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valentiyne · 7 months

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𝖺𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 716 ❀ 𝗅𝗎𝗄𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗆𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

Luke Hemmings x Fem!Reader Summary: Paper-thin walls and numerous noise complaints.

FULL BOOK: MIDNIGHT | L.R.H Warnings: None! Slight swearing if you squint hard enough Word Count: 2.8k Copyright © 2023 Valentiyne. All rights reserved. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format.

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Game Night was hosted every third Friday of the month. Cramped in the new tiny apartment, 7 friends and their significant others wound up on my shitty couch shouting nonsense at each other.

The living room consisted of the old couch, my TV on top of a cardboard box I hadn't quite unpacked yet, and numerous card games.

Holding the slip in my hand, I eye the timer in front of me on the makeshift coffee table My eyes scanned the paper quickly before jumping up and snapping my fingers, "Okay okay, it's born in the water but moves onto land when older."

My friends stare at me dumbfounded, their minds elsewhere as I furrow my brows and tap my feet numerous times. "Come on guys, it's what a tadpole turns into when it's older!" I'm practically yelling now, eyes darting between my friends sitting down and the tiny timer on the table.

"A baby turtle?"

"Andddd time"

I groan in annoyance, dropping the slip of paper while walking back to the spot on the couch, and plopping down with a huff.

"A baby turtle? Seriously?' I scoff, rolling my eyes at my friends who couldn't contain their laughter at my obvious annoyance.

"Okay I'll go nex-", My friend Abby was cut short by a knock on the door. It wasn't necessarily a pound, but it definitely made all of us go silent.

We all look at each other quickly, almost mentally counting everyone to make sure it wasn't an expected visitor.

I slide off the couch, my eyebrows raised for a moment before I walk towards the door. Standing on my tiptoes, I look through the peephole to see my next-door neighbor, Lucas, standing there with an annoyed expression painted on his face. I sigh and unlock the door, poking my head out with a smile.

"Are we too loud?", I ask with innocent eyes, my bottom lip tugged into my teeth as I speak quietly. Lucas gave a friendly smile, his eyebags hidden behind his eyeglasses as he turned to point at his door, "I know it's a Friday night but I'm really busy in the studio tonight... kind of hard to concentrate when there's a bunch of girls next door squealing over....?"

I finish the sentence for him, "If tadpoles are baby turtles." I rub the back of my neck shyly, laughing almost to myself.

"Right yeah, is there any way to keep it down just a tad?"

I give him a thumbs up before we part ways- him rubbing his eyes and kicking his door shut with his bare foot and me turning around and closing it softly. My friends all huddled up behind the door, eavesdropping on our conversation, and as soon as the door shut, they all squealed quietly.

"Oh my gosh! Y/n!", My friend Abby gushing, nudging me with her shoulder harshly. "You never told me you have huge chemistry with your neighbor?"

My eyes grow wide and my hands shoot up in defense, "Oh no- Lucas? He's just a neighbor"

All of my friends' eyes were on me now, and an awkward silence fell upon us. I give a mere shrug before walking back over to the coffee table to scoop up all the cards spawled across it.

"Game night at mine next time?", Abby asks from beside me, picking up the numerous cups with mysterious liquids in them with a disgusted look on her face.

I just nod in response, shoving the cards in their rightful places before sighing softly. We said our goodbyes with platonic kisses on the cheeks and dramatic waves before I was left alone in my apartment again.

It was cold, empty, and dead silent in here- completely opposite of the neighbor beside me I'd assume. My bedroom was similar to the living room- a tiny mattress rested on the floor and my toiletries were packed away in numerous boxes I was too lazy to unbox. My head hits the stiff pillow below me and I could hear Lucas in his bedroom strumming his guitar, humming to himself lowly.

It was a little after one o'clock in the morning, but he seemed to be wide awake singing.

"some things are meant to be secret and not to be heard"

It had officially been two weeks since the game night and two weeks since he came to my door. Lucas and I would occasionally make eye contact on the way to the mailboxes or even hold the elevator for one another- but not a single word was shared between us. He was always in his own world, his head bobbing to an imaginary beat inside his head.

