally arrived, you were quick to wake up cal, “babe, cal, wake up. Things 1, 2, and 3 are here,” you said as he moved around and looked at you, “what?” he said as you began to worry, “hemmo, clifford, and fletcher are here!” you yelled slightly as his eyes went wide and was quick to get out of bed he put his clothes on before heading out as he looked like hell coming out of your room.

On his way out he bumped into your brother, “woah, cal you look like hell, what did you do this weekend?” he asked as cal hesitated, “nothing just slept, wrote music, the usual,” he said as luke nodded, “and y/n? What did she do?” he asked as he shrugged, “not sure, but i think her friend came over to hang last night and slept over, but she left a while ago,” he said as he nodded and headed over to your room.

On the other side of that, you were hiding everything that had Calum's name on it. So of course his hoodie, his sweats, the rings, anything that was given to you. Just then you heard a door knock as you ran over to the door and then turned to your room seeing everything was fine, you opened the door and you were faced with luke, “hey!” you said as you opened the door letting him in as he jumped on your bed and laid down, “hey, how was your weekend?” he asked as you gulped and looked at him, “good, one of my friends came over to hang last night and slept over, but she left over an hour ago,” you said as he nodded, “oh thats what calum ment?” he said as you nodded, “yeah, wait was he here?” you said as he nodded, “yeah- wait did you think he went with us?” he said as you nodded, “uh yes? I'm sorry you said that you were going with the guys, so I assumed everyone was going,” you said as you two laughed for a good minute as he caught you up with the news in london.

After the good weekend you were all back in the studio, your manager and well the rest of your team was there to deliver quite the news to you guys. You were going to have somewhat of your own tour, star stripe and maple syrup tour, and one direction had requested your presence in their stadium tour which left you all pretty speechless. You looked over at Calum with wide eyes as you two both said under your breaths, “stadium tour!” as your team was going over everything you were so excited than ever. You were gonna have your tour first before heading to the 1D tour, as well as your album being released before 1D as well. Things were all set for you.

Your tour had creeped up behind you quickly, you were on the road within hours. Right now you were heading over to your show in your tour bus as everyone was scattered doing their own thing.

Luke was next to you as he was on his phone doing god knows what, but you saw him smile a lot, “what are you doing on your phone lu?” you said as he hid his smile and looked at you, “what nothing bean? Just watching some videos,” he said as his smile crept as you squinted, “hemmo what are you doing?” you said getting close to his phone as the name Arzaylea popped up as you looked over at him, “who is Arzaylea? How ever you say that name,” you said as he rolled his eyes, “her name is Arzaylea, and she's is this girl im talking to, no big deal,” he said as your eyes went wide, “no big deal? Seems like it if you're smiling lukey poo,” you said teasing him as he groaned, “y/n stop that! She's just a girl I like, okay?” he said as you giggled, “that's good lu, you're meeting people, that's what it's all about lu,” you said as he smiled, “you think? She's really nice. I think you'll like her if she and I keep it going,” he said as you nodded, “yeah i think she seems nice. If you like her you know I'll be okay,” you said as you smiled knowing your brother was happy.

Once you arrived at your location you were all up and ready to rehearse your setlist for tonight then hang out for the rest of the day since the show was tomorrow. As your team was setting everything up you headed to your dressing room placing everything that you needed out. Just then luke walked in as you looked up, “hey bean, this guy shawn mendes, wants to know if we can hang, i said yes, unless you're not up for it,” he said as you nodded, the name was familiar, “yeah for sure, after rehearsal?” you asked as he nodded leaving you back to what you were doing.

As you were rehearsing you were in the front taking lead, halfway through the end you let Luke take lead as you were playing guitar. You had been practicing for a long time and you were now comfortable playing in front of the fans, they even loved it when you started posting, they couldn't wait to hear you, so far they were amazed by you and the band.

As you took a small break, due to luke needing to pee again, you all dispersed besides you and calum who stayed on stage, “so you excited?” he asked as you nodded, “yeah of course, i mean i'm playing a tour with my best friends and my boyfriend, how good does this get?” you smiled as he smiled, “i would say you're living the dream love,” he said as you smiled. Once everyone was back you all got back to rehearsing before hanging out with a friend of lukes, “oh by the way luke said we are hanging out with shawn mendes? Do you know him?” you asked as he nodded, “yeah he's got some good songs, check him out, but no yeah he's a cool dude,” he said as you nodded back to work. After rehearsing you are almost always allowed to go out for the night before the big show, so now you were out and about meeting Shawn mendes. As you all arrived to this party, you had no idea of, you wondered why you were meeting him at a party, but that's 5sos for ya at the moment.

As you walked in you went through this crowd and at the very end of it was shawn, luke had introduced you all to him as you all waved. As you were all hanging out he sat next to you as you smiled at him, “so you and luke are related?” he asked as you nodded, “yeah he's my twin brother,” you said as he nodded, “so what's it like being famous, is it as good as they say?” he asked as you shrugged, “well yeah i guess it is sometimes, but i never thought of us that way you know? I feel like we're still that band that does gigs every weekend, but now it's turned into more of an everyday thing which is cool,” you said very humbling as he nodded, “that's the dream huh? How old were you when you started,” he said as your conversation took off.

As the four guys looked at you two from afar luke was smirking and looked at the rest of the guys, “what if shawn and y/n date? Would that be the worst thing in the world?” he said as cal looked over at you as his jaw clenched, “i guess not, but should you really be getting in her business?” clifford asked as luke shrugged, “i don't know she was really supportive with me and this girl im talking to and well i wanna be supportive,” he said half drunk as ash looked over at cal who was ignoring all of this, “i don't know maybe they're just talking, they could just be friends?” Ash said as Luke smirked, “oh yeah you're just saying that cus you still like her,” he said as cal had enough and walked away.

From where you were sitting you noticed how angerly he was, you excused yourself heading to the rest of the gang, “hey where’s cal?” you asked as luke shrugged, “oh i think he went out- omg are you and shawn like..talking?” he said as he wiggled his eyebrows, “oh my gosh luke how drunk are you?” you said as ash spoke, “cal went over there,” he said as you nodded, “okay i'm gonna check on him, mike, watch luke please?” you said as you walked over to the door that lead to a balcony. You saw his shadow as you smelled and saw puffs floating around as you stood next to him, “since when do you..smoke?” you asked as he looked over with a frown, “i only do it when i'm stressed,” he said as you nodded, “oh okay..” you said as you looked around as he turned it off and held your hand, “im sorry, i just- with tour i don't know how to control my stress,” he said as you nodded, “it's fine cal, just please be careful with how much you smoke, people get addicted really easily,” you said as he nodded, “i promise,” he said as you nodded and got straight to it, “so why did you walk out so mad?” you asked as he rolled his eyes, “i know your brother is drunk and everything, but he has you already set with a guy? And ash still likes you, i c-cant win can i?” he said as you frowned shaking your head, “cal, hes my brother he says stupid stuff all the time, it doesn't mean he’s always right, and besides, shawn has a crush he was asking me to help him, he’s young as well and needs to be lead, we were him a few years ago. And ashton, he is my friend, nothing else, you already won a long time ago..” you said as he gave you half smile, “you always know what to say in the moment, i swear you have to be rehersing this,” he said as you giggled, “oh cal, i just say what i feel, and that's what i feel okay?” you said reassuring him as you two headed back to the party and had fun the rest of the night knowing that no one would remember it the next day.

….

Near the end of the tour, you were of course doing press or interviews and today, you were doing quite a fun one. You were asking each other some questions that the fans asked on twitter.

You went first asking your brother questions fans were curious about, “okay lukey poo, who in the band is your favorite?” you said reading it as you looked at him and he hesitated a bit, “uhh, for promo reasons i would say calum, but for non promo reasons i would say you,” he said as you giggled, “What- promo reasons? It would make sense for it to be me..” you said as you two laughed.

Next up was michael as you two couldn't even be serious not even for the shot, “i'm sorry michael is just too much…anyway clifford, what is your favorite condiment?” you asked as he shrugged, “what is a condiment?” he asked as you giggled, “its like what you put on food, like ketchup, ranch, mustard..?” you said as you looked over at the interviewer as she nodded, “yeah that's about right,” she said as you looked over at michael who twisted his mouth, “i don't know, i'm not a huge fan of any of those, but i'll say ranch,” he said as you giggled looking over at the camera.

As Ash came up you smiled as he smiled back, “Ok Ashton irwin, who is the best dancer in the band?” you asked as he really thought about it, “i would have to say you y/n,” he said as you nodded and put your hands up in the air, “nice!” you said as he smiled nodding back.

And finally your boyfriend who was far more nervous than you making you laugh, “okay calum, cool guy cal! What is your favorite song to perform?” you said as your eyebrows rose looking up at him, “Can we say unreleased songs?” he said as you shrugged looking over at the guys who nodded, “oh we can, okay this song isn't out yet, but i have to say disconnected,” he said making you laugh.

As you moved on into the interview everyone had their turn with everyone, the same way you did with the guys. Ashton had gone up next as he was currently asking Luke questions. Later on Calum was now asking questions and he was asking Luke, “Okay Lucas, who in the band would you not let date y/n?” he said making a face as all of you giggled, “uhh i don't know, probably none of you guys…yeah none of you guys,” he said very confidently as you were next, “okay y/n, who is your best friend?” he said as you glared at him playfully, “i would say you, i don't know but i mean i've known you longer…sorry michael,” you said as he giggled, “suck it michael,” he said as you two giggled and moved on.

Now it was micheal turn and you were up first, “okay y/n hemmings, who in the band have you had a crush on,” he said as you smirked, “no one,” you said giggling as he moved his head side to side, “doesn't seem like it, wait have you had a crush on anyone?” he asked as you shook your head, “nope no one,” you said, popping the p as he nodded, “hmm okay i believe you,” he said as you giggled.

…

Summer time for you guys had just meant more work, your album was out and you were starting to make your footprint in the US, while touring with 1D once again. You guys even worked on a couple music videos that were from the album which was a success. As the tour with 1D ended you were all able to hang about letting things settle for a bit as fans endugled on the new album and the music videos.

You guys had gotten news that you were attending the VMA’s, just after attentings the ama’s in which you won the new artists award which was shocking to all of you. You couldn't not believe that 2 years into your career you were now winning awards, and honestly you had to thank your fans, they were the reason you were all here.

As you all sat in the living room you were thinking about what you were all going to wear, “wait, what are we wearing? We have to match, cus last time we were very bad at matching, we all wore what we wanted,” you said as luke scoffed, “no you went all out, i thought we decided on black and red, you were the one mismatching by wearing a dress,” he said as you frowned, “it was black, i thought we were supposed to go fancy? Or at least dress nicer than we usually do?” you said with your eyebrows rose while ash and micheal sat there in silence while cal had just walked into the tension of the room, “geez, what's going on?” he asked as michael spoke, “y/n wants us to match at the VMA’s, cuz apparently a black dress was not our style,” he said towards luke as he glared, “what was wrong with the dress? I thought you looked nice?” cal said as you smiled, luke had seen the smile you gave him, it was quite different then the smiles you gave to luke, “thank you! Thats what im saying, lu, i think we should be a little more serious with what we wear,” you said, looking at him as he glared at you but then softened his face, “yeah, okay fine, we will, is red our color still?” he asked as you nodded which then made you all disperse. Besides Luke, he was still going over the interaction you and Calum just had…this would change everything if it was true what he was suspecting.

#calum hood fic #calum hood #calum hood imagine #calum hood 5sos #5sos #5 seconds of summer #calum hood fanfiction #calum hood au #calum hood x reader #calum hood fluff #calum hood fanfic

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freshrained · 1 year

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i want to start a single dad! calum au UGH

#freshrained #calum hood #writing #fic #calum hood imagine #calum hood au #calum hood blurb #calum blurb #calum imagine #calum au #calum hood fic #calum fic #imagines #blurb

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bratzforchris · 5 months

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Heyy! Can you make one where Luke is sick and the reader takes care of him. And Luke is just so cute and clingy. Make it fluffy 🫶🏻

Chicken Soup

❃

Summary: In which the best cure for Luke's tummy bug is homemade chicken noodle soup<3

Pairing: Luke x feminine reader

Warnings: Vomit, mentions of being sick

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: I absolutely loveeeee requests like these. Domestic fluff/comfort Luke is so<3

❃

“Lu, baby,” You pouted sadly, rubbing his back as he hunched over the toilet, continuing to throw up. “You poor thing. You’re okay.”

It had been an exhausting night, and it was unfortunately not due to having some fun. Luke had come home from the studio earlier in the evening complaining of a stomach ache and things had only spiraled from there. He’d been on and off puking for the past six hours, unable to get any rest because every time he was almost asleep, he would feel nauseous again.

