ashtonfinryder

[ashtonfinryder]

A look™

[ashtonfinryder]

morri.

“you’re wonderful company,” she assured him with a grin, playfully cuddling up against his arm. “my own personal golden retriever.” morrigan joked. ash’s usual protective nature had been dialed up to 12 lately, and morri knew that he was just waiting for someone from the coven to show up on their doorstep one day. call it psychic intuition ( or dumb optimism )  morrigan was fairly confident that no real trouble would come their way. faces from the past, surely, would appear at some point–the friends they’d left behind who knew them well enough to find them. though it would no doubt complicate things beyond belief, morrigan couldn’t help but hope to see romulus’ son one day. to have him sit in their kitchen, to drink hot cocoa and laugh, to assure each other that they were okay. 

she waved her hand to dismiss his comment, pulling away from him and back into her own seat. “i didn’t think we needed to try and juggle a dozen cats on top of our already complicated moving plans.” a small snort escaped her at the notion of an ‘astor fund’, throwing her head back with a laugh. “look, i know i’m terrible with money but i know damn well he has enough of it that i could go on the biggest spending spree conceivable and he wouldn’t bat an eye.” 

“…. and i may have done just that, a few times.” hey, if your best friend gives you a duffel-bag of cash and says to take care of yourself.. you take care of yourself. 

His eyes were still on the road even if he leaned over, pressing a lack to the top of her head, "don't let Margot hear you, she'll get jealous." She was the real golden retriever in the house, perhaps a good thing they didn't bring the pup along this trip. He was still nervous about meeting the dog, only hearing about her from the shelter. But maybe more so nervous about Morri tagging along, of course she can take care of herself but too many scenarios running through his head, he had to keep reminding himself it'll be good to come out a little bit, and what harm could there be with a few cuddly sheltered animals? 

"One little kitten in there's enough?" Ash laughed, lightly poking at her belly before retracting, following the GPS with a turn into the lot. "You are just amazing," Ashton hadn't even fathom touching it, knowing he'd much rather keep it for a rainy day, with the lives they lived, a rainy day had to be coming, and if at least he didn't spend, it could come in useful some day, if not for him, for the baby joining their lives. "How much do you think we'd have to splurge before he notices?" 

[ashtonfinryder]

morri.

as they sank to the ground together morrigan became less and less certain of the world around her, her chest rising and falling in panic as she realized what she’d just done. she didn’t fight as ashton held the towel to her neck, only wrapping her own shaking hands over his. morri held his gaze, apology in her eyes as they huddled together on the kitchen floor. she tried to say that she was sorry and though her lips moved the words were lost somewhere along the way. 

it wasn’t the first time she got lost in her own labyrinthine mind, tangled in those dark memories of people and places that turned her into this broken little girl, but it was clear from the horror on morrigan’s face that she was scared. though she was fairly certain she wasn’t dying, morrigan had become a danger to herself. this time it had been her own throat, but what if next time she went for ash? or astor?

      or lili?

though her boys had put up with her thus far, dealing with the good days and bad as they came, morrigan couldn’t live like this anymore–she had to do something to leave these demons in the past where they belonged. 

she closed her eyes for several long seconds, her breathing slowing from either blood loss or the extensive panic tiring her out. ash was still talking to her, still holding her. she felt safe enough to just lean against him, to let her body try and piece itself back together from the wound she’d inflicted. “i need help ash… i don’t know what to do.” she cried weakly, eyes still closed, feeling embarrassed both from the confession and the disastrous scenario that had caused it to come out. 

It was hard to explain but he could see Morri come back, to their reality and to his side in the way she looked at him, the way she stopped fighting him, the way she apologized and held on to him, the realisation and horror settling in her eyes. "Hey, it's okay.." he whispered words of comfort as he soothed with a hand caressing through her hair, finding himself able to breathe again, "it's okay, you're okay."