Every night I could hear him singing to himself softly, the wall dividing our bedrooms was as thin as paper. The occasional groan and the sound of notebooks hitting the wall distracted me on nights I needed to sleep, but I never once said anything to him. He was a musician- and a very good one to say the least. I didn't want to be the annoying next-door neighbor.

I swing my door open, looking out into the hallway and scanning each door before finally averting my eyes to his own. The wrench in one hand was held on with a tight grip while the other hand carried the TV mount at my side. I could hear the sounds of various instruments being played from behind his door, his voice clearing every few moments to restart a lyric if it didn't sound right the first time.

The hand that held the wrench swung up, knocking on his door a few times before I took a step back and awkwardly looked around the hallway once again. The sounds from behind his door abruptly stopped and I could hear his heavy footsteps making their way towards the door now. Taking one more step back, I watched as Lucas opened the door and looked down at me,

"I'm sorry, am I being too loud?", He cheekily asked, a smile painted on his lips.

"No no, you're fine.", I laugh at his innocent teasing, quoting our most recent encounter. "I was actually coming over to see if you knew how to mount a TV", I poke my head around his figure and motion towards his apartment, "but seeing as you're busy-"

"I'm not busy." He corrects me, leaning inside his door to grab his keys before turning back towards me and grabbing the box from my hand. "Let me help you out, it'll take 10 minutes tops."

It didn't take 10 minutes. Hell, It didn't even take 30 minutes.

There Lucas and I both were, tools of various shapes and sizes sprawled out across my apartment floor and a cheap bottle of wine I found at the back of my fridge.

"Lucas are you sure you know how to-"

"It's Luke and yes, I know how to do this", he grumbles nonsense to himself as he flips through the instruction manual for the third time tonight. I sighed to myself slightly, trying to keep myself from laughing by taking a swig of the wine.

"Could always just use thumbtacks"

This makes Luke laugh, his eyebrows relaxing on his face and cheeks going bright red. He tosses the manual at me, and I put my hands up to defend myself.

"I'm pretty sure some thumbtacks couldnt hold a 35 pound Tv," He holds his stomach as he rolls around my floor, laughing loudly. I roll my eyes at this, groaning and tossing the screwdriver on the floor.

"Look, it's getting late. I'll just have you come over and do it another time.", I point towards the clock, which was held up with thumbtacks, that read two o'clock in the morning.

"Oh shit, sorry I totally spaced it," Luke stands up now, gathering up his tools quickly and giving me a crooked smile. "I'll swing by sometime this week to help you, I promise." I'm smiling now, shooing him out the door quickly.

"Yeah yeah see you later, rockstar", I tease and close the door abruptly, only to be stopped by a foot in the way.

"What are you doing tomorrow?", The way his eyes glimmered in the hallway light, his hair slicked back from sweat and cheeky dimples appeared as he smiled at me.

"I have finals tomorrow morning, and I'll probably be dead by the time its over- anytime after that I'm free.", I groan dramatically and push my palm into my forehead.

Luke just nods, freeing his foot from the doorway, and gives me a thumbs up, "I'll be sure to be quiet tonight so you can get your rest." I thank him kindly and give him a soft wave before closing the door behind him.

Luke was anything but quiet. I tossed and turned throughout the night, pushing the pillow closer to my ears as I heard him attempting to sing a lyric he wasn't even finished with. if there's one thing I've learned about him in the month and a half I've known him- he was a perfectionist. He sang the same things over and over countless times making sure it was absolutely perfect.

"Cause all these bodies are hoping to get addicted-"

I swing my arm up, smacking on the wall a couple times before groaning and letting it fall to my side once again. His side of the wall went silent immediately, the shuffling of papers and a small mumbled "sorry" was heard.

Luke had avoided me from that point forward: he didn't hold the elevator for me nor did he come and check his overflowing mailbox.