You rubbed his broad back and shoulders, feeling his muscles tense under your hand as he gagged. Planting a soft kiss to his sweaty neck, you held his curls out of his face as he leaned back into you, panting and shaking. It had been a whole lot of dry heaving for the past five minutes, but nothing would come up.

“Feeling any better?” You asked, a pout on your face as Luke leaned his head against your chest, whimpering and moaning.

“Not really,” he mumbled sleepily, wrapping his arms around his sick tummy. “Stomach hurts.”

“I know sweetie, I know,” You ran a hand along his side in a comforting way as the blond closed his eyes. He was so sleepy; all he wanted was for you to cuddle him in bed and for himself to actually be able to get some rest. “Wanna go back to bed, sweet boy?”

“No.” he pouted firmly.

“Baby,” You cooed, kissing his forehead. “Your tummy’s empty. You need to rest.”

“Just feel so poorly.” Luke hummed, his voice scratchy from the sickness.

“Want me to put a bucket by your side?” You asked softly.

You knew why Luke didn’t want to go back to the bedroom; sprinting to the bathroom every time you felt slightly nauseated was awful, but at the same time you didn’t want him to have to sleep on the hard, cold tile of the bathroom. He seemed to understand your reasoning, but still looked at you, blue eyes filled with tears.

“My tummy just feels yucky.” he sniffled.

Eventually, you persuaded him back into bed with the promise of lots and lots of cuddles. Despite his hoodie and flannel pajama pants, your poor husband was still shivering with fever. You tucked him in with his favorite, fuzzy blanket, kissing his nose.

“‘M gonna go get you some water and a bucket, ‘kay?” You told him.

“Don’t leave,” Luke whispered softly, grabbing your wrist. “Please?”

“Honey,” You pouted, running your hand through his tangly curls. “You need some water, love. Don’t want you to get dehydrated.”

Luke reluctantly agreed, welling up with tears on his lash line as you left the room. He couldn’t help it; fevers made him emotional, which in turn made him clingy and cuddly. The poor boy practically laid himself across your pillow, breathing in your scent while he waited for you to come back. As soon as you returned to the room and set the bucket on his nightstand, Luke was patting the bed for you to come lay down.

“Let’s have some water, bub, and then we’ll sleep all you want.” You smiled, handing him his water bottle.

The blond took a few small sips of water, placing the bottle back on the nightstand and snuggling into the blankets while you climbed into bed. As soon as you were under the covers, Luke was attaching to your side like a (adorable) leech. The blond buried his nose in your neck, humming happily. He was more comfortable now that he was snuggled up with you and easily closed his eyes.

You reached over and rubbed shapes on his achy belly as Luke’s breathing slowed, happy to provide him with any sort of comfort. Luke felt much more relaxed and comfortable now, enjoying the feeling of skin-to-skin contact when he felt you sneak your hand under his hoodie and resume rubbing his tummy.

“Thank you.” he whispered sleepily.

You kissed his curls gently, speaking softly so as not to disturb him. “I’m gonna go to the store in the morning and get you some medicine.”

You’d wanted to give Luke medicine earlier in the evening, but much to your and his demise, you’d run out of Pepto-Bismol. The blond grunted at the thought of medicine, but quickly formed a sleepy sentence.

“Can you make me chicken soup?” he asked quietly.

You giggled, cuddling closer to Luke’s fevered body. “Sure.”

“Mum used to make chicken soup whenever I had a tummy bug.” Luke explained, almost half asleep as a yawn escaped him.

“I can believe it. Go to sleep, Lu. You need rest, love.” You pressed one last kiss to Luke’s head and sure enough your husband fell asleep quite quickly, exhausted from his rough night.

–

You quietly shut the front door behind you, stepping in the house. You wanted to call out for Luke, but part of you had a hunch he was asleep. You wandered into the kitchen, glancing into the living room. Sure enough, Luke was huddled up on the couch with Petunia, snoring softly. The afternoon sunlight haloed his curls as the blankets moved up and down with his breath, making him look simply adorable. You smiled and snapped a quick picture, moving into the kitchen to unload your grocery bags.

You’d gotten chicken soup ingredients, medicine, Gatorade, and crackers; everything you would need to take care of a sick Luke. You put everything else aside, beginning to chop up the vegetables for Luke’s soup. Just as you were putting everything in the pot to simmer, you felt a strong pair of arms wrap around you from behind.

“Hi.” Luke whispered, throat scratchy.

“Hey baby,” You hummed, turning around to look at him. “Have a good nap?”

The blond nodded, fisting his eyes as a pout formed on his lips. “Threw up again while you were gone.” he mumbled.

“Poor baby,” You cooed, running your thumb across his cheek. “I got you some medicine and Gatorade if you wanna try that?” You offered.

Luke whined, shoving his face into your neck as he breathed in your scent. His royal blue hoodie practically engulfed you as he wrapped you in a bear hug. “Okay. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, sweetheart. I’m sorry I wasn’t here while you were being sick.” You said sadly.

“‘S okay. I had nurse Petunia.” he giggled softly.

You giggled yourself, kissing his fevered lips softly. Luke immediately pulled back, looking at you like you had three heads.

“Don’t do that!” he protested. “You’ll get sick.”

“I don’t care,” You said with a lopsided smile. “I know you’ll take care of me when I do.”

Luke rolled his eyes, but couldn’t hide the grin. He stayed attached to you, almost like a sloth or a koala, while you stirred the soup and poured the noodles in to cook until you patted his bum softly.

“Go lay down, bub. I’ll bring everything to you.” You stood on your tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

“Okayyyyy.” Luke pressed a kiss to your head, before patting into the living room and cuddling up in his blanket nest.

Once the soup was done, you ladled it into Luke’s favorite bowl with cats on it and placed it on a little tray, along with a little cup of blue Gatorade and a medicine cup of Pepto-Bismol. A wonderful sickness spread if you did say so yourself. You carried the tray carefully to the living room, smiling as you saw Luke cuddled up on the couch with Petunia, her head on his tummy as he stroked her fur while watching something on Netflix.

“Personal heating pad?” You chuckled, gesturing to your pup.

“Mhm,” Luke hummed sleepily. “I love her.”

“Awww babe, I know you do,” You kissed Luke’s forehead, sneakily checking for a fever. “Do you wanna try the medicine or the soup first?”

“Soup. While it’s hot.” Your husband said.

“Okay honey,” You handed Luke the bowl gently. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Luke slowly sipped the broth, humming happily. “Yum. Better than my mum’s,” he giggled. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“I won’t mess with Liz, don’t worry,” You giggled, sitting down and sipping on your own soup. “Make sure to take your medicine, hun.”

Luke nodded, grabbing the small cup and taking the pink, viscous liquid like a shot. He washed it down with the Gatorade, shuddering slightly. “Yuck.”

“I know it’s not great, but hopefully it’ll make you feel better.” You hummed.

The blond took a few more bites of soup, before placing the bowl on the coffee table. “‘M full.” he mumbled, moving to lay his head in your lap.

“That’s okay, babe,” You told him, running a hand through your curls. “You don’t have to eat all of it.”

All was quiet for a while with only the sounds of Petunia snoring and the television filling the living room. You honestly thought Luke had fallen asleep until you heard a hiccup escape him. The blond sat quickly, breathing deeply through his nose.

“You okay, honey?” You asked, eyeing him up and down.

“No. Gonna throw up again.” he rushed out, lips quivering as he tried to untangle himself from the blankets.

Luck did not appear to be on Luke’s side, because by the time he had gotten out from under Petunia and the blankets, it was just too late. Your poor boy gagged harshly, slapping a hand over his mouth to no avail. The vomit seeped through his fingers, running down his hoodie and puddling on the carpet of the rug. Too sick to do anything else, Luke continued to throw up the medicine and soup he’d just eaten.

“‘M sorry,” Luke sniffled, starting to cry as he realized what he’d done. “Didn’t mean to.” he sobbed.

“Bubba, no one’s mad,” You rubbed his back softly. “Let’s get you in the shower and I’ll clean up here, ‘kay?”

“I can do it.” Luke insisted, looking over at you sadly.

“Sweetheart, it’ll be okay,” You insisted, leading him to the bathroom and helping him sit down on the closed toilet. “I’m not mad.”

Luke nodded as you wiped off his hand and started the shower, helping him strip out of his soiled pajamas and step under the running water. He leaned against the tile wall, breathing deeply with a hand on his belly as it grumbled under his hand.

“All set?” You asked him.

Your husband nodded quietly, and you kissed his cheek once before heading into the living room to clean up the mess. Luckily, Luke hadn’t had much to throw up, having an empty stomach and just sipping the broth, so you easily cleaned the spot and remade the couch for him, taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen. By the time you had finished, Luke was padding out of your master suite in clean pajamas, wet hair brushed.

“Hey bub,” You hummed as he laid down, kissing his forehead. “I think the cool shower helped your fever.”

Luke nodded softly, pulling the blanket up to his chin. “Thank you. For everything,” he said as you laid down behind him, wrapping him into the little spoon position. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“In sickness and in health, remember?” You said with a gentle smile, showing him your wedding ring. “I love you.”

The blond giggled, a blush dotting his pale cheeks. “I love you too. Can you rub my tummy again?” he asked with a great yawn.

“Does it still hurt?” You asked sadly, but immediately laying your hand across his slightly bloated belly.

“A little bit. Feel better since I threw up. Mostly just feels nice.” he admitted.

“I love you, Lu.” You whispered as he fell asleep, happily cuddled up with you and Petunia.

–

Luke recovered from his tummy bug fairly quickly, attributing his speedy recovery to you taking such good care of him. Before either of you knew it, he was back in the studio working on the upcoming album and happy as ever.

His good mood only lasted a little while, though, as he dropped his bags at the front door, calling into the house his usual “I’m home!”. It remained silent in the house; he didn’t even hear the sound of Petunia’s nails clicking. He wandered into the living room, seeing you cuddled up with Petunia.

“Y/N? Are you feeling okay?” he asked softly, rubbing your cheek with the pad of his thumb.

“Do we have leftover soup?” You asked, a pout on your lips.

Luke chuckled, kissing your forehead. “This is why we don’t kiss people with stomach bugs, baby. But yes, I’ll go heat some up now.”

In the end, you didn’t escape Luke’s bug, but he was so caring and compassionate with you that you couldn’t have asked for a better sick experience.

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lukesvalentyne · 6 months

Text

take my hand tour

luke hemmings x fem!reader

fc: devon lee carlson

take my hand

liked by lukehemmings, calumhood and 1,389,429 others

see you in the cone 💐

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lukehemmings pretty girl 🫣 ↳ yn love uuuu liked by lukehemmings

lukehemmings we’re young, we’re hung, we’re 5SOS ↳ yn one of these statements is incorrect🤔. ↳ lukehemmings whatever you say🙄 liked by author

calumhood big fan! liked by author

ashtonirwin 🤎💫 liked by author

michaelclifford that quote makes me uncomfortable ↳ yn same.

yndaily i want to be friends with them😫

lukehemmings

liked by yn, ashton irwin, lukesvalentyne and 60,792 others

lukehemmings you make me a complete mess.

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5SOSlatest ohh he’s got it bad for her ↳ livielovesyn who can blame him she’s gorge

lukeisapenguin i dont know if i want him or her…. ↳ 5secondstomars BOTH!!!

yn caught up in heaven🪽✨💫🩷 liked by author. ↳ lukehemmings 👼 💕

calumhood whipped! ↳ lukehemmings 🙄🙄

lukehemmings 2h

yndaily

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yndaily yn in the crowd tonight with a fan !!

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ynlatest she seems so sweet!

livielovesyn ugh i wanna meet her so bad

yn 1h

liked by lukehemmings, michaelclifford and 1,367,890 others

yn having so much fun rn😁! take a guess at who i’m smiling at in the first one🤔

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lukehemmings smiley angel😇❤️ ↳ yn 💋💋💋💋

lukehemmings whos that guy on the second slide? ↳ yn my super hot, sexy boyfriend !! ↳ lukehemmings i’d say im hotter… be with me instead 🫣 liked by author ↳ lukesvalentyne i want what they have.

michaelclifford cals got no bitches. ↳ calumhood HEY! liked by author

livielovesyn MOM AND DAD!!

yn 1m

#5 seconds of summer #luke hemmings x y/n #luke hemming imagines #luke 5sos #luke hemmings x reader #luke hemmings #social media au #calum hood #calum hood x reader #ashton irwin #ashton irwin x reader #michael clifford x reader #michael clifford #devon lee carlson

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sinning5sos · 8 months

Text

Having a baby with Calum would include...

2/4 in the father-to-be series :

Calum ~ would be really fucking excited but also really fucking nervous

“Okay so our baby is the size of a lime right now. A lime. Can you believe that?” Calum read off, scrolling through his phone in the bathroom as he got ready for bed. He looked over at you, and smiled as he looked at your stomach, a tiny yet noticeable bump there.

