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kindahoping4forever · 3 years

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I Want Your Midnights // Ashton Irwin

Happy 2021 everyone! Thank you to everyone who feverishly (yet politely) requested a follow-up to Under The Christmas Lights; those holiday fics were really fun but kind of a lark and I didn’t expect that any of them would get that kind of reaction! I hope this continuation lives up to your expectations.

Big, big thanks to @cal-puddies for setting me back on the right path more than once while I was writing this - I honestly gave up about halfway through and she (lovingly) refused to let me give up so if you enjoy reading this, it’s because of her tbh.

Warnings: Equal parts fluff, banter and smut, mentions of quarantine, frantic resolution of sexual tension, protected sex within a new relationship, references to consensual voyeurism, masturbation and oral sex on a male, oral sex performed on a female, discussion of and use of sex toys, single joking use of the word “Daddy”

Word Count: 5675

Hoe For The Hoe-lidays Masterlist

Masterlist // Taglist and Ko-Fi linked above

Let me know what you think!

11:29pm, December 30

“So we really overestimated our self-control skills tonight, didn’t we?”

Ashton laughs raspily at your comment, the sound travelling from your phone speaker straight down your spine, giving you chills. You prop your head up on your pillow, gazing towards the direction of your window, towards his bedroom window, a sight you’d become quite accustomed to these past few nights.

You’ve talked to Ash everyday since your feelings for each other became obvious and ever since your Christmas encounter when your intentions for those feelings became explicit, you’ve spent your nights engaging in some sort of mutual self-pleasure either via text, phone call or window watching.

Tomorrow the quarantine you both agreed to will be over and you'll safely celebrate New Year's Eve together; earlier, the two of you decided you should forgo your nightly socially distanced rendezvous in the interest of building anticipation for your imminent in-person one. But you were already in bed when Ashton called to ask if there was anything he should bring tomorrow and one suggestive comment led to another and before you knew it, your hand was between your legs yet again.

“It’s my fault, I asked what kind of chips you wanted me to bring, I should’ve known that would get you hot and bothered,” he jokes, the sound of him pulling tissues from the box on his nightstand now a familiar tune to your ears.

“Pretty goddamn slutty of you, honestly,” you laugh giddily.

“Can’t imagine what you would’ve done had I asked if I could bring soda as well,” he cracks himself up.

You giggle, “Ohhh, listen, if you talk Dr. Pepper to me, I’ll have no choice but to break quarantine and have my way with you right now.”

“Explain how that’s supposed to deter me from the subject,” he teases. You hear his sheets rustling and know he’s settling back into bed. He exhales loudly before admitting, “I’m nervous for tomorrow.”

"Aww, why? It’s just me… just us.”

Ashton is quiet for a beat before answering. “I think part of it is it’s been a long time since I’ve had something to look forward to,” he ponders. “But also… I can’t remember the last time I wanted something… someone… this badly.”

Your heart feels like it skips a beat, like it always seems to around him, since the day you moved in over a year ago. “It’s gonna be good, Ash,” you quietly reassure him, reassure yourself. “We’re gonna be so good.”

10:45am, December 31

You wash your breakfast dishes in record time, focused on all you need to do to finish your work day and get ready for tonight; it’s only when you’re drying your hands that you mindlessly glance up and notice the sight before you.

You look up just as Ashton, midway through his daily workout, is reaching to peel off his white tee that’s mostly soaked through; you find yourself staring as his muscles flex, tighten and relax again as he pulls the material off his body and then uses the discarded shirt to wipe the sweat running down his chest and neck.

He takes a swig from his water bottle before he starts up again and you hear yourself audibly gulp as he bends and stretches, giving you the opportunity to admire his ass and thick thighs in his athletic leggings. You watch his body and lose yourself in thoughts of him hovering above you, moving over you the way he's moving over his mat on the deck.

The alarm on your phone set to remind you to clock back into work snaps you out of your lusty daze. You silence the noise and then quietly cackle to yourself as you type out a text to Ash: “Watching you stretch is really making me look forward to the stretch I’ll be feeling tonight.”

You hang by the window, waiting to see his reaction. He reads your message and a self-satisfied smirk spreads across his face; he looks towards your kitchen, hoping to catch a glimpse of you in all your surely flushed glory, but you’re already gone.

4:07pm, December 31

Despite your mind's best efforts to distract you with wild thoughts about tonight, your work day finally ends and you head upstairs to get dressed. You stand in front of your closet, weighing your wardrobe options when your phone's text chime sounds out.

You scoop it off the bed, clicking on a message from Ashton reading, "If you need suggestions, you could wear your green dress… I’ve been thinking about taking that off of you for a while now.”

You shake your head at how instantly your heart speeds up once that image is in your mind. You bound over to the window to find him standing in front of his, waving with a cheeky grin on his face. You greet him by holding up the dress he mentioned in one hand and your middle finger in the other. “No spoilers” is your texted reply as you pull your curtains closed for the first time in weeks.

5:10pm, December 31

The doorbell rings and you’re shocked you can hear it over the sound of your heart pounding in your ears; you make yourself count to ten before you answer it. You take a deep breath and turn the knob, opening the door to reveal Ash beaming at you excitedly; one look at him and you feel any nerves that were nagging at you dissipate.

“Hey neighbor,” he greets you with a chuckle.

It takes you a beat before you realize you can reply with more than the shy wave you’re used to and you step forward to wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. You breathe him in, grateful to finally decipher the scent you’ve caught occasional wafts of over the fence and have spent so long trying to pin down. It’s sweet, spicy, woodsy and fruity all at once; you can’t wait to have it all over you by the end of the night.

You pull back to study him, it’s the first time you’ve really gotten to look at him up close and he’s stunning. You never noticed his dark hair was dyed but now you see the light roots at his hairline, softening his face; some stray curls have fallen out of place and you sweep them aside, revealing the laugh lines crinkling around his eyes as he smiles at you. His eyes are deep pools of hazel you already feel yourself drowning in and his cheeks are much rounder than you realized, growing bigger the more he grins at you. His lips… well… his lips look soft and shapely and suddenly you feel like you might die if you don’t taste them this instant.

You place your hands on either side of his face, running your thumbs over his beard before closing the gap and pressing your mouth to his. It’s everything and nothing like you’d imagined your first kiss would be: soft, slow, cautious yet undeniably heated. You feel his tongue slide over your bottom lip and you allow him to deepen the kiss; he murmurs as your tongue connects with his for the first time and he pulls away to check in with you.

You offer him a sweet smile that quickly turns into something more frisky. “I think we can do better than that, we’ve spent the past week listening to each other cum,” you tease.

Ashton smirks at you, stepping inside; in one swift motion, he kicks the door shut behind him and scoops you in his arms, backing you up against it, lips crashing into yours. Suddenly it’s like your mouths can’t move fast enough, feverishly trying to make up for lost time. You kiss him like you’re trying to commit his taste to memory and maybe you are.

He breaks away to mouth over your neck, immediately licking and kissing over the parts of your skin his beard scratched moments before; you run your hands through his curls, marveling at the fact that’s something you’re allowed to do now. His mouth ends up sucking over a spot behind your ear that’s such a specific turn on for you, your mind races to remember if you told him that during one of your phone sessions or if he just knew. He bites down a little and you cry out, pushing him back, ready for more.

You slot your lips with his again, already missing his taste on your tongue. You walk him backwards as you kiss, trying desperately to lead him to the nearest surface, any surface where you can get him between your legs.

You make it to your desk at the other end of the living room and you thank your past self for taking the time to put away your work from earlier, although it would’ve been fun to see Ash do the cliché “impassioned arm sweep” to clear it. You hop up on the edge and spread your legs, pulling him close, needing as much of him on you as possible.

Ash groans when your hips move against his and you grin at the feeling of his cock straining against his pants, brushing over your clothed heat. “Hard for me already, eh?” You tease, biting at his lower lip.

He gives a lighthearted scoff. “Please, I’ve been hard for you since I saw you in this dress through the window before I walked over here,” he rasps, gliding his hands up and down your body in the form-fitting outfit to illustrate his point. “You look incredible, by the way.”

You rut against him again and you both moan. “God, I can’t wait any longer, Ash, I need you,” you rush out, breathless.

“Yeah?” He checks, looking over your face, noting the desperation in your eyes. “I have a - ”

“Yeah, please, Ash, fuck,” you pant, out of your mind with desire.

He kisses you hurriedly as his hands skillfully slide under your dress and tug your panties down your legs, setting them aside; he reaches to retrieve a condom out of his coat pocket. It briefly crosses your mind how absurd it is that he’s still wearing his coat and you’re about to move to help him out of it but then he’s pulling his cock out and you can’t focus on anything other than getting your hands on him.

You give him a feather light squeeze before starting an agonizingly slow rhythm on his shaft and reaching down to cup his balls like you’ve seen him do; he’s as thick and heavy in your hand as you imagined and you feel yourself becoming wetter with every stroke. He brushes your hands aside so he can roll the condom on and you capture his lips in a lusty kiss because you’re not sure what else to do.

One of Ashton’s hands cradles your head as you kiss him, the other trails between your thighs and starts teasing your clit; he murmurs into your mouth when he feels how wet you are, how after just a few touches, you’re already rocking into his hand. He breaks the kiss to push your skirt up over your waist so you can both watch as he lines himself up at your entrance. He glances at you and with your eager nod of approval, he starts pushing in.

You inhale sharply at the sensation and he pauses, eyes darting up to yours. “No, it’s good, more,” you insist, hooking your legs around his waist. He continues to slide in and you feel your eyes roll back, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip. It's obviously been a while since you've had anyone inside you but the fact that it's Ash and the size of him… what a way to get back in the game.

He groans as he starts moving in you, slowly at first, eyes trained on your face to make sure you’re comfortable. You pull him into a kiss that’s all tongue, tangling your hands in his hair, needing to feel as much of him as you can in this moment. You've started moving along with him, your body asking for more, so he carefully lays you back on the desk, gripping onto your thighs so he can ramp up his pace.

The sound of his hips hitting yours, your clothes rustling together and your intertwined grunts and moans of encouragement for each other fill the living room. He lets go of one of your legs so he can move his hand back down to your clit and as he rubs circles on it, you curse under your breath, stunned you already feel as undone as you do.

"I'm already close," you whisper, gripping his arm as he leans in, bracing himself on his hands on either side of you.

"First of many tonight," he smirks, trying to maintain his sexy cool demeanor but failing as you both burst into giggles at his remark. He lightly encourages you, "Tell me what you need."

You squeeze your clothed breasts and use your legs to bring him even closer to you. "Hard. Just. Hard," you pant.

Ash growls, grabbing your legs again, pushing them up towards your chest, fingers digging into your skin as he thrusts with force. You cry out at his renewed vigor, at the change in angle making him somehow feel even thicker and longer inside you. You bring your hand to your clit and it only takes a few seconds of pressure for your breath to catch and your body to start shaking.

"Ash… fuckfuckfuckfuck oh my god," you breathe, pawing at the collar of his coat, your back arching up off the desk as your orgasm crests.

You're not sure if he was holding off waiting for you to finish or if the intensity of your body climaxing around him does him in but Ashton follows you over the edge less than a minute later. He gasps your name as he cums like you've heard him do many times over the phone but hearing him say it as he hovers above you, knowing your pussy is the reason for his pleasure is a different experience entirely.

He collapses on you briefly and you revel in the tactile experience: his lips pressing gently against your neck as he comes down, the texture of his wool coat under your fingertips as you rub his back, the unexpectedly satisfying scratch of his beard on your skin.

Ashton's lips travel back up to yours in an unhurried, relaxed kiss before he pushes himself back over you, joking, "We've really got to work on that impulse control thing, don't we?"

7:52pm, December 31

The two of you enjoyed a nice dinner comprised of delicious food and compatible conversation; you’ve talked a lot over the past few weeks but being able to finally be so close, being able to touch his arm when he says something sweet, feel his laughter vibrate the wood of your table - there’s an air of normalcy and domesticity that wasn’t there before. It’s nice, almost like there aren’t strange global circumstances that led to this evening, like you haven’t been basically dating from a distance.

You stand up to clear the table and when you reach for his plate, he grabs your hand and pulls you into his lap, hugging you tight and thanking you for inviting him over. He helps you carry the dishes to the kitchen because of course he does and when he stands at the sink to rinse them, you wrap your arms around his waist and press your face into his back, because that’s something you've always wanted to do.

You move to the living room, coffee mugs in hand but they’re soon forgotten with the return of Ash’s lips to your neck and your hands in his hair. You’re not in the hurry that you were earlier so everything feels much more relaxed; you’re able to appreciate the little things more, like the way he hums into your kiss when you brush his hair behind his ears, the quick pecks he sneaks in as he’s pulling out of a long liplock with you.

He finally undresses you, laying you gently on the couch in your underwear. “For someone who said they’d been waiting to get me out of that dress, sure took you a while,” you tease, gasping as his hands massage your breasts through the lace you’re wearing and his mouth peppers kisses over your stomach.

“Looked too good, wanted to enjoy it a little longer,” he smoothly replies, hooking his thumbs in your panties, glancing up at you to make sure it’s okay for him to continue. You nod, lifting your hips to aid the process. He kisses his way back up your legs, beard dragging across your skin, murmuring, “Something else I’ve waited too long to do…” before pressing a series of wet kisses directly over your clit.

You squirm against his face, eager for him to get into it but Ashton seems determined to take his time, slowly teasing up and down your lips, moving over to nip at your thighs and then returning to your pussy, tongue lavishing attention everywhere except where you want him most.

You’re just about to speak up when his fingers spread your lips apart and his tongue starts fluttering at your clit, causing you to suck in a breath instead. “God, Ash, yes, like that,” you encourage, fighting to keep your eyes open so you can watch him work. It feels so much better, looks so much more erotic than you ever could’ve imagined.

His mouth remains attached as he slips a finger inside you; the way your hips start grinding against him tells him when you’re ready for another and you moan as his tongue and fingers find an alternating rhythm to please you.

You paw at your tits, pinching your nipples through your bra as he works you. He pulls off to catch his breath, pushing himself up near your face to check in. “This working for you?” He asks, panting.

You affectionately swipe over what you thought was sweat on his beard, groaning at the realization it’s actually moisture courtesy of you. “Are you fucking kidding me, dude?” You laugh. “The other night I came thinking about you doing this and it’s already better than both the fantasy and the toy I used.”

He grins with pride. “Good,” he winks at you before diving back in.

Ashton eats your pussy with confidence, attentively listening to your sounds to determine what you like best. It’s when he sets one of your legs over his shoulder, angling your hips up slightly, that you start sounding really desperate and he smirks to himself. “Aww, ready to cum already? I was just getting started,” he taunts playfully.

You let out a guttural moan at his remark, gripping his hair a little bit rougher, holding him to your body a little bit tighter. He grabs on to your hips as they try to speed up and you murmur incoherent praise as you cum on his tongue.

He continues to lick at you, cleaning you until you push him away, clamping your legs shut. He massages over your thighs tenderly before moving up to kiss you. With a twinkle in his eye, he asks, “So what other fantasies of yours can we best while I'm here?”

9:24pm, December 31

After an enthusiastic but quicker than either of you would’ve preferred blowjob on the couch, you and Ash end up back in the kitchen, ready for a snack. You giggle to yourself as you stand in just his shirt, digging through your kitchen junk drawer, searching for a rubber band to help grip the jar of nacho sauce neither of you seem to be able to open.

“It’s not funny, how humiliating that I’m showing such weakness on our first date,” he jokes through gritted teeth, trying his hardest to turn the lid.

You grin, enjoying the show of Ashton clad only in his boxers, pouting as he loses the battle against a jar of cheese sauce. “Yes, you’ve fed me, done my dishes and made me cum twice since you’ve been here but I clearly still need you to prove your worth as a mate to me,” you smirk, passing him the rubber band you discovered. “Although I have to say, if you want to keep trying to open that yourself, I don’t hate watching those tattoos dance while you struggle.”

He laughs sarcastically as he fits the band over the lid and effortlessly pops it open seconds later. “Easy, I don’t know why you were so worried,” he giggles loudly before he even finishes his sentence.

He begins pouring the cheese over the chips you set out and you slide yourself under his free arm, fitting easily into his side. “New Year’s resolution, you clearly need to work on your upper body strength,” you tease, playfully biting at his shapely bicep.

He snorts, smiling as he passes you the plate of food to put in the microwave. He leans against the counter, observing you fondly while he wonders out loud, “Are you a New Year’s resolutions person?”

You move to get the other toppings out of the fridge; you stop and think before passing him the goods. “I mean, I’ll make them but I never really follow through. It’s like after the first week or so it just kind of slips my mind... maybe I’m making the wrong resolutions, I guess.” You shrug, setting the heated plate on the counter. “You?”

Ash shakes his head, hopping up on the counter so he can easily look at you and dress the nachos at the same time. “I never really understood why the calendar resetting is supposed to be this all-powerful impetus for change. If you want to do something, you should just do it no matter what the date is,” he says passionately, with furrowed brow.

You nod, pouring two glasses of soda. “It’s important to make goals but the rigidity of a resolution kind of just chains you to one thing when the whole point of a new year is that you don’t know what it will bring," you point out. "I think that's what's slipped me up before. Instead of saying 'I'll work out five days a week' I should be saying 'I want to live healthier.' It shouldn't be about the thing, it should be about the change you want to see."

You notice he's gone quiet and you look up at him inquisitively. You find him gazing at you, enchanted. "I agree," he reassures you. "I was just enjoying hearing you talk about it."

You feel your cheeks get warm and you pause to take a sip to collect yourself. "What I do like about New Year’s is the opportunity to reflect on the year you’ve had and let that inform what your next year will be like," you share. "So. What's one thing you didn't do this year that you wish you had? And not something because of quarantine, that's a copout."

Ashton doesn't hesitate to say, "I wish I had gotten to know you sooner."

10:53pm, December 31

You chuckle at Ash's wide-eyed interest, “No, I haven’t used that one to get off with you yet.” You take the thick blue dildo from his hands and smack it on the headboard of your bed, yanking on it to demonstrate the suction cup. “It’s more of a shower toy… or sometimes I’ll stick it to one of my chairs and ride it.”

His cock twitches with interest and he absentmindedly gives it a subtle squeeze. “Well we’re gonna put a pin in that, I guess,” he mutters, peering back into the drawer. “Also I like that you said ‘yet.’”

You smile widely at him, enjoying his enthusiasm. You’d finally made it to bed and were getting ready to ride him but when you opened your bedside table to grab a condom, your toy collection caught his attention and curiosity took over; you’ve spent the last five minutes watching him eye your toys, eagerly asking which ones you’ve used during your phone conversations with him.