I found myself at his door once again, knocking in one swift movement before clearing my throat. I could hear him shuffling around his apartment, a loud thud followed by a "shit, one second!".

The door opens and a dripping-wet Luke is before me, a towel tightly wrapped around his waist. I blink a few times, holding my gaze above his shoulders out of respect.

"Why are you avoiding me", I ask in a monotone voice, cutting straight to the point. He raises his eyebrows at this now, one hand sassily on his hip.

"Who said I was avoiding you?", He chuckles lightly and opens the door wider, motioning for me to enter. My nose is filled with the smell of the oven baking something sweet mixed with his charcoal body wash. I step inside with a smile, closing the door behind me.

Luke wipes the water from his face and turns away from me, entering his bathroom for a split second, leaving me standing in his kitchen.

I glance around his living room: Pictures of his friends and family are hung up neatly on the wall, his instruments are laid out on the floor around his couch, and his bookshelf is overflowing with numerous copies of musical books.

He emerges from the bathroom once again, now clothed in a sweatshirt and basketball shorts and the towel that was once wrapped around his waist was now encased in his curls.

"I was just going to invite you over actually," He laughs again, flashing me his million-dollar smile before pointing at his dining table. It was decorated with a lace tablecloth, a small bouquet of flowers sitting in a glass-decorated vase, and a plate of steaming hot pasta was laid out. I smile to myself slightly, looking back up at him before taking my seat at the table, he rushes forward, scooting my chair in for me before taking his own seat across from me.

"What's the occasion?" I ask while picking up my fork, poking at the seafood pasta that was professionally plated. If you would've told me he hired a chef to make dinner- I would've believed you.

"I was loud on the night of your finals and I felt horrible knowing I kept you up all night", He picks up his napkin and places it neatly on his lap, "I wanted to make it up to you after I mounted your TV buttt you showed up a little early", He teases.

I take a bite of my food, groaning into the fork with a muffled giggle as my eyes look up at his. The food was amazing, and the flavor was intricately picked out to perfection.

Going back, this perfectly proved my point that Luke was a perfectionist.

We found small talk, conversing over what I was majoring in and what he was busy working on.

"So the album is almost done, I just need to finish this last song," He shrugs his shoulders and scrapes at the remains off his plate. I smile to myself, looking up now with innocent eyes, "Maybe I can help?"

He stands up abruptly, turning around and opening the oven to reveal the freshly baked brownies he had made- from scratch may I add. I groan in anticipation and rub my hands together dramatically. He grabs the brownies with oven mitts, turning around and facing me.

"If you want to help me, I'll allow it", he laughs and places the pan down gently and walks towards his living room, picking up a notebook that was previously thrown across the room.

"Here", he places it in front of me, removing my empty plate and walking

The notebook was written in barely eligible handwriting, with numerous words crossed out and mental notes scribbled on the sides.

Some things are meant to be secret and not to be heard so if I tell you, just keep it and don't say a word. when the doors are all closing.....It's bound to get ?? all these bodies are hoping to get addicted to

The rest of the page was scribbled out, lyrics that never made the cut. I snatch the pen from the metal spiral holding the pages together and click it once.

"it's bound to get.... loud?" I scribble it down next to the question marks and look up at him, scratching his chin with a nod. His cheeks were red now, the wine flushing through his body.

"What rhymes with loud?"

I look up at him now, as he scoots his chair right up next to me to the point our legs are touching.

"Cloud, hmmm,"

"Sound," we both say in unison.

Luke claps his hands together and grabs the pen from my hands, opening the notebook to a new page and scribbling down the new and improved lyrics. I watch him closely, the way his eyes twinkled and dimples poked through when he was concentrating.

I was so screwed. I was falling for my next door neighbor.

I didn't see him for another two weeks, his side of the wall seemed eerily vacant and completely silent. I even knocked a few times in hopes he'd knock back in some sort of rhythm, but there was no response.