“A fucking lime!” He repeated, “That’s insane. We did that. We made a freaking baby and it’s living.”

“The three month mark is an important one too,” You said, continuing to read your book and Calum hummed to himself as he started brushing his teeth.

“Baby, did you know that it’s good for your pregnancy for you to cum?” Calum stated, and you burst out laughing at your husband. He looked up from his phone as he finished brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

“Calum,” You breathed out, holding your stomach slightly as you looked over at him. He spit into the sink and rinsed, then tucked his phone into the pocket of his sweatpants.

“I’m telling you the truth!” Calum exclaimed, and you continued to laugh at how incredulous he was.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe you.” You giggled, and he threw his hands up over his head as he collapsed onto the bed beside you.

“Then let me show you,” Calum murmured and he turned over in bed. You put your book down on the bedside table and

“Before you do that, explain. And Cal, I’m only three months along.” You reasoned, and he chuckled as he knelt between your legs.

“Orgasms cause a release of endorphins and oxytocin, and orgasms apparently help you prepare for giving birth. And that will help you in six months. So obviously, we need to practice.”

“Hmm. Fine, come on baby.” You said, winking at him and he chuckled as he pushed your (his) tshirt up, and kissed the inside of your thighs gently.

Other pregnancy things from Cal would include -

Ice cream runs at any time of the day

Helping you shower/bathe, especially toward the end of your pregnancy

Lotioning your stomach and giving you light massages

Lots of innocent touches

Lots of naughty touches too

Playing music for the baby and slipping in some old school rock music to educate the baby

Reading to the baby too

Just lots of enrichment for the baby

Him researching everything that can help and nearly passing out at the information of when you’re about to give birth

Having three different bags and birth plans ready to go in case of anything

#sinning5sos #calum hood #5sos #5sos smut #5sos imagines #5 seconds of summer #calum #cth #cth imagines #Calum imagines #Calum au #Calum hood imagines #calum hood 5sos #Calum 5sos #dad!calum

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33-81 · 1 year

Text

The danger gets me high, and I can't help myself

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ughkat · 7 months

Text

crush | c.t.h

part two

part one here

{ probably gonna turn this into a series so be patient for a part 3! }

cal x fem!reader

fluff?, kissing, drinking

not proofread

"You should text Cal."...

I sat still in my bed, looking at my screen in confusion at Ashton's text. My brain unbelievably pieced together his distant attitude being tied to an attraction towards me. I furrowed my eyebrows and bit the inside of my cheek with doubt. There was no way he had a crush on me. I would know, right?

I hesitantly exited my messages with Ashton, scrolling to mine with Calum. Looking at my screen aimlessly, my thumbs shifted over the empty text box, thinking of something to say. I didn't want to scare him off, so I started simple.

"Hey"

I typed slowly, pressing send with shaky hands. I knew my nervousness wasn't stemmed from talking Calum himself, but more of finding out the full truth from him personally. Three dots appeared quickly, making my leg bounce with anxiety.

"Hi"

He responded flatly. I sighed at his dry tone. I knew his stubbornness would aide for an inconclusive conversation, so I decided to jump right in.

"What did Ashton mean before he ended the stream?" I sent the text hesitant, trying my best to sound nonchalant.

"Idk what you're talking about lol.".

His pathetic attempt at minor gaslighting me failed, I continued to push.

"Yes you do. Correct me if I'm wrong but he said you're mad at me because you love me?"

"Of course I love you. We all love you, you're my best friend."

I tossed my head back in frustration, rethinking my own suspicions. I realized I wasn't going to get what I wanted from him through a text, so I tried something else.

"Can we hangout tomorrow, just us? I feel like we need it."

I typed genuinely, knowing if he was telling the truth, he'd oblige. As the two of us hanging out alone used to be a common occurrence.

"You have work tomorrow."

He tried to think of a get away.

"I get off at 6. I'll see you after?"

I typed, giving him almost no choice but to see me. I watched patiently has I was left on read for a few minutes before Calum replied.

"I'm bringing drinks."

I smirked at his usual sass and need for a substance to calm his obvious.

" :) see you tomorrow."

I replied before switching my phone off and setting it beside me. I couldn't help but let butterflies slowly fill my stomach at the thought of myself making Calum flustered. For years, though I always found him attractive and had an underlying physical draw to him, I never imagined him more than anything than a friend. But I started to wonder if that was because I wanted it that way, or because I thought it had to be that way.

I began to doubt my own feelings towards Calum as I stared blankly at my wall in front of me. I bit my cheek as I reminisced on past memories and emotions throughout the years with Calum. I realized I never gave the thought of Calum as more than a friend a chance only for the wellness of our friendship as a group.

I stopped my thoughts in their tracks, snapping out of my trance and reminding myself that Calum hadn't confirmed nor denied his attraction to me yet, and I still could have simply misheard Ashton over my phone speaker. I settled deeply into my bed, letting my eyes flutter shut as I reassured myself of the pros and cons of tomorrows plans.

The sounds of footsteps and the occasional phone ringing filled the silence around me as I sat in boredom at my job. I had 15 minutes left of my shift, and all I could think about was the boy I would be meeting with when I got home. I tapped a pen mindlessly on the desk in front of me, my hours going by quickly while I let my mind wander about Calum.

On the dot, 6:00 rolled around and I began packing my belongings into my bag to head out to my car. I reached for my phone on my way out of the doors to reveal a message from Calum.

"Let me know when you're home.".

I caught myself smiling at his straight words, tucking my phone back into my pocket. I hurried quickly to my car, tossing my bag into the passenger seat before pulling out into the road.

I scolded myself mentally during my drive for beginning to fantasize about the possibilities with Calum and I. A smile escaped my lips at the idea of hearing Ashton's words correctly, and Calum really liking me.

Arriving home, I quickly raced to my bedroom, changing out of my work clothes and into black pajama shorts and oversized t-shirt. Leaving my makeup how it was, I pulled my hair out of its ponytail, running my hands through the tangles as I made my way to my bed, opening my phone.

"I'm home"

I sent a simple text to Calum before laying out on my back across my bed, letting out a tired breath. I rolled my ankles lazily, taking in the comfort of my bed before a single ding rang from my phone.

"Omw."

I bounced my leg anxiously awaiting Calum's arrival. Suddenly, it was like I was meeting him for the first time. I began to do things I wouldn't before think twice about. I checked my appearance multiple times in the mirror, made my bed, and tidied up my room. All things that I never cared about the boys, including Calum, minding before.

A few quiet knock fell at my front door, making me jolt from my frantic fidgeting. I calmly made my way to the front door, opening it to reveal Calum carrying a single plastic grocery bag.

"I have drinks and snacks." He lifted the bag slightly, speaking with a half smile. I stepped to the side, inviting him in. Already, I could sense his tense energy. I led him to the couch, I felt my heartbeat pick up its pace at the feeling of him so close behind me.

We took our seats beside each other, Calum leaving an awkwardly large space between us.

"Beer?" Calum offered blankly, reaching for the 6 pack of beer. I shook my head, more focused on the subject matter on my mind.

"No, thanks.".

"Wanna watch a movie or something?" He asked, forcing a fake civil smile.

The two of us sat sharing a glance for a moment before I took the wheel impatiently.

"I know you're lying." I spoke, looking down at my hands. Calum turned his head towards me quickly.

"What?"

"You're lying." I repeated, looking at his with a frustrated smile, "I know what heard on that stream, Cal." I leaned deeper into the couch, watching Calum's eyes dart across the room. He let out a sigh, appearing to be trying to gather his words.

"What do you want me to say?" He muttered quietly, making eye contact loosely. I looked down to my hands before back up to him through my eyelashes cautiously, watching his anxious expression.

"Is it true?" I spoke almost at a whisper, picking at my thumbs anxiously. He looked at me slowly, swallowing a lump in his throat before speaking deeply.

"What if it is?" He shrugged gently. I let out a sigh at his small confession, relieved at his words, yet finding myself in another boat of confusion.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I spoke, moving closer to him, feeling my energy being pulled towards his. He looked away as I got closer, becoming visually nervous. Looking back at me, he replied.

"I wanted to at first" He began, "But I kept ignoring it after some years. I was scared of what you'd say." He mumbled.

"And Ashton knew all this time" I continued, tilting my head. He looked down.

"Yeah, he thought you wouldn't feel the same either.".

We sat quietly in each others silence for a moment, sharing glances and collecting our thoughts. I felt myself warm up inside at the confessions coming from Calum, guiding my next few bold moves.

"Cal." I spoke with a smile, moving in closer. His head perked up quickly at my movements.

"Hm?" He muttered quietly.

"You should've told me sooner." I began softly.

"Why..?" He furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes darting to mine back and forth.

My eyes were stuck in a trance deeply into his sparking brown ones, and my mind took control. Without thinking, I leaned in quickly, pressing my lips to his passionately. He released a small gasp before swiftly closing his eyes, melting into the kiss as well. I pulled back quickly with semi wide eyes, looking at Calum nervously. His mouth was half agape, searching for his words. I watched his shocked expression and loss for words, instantly doubting my actions.

"I-." I started, looking down, "I'm sorry Cal, I do-" I was abruptly cut off by Calum pulling me in for another kiss, holding the side of my face with a gentle hand. I chill ran through me as our lips intertwined perfectly, making me melt under his touch. His mouth on mine was the deciding factor that I wanted every bit of Calum, in every way, all of the time.

He pulled away slowly, looking at me adoringly in the eyes. A smile escaped his lips, followed by us giggling in unison at our impulsive actions.

"Was that so hard?" I teased lightly, filled with joy at the breakthrough Calum had made.

"If I knew this was gonna' happen, I definitely would have told you sooner." He joked with a scoff. I giggled, leaning back into the couch with a sigh.

"Was this your plan the whole time?" He asked smugly, narrowing his eyes. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

"No, actually." I laughed, "I came into this blind. Didn't have a plan." I reached for a beer from the coffee table in front of us, cracking it open swiftly and taking a sip. Calum rolled his head back lazily on the couch before speaking.

"In all realness though, I really do like you," He began, "Like, a lot. And I have for a really long time." I began to confess slowly as he joined me with a drink.

"How long?" I asked genuinely, I turned to look at him as he continued.

"Ever since Ash started bringing you around, really. Truthfully, you're one of the most beautiful girls i've ever met, Y/n." He chuckled with embarrassment, looking down to his drink. I blushed uncontrollably at his words, mimicking his actions and looking down.

"Whatever." I giggled at his hyperbole of my description. How could someone as fit as Calum find me to be the most beautiful girl he's ever met?

"It's true." He urged, "Ever since I laid eyes on you, I wanted you to be mine." He spoke boldly. I turned to him with a serious expression, shocked by his words.

"Really?" I mumbled quietly. He nodded his head with a shy smile

An uncontrollable grin took over me, immediately noticing the change in energy. Calum seemed to be slowly resuming his usual self, only leaving me with one question. What now?

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let-the-bands-take-c0ntrol · 1 year

Text

12 Days of Holidays: Day 5

Calum HoodXFemale Reader

Warnings: pure fluff, winter weather, mentions of food, soft touches, rambling moments, first kisses

“What are you doing for New Year’s?” Calum questioned. His back was pressed up against one of the bookcases. A crunch followed right after his words and you looked over to see him munching on potato chips, a large bag that was usually shared with a family.

“Uh as far as I know, to my dad’s for a barbeque in the afternoon and that’s about it,” you said, placing one last book on the shelf and wheeling your cart to another section. Calum was hot on your heels, stuffing another chip into his mouth and once again taking a spot on the edge of a bookcase. “What are you doing?” you asked, face frowning at how chaotic the shelf looked. You sighed in annoyance as you grabbed the handful of books that didn’t belong in the section.

“I was invited to some party downtown, but. . .I thought maybe you and I could meet up at Cane’s Park and watch the firework show.” There was a tinge of hope in Calum’s voice and you understood where it was stemming from. It had been a week since your official first date with him. The two of you had been trying to plan for a second date, but since the holiday traffic was picking up neither of your schedules would align. Right now Calum was spending his lunch with you while you worked to get the bookstore ready for an author meet and greet. There was a definite shift in your dynamic now that your feelings were out in the open. For starters, Calum wasn’t hesitant about touching you more. He’d give you forehead kisses, squeeze your hip whenever he passed behind you, the hugs you two shared were longer too.

“You want to spend New Year’s together?” you asked. The dating part only just started, but you had practically been spending most of your days with him before the first date. Even went on a skiing trip with him and his friends, so you weren’t sure why Calum asking you to spend New Year’s Eve with him made you nervous.

“Yeah. Is that weird?” Calum thought for a moment. “Like I know we just started dating, but I thought it’d be a good second date. I could get some blankets, and snacks. We don’t even have to go all the way inside the park, we can just chill in the back of my truck and watch the fireworks from there.” He was starting to ramble.