He jumps as a pink contraption he doesn’t recognize starts to rumble out of his grasp with the push of a button. You giggle and reach over, unfolding it, placing the top portion of it over the back of his hand. “I used this one last night,” you admit, clicking the second button, watching his jaw drop as he feels the toy start lightly sucking at his skin.

“You’ve definitely had a much more fun quarantine than me,” he laughs, shaking his head in disbelief as he turns up the settings of the vibe. “What do you even need me here for?”

“You’re a lot nicer to talk to,” you say sweetly, leaning in to give him a playful kiss.

“I also would’ve accepted ‘your cock is much bigger, Daddy,’” Ash deadpans. He waits a beat before bursting into loud laughter, clarifying, “I’m totally kidding.”

“Well we’re gonna put a pin in that, I guess,” you tease, reaching down to lightly give him a few strokes. “Although I don’t know if I can say that first part, you haven’t seen my other drawer… I’m totally kidding.”

He scoffs, kissing you hard, placing his hands on either side of your ass and moving you closer to him. ”What’d you do with that condom?”

You pat around the bed for a few seconds, triumphantly holding up the stray package you found lost in the sheets. You roll the condom on him while he continues rifling through your belongings. “This is cute,” he declares, rolling a purple bullet vibe across his fingers. “And tiny. We could probably use this right now, huh?”

You raise your eyebrows, surprised but impressed at his openness. “Yeah, if you want, that’d actually be great,” you agree.

He beams at you, tossing you the vibrator while he settles back against the pillows; you set it aside and sling your leg over him, leaning in to kiss him thoroughly. You lean your forehead against his as you line yourself up over his cock and start rolling your hips back and forth, teasing the both of you by running your pussy over him; you watch him bite his lip, not sure whether to cry out from pleasure or object in frustration. Finally, you reach to guide him inside you. You take him a little easier than last time but the stretch is still deliciously intense and Ash can see it on your face. He plays with your tits while you adjust, watching you closely to see what you like.

You eventually start moving, lightly bracing yourself on his chest as you get going; you set a moderate speed, eager to let him fill you but cautious of trying to pace yourself, trying to pay attention to what he seems to respond to. You switch from rocking to a bouncing motion after a couple minutes and his hands move to squeeze your hips, helping you along; you notice his eyes haven’t left your breasts since you started moving like this and you whimper, running your hands down your front, stopping to pinch and play as needed.

Ashton's hands soon replace yours again and you arch your back, allowing him easier access. He gives a low groan, you’re giving him such a show, he’s not sure where to look. You’re leaned back and bracing yourself on his thighs, hard nipples jutting out, begging for attention; you expertly work your bodies together and he finds himself hypnotized watching his cock disappear inside you over and over again.

You love how he’s staring at you; it’s making you feel wanted and bold and you decide to tease him a little. “Working so hard to take all this cock, does it look as good as it feels?” You murmur, lifting yourself off almost entirely and then sliding back down on him with ease. “You like watching me fuck you?”

A growl escapes his lips and his hands roam your body wildly. “Doing so good… look so fucking good riding me,” he says, voice rasping with desire. “Better than I ever imagined.”

He feels the overwhelming need to make you moan for him and he sneaks his hand between your folds; you jolt at the contact, letting out a yelp and he smiles at his victory. He reaches over and grabs the vibe, tapping your leg to ask if you’re ready. You answer with a breathy “uh-huh” as you continue riding him.

He clicks the button, setting it to the lowest speed and presses it to your clit to gauge your reaction; you shift your rhythm, slowing to allow yourself to feel the new stimulation. You lick your lips, mumbling, “Oh, that’s nice,” as you grasp his hand to move the toy over just a bit until you’re moaning outright.

Ash holds the vibe on you for a bit longer until you sit up to change position. After a short spell of trial and error, he slips the bullet between your bodies and you help him once again fit it against you until it’s giving you the kind of stimulation you need. You roll your hips a few times, testing the setup and within seconds you’re whining, his cock hitting inside you in just the right place and the vibrations making you squirm above him.

He runs his hands up and down your thighs, watching you work yourself on him, using his body and your vibrator to build your climax; he gently rocks up into you, not wanting to disrupt you but between your movements and the stray buzzing of your bullet, he’s starting to become overwhelmed himself.

“Ash! Fuck… good… fuck,” you mutter, falling forward, place your arms on either side of his head to prop yourself up as you keep fucking him. “Close. God, I’m so close. Please.”

He recognizes that tone of desperation in your voice and knows just what to say to help you over the edge. “Fuckin’ me so good… ‘bout to make me cum for you… need to feel you cum around me first,” he wraps his arms around your back, panting in your ear. “Come on, baby, you deserve it.”

Your breathing speeds up and you whine his name as you start to pulse around him, losing your rhythm, clawing at his shoulders. He holds you as you cum, riding it out until you can’t take it anymore and you reach between you, throwing the vibrator across the bed, not even bothering to shut it off.

Ashton chuckles softly at your frenzied action and notices what looks like a wince as you rock yourself lightly on him. “Hey, I can finish another way if this is too much for you,” he offers.

You shake your head vigorously. “No, it still feels good,” you tell him insistently. “I’m just tired. Maybe you could…”

He gathers your meaning and pulls you down into a sloppy kiss before you move your mouth to his neck, slowly sucking to leave a mark, humming as his beard scrapes your skin; he grips your ass tightly with both hands and starts fucking up into you. He begins cautiously, wanting to make sure you’re still feeling good and as the noises pouring from your lips reassure him that you are, he increases his speed, thrusting up with force.

Your moans blend together in perfect harmony until yours trail off as you lose your breath; before you know what’s happening, you feel yourself cumming again and hard. You bury your face in Ash’s neck, hands tugging roughly at his hair. Feeling you squeeze around him again and with such intensity is enough to set him off and with a few loud grunts, he’s filling the condom.

He sighs deeply, rubbing your back as the two of you come down; your breathing falls into a synchronized rhythm and you bask in how nice it feels just to lay with him for a minute.

"Well that was something," he comments, pecking the top of your head as he helps you off of him, laying you on your pillow.

You quickly pull him back in, planting a quick kiss on his lips before he gets out of bed. "No, you are," you coo.

12:39am, January 1

"Ash… Ash… we missed it," you laugh softly, pressing kissing along his collarbones until his eyes flutter open.

"Huh?"

"We fell asleep and missed midnight," you explain with an amused smile. "Happy New Year."

He lifts his head up, looking around the room in confusion. After you’d both cleaned up, you climbed back in bed, intending to relax and chat until it was time to watch the midnight countdown on TV. Evidently, once the cuddles started, exhaustion from the night's activities overtook you both and you awoke to the sound of fireworks going off in the neighborhood.

"Oh," he frowns, rolling on his side to face you. "Well. Happy New Year." He leans in and gives you a soft kiss that easily could turn into more but you pull back, wanting to say something.

You run your hand up and down his side and say, "I'm glad we did this." He raises an eyebrow, smirking at you and you playfully pinch his arm. "You know what I mean. I'm glad you came over. I'm glad you're here."

Ashton's face softens and he scoots closer to you, placing his head next to you on your pillow. "Me too," he responds sincerely. "Sorry we missed midnight though, wanted to kiss you."

“Well lucky for us, we’ll get another midnight in about 23 hours,” you grin, reaching over to scratch his beard.

He slips his hand around your waist, pulling you to his lips. He murmurs against your mouth, “Do over at my place? It’s a date.”

————-

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@Too-et-moi215 @photochic18 @kouska901 @Indermeow @dantord

#5sos smut #5 seconds of summer smut #ashton irwin smut #ashton irwin fic #ashton smut #smut #Kindahoping4forever #kh4f fic #under the christmas lights #i want your midnights #Cass and Crystal present: hoe for the hoelidays #Feedback is appreciated #Thanks again to everyone who encouraged me to write this - it was fun!#Here's to another new year of clowning lmao

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thicctails · 3 years

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Summer Of Whump Day 26 [Asphyxiation/Drugging]

Three more to go!

The warning came too late.

Omega had been moving as fast as she could, worry clouding her mind as she limped and stumbled her way through the shipyard. Cal held her hand the whole time, supporting her when she came close to falling. His own Force signature buzzed with nervous apprehension, and he kept glancing up at the sky, like he expected a fleet of Imperial ships to come out of hyperspace right in front of them.

The sun was halfway over the horizon, its pale glow bleeding into the sky and turning the night into a muted pinkish-yellow backed by a sea of dark blue. The light would wake the sleeping clones they’d left on the Jedi cruiser, and she was not looking forward to the lecture they were likely in for when they got back. Perhaps their warning of approaching danger would distract them long enough to forget about her and Cal’s little escapade.

They were just over halfway back to the ship when the ground began to creak.

The two children stopped in their tracks, looking down at the smooth metal they were standing on. They stood there for a moment, unmoving. When nothing happened, they started to move again, slower this time. The metal groaned, and Omega gasped when she felt that warning buzz explode into the back of her mind. Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way, sending the startled kids plummeting downwards.

Omega screamed, arms flailing out as if to search the air for some sort of purchase. The feeling of dropping into nothingness made her stomach flip and her heart lodge itself in her throat, almost choking her cries of terror. Cal was still gripping her hand, his hold tightened to the point of painfulness by his own fear. She could feel his terror through the bond, and it only served to increase her already thundering heartbeat. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the ground rushing up to meet her.

Suddenly, she hit something, the force of her impact wrenching Cal away from her. He fell for a short while more, before she heard him hit something as well. Smooth rubber rubbed against her, coiling around her limbs and wrapping around her torso. The serpentine object snapped taunt, and Omega wheezed when she felt a pressure form around her neck and chest. She tried to wiggle free, but that only made the tightness increase, further cutting off her air supply. Panicking, she managed to get an arm free, and she pulled what felt like a thick wire away from her neck. She couldn’t hold it for long, but it allowed her to take in a few desperate gulps of air before her strength gave out.

Her leg was screaming in agony, the wires pressing into her injuries. Her neck and back were also aching, though the pain was far less. The Force around her crackled with worry, whispering soothing words that she couldn’t quite understand. It urged her to summon it, to use the power she’d been created to wield to save herself. Gritting her teeth, she listened to the quiet whispers, reaching out and gripping the wire around her neck. The Force guided her movements, and she focused her remaining energy on breaking the wire. The power came to her easily, and the wire tore in half with a whip-like snap.

Air rushed into her lungs, and Omega collapsed in exhaustion, sagging against the wires. She panted, chest heaving as she took in the much needed oxygen. Her eyes drooped, made heavy by the amount of effort she had just exerted. Someday, she might have more stamina when it came to using the Force, but today was not that day. Against her will, darkness filled her vision, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Hunter jolted upright, a gasp catching in his throat. He ran a hand over his face, sighing deeply. He’d just been caught in a terrible nightmare. In his nightmare, he’d been leaning over the edge of an enormous drop, his hand outstretched. Below him, stuck in a tangled mess of fraying wires, was Omega, her eyes filled with fear but also shining with trust and relief, like she knew, with absolute certainty, that Hunter was going to be able to save her.

“Come on kid, reach for me.” He’d said, leaning down as much as he could.

And she had. She’d reached her little hand up as much as she could, their fingertips almost touching as they both stretched as much as they could.

Then the wires snapped.

It was like some unseen hand had sliced them with an invisible knife. Hunter lunged forward, nearly toppling over the edge with how fast he moved. Omega had jolted forward, crying out in fear when her hand just barely missed Hunter’s own.

“Hunter!” Her voice had sounded so broken as she disappeared into the darkness, and it had echoed even after she was gone.

Suddenly, the inky void had moved, wrapping around his wrist and tugging him down into the black hole. That had been what woke him up.

Now he was back in the waking world, and the gentle glow of day shone down on him, chasing away the darkness of sleep. He took in a deep breath, easing himself back down. He could hear that no one else had woken up yet, their heartbeats calm and slowed by sleep. He was surprised that his sudden movement hadn’t woken Omega up. Rubbing his eyes, he reached down to make sure that she was still sleeping calmly, needing the reassurance that she was okay.

He found nothing but an empty space, devoid of the warmth that should have been there.

He brought his hand down, frowning as he looked around. Their pile was missing two little bodies, the space beside Hunter and Crosshair lacking the children that had been curled up there last night.

“Kids?” He called softly, not wanting to wake his vode if they had simply gotten up early and were hanging around.

He waited, listening for a reply, whether it be in the form of a verbal response, or just the pitter-patter of small feet coming closer.

Nothing. Not a call, not a noise of acknowledgement, not even the quietest movement.

Panic-laced worry rippled through Hunter, and he gave his closest vod, which happened to be Crosshair, who’d had his chip removed last night, a light kick. His youngest brother snorted, rolling onto his stomach.

“What?” He hissed. Crosshair was a night owl, through and through, so waking him up at sunrise had always left him a bit agitated. It had been such a pain when they had been younger.

“Omega and Cal are gone.” Hunter said, getting up.

Crosshair’s eyes widened, and he quickly looked around to confirm Hunter’s statement.

“Kark!” He yelled, getting to his feet. The others startled awake at his yell, various noises of complaint and confusion coming up from the pile.

“What’s going on?” Rex asked, sitting up and stretching.

“The kids are gone.” Crosshair growled, getting on his armor. “Maker damn it, they’re going to make me keel over from stress.”

“Gone? How can they be gone?” Wrecker asked, sitting up. “We were all right here, so nobody could have taken them, right?”

“No, we would have woken up if there was a struggle. They likely just wandered off. We all know how curious Omega is.” Tech said, quickly putting on his goggles. “I’m sure they’ve just gone to look for something to poke with a stick, or some other childish game. They’re fine. Totally safe.”

The words were said to try and comfort, not because he had any real proof that what he was saying was true.

“Let’s hope you’re right. Tech, Wrecker, Echo, you three search the halls. Rex, Crosshair, come with me. We’ll check outside.” Hunter commanded.

A sinking feeling had made its home in the depths of his gut, and he wanted nothing more than to find Omega and Cal quickly so that he could shake it off.

The world came in fuzzy at first, a blurred mess of muted yellows and dusty reds. Cal groaned, wondering why his head felt like it was going to burst open at any moment. He opened his eyes wider.

Ah, he was upside down. That explained some things.

It took a few seconds for panic to seep into his frazzled mind, but once it does, he’s scrambling to get upright. One of his hands finds a wire, and he grabs it, pulling himself up. It’s at times like these that he’s so thankful for the core muscle strength he’s built up through his years of padawan training. Cal gripped the wire with the strength of a hundred clone troopers, shaking as he waited for the feeling of dizziness that washes over him at the sudden movement to pass.

There are wires wrapped all around different parts of his body, mostly coiling around his waist. His breathing picked up, his heaving breaths almost matching his rapid heart rate. He whimpered as the wires swayed, trying to ignore the fact that, if he fell, he’d be little more than a stain on the ground.

He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, searching for Omega. He found her nearby, her Force signature dimmed ever so slightly by the veil of sleep. He tried to call to her, but he gets no response.

‘She must be really deep in sleep.’ He thought to himself. He was worried that she might have hit her head on something, and that she might be unconscious rather than asleep.

“’mega.” He croaked. Cal coughed, his throat feeling sticky.

“Omega!” He called again, louder this time.

Nothing.

Damn. Guess he’s going to have to do this the hard way.

Cal brought a hand down to his waist, gripping the smooth handle of his Master’s lightsaber. He ignited the weapon, the bright blue glow illuminating his surroundings. Carefully, he sliced away the wires around his legs and waist, wrapping his legs around the one remaining wire that he was holding on to. Once he was free, he let the lightsaber deactivate as he clipped it onto his waist.

When he’d first touched the lightsaber after he’d ended up on Bracca, the flood of memories had almost broken him. His psychometry could be a blessing at times, but it could also be a terrible curse. The Force had wavered in his despair, his connection with it becoming damaged. He used to have a variety of skills that he could call upon, but he had lost many of them to his trauma. He’d regained his ability to throw things with the Force when he’d needed to protect Omega from Chex, and he wondered if, over time, she would also be the key to regaining what he’d lost.

He shook his head, clearing his mind so that he could focus. Gripping the wire, he started his assent, relying on what minuscule amount of sunlight could reach down into the newly created hole to see. He climbed up the wire, grunting with the exerted effort. He hadn’t been keeping up with his daily exercises in the past weeks, so he was a bit out of shape. Once he was high enough, he started to swing back and forth, praying that the wire would hold.

Soon, he was close enough to jump to the jumble of wires and cables that were supporting Omega’s limp form. He held his breath when one of the wires snapped under their combined weight, his stomach dropping as he realized that the wires might not be able to hold them both.

Once the swaying came to an end, he slowly climbed up, relying on his leg and stomach muscles to support him as he gently shook Omega.

“Omega? Omega, get up!” He commanded, gripping her shoulder.

The pressure must have startled her, because she jolted awake, her limbs flailing. Cal increased his grip, trying to calm her down.

“Stop it! You’re gonna make us fall!” He hissed, looking up at where the wires were coming from.

“Cal?” Omega breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you okay? I heard you hit something after we got separated.”

“I’m a bit lightheaded, but I’ll be okay. What about you?” He checked her over, frowning in concern when he saw how it was wrapped around her leg.

“I’ve been better.” She admitted.

“Do you think you can climb up one of these wires?” Cal asked.

Omega shook her head weakly. “I don’t even think I can lift my arms. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Omega. We’ll figure something out.” He reassured her. “Maybe I could carry you up?”

Omega arched an eyebrow. “I think I might be too heavy for you.”

“You don’t look that heavy.” Cal responded.

“Thanks, but I’d rather not risk it.” She said, shifting a bit.

Suddenly, one of the wires holding her arm snapped, causing her to fall to the right.

“Kriff! Looks like we might have to!” Cal cursed.

He reached for his lightsaber, but paused for a moment when a sound reached his ears.

“Wait, I think I hear someone.” He looked up towards the hole that they had fallen through.

“These two seem incapable of avoiding trouble. We should have found them by now.”

“Crosshair!” Cal and Omega shouted.

There was a flurry of footsteps, and then three faces appeared over the edge of the hole.

“Kids! How the hell did you get down there?” Hunter called.

“We fell!” Omega called back.

“We can see that. Hold tight, adike, we’ll get you out.” Crosshair said, before disappearing from view.

Crosshair looked up at Hunter, who’s brow was furrowed in worry.

“What’s the plan, sarge?” He asked.

“We need to find a way to get down to them. Rex, come with me and help me find some wires or cables. Crosshair, keep them calm. I can hear that those wires are gonna give any minute now.” He lay a hand on the ground. “This whole area is fragile, and I don’t trust it not to collapse, so let’s get out of here quickly.”

The sniper nodded, and the captain and sergeant ran off to find the needed items. He leaned back towards the edge, hands gripping the weakened metal. Another wire gave, and Crosshair jolted forward on reflex as Cal and Omega yelped in fear, hand twitching forward as if he could just reach down there and scoop his kids up and bring them away from the danger.