He felt like a failure, not knowing what else he could say or do to make it better. Astor would know, Astor should be here, but he wasn't. Ash was, and he had to figure it out if he was anything of a good brother to her. He was close enough to the fridge from where they sat on the floor, cradling her on him as he reached over with one hand, finding their component where they stored the extra blood packs. He desperately wanted to say I don't know what to do too, but he knew he couldn't, that doesn't help anyone. "Shh I know.. and that's okay, we'll figure it out together, yeah?" pressing a kiss to her temple before he continued, "as long as you want it, you need it, we'll find some help, we'll help you too." 

“Maybe let’s do one thing at a time then,” Ash tore off the opening of the pack with his teeth with only one hand free while the other wrapped around Morri and still held pressure to the wound, his own hand soaking in blood as it bled through the towel. "Can you drink?" Ashton softly asked, nudging it towards her, heart breaking at the fragile demeanor, broken and scared, yet all he had was pure love for her.

[ashtonfinryder]

morri.

enough time had passed without incident for the trio to finally begin lowering their guards–to accept that things had worked, and their chance to start over was no longer on the horizon but right in front of them. morrigan was over the moon to see the boys happy and at ease ( or as much as someone who’d spent their life fighting could be at ease ). the past few weeks they’d all begun adding more personal touches to their house, making it feel more like a home than just a place with four walls. when ash started talking about getting another dog morrigan was more than supportive. “i may be about to pop any day now, but if i have to sit at home watching reruns of grey’s anatomy any longer i think i’m going to lose my mind.”

“though mcdreamy is pretty dreamy..” she added, with a laugh. 

after a few moments of silence she revealed, “i miss the cats.” morrigan had several strays that had made her occult shop home back in altolusso, leaving them behind had been hard–though she’d done her best to ensure they’d be loved and cared for. “there was a church a few blocks over and i gave them a $50,000 donation with the stipulation they took care the cats and tried to find them homes.”

"Hey I thought I was great company for you at home with Grey's anatomy," he lightly nudged her arm, thought it was reasonable. While Ashton had mostly stayed home with Morri, still on edge with keeping them safe, keeping their new home safe, he wasn't the one with an actual baby ready pop out. And that's a whole other can of worrying worms to open and stress over, not like they could stroll into a hospital for it. "Mmhmm, dreamy alright," he rolled his eyes, sarcasm oozing from the comment with a chuckle. They could always find something new to watch. 

His lips turned to an empathetic smile, seeing what this trip to the shelter might really be about other than just picking up a new dog. "Wish we could've brought them over with Margot too.." it was easy to bring the pup to them though going to a few convoluted routes to avoid detection, she was a trained pet, but stray cats that visited whenever they wanted to were hard to round up. The sad thought that when the cats came by the next day, Morri simply wasn't there any more. "I'm glad that someone's looking after them, and that you're dipping into that Astor fund," his love had scrounge out a unbelievable amount of money when they fled, guessing that 50 grand would seem like nothing. " Are you thinking of looking at the cats at the shelter too?"

[ashtonfinryder]

@sintaliawritesagain​ Ash rarely had any personal wants or urges, but perhaps the further he was away from the coven, the truce, the leaders, the responsibility, the everything, the more time he had to maul over it. Margot only being recently brought to them in Norway from a trusted friend, feeling that the absolute worst having to run and leave her behind. She was still so small, running straight into their arms the moment she could sense them near, no lack of sloppy kisses. Part of him wanted to give her and the family that extra protection and addition to the fluffy count, but part of him just cried and clawed at the rush of memories it brought hearing about this ex army dog brought into the shelter. 

"You didn't have to come with me," Ashton glanced over at Morri as he drove, the shelter quite a fair distance away from their secluded home. "Just itching for a day out?"

[ashtonfinryder]

“because the war was in colour.”