“Calum-”

“Or we can wait until after the new year for our second date,” he continued on.

“Cal!” the volume of your voice raised higher, but he was too wrapped in his rambling to hear. You rolled your eyes, setting the books down and grabbing Calum by his cheeks to pull him in for a kiss to shut him up. It took Calum a second to realize that your lips were on his, frozen in his spot for a second before kissing you back. The hand that was holding up his bag of chips lowered. After a few seconds you pulled away.

“Y-You kissed me?” he blurted seemingly perplexed.

“I did,” you laughed, “I had to shut you up somehow.”

“That was our first kiss,” Calum said this time. You chuckled again and went back to reshelving.

“It was,” you replied, finally turning to face him. Calum still seemed a bit shell-shocked, his fingers going up to touch his lips where yours were just pressed. Calum wanted to kiss you again, and he glanced over to see you had been watching him. His cheeks felt heated at being caught and he cleared his throat.

“Can I kiss you again?” Calum timidly asked, taking a step closer to you. You smirked at his words, lifting on your tippy toes to reach his height again. Calum smiled down at you, his hand grabbing at your waist this time to pull you closer even more. His head dipped, but you weaved your head so that your lips were near his ear.

“You can get another kiss on New Year’s Eve,” you whispered, pulling away from him and receiving a groan in return. Calum licked his lips and he gave you a playful glare in return. He wasn’t opposed to waiting another day or so, but he had wished the kiss you just had lasted longer for him to at least think about it until you kissed again.

“Fine, New Year’s. It's a date," Calum smiled, pulling you into a hug and kissing the top of your head.

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 4 days

Text

Sweet Dreams--Part 12

Calum and you have dance around reality for a few months now. But after Calum leaves and returns from a trip, the reality has to be confronted.

Weeks are passing and maybe more is blooming between you and Calum than might meet the eye.

Prince!Calum x Reader Insert.

Series Masterlist

Complete Masterlist

The snap of the camera sounds well after the flash of the light. Then behind it, what sounds like a thousand more shutters erupt. The flashes blink like the silver dots Calum used to call angels when he was a child in his vision. As he approaches the podium, Calum thinks less about the blinking lights. The lights don’t slow him down like they used to. They don’t hurt as much as they used to. This is all well practiced throughout the years. He smiles, lifting a hand in acknowledgement at the crowd that’s gathered. Since the vote, Calum’s been keeping an eye on the way the funds have been helping those in need, continually surveying those that took place in his initial conversations and polls. Things seem to be going well. But at the conclusion of this year, there still are four seats that will need to be filled.

It’s unconventional for Calum to even bring this discussion to the floor for the public. The truth of the matter is, he knows he can’t serve a community and people that he knows very little about. He doesn’t know their concerns. He doesn’t know what specific things are plaguing the majority. He’s sure there’s even more pressing things for select groups--everyone has their own prioritization but still Calum’s not on the pulse like he wants to be. So, he’s here now to re-introduce the surveys and forms available to the public. He wants them to know he is listening. Though it is tedious work to review those surveys on a quarterly basis, Calum’s happy to have a team willing to do the nitty gritty work--him included.

“Thank you for joining me here today. I know we’re closing in on the holidays soon and food and family are most likely at the forefront of everyone’s minds, but still it means a lot that you’ve still shown up here today,” Calum starts, working at the button of his suit jacket. “I’m also happy to see some pretty familiar faces too.”

And it’s true, as Calum peers out at the swarm of reporters, there are a few faces he’s learned to anticipate to see. A few laughs rise from the crowd and Calum takes a moment to glance down at his notes. It’s not a full on written speech, but it is a pretty tightly packed list of talking points.

“I don’t want to take up too much of your time today, folks. It is a Friday afternoon after all and I’m not a cruel man. We’re at the tail end of the year and after a particularly tight win in ensuring that additional funds are processed for those in need, it is still very much my intent to keep on the pulse of public concerns. I may be a man a little removed from the day to day struggles of the average person. I am a man aware that the reality of my day to day is vastly different from others. This, most likely, won’t be news to some. But I am hoping that by taking just a few minutes here today, I am able to encourage people to participate actively in their politics and re-introduce them to a tool to express their voice directly.

“As it has been for the twenty years or so, on our parliament’s website there is a section which allows the public to write into us about concerns they have--whether it be about your specific counties roads, or library, or school--you have the space to let us know what is and what is not working for you. Now, to address concerns, I am sure people will have: yes, this was originally buried and hard to navigate to from the home page. There is a lot of news that we do try to share with you all and information we know you need to access more easily. Yet, I do not want this to be a continued excuse that frustrates people to the point where they believe that their feedback is not valued.

“It is, in fact, the opposite. It is important that I know exactly what challenges are being faced day in and day out for my people. I am here to serve you. Given this goal to become more increasingly aware, I’ve worked with our designers to create the “Talk to Us” button.”

Calum waves now to the screen behind him, which in the reflection in some of the glasses from those in the front row, he can see the slide is now showing. The home page--a stale blue--lights up behind him. “The home bar will now, at the conclusion of this press conference, include a direct link to the form, entitled, “Talk to Us”. When you click on this link, you’ll be asked to inform us of location specific details, if necessary, as well as being able to write directly and freely to your government on the actions you see that we need to take or directions you’d like us to head.”

A small murmur starts from the crowd, but it remains low and dies down soon too. Calum knows that soon a new slide should be appearing that showcases an example of the form itself so he continues on, slow and clearly as he speaks, “We will be launching in the new year the opportunity for you to respond to surveys we have created as well once you click on this link. These surveys will be no more than 10 questions at a time and participation is voluntary. The contents of these surveys will be a combination of concerns we have as your government and concerns brought up by you individually. Consider it a feedback loop. The more you tell us about issues, and the more you participate in those voluntary surveys, the better we can serve you. Concerns brought up through the Talk to Us function will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. We hope to hear from you soon.”

“Any questions?” Calum prompts, taking in the faces and notes being scribbled down. A couple hands are being raised after a few seconds. “Yes,” Calum notes, seeing a man in a sky blue button up start to raise his hand.

He introduces himself and his associated press. “Considering that this function has existed on the website long before now, do you have any thoughts on why previous administrations haven’t taken to making this more accessible until now?”

A question Calum anticipated and he hates the way it pits administrations against each other. “I can’t speak for why previous ones haven’t considered reorganizations of the public website. But as we gain more literacy about user experience and design, it has become clearer than ever that the front page of any website is the most important in getting people to what they need as quickly as possible. We are working with some SEO strategies as well to help ensure that this link does show up in the first two pages of search engine results as well. There’s an entirely new field in politics revolving around online presences and social media. Our drive now is also tied to the direct evolution of this technology in the last few years as well.”

It’s a lot of hot air, even Calum knows that, but he has to say it this way. Has to make sure he’s careful of those that have come before him. Something so simple as adding a link seems obvious now but may not have been obvious before.

Calum moves on to the next person--a woman, in a pink almost orange top, who gives her name and associated press as well. “Is there any plan to move these functions to an app perhaps in the future?”

“Not currently at this time, no,” Calum answers. “But the page itself will allow users that need it to use speech to text, screen readers, dark mode backgrounds and ensure to adhere to accessibility guidelines as well.”

Another man raises his hand, a white and black striped shirt. Calum signals to him for him to ask his question. After his name and press, the man continues on, “Are there concerns about backlash? People feeling like their concerns aren’t being addressed fast enough or feeling like there’s a ranking system when it comes to concerns.”

“Our team has assessed as thoroughly as we can the best way to sustain the use of this forum and survey platform. We won’t be able to get to every concern sent in and we will have to look at volume as it relates to each individual item raised. But we hope that by establishing the quarterly review timeline, we can be transparent enough to the public about why things may seem to be moving much slower than they anticipated. I have a team established, me included, who will be continually reviewing what is coming in and how efficient are current practices as well.”

“So, you’re really not afraid of the dirty work,” the man teases. The room bubbles with a soft bout of laughter.

Calum laughs as well. “No, I’m not afraid of the dirty work. It is valuable work to do as I’ve come to learn.” Calum is a little afraid he might be spreading himself a bit thin by taking this one, but should he need to take a step back, he already has people he can pull in to help the team as well. Right now, there’s a lot of the paid interns doing the footwork, but Calum hopes this plan creates a big enough need that he can hire some of them on as full time staffer positions in the next two years.

Calum, keeping an eye on the time, makes mention that he can only take two more questions to ensure he sticks to his early promise of not sucking up their entire afternoon. So he moves on to another lady in purple. She stands with a smile. “It appears that your special friend seems to be making an impression on you. My particular question--”

“I’m sorry, what?” Calum interrupts. “Who’s making an impression on me?”

Her face falls for a moment, but she recovers with an awkwardly thick laugh. “I think it’s quite obvious.”

Calum’s brows furrow. Part of him wonders if this person is referring to you. But this hardly seems like the place for it. Perhaps there’s something else he’s missing. “Well, color me surprised, because I am genuinely unable to follow your logic and statement. Could you clarify what you mean?”

The woman laughs again, but she begins to fidget with the cap of her pen. Maybe Calum’s not wrong about his initial assessment. But the seconds tick on and he’s not sure if he’s going to gloss over it or let her sit in her discomfort. She finally speaks but her voice shakes, “I just-I mean it’s obvious between your speech before the vote and the photos now that have repeatedly surfaced.”

More now than ever Calum’s positive what she’s been trying to hint at--you. There’s hardly been news of the two of you lately, seeing as you worked, painted, and fussed over your siblings, Calum and you hadn’t been out in the public much over the last few weeks. Maybe there were pictures of your late night run for cookies at Calum’s insistence last week. But that hardly feels worthy of being brought up in a political press conference.

“I’m sorry. Can you remind me of your name again?” Calum asks. “I think I missed it initially.”

“Pamela,” she offers though she does have to repeat it given how softly she says it the first time. Like how Calum imagines a child reacts to getting in trouble--sheepish and embarrassed.

“And your press?”

“Times--Politics division.”

“Thank you, Pamela. I think given the particular reason for this conference this is not the place to divulge into personal affairs--mine, yours, or anyone else’s. Now, I do believe that Times sees you as talented and nuanced at political coverage, lest you wouldn’t be in the room responsible for covering their story about our meeting. I know this news is relatively small and for someone like you it may not take you more than an hour to write, edit, and publish. So let’s ensure that we continue to show Times your brilliance at politics. That sound good?”

She nods, fervently so that the strands she’d tucked behind her ear fall out again. “Ye-yes, Your Highness. I’m sorry.”

Part of him wants to say no worries. But he is a bit annoyed by such a comment she attempted to make, the things she might’ve been trying to insinuate. It could be harmless and it could’ve been so much more sinister. Calum merely nods. “Apology accepted. Now, what’s your question?”

“Thank-thank you. My question is, uh, in regards to the longevity of this new launch, can we expect this to be a long term investment in your tenor when you transition to take over for your father?”

Calum nods at the question. “As long as I remain at the helm, I do intend to continue to promote and invest in transparency on how the public can and should influence their government. The ‘Talk to Us’ is essentially launch zero, if you will. It’s, again, a function that’s been integrated into the site for years now. But I hope that these initial changes to its location help open the door for much more political discourse between the public and parliament.”

Her descent back to her seat is not graceful by any means. Pamela dives back to her seat and Calum feels a small pang of guilt in his gut. “Thank you again for your time,” Calum turns to address the entire room. “I fear we’re out of time for today. But I do greatly appreciate you spending your Friday afternoon with me. I hope you all have a great weekend.”

Calum steps away from the podium and sees Pamela still buried in her pad. Perhaps, she hadn’t meant harm, but the more Calum let slide, the more people would feel brave with their off handed comments, or worse probes into his personal life. This is a world he’d learned to navigate thanks to the years he’d been raised in. You deserve any and all amounts of privacy that can be scraped together.

His phone is returned to him when Calum returns to the wings. “Great work out there,” Miranda comments before she turns back to her iPad.

Calum watches her squint, releasing a sigh before he reaches up to her hair and takes the pair of red glasses down. She’d finally caved in getting the prescription but still refused at times on wearing them. “You might even be able to tell me I did a better job if you could see it.”

“Well my hair’s made the lenses greasy,” she huffs.

Calum offers his spare handkerchief tucked away into the inner pocket of the suit jacket. “Keep it for the sake of your eyeballs please.”

Miranda hums at the offer, which Calum knows will most likely be her only response to it. “I’ll keep an eye out for the response about Pamela’s probe. Should we ask Times to not put her back on the rotation?”

This question sounds genuine and when Calum turns the corner, he risks a glance over to Miranda. Nothing follows the question--no quip, no retort. For a moment, Calum’s positive it’s a trick question but the silence lingers and weighs for longer than usual. “Uh, she asked a good question in the end.”