Wait, his kids? When had they become that?

‘They day they trusted you enough to save them.’ A traitorous little voice supplied. ‘And now, they’re doing it again. Don’t break that trust.’

“Udesiir, ade.” He called, trying to keep his voice calm and reassuring. “Everything will be fine, just keep calm and try not to move.”

“O-okay.” Omega replied shakily. “Crosshair, could you teach us that language you guys have been speaking?”

Crosshair gave her a slight smile. “Of course, it is, after all, your language too. “

Omega returned his smile, and managed to stay still as he taught them a few basic words in Mando’a. By the time Rex and Hunter managed to gather the needed supplies, both Cal and Omega could introduce themselves and ask for help. The older clones tossed down a line of wires, old but sturdy rope, and some spare cables. Cal used his lightsaber to cut Omega’s torso free (which startled the men because who gave the kid a lightsaber?) before tying part of the line around her. Once she was secure, he cut all but one wire, clinging to the swaying object for dear life.

Carefully, Rex, Hunter, and Crosshair carefully began to pull Omega up, inch by inch, not wanting to test the strength of the old materials they were using. While they did that, Cal shimmied his way up his wire, reaching the exit before Omega did. Just as he hauled himself up, the wire came loose and fell down into the darkness. The redhead collapsed onto his back, shaking from all the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins.

As soon as she was close enough, Hunter grabbed her as fast as he could, bringing her into his chest. The blonde haired girl curled into him, gripping his armor with shaking hands. His arms wrapped around her, shielding her from the world as he hoisted her up.

“I can hear the metal starting to give, we gotta go.” He said, backing up.

Crosshair scooped up Cal, letting the kid rest his head on his shoulders. Rex quickly stepped back as the edge of the hole crumbled away with a screech, the metal snapping off into smaller chunks.

“Go,go,go!” The captain yelled, making sure that Crosshair and Hunter had started running.

It was like his words had triggered the forming of a sinkhole. Metal collapsed all around them, the rapidly expanding maw of darkness nipping at the armored clone’s heels. A lesser group of soldiers would have been too slow to escape the danger.

Luckily for everyone involved, clone troopers were anything but lesser.

Hunter leapt up onto a chunk of ship, gripping a broken wing and hauling himself up with one hand. Rex and Crosshair were not far behind, easily maneuvering their way to safety. Below them, the ground disappeared, swallowed up by the collapsing cavern. Hunter stared at the emptiness, swallowing when he realized that Omega and Cal could have been trapped down there, crushed beneath tons upon tons of metal.

“Why,” He rasped, looking down at Omega, “did you leave without telling any of us?”

Cal raised his head, eyes wet with tears that had formed from all the adrenaline going through his little body.

“I-it’s my fault. I needed to go get my Master’s lightsaber and I asked Omega to come with me. I-I didn’t think we’d be gone very long, or-or that we’d run into trouble.” He stammered. “But then we ran into that ghost, and then the ground broke, and-and-and-”

“A ghost?” Rex asked. “As in, a Force Ghost?”

“That’s a thing?” Hunter asked.

“I’ve only heard of it briefly. When a Jedi Master dies, and they don’t decide to become one with the Force, they can manifest themselves to other Force users.” He explained.

“So… the kids can talk to dead Jedi.” Crosshair pinched the space between his eyes. “Wonderful.”

Suddenly Omega gasped, sitting up.

“OhmyMakerthewarning!” She said in a rush. “Hunter, we need to get off Bracca!”

“What, why?” The bandanna-wearing man asked.

“The Imperials are coming! We’ve got to get out of here before-!” Omega cut herself off, her eyes widening in fear.

“Omega?” Hunter questioned, turning to see what she was looking at.

His heart just about stopped.

For there, looming high above in Bracca’s atmosphere, was a Subjugator-class heavy cruiser, black as the void of deep space. A fleet of smaller ships appeared all around it, screaming through the skies.

The Empire had found them.

#summerofwhump #summerofwhump[26]#star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #omega bad batch #cal kestis #echo bad batch #wrecker bad batch #tech bad batch #hunter bad batch #crosshair bad batch #captain rex #rex clone wars

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whiskery-louis · 3 years

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Priorities *part 2*

I am so sorry for the delay but I was on vacation and just had a very few busy days! Here is part 2 of Priorities, I am planning a part 3 for sure possibly a part 4! Please please let me know what you think!

part 1

“We came backstage and you were just gone. One text saying you needed a break? That’s all we were worth to you? Is that all I was worth to you Y/N? I thought we could be something, but you never gave me a chance. You just bailed. And now we show up after all this time and you have a kid? I can’t believe it. I just-I just need to know. Am I the dad?”

“Wait what?” I stared at him in disbelief, trying to stifle a laugh because of how serious he was.

“Don’t laugh at me Y/N I’m serious. Unless you were fucking other guys it’s obvious why you left. You got pregnant, and you got scared so you ran. I just don’t know why you wouldn’t tell me. It's not just your life that was affected.”

I took a step towards him and he didn’t pull back. I reached out and pulled his hands into mine.

“Luke, I’m not laughing at you. I can see how serious you are, but the baby isn’t mine.”

“It’s not?” I turned to see Calum, Mikey and Ashton standing between the kitchen and the front room.

“We didn’t mean to listen, but you guys were right there and there is no door…” Ash trailed off.

I sighed knowing it was finally time to tell them the truth. I gestured for them all to sit around the dining table as I grabbed the glasses Luke left by the sink. I left the boys, chose what they wanted to drink and grabbed a few snacks out of the pantry in case anyone was hungry. Just as I was about to sit down the baby started crying. I sighed looking at the boys.

“Give me a few minutes to get him up and then I’ll explain everything. I promise.”

Luke

I couldn’t believe that after all this time I was here sitting in her house. It was a nice house, but it was still weird to think of Y/N spending all her time here raising a baby. There were baby toys all over the place, a pile of clothes overflowing from the laundry room around the corner and baby bottles stacked next to the sink. As I looked around though, there were still little pieces that showed she lived here too. Her worn out vans lay just inside the door, half empty water bottles gathered on the island, blankets covering every inch of the couch. They were all things that unmistakingly said Y/N.

I never believed her excuse of needing a break from touring, she loved everything about being on the road. And selfishly I thought she enjoyed spending time with me. I don’t know when things changed between us, but one night we were drinking with the rest of the boys and I was walking her back to her room and the next morning I woke up next to her. We promised to keep it casual but after a few weeks of hooking up she started spending the nights in my room; we talked about everything during those early morning hours and it was then that I realized she was someone special. I knew that I wanted us to be more and I was planning on taking her out on the town after our New York show, but we stepped off the stage and she was gone.

I was devastated, and the boys did what they could to cheer me up but they had all sensed a change in me the months prior. So when Calum suggested we pay Y/N a visit with our week off I jumped at the chance to figure out why she really left. We were all curious as to her reason for leaving, she used to talk about nothing but being on the road and all the things she planned to do when the tour ended. And not once did she mention settling down. It was bizarre when we found out she had bought a house in a small neighborhood outside the city. During our late night talks she always said that she couldn't fall asleep without the sounds of the city right outside her window.

“So if it’s not her kid, what is going on here?” Michael broke the silence, looking around the table before settling his eyes on me. I looked up and realized all three of them were staring at me.

“What?” I mumbled, slightly uncomfortable under their gaze.

“You knew her best Luke, did she ever mention anything?” Cal asked.

“You think I wouldn’t have told you guys? I’m as shocked as all of you.”

It was silent again as we all sat with our thoughts waiting for Y/N to come back out. When she opened that door yelling about waking up a baby my heart stopped. Out of all the scenarios that ran through my head the last six months I never thought Y/N had a baby. My heart dropped to my stomach and I couldn’t believe that she would leave and not tell me about something as big as a baby. But now she’s saying it’s not hers? I’ve never been more confused and craving answers. My anxiety was through the roof, I couldn't stop bouncing my knee and chewing at my already chipped red nail polish.

“Luke you can relax,” Ashton broke the silence. “She said the baby’s not her, which means it's not yours.”

“I know,” I sighed, “It all just made sense when I thought she left because she had a baby. I just need to know the truth.”

Reader POV

“Okay it’s gonna be okay buddy.” I sighed as I was changing him. “There are some friends downstairs waiting to meet you. And I know you don’t understand what I’m saying but I feel like I am going to lose my mind if I don’t get this off my chest. I’ve run over this scenario so many times little buddy but I did not expect this when we woke up this morning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you get to finally meet your super cool uncles.” He laughed up at me as I tickled his stomach before I pulled his clean shirt over his head. “And ya know Luke is still just as handsome as I remember.”

I quietly made my way down the hallway to see if I could overhear the boys talking. I was curious as to what they thought the explanation was going to be. I could hear mumbling but nothing concrete. I took a deep breath as I made my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. I pulled the high chair up to the table and put the baby in it with some cut up bananas to eat. I sat down next to him and turned to the boys.

There was an awkward silence as they all stared at me waiting for an explanation. I took a second to take this all in, not believing that they were all sitting in my kitchen.

“Well boys...this is my nephew Wesley.” I ruffled my hand through his hair. “My sister gave birth to him about a year ago and then she just up and left six months ago. He had no one else to raise him so I had to come back for him. I’m the only family he has.”

All four of the boys looked from Wes back to me. I could see the surprise on their faces, Ashtons’ jaw was even hanging open. Luke was the one who spoke first.

“You never told us about your sister.”

A small frown formed on my face, “We were never close. Heather is a few years older than me and was never around when I was younger. She always fought with my mom and when she turned 16 she left home. She didn’t even come back for my mom's funeral. I never really forgave her for that, but when she reached out to me about a year ago telling me she had just given birth I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Mostly because I missed having a family and I had always wanted to be an auntie.”

“Weren’t we family enough?” Luke interrupted me.

I glanced from him to the rest of the boys and saw the hurt etched across their faces, making my regret my choice of words.

“I didn’t mean it like that, you guys were the family I always wished for when I was younger. And even though she abandoned me just like our dad abandoned us, she was still my sister. I was so excited when I found out I was an aunt as well, Heather and I were talking again and how could I not want to be in this guy's life? I mean just look at him.” I smiled as I looked over at Wes who was still enjoying his bananas.

“Where is your sister now?” Cal asked.

I sighed, “I don’t know. Six months after she gave birth she left, just like our dad did to us and I just, I just couldn’t let him fall into the system. I’m all he has. I never wanted to leave you,” my eyes met Luke’s, “...guys or the tour, let alone without telling anyone but I knew if you guys knew about Wes you would try and convince me to bring him on the road, and I would’ve stayed because that’s all I wanted to do. But it’s not about me anymore, I have to do what is best for Wesley and he deserves to have a normal childhood. Well as normal as I can give him seeing as I’m not his mother. I’m sorry for how I left, but I’m not sorry that I left.”

It was silent when I stopped talking, I looked around the table to see all the boys processing what I had told them. I knew it was a shock finding me here raising a baby that wasn’t mine but I was glad that I finally told them the reason behind me leaving.

Wes started fussing now that he finished his snack, I turned to pick him up but Michael was already jumping out of his seat.

“Let his cool Uncles play with him Y/N,” he picked Wes up out of his highchair, tickling his stomach and making him giggle. Michael laughed too as he carried him into the living room. Calum and Ashton stood up to follow him.

“I’m gonna be his favorite ya know,” Cal winked at me as they left.

“We’re just glad you’re okay Y/N, anything we can do to help we will. For now the three of us will keep him busy while you two take some necessary time to talk.” Ashton gave a small smile to me and Luke who were left sitting at the table.

I turned to Luke who was sitting with his head in his hands. I placed my hand on his forearm causing him to look up at me. “Let’s go outside okay?”

He nodded his head, a slight smile on his lips as he took my outstretched hand and followed me as I led him out to the small patio off the kitchen. He made sure to close the door tight knowing the boys would eavesdrop if possible. I pulled him down on the small couch next to me. I had so many things I wanted to say to him but I owed him enough to start the conversation. His hand remained in mine as we sat in silence, I lightly traced the tattoos on his wrists. He hummed slightly causing me to look up and see him smiling at me.

“I miss that feeling, your fingers tracing patterns all over me. It’s like you leave a trail of fire every time you touch me.” I felt my face flush, I looked back down and began drawing circles on the back of his hands. “I’ve missed you so fucking much Y/N, I thought you left because of something I did. I know we always said we would keep it casual but fuck I haven’t been the same since you left.”

“Fuck Luke I didn’t know you felt that way. You did nothing wrong. I just couldn’t bear to say goodbye to you in person. I felt the same way about you when I left, I didn’t want to keep being casual I wanted to be yours-”

Luke pressed his lips to mine, cutting me off mid sentence. I melted into him like no time had passed. I forgot how it felt to kiss him, it was a drug I couldn’t get enough of. I moved my hands to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to me. His hands went to my waist and the next thing I knew I was sitting on his lap. I pulled back and rested my forehead against his.

“I missed you Y/N, so fucking much.”

“I missed you too Luke, a lot. But you need to know we can’t just go back to how things were. I need to put Wes first and you have the band.”

“But you just said you wanted to be mine,” he looked at me with a mixture of hope and sadness in his eyes. This was exactly why I couldn’t say goodbye in person.

“Key word being wanted. My whole life is different now Luke, I’m not the same person that I was six months ago.”

“So what are we supposed to do?”

I climbed off Luke and reached out my hand, “We go hang out with Wes so he can get to know his Uncle Luke. And then you go back on tour, I stay here and raise Wes and you visit every once in a while with the boys. It's not ideal but at least we’ll still see each other every so often. I’m sorry Luke, but it’s just how it has to be.”

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ask-marcus-cally-and-ari · 3 years

Text

Only Human

Chapter 15: Ride or Die

The trio had been allowed to wander while the Freaks discussed their next plan. Marcus, for his part, went looking for a cot or a bed. “I’m so f*cking tired.”

“We have a few spare beds in the medical ward,” a nearby intern piped up, looking up as Marcus passed her desk.

“Thanks.”

“My nephew talks about you a lot,” the intern added. “Jackie Ruez?”

“Our small forward. Nice guy,” Marcus smiled, sitting down. “I remember he didn’t know much English when he first started.”

“You and your friends tutored him, right?”

“That was all Cal. I just taught him basketball and Ari taught him how to paint.”

“He’s been painting a lot these days. “He went through 10 packs of watercolors in just three months.”

Marcus chuckled. “I remember swapping his acrylics with finger paint as a joke. He chased me all through school that day. I probably deserved it.”

“So that’s why he came home with paint all over his hands.”

“I had to wash my hair for an hour to get it all out.” Marcus smiled, and then sighed, a look of tiredness no teenager should have had on his face.. “...look, can you just... just tell him I’m okay?”

“Of course.”

“The last time I got in trouble, it was some kids from a nearby school who jumped me. My teammates tracked down each one, took some bats and metal pipes, and put them all in the hospital. In one night. I don’t want them doing anything like that now. They could get hurt, and on my mama, I bet those *ssholes would turn them just to f*ck with me.”

“You know, if you wanted you could ask Colonel Dyson to put them under HECU Protection. It’s like Witness Protection, just with a lot more security.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

The intern nodded and picked up the nearby phone. “Do you want to call him yourself or do you want me to put in the request?”

“I’d like you to do it. I want to call my team.”

“There’s a phone in the break room over there.” The intern gestured down the hall to Marcus’ right.

“Thanks.”

---

“Man, this sucks! Marcus is who-knows-where being hunted and we can’t do sh*t to help!”

A young teen, no more than 14, grumbled sourly to himself while kicking over a box of wood chips in an abandoned warehouse. Another kid, a few years older than him, looked up from their phone.

“I got a lead a few hours ago. From what I can gather, it looks like he was heading to HECU Headquarters. I don’t know if they’ve made it there yet, though.”

“What can we do? These are, like, supervillains! And we’re just teenagers!”

“We could track them. Cally has a bunch of brainiac friends. Get them together and have them start looking for those *ssholes,” a tall boy, likely 17, suggested.

“Maybe we should get some of Ari’s friends, too,” another kid added.

“Yeah. The more, the better.”

The kid with the phone sat up and started briskly typing away. “Guys, you’re not gonna believe this, but it looks like Marcus has some Freaks of his own. You guys know Spyper and Intelligent Heavy, right?”

“I think so. Didn’t Spyper get his head chopped off and put on someone else’s body?”

“Yeah, he got his body swapped around with Sny.”

“Hey, Wilson. Start finding more good Freaks. The more join up, the more chance Marcus has of getting through this. Have the brainiacs help.”

“I think Marcus is way ahead of us. I found some security footage of the road outside HECU Headquarters and just take a look at who’s with him.” Wilson showed the other kids the footage, where a handful of Freaks accompanied the Trio inside, including Count Jester.

“He got the clown with him?” a younger kid piped up.

“Apparently. Now all he needs is us-”

Ring! Ring!

“Huh? My phone!”

“Who is it, Jackie?”

“Unknown Number. Should I answer it?”

“Answer it, but don’t say anything. If it’s spam, they’ll hang up if they don’t hear anything.”

Jackie did. “Hello?”

“Jackie? It’s Marcus. Are you okay?”

“Marcus!” Jackie gasped. “Are you in HECU? We’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Yeah, I’m at HECU. Your aunt says hi.”

“Aw. How long have you been at HECU?”

“Jester teleported us here about an hour ago. Apparently they were tricked into holding us for the guy who wants to kill us, but that’s been sorted out, and they gave me a pet, so we’re cool now.”

“...I’m sorry, what?”

“Yeah, everyone trying to kill us is working for one dude.”

“Yeah that doesn’t sound bad at all,” Jackie winced.

“Tell me about it. Anyway. I’m calling to ask you not to do something stupid.”

“Whaaaat? Psh, nah, we’re not gonna do anything stupid. Right, guys?” Jackie said with a snide grin, winking at the rest of his team.

“You worry too much, Quinn. Chill.”

“Yeah. Rest easy, we’re not gonna pull some sh*t.”

“Alright. Stay safe out there. And don’t go near any emo Snipers you see.”

“Sure thing, man.”

Jackie hung up, still grinning. “So. Who’s ready to hunt an emo Sniper?’

“I’ll get the others. Viktor. Does your family still have all those weapons?”

“Yeah. Which ones do we need?”

“As many as you can get. Especially long-range. We did tell Marcus that we wouldn’t approach the f*cker, so sniping is the way to go.”

“There’s nothing quite like exploiting a loophole,” Viktor grinned, heading out of the warehouse.

The other boy nodded and dialed a number. “Hey, Olga? Gather the brainiacs. We know where Marcus, Cally, and Ari are.”

“Wait, really!?”

“Yeah. A buncha Freaks are trying to kill them.”

“WHAT!?”