Task 1 - Timeline

[ashtonfinryder]

astor.

the grin astor flashed down at ashton was full of teeth , wide & happy , finally looking a bit more like his younger , not - ragged - from - the - road self . the laugh from the depths of his chest came easily , as he lifted up both of his arms , hoping to share the rest of his stink with ash . “ yeah , i am gross . i’ll be gross until someone convinces me to shower later . it usually has to be morri , but maybe you can take over for the foreseeable future . ” he leaned down , making it easier for ash to place a kiss on his forehead before he pulled back up , rolling his eyes at the changing behind him . “ fuck no they don’t get an encore . i’m BUSY . ” he took the few steps to the side it took to pull him & ash past the curtains , waving with his free hand at the crowd to then point at their connected ones. he pushed ash back , his grin stupidly large from the cheering the crowd delivered , finally digging the electronic piece out of his ear & tossing it into a near-by stage hand’s grasp . he couldn’t be bothered to give a shit about any of it .

he couldn’t pull away for a second , fingers laced through ashton’s as he pulled him out of the away from the stage & towards the back exit . the band would take care of clean up , they understood what it was . he’d been preparing for it all week , making sure everyone knew that as soon as his space boy showed his face , his attention was spoken for . boots pounded against the pavement & he didn’t stop pulling ashton along until he was able to back him up against his cadillac suv , gentle & unhurried , his nose bumping ash’s with the basic need to be close . “ please tell me i can just take you home & keep you to myself ? i’ve missed you so much . i miss making dinner with you , i miss you washing my hair . can i just be selfish with you tonight ? ”

"God I'm so sorry Morri has to take care of two children while I was away," Ashton snorted, the thought of Morri taking over some nagging roles as there was only so much Ashton could nag at them from space. His co-workers seemed to poke fun at him about that during his family calls. And now he'd gladly take back his role of nagging husband. "You're busy, huh? Isn't an encore like an obligat- wait--" he couldn't say or protest much more before they were pulled slightly onto the daunting stage, his heart would've stopped at the sight of the thousands and thousands of people. While Ashton was used to being well known in his own world of space, to this world of music, he was just their favourite band member's husband. It didn't last very long, Ashton managed a shy smile and an embarrassed wave, almost as if expecting walls of disgruntlement for their concert to end without any encores, but instead the walls of cheers blew past. Ashton pressed a chaste kiss to Astor's temple - of I'm so proud of you, holding on tightly to his hand before they were taken away from the public eye again, the brightest smile on Astor's face was worth everything.

And just as quickly, they were out of the building before the audience left and while the crew was still striking down, Ash apologetically waving goodbye to the familiar faces. Wanting to comment on that responsibility that Astor should help but at this point, Ash would be lying if he said he didn't rather they leave right now too. He let Astor pull him along, out the door, across the parking lot, up against his car, giving to a peck to the tip of his nose, "well I don't have any other plans so I guess," he chuckled with the drip of sarcasm before softening to a certain genuine murmur, "I missed you too. I have the weekend off so I'm all yours." He brought a hand to the back of his love’s neck, lips to his, sure that no one was watching them in the quiet lot, pulling him closer to his own body as he leaned back against the car, "mm, I'm sorry this was such a long one up there." It wasn't the longest but it was long enough. He finally pulled away to get into the car, conscious about leaving before the fans spotted and stopped them, "though you're driving my car back home from here tomorrow then." Ash wagged a finger at his partner, much rather not staying separate for another second.

[ashtonfinryder]

@shcrpedges​ Things had been tensed between the three of them, Ashton was constantly on edge the moment he chose to run - no it wasn't much of a choice he made, it was the only choice he could live with. Arguing in that bunker was hard enough and he was pretty sure it would've self destructed if Morri wasn't there. It's been a long few months, fleeing to Norway, getting everything settled, Morri’s birth and now practically in hiding. And it felt like they barely had time to sit down and breathe. And now here they were. Ash hadn't really gone out of the house much, fixing up what they could here and making sure Morri wasn't alone, helping to take care of Lili to just let her rest. Both mother and daughter were finally sleeping as he sat on the steps of their porch and squeezed his eyes shut willing the migraine away, taking the moment alone for it all to sink in, what they'd already done, what they still had to do, who might be watching-- 

He heard the all too familiar footsteps when he looked up, "fuck-- Astor what happened?" He wasn't sure if he had the mental capacity to handle it but yet he shot up, jogging to his love's side for support, inspecting the mess he held, "are you hurt? Did they find you? Did they find us? I'll need to wake Morri up.."