“Yes, she did. But from what we’ve discussed, we are in the ‘loose lips, sink ships’ position. And this is your relationship, so speak now before I make the call.”

“Don’t box her out,” Calum returns. “Doing so might send too strong of a message and we’re not really in a position to bring down the hammers.”

Miranda nods. “Could make us look desperate and unfair too. You handled it exceptionally well though today, so I am very proud of that. Next week, the fitting is scheduled as a heads up for the charity event. This does mean, I have to ask, will you and your partner be walking the carpet together? We wouldn’t want to use this event for any sort of announcement, but if the two of you are comfortable with the idea, then we’ll need to just review the etiquette for the event with them.”

Now that’s the kind of question expected from Miranda. Direct, no nonsense, objective focused and lasered in. “I’ll talk to them. They’ll be on display with their painting though and my volunteer time.”

“It’s whatever the two of you decide. I’m just saying should you two walk the carpet together, we make no announcements. You walk, you talk to a couple reporters that are outside but you don’t say anything about the relationship. Even if asked.”

Calum nods, tucking his folder up under his arm after pressing the call button for the elevator. Miranda’s right. The charity event would not be the right place for him to say anything. And he’d be a hypocrite now after handling Pamela to try and steal the stage for such an important event. The two of you could walk it separately in blocks close to each other--he goes first for a minute or so and then you follow. But the two of you would inevitably wind up locked arm in arm as the night progressed. But to walk the carpet together and explicitly not answer any questions would be more awkward in the end. Though, it would matter at the end of it what you preferred.

“How much should I bet that you need a final decision by the time we meet for the fitting?” Calum asks, letting Mirand into the elevator first.

Miranda snorts at the question. “I wouldn’t bet anything you couldn’t afford.”

You’re supposed to be going back home tonight after your shift. Though it feels like a good portion of your belongings have drifted into the palace, you spend a decent portion of your time at your own place too. Where you live is technically closer to your job and easier on your car for sure. Calum takes a look at the time. It’s pushing just a couple minutes past four pm. The dinner rush would undoubtedly be starting in the next hour or so and Calum knows he can’t squeeze any extra time out of his day.

But he spies a text from you, from ten minutes ago, and wonders if he could snag you still once he gets back to his office. The preview of the text stares back up at Calum, Have I ever told you just how…. It piques his interest and he swipes to start input his passcode. “You’ll have an answer Monday,” Calum returns to Miranda.

“Sounds good.”

Have I ever told you just how hot it is to watch you in that suit dealing with the press? Because if not, I really should tell you how hot it is to watch you in that suit dealing with the press.

Another text comes through just as Calum starts to type.

In all seriousness, thanks for handling that particular comment like you did. I know sooner or later things will come out in the open, probably the charity event undoubtedly, but it means a lot for you to still keep this close to the vest still. And you are hot too, which helps. Love you.

The doors open again and Miranda gestures in Calum’s periphery. He looks up to see her holding out his handkerchief. “Thanks.”

“Didn’t I tell you to keep it so that you have no excuses for not wearing your glasses?” Calum laughs.

Miranda’s body half way between the doors keeps them from shutting but she eyes him, lips curled up in an unamused smile. “I think it’s a little inappropriate.”

“And I think you should be able to see.”

“Take it,” she orders, waving the cloth at him to take it. “I have a lens cloth in my office.”

Calum edges closer to the opening of the machine. She refuses to meet his gaze and it makes the suspicion increase tenfold. “Show me. Because if you’re lying.”

“Oh, fine,” Miranda huffs. “I lost it. The same fucking day I got the damn glasses and I lost the cloth.”

“Then keep it,” he laughs. “I’ve got too many of them anyway.”

“Thanks,” she mutters and then starts down towards her office.

“You’re welcome,” Calum calls out watching the doors slide closed.

His attention turns back to your text even with the tuft of laughter he releases at Miranda’s stubbornness. I hope I wasn’t too harsh on her. But thank you, baby. I’ll keep that in mind for later. He adds a winking emoji before continuing on, Is it bad yet for you guys? Love you more. He asks even though he’s sure he won’t get a response until either your next break or until you leave for the night. But he sends it anyway and swipes through his other missed messages.

There’s one from Luke in the groupchat, We’ve got Forest reserved at 5:00 PM the Saturday before Michael’s birthday. The restaurant does close earlier than most at 8 just as a heads up.

Calum hadn’t been fully aware that Forest was even an option for the dinner. He’d tossed out a few options, one was a sushi place that Michael loved for late lunch or a really early dinner and the other was a French inspired cuisine. But it wouldn’t shock Calum if he’d lost track of the names. It does make Calum wonder if it would be feasible to ask you to join. Would it be too awkward for you?

There’s a few more texts in the chat so Calum scrolls down. Ashton asks about the other options they’d discussed and Luke replied that they’d been booked for the time for the time or wouldn’t let reservations be made this far in advance. Forest has a three week window for reservations which allows them to get to the slot now. Given how rapidly schedules shift, Calum knows it’s better to take this now rather than wait too much longer.

Luke, how many did you confirm for? Calum asks.

They can only support a group of 12 max. So I went with that. I can keep checking other places too in the meantime.

Calum settles into his office chair, popping a few more buttons at his dress shirt. A text from Michael comes through. Forest is cool with me. My parents and I are doing things on my actual birthday. We should be good at 12. There’s you three, me, our plus ones and then a couple dudes I worked with previously I’d want to do dinner with. We can say 9 for a bigger group at some local bars and then call it a night by midnight if that’s cool?

Sounds good to me, Luke replies.

Cool with me, Calum answers and Ashton replies with the same sentiment of an affirmative.

Calum wipes to take him back to his text message threads and taps on your name. Michael’s birthday dinner is going to be 5PM on the 17th. It’s at Forest. Do you know if you’ll be working?

The answer feels like a no. You wouldn’t know because he doubts the schedules made that far out in advance. But Calum prays. He hopes maybe by the cosmos divine art you can see the text message here soon. A watch pot never boils and his eyes glued to the screen won’t make you respond faster. So Calum turns back to his office computer, saves some work for the templates, and data collection. It is a Friday and there’s very little work that he’ll be able to get done or want to get done at this moment.

The elevator settles and the doors open up to the residency hall. Calum, if he ever had a tie on, would absolutely be tugging it off his neck as he walks towards his bedroom door. Instead, he only has the buttons he works at on his shirt. There’s still no text from you. He knows the dinner rush has gone up in its major swing. But when his phone buzzes, and Calum checks it to be sure if it’s not you, he contemplates if he’s going to agree to the schedule he made of working out in the evenings. He knows he should. There’s been a lot of time spent indoors, cooped up by his computer and various documents. It’ll be good for him, even if it’ll hurt just a little, so Calum pulls himself free from the dress pants, shirt, and shoes. He dawns himself into the basketball shorts, his workout sneakers and a t-shirt. He even takes the stairs back down.

The air is crisp outside; it hits his lungs sharply and Calum’s grateful for it. The grass crunches just a little under his feet as he settles the free weights down. Calum starts with stretches, trying to loosen the left hip that likes to get a bit stiff on him. It’s an old injury, probably from one of the few times Calum pushed himself a little too hard in games. He hardly feels it when he’s on top of his physical therapy regime. But he falls off every few weeks when things get busy and the stiffness makes itself known more and more. Calum knows he should coordinate another appointment with his physical therapist about it. Maybe during the holiday break he’ll snag an appointment.

His headphones play a thrash of guitars, the high tssing of the symbols on the drum kit come filtering through. Calum pulls the dumbbell up, the tightening of his bicep letting him know he’s doing the exercise right. As much as it can feel like a drag, as much as the weights do get heavier as the sets go on, Calum finds the small sliver of peace. When he’s got no thoughts but keeping track of his reps. The motions are up and down, the brace of his core, the inhale and exhale. Calum focuses on the press, the pushing of the ground away from his body as he goes through a round of pushups.

Twenty-nine, thirty.

His music lowers for a moment, a chime louder than his music. Calum keeps pushing up, taking himself back down, and then pushing back up. Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six. Another chime cuts through.

Forty.

His knees brush the ground first as he releases his plank and digs out his phone. I wish I’d seen this sooner, reads your reply. Turner just asked me if I was okay with working that day because of a large party and I said yes.

Calum pants, the sweat running down the lines of his face. Though it’s cold outside, the jumping jacks, the exertion of his exercises have made him sweat. Calum can’t lie, part of him is tempted to ask if you could switch out the hours, but he knows. You’re not just working to kill time in the day. You’re working to survive. You’re working to take care of yourself and potentially as it looms your siblings too.

Calum wipes at his brow before working over the screen to reply. Well, the invitation for you to join for drinks after will still stand if you’re up for it.

Sounds good. I’ll make sure Michael’s well taken care of though. Promise. To make up for missing out on the festivities, could you find out his favorite sweet treat?

Calum nods without thinking. I will. Let me know when you get home, yeah?

Of course. Also, to answer your earlier question: it’s busy as fuck. I’m literally in the freezer right now trying to compose myself just for a second.

Calum snorts at the mental image--you in your uniform tucked into the walk-in freezer. But he also knows what it means, just how busy things have gotten. A piece of guilt rises up in his throat, like bile it burns. He’d never meant to make things worse. He never meant to put you in such positions. But nothing changes what’s happened. The only thing now is forward. The only thing now is what could be made of what’s happening in the present.

Tell the tomatoes to be kind to you, Calum replies.

“Don’t tell me I need to call the nurse with the way you’re breathing.”

Calum looks up to his father, who grins down at him. Calum laughs at the quip, as patchy as it comes. “No, no need to call the nurse.”

“Dinner’s ready, you know. Pretty sure it’s some fancy pasta I’ll never be able to pronounce."

With how thick the early evening is around them, how dark it is for only how early it feels, Calum is not shocked that it is dinner time. He nods, wiping at his dripping brow again. “I need to clean up but I’ll be there in a minute.”

His dad lingers and the words are pressing at the back of Calum’s teeth, if everything is okay, but his dad beats him to the punch. David grunts as he lowers himself into the grass next to Calum. “You’ll help me up, right?”

“Yeah, Pops, I will. What’s up? I thought dinner was ready with some fancy pasta you can’t pronounce.”

“It is, it is. But I was, well, I know there’s been a lot of conversation that’s sort of up in the air about when me and your mother are going to take a step back from the game. And I know it’s something you’re thinking about. You did real well in your press conference today. I do think that sometimes the best solutions are the most simple ones. I just wanted to see when the two of us could really sit down and talk about what that transition will look like and when we’re both comfortable with it. And, and I’m not asking we do it right now. But soon, in the new year, we look at our schedules and find a good day for it.”

It’d been an ever approaching deadline--something that would happen and would happen sooner rather than later. But it still felt far away in praxis. Transitioning of power was a thing that was approaching but it hadn’t hit the horizon. Now, though, as Calum watches his father, he thinks perhaps he’d been counting on at least a couple more years, something closer to thirty than not but nothing ever happens like anyone wants for it too.

Calum nods though at his father’s request. “Yeah, we can find a time for that.”

“Good, good,” David returns, patting at Calum’s knee. “And things are okay? Anything you need to talk about?”

“Things are okay.” They’re far from perfect, but they’re not bad. Yet, Calum doesn’t voice that. The balance in the universe was not to make things perfect by his definition.

“That doesn’t sound too convincing. You alright?”

“It’s--it’s just life, Dad. You know? Every up has a down.”

“What kind of downs are we talking?”

From the night, Calum catches the scratch of the crickets tuning up for the night time songs. The darkness is closing in rapidly and ruthlessly. As much as Calum did want to voice his concerns, he also knows his father is going to be a solution oriented person. The second a problem crops up, his father wants to find a solution for it. Calum’s not really looking for solutions right now. “It’s anthills,” Calum answers. Because they are, they are small concerns in the grand scheme of everything. “But I can handle them. I know I can.”

“Well, if you need reinforcements, I got your back.”

“Will do, Dad. Thanks.”

“And, and if you need to just vent, I’m here for that too.”

It’s anthills. And they were small, but still mighty. “Guess, it’s just sort of scary to know I’ll actually be taking over, you know? It was real, but was always sort of in the distance.”

“It is scary,” David agrees. “It’s very scary. But just because you’d be taking over doesn’t mean I’m not there to help. Consider me a consultant.”

“What’s your retainer fee?” Calum jokes, watching the grin bloom on his father’s face.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. But it’s okay if it’s scary. You’re human doing something new for the very first time. It’s going to be scary. And the next time you do something for the first time, that’ll be scary too. But the more you do the things, the less scary it gets you know. It’s like when you learned to drive. You were terrified to get behind that wheel. But look at you now. A driving whizz. It’ll take you some time, but I’ll still be there for you. Promise, son.”