“Yeah. Apparently”

“Holy sh*t... Alright, what do you need help with?”

“Hacking. We need you to track down as many Freaks as you can.”

“On it.”

“And get Ari’s friends. We need numbers.”

“Gotcha.”

Hanging up that call felt heavy, like the life-changing moment it would be for everyone involved.

“Should we have anyone over at HECU to keep an eye on Marcus?”

“No. Then they’d know what we’re doing and try to stop us. We gotta stay off the radar. Wear masks. Disguise our voices. Make sure nobody can identify us.”

“I had a feeling we’d need these!” another kid shouted from the bottom of the warehouse, pulling along a rack of all black disguises.

“Hey, you’re the theater kid, right? I knew you were useful for something.”

“Yep! I had these costumes ready for awhile but we never needed them. UNTIL NOW!”

“Awesome. Guys, get home. We’ll meet back here tonight.”

“Alright. Nobody die overnight!”

“Don’t jinx it.”

The theater kid knocked on the side of the warehouse on their way out.

---

“Thank you all for coming. As you know, a bunch of superpowered *ssholes have decided to kill our friends, and we, the students of Dade City High, cannot allow this to happen.”

As the student body president spoke, Viktor handed weapons to everyone in attendance.

“You are being given weapons now. If you do not know how to use them, Viktor will teach you on the way.”

“What’s the current plan of attack?” A younger student piped up among the crowd.

“We go to HECU. Its location is confidential, but our hackers have found it. We also have a van we stole from a junkyard and fixed to be our ride. You know, to make it harder to track.”

“How are we all gonna fit in one van?” Another student called from the back of the crowd.

“Like sardines.”

“Also, I have a trailer. We can use that for training and extra space,” added a rich kid.

“Couldn’t we just use an old school bus?” One of the engineering students pondered. “Wouldn’t take much to jumpstart it, and nobody would be suspicious of a school bus going through Evo City.”

“From Dade City? That’s two states away,” put in a chess club student.

“What about an activity bus? It’s not uncommon for students to go on field trips that take them across state lines,” another engineering student added.

“That works. You two go steal it. We can take both.”

The engineering students nodded and gathered up their bags before leaving for the school’s parking lot, their bags clinking with metal on the way out.

“Did everyone pack some clothes and supplies?”

“Yeah, but why not electronics?”

The rich kid spoke up again. “I got a cheap phone plan. Everyone gets a phone. This way our parents can’t track us.”

“And they can’t be tracked by anyone else, can they?” a skeptical student inqueried, looking their phone over.

“I was kinda hoping you tech whiz guys could take care of that,” the rich kid replied sheepishly.

The small group of tech students all glanced at each other before sharing a collective nod. “Give us 10 minutes.”

“Good.”

“What do we do once at HECU?”

“Find out where our friends are. By force if necessary.”

“And if any hostile Freaks show up while we’re doing that?”

“Why do you think I’m giving you weapons?” Viktor deadpanned, holding up his own gun.

“Ask a stupid question,” the class clown teased.

“I mean like, one of the really bad ones. Like Painis. I don’t even think our weapons would work against him.”

“Probably run. Or run him over.”

“Let’s pray that Freaks like Nightmare Medic or HOOVYDUNDY aren’t part of this whole thing.”

“Hmm... hey, I just remembered. I have an aunt that works at HECU.”

“Uh... who are you?” the student body president asked.

“Melissa James.”

“Oh no,” the student body gasped in unison.

“...is that bad?”

“Are... are you related to Anita James, by any chance?”

“Yeah! That’s my aunt! She taught me how to build bombs. And tasers.”

“Holy sh*t! You’re related to a mad scientist! THE mad scientist!”

“Yeah, she’s a bit... eccentric. But the point is, she could be our in. And get us better weapons when we get there.”

“Isn’t she under constant surveillance though? I heard she blew up HECU twice in the last three months. That’s not something you just leave unmonitored.”

“In the same three months, she built a weapon that can level cities, a teleportation device, an army of attack microbots, and a shield generator. We could use those against stronger Freaks.”

“Would she even let us use them?”

“She’s a mad scientist who needs her weapons tested, and I hear her boss won’t let her give them to HECU soldiers. I’m not worried.”

“Well…”

“What choice do we have, Todd? Do you want them to kill Ari? Or Marcus? Or Cally? We’re desperate, and beggars can’t be choosers.”

The student sighed. “Alright. Give her a call.”

---

RING! RING!

“Hello?”

“Hey, Aunt Anita.”

“Oh! Hi, Melissa! How are you?”

“Not good. My friends are in danger. I think you may have seen them. Marcus, Cally, and Ari?”

Anita paused, lifting her pen off her notepad. “...yes, they just came in earlier today.”

“Some friends and I are coming to help him out, and we were wondering about using your weapons to do it.”

“Hmm... Come around the back of HECU. I’ll keep the door unlocked for you.”

“Heh... thanks, Aunt Anita. Also, could you maybe not tell those three about this? We told Marcus we wouldn’t do anything crazy, and if he finds out we’re doing this, we’re gonna get our *sses kicked.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks.”

There was a nod, and Anita, the mad doctor who sent people running with a smile and a wave, hung up.

#only human #breather chapter #freak fortress #tf2 freaks #TF2 #dr. anita james #mad scientist

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flokive · 4 years

Text

weather boy - cth

description: fratboy!cal au with a LOT of vine references // part one of a 4 part series: a year in the life of calum and his roommate. writers note: a little something i’ve been writing for my baby @ashtonsos, enjoy! wordcount: 1638

warnings: none really

fall

"Shouldn't you be studying?" You looked up from your phone when you heard your dorm mate's husky voice. "Piss off frat." You huffed and you returned your gaze back at your screen. "I didn't know you participated in these kinds of events, Gilmore, especially a carwash. I like it. Will we be seeing you on top of our cars soon?" Calum laughed when you rolled your eyes at the nickname Calum gave you when the two of you met for the first time.

You had moved in a week before classes started, Calum arrived on the final moving day, the Friday before the start of the year. He threw his stuff in his room and tried to introduce himself, the cool and popular frat boy, to his new roommate, a girl with her hair bundled up in two messy braids and surrounded with empty to-go coffee cups. You were already studying when he first entered the shared living room. In the background, an episode of Gilmore Girls was playing. “It’s white noise for me.” You explained when he asked why the television was on but you weren’t really watching it. “It helps me study.” You shrugged and re-focused on your schoolwork. “My name Calum by the way, if you were interested.” He sighed and that was that. The two of you would exchange some greetings when you ran into each other in the dorm but you would completely ignore each other on campus. A few weekends in, Calum walked into the living room again, all dressed up for the first frat party of the year. You were watching Gilmore Girls, again, and drinking coffee, again. “Well Gilmore,” Calum started, “are you going to be a buzzkill and watch this show the whole evening or are you going to be fun and come to this party with me?” “What do you think, frat boy.” You respond lazily and paused the show. Calum lifted one eyebrow, a cocky expression appearing on his face. A deep sigh escaped your lips. “You know what. You just go your way, I’ll go mine. Ok?” Calum shrugged. “Okay.” “And you know, if we’re ever meant to be friends, which I doubt, I’ll meet you there. Now, let me watch my show in peace, and please don’t be too loud when you come barging in with some blonde sorority chick?” The boy laughed, shook his head, and nodded in agreement. “Sure Gilmore, whatever you want.”

“Wait…” Calum says, “Don’t tell me you’re actually in a sorority and you’re not some weird study girl who goes to college only to get a diploma?” “I am not.” You answered annoyed, “I’m only doing this because a friend needed some extra hands.” Calum chuckled. “So, what do you want, frat boy?” You asked, finally putting away your phone. “I want what everybody wants,” he shrugged, “I want to have my car washed by one of those sexy sorority girls.” You rolled your eyes and accepted the money Calum gave you, in exchange for a carwash ticket. “You can leave your car there,” you explained to him, pointing to the parking space on your left side. “Some of those sexy sorority girls will be there any minute.” Calum took the ticket from your hands, his fingertips brushing against the palm of your hands. The touch felt hot against your skin, making you pull your hand back as fast as possible. Calum didn’t seem to notice your reaction to the touch, as he tucked away the little paper in his short, before jogging back to his friends.

"Oof, it's hot out today." The voice of Calum seemed to haunt you today. “Did not expect to see you on top of a car. How’s the weather up there Roomie?" You sighed, rolled your eyes, and looked down into Calum's dark brown eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy." You said with a sarcastic tone and lifted your eyebrows awaiting a snarky comment from the brown-haired boy. Calum chuckled, shook his head, and pushed his friends towards the other cars. "C'mon mates, let's see if our cars are not dented and let vine girl here do her job." He and his friends walked away to a new victim to annoy. You shook your head, kind of confused that Calum didn't bite back and you finished washing the car.

“You’re SO owning me one.” You hissed at your friend when you attempted to get all the soap off of your clothes. “Of course,” your friend laughed, “I’ll buy you all the coffee and carrot cake you want, okay?” A genuine smile appeared on your face when you embraced your friend. “Yes, I’d like that very much.” “Now?” “Now, please.”

The first few weeks of university flew by and before you knew it Halloween was coming up. You and Calum were on relatively speaking terms after the carwash conversation and were actually able to have some sort of conversation. You would talk about some of the classes you were taking, the food you wanted to order, asking if the other person would also like some tacos, and there was even some small talk about the possibility of hosting one of many Halloween parties on campus. "The fuck is all this?" Calum asked when entering the dorm room after a long day of lectures and studying. "It's frikking bats." You responded, proudly looking at your Halloween decorations. "I love Halloween.” Calum chuckled, hearing you use one of his favorite vines. “I love that vine.” You turned around with such speed you needed to reach for the couch to steady yourself. “You? Love vines?” You asked excitingly. “Um yeah. Of course, I do. I’m not some crazy person who doesn’t know the world's greatest comedy alive?!” “I’m starting to like you more and more, weather boy.” “You’re not so bad yourself, Gilmore.”

The Halloween party was a success. Not only because everybody showed up and the campus police had to shut it down but also because you and Calum finally understood each other and were developing an actual friendship. The two of you would hang out on campus and would go out for lunch together every other Saturday. When you arrived at your favorite coffee house, ordered your favorite breakfast, you would sit down on the faded, brown leather couches overlooking the campus. “God I really needed this coffee.” You sighed when you took your first sip. “These tests and papers are kicking my ass.” Calum patted on your head to let you know he felt for you and took a bite of his chocolate chip pancakes. “Just two more weeks and it’s Christmas break. We’re almost there, Gilmore.” You nodded and nuzzled yourself on the big couch, watching the people walking outside and waiting at the register.

“It’s so weird seeing that girl with that guy. They totally don’t fit together.” You felt the eyes of the two blonde sorority girls, standing near the register, burning on your skin. You tapped Calum on his leg, trying to get his attention. “Girls are talking about us again.” You whispered and took another sip of your cappuccino. Calum shrugged and patted your leg. “So what if they’re talking. I don’t really care. I’d rather sit here with you and be talked about, than stand there with those two blondes and being talked about.” A smile crept on your face and you tried to ignore the two girls talking about you.

“You know what I heard though.” “What?” “They are roommates.”

“’Mah god, they are roommates.” The two of you mumbled in sync.

It was a typical Saturday night on campus, everybody either went out or went on dates. When Calum finally emerged from the bathroom after taking an hour to get himself ready he puts up a little fashion show for you. “And?” Calum asked, attempting to impersonate runway models. “Don’t I look dapper.” You looked up from your book and checked Calum out. He’s wearing his white button-up shirt, which hugs his arms perfectly, a classic pair of black jeans and some black loafers. You slowly bit your lip when you looked into the boy's brown eyes. “Yes…” you said softly. The boy smiled back and walked towards the door to get his coat and steals one last glance in the mirror. “Well, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Calum joked and he looked at you, all tucked in under your favorite blanket on your favorite lazy chair. For a second Calum doubted if he should leave. For a second he wondered what it would be like to just stay here and maybe cuddle with you under the big pile of blankets, watching your favorite series and having you falling asleep against his chest. The thoughts got rudely interrupted by your sweet voice.

“Bye Calum!” You shooed and you gave him a small wave. "And remember.” You said quickly when Calum opened the door. Calum looked at you hopefully, hoping you would ask him to come home early, asking him not to leave, but you didn’t seem to notice the change in his eyes when you continued your sentence.

"Nobody will ever be able to hate you more than you already hate yourself.” And with that remark, your attention went back to the book you were holding in your hand. Calum closed the door leaving you behind with a soft sigh, failing to see you wiping away a single tear.

With the sound of the closing door, you threw your book away in frustration and buried your face in Calum’s green hoodie you used as an extra pillow. Sniffing the familiar scent of your roommate you thought back to a few weeks ago. Ever since the Halloween party, something had shifted in the friendship between the two of you.

taglist: @cthofficial - @easierlftv - @spicycal - @calmlftv

#calum hood #calum hood au #calum hood fic #calum hood fanfiction #5sos #5 seconds of summer #5sos au #5sos fic #5sos fanfic #5 seconds of summer au #5 seconds of summer fic #5 seconds of summer fanfiction #fratboy!cal #weatherboy cth #flo writes

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pixiegrl · 3 years

Note

hi my love, “I made this for you.” with cake please 💕

Hi sweetheart!!! You had suggested I do this as a paper rings thing bc i said I wanted to write a Cake proposal and I turned this into a 5+1 for different ways that Calum could propose! I hope you like it!!

On ao3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28757919

“Honey, I’m home,” Calum calls as he enters the house. Luke winces when he hears the front door slam, Duke starting to bark loudly at the noise. Petunia is unbothered by the noise, continuing to snore on the couch as Calum tries to shush Duke, making his way through the house to the kitchen.

Luke glances up from where he’s been standing at the sink, cleaning up the dishes from his earlier attempt at making banana bread. Calum’s holding too many Target bags in his hands for the simple trip for groceries that he went on. Luke raises an eyebrow at Calum, giggling when Calum looks away bashfully from Luke’s eyes. Calum peeks over Luke’s shoulder before turning to look at the bread on the cooling rack.

“Ooo, did you make banana bread?”

“Yes, just for you. You wouldn’t stop talking about it and we had bananas that were getting ready to turn anyway so I just used them,” Luke says, turning to Calum, leaning in for a kiss. Calum rolls his eyes, granting Luke a quick kiss on the lips before setting the Target bags down on the counter.

“Well then, I guess you don’t need the sweets I bought from Target,” Calum teases. Luke perks up, hurrying to dry his hands off to see what Calum’s bought. Luke starts rummaging around in the bags, pulling out snack packs of fruits and nuts, chips, dog treats, a little neon heart light he’s bought because it reminded him of Luke, and some fake succulents he’s bought as well.

Calum pulls out two bags of chocolate he’s bought before he grins triumphantly, pulling a pack of cupcakes from another bag. They’re chocolate and vanilla, covered in pink and red frosting, clearly meant for Valentine’s Day. The thing that gets Luke though, is the little plastic rings adorning the cupcakes. They’re big and pink, heart shaped atop the cupcakes. Luke can see the front from here, pretty cursive that says things like I Love You and Be Mine. Luke giggles looking at them, charmed by the sweet, simple nature of them.

Calum grins, popping the lid of the container open, dropping dramatically to one knee and holding out a cupcake to Luke. Luke’s heart starts to pound a little, heart jumping into his throat at the idea of Calum asking Luke to marry him.

“Hey Luke, will you be mine?” Calum giggles, as Luke takes the cupcake from him. Luke doesn’t want to admit that it disappoints him a little, knowing that Calum’s only teasing him. Luke tries to cover it up with a forced smile.

“Are you asking me to marry you with a cupcake ring Cal?” Luke asks, popping the ring off the cupcake and licking the frosting off. Calum laughs, pushing himself from his kneeling position, watching Luke put the ring onto his left ring finger as he peels the wrapping off the cupcake.

“Are you accepting?”

“I don’t think so. You’re a world famous musician. I’m holding out for a better ring,” Luke says airly, trying to cover up his racing heart at the idea that Calum might be asking him to get married for real. Calum hums, leaning down to pick Duke up in his arms, letting Duke lick his face excitedly as he pets him.

“You’re being a diva, Luke. Demanding a nicer ring.”

“I think I’m well within my rights to ask for a nicer ring than a plastic one from a cupcake. We’ve been together for five years. I demand nothing less than a diamond and a proposal of you waxing poetry about your love for me,” Luke teases, licking icing from the cupcake. Calum laughs, swiping some icing from the cupcake and bopping Luke’s nose with it. He goes cross eyed looking at it, trying to wipe his nose off.

“Diva. You just want to be told how much I love you.”

“Is that a crime?”

“It’ll go to your head and you’ll be even worse than you already are.”

Luke rolls his eyes, “See if I share my banana bread with you.”

“See if I share anymore of my cupcakes and rings with you,” Calum shoots back. He sets Duke down on the floor, leaning over to press a kiss to Luke’s cheek and starting to clean the groceries up. Luke doesn’t want to admit he’s a little sad at having only gotten a joking, fake proposal instead of a real one.

***

Luke and Calum are on a mission to clean their house up. Neither of them got the clean genes in the band, but Luke’s trying to turn over a new leaf in the new year. He’s on a kick to deep clean their whole house, despite Calum’s protests for a relaxing Saturday.

“The whole of not being on tour means that we get to relax,” Calum whines from the bedroom. Luke’s tasked him with going through their closet, pulling out things they don’t wear anymore so they can get rid of them. Luke’s in the bathroom, trying to scrub the tile in the shower. He knows he’s picked the more daunting task, scrubbing at it with cleaning powder and a sponge, but Luke’s anxiety has been acting up lately and the methodical, repetitive task is helping put the loop in his head at ease.

“The whole point of being on tour means we’re home now. Which means now we should actually enjoy the home we live in.”

“By cleaning?”

“It’ll help with the vibes.”

“I hate that you’ve said that. I hate even more that I understand what you mean,” Calum calls back. Luke laughs, burying his face into his elbow to muffle some of his laughter. It shouldn’t be as funny as it is. Maybe Luke’s high from the cleaning fumes.

“Oh my god Luke! Guess what I’ve just found,” Calum calls, giddy and laughing. Luke sits back, taking a rest on the soft carpet on the floor and turning around to see Calum rush into the bathroom. He’s holding a small black ring in his fingers, grinning widely, eyes crinkled at the corners. Luke squints, standing up and getting closer to Calum to take a look. Luke raises his eyebrows when he realizes what it is.

“Is that my old lip ring?” Luke asks in wonder as he looks at it. Calum laughs, delighted.

“It is! Good, can you believe I found this? It’s been five years since you’ve worn it at least.”

“I dropped the lip ring for you,” Luke says, grinning.

“I should have said no when you asked me out just for that. I only agreed because you looked sexy with a lip piercing and then you get rid of it a week later.”

