#5SOSfanfiction

[kaleidoscopeminds]

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

main works/series:

Ballet fic ‘verse (41.5k, Mature)

Luke's life is perfectly on track. He is about to get everything he's ever wanted, to become a Principal dancer for the Royal Ballet. He's focused, determined and nothing will get in his way. Then he meets Calum, a smooth-tongued barman with dangerous eyes, and suddenly not everything's so simple.

dream makes the sounds (that carry me so far away) (36.5k, Mature)

Luke's just got to California, on a trip to get away from his life for a while. Calum might be there for the same reason. When a chance meeting pushes them together, Luke might get more out of the four-week road trip than he ever imagined.

i’m not made by design, how can you be satisfied? (21k, Mature)

It gets to about three p.m. and Calum’s seen so many models at this point he thinks his vision is going a bit blurry; and that’s when the next boy “Luke Hemmings” gets let in. He’s stopped pretending to review the portfolios ahead of time on the iPad in front of him, just looking at the models as they come in and making a note whether it’s worth looking at it afterwards.

He kind of wishes he had looked at Luke's before he walked through the door though because he almost swallows his tongue.

A fashion AU

the flatmate arrangement (20k, Mature)

Hi Calum/Poor Struggling Paralegal, So I’ll be upfront with you. It’s a one-bed flat. I also live here. HOWEVER before you delete this and think I’m a freak, I work nights so I wouldn’t be here anytime you would be. You can have the flat exclusively from 6 pm to 8 am, Saturday night and all day Sunday. Understand this sounds like a bit of a crazy arrangement but I could do with the cash, let me know what you think?

Luke Hemmings (Poor Struggling Children’s Nurse)

A 'The Flatshare' AU

talk to me, baby (18k, Explicit)

“Is that why you’ve been looking at me all night?” Luke asks, reaching out and brushing a finger over one of the rips in Calum’s jersey. “Trying to get me alone to sell your services?”

Calum looks delighted that Luke has called him out and it makes Luke smile again.

“Not at all,” Calum says, taking a swig from his drink. “But I was trying to get you alone to offer some other services for free. Interested?”

Luke laughs. “Is that an innuendo?”

“Absolutely, but I can be less subtle.” Calum sips his beer, eyeing Luke. “Wanna fuck?”

meet me in the back under exit lights (17k, Mature)

“Mate, you do know what our job is right?” he asks amusedly. “You’re a writer at an indie music magazine. Just in case you hadn’t realised.” Calum rolls his eyes at Ashton.

“I know,” he says grumpily. “But if Alex makes me interview another one of these boring-as-fuck sad boy singer-songwriters I’m gonna lose my fucking mind.”

The journalist Calum/musician Luke AU no one asked for

Bakery Cake ‘verse (15k, Teen and Up)

“Bye, Luke,” Calum says. “Maybe see you tomorrow, and... Hope you have a great day too.” His face breaks out into a wider smile that reminds Luke of the feeling of getting just the right consistency for macaron batter, or a perfectly smooth finish on a cake, or the way good puff pastry flakes into the perfect fragments when you cut through a mille-feuille. Or something.

A bakery AU

and what if you’d never smiled at me (15k, Teen and Up)

Calum's really not happy about the new bakery that's just opened up down the road from his own bakery; it's gaudy and pastel and covered in flowers and is an offence to the name of baking. At least he's got a new regular to make him feel better about it all. One with a smile that can turn a day around just like that, even on a Tuesday.

in the places that we met (9k, Mature)

“I think I might be being haunted by a ghost,” is how he greets Michael at the pub that Friday.

“A ghost?” Michael responds suspiciously.

“Yeah and he’s personally haunting me and only me,” Luke says, pulling himself into a booth.

“Sounds frightening,” Michael says mildly.

“He’s also really fit,” Luke says, taking a sip of the pint Michael’s provided him with. “I saw him at the gym today.”

“Sounds sexy and frightening,” Michael says.

you wanna be closer (5k, Teen and Up)

Five times Luke and Calum touch platonically, and once when Calum realises maybe it was never platonic at all.

we're just friends (4k)

“I want to kiss you,” Calum says, voice not above a murmur. Luke’s heart stutters and a blush fills his face as it works overtime pushing his hot blood around his body.

“We shouldn’t,” Luke starts as his hand comes up to grip Calum’s wrist. “We’re friends, we’re just friends.”

drabbles and prompts:

i think i'm getting stuck, i think i'm getting hooked on you (2k, Teen and Up)

it's just a spark, but it's enough (2k, Teen and Up)

main works/series

in a world of black and white (12k, Teen and Up)

“Hey,” Luke says, as close to Ashton’s ear as he can get. Ashton’s head snaps up immediately and his hazel eyes behind his tortoiseshell glasses flick towards him, wide in surprise. Ashton’s eyes are a conundrum to Luke, sometimes gleaming warm amber with flecks of deeper mahogany, sometimes sparkling emerald and viridescent, and sometimes somewhere between the two, glinting and swirling with a golden green. Luke could spend weeks trying to solve the enigma of Ashton’s eyes, and thinks that he might be happy to.