[ashtonfinryder]

astor ;

the show went well , the stage was a place like no other for astor , but he’d been incredibly distracted ; he’d only not cancelled the show when morri blurted out that ashton was coming back this morning to him because she’d mentioned that ash hadn’t wanted him to. astor enjoyed his music , sure , but everything came second place to ash - & it’d been that way since day one , no matter when their anniversary may be.

upon his exit to the back , astor was sweaty , stinky , & red in the face from the exertion putting on a show required of him ; but he was allll grin & wide, shining eyes at the sound of ash’s voice. how the fuck he roped a real - life astronaut into his bed , life , heart would always be beyond his grasp , but he was far past the point of questioning or doubting. despite ash’s known discomfort with pda , astor couldn’t help spreading fingers through ashton’s beard , holding his face to pull him in for a kiss. lips met & astor sighed , this was home. there was a chuckle prefacing his reply , low & content , “ they do their best , don’t hate on my fans. ” hands looping around ash’s waist to hold him back in the same embrace ,  pulling back to keep his face in view , “ morri spilled the beans & i almost cancelled anyways , buuuuut i figured if you really didn’t want me to , i could listen to you. for once. ”

Ashton sighed and melted into his hold, comfortable enough with the staff and the band, knowing no one else out there can see. Not being able to hold him for the last half a year, people here understood. “It’s hard not to when you have the real deal,” he flashed a cocky smile before finally pulling back, hearing some of them still out there, singing loudly, chanting for encores, the concert doesn’t really stop until they leave, does it? But there is a proud feeling to that - so many people love Astor, but Astor loves him, and there’s no way to stop his heart feeling full simply thinking about it.

Narrowing his gaze sharply back to his husband at the confession, “Morri.. I should’ve known, I caught Lili trying to sneak into the car to join me on the road trip here,” but he chuckled, knowing astronauts coming back weren’t exactly easy news to keep mum about when headlines are spewing about it everywhere. “I’m glad you didn’t, I don’t think I can handle the wrath of your fans again,” and there was that double edged sword, their relationship still scrutinized by the public. Cancelling on his fans one time was more than enough backlash. He lifted a hand to run it through Astor’s long blonde strands that came loose, brushing them out of the way of his face, “oh you are gross right now,” he laughed, still pressing a tender kiss i love you, i missed you to astor’s forehead before turning his attention to the wings of the stage, only being able to see a sliver of the crowd, “are you going to give them their encore?”

[ashtonfinryder]

Jay Crownover, Jet

[ashtonfinryder]

As Neil Armstrong became the first human to step foot onto another world on July 20, 1969, lunar dust collected on the boots of his spacesuit. He peered through the gold coating of his visor and looked out across the surface of the Moon, an entirely different landscape than he was used to.

Now, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, you can experience the boots that stepped in Moon dust and the visor that saw the moonscape up close. Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit from the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing is on display for the first time in 13 years in its new display case in the Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age Gallery of the National Air and Space Museum.

This week, you can also watch us salute our Apollo 50th heroes and look forward to our next giant leap for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Tune in to a special two-hour live NASA Television broadcast at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, July 19. Watch the program at www.nasa.gov/live.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

[ashtonfinryder]

one small step for man... 07.20.69 @wiickedway

The celebrations are up in the air all across the globe, not as high key as pride but still covered with tributes from the news channels and documentaries and articles. Ashton started off with the excitement of a ten year old boy for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 with the memories of the wonder and excitement and pride but it lost steam pretty quickly with the memories of lost and pain and watching it on TV when he should've been there helping out. Moon landing day had slowly gone and pass, Morri and Astor both joining him in the celebrations, watching the lunar eclipse earlier that night. But now as dawn was breaking, Ashton sat by the porch, soaking up whatever daybreak of sunlight he could handle before it shoved them back under shelter again. He thumbed the current newspaper, eyes sticking on the one article paying tribute to all the other NASA staff that contributed to the mission, their faces, names and titles filling up the page, Ashton's fitting right along the wall of faces he could still recognise.