Hearing the knock on my door shot my body out of bed, sweat dripping down my neck and sides. I groan and tap on my phone to check the time, blinding myself in the process. The pounding never stopped, not until I stumbled out of bed and opened my door. My heart skipped a beat, praying that the blonde would be on the other side with that cheeky smile I adored.

"Hello?", I ask in a groggy voice whilst rubbing my eyes and squinting up at the person who disturbed my slumber- at 2 a.m. may I add.

Instead of a person, I was met with an empty cold hallway. I avert my gaze down and towards my door mat. There, set up neatly was a bouquet of flowers with a note tied to the front with white lace.

I smile at myself and crouch down, picking up the thoughtful gift and looking down the hallway one last time before kicking my door shut.

Y/n,

I'm sorry I didn't see you before I left. Our album releases at 2:30am today and I was supposed to leave at 2... I just knew I had to leave you something on my way out. I hope you like the flowers I picked out my mom helped me.

I'd have probably sent you the link to the album by the time you finish reading this note.

I'm going to be all over the world, touring and doing what I love. I can't wait to be back home and see you again, i'll make sure to facetime every change I get.

love,

your rockstar

I could hear the familiar ringtone from my bedroom, alerting me that Luke was a man of his word. I wipe a few stray tears and make my way to the bedroom, snatching my phone up with my free hand and clicking the link he had sent me.

This is the song I spent the last 3 months working on, keeping you tossing and turning until finally you perfected it.

Mp3.ifwallscouldtalk.demo

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one-time-i-dreamt · 5 months

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Luke Hemmings from 5SOS climbed through a window into a classroom I was in during a lecture (I think it was a more hellish version of didactics), set next to me, listened and took notes while my brain went “whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefUCK" and when the lecture ended he started to leave but I stopped him to chat for a bit and later told my sister about it.

I don’t remember her reaction because I was woken up by my alarm.

#dream #text #November 28th 2023 #luke hemmings #5sos #five seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer #classroom #school #didactics #sister #queueueueueueueueueueueueueue

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bibuck-saved-me · 6 months

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the doomed narrative of merlin and arthur

[in love with you - kenneth koch / astronomy - conan gray / something great - one direction / heartache on the big screen - five seconds of summer / not joking - the front bottoms / “bloodwater”, gravecleaner (2020) / skeleton boy - neon trees / crush - richard silken / coney island - taylor swift ft. the national / giovanni’s room - james baldwin / the post card: from socrates to freud and beyond - jacques derrida / ??? / the story - brandi carlile / terlingua - gregory alan isakov]

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jjsvalley · 3 months

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your honor i love him

#luke hemmings #music #5sos #luke 5sos #lrh #luke robert hemmings #5 seconds of summer #five seconds of summer #halsey #ashley frangipane

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lip-rings-and-quiffs · 3 months

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HE WAS ON A MISSION THAT DAYY!!!!

#omfg #LUKE. IN. WHITE.#makes me feral #luke hemmings #lh #lip-rings-and-quiffs #5sos #luke 5sos #five seconds of summer #5secondsofsummer #lrh #lu #luke robert hemmings

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lukel0ver · 4 months

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*:･ﾟ✧*: “𝔻𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕕𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕫𝕪, 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕗𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕤” *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

#five seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer #5sos #5sosedit #the 5sos show tour #5 secs of summer #calum hood #one direction #1d #harry styles #zayn malik #niall horan #michael clifford #lukehemmings 5sos #ash 5sos

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deadricslover · 4 months

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Sweet nothings

a/n: Don't even know how I came up with this one tbh but I'm depressed because tour is over so I've been thinking about the guys too much.

summary: After a long day, you finally get home and spend some time with your partner and your sleep app comes in handy the next morning.

warnings: None :)

pairings: Ashton Irwin x fem!reader

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Your ears got used to the car horns blaring and engines rumbling as you sat in traffic waiting impatiently to get home after a day that has-- for lack of better words, exhausted you. Those familiar sounds were soon interrupted by a sound that clashed with the cars and their horns. Your phone. You pick it up and glance at it quickly even though you are stuck in traffic that's not moving. You answer it and put it on speaker, dropping it onto your lap

"Hey, Ash" you say into the speaker

"Hey, you. Where are you?" he asks clearly wondering where you are as you should have been home almost an hour ago.