It’s reassuring, certainly. Calum won’t be doing it all alone, but it’ll be his face and his name that’s riding on everything that comes after the transition. That’s the part that terrifies him. Yet, Calum can’t control what hasn’t happened yet. To worry about what hasn’t happened wouldn’t only serve to paralyze Calum in the long run. But the fear bubbles, like a pot left on simmer, Calum can feel it in his gut. It’s going to be a strange time. “Thanks, Pops,” Calum offers softly.

“You’re welcome. Now, help me up, yeah?”

Calum laughs as he works himself up. “No one told you sit down on the grass.”

“Oh, hush.”

It’s with a few grunts, but Calum helps his dad up. “You good?” Calum asks and gets a nod in response. “I’m going to get these weights inside and at least wash my hands and face before joining you and Mum.”

“See you inside.”

Calum’s left with a pat on his back, but as the night chirps around him, he hopes that he’s not really alone in all of this. The weights are a little heavier than they were before but Calum gets them up with no issue. He ducks into one of the bathrooms on the first floor, washing his hands before splashing water over his face. He watches the water drip down his chin. He wants to tell you--how scared he is, how much he doesn’t want to do this, but knows he’s got no other choice. But will it seem trivial?

Yet somehow right behind the doubt, he hears your voice, telling him that it doesn’t matter if it’s small, all that matters is that he’s scared. And that it’ll be okay. It’ll be okay, Calum chants to himself down the hallway and back into the kitchen. It’ll all be okay. Because it has to be okay. Because it’s been six years of Calum in Cabinet and it’s all worked out so far. So it’ll keep working out in the end.

“Oh, you stink,” Joy laughs, as Calum slides into the bench across the table.

“I washed my hands and face at the very least,” he grins-- a rule ingrained into him from his childhood.

She shakes her head, sliding the plate closer his way. “At least there was that.”

The warm water is a welcomed reprieve, after dinner and clambering his way back upstairs, Calum can feel himself craving bed. It’s early, he knows. But the fear from transition is heavy on his bones. It’s not even late enough for you to be off work so he can’t call as you drive back to your apartment. And he wants to stay awake long enough for that, for the hum of your drive and the soft lull of your voice.

But in the stillness, Calum holds to the quiet voice in the back of his head. What will it all mean when he takes over? All the while you asked him what he wanted to do, what really made him happy, and all the while Calum answered that he would always do his duty, he would serve. And he’d be proud to serve; he is. But his father has already been the crutch. Calum’s never been on his own doing this. Does he actually want to do it? Or is this just the natural reaction of fear?

It all feels like being underwater. When he falls into his mattress, Calum feels the whoosh of air like a head ducking under the surface of water. There is a world above him--the duty he’s always followed, the path that always felt like loomed before him no matter what twists and turns he took in his life. But he is in the water, arms scoping water at his sides to keep him afloat and his movements feel slow and sluggish. Is this really all that he’s wanted? Could it all be just the things Calum’s told himself to believe so it makes it feel less like force and more like choice?

The ticking of the clock is long, but at some point his ears goes numb to the sound, focused instead of keeping up with the race of his thoughts. He chases them round and round as they go.

The ringing of his phone pulls him back up and out of the rush and thump of his internal dialogue. Calum fumbles for a moment to get the phone off the charger, but when he finally gets a firm grip, he answers the call.

“Hi, love,” you answer--certain and confident that it’s even Calum who’s answered.

“Hi, baby,” he returns, falling back down into the mattress again.

“What is it? Something on your mind?”

“How’d you know?” he laughs. To him, he sounds all the same. But the immediacy in your question makes him wonder if he’s really as good as he thinks at keeping things under wraps with you.

“Just a feeling,” you return.

“I think my number’s been called. Dad wants to talk in the new year about transitioning out of power.”

You hum. In the background, Calum hears the beeps of cars, the rush of the wind as you walk, probably to your car. “It was always coming. But I sense something more.”

“It’s scary. Didn’t think it would be so soon. Don’t know if it’s fear or genuine how much I’m worried about taking over.”

“Fear of what?” you question. “Fear just because it’s new or something else?”

Calum pulls his phone from his hear, tapping to switch the conversation to speakerphone. It’s buying him time. Because if he says it out loud, it feels like he’s making it true. But he’s not going to hide from you. He won’t let himself do that. “Fear that I don’t know what I really want.”

“We’re all afraid of that.” Your voice echoes against the four walls of his room, fills the space in such a way that he could hardly imagine that you’re just in the bathroom.

“You seemed pretty confident about cooking.”

“It’s a means to an end. Something that I can use anywhere to make ends meet. I like cooking, at the end of the day it helps me not feel so bad about life. But I don’t know if I was put on this planet just to cook or not.”

“I guess that’s the question, huh. Have I been put on this planet just to work in politics?”

“Well,” you start, a pause echoes with the thud of your car door. “Have you? Have you been put on this planet just to work in politics?”

He wants to say no. But if he’s honest, this has always been the end of the line for him. Taking over as King was his finish line. That was the stamp on his youth, to mail it off and close down the chapter. Calum’s always thought that this is in fact the end. It’s a means to an end. But even if Calum wants to agree that he hasn’t been put on this earth just to wind up as King, he doesn't know what else is there?

“But what am I if not meant to be King?”

“Well, you’re Calum. Who trained for a summer in Brazil for football, who plays the guitar, writes some songs. You’re Calum who loved his dog for every second he walked the earth. You’re Calum who baked his mother a birthday cake and it actually held together. You’re Calum, who manages to find just the right words when they’re needed, who loves deeply and selectively. And you’ll be so much more too. But the truth of the matter, you will never find that answer in a day, in just one conversation. It’ll take years. You’ll be a King, and work in politics, and be so much more. This is not an either-or situation, maybe. I know I asked previously about it. And I apologize if that made it seem like you had to choose. Perhaps, you don’t have to choose.”

Perhaps, you don’t have to choose. “Yeah,” Calum agrees, gaze focusing in on his ceiling. He does actually miss those stars now that he thinks about it. He wonders where he could find the stencils again. Would it be stupid to paint them back? “Maybe you’re right.”

#calum hood #calum hood fanfic #calum hood fic #calum hood au #prince!calum #calum hood x reader #calum hood x gender neutral reader #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fic #5 seconds of summer fanfic #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #5sos imagine #calum hood imagine #calum hood series #h writes

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nicksbestie · 8 months

Note

can you write where you secretly adopt duke for cal’s birthday? please 🥹🫶

Birthday

(okay so for the sake of this fic Covid-19 started in January of 2020 not March)

word count : 1260

warnings : none!

enjoy!

Calum’s birthday was coming up and you desperately wanted to surprise him with something big, but you had to try and figure out what.

He deserved something huge, and while money wasn’t an issue for the two of you, you still had to pick a reasonable thing to get for a gift. It took you a few hours to come up with something, but eventually you picked one. Calum had been desperate for a dog since you two had moved in together, but since he was always running around and on tour, and you had a busy job as well, having a puppy just wasn’t going to work.

The dog wouldn’t get the attention and care it truly needed, despite whether or not you cared for the dog. But now, you were both at home, due to Covid-19, and nobody was really going anywhere. It was a perfect time to get a new animal, and you weren't the only one who thought so. You had seen Calum’s camera roll, and it was filled with dogs and puppies of all breeds. So, you decided, you were going to get him a puppy.

It wasn’t going to be easy to keep it a secret from him, but you went to an animal shelter the day before his birthday, and spent so much time with all of the dogs. It wasn’t until you got to the very last one that you felt a strong connection to him. He had been there for five months, and his age was estimated to be about one year old. His name tag on his cage read “Duke”, and when you read his estimated age, you were happy to see that he was a younger dog, which was what you were looking for.

He was black and white, and very fluffy, and you knew Calum would fall in love with him instantly. So, you went up to the desk to start filling out the adoption papers. When you were talking about which dog you wanted, you learnt that he was already house trained, which was a wonderful thing to hear, because as much as you wanted a dog, you were dreading cleaning up poop from around the house until he was trained. You paid his adoption fee, they put a travel leash on him, and now, you and Calum had a dog. But where was he going to go for the night? You smirked, calling up Ashton, knowing he had a soft spot for Calum.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Ash! Can I ask you a favor? But you have to keep it a secret.”

You could pretty much hear him raise an eyebrow before he agreed, humming an affirmative.

“I got Calum a gift, but I need you to keep it at your place overnight because he can’t see it until tomorrow.”

Ashton sounded a little hesitant, mostly confused.

“You can’t wrap it?”

You laughed, trying to cover it with a cough but miserably failing.

“No, I can’t.”

Duke chose this moment to see a squirrel on the side of the road, losing his absolute mind barking, and of course, Ashton heard.

“Did you get him a dog?!”

You smiled, petting Duke on the head and getting him to hop down from the window.

“I did. So, can you keep him for the night? He’s already house trained.”

Ashton sighed, but you could hear the smile and knew he was relenting.

“Yes, bring him over.”

“Okay, thanks! See you soon.”

Before getting to Ashton’s house, you stopped to get him a water and food bowl, as well as some dog food. The shelter had given you the brand that they used to feed the dogs, so you picked up a bulk bag of that, making sure he had everything he needed. You also got him a bed, a soft fluffy one. Arriving at Ashton’s, you walked up to the door with Duke, and he sat right outside with his tongue hanging lopsided out of his mouth. As Ashton opened the door, you could see the last of his resolve fade away as he immediately crouched down to pet him, picking him up in his arms and cooing at him.

You unloaded the things, helping Ashton set it up for the one night, and laughing when Ashton just waved you off, promising you he could handle it. After about an hour, you left, feeling that Duke would be safe and loved for the one night before you brought him home the next morning.

–

The next morning, you had woken up before Calum, and had gone to pick up Duke. Ashton was quite reluctant to let him go, but you promised he could come over later to celebrate. He was currently outside, and you were setting up Duke’s things in the living room. His bowls were in the kitchen, but his bed was right next to the couch. You went to wake up Calum, smiling as his eyes opened and he sat up, yawning.

“Happy birthday!!! I hate to wake you, but I need a little bit of help this morning.”

You didn’t need any help, you just were incapable of keeping the secret any longer. Calum smiled, even wider when you pressed a soft kiss to his lips, laughing when he tried to pull you back into bed with him.

“Aww, come on. It’s my birthday, you’re not going to cuddle with me?”

You grinned, pulling yourself free.

“Trust me, you’d rather get up.”

This piqued his curiosity, and he got out of bed, sleepily following you to the kitchen. You acted like you had no idea what was about to happen, smiling as he just followed you around like a lost puppy, pun intended. You had a few gifts wrapped on the table, noticing him eyeing them like a small child. You pressed a kiss to his cheek, moving behind him to fill Duke’s water bowl. Calum hadn’t realized it yet.

“Before you open anything, can you let the dog back inside? I forgot to do it before I came and woke you.”

Calum was used to dog-sitting for his friends, this phrase being not completely unfamiliar to him, and so it took him about thirty seconds to realize what you just said.

“Yeah- wait. What?!”

You smiled as he basically sprinted to his sliding porch door, his hands clapping over his mouth when Duke sprinted over to the new human being, his new owner. Calum immediately dropped to the ground to pet him, laughing and smiling as Duke licked all over his face, spinning in excited circles as Calum petted him. Calum picked him up and walked back inside, disregarding the open door as he looked at you in shock.

“You- you got me a dog?! You got us a dog?!”

You smiled, pulling out your phone and taking a photo as Calum held the dog up to eye level, setting him on his head and posing in the kitchen, smiling like an absolute fool. You picked Duke up off of Cal’s head, holding him for a selfie with the three of you.

“He’s ours? Like, forever?”

You nodded, handing him back to Calum as he set him down and watched him spin from excitement.

“What’s his name?”

“I got him from the shelter, his name is Duke.”

If Calum smiled any harder, his jaw might’ve broken.

“I love him. Best birthday ever.”

Calum spent the next three hours teaching him tricks, and if Duke ate his body weight in treats, all it showed was that he was loved.

#5sos fic #5 seconds of summer fanfic #5sos fluff #5sos angst #5sos #5sos x reader #5sosfam #calum hood x reader #luke hemmings x reader #boyfriend calum hood #duke hood #calum's dog duke #calum is a dog lover #calum hood fluff #calum hood birthday #asks with aus

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suchalonelysunflower · 1 month

Text

Den of Vipers

Sinners and Saints: Chapter 1

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

Word count: 5.8 k

Summary: Devastating news forces you to knock on the door of the last person you’d ever want to see.

Warnings: Death, murder, blood, guns, mentions of drugs, abuse, torture, kidnapping, language. Some gramatical errors (English is not my first language, I’m sorry)

Author’s Note: Hiya! Welcome to my new series. I won’t have a taglist anymore, so any way you can support this, whether it is a reblog, comment or like, would be very much appreciated ❤️ Hope you like it and Happy reading 🌻✨❤️

Series Masterlist

The roaring sound of the engine could be heard from your room, distracting you from the book you were so comfortably reading. A smile crossed your features as you jumped out of bed and made your way outside.