“It just didn’t fit my vibe anymore.”

“Might look nice with it again.”

“Please, I’m an adult now. Maybe I’ll get a nose piercing instead. Or my cartilage.”

“Hmmm, you would look hot with a nose piercing. You have the right nose for it,” Calum says, reaching over to bop Luke on the tip of his nose. Luke giggles.

“I’ll keep that in mind for your next birthday gift. Nose piercing.”

“Not your lip again?”

“Calum, if we’ve found a five year old lip ring, I think it’s a sign we need to clean the house more,” Luke says, rolling his eyes. Calum smiles mischievously.

“Luke Hemmings, with this lip ring, will you wed?” He teases, holding the ring out dramatically. Luke ignores the way his heart jackhammers at the sound of Calum proposing to him again. It’s silly and a joke and not real. Even if it thrills Luke to hear Calum say the words, to imagine what it would be like for the proposal to be real.

“Very funny Calum. Are you trying to make up for the plastic heart ring from last time?”

“Well, this one has more sentimental value. Although you did keep that heart ring, I remember,” Calum says. Luke blushes, glancing away. Luke thought he was doing a good job hiding the plastic ring from the cupcake in his nightstand. Clearly, Calum’s caught Luke anyway.

“I will not confirm nor deny the existence of such a ring,” Luke answers breezily, plucking the lip ring from Calum’s hand. Calum laughs, leaning in to kiss Luke gently.

“I’ll take that as a yes to both things,” Calum boosts, calling over his shoulder as he leaves the bathroom.

“I’m not agreeing to anything,” Luke answers. He looks at the ring in his hand. If he stores it in his pocket to add to the ring in his nightstand, well, no one but Luke has to know about that.

***

It’s too warm in the house today. The weather in LA is warming up and while the change is nice, Luke does not appreciate the sudden heat in the house. Luke’s taken to sitting outside in the pool, floating around on the pineapple shaped floatie he bought on a whim. It’s done nothing to cool him down, but it makes him feel nice at least. It’s more fun anyway than sitting out on the deck or sitting instead.

Calum’s gone out to the store again, to buy more snacks and get away from Luke’s whining probably. Luke doesn’t mind either way, taking the time to float around, Petunia and Duke sitting on one of the deck chairs, sleeping soundly. Luke has on Taylor Swift’s album Lover over the little portable speaker they have, feeling soft and warm in his chest today when he woke up to Calum curled into his side. They’d made breakfast together this morning, an excuse really to cuddle against each other in the kitchen, pressed close as they made waffles and coffee, kissing at every opportunity. It’s put Luke in a nice mood for the day, despite the heat and all, and when he’s in a good mood, he likes to put this album on. It makes him think of Calum, all soft pinks and blues, filled with love and warmth and promises of forever.

“Hey, lover boy,” Calum calls from the sliding door leading from the living room to the deck. Luke startles, jumping slightly and overturning the float into the water. Luke resurfaces, spitting out water and pouting as Calum laughs. Calum approaches the edge of the pool, jumping out of the way when Luke tries to splash him. Luke wades over to where Calum’s standing, shopping bag hanging from two fingers, grinning. He leans down, meeting Luke halfway as Luke stands on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Calum’s lips.

“You made me lose my sunglasses.”

“Aw come on now, you’re an Aussie. You can swim for them and everything,” Calum says, kicking off his sandals and putting the bag on the ground, so he can roll the legs of his pants up. Luke sighs heavily, pretending to be put out as he drives down in the pool to grab his sunglasses from where they’re sitting on the floor of the pool. He grabs them, coming up for air and shaking his hair out. Calum cries in mock upset as the water drops hit him, shielding his face from the water. Luke perks up when he notices the box of popsicles poking out of the bag, bright fruity flavored ones. Luke’s weak for them, something Calum clearly knows and is using to his advantage in the face of Luke’s whining about the heat. Calum laughs when he follows the track of Luke’s eyes, ripping the box open as Luke swims over.

“Dry your hands first,” Calum chides, holding out the beach towel resting by the side of the pool. Luke does so, making grabby hands for the popsicle once he’s dry, eagerly ripping open the white plastic, thrilled to find the orange flavored popsicle and licking at it. Calum laughs at Luke’s face, sucking on his own cherry popsicle.

“Thank you,” Luke mumbles around the popsicle in his mouth, words muffled. Calum giggles.

“You’re welcome sweetcheeks. Thought you deserved a treat with how much complaining you’ve been doing.”

Luke huffs, enjoying his popsicles, Taylor Swift filling the air. They finish their popsicles in comfortable silence, Luke biting at the stick when he’s done for something to do with his mouth.

“Oh!” Calum exclaims, startling Luke a little. Calum rummages around in the bag, pulling out a small bag and holding it out to Luke. Luke takes it from Calum, blushing when he realizes that it’s a ring pop.

“What is this Cal?”

“A ring pop. Remember those? I think this is blue raspberry flavored,” He says. Luke rips the foil open, pulling out the ring pop, blue lollipop and red plastic ring.

“You remembered?”

“That blue raspberry is your favorite flavor? Give me some credit as your boyfriend,” Calum jokes. Luke smiles.

“Thank you.”

“Wait!” Calum exclaims, holding his hand out for the ring.

“Come on Calum. You can’t be serious,” Luke groans. Calum continues to make grabby hands for the ring. Luke sighs, heavy and pretending to be put out.

“You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“Nope. Better to just give it to me now and get it over it.”

Luke rolls his eyes, holding the ring gingerly in his fingers. Calum takes it from Luke, holding it out dramatically to him again.

“Luke. Love of my life. Darling. Sweetheart.”

“Does this have a point?”

“Rude. Here I am trying to propose to you and you just want to rush me along.”

“I want my ring pop before it melts in the sun with how long you’re taking.”

Calum sighs heavily, gesturing for Luke’s hand. Luke holds out his left hand, letting Calum slide the ring onto his ring finger.

“Will you marry me?”

“Hmmm, maybe. You’re getting closer to a yes, I will say that.”

“I’m going to dump you for Ashton if you don’t start appreciating my love.”

“Like Michael would let you get away with taking Ashton and overlooking him as a replacement,” Luke says, rolling his eyes.

“Take this seriously Luke.”

“You take it seriously. You don’t know how to propose properly.”

Calum rolls his eyes, huffing, “You know, one day I’m going to propose for real and you’re not going to know what to do.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Luke fires back, tampering down on the flare in his chest at the idea of Calum proposing for real, glancing away as Taylor Swift sings about love in the background, heart fond as Calum kicks his legs in the water, smiling softly at Luke, Luke smiling back and squeezing Calum’s ankle.

***

Luke wasn’t expecting to spend date night a planetarium, but he doesn’t think he should be surprised. Luke and Calum have both been fascinated by the stars for years, the idea that no matter where they are, everyone is sharing the same sky. It used to bring them comfort back when Calum was in Rio on his own, separated from Luke and Michael, and later when the four of them were living in England alone for the first time in their lives, thinking about their parents.

The sky isn’t as much of a safety net as it once was, but Luke still adores the night skies, the stars. He and Calum like to lay out on the deck at night, staring up at the stars and claiming that they can see whatever shapes people swear are out there. Calum keeps saying they should buy a telescope, but they’re both lazy and keep putting it off.

It led to their date tonight, Luke and Calum sitting in a planetarium, listening to the narrator in the theater tell them about the stars and what’s up in the night sky. Luke keeps grabbing Calum’s hand, squeezing it excitedly everytime they see something interesting on the screen. Calum’s smiling fondly at Luke, squeezing back whenever Luke does it.

The man moves on to talking about the planets now, working his from Jupiter to Saturn, giving off fun facts about the planets.

Calum leans over, whispering into Luke’s ear, “Hey, you know what Saturn has?”

“What?”

“Rings,” Calum says, raising his eyebrows and wiggling them. Luke groans, letting his head fall back against the seat.

“Not this again Calum.”

“Hey! It’s a ring,” Calum says, the people around them shushing Calum when he gets too loud. Calum sinks down in the seat, embarrassed slightly at it. A few moments pass before Calum turns to Luke again.

“It counts Luke.”

“It does not. You cannot propose to me without something physical.”

“Why not? It’s a ring.”

“I will not say yes to a proposal that does not come with a physical ring,” Luke says, turning back to the presentation as the narrator moves onto the next planet. Luke thinks that’s the end of it, Calum going quiet next to him. Luke glances next to him, chest warming as he looks at Calum, bathed in galaxy lights, staring up at the ceiling in wonder. Luke’s almost forgotten about the exchange until they’re in the gift shop later, poking around. Calum lets out a little whoop of excitement, turning to Luke and poking him.

“What?” Luke asks, turning to Calum, going cross eyed at the postcard that Calum’s waving in his face.

“Look! It’s a postcard of Saturn!”

“Okay?”

“It’s a physical form of rings! I can propose to you with this!” Calum crows. Luke sighs heavily, rolling his eyes.

“Calum it still does not count. It’s not an actual ring.”

“Please Luke? Will you marry me?”

“If I say yes, will you drop the argument for including Saturn’s rings?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes Calum. I accept your bogus proposal,” Luke says. Calum shrieks in happiness, leaning over to press a kiss to Luke’s lips and rushing over to the cash register to buy Luke’s proposal “ring.” Luke sighs, pretending to be put out when Calum hands the postcard to him in a dramatic swipe. If the postcard goes up on their fridge, well, only Luke and Calum have to know about it, Calum grinning knowing and Luke rolling his eyes the whole time, pretending to be annoyed, but instead feeling fond and loved.

***

Calum’s on a weird art kick. It’s unusual for him. Usually, when Calum’s feeling creative, he plays his bass or writes songs, walking around the house humming under his breath. Today though, Calum has hidden himself away in the studio with some art supplies. He squirreled it all in there this morning, hiding it all from Luke and making Luke promise that he won’t come and look before Calum is ready to show him. Calum had claimed it was a surprise, despite Luke’s whining about being left out. Luke’s feeling very uncreative this morning, spending the day on the couch, flipping around the TV still he gets sucked into a marathon of Say Yes to the Dress.

Luke’s lost track of time, hollering at the TV and alternating between arguing with the family’s who won’t let brides wear what they want and brides who have poor fashion taste (Luke’s been in Fashion Week, he should know a little about fashion). He doesn’t even realize Calum’s standing there until he hears him clear his throat from the doorway. Luke startles a little, turning to look at Calum. Calum crosses the room, coming to stand next to the couch. He’s holding both hands behind his back as he drops to one knee. Luke swallows, panicking filling his throat. Is this really when Calum’s going to propose? Luke knows his answer, but he isn’t ready to say yes. He needs time to process this.

Calum takes his hands out from behind his back, holding something up, held gingerly between both fingers. Luke squints, leaning forward to take a look at it.

“Cal?”

“Yeah honey?”

“What is this?”

“It’s a ring. I made this for you,” Calum says. He’s holding the paper ring out to Luke, face open and eager.

“I think you’re supposed to give it to me,” Luke says. Calum grins even wider. He takes Luke’s offered left hand, holding it in his own as he slides the ring onto Luke’s ring finger. Luke admires the paper. It’s a soft pale pink, slips of paper interwoven to create a braided effect, ends all tucked into one another. Luke can’t tell where the paper starts or ends.

“Do you accept my proposal?” Calum says, tone light and teasing. Luke glances up, noticing the nervous, worried flicker in Calum’s eyes at Luke’s hesitation. Luke smiles softly, tugging Calum closer, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Are you proposing for real or just practicing?”

“Will that change your answer?”

“Well, I don’t want to get my hopes up if this is all just a trial run,” Luke says, aiming for casual, coming off as nervous instead.

Calum hums, “Maybe this is your proposal. A paper ring and my love.”

Luke hums, examining the ring, “Pink is my color.”

Calum grins, “Well then, Luke Hemmings, do you accept my pseudo proposal?”

Luke huffs, smacking Calum’s shoulder, “Just for that I’m saying no Calum.”

“Oh come on. You said you would say yes.”

“Not if you’re going to mock me,” Luke says, haughty and trying to cover up the hurt in his voice as he stands from the couch. Luke knows it’s just silly teasing, a game between the two of them, but his heart aches everytime he thinks Calum is really proposing to him, only to be let down yet again. Luke wants to know when the proposal is going to be real. Luke places this ring away with the cupcake ring and lip ring to hold a special place in his heart until Calum is ready.

***

Luke wakes up, frowning when he realizes that the bed is empty next to him. A quick glance at the clock confirms that it’s only 8:00am, far too early for Calum to be up and out of bed. Frowning, Luke rolls over onto his back, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He gets a bearing of his surroundings, can hear Calum banging around in the kitchen. Curious, Luke gets out of bed and starts to head down to the kitchen.

Calum’s in there, humming along to the music he’s playing through his phone speakers. He’s dancing around the kitchen slightly, coffee heating up, waffles cooking. Luke clears his throat, startling Calum and causing him to turn around.

“Morning sunshine,” Calum says, grinning at Like. He looks nervous, which confuses Luke. He’s never seen Calum with this much energy in the morning.

“Morning love. You’re making breakfast?”

“Yep. Almost done. You should take a seat,” Calum says, jittery. Cautiously, Luke makes his way over to the table and sits down. He watches Calum plate the waffles, dumping blueberries and strawberries onto the plate as well and carrying them both over. He puts one in front of Luke and goes back for the coffee. He pours two mugs, bringing them over as well. He puts them down on the table, smiling down at Luke.

Luke smiles back, “Are you serious you’re okay? You seem nervous.”

Instead of answering, Calum drops down to one knee. Luke’s heart stops. He doesn’t know if he can take another fake proposal. Calum pulls a small velvet box out of his pockets. Oh...oh. Luke swallows. This is real, this is happening. Calum’s hands are shaking as he opens the box. It’s a beautiful ring, light blue stone set in a gold band.

“Oh Calum. It’s beautiful,” Luke whispers.

“Don’t say anything. I have a whole speech planned and you can’t distract me,” Calum says. Luke zips his lips, earning a nervous laugh from Calum.

“Luke, I’ve known you for so long. It’s hard to put a number on it because it feels like forever. You’re a part of my days, my life, my being. Everything you do just puts me more and more in awe of you. You’re a bright, sunny, wonderful part of my day. I don’t know what I would do without you. When I picture the future, I picture you in it. Growing older, getting more dogs, maybe a kid. I always picture you. Our lives are ever changing, but you are the one constant in my life. I love you so much. Luke Robert Hemmings, will you marry me?” Calum asks, holding the ring box up. Luke whispers out a barely audible yes, nodding fervently. Calum’s face breaks out into a wide grin, pulling the ring from the box and sliding it onto Luke’s finger with shaking hands.

Luke thinks he might be crying as he pulls Calum in for a kiss, but it doesn’t seem to matter, Calum’s face equally wet with tears as they kiss, ring band digging into Calum’s cheek.

“See, I told you I had a good plan. You just had to wait,” Calum says when they pull apart. Luke rolls his eyes, pulling Calum down onto his lap.

“Sap,” Luke says fondly, burying his face into Calum’s neck. Calum’s smile is in his voice as he plays with Luke’s curls.

“ Got you to say yes.”

“Fine fine, maybe all your other proposals were good prep,” Luke says, rolling his eyes when Calum laughs. It doesn’t matter either way. No matter how many ways Calum’s proposed to him, this one way is Luke’s favorite. It’s sentimental and true and real. Luke is Calum’s and Calum’s is Luke’s. Forever and ever now. All the other parts are just fluff as long as they have each other.

#5 seconds of summer #cake #luke hemmings #calum hood #this was just an excuse to write a proposal for Cake #its so and fluffy and cute #my writing

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tirednotflirting · 4 years

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i am missing you more than i should (guess i'm not out of the woods)

i attempted to post this to ao3 and then the page crashed so tumblr gets some rights today i guess.

this is another addition to the maisie thing i’m working on. title and inspo from look at me now by maisie peters

read here on ao3 if you wanna

(it’s kinda emo i apologize)

It’s a cold November night when Luke sees Calum again.

Despite the outdoor temperature being displayed on his phone screen, Luke is warm from the alcohol in his belly and the bodies milling around the bar. He’s ordered a drink to feel natural in his current setting but it’s just soda and lime. He’s stepped into this place to wait for Ashton to come pick him up. He had read one top many horror stories about ride share apps and young drunken people and now always gripes at Luke for not calling him for a pick up on a night out. So after watching all of his friends (though that’s kind of a stretch for the people he frequents clubs with) head off into the night, Luke wandered to the place he currently sits at, feeling drawn to the little dive bar he hasn’t been to in ages and sent Ashton his location.

It’s while he’s waiting for his drink that he remembers why he was drawn to this bar. This is Calum’s place. Luke can’t even think up how many pairs of hands he would need to count the number of times they had stumbled into this place, laughing with their arms around each other while tripping their way up to the bar. It’s close to the complex Calum had been living in while they were still in school. Seeing him here now at the other end of the bar, the glitter in his eyes shining even though they’re not taking a single glance in his direction, makes Luke wonder if Calum’s stuck around this area of town.

Because of course Luke wouldn’t know. Luke hasn’t said a single word to the man in ages, hasn’t seen him in probably a year and a half at this point. (He’s tempted to pull out his dying phone to find the last text messages they exchanged to track the time but he knows Ashton probably deleted their messages during one of the many times he ended up on the other man’s couch with tears raining down his cheeks.)

We want different things. That’s what Calum had told him. Luke wanted to see the world. They were about to graduate, he wanted to see everything and he wanted to see it all with Calum. The idea of settling any part of his still mess of a young life scared the hell out of him. Luke wanted to run but he wanted to do it with Calum’s hand holding his own. Calum was so practical, his mind somehow years ahead of Luke’s. They were graduating, it was time to slow down, he was always trying to explain to the boy he’d laughed with and loved for the last four years. The speeds they were trying to live their lives at during those last few months pretty much started pulling them in opposite directions, Luke supposes. Though that didn’t change how much it hurt the day he returned to his apartment to find a box of his clothes and belongings sitting in front of the door with a little note tucked into the side.

Luke had stuck to his plan. It was only in the last couple of months that he’d returned to the city and found a job more permanent, reconnected with Ashton who had stuck it out in the area for law school. He had seen so many places, so many people, so many pairs of brown eyes that had him nearly chasing after strangers on the other side of the world. He hadn’t dared to try to love someone else but eventually his brain stopped trying to play tricks on him to make him see what he had lost because he couldn’t just slow down. Eventually he didn’t wake every morning expecting to see someone curled up beneath the sheets beside him or to walk into the kitchen to find the ever studious business major drinking from the blue mug with the chip in the handle as he checked the news on his phone

Though from what he could see down the bar, Calum hadn’t been on his own since Luke saw him last. Or at least he wasn’t right now.