"Stuck in traffic." You sigh simply wanting to go home, see your partner, eat dinner whilst watching TV and go to sleep.

"Ah, I should have come to get you" he replies hearing your tone.

"That wouldn't have gotten me home any faster" you giggle

"I could have been there to keep you company at least. I've been home all day by myself" He hates being alone for too long, you knew this but needed to leave nevertheless.

"Would've could've should've" You reply not even thinking up of another answer for him.

You hear him let out a little laugh before informing you "You sound like a dad"

"Thanks, Ashton" You reply sarcastically. "I should be home in about half an hour" you let him know

"Perfect. I made dinner. I don't want it to get cold" he replies

"Ooh, what did you make?" you ask genuinely curious but also wanting to keep talking to him and not hang up

"You'll see when you get home." he tells in a sneaky tone.

"Ahh, I see" you understand "how was your day?"

"nothing out of the ordinary. Just played around with some songs for a while"

"anything good?"

"I'll ask the guys and see what they think. I'm not sure how I feel about them" he replies honestly

"they're better than you think. don't worry" you support

He thanks you and you wrap up the conversation with him nearing twenty minutes later as you were close to home. You lock your car and open the front door to your home dropping your keys inside the front door. Ashton comes around the corner when he heard the door open to greet you with that perfect, contagious smile that could brighten the gloomiest of days. You're greeted by the comforting scent of dinner wafting through the air. The soft glow of fairy lights adorned their living room, creating a warm ambiance-- one that you needed at this moment.

"you're home" he says, wrapping you in a tight embrace. The stress of the day seemed to melt away in that moment. His comfort was all you ever needed in life, his warm energy and personality.

"What's all this?" you ask, a curious smile forming on your face as you notice the carefully set table and the delicious aroma of your favorite meal.

"Just a little surprise for my hardworking girl" Ashton replied pulling away from you slightly to catch your reaction, his eyes sparkling with affection.

"Do you want to change first?" He questions letting go of you but still holding your hand in his lightly as if you were a delicate piece of art-- which to him, you were. You nod softly before leaving and changing into something a little more comfy. You take your hair down as you make your way back into the kitchen and see him dishing up two plates.

"no peeking" he says without even turning around to you, knowing you all too well. you smile and roll your eyes as if he would see and left the kitchen. he quicky follows you and being the gentleman he is, pulls out a chair for you before pushing you back in and hurrying off to get the plates.

Throughout dinner, Ashton couldn't help but constantly steal glances at you, when you weren't looking, in awe at the way your eyes lit up when you spoke your part of the conversation. As the evening went on, the atmosphere shifted to one of tranquility, the pair enjoying each other's company in the soft glow of the living room, catching up on some tv that you had missed the night before, before making your way to bed to wrap up the perfect night.

As you were exhausted from the long day you had, you slept almost instantly after finishing your night routine and got cozy in bed whilst Ashton brushed his teeth. He saw you wrapped up in the duvet all snuggled up and couldn't help but smile at you. Something about tonight was just so lovingly domestic that neither of you could help stealing glances at eachother and smiling to yourselves.

he turns off the lights and gets into bed next to you cuddling up. He couldn't help but admire you even more as the moonlight hit your sleeping face. He plants a kiss into your head and nuzzles his nose and face into you sweetly.

"I love you" he whispers. "so so much"

"I don't want to wake you, but I needed to say it" he adds

He whispers sweet nothings to you for a little while before eventually drifting to sleep.

The next morning you woke up without Ashton by your side. He had mentioned that he wouldn't be there and he would be at the studio with the guys when you woke up. You grabbed your phone as you sat down to eat breakfast and saw notifications from different apps. your sleep tracking app popped up and indicated that you had been sleep talking. Curiously you click into the app and press play on the audio and Ashton's voice reaches your ears. You hear all of the sweet nothings that he whispered to you when you were sleeping and couldn't help the formation of butterflies in your stomach. You decided to ask him about it when he came home later on that day. You got ready for work and left for the day.