Arms slink around him from the back feeling the warmth literally engulf and wrap him up as he rested his head on them returning the affection. "You look hot in black and white," Ashton could hear him from behind and he scoffed, "and at 26. I forgot what I looked like back then." Looking at the picture he took working for NASA, his hair was actually longer, clean shaved, a big beaming smile, a bit more sparkle in his eyes, he hasn't aged physically per say, but the last 50 years had broken him down and rebuilt him up in a completely different way. It's hard to even remember what was he like as a person. He pat the empty space on the step beside him to be able to see Astor, knowing that they bother enjoyed just sitting on these steps to see the sunrise.

He put his focus back on the newspaper article, laying he head on Astor's shoulders, "It's kinda crazy, I knew and remember most of these people. I was supposed to be Mike Collins’ second, you know?" What were they doing now? Were they alive? Maybe they're reading the papers the same way as him, seeing the world celebrate the success once crazy to even fathom. Ashton was honoured to at least have a taste of it. "And I bet they all remember you as well," Astor knew what he was thinking, he always did. "Yeah, as the poor Apollo 11 kid with the tragic accident in Paris." Ashton passed the comment but didn't want to dwell on it too long, knowing how it could swallow him whole if he wasn't careful. "You were around then, what were you doing on moon day?" Astor shrugged, "Huh, I don't know, killing someone, smoking, probably?" He let out that beautiful laugh when Ashton made him a face and elbowed him, "that's just insulting, my life achievement and you're just smoking away." Not that he could say anything better about himself, stripped and broken, beaten to submission, begging to at least watch it on tv.

"Hey, I'm here now," Astor gestured to the present time, leaning back arms outstretched before wrapping one around Ashton's waist. "You better be." Ash warned his love, half teasing half pretty serious about it.

"And I'm proud of you."

The words hit hard but like the way a hot shower hits hard on bruised skin, it hurts and it soothes with the initial stings that dull into a comfort. Ashton didn't utter back a word but wrapped his own arm around him, putting down the newspaper, not really wanting to see his own face beaming back at him with such blind stupid joy. It wasn't fair that he got the same credit despite dropping dead. It wasn't fair that he got celebrated along with these much more talented and hard working people who saw the mission through, it wasn't fair he didn't get to celebrate with all of them when it finally happened, it wasn’t fair that he was even feeling this way when he has love and family and happiness, it wasn't fair that he couldn't feel as proud as that man beside him did of himself. It wasn't fair.

"I really miss it," the words Astor muttered drew Ashton back to the now, seeing the night seep away with the sunlight slowly spilling into the sky, pink and orange bleed into blue. “Me too.” Ashton whispered as they sat in silence watching the light that kills creep closer in towards them, sooner or later chasing them back behind covers. They’ll sit until the very last second, if they could’ve helped it, they would’ve sat there forever. Ashton could literally see the sunlight paint the grass right in front of them, the comfortingly deadly rays at that moment seemed almost inviting. It wasn’t fair.

Without thinking, Ashton stuck his hand palm up out of the shade and under the harsh sun. It hit hard like the way a hot shower hits hard on bruised skin, it hurts and it soothes, with the initial stings that numb into a comfort. It didn’t last more than a second as his hand gets yanked back into safety, or prison, depends how you look at it. “What the fuck are you doing?” Astor hissed, cradling Ashton’s hand as Ashton finally glanced down to the damage done, the UV quickly burning his palm but getting his fingertips the worst. But yet nothing his body can’t seem to fix on its own anyways, right? “Sorry, I don’t- it’s fine, it doesn’t hurt at all.” He tried to prove his point flexing and clenching his hand but he couldn’t control the shaking, he just wasn’t sure what it was for - the pain or finally getting a taste of the deprivation of the sun. He didn’t know what happened but maybe it was just idiocy of hope that just somehow.. maybe this time if he did it, it wouldn’t hurt. “I.. really miss it too.” Now it just seemed as if daylight was mocking them, mocking him and his foolishness. He quietened down for a moment and then two, before finally letting out the toxic blubber poisoning his thoughts, “it’s not fair.”