Luke watches a laugh escape Calum’s lips while he reaches for his glass on the bartop (always a whiskey man, Luke was never not teasing him for his old man drink preferences). He takes a sip and then raises his brows, his lips moving to ask a question Luke can still hear rolling off his tongue if he thinks back hard enough. He watches the glass get passed along to the blonde sitting in front of him and facing away from Luke. The glittering in Calum’s eye changes some as his bottom lip gets pulled between his teeth while a smirk forms on one side of his face. Luke can see the other man’s shoulders rise slightly in response to taking the sip and he wonders if the scrunched up face he used to pull when sipping Calum’s liquor is anything like this new man’s. He figures it must be as Calum’s face softens in a still vaguely familiar way and Luke watches him lean forward to press a kiss to the blonde’s cheek while a hand lifts to cover the other.

Luke squeezes his eyes shut and forces his face away from the couple. He takes a sip of his soda before shrugging his denim jacket from his arms, the bar suddenly feeling far too warm. He’s reaching for his phone in the pocket of his jacket, ready to send Ashton an SOS to get him to hurry along, when a soft voice behind him nearly throws him to the opposite side of the bar. “Luke?”

He jumps as he spins in the stool he’s seating in, Luke’s eyes suddenly meeting the ones he’s been searching for in every corner of the world. He used to spend hours lying awake thinking about this exact moment, about what it would be like to speak again for the first time with his lost great love. (If Ashton were able to hear him thinking that he would scold Luke for being so dramatic. You’re literally 24. Calm down, Luke.) “Hi, Calum,” he returns, praying his voice isn’t as shaky as it feels. The name feels foreign on his tongue and he can’t tell if he’s thankful for that or not.

“How’re you doing, man?” Calum asks, a small smile playing at his lips. “It’s wild to see you in here, not gonna lie. Thought you were still off somewhere with your wanderlust.”

Luke tries to be as subtle as he can as he reaches for his wrist to pinch himself since he’s not entirely sure he believes this moment to be real. He coughs and shakes himself out of his daze. He’s got to be an adult about all of this, he’s a grown up now. “Yeah, I moved back a couple months ago. Was starting to really stress out Mom with the whole travel thing. I’ve moved in with Ashton, if you remember him? He helped me get this admin job at the law firm he’s interning at.”

“Of course I remember Ash!” Calum beams. Luke wonders if he’s also playing at being cool but then he remembers that Calum actually had the guts to walk over to him so maybe this is just a part of being settled down. “Happy for you, Luke. Sounds like a good set up.”

Luke ignores the nostalgia threatening to cloud up his mind at the sound of his name falling from Calum’s lips a second time. “You still working for Donny then?”

“I am! He gave me like, a month after grad to chill before I got back to my old desk with a stack two feet high of files,” Calum laughs and Luke finds himself doing the same. Calum’s internship boss had always been fond of them together. Donny had once helped Luke get flowers delivered for their third anniversary. He was a good guy. “Actually, just got promoted to Managing Financial Advisor earlier this week. Was here, uh, celebrating tonight wit-”

“Hey Cal, thought I lost you there.”

The blonde Luke had only seen the back of before steps into view, his hand dropping to Calum’s back. He’s just barely shorter than Calum, though that’s likely due to the boots the latter is wearing. His eyes are wide and a pale green, like leaves in early spring. Luke wants to hate him but he can’t. This guy looks pretty nice, unfortunately.

“Sorry, love,” Calum replies softly, his hand lifting subconsciously to push hair from the other man’s eyes. It’s an action Luke remembers fondly (and somewhat painfully, if he’s being honest with himself). “Found a familiar face. Michael, this is Luke. Luke, this is Michael.”

Michael’s eyes widen just the slightest bit. Luke isn’t surprised. He can basically guarantee that he’s sitting right at the top of Calum’s ex-boyfriends to discuss list. They spent nearly all of undergrad together. If Michael’s been around for even a little bit it makes sense that he’s heard about Luke. “Nice to meet you, mate.”

“Yeah, you too.” Luke accepts the hand being offered to shake. The whole situation feels way too formal but also dazed. Though Luke is still drunk and there’s way too many memories dancing through his mind of nights out with Calum and nights in with Calum and Calum Calum Calum.

“Well,” Calum starts, his hand moving to rest lower against Michael’s back. “Our Uber is here but I’m glad I saw you Luke. Take care of yourself.”

Luke nods and wishes them both the same in a small voice while they wander away from him. He can’t hear it but based on the worried look he can see on Michael’s face as they head for the door and the way he wraps his arm more firmly around Calum’s waist, Luke knows he wasn’t the only one faking a brave face.

(He allows himself a moment to give into memory then as he thinks back on one of the last times he was headed out of this bar with Calum. It was early February, just a week and change past Calum’s birthday. The air is cold enough to see their breaths as they giggle and bumble about their new courses. Calum keeps lifting Luke’s hands between his own to blow warm air onto them to keep them warm as they head in the direction of his apartment.

When they finally make it up to the third floor and through Calum’s door, they both kick off their boots. Luke’s gone for his easier to remove ones so he has a moment to lean against the door while laughing as Calum pulls at the laces of his Docs. Once removed, Calum steps over to Luke, his arms looping around his waist while Luke’s drop to hang over his shoulders. Their laughter dies out as they sway back and forth slightly in the entryway.

“God, I love you,” Luke sighs as he drops his forehead to Calum’s. “Never want to stop loving you.”

“Please don’t.” Calum laughs gently before turning his head so their lips press together.

Whether it's seconds or hours that they stand there kissing while holding each other in the dull entryway light, Luke doesn’t know. He doesn’t care. All that matters is that Calum never lets go.)

Luke’s phone buzzes on the bartop, a text from Ashton appearing to alert him that he’s waiting in the lot out front. Luke tips back the last of his soda and shouts a thank you to the bartender. He pulls on his jacket and heads in the direction of the door.

He turns for a moment before reaching to push through back out into the cold. He glances around the open room, quick moments of memories playing out in front of him from the years before. He sighs and pulls himself out of it again.

Maybe it’s time to find a new spot to land.

#cake #cake fic #also some malum #maisie series #i think i literally apologized when speaking w meg yesterday bc i was like 'i don't wanna be mean to cake but also'#maisie posting on insta right as i type these tags omfg

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 4 years

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hiya! whenever you’re in the mood, generous by amber mark... for cal please? 🌾👀🌾 the part where she’s like “i ain’t seen you in like seven days, just wanna stay in for the weekend and get faded, turning off my phone, putting on some slow jams & taking off your clothes” had me sweatING.

Thanks for the song suggestion!

This sexually charged. No explicit details, but please read with caution if you’re under 18.

_____________________________

The First Year

It’s said that the first year was the toughest. And while Calum wanted to say that the whole love business was tough in general, nothing could’ve prepared him for the whirlwind that came through his life. None of it was bad though. The guys had taken a lot of time between the fourth and fifth albums. It was needed. Success never came in drips at a time, or at least that’s how it felt. It was hard work, piece by piece that was falling into place. But it always felt like success came in a wave. It washed over, flipped everything upside down and then slowly as the wave dried things settled.

Calum was caught in a wave. The band’s touring options had opened up, new opportunities for merchandising and collaborations, more venues outside of music with scores for films, working hands-on in music videos, collaborating on bass builds, had him buried in big decisions. It kept him late sometimes or forced him out of the house early in the morning. Work for her had been steady but there were days at the clinic that were just rough. And when she wanted to call Calum and just bawl her eyes out about how unfair some stuff was, she always hesitated knowing Calum was busy.

That didn’t stop Calum from doing what he could to be there. He called when she mentioned having a few minutes to herself at work. He kept up with the cooking schedule. They alternated every week or so who was responsible for cooking. He got through the loophole by ordering her takeout and having it delivered to the house even if he was out late. Calum won’t admit to having an alarm on his phone--though it was like several alarms depending on what she was in the mood for. He had the delivery times down to a science and set the alarms accordingly. When he was home early, he took at least an hour just to curl up with her on their couch and talk about anything and everything.

Things were going well, but the distance was a hard thing to see when it trickled in. But Calum noticed her calling him less at work, and he missed those texts but he knew she was just as busy as he was. When they did fall into bed together, it was usually straight to sleep for at least one of them, leaving the other feeling comforted by the presence but with a small ache for a kiss, or maybe even more.

The two of them weren’t big on Valentine’s Day. Calum always sent her flowers and most times they spent the day relaxing at home if she managed to escape from the clinic and get the day off. If not, Calum always had a bath ready for her when she got home, flowers, and her favorite meal in the oven. Though, she was prepared this time. Maybe even overly prepared. She was noticing the distance too. The touches never lasted as long as they used too--they had surpassed the honeymoon phase, no more sappy arguments on who was going to hang up the phone first, or who was cuter. Now it was the real test.

Even if Calum teased her for being cliché, she didn’t care. She was going to make sure to take the time to show Calum that she still cared, she was still attentive. She woke before Calum. This wasn’t a shock considering her having to be there at the clinic at 9 in the morning. Her body’s internal clock was so set that the only way for her to sleep late was to be sick. So at six-fifteen her eyes cracked open and she groaned.

Calum would wake in another hour or so. He tried to keep a consistent sleep schedule. For a while, she just laid there, curling up into Calum’s side. Her fingers gently traced his jaw and pushed at the curls at the top of his head. She worried for a half a second that she had woken Calum when he shifted but he settled and remained peacefully in slumber. It took her nearly half an hour to convince herself to get out of bed.

She stared out, as she took Duke out, at the hazy blue that was covering the skies. It would only last for about half an hour. It made everything feel like a movie and she loved the blue hour more than high loved sunset golden hour. She liked the slight chill that entered her body early in the morning. She liked the stillness in the air too.

By the time she turned back to head into the kitchen, Duke’s paws clicking on the hardwood floors she could hear the clanking of pots. “Go back to bed!” she hollered into the house, removing her slippers and shutting the door.

“You go back to bed,” Calum returned. His voice was rough, still thick with sleep. It made her spine shiver just a little. Even though she intended to cook breakfast for him, she didn’t protest as Calum took reigns. They cooked together, stealing more chocolate chips to eat than to actually put into the pancakes. It was sweet, to finally have her in his arms. To know that things hadn’t fully changed between the two of them. Calum kissed down her neck as she washed dishes.

She hummed, acutely aware that both of them were still in their pj’s but it felt right as Calum’s arms encased her waist. A soft sigh escaped her lips. “I have like three things left to wash.”

“I can help with that.” His lips hadn’t left her skin. Her scent was too intoxicating in his nostrils.

“You’re doing a lot to help,” she laughed but pushed through to finish the dishes. As she pulled the plug on the drain, she pushed her hips back to reach out for the dishrag to dry her hands. She was going to treat Calum, fix him all the food he could eat, try to take the load off. But right now, his hands were slipping under her oversized t-shirt and were gripping her hips. She wasn’t going to stop this. It felt too damn right.

As Calum kissed over her neck, she lets the moan slip over her throat. “I’m just saying, there may or may not be new lingerie for just this sort of thing stashed away in my dresser.”

He laughed into her skin. Of course, she would. “If you tell me it’s red, you know I will have to hold that over your head for at least three months.”

“Baby blue,” she whispered, reaching behind to grab at Calum’s neck. That’s the only thing she needed to say before Calum bites into her flesh.

“You had to go and say that.” It was with some grumbles that Calum peeled away from her. He taped her ass as she departs the kitchen. “I want a show.”

“I’m not giving you a show if your ass isn’t showered either,” she returned. Calum, fresh from his shower, listened as the water turned off. He agreed to shower first and it was wracking his nerves. He knew she had planned to cook breakfast but when he wanted to cater to her. It was a revolving door. He wanted to do for her and she wanted to do for him.

Calum wasn’t really sure though when he lost conscious awareness until he heard the speakers belting out R&B that brought him back. He hadn’t even heard them turn on-- they always chimed a little when it was paired with something. There was a distinct click, heels tapping against the wooden floors. He slowly brought his gaze up, the robe, sheer and hiding nothing of the baby blue corset and panties. Her thigh-high stockings were skin-colored but dazzled a little too in the light of the mid to late morning filtering in through the blinds. Her band and engagement ring reflected the light too, dazzling as she put her hands on her hips.

His mouth salivated. He knew what she tasted like, but the sight, the mere sight of her had him weak. There was no mistaking what was happening. His fingertips were starting to tingle. Fuck, he missed this no doubt. Too many months had passed. Too many nights passed where he wanted to wake her, wanted to kiss the shell of her eye and beg to touch her, but he let his own tiredness and hesitation stop him.

Calum pushed up, wanting to feel the flesh of her ass give to his palms and she only grinned. It was followed by her directing him back to his spot. “You look so goddamn beautiful,” he whispered into the skin of her breast. They were pushed up, almost threatening to spill over the cups and he really just wanted to press his face into them, suck at the supple skin.

Her arms wounded around his neck, pushing them up into his nose. “Have a taste.”

Calum did not need to be told twice.

-H

#calum hood #calum hood fluff #calum hood smut #calum hood imagine #5sos #5 seconds of summer #calum 5sos #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #michael clifford #smut adjacent #married fluff #song blurb #song rec #asks #answered #h writes

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nastybuckybarnes · 5 years

Text

French Fries

Pairing: Alpha!Bucky X Omega!Reader X Alpha!Steve

Summary: Being a pregnant Omega isn’t exactly a walk in the park. And when your mates become too much to handle, you lose your cool, letting them know just how unreasonable they’re being. And now they’re determined to make it up to you.

Warnings: Language, Minor Angst, Fluff

Word Count: 1.3K

A/n: I love a/b/o. Might make this a mini series but idk

MASTERLIST

~*~

Being an Omega is hard.

Being a female Omega is even harder.

Being a pregnant female Omega bonded to two crazy alphas is probably the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with in your life.

You love your alphas to bits, but at times they can be a little overbearing.

“(Y/n)? Where are you, sweetheart?” You pinch the bridge of your nose as the pups inside of you squirm and kick, excited to hear their father’s voice.

“I’m in my office, Steve. Where I’ve been for the past four hours.” He pops his head through the doorway and smiles, the smile fading as he sees what sits on your desk.

“Honey, I thought we told you nothing too high in salt!” You glare at him. “But I wanted fries!” You exclaim as he picks up the box of deep-fried goodness.

“(Y/n)? Are you okay? What’s happening?!” Bucky runs into the room, a spatula in his hand.

“You let her go get fries? Buck, we’ve talked about the diet she has to stay on!” You pout in your office chair as the two of them argue.

“I never let her go get that! I wouldn’t! I know how important proper nutrition is during pregnancy. Well, based on what I’ve read, anyway.” Steve sighs and rubs his temples.

“No more junk, (Y/n). No more going for walks by yourself, no more staying up super late, and no more work. You need to relax. The babies are going through crucial development right now and they need you to stay healthy and relaxed.”

A growl rips out of your throat and you spring off the chair as fast as you can, glaring at your two alphas.

“No! This is my pregnancy, my body, and my pups! If I want to go for a fucking walk because the air in the apartment makes me sick, I’m gonna fucking do it! If I want to eat pizza and pickles or ice cream and chips, you can’t fucking stop me! If I want to continue doing my goddamn job, I’m gonna do it and there’s nothing you can do about it! This is my pregnancy and I’m having fucking twins, and you two are acting like I’m a fucking porcelain doll. I’m not!”

They’re taken aback by your sudden outburst.

“I’ve been walking on fucking eggshells around the two of you. If you weren’t so caught up in being a textbook good parent, you’d see that you’re being shitty mates right now! Yes, I know I should be asleep at three in the morning, but does that mean my fucking children will sleep then? No! I’d much rather have you comforting me than telling me what the fuck to do all the time. Stop treating me like I’m a goddamn child!”

You storm past them as angrily as you can with your large bump, grabbing your jacket, hat, and mitts off of the couch and opening the front door.

“Don’t even think about asking me where I’m going. Don’t call, don’t text, don’t follow me. I need a break from you two because you’re fucking suffocating me! When I get back things have better be changed, or else I’ll spend the last few months of my pregnancy away from the two of you. Understood?” The two alphas stand dumbfounded by the door, nodding their understanding and genuinely afraid of you.

You’ve never really shown them how much what they do is bugging you, and now they feel like absolute shit because you’re one hundred percent right. They’ve been so caught up trying to be good parents for their unborn pups, that they’ve been neglecting their duties as your mates.

Determined to fix things, they discuss how the Hell they’re gonna make it up to you.

You walk around the quiet neighbourhood around your cozy house, hands shoved deep in your pockets as you think about everything you impulsively yelled at your mates.

You couldn’t help the sudden onslaught of emotions; it’s part of the pregnancy.

You rub your stomach gently, trying to calm yourself down enough to think about having a civilized conversation with either of them. You know you’re not in the wrong here.

Well, maybe you’re a little in the wrong, but they’ve been totally one hundred percent unreasonable.

Not once have you gotten to actually enjoy your pregnancy. You’ve been too busy looking over your shoulder making sure they’re not about to jump down your throat for some stupid reason or another.

After about a half hour more of walking, you head home, determined to make yourself a mug of hot cocoa and ordering some nice pizza. Or Chinese food. Whichever you’re craving more when you get home.

Your alphas watch as you walk into the house, slipping out of your winter boots and hanging your outside gear up in the closet by the door.

They say nothing as you make yourself a mug of hot chocolate, their eyes on your body as you bustle about in the house. When you finally sit down on the couch, a few take out menus in your hand, they approach you.

Steve takes a seat on the wooden coffee table in front of you, bring your feet up into his lap and massaging them while Bucky sits beside you, trying to take little whiffs of your scent.

“We’re so sorry, Omega. You were right. You aren’t as fragile as we’ve been treating you. We haven’t been letting you do anything you want and that’s not fair of us. So for the next little while we’re gonna be letting you do what you want, so long as it’s not dangerous or anything like that.” You look over at him then down to Steve, trying your hardest not to cry.

“I just… this is my first pregnancy. And I’m sorry for yelling and everything but a couple of French fries aren’t going to be the end of the world. You guys… I don’t know. I just want us to settle down a bit. I know you guys are nervous, but imagine how I feel! I’m carrying our pups inside of me and I’m growing in ways I don’t want to be and I’m getting chunky in all the wrong places. My back hurts and my boobs are tender and I can’t sit down without feeling like a manatee… and on top of that, I have two crazy protective alphas who aren’t giving me space to breathe! I just-” you stop and take a few deep breaths.

“I‘m growing people. Inside of me. So I’d like it if you guys could calm down a little bit. Please.”

The two of them nod, Bucky ducking his head to nose at your bonding mark.

“We will. We promise. We’re sorry for being so… horrible. Looking back I want to punch myself and Bucky for the way we were acting. We were hardly treating you like a person and we’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

You raise your eyebrows at Steve’s words.