Differently to yesterday, Ashton got you from work on the way home from being at the studio.

"Hey, Ash" you greet him, getting into the car.

"hi, my love" he replies placing a kiss to your face when you settle in.

after asking eachother about your days you decide to ask him about the sleep app.

"can I ask you something?" you question

"anything" he replies

you didn't know exactly how to go about it, but wanted to know that you knew so you decided to just play the audio for him. he glances over you slightly confused until he realizes what's going on. He goes red and looks away embarrassed about what's happening. he doesn't regret it, but wishes your stupid sleep app hadn't caught it.

"turn it off" he laughs gently pushing the phone out of your hands.

"you're so sweet" you tell him, placing your hand on his that's on the gearstick showing him there's nothing to be ashamed about.

"shut up" he shushes you, still smiling as he puts his hand on your thigh momentarily.

You finish the day exactly the same as the previous day, but Ashton makes sure to block the permissions from your sleep app so that it doesn't catch anything else. He isn't upset that you heard, and to be honest, he's not all that embarrassed, because he says this stuff to you all the time but it's just the fact that you caught him. He wouldn't change that you heard it though.

#ashton irwin #ashton irwin x reader #ashton irwin fluff #five seconds of summer #5sos #five seconds of summer x reader #5sos x reader #deadricslover

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agent-grey-fics · 11 months

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Mutuals I need your help with my thesis!

I’m writing my thesis on fandoms and I’m including a part about Tumblr. I’ve talked with people irl but now I’m wondering ‘why didn’t I just post on Tumblr?’

So I’m wondering: How did you endup on Tumblr and why do you like this platform in connection to your fandoms? reblog this or send me a DM with your answers, everything will be anonymized!

Stay golden!

Lexi

UPDATE: i submitted my thesis a couple of days ago so feedback isn’t needed anymore. Thank you so much for all the replies!

2nd UPDATE: I graduated!

#fandoms #marvel #peaky blinders #house of dragons #one direction #cosplay #anime #thesis writing #joining fandoms #harry styles #avatar the last airbender #avatar the legend of aang #gaang #the umbrella academy #casa de papel #shameless US #outer banks #five seconds of summer #Niall Horan

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prfctplvces · 6 months

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#5 seconds of summer #five seconds of summer #5sos #moodboard #aesthetic #5sos moodboard #ashtonirwin #ashton 5sos #calumhood #calum 5sos #lukehemmings #luke 5sos #michaelclifford #michael 5sos #2014core #2014 grunge #2014 tumblr

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wokeup5sostrash · 7 months

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9/9/2023-I love this! 💥💥💥

#5 seconds of summer #luke hemmings #needed this #sierra deaton #calum hood #5 sos #ashton irwin #michael clifford #5sos #five seconds of summer

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valentiyne · 7 months

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𝗅𝖺𝖽𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗆𝗉 ꕥ 𝖺𝗌𝗁𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗋𝗐𝗂𝗇

Boxer!Ashton Irwin x Fem!Reader @bartxnhood Summary: Wrong place right time or right place wrong time? A/n: This is a work of fiction: I am aware Ashton is a sweetheart Warnings: A-hole Ashton, Major swearing Word Count: 2k Copyright © 2023 Valentiyne. All rights reserved. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format.

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Irwin vs. Hemmings

Tonight 6pm @ The Lola

My ears were ringing from the loud shrill of the bell above me. There were numerous people in the makeshift ring in front of me, but two of them caught my camera's attention: One guy with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes, and the other being blonde with piercing blue orbs staring into the crowd. My camera hung around my neck, gripped into my hands to ensure It wouldn't fall in any way.

"In this corner, we have Dr. Flukeeeee", The crowd goes wild once the blue-eyed boy walks into the middle of the ring, beating his chest. I raise my camera quickly to snap a few photos, making sure I have every perfect angle.