Astor didn’t reply with anything, him knowing this just as well as Ashton. He knew everything, every insecurity, every toxic thought, there was nothing to hide nor a need to. He of course, proceeded to stick his own hand out into the sun. “Hey- stop.” They mirrored their actions as Ashton grabbed that arm back in tightly, quicker than he could process it. He simply scowled at his love before looking at his hand, you could almost hear a sizzle if you listen closely. “Now it’s kinda fair,” Astor just stated as a matter of factly, pretty much enjoying the pain, “though you lied about it not hurting.” Ashton shook his head and chuckled at the idiot beside him, lightly blowing at the fresh burn on Astor’s palm, “well, I’ve had worse.” What meant to be a joke perhaps stung more uncomfortably than it should seeing Astor’s face fall. And so he shut up, very much regretting his comeback. 

The hand Ashton held pulled back and reached for his own burnt one, already slowly repairing itself. He watched as their tender fingers loosely intertwine, thumbs lighting running over and soothing each other. “No, it’s not fair,” any lightheartedness left Astor’s words, leaving only sincerity, “but no matter how unfair it gets, it’ll always, always be you and me, against this fucked up world.” Ashton shouldn’t have let this get to him, it usually never does nowadays, but today was just.. an exceptionally hard day. He let out a shaky exhale before nodding his head, bringing their knuckles to his lips to press them to it. He wasn’t sure what he did to deserve this man, but he’ll never question it.

“Or-” Astor started up again, a cheeky smile growing, “you could just let me buy you a spaceship.”

Ashton hear his own laughter once more, “it’s not that easy.” Of course, they’ve have this stupid conversation before. “But it could be!” Astor whined, getting as far as he usually does before getting shut down.

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Love you too.”

They had maybe 2 more minutes, before they actually had to run back in and so they sat in complete comfort and silence, pulling closer to each other as they watched the sunrise. His thoughts got the better of him today and it’s hard to truly feel the joy and celebrations with the rest of the world when the dust settles, but it’s comforting to know he don’t really need to force himself to. “Thank you.” for being proud of him when he couldn’t be proud of himself.

[ashtonfinryder]

#TBT to 1969: The Restoration of The Apollo Mission Control Center

On July 20, 1969 the Apollo Mission Control Center landed men on the Moon with only seconds of fuel left. 

Just after the spacecraft safely touched down on the lunar surface, Charlie Duke said to the crew, “Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue—we’re breathing again. Thanks a lot.” The hard work and preparation of the men who stayed back on Earth was what made John F. Kennedy’s dreams of space exploration come true. 

Today, the facility these men worked in has been restored to its Apollo-era appearance, forever preserving this National Historic Landmark.

It took the restoration crew roughly six years to return the Apollo Mission Control Room to its original retro appearance. Every inch of the room was cleaned and restored by workers, enhancing the 1960s pistachio palette seen on the consoles, as well as ridding the room of 50-year-old gum stuck in places people thought would never be found. Let that be a lesson to us all.

From the artifacts sitting on the consoles to the displays projected at the front of the room, every detail has been carefully put in its proper place. Peep the American flag hanging in the back of the room—this flag went to the Moon on Apollo 17, was planted in the ground, then returned home as a souvenir. Next to the flag, a duplicate of the plaque placed on the Moon hangs on the wall.

Perhaps the only aspect of the room that wasn’t preserved was the thick stench of smoke, burnt coffee, banana peels and pizza boxes. But the ashtrays, pipes, cigarettes and coffee mugs sit in the room as reminders of the aroma. And yes, the Styrofoam cup is authentic to the ‘60s—it’s not an original artifact, but we’re certain this one will last for years to come.

In case you’re worried we didn’t get detailed enough, check the binders in the room. Each one is filled with authentic documents that would’ve been used during the Apollo missions. Some of the documents have been recreated, but many of them were copied from originals that employees had saved for 50 years.