“Anything?” You ask, your voice low. “Anything,” they both whisper, kissing your skin wherever they can.

You smile wickedly and nod.

“Bucky, go down to the bakery around the corner and pick up some fudge brownies, and Steve, go get some pizza from that place that we always get from but makes us feel horrible for eating. Also, a milkshake and a jar of pickles. Pronto.” They laugh and each kiss your lips once.

“You’re a handful, omega,” Bucky says while grabbing his coat.

“Yeah, but you love me.” They both nod, smiling at you.

“Yes, we do.”

~*~ Fin

TAGS:

Forever:

@smolbeanbucky @wildefire @inumorph @impalatobakerstreet @nanna022 @mummy-woves-you @m-a-t-91 @wtfholland @bookgirlunicorn @beautifulwisdom2001 @deep-sea-glitter @mrhiddles-81 @iamwarrenspeace @bitchacho25 @escapetheshackles @i-know-i-can @buckyssoul @avnngrs @swoonhui @destiel-artemis @frozenhuntress67 @unlikelygalaxygiver @agentlokidottir @viarogers @dumblani @mypassionsarenysins @mapreza1 @courtmr @paradisiacalsparks

Marvel:

@look-to-the-stars-and-wish @maladaptive-ninja-returns @april-14-blog @momc95 @shakzer00 @inkedaztec @cal-ifornication @heartislubbingdubbing @my-suga-kookies @imaginewhoever @soryuwifeyxx

Steve:

@an-anonymoususer @patzammit @fandom-princess-forevermore @jetaimeamore

Bucky:

@chuuulip @nerd-without-a-cause @natashasnight @dragonrosegardens @saharzek @fandom-princess-forevermore @jetaimeamore

2K notes · View notes

rotten-games · 4 years

Note

Different anon, but if you have the time could you write a happy ending to this question, "Ro's reaction when they found out mc is about to leave to do dangerous and impossible mission, like it has really low precentage of success or even coming out alive.". I love angst but I need that angsty/fluffy/ "I thought you were gone" moment or I'll cry. ಥ_ಥ

This took too long but have it anyway. Some are more fluffy than others.

Ardwen: Ardwenlooks a mess when you awake in Herron’s makeshift infirmary, his platinum hairmatted and bags under his eyes. His clothing is stained with something suspect,his makeup smeared across his face like some kind of dramatic enactment onstage. A part of you suspects he’s simply putting the façade on, just for drama’ssake, but you don’t mention your suspicion.

Because he iscrying.

“You’re back,”Ardwen huffs, wiping desperately at his eyes as if you haven’t already seen thetears. You can’t help but find a smile—yep, definitely an act. Ardwen pouts,worrying his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before he decides he’drather lose the staring competition than lose you. In that moment, he collapsesinto you chest, pain shooting through your body and causing you to groan,still, he squeezes you tight, unable to let go to even ask if you’re alright.Muffled, you think you hear, “You’re very horrible and I hate you,” But when hepulls away again, he’s crying happy tears.

Arke: Facing Arkeafter you left while he slept is one of the most difficult moments of your life.When you awake in the infirmary, he isn’t there and he doesn’t visit you evenon the day Herron lets you out. You find him in the training arena, beating somesorry sod half to death. Sweat pours down his brow, his shirt thrown off in theheat of his frustrations. Only when he throws his sword down does he acknowledgeyou, a familiar and dark glare directed at you.

“Are you justgoing to stand there or are you coming in here with me?” You shouldn’t, youknow you shouldn’t, but you step into the ring regardless of your still-healingbody. Arke doesn’t hold back as he lunges at you, and your reflexes aren’tquite what you need them to be to respond. You land squarely on your back, Arkelooming over you with a conflicted expression on his face. Eventually, hisshoulders slump and he crumbles to the ground beside you, apparently havingvented out most of his frustrations before you even arrived. “I told you not toleave me behind again,” He murmurs, hands gentle as he helps you back up again.You’re certain you pulled a muscle if the ache is anything to go by, but you trynot to let it show. For now, you won’t let it show.

Bex: Bex all butcrushes you in his embrace when you come to, unable to control himself as hedrags you up and into his arms. Despite the pain, you try your best to returnthe hug, feeling his stubble scratch against your neck. You think he’s tryingto speak, but his words are muffled against your nightshirt and you don’t care enoughabout the actual words to ask him to repeat himself. All you know is he’s here,he’s here and so are you.

Later, once he’srealised he’s hurting you, he apologises despite the sorry’s you need to sayyourself. You simply snicker and punch him weakly on the shoulder, your handsmoothing over a scar across his bicep. “I thought you were dead,” Bex admitsweakly, his fingers twitching as if suppressing the urge to reach over to youonce more. “But then again, I’m not very smart, so maybe you had a plan allalong.” No, you think, you’re the idiot for potentially leaving him behind.

Calyssa: The firstthing Calyssa does when you stumble into the keep is punch you. Her faceremains impassive as she strides up to you, when she stops in her tracks rightin front of you there is a pause and then—the next thing you know you’resprawled on the ground, your jaw throbbing painfully and your mind completelyaddled. You don’t realise how you got here until Cal crouches down to hoist youback to your feet.

“You’re a dick,”She says as she pulls you in for a hug, practically crushing you in her grip.If you had any energy left you might have fought back for her unprovokedattack, but you suppose you can forgive her this once just because of the stuntyou pulled with leaving her behind. After a long moment, she kisses at your temple,muttering, “I missed you,” against your skin.

Druvel: Druveltakes the time to commit your body to memory in the days after your return. Helets you rest, at least until he knows you wont keel over and die, before hetakes you. You don’t think you see to your duties for a week, and by the timeyou emerge from your room you’re sore and stiff from more than just the woundsyou sustained. This, you suppose, you could get used to.

Emil: “You didn’tdie,” Emil’s words are quiet, almost a whisper, as he stares at you, eyes wide indisbelief and shock. His mouth hangs open, all slack like some kind of puppet, andhe doesn’t approach. When you close the distance between the two of you, with alimp in your step and a wince with each motion, you finally start to see thetears in his eyes. He crumbles into your arms, scrambling for some kind of holdon your armour, which is chipped and broken enough to worry you. “I thought youwere dead—I thought you left me. I thought—"

But still you holdhim, and you hold him, for as long as he needs.

Ettia: Ettiafrowns slightly when she sees you, her brows creasing just a little as if in thought.Her lips part, then close, then her expression clears as a smile begins to formon her face. “I always thought you’d be the one to defy Adeliah,” She grins,her head cocking to the side with a slightly mischievous glint in her eye. Herarms open wide and the embrace is quick before she ushers you into theinfirmary. For once, you realise, the stiffness in her shoulders is gone.

Gwyn: His eyestwinkle when he sees you, a smile curling onto his lips as he makes hisapproach without any hesitation. Gwyn finds you, arms reaching out to pull andtug you into his arms. “The Gods must hate you,” He murmurs with a chuckle, “Defyingfate when it was written in your very blood.” You’re not entirely sure what hemeans, but you don’t deem it important enough to ask about. Regardless of hiswords, you can hear the relief in his voice, feel it in the way he holds you tightlyto his chest. That would have to be enough.

Herron: ‘Your alive,’The words don’t quite leave Herron’s mouth before he rushes to your side, hisarms wrapped snugly around you as you collapse against him. You hurt all over,your entire being screaming at you to just succumb right there. But you can’t—youwon’t. Not when you still have someone left to protect. With what energyyou have left, you cling onto Herron, letting him all but drag your weak bodyas he mutters out a spell. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him actually casta spell before—only ever seen him use runes and write up theories. A part ofyou wondered if he even had a magical bone in his body and—you’re getting offtopic.

Maybe that’s thething about dying. It lets you think and think and think because you can do nothingelse as your body shuts down on you, as your eyesight begins to fade and theheat at your core cools until it feels icy and numb. Somewhere in the distance,you hear him murmur your name. “Come now, Love,” Herron’s desperate plea islike a whisper, like a soft wind against your face, “You still have so muchleft to do. Come on, I can’t lose you to this.” Even when you pass out Herronrambles on.

When you wake,Herron is at your side. He’s been praying—to Adeliah, to Golding, any of theGods who might just hear the cries of a non-believer, but you’re not quite surehe believes it when your eyes open. He just sits there for a moment, before hedrags you into his arms with a pitiful little sob. You think he cries hard forthe first time in a long, long, time.

Keller: Kellerbites her lip when she sees you. She bites her lip and balls her fists as ifbattling something inside of herself that tells her not to go to you.Eventually, that look of apprehension falls away to a bright smile, unlikeanything you’ve ever seen on her face. She goes to you and lifts you up, “YourGods were on your side, I see,” She says, chest rumbling with a laugh. Thoughshe doesn’t believe, you hear her shoot off a small thank you—to Goldingof all Gods—before she presses her lips to your own. She kisses and kisses youuntil she can’t breathe, holds you even as Herron looks you over, and doesn’tlet you go until she knows you’re in the clear.

Korrin: “How didyou—” Korrin falters as you step into the tent, their back straightening, bodystiffening. The change is immediate, long gone is the previously calm Korrin,now replaced by shock. Their mouth falls slack, for once not knowing what to door say, for once not realising when you make your approach. Finally—“You mustbe a messenger—I already saw your corpse, I don’t need a reminder of what I didto earn Their ill will.” You can’t help but feel sorry for them—whatever visionthey received has affected them greatly. And so you kneel down beside them andtake their hand, pressing it over your heart. Korrin is silent for a long time,brows creased in confusion, before they crumble. “How?” They ask, dragging youin close, “How did you do it?”

You’re not quitesure yourself.

Lokeira: It neveroccurred to you how strong Lokeira actually is until he scoops you up into hisarms and twirls you around. His tail twists and curls around your ankles, his talonsdigging into your still sore skin. You don’t protest because you think he’scrying. With a little groan you somehow manage to get your arms around him,squeezing him as tightly as you can manage before dropping them to your sidesagain. You’re too tired, far too tired. But Lokeira is so happy, and he’sblubbering, and kissing at your face, so you suppose you’ll forgive it thisonce.

Necrolym: Hislunch drops from his hands as his eyes lay upon you, forgotten in the dust, andhe doesn’t seem to look at you quite right for a long moment as his mind slowlyprocesses the sight before him. Necrolym appears almost cautious at first,expression bewildered as if he doesn’t quite believe you survived. “You… you’realive,” He says, his thumb dragging over a dried cut along your cheekbone and heapproaches. Sucking in his bottom lip, he appears to appraise you for a momentmore before dragging you into a kiss, his lips capturing yours for a very longmoment. You almost can’t breathe when Necrolym pulls away, his grip on youloosening almost reluctantly. With a fond little smile, he flicks you playfullyon the nose, muttering, “Should have gotten here earlier, I would have made youlunch.”

Nox: It took sometime to find Nox again after you returned—true to her word, she was gone by thetime you came to, and you’re not even certain she knew you were still alivewhen she did leave. Now, you’ve tracked her down, and she does not look happyto see you.

“You have got tobe fucking kidding me,” She hisses, dropping the axe she was holding to theground and stalking over to you. She’s grown her hair out recently, herundercut a bit messy and wild, and she has a myriad of new scars. You don’t getthe time to admire them, however, before you feel yourself keep over with apunch to the gut. Nox grabs a hold of your collar, eyes narrowed as her lipspull up into a scowl. “I told you what would happen if you left and yet—” Agrimace, “—And yet, you come find me like some kind of—ugh!”

Throwing her armsup into the air, Nox begins to pace, her tiny legs only taking her so farbefore she spins once more to face you. She seems angry, she seems relieved, butmost of all she seems conflicted. Her hands ball at her sides, venomous wordsthreatening to spill out but, before she explodes, she forces them back down.After a brief pause, her expression softens somewhat, “Do you… want to come in?I have tea. Probably.”

Qora: Qora doesn’tspeak to you straight away when you return. Oh, you’re absolutely certain sheknows you’re back, but you’re also completely positive that she’s livid.You wait for her to come find you, and when she does, she does so without Zora.The cat simply waits outside your door, making as little sound as possible. Atfirst you think she wants to punch you, but instead she drags you into bed. Later,once you’re both about as relaxed as you’re going to be, she scolds you.

Severa: “You,”Severahisses, “Are a prick.” Those are the first words she says to you as soon as shesees you, before promptly giving you a firm punch on the shoulder. You didn’texactly expect a warm welcome back, not after your graceless exit, but you didn’texpect her to stay by your side, even when you’re healing. She swears upon herown grave that she’s angry with you, that she’ll never forgive you for ‘beingsuch an idiot,’ but every night she gets into bed beside you, you know shedoesn’t mean it. She’s more relieved than anything else, even if she’ll neveradmit it.

Spotter: Spottercries and blubbers when they see you, unable to let you go regardless of the wordsyou say to try and calm them. For the next few days, weeks, they are constantlyat your side, waiting on your every need despite your ability to do ityourself. You know they mean well, but it does start to grate on you—you’re afunctioning adult here, it’s not as if you didn’t expect the pain or suffering.Regardless of what you say, they don’t listen.

Perhaps it’s forthe best.

#Scenario ask #ROs #Anonymous

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emotional-blender · 4 years

Note

Hi Shan 🥺 I hope you feel better eventually. Just looked at your master list and rereading some nurse Calum stuff and I wanted to know, when’s the last time he got sick and couldn’t go to work? What was he like? 😥

hi anon!1 thank you so much, i really appreciate that and this ask for helping bring me out of my own mind for a few minutes. also, oops, i wrote about the first time he had to call in sick but i think the last time was probably sometime last fall before the pandemic; pr there is the possibility he got covid and sat isolated at home, fighting it off with fluids and rest and beating on his own chest with cipped hands to loosen up the fluids/laying prone (on his stomach) tp try amd aid the speed of his own recovery. he 100% would have went back to work when he was better, because he's stubborn, but would have considered moving out or rooming with a coworker to protect you (because nurse!cal is protective as hell and even more stubbown).

***

the first time calum, as a nurse, was ever sick enough to not go in, he fought it. on the first of three night shifts he showed up to the nurses station when he usually does and the lights of the unit seem a little brighter than usual. he's sure the caffiene in the iced coffee, and in the exta hot one he has in his hands will fix him up; and the tylenol he'd thrown back in the car. he's gone about a year out of nursing school without having to call in sick but he knows it happens to everyone. he wondered, briefly, before his shift if he should have called in, if they could find anyone on such short notice to come in on time. maybe they'd find someone to get there before mdinight. he pushes through the dull throb at the back of his head. it doesn't get any better as the hours go on and when ten pm and his break time hits, the three hours he's been there feel more like seven.

"feel like fuckin shit," he remarks as he sits in th ebreak room, cracking open a can of canada dry and pouring it over some ice chips he grabbed from the kitchen on his way off floor. he doesn't normally take any formal breaks on a night shift - there's usually enough down time to sit in the nursing station and eat his dinner while he charts the evenings activities and does a check of medication orders for the morning. the night shift is a different kind of busy than the day shift. administraton isn't around and occasionally a nurse from the unit over shows up to ask for advice on something that's more medical and urgent than they feel comfortable handling. calum's been that person, wandering to the next unit when his was too busy for someone to give his decision making a double check. it's busy, but it's not like the day shift. there's usually time to sit, and if there isn't, then there wasn't enough time for him to take a break anyway.

the tiny blonde woman sitting in the break room with him gives him aquick once over and tilts her head sideways yet.

"think you can stick it out?" she asks, before her eyes glance up to the clock on the wall. it's been a calm night. qyuet, but no one would ever dare say the Q word. ever. calum's departure midshift, at 10pm would turn her calm quiet night into a busy one.

"yeah, for sure," he answers quickly qith a laugh. honestly, the thought of going home hadn't even crossed his mind. not seriously. in truth, he can hear a professor from nursing school in the back of his mind.

"drug up calum, it's friday," she had said to him at 9am on a friday when his nise was stuffed and his sinuses were blocked, his brown skin tinged pink and a little swollen from the inflammation. when the words came from her mouth that's exactly what he was doing, downing a couple day time cold and flu capsules with a gatorade form hydration. even nursing school, before it was a job, didn't allow for sick days. missed labs meant make up labs on the weekend and extra assignments to prove he'd really learned the material. it was better to just show up. at work, it was better to just show up; unless he was actively hurling, or in any state that kept him from wandering too far from a toilet.

he'd finish his shift with a couple more tylenol and a distinct lack of food ingested because something didn't feel... right. he masked before going into every room, explaining to one woman who was adamant that she wasn't sick enough that he needed to worry, that it was her he was protecting and not himself.

it was five am when the queasyness hit him, when the headache seemed amplify ten fold. as much as he tried to muscle his way through it, deny the fact that, despite the constant hand washing and the way his hands cracked a little from the sanitizing, he had managed to catch something.

"you back tonight?" the blonde woman from the break room asked him as the shift wrapped up, a small crowd of tired looking nurses waiting inthe nursing station for slightly less tired day shift nurses to show up.

"no, i already called steph," he shook his head, lips turning down as he gave her a dramatic pout. "i haven't used any sick days though, so," he shrugged a moment later. in truth, he was still so fascinated by the fact that he was working just as hard as he had been in school, only now he was getting paid for it. somehow that made it easier to fight through any ailments. he was young still; the fatigue hadn't quite hit him the way it'd hit lorraine, a fifty something year old woman with a bad back, who always jumped at the opportunity for paid time off when the amount of patients on the floor was too low for all the hands present.

it was a breath of relief he felt as he left the hospital and got into his car, driving himself back to the small apartment you shared with him because you were still saving for a downpayment on a house. he stuffed his scrubs into the laundry hamper as soon as it was in view, his naked body wandering into the bathroom.

it was a saturday morning. the wake up you expected was a freshly showered calum sliding into bed with you, not the sounds of him wretching in the next room over. your movements were sleepy, padding your way to the kitchen and putting some ice cubes from the fridge in a glass and pouring some apple juice over them. you grabbed a sleeve of crackers, going back to your bedroom and leaving them on his nightstand before you went to gently push the bathroom door open.

"you doin okay?" you asked, eyes cast upward at the ceiling because he never wanted you to see him at his weakpoints.

"yep," he answered quick, sitting back on the floor and looking at you. you couldn't help but let your eyes fall to where he was sitting, the look in them softening at the sight.

"i'm gonna get you a cloth, okay?" you told him, even though your words hung in mid air as if you were asking permission. you didn't want for a response before disappearing to the tiny hall closet and grabbing a couple of facecloths, running them under the cold tap water before handing him one and setting the dry one on the counter where he could reach.