The people around me towered over me, my hair pulled back into two tight braids with bows at the ends, and the minimal clothing I wore to try and fit in. There was no way anyone would believe I belonged here- I was a college student who had an assignment to capture an "adrenaline high" photograph with an unexpected muse.

"And in this corner, we have Smashtonnnn Irwinnnn!", The referee shouts into the microphone, the crowd jumping up and down as the shaggy-haired boy walks forward with a mere smirk on his face. He seemed modest about the situation, his body relaxed and his eyes filled with confidence and determination. I end up sandwiched between two older men, my camera squished up against my chest and I try and get a good look at the two.

The two boys set themselves in position, their mouthguards tucked away in their mouths before the bell goes off once again.

The blonde is the first to move, stepping forward and throwing a right jab at the brunette. In return, He jumps back and begins circling around his opponent with locked eyes. They're both breathing quickly, sweat dripping down their foreheads and backs.

The brunette throws a left hook, his bare fist colliding with the blonde's jaw, sending him flat on his back. The crowd collectively let out gasps and I inch my way through the crowd, squeezing my way to the front. I reached the front of the wave of people, my camera raised up high and taking as many shots as I possibly could get being this close. The blonde stands back up, staggering slightly as he regains his balance and spits out a mouthful of blonde.

"Oh my god", I whisper to myself, looking around at the sea of people shouting nonsense and threats to one another. A few threw money at the judges, betting on the two and who'd knock each other out first. I couldn't tear my eyes away, no matter how much I wanted to. The sight before me was gorey- blood combined with sweat or spit laid out on the floor.

I took as many pictures as my storage card allowed before lowering the camera right as the brunette walked toward his corner and sat down. His face was mangled, blood dripping from his mouth and nose and all over his white uniform. I stood directly behind him now, his back shining from the bright LED standing light. His crew sprayed water in his mouth and patted him down with cold towels, screaming insults at him to get his adrenaline flowing. I look up at him, his eyes averting from the ring and to his coach who crouched next to him and spoke in his ear. His head immediately swung back and his hazel eyes locked with mine for a moment, a puzzled look on his face as he looked between me and the crowd.

The bell rings one last time, signaling the last match is beginning and he tears his eyes from mine quickly and stands up while shoving his bloodied mouth guard back into his mouth. He stumbles his way back into the middle of the ring, his body begging to drop but he continues forward. The blonde throws a jab, missing the brunette by mere inches. He takes this as an opportunity and swings quickly, his bare fist colliding with the other's jaw with a loud crack.

The bell dings multiple times indicating that the brunette has won the match.

The crowd erupts around me, pushing my body forward harshly and I have to huddle myself around the camera to protect it. Everyone shouted nonsense towards the ring, the blonde laying face down as blood poured out of his lips and nose- he was alive thankfully but was unconscious.

The bodies swarmed around me, chanting the last name of the winner and I could feel myself get pulled further down and towards the cold concrete beneath me. I attempted to balance myself, putting one hand on my camera and the other in front of me incase I did go down.

I suddenly feel a pair of calloused hands wrap around my underarms, pulling me harshly upwards back onto my feet, and through the crowd. My camera dangles around my neck and my body gets pulled forward, leading me towards an unmarked hallway. It was too dark to see, my head spinning as I try and collect my thoughts and make out what was going on.

Am I seriously being kidnapped right now?

I look down at the hand that was tightly wrapped around my wrist, blood seeping through the gauze wound around it and down my wrist. I look up now, my eyes meeting with the familiar hazel ones from before.

"What are you doing?", I finally ask, tugging my hand from his reach. He winces slightly as my hand drags across his own, retracting his quickly and furrowing his eyebrows at me.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" His voice is hoarse, slipping out from his lips like sandpaper.

I look at him taken back, eyes wide as I cross my arms over my chest and try my hardest not to breathe in the overwhelming smell of metal that was coming from his figure.