Each console was rigged to send tubes throughout the building, often filled with important documents, but also stuffed with sandwiches and cake (all of the essentials to send men to the Moon).

Several of the surviving Apollo alumni visited mission control for the grand opening of the room at the end of June. Except for the smoke, they say the room looks just as they remember it did 50 years ago. It’s one giant leap—back in time.

This week, you can watch us salute our #Apollo50th heroes and look forward to our next giant leap for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Tune in: https://go.nasa.gov/Apollo50thEvents

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

[ashtonfinryder]

Sherrilyn Kenyon, Born of Night

[ashtonfinryder]

Pew! Pew! Pew! 

Imagine slow-motion fireworks that started exploding 170 years ago and are still continuing. This type of firework is not launched into Earth’s atmosphere, but rather into space by a doomed super-massive star, called Eta Carinae. 

Enjoy the the latest view from our Hubble Space Telescope. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

[ashtonfinryder]

astor‌

ash’s tension faded with the sound & soon he was wearing astor’s favorite smile, small, barely there, meant for him. lips pressed to his knuckles, & astor sighed in his contentment, putting a wall in between him & the temptation that swept through him at the gentle caress. (ash wasn’t the world’s biggest fan of pda, & they were halfway home already.)

a grin pulled up one side of is mouth, his thumb rubbing little circles into the hand that gripped ash’s. they turned a corner, only having one more block to go until they’d be able to see their door. “i’ve sated my need to express myself to the public. i’d much rather get you home & have you all to myself. morri’s been sleeping more & more, which means we might not be an adult-only zone in the near future. i’m looking to enjoy it.” his own shimmeriness caught his eye, reflecting the street lights against the rainbow mess covering his torso. his grin grew - “but the real question is, do i make the futile effort to shower & get this off, or do i hold off & see how much i can spread across the house before sunrise?” he didn’t bother to stop the laugh that came through, “oh morri would hate that.” teeth were digging into his bottom lip, the playfulness he felt plain on face, his blue’s catching ash’s. “do we dare anger the beast? or should i just stick to my plan of harassing you all night?” 

The small comforts from Astor are really the only things Ashton craved and he returned the soothing gesture that anchored him to the ground. He chuckled, not being able to hide the embarrassed smile that he doubt he could ever stop. "Please, you already have all of me." Ashton interjected as a matter of factly, but sighed agreeing to his next statement. Perhaps he was just nervous about what's to come rather than just what Astor's suggesting. A baby was tough work and sometimes he just wasn't sure if they (or just him) were ready for it. But he simply shrugged, "we'll just have to be quiet next time," gaze playfully taking a jab at Astor, if that was even possible for him.

Ashton's eyes grew wide as Astor continued, sucking in an inaudible gasp before repeating the exact same words, they both knew it, "oh Morri would hate that." He burst out laughing imagining the sight of the house that would greet her. While they really shouldn't be messing with a pregnant woman.. it would be funny. He gave a pregnant pause (get it), but his eyes were giving it away before he could even say, "don't shower, let's do it. I don't see why we can't do both." Of course they'd help clean up, they weren't going to let a very pregnant Morri do anything but her reaction would be priceless.

He let out a loud contented sigh, their path following into thicker woods and lesser street lights, just a humble house and farm plot right on the outskirts of town, but discreet enough to truly hide away if need be. Ashton lightly swung their hands, looking up to the night sky with a small smile. It's hard to really notice but there was a tinge of wistfulness hiding beneath his gaze, "It's really pretty tonight," it was a whisper up to the stars. He could pick out the constellations and planets and the milky way lazily leaking across the sky like a calm river. That’s what Norway has been to them - calm. It's hard to believe but so far, everything was good. He finally pulled his attention back down to the man he loved more than the view above, "and you're really pretty tonight, I can't believe you lost your shirt out there, I bought you that shirt." He grinned as he teased, finger poking at his glittery exposed chest, turning around and walking backwards to take a good look at him while their hands stayed connected.

[ashtonfinryder]