"put some apple juice and crackers by the bed," you let him know, giving him a small smile. he nods up at you and you can see the way his face screws up, clenching your eyes shut as he turns away from you, facing the toilet again, gripping it as he wretches one more time.

you don't hang around and watch, closing the door behind you and letting him have privacy while you go to the bedroom to get dressed, you make the bed, turning down his side of it. you scoop duke up into your arms and put his leash on him, finally bringing him down to the small patch of gradd near your building so he can do what he needs to. apartment life is weird, he's trained well enough to go into the bathroom and do waht he needs to in the tub overnight, it's easy enough to turn the shower on and wipe down every morning before you get in, flushing any turds he may have left. in fact, you almost perfer it to having to pick up poo from the grass and bring it to the trash, but the bathroom in your apartment is occupied. you have a feeling it will be for awhile.

"cal?" you ask as you come back into the bedroom. hes laying on his back, still naked but showered, staring at the ceiling and concentrating on rbeathing. his answer is a groan, a simple noise to let you know he heard you.

"gonna go to the store," you let him know. he nods his head a little and you let yourself look at him, just to make sure he's okay before you diappear from back to the door of the apartment, grabbing your keys this time and leaving.

he's wretching again when you come back an hour later, stomach filled with some fast food breakfast because you don't want to cook and make the whole apartment smell like anything that's upsetting to his stomach. you wince at the sound and set your bags down on the kitchen counters, rifling through them for the medicine you went out for.

"hey, cal. i don't know if you can keep it down, but i got some dramammine," you meet him back in the bedroom and he looks at you like you're an angel.

"thank fuck," he mumbles, and you hamd him te box and a fresh bottle of tylenol. he's a little shakey as he pops them in his mouth, sipping carefully with the apple juice you'd left before. he gets up to wretch one more time and then... he sleeps. he sleeps and sleeps and you check on him after a couple of hours, feeling his forehead while he snores and press a kiss to his forehead.

"hey," his voice is raspier than usual and you know it's from the sheer amount of throwing up he's done today.

"hey, you," you let your hand move to smooth back over his hair. "how you feelin?"

"like shit," he's honest and groans before turning his head to bury his face into his pillow. "fuckin felt it last night before work but i was a stubborn asshole," he explains and you can't help but shake your head, a breath of laughter leaving you.

"i don't know how that's different than normal but okay," you let the words out with a tiny smirk and he glares at you, but not seriously.

"you want some broth?" you ask, raising your eyebrows. "maybe a shower. i made clean sheets so if you shower i can get rid of these ones and they won't be all sweaty and gross,"

he nods his head and slowly pushes himself up, going slow, looking around the room before he moves for the medicine you brought him this morning. it's almist dinner time now, and they've undoubtedly worn off. he takes more before, still carefully sipping before he gets up and lets his arms wrap around your middle, back curling as he lets himself press his face into your neck. there's nothing to do but let your arms wrap around his sweaty body, rubbing over his back.

"thank you," he mumbles, before moving and pressing his lips to your cheek, refusing to kiss you right out on the lips even though he just rubbed his germs all over you; even though he knows he's been shedding whatever this is for days now; that if you're not already feeling it, maybe you will tomorrow.

"i got you," you nod, letting him go as he moves away, watching him as he leaves the room and moving to strip the bed so you can put those clean sheets on.

taglsit: @calumscalm @notinthesameguey @treatallwithkindness @burstintocolor @babyoria @lukeisbaby @zhangyixingxing1 @creampiecashton @myfavfanficsever

#ask #anonymous #nurse!calum

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365-money-diary · 3 years

Text

DAYS 43-49

DAY FORTY-THREE

7:30 AM - Up a little early so I can close on my house. The process is pretty easy and I feel safe about it and such. We do it on the front porch with 6 foot folding table.

8:30 AM - I need to re-caulk the side door trim before I can start painting so I do that while I make my chemex. This is fun (not) because I don’t own a caulk gun.

10:30 AM - Eat a plant yogurt

12:00 PM - Snack on chips and salsa – damn the salsa I made is so good this time. Also make salad for lunch. I’m set up in the kitchen today which is clearly a bad scene because I keep going to the pantry for more snacks. Relocate to the bedroom.

2:00 PM - I really should get my barre class out of the way today. I have a 4PM happy hour and I know I won’t want to work out after that, so I do a 10 minute low impact ride and then start class.

4:00 PM - I get done with most of the class and hop on zoom. Make refried beans in the instant pot for dinner while we chat.

5:00 PM - Finish the zoom and knock out the last 10 minutes of barre. I don’t like to split the classes up like that but oh well.

6:00 PM - Finish making the beans as well as rice and jackfruit for burritos. K isn’t hungry so I watch an episode of The Challenge before making the burritos.

7:30 PM - Ok these are really good. Dang! I don’t want to drink tonight so I open a La Croix and try to hydrate.

DAY FORTY-THREE TOTAL: $0

DAY FORTY-FOUR

8:00 AM - I’m awake and I feel really good. K is still pretty conked out and I get the idea to go to Cartel. I haven’t been in a few months because cases were super high but now seems like a good opportunity. This is the one thing I do behind K’s back. It’s contactless and it’s super safe so I don’t really consider it to be a risk but I know he isn’t ready to drink things directly out of containers they’re served in on the same day you buy them so let’s just leave this between us. Buy a hot oat milk latte and tip $10. $17.57

10:00 AM - Make a chemex so K doesn’t suspect anything. Hang with him on the couch for a bit and then start moving around the furniture in the kitchen to start taping.

11:30 AM - Take a break to cook breakfast - tofu/egg tacos with field roast sausage.

12:15 PM - Back to taping. It takes forev, but I think I did a good job.

3:45 PM - First coat done. Watch an episode of The challenge before I apply the second.

5:30 PM - Done with the second. Watch more of the challenge.

7:00 PM - Dinner tonight is pozole. I take my time making it and drink a glass of wine while I cook.

8:00 PM - Dang this is so delicious.

DAY FORTY-FOUR TOTAL: $17.57

DAY FORTY-FIVE

9:00 AM - Woah I am SO SORE. What the hell? My quads. Make a chemex and work on putting the kitchen back together, but I run out of time and have to meet with S and her BF on zoom. K joins me and it’s a really good time.

11:15 PM - Ok back to tape removal.

12:15 PM - Done! / Looks good! Make more tofu tacos for breakfast.

2:00 PM - My boss is applying for citizenship in the US and she asked me to help build her a website. I have totally spaced it over the past two weeks and get cracking on it today. Make some good progress and send her what I have.

4:00 PM - Watch some episodes of The Challenge. For whatever reason this feels like the first time I’ve actually relaxed this weekend and I am here for it.

6:00 PM - We drive to a bar I DJ at on the reg during non-pandemic times to do a pick up of their Valentine’s Day special. Neither K or I are big V Day fans and we feel like this is good enough to “celebrate.” We get two veggie dogs, fries and a bottle of wine to take home. J (my friend who owns the bar) runs my card for $31ish and I tip $20. K insists he pays and he venmos me $50. $1.89

7:00 PM - I haven’t had fries in like… a year. And these ones are really delicious! The wine is good too. Spend the rest of the evening catching up on my blog. I haven’t felt very motivated to work on it this month.

8:00 PM - Get a charge from Amazon… S is buying movies again. Make a venmo request for $16 and she fulfills it. $0.19

DAY FORTY-FIVE TOTAL: $2.08

DAY FORTY-SIX

8:30 AM - WOW I am still sore WTF. Make a chemex and notice my tea kettle has a rust spot. Damnit. At this point, I would rather just buy an electric kettle with a gooseneck spout to get rid of both of my kettles, but I’m trying to stick to my budget this month. I’ve been covering K’s groceries throughout the pandemic and he owes me around $2k at this point. Because of this, I’ve kind of cut back on clothing and other frivolous purchases until he starts to pay me back so I can still save money every month. But rust is rust and I don’t want to get sick. Buy a Stagg EKG kettle with a nice wood handle. $160.62

10:00 AM - plant yogurt, a clementine and Pure Barre weekly charge. $15

12:00 PM - It’s salad time but I’m kind of out of tempeh and am a little burnt out on the miso Asian vibe anyways. Toss together some greens, bell pepper, onion, carrots, snap peas, cucumber, and a frozen Quorn spicy chicken patty and top it with cashew ranch. It’s honestly really good.

4:00 PM - Call M to wish him a happy bday. Tell him either next Sunday or the Sunday after that we will do a lunch thing together in his backyard to celebrate. Drink a nuun while we chat.

5:15 PM - I do a pure barre workout but make the mistake of doing it on my work computer at the post-workday slacks are coming in hot this AM. My body’s HR doesn’t really pick up but I still feel proud of myself for pushing thru the soreness.

7:00 PM - K and I eat big burritos for dinner with jackfruit, beans, rice, lettuce, tofutti sour cream, cheeze, and jalapenos with chips and salsa. They’re so good and I am sad that we’re out of tortilla chips and salsa now.

8:00 PM - Since dinner was kinda big and I had fries yesterday, I spend the evening hydrating instead of drinking wine. K and I watch a 4 part docuseries on Elisa Lam & the Cecil Hotel. At some point he goes off to work on some stuff and I wrap up this website I’m building for my boss who is working on getting her green card.

DAY FORTY-SIX TOTAL: $175.62

DAY FORTY-SEVEN

9:00 AM - Make a chemex. Finish the site and send it to my boss who approves. Hopefully I don’t have to actually post it for her. I hate dealing with hosting and such.

10:00 AM - I don’t really want yogurt today and find a small portion of tofu scramble leftover from Sunday. Heat that up and top with truffle hot sauce.

12:00 PM - Kill the rest of the salad ingredients today by making the same dish as yesterday but with peas instead of red bell peppers. Review the site I made for my boss. She sends me a $100 amazon gift card! How sweet.

5:00 PM - Get sucked in a meeting and am not able to leave until 5:30. I’m not interested in exercising this late so I zone out on the couch for a bit and snack on some gf pretzels. Start a new season of The Challenge. Drink a glass of wine.

7:00 PM - Heat up leftover pozole for dinner. Eat with K while we “watch” a hockey game.

8:30 PM - Pour another glass of wine and chat on the phone with Q. I end up feeling super antsy halfway through our conversation and decide to take a walk. I do a nice loop down to the lake and back to my house. Next time we decide that we will walk together.

10:30 PM - I check my phone after our conversation to see 100 slack messages from various team members. Looks like there is something going on which will affect the report I have to give tomorrow. Read thru, ask some questions and feel good about what I have to change.

DAY FORTY-SEVEN TOTAL: $0

DAY FORTY-EIGHT

8:15 AM - Up a little early today so I can adjust my report. Make a chemex while I pull numbers.

9:30 AM - Present the info. It’s good stuff! My boss is out of town so I think today should be pretty chill. Get a note from my bank that the wire of leftover funds from the mortgage stuff has been transferred to my checking totaling $1250.39.

12:00 PM - Make broccoli fried rice for lunch. Things turn chaotic for the rest of the day and by the time I know it, it’s 4:00 PM

4:15 PM - Decide to cut out early today and take a live barre class. 20 minutes in (10 minutes before 5), I get a message from my teammate asking to hop on zoom. She has computer issues so I’m actually able to finish the class before she’s ready.

7:00 PM - Finally done working. Rinse off and make pasta for dinner. Drink 3 glasses of wine.

9:30 PM - K and I play Mario Kart for a while before turning in.

DAY FORTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $0

DAY FORTY-NINE

8:30 AM - Today has to be more chill than yesterday… It just has to be. Make a chemex. See that my hair dresser is selling shirts for her shop. Venmo her. $25

12:00 PM - Prep chicken seitan shreds. Broccoli fried rice for lunch with seltzer.

1:30 PM - Finish making the seitan, eat an apple, gf pretzels and carrots. I realize I forgot to eat breakfast this AM. Ugh.

5:00 PM - My butt is super sore from yesterday but I do my barre workout anyways. It’s so nice to not be interrupted. My cal burn is low but I don’t even care. It’s just nice to move.

6:00 PM - Rinse off and prep dinner. We make buffalo chicken sandwiches with roasted potatoes. They turn out pretty good and I’m excited to eat them over the next few days.

8:00 PM - Drink a glass of wine. I google if I can have more since I’m getting the COVID vaccine tomorrow and it seems like one is ok but maybe not more so I decide against it.

DAY FORTY-NINE TOTAL: $25

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the-jennnster · 3 years

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Inspired by @promptsforthestrugglingauthor‘s Writing Prompt #1537 and day two of my personal Camp NaNo challenge to get back into writing by writing from a dialogue prompt every day

“You’re a fool to think this plan could actually work.”

“I’m a fool either way. Are you with me, or not?”

She scowled, rolling her eyes. “Fine,” she said at last, “but if we die, I’m suing your ass for all it’s worth.”

“Wouldn’t be much, considering the whole ‘shame to my family’ thing,” I told her with a smirk, patting her shoulder and stepping forward to the table. “We need you in the van on coms and cams—no offense, but you’re not exactly the fastest—”

“Neither is Brainy,” she retorted, “But I also just escaped from a high security prison, so if I got caught, our asses are cooked.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed in the background. “I don’t think that’s the—”

“You got me, I just wanted to keep your pretty face out of the front page.” I flashed Dani a smile and she sneered at me, Ethan stepping between us, just like always.

“We need to get here,” he interrupted, pointing to a small room on a sublevel so low I didn’t even know they made basements that deep. “It’s the data vault, where they keep the code information. It’s thirty floors below ground, behind seven fingerprint-locked doors, with at least twenty guards between each door.”

“Wow, it’s almost like they don’t want people getting access to their private information or something,” Maia muttered, picking at a scar on her arm. Dani’s lip quirked in a brief acknowledgement of agreement, and crossed her arms.

“Getting into the vault isn’t the hard part—” she began.

“Really?” I scoffed. “Have you ever gotten through that level of security?” She levelled me an unamused gaze.

“It’s getting the information out. Those databases are the most high-security servers in the world, with so many layers of firewalls and encryptions that it’s like reading Ancient Greek upside down.”

“Let me guess, your specialty?” Maia quipped from the couch, shock of red curls hanging over the arm.

“Mine, actually,” Kyle admitted. “I’ve gotten in before, and that was when I didn’t have an extra ten years of practice.”

Maia’s ever-present scowl returned on the couch while Dani smiled almost proudly. “Which means that we need to get you in.”

He jolted. “Me? I can hack remotely, I don’t—I did it from Nicson before, I can do it from the van—”

“You’ll have a more direct connection in the vault, not to mention bypassing some of the palace’s firewalls to prevent exterior hacking. You’re good, but they’ve upped their security,” she smirked, definitely proudly. “Thanks to my little stunt.”

“That got you thrown in jail,” I added under my breath, earning a sharp flick on the arm.

“Because of you, you little ‘I’m an independent thinker and I don’t do what you say’,” she snapped.

“In my defense, you had anarchist written all over you,” I said with a shrug.

“Still do,” she growled. “But I’m giving up on my dreams of destroying the entire system in exchange for a release information on government corruption.” She forced a smile. “Happy?”

“Very,” I said, though the idea of this all being real, of us succeeding on this insane endeavor, made me uneasy. After this, there would be no hiding. There would be no more Ghost, hell, I wouldn’t even be Cecily Williams anymore. I would be a science experiment, my parents’ personal freak of nature. I… I wouldn’t even be a person, and the whole world would know.

But they would also know that the emperor was building soldiers. That he had been for nearly twenty years, and that he’d had innocent people killed for it. That he’d been collecting data on every citizen in this country, all in the name of protection, to turn them into weapons.

We would be showing people the truth, and not just the people here. The global leadership wouldn’t stand for this blatant act of militarism, even from America. They’d unseat the emperor, dismantle the whole codes system, stop the experiments in their tracks.

At least… We hoped so.

“We can sneak in during the masquerade,” Ethan suggested, placing four invitations on the table. “Cee and Kyle together, and me and Maia.”

“Why do we have to go in together?” Maia whined, head bobbing. “At this point, the whole world knows I’m a lesbian, we don’t have to do this fake dating shit.”

“Because,” Ethan said with an all-too-sincere smile. “We’re going to be the distraction.”

She sat upright, smiling devilishly. “Oh, do tell, highness.”

“The party’s for Emmalyn,” he explained, “to celebrate her and Cal’s engagement—” Dani and I both gagged at the same time. “But it’s also a test for us. We’re still in the public eye given the whole ‘human-monster fusion’ thing, and they want to make sure we can function in society without going all wolf-brain on them.”

Maia frowned. “Can we though?”

Ethan hesitated and, for a brief moment, I saw the fear in his eyes. I knew what this plan entailed—the two of them voluntarily letting their monsters out to play in the middle of a high society party, full of unsuspecting party goers. The plan was to cause just enough chaos to get people screaming and running, and then slip away to help us make our way down to the vault, but… There was always the chance that they would lose control and not be able to turn back. That… that this could be the last time they were Ethan and Maia for a long time.

“We’ll see,” he offered with a weak smile.

“Once security on the main floor rushes to neutralize the threat—” Dani gestures to the two of them, then turns to Kyle and I. “You two need to get here, fast.” She points to a doorway on the map on the table in front of us, hidden away under some stairs. “It’s an entrance to the palace subbasements that technically no one is supposed to know about, but considering that Ethan and Maia are in there practically every other day, it’s… Well, suffice to say, that’s going to be the easiest part of your night. From there, you need to get to the lift at the end of this hall,” she reframed the map with a quick swipe of her fingers, focusing on that first subbasement that appeared to be a maze of offices, the aforementioned elevator hidden around far too many corners for my own good. “Once you’re in there, implant this in the operations box, and I’ll have a direct route to bypass the security systems that restrict access.” She holds up a chip that may as well be a grain of rice for how small it is. “Put it somewhere you won’t break it, eh, slugger?” she tells me as she gently places it in my palm. I immediately turn to Kyle, handing it to him.

“Yeah, okay,” he says, fidgeting with his watch to place it inside.

“I’ll handle everything between the lift and the vault room, but you,” she levels her dark brown eyes at Kyle, “have to get inside there and get the data out.”

“Yeah, I—I can do that.” He nods nervously, picking at his fingernails. “What about getting out?”

Dani half-laughs, half-sighs. “Brainy, by the time we’re done here, getting out will be the least of our problems.”

The five of us exchanged looks. She was right. No matter which way the night went, it wouldn’t matter how we got out of the data vault—what mattered was what happened after. If we succeeded, we’d be walking out into a new world where mutates were given the respect they deserved and the empire as we knew it dissolved. If we failed… Well, we wouldn’t have much say in the matter if we failed. We’d be enemies of the state, moreso than we were already, and our heads would be on the chopping block within minutes. Goodbye, imperial pardons, brand new apartments, and a future of hope. Hello, a cinderblock cell and a sentence to meet the newest firing squad.

We were the empire’s heroes. We were the empire’s most hated.

We were kids.

And we were going to save the world.

#camp nano #prompts for the struggling writer #original writing #jenn writes #my writing

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