The sun was starting to set with the golden hour on the horizon. The image of your brother’s back walking out the door welcomed you for just a moment before you decided to jump on him, immediately making him drop the small amount of luggage he was carrying.

“Since when do you leave without saying goodbye?” You laughed, perfectly koaling your way along his broad back.

The perks of being a little sister: you’re never too old or too heavy for piggyback rides from your siblings.

Luke groaned a laugh “Since I figured I could be free from your ass a few minutes longer”

You jumped off him “You don’t mean that”

“Of course not,” He smiled, pulling you into a hug. “I was going to go up to your room in a few minutes”

It was always like this when he had to leave. Ever since he started helping your father at work, he’s been gone most of the time, barely having any time for you. It was no secret that Luke was your favorite amongst your brothers, nor did he hide the fact that you were his favorite as well. It was just the way it is, having just two years distancing you of age he became your best friend from the beginning. And it was not like you were allowed many friends either - or rather, no one wanted to be your friend because of your last name.

Luke got that, everyone in the family did. But growing up made it harder for you than your brothers. Being the only girl in the family does that.

“How long are you leaving this time?”

Luke sighed “Dad said it’s only for a week, but you know him”

“So I should expect you by the end of the month” You answered him, trying to hide the hurt in your smile “Can’t you come back early? At least for a few days?”

“Why?” He asked with a puzzled expression “Is there something important happening or…?” You punched him, he laughed “Of course I’ll try to be here for your birthday, little thunder”

And if Luke said he would try, he meant it.

He kissed your forehead before a loud honk could echo throughout the house.

“Someone’s impatient” You rolled your eyes.

“We gotta love him” Luke shrugged, grabbing his luggage and giving you one last look “Take care, Y/N”

“You, too! I’ll see you when you get back”

“I’ll bring you a present!”

You stayed at the door until you watched the car disappear through the gates. Little did you know what would happen next.

The brain works in funny ways. Always reminding you of things you would rather forget.

It’s been a week since “it” happened, but there wasn’t a day where you didn’t relieve it at least once.

The rain against the window; the loud knocks on the door. You were sitting in the kitchen, putting the last candles on your birthday cake, anxious about the promise Luke made you as you looked at the clock. How did they let the police just pass through the gate like that? Maybe the guards knew it was urgent. How you walked down the hall, careful just to eavesdrop without being noticed, just in time to watch your mother fall to her knees, her beautiful party dress ruined as the most horrifying sound left her mouth.

Then, it was all a blur.

People dressed in black. Your father having meetings after meetings behind closed doors, always catching your eye before the familiar click of the lock filled the silence. How the rain felt against your skin as the casket containing your brother's body was lowered down to the ground, never to be seen again. Your mother’s tears. The fake “I’m sorry for your loss” speeches. Your father's stone-cold expression as his hand covered your shoulder with some sort of affection. The silence that came afterward.

But it couldn’t end like that. It wasn’t right.

“We need to find him,” You told your father after the funeral.

He was sitting behind his desk, looking the oldest you’ve ever seen him. His eyes weren’t even focusing on you, almost as if he were also lost.

The first time he lost a son, Ben, your oldest brother, it made him cold as ice. It helped him build the empire he had now, grown on the blood of the enemies he took down along the way. You were just a child then, not older than thirteen, but you remember how fast things started to change. How friends stopped being friends, how business never meant the same thing again, how your mother stopped smiling as the jewels in her chest started growing.

But this is different.

“Dad,” You begged, hating how you sounded like a little kid again.

“There is nothing we can do, Y/N,” He said, coldly.

That’s who Robert Hemmings was, never sugarcoating anything. He tried, albeit your mother’s begging, to keep you out of the know of the family business. You were their only daughter, their little Angel, what good would it do to drag you into this world of madness and blood? It seemed like she didn’t know you at all.

“So you’re just going to sit there and do nothing?!” Your voice rose with every word.

Your father didn’t dignify you with a response, instead, he chose to sit back and close his eyes. For the first time in years, you realized just how old your father was getting. The creases upon his face were as deep as the dark circles under his eyes. His white hair was getting thinner by the hour, and the spots on his skin seemed to be growing.

For a second you wondered just how much time it had passed since you saw him smile, since you spent time with him like you used to when you were a little kid. But you were not a kid anymore, and the man in front of you did not seem like your father at all.

He seemed tired, he probably was after all of this. But you were tired as well, tired of so, so many things that you were done keeping quiet for.

“He is still out there,” You said, more quietly this time “I know he is”

“Y/N…” He sighed, rubbing the pads of his fingers on his temple, trying hard to come up with the right words before he exploded in a fit of anger as he usually does with his subordinates “You heard what the police said. You read the reports even though we told you not to-”

“The reports said they only found one body, dad. One!” You wanted to scream, to shake some sense back into him but for what? You could already see the lost battle before it even began “Maybe Luke wasn’t in the car, maybe-”

“The car was completely burned out! They found his jewelry, some bones- Y/N I don’t know how else to tell you! They’re dead!”

“Jack is dead,” You said somberly “Jack’s body is the only one that they found. Jack’s the one six feet below. Not Luke”

Robert sat back in his chair, shaking his head as you continued with your ranting.

“The bones couldn’t be identified, so it could be one poor soul that got the short end of the stick. It could be one of the collateral damage, as you call them, right dad? Could be fucking anyone! Luke could still be out there, he could be in trouble and we’re sitting here doing nothing-!”

A loud bang interrupted you. Your father’s fist was tense over his desk after he banged on it, not caring about the glass of water that tipped over and was now spilling over the edge of the mahogany. The vein on his neck was trembling as well as his jaw, but his eyes weren’t focused on you. Instead, he looked down, eyes wide and unreadable with every emotion hidden and swallowed by his pride.

Still, that didn’t scare you.

“Jack would’ve wanted for us to find him”

“Don’t you fucking talk about your brother” Robert spat.

“Someone has to!” You stood up, letting the foot of the chair drag against the floor. You have never stood up to your father before, but it was time to change some things around the Hemmings' household “You know I’m right”

“Y/N, Luke is dead,” He said, finally looking straight at you. The helplessness in his eyes took you by surprise “The sooner you accept it, the better. The ceremony for his remains will be-”

“No! That’s not him!” You nearly cried, but you promised yourself not to. Not in front of him. Not ever “I’m not going to mourn a stranger standing in his place”

Your father just shook his head, letting his hands distract him as he sorted out the papers on his desk.

“Dad,” You demanded his attention, leaning over his desk “Dad!”

No response, no reaction.

“Fine,” You said, voice laced with anger “I’ll go find someone who will pay attention to me”

You started to walk away, not looking back as your nails dug into the flesh of your palm, cutting the skin to distract you from crying out of rage and disappointment. This was not how you expected he would react. You didn’t expect him to give up just like that.

The merciless boss of one of the biggest mafia rings in the country… giving up for his son.

“Y/N,” He called out before you closed the door behind you, making you stop in your tracks but you refused to look at him “I’m thinking of selling the business”

Those words left you frozen in place, a drop of cold sweat dripping down your back as you turned to him, clear fear in your eyes.

“What?”

Robert, stoic as usual, didn’t look up as he signed over something.

“The Luccas made an offer” He explained in so little detail “I believe it’ll be for the best”

“For the best?!” You scoffed, feeling completely betrayed. A new low you believed your father could never be able to reach “For the best of whom? Your conscience? Breaking news, dad. You don’t have one. Cause if you did, you would never-”

You pressed your lips together, shushing the lump in your throat that threatened to escape in a sob. You took a deep breath and turned to your father.

“I hope you know this is the last time I’ll ever talk to you again if you dare to sell it to them. To him”

“That’s not your decision to make”

“Then consider me dead along with the rest of your children. You’re good at that”

The banging on the door was heard all over the house along with your shoes stomping on the floor.

He could laugh. Was it possible that they were that stupid?

It wasn’t a rare occurrence for Calum Hood and Michael Clifford to come at him for help, but really? Drugs?

“This has to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever asked me,” He said, both Calum and Michael shifted a little in their seats.

There they were, sitting in comfortable velvety cushion seats with leather handles; drinking a whiskey that was probably older than them; hands adorned with expensive jewelry and dressed in the finest suits they could afford. And they were afraid.

It was normal, of course, to feel intimidated by him. After all, his reputation preceded him as one of the deadliest men in the country. His successful deals gave him millions, and the ones that weren’t as successful still made him a threat. Men feared him or wanted to be him. Women fell at his feet on their knees and not just to beg for mercy.

There was no wonder why he was nicknamed “Lucifer” given that his eyes resembled the evil and cruelty of Alexander Cabanel’s painting. There was no good left in him, not that anyone knew. Not that he would show proof of that.

Ashton Irwin was a proud man, a respectable man. And the two men in front of him knew it, so why waste their time?

Both Calum and Michael were famous around town as well. The prodigal son, Calum Hood, became a household name after he took on the family business after holding his father at gunpoint to sign the papers for him. Soon, he enlisted Michael Clifford, a wizard in technology and heir to his own fortune - albeit a bit small - as his right-hand man. They made themselves known in the business, and even Ashton had to admit that it was surprising how quickly they went up the ladder amongst the other families he knew. But, as any rookies, they made a few mistakes and asked a lot of favors that they were now trying to amend.

“Calum, how’s your girl?” Ashton asked, leaning back on his chair, pretending that their request was never asked in the first place “Still running that bookshop back on Seventh Street?”

The smirk on Ashton’s face might not have meant anything else but a taunt to Calum. But the latter didn’t like the way he said it, almost as if he knew that his girl was his only weakness.

“She’s good” He answered, trying not to give him the satisfaction of seeing him affected.

Ashton hummed, looking at the third guy who was standing near the mirror on the wall.

“It’s not nice to bring security and bodyguards for a talk with friends,” He said.

“Is that what we are?” Michael asked, “Is that what we’re doing?”

“You tell me, Clifford. Cause I know for sure that if you came to me as partners then we wouldn’t even have this conversation” Calum opened his mouth to speak but Ashton silenced him “Because as you know, I don’t make deals with lost causes, and right now I’m seeing two in front of me”

“Ashton-”

“There’s a thing called “unsaid agreements” in this business, Calum, I know you’re familiar with that. And that is we don’t shit where we eat. We don’t sell drugs in this city, we don’t make deals with the locals, and for fuck’s sake we don’t owe favors to the ones that don’t comply with this agreement” He pointed his finger at the two men in front of him “And you two fuckers did the three things together”

“Well, what choice did we have?!” Calum asked “The Luccas were threatening to take over our territory and-”

“And I don’t give a fuck about the Lucass’” Ashton spat “In fact…”

In one swift move, he took a gun under his desk and shot the security guard right in the head.

“WHAT THE-”

“FUCKING CHRIST”

The two men yelled and jumped as the gun went off. Splatters of blood could be found in their clothing and faces, but nothing compared to the smear of blood and brains that now dropped from the mirror. Ashton, as usual, sat back in his chair with a smirk and hid the gun. Not a single drop of blood hit him or his desk.

“WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!” Calum yelled, trying to wipe the blood from his clothes, showcasing his lack of knowledge of the business.

“Cause he was wearing a microphone you jackass!” Ashton spat “Hidden on the belt, look it up”

Michael leaned down and he in fact found a small microphone hidden behind the buckle. He sighed as he showed it to Calum. The two men looked back at Ashton with tired looks filled with anger and embarrassment.

“Another advice,” He said “Don’t fucking invite newbies to “important” meetings”

“You think you’re so smart…”

“I know I’m smart, Hood, and I’m the best there is in this business so don’t you fucking forget it. There’s a reason you came to me and not to the bloody Bermans” He got up and walked up to Calum, grabbing his chin and pulling his closer “I’m the only chance you have but I don’t even know if you two idiots deserve it. So, admit it, Hood”

Calum rolled his eyes, but Ashton tightened his grip.

“Say it” He nearly whispered, looking straight into his eyes.

“Jesus fuck, fine. We need you, okay?”

Ashton smiled, letting go of Calm and patting him on the cheek “Atta boy”

Just in time, someone knocked on the door before opening it. A young blond girl dressed in a white crop top and leather pants peaked inside, only showing half of her body but her whole face.

“Sir?”

“Lauren, not now”

“There’s someone here to see you”

Ashton rolled his eyes “I don’t have time for it right now. Whatever or whoever it is, it can wait till at least for the cleaning to come up”

“I don’t think it can wait, sir. She’s very insistent. I’ve been trying to hold her back for twenty minutes now” Ashton gave her a look that made her roll her eyes “She says her name is angel and that it’s urgent”

Ashton perked up at the name. Slowly biting the inside of his cheek, he nodded and turned back toward his desk.

He clicked his tongue before looking toward Michael and Calum, and then back to his assistant.