"Excuse me?", I scoff, holding up my camera at him with a smug expression coming from my face. "I'm taking pictures"

"Well sweetheart, I didn't pay for a fucking personal photographer," He snatches the camera from my grip and examines it for a moment before slipping the storage card from its rightful place and dropping it to the floor.

"And I sure as hell didn't pay for a fucking cheerleader." He raises his foot slightly and stomps it down on the ground, destroying the card right in front of me.

"What the fuck", I gasp and reach down quickly, his foot gently pushing on my hand to stop me from reaching any further. I groan and stand up again, leaning down to grab his hand tightly in my own.

"What the hell", He hisses and attempts to pull his hand back, earning my other hand to grab ahold of it.

"Why did you curb-stomp my SD card, asshole." He laughs now, his shoulder raises into a mere shrug before he tears his hand from mine. He takes the small towel from around his neck and wipes beads of sweat from his forehead, his eyes locked on mine for a few moments before speaking,

"A girl like you shouldn't be at an illegal match like this- and certainly not taking fucking photographs while she does it."

I blink in response, watching his every move before he sighs and takes a step back to run his bruised hands through his hair,

"Look, I'm sorry I broke your shit. I just don't need you involved in this and being a witness to the brutal shit that goes on in here," He motions to the crowd of people that were chanting his name just a few doors over. I cross my arms over my chest again, narrowing my eyes at him,

"You just ruined my final for my photography class, hope it makes you feel any better", I bend down, scooping up the remains of my once full storage card and placing the remnants into my back pocket. He stares at me dumbfounded, looking between me and my camera before his lip is pulled in by his teeth,

"I'll make it up to you, just not tonight."

I scoff once more, raising a hand to flip him off before turning on my heel and making my way back the way we came. The crowd seemed to be growing louder by the second, with numerous people screaming that the cops were coming and I stopped dead in my tracks. The brunette's hand stops me once more, this time a gentle grip loosely encasing my own.

Pop Pop Pop

We both flinch now, his eyes darting behind me as the crowd begins screaming louder. From what I could gather, someone had shot the gun in the air.

"Don't go out that way," He pleads, his eyebrows relaxed on his face and the smell of blood only growing stronger with every step closer he takes.

"Just get me the hell out of here," I plead.

The brunette led me down the maze of a hallway, his hand hovering over my lower back as we sped walked together. My heart was beating out of my chest, ears still ringing loudly, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see him turning around every few moments to make sure no one was following us both.

He pushes through the heavy metal doors with a hard shoulder shove, motioning me to exit first. The air was cold, and I could hear the police sirens growing closer and closer. The man in front of me remained calm, almost as if he's gone through this every night now- which he probably does.

"Did you drive here?", He asks quickly, scanning the parking lot for any sign of a car that could've been mine.

I sigh softly, looking back at him with a deadpanned gaze. He groans in annoyance and grabs my upper arm quickly, jogging through the alleyway and towards his truck.

"You must be stupid if you think I'm getting in a car with a stranger," I halt in place, looking up at him with an emotionless expression.

"My name is Ashton, now get in the fucking truck before the cops arrest us both," He opens the passenger door of his truck harshly, letting go of my arm and jogging to his side. I slide into this passenger seat quickly, my feet clambering over the mountain of beer cans on the floor. If I had any time to spare, I'd bitch about the uncleanliness of the truck but Ashton climbing in after me and reversing out of the alleyway tore me from my thoughts.

"Holy shit, Ashton", I gasp and fumble with my seatbelt, clicking it in place and giving it a good tug as he swerves onto the main road. The sirens were only growing louder and I could see his bruised knuckles tightly gripped against the steering wheel, blood trickling down his arms and staining the cloth seats. His eyes focused on the road, not worrying about the flashing lights of blue and red that were now behind us.

"Ash-" I begin, my hands holding onto the handlebar above me with one hand while my other grabbed his forearm to steady myself as he weaved in and out of lanes.

"Stop", He said firmly, looking over at me in his passenger seat with a frightened look on my face.

And for the first time tonight- He smiles at me.

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