“Bring her in and send the cleaning team to at least remove that idiot, please” Lauren nodded and closed the door. He looked at his desk, putting away some papers as he nonchalantly said “You two, out”

“What?!”

“This isn’t over, Irwin-”

“Yes, Clifford it is” He stared at them but barely raised his head “Now get the fuck out before I make you”

Ashton could only hear a string of murmured curses and then the door closing with a bang. He smirked, “Angel,” He whispered to himself in a singing, mocking tone “What have you gotten into”

The blonde girl looked familiar. Her smile showed some kindness that you weren’t used to seeing around these places, even when you first encountered her behind the bar. She didn’t ask questions other than your name and the reason for your sudden visit.

“He doesn’t see people without a previous appointment,” She said, handing one more beer to the drunken men who slurred their thank you’s to her.

“What, is he a doctor?” You chuckled humorlessly, but the girl didn’t laugh along with you. her bright blue eyes just showed pity and understanding. You sighed “Look, tell him is angel, he’ll see me”

The girl shrugged “I can’t promise you anything, doll. Just wait here”

Once she was out of sight through a backdoor, you took your time to scan the place. Ashton did outsell himself with this one.

“The Den of Vipers” was the most popular club in the city, having opened ten years ago when Ashton took over the family business, it was still filled with clients who wanted to get lost for a while. Ashton was good at making people disappear, and it showed. This place screamed his name wherever you would look.

The floor was a dark marble with white gold lines separating the tiles. There were booths against the walls, all made of velvet cushions and leather. The lights were low, and changing from blue to purple, to green and then white again as the music played, it was impossible to keep track of the people there thanks to it. The bar itself was made of bulletproof glass, standing proudly and mockingly in the middle of the dancefloor, surrounded by different bodies lost in the mindless music the DJ of the night put on, almost in trance and unaware of the things that happened behind the scenes.

Of course, this whole charade of a humble business owner was just Ashton’s front to the authorities - even though they always seemed to be on his side, many times you heard your father complain about it - but you knew the reality. In fact, you were sure that when the girl came back, you’d be led through the backdoor and into the real building. You’d walk through careful hallways that will eventually lead you to the owner’s real office.

And that is exactly what happened once she came back and guided you through cushioned, sound-proofed walls covered in dark green velvet. The lights of the halls were dimmed, giving the feeling of being watched at all times like a haunted house. And you wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case, after all, Ashton could be anything but careless when it came to a negotiation.

Which is exactly why you’re here.

When you got to the door of his office, you didn’t need to knock as the door opened immediately. Two guys dressed in black came out carrying a bodybag, leaving the door open. You rolled your eyes because, of course, Ashton would make a big show.

“I’ll take it from here,” You said to the girl, giving her a small smile that she mirrored.

The first thing you saw when you came into the office was the desk. It had nothing but some papers and a lamp, no sign of family pictures or hobbies. It was common for the “big bosses” to keep their workplaces clean of any personal relationships, but coming from Ashton it seemed pretentious - at least for you.

The mirror still had blood stains on it and you could tell they were still fresh, even so you didn’t look twice. Blood and guts are not something that shocks you anymore, and that realization came with a whole can of worms you weren’t ready to open up yet. There were some stains on the floor and what you could assume was gunpowder residue, so you were careful not to step on those.

“I’d apologize for the mess, princess. But you and I both know it doesn’t matter”

You turned to find Ashton with his back facing you as he fixed a drink on his personal mini-bar. His broad shoulders and back were covered with the finest of suits - from Milan, everyone and their mothers wore clothes from Milan - his hair was longer than the last time you saw him.

When he turned around, however, it seemed like nothing had changed.

He looked mature, of course, twelve years can do that to someone. But his eyes were still the same shade of hazel you remember, only a bit more sadist. He looked good, and somehow you hated that. It was time to put the past in the past where it belonged and stop the memories before they cloud your mind. Still, something inside you kept telling you, urging you to let yourself go. What did it matter how he looked? But that thought came late for the half smile he wore as he walked up to you, made you realize that he caught you staring.

“Here,” He said, handing you a glass of whiskey and coke. How’d he know your favorite drink? that was a question for another time “I assume you’re a big girl now, princess”

You glared at him as you swallowed the whole glass in one go, never taking your eyes off him and his unimpressed look.

“‘m not a princess” You said, dryly “And I can make my own drink, thank you”

You pushed past him and walked toward the mini bar, fixing yourself another drink. It was clear that you didn’t need it, your mind was screaming and begging for you to keep a clear head while you were ahead and in front of Lucifer himself. But something in his smile… the way his eyes still treated you like a child, so condescending, brought something in you. A chance to prove yourself in front of him.

All your life you had to prove yourself in front of men like him. In front of women who think they were better than you because their hands didn’t get dirty as yours did. In front of your parents. Of Luke… How long until they realize that you are where you belong?

Once you finished making your drink you turned back to Ashton. His eyes roamed your body, shamelessly, he licked his lips briefly before a smug grin adorned his face, eyes looking straight at you.

“I can see that,” He said, leaning against his desk “So, angel, haven’t heard from you in a while”

You rolled your eyes “Don’t call me that”

“You’ve never seemed to mind it before”

“I’m not here to reminisce about the olden days, Irwin” You spat.

Ashton whistled “So the bitch can bark! Impressive. Who would’ve thought that the balls of the Hemmings family were hiding behind their youngest?” Your face turned red in anger as your fingers tensed around the glass. Ashton noticed and tauntingly walked toward you with a smirk and leaning to whisper in your ear “But guess what? Y/N, you still can’t bite”

Your body became hot at his proximity. The smell of his cologne filled your surroundings as the rage - or something else, something new - inside your stomach kept boiling. But before you could push him away, he was already pulling apart and going back to sit at his desk.

“Tell me, Y/N, what is a Hemmings doing here all by herself? Has daddy finally kicked you out?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat, looking down unable to meet his eyes. You can’t believe you’re doing this, not with him. But there wasn’t any other choice.

“I need help,” You said, hating how those words sounded coming from you.

“Everybody does” He shrugged “Doesn’t mean they’re going to get it-”

“Ashton,” You finally looked back at him. The urgency of your voice and the fact that you called him by his name for the first time since you came here, took him by surprise as he listened “Jack’s dead”

Ashton’s eyes remained unchanged at your words, looking straight at you while his fingers played with his rings on the opposite hand. From his reaction, it was hard to guess that once upon a time he and the Hemmings’ siblings were inseparable, Jack being the closest of age to him and one of his first friends. Your eyes begged for him to do something, say something. To show you any indication that he might help.

The bond between your family and his broke a long time ago. You were barely a child, but you knew there was no going back to the summers filled with laughter and joy you all shared. In the blink of an eye - or at least that’s what it felt like as a child - The Irwins and the Hemmings were sworn enemies. And the friendship you had with Ashton vanished in thin air.

You and Luke took it the hardest, begging your mother to help you call the Irwin household so you could talk to Ash. Never understanding why suddenly her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head no and told you to play something else.

“He hates us,” Luke said to you once. It was another boring afternoon after you suggested calling him again. But Luke’s eyes were cold as ice, scaring you as he said “And we hate him”

And for a while that was it. You weren’t going to go against your brother, so the subject was finally dropped and you haven’t seen Ashton since. Or at least that’s what everyone thought.

But now, years after the fallout, you were hoping somehow that those words were a lie. Maybe Ashton could still hold some kind of fond memory of your families together. Anything to make you believe he might help you.

“My condolences,” He said after a while, no emotion hidden in his voice.

His comment made you angry, “Is that it?”

“What else do you want me to say?” He shrugged “People die every day, Y/N, it just the way it is”

“He was murdered”

“Shocker” Ashton scoffed with sarcasm “He was never the brightest of lads.”

“It was an ambush,” You said, unable to stop. “They were driving back home in the middle of the night when a string of bullets came raining down on the vehicle. Jack could barely escape before they found him and slit his throat. They burned the car afterward. And Luke-... Luke’s missing, Ashton”

Ashton nodded, pressing his lips in a thin line “He’s probably dead”

“No, he’s not”

And maybe it was because of your determination, or the look in your eyes when you said it, almost as if you believed it. But Ashton grinned at your statement.

“No,” He said, “He’s not”

A small breath of relief escaped your lips. Finally, somebody believed you.

“Would you help me?”

“No”

“What?!”

Ashton shrugged “Why would I help you, little Hemmings? What makes you so entitled to come here and ask for my help after what your family did?”

“My family?” It caught you off guard, what did he know that you didn’t?

“And why aren’t they helping to find their beloved golden child?” Ashton mocked, standing up and circling his desk until he was once again in front of you “All the stories we hear about the young, promising Hemmings… I’m sure they were not talking about you”

You felt your cheeks heat up at the comment, grip tightening around the glass, nearly breaking it.

“I am shocked that they didn’t start a search party already. Has daddy Hemmings opened his eyes to his karma yet? Why should I care? Matter of fact, why should you?”

“He’s my brother,”

“Cute. Not enough, but thanks for trying” He nodded toward the door “See yourself out, angel. This isn’t your castle”

Ashton turned around, not even giving you a second glance. Your hand reached out to him, grabbing him by the arm and making him stop. There were probably a few people who could do that to him, even fewer the ones who were still alive to tell the story. He turned his eyes toward you, curiosity and anger hidden in those hazel marbles staring back at you and then at your hand on his arm.

The tension was clear, but it was a little too late to rethink that mistake. If this was your only shot, then you had to take it. You owe that much to Luke.

“I- I have no one, Ash,” You said, looking down, ashamed of your statement and how weak you sounded.

Ashton didn’t say a word, he didn’t move away either. He stood there, waiting for you to continue. And for the first time in a long time, you felt relieved that someone was at least willing to listen.

“I left them,” You told him, looking straight into his eyes “I left my family because they did not believe me. They can’t find Luke, they won’t even try. He’s the only person I have left and I won’t rest until I find him, with or without your help”

Ashton grinned maniacally, a shadow appearing in his eyes as he looked down at you. Now you understand why they called him Lucifer. For he once was one of God's most beautiful angels, but temptation and his own ego were his doom. And, as he leaned down, you couldn’t help but be entranced by that wicked smile as he said, nearly whispering.

“And what are you willing to do, angel?”

It was a challenge, you could see it in his eyes. A bait to lure you into a trap. And you took it.

“Anything”

Ashton’s smile widened as he freed himself from your grasp and walked over to his desk to grab a set of keys, pressing a little button on it.

“If I’m going to help you, little Hemmings - and I’m not saying I will just yet - you’ll have to resign your name and what comes with it. I’ll be dead before I help a Hemmings out of the sheer kindness of my heart”

You rolled your eyes “You don’t have a heart, Irwin. Is that all you want? I told you I left my father”

“I don’t need a rogue princess fumbling with my business” Ashton scoffed, “So whatever I say goes. You’re working for me, Hemmings, not the other way around” He walked closer to you again, his chest nearly hitting yours “If I say go, you go. If I say we stop, you stop. If I say get out of my sight, you better pray your little feet move fast. I don’t care who you are, what you are, or what you represent. If you fuck with me, I’ll fuck right back. And I go hard, angel. No intentions of having any kind of mercy. Understood?”

You challenged him with a look, trying to figure him out. But time was running out, and you didn’t have any other option.

“Yes.” You said, dryly.

Ashton clicked his tongue “Yes, what?”

“Don’t push it, Irwin” You took a step back “So, we have a deal?”

The doors to the office opened and two large, muscly men dressed in suits came in and stood quietly but threatening at the door. You crooked an eyebrow and looked back at Ashton.

“Friends of yours?”

“Acquaintances,” He said, walking over to them and getting out the door, only stopping for a second “You comin’?”

The two men walked behind you as you followed Ashton through the halls that first brought you there. The image of his broad shoulders walking under the low lights and out toward the club shielded you from any distractions. He would sometimes glance over his shoulder, a teasing smile pulling at the corner of his lips when he noticed you were still walking a few steps behind him.

People at the club were sweaty and unashamed. Bodies grinding against one another and along the beat of a dark EDM song. Some women and boys would walk up to Ashton, letting their hands grace the skin of his face and neck or arms as they each seductively said hello to him. It seemed as if they were enchanted by him, moved by a spell of lust as their eyes would meet his. They wanted him, they all wanted him. Ashton would smile, say their names, and acknowledge them with a hello before moving to another person, another step toward the exit.

Ashton led you through a door that led to another dark hallway. The music sounded muffled through the walls, blocking your ears at the sudden change of environment. Ashton walked a few steps ahead before he stopped and turned around toward you, hands in his pockets as he looked at you and grinned.

“Now what?” You asked, annoyed “Any other fan of yours that we need to greet?”

Ashton chuckled and shook his head.

“No, just precautions”

“Precautions? Why would you-”

“Sorry, angel”

And with a snap of his fingers, the world went black.

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