if you dance with me darling, if you take me home... will we talk in the morning? (4k, Teen and Up)

Luke is drunk, but nicely so, he thinks, everything slightly softer around the edges, lights a little brighter and laughs a little louder. Everyone and everything in the world would be slightly better if they were this level of tipsy all the time, he muses to himself as he waits for his drinks, leaning his chin in his hand on the bar where he’s wedged himself between two other people that were definitely waiting before him, but don’t have Luke’s height or smile.

put on your dancing shoes, there’s one thing on your mind (2k, Teen and Up)

Luke squeaks and grabs Ashton’s wrist, bouncing on his toes as excitement flows through him, his heart rate picking up as he feels the crowd shift and pulse with anticipation, voices of enthusiasm and shouts beginning to ripple across the sea of people. The lights begin to flash and Luke can feel the energy thrum through the air.

sad luke ‘verse (2k)

Luke flexes his fingers around his glass and tips his head back to look at the ceiling, letting the lights flash around him, burning his eyes as he forces himself to keep them open, but he still feels like they’re not as bright as he wants them to be, not bright enough to sting as much as he yearns for them to.

Will someone tell me who I was before? (500, Teen and Up)

When I close my eyes and try to sleep I fall apart, I find it hard to breathe (500, Teen and Up)

Looking on, as all of life's colours seem to fade (1k, Teen and Up)

drabbles and prompts:

you light up my whole heart, it feels like the sun (1k, Teen and Up)

i don't wanna be wasting my time alone (2k, General Audiences)

pressed against the wall just watching your every move (1.5k, General Audiences

misc works and drabbles

fingertips on me, i can feel them still - malum (2k, Teen and Up))

The lady on the phone had offered him a new guy, and even though he was wary, he knew he couldn’t put off getting his hair cut any longer. That didn’t account for the new guy being the fucking prettiest man he’s ever set eyes upon, mask and all, and if Calum didn’t want to take his hat off before, he definitely doesn’t now.

some invisible string tying you to me - ot4 (1.5k)

That’s the thing about the four of them, they say they can’t really pinpoint exactly how it happened. How it became the four of them in every single iteration of the words, wrapped and tied together securely, looping in and out and around them all.

misc tumblr prompt ficlets

[irwingiggling]

westbrook | pt. 7

gang!ashton; gang!5sos

[pt. 1] [pt. 2] [pt. 3] [pt. 4] [pt. 5] [pt. 6]

[Image credit: @not-grey-enough]

A/N: Heyy guys so I’m back. My last year of university was so crazy and stressful until suddenly it wasn’t because all my classes were moved online and a bunch of assignments/finals became optional or cancelled completely. Just found out today my graduation is officially cancelled. It feels like there was so much build up and anticipation for the final year but now it’s become literally the most anticlimactic experience of my life lmao.. Anyways, now I’m at home, with a bunch of free time on my hands, which means I can continue this story! I hope you guys enjoy, and please feel free to leave me any comments or if you literally wanna talk about anything, just send me a message! :)

Summary: In which Ashton is one of the leaders of the Westbrook Dragons, a gang who often feuds with the Vipers for control of the streets. After hearing of her estranged father’s death, Marina comes to Westbrook to fix up his house and sell it. Coming from a privileged neighborhood, the last thing Marina expects is to move in next door to a gang’s hideout.

Word Count: 2,400+

Rating: PG-13

Marina locked the front door of the house behind her and made her way down the steps towards Ashton, who was leaning against the front of an old red chevy truck.

After the whole break-in fiasco, they had taken a couple weeks to heal both mentally and physically. The boys had helped Marina repaint the exterior of the house, which had been graffitied pretty badly by Parson's goon before he broke in that night. She felt closer to the whole gang, not just Ashton. Now the house was finished again - for good this time - and Marina and Ashton had re-listed the house with another realtor - one without any gang associations.

Ashton spent most nights at the house since he'd essentially moved in after the break-in, but sometimes business would cause him to stay back at his apartment, where he'd work late into the night, and Marina wouldn’t see him until the next day. It was on one of those days that Ashton had called Marina and asked her out on a date, after he was done with work. They'd been boyfriend and girlfriend for a while now, but while they spent a fair bit of time together, they didn't get the chance to go on actual dates very often.

"Wow, I didn't know you owned anything other than a motorcycle," Marina observed dryly, eyebrows raising as she walked up to Ashton.

Ashton laughed, patting the hood. "Nah, I work on this one in my spare time. She gives me trouble sometimes, but we work through it."

Marina chuckled at his response as she walked over to the passenger door. She was about to grab the handle but Ashton beat her to it, opening the door and gesturing for her to step inside with a little bow.

"Why thank you, sir," she replied, teasingly blowing him a kiss.

As she settled into the passenger seat, her gaze floated over the interior. Sure, the leather was cracked and the wooden dashboard had a variety of chips and gouges, but it had character. Marina found herself appreciating it, a lot more now than if she had seen it a couple months ago.

Ashton noticed her watchful eye, and quickly spoke up. "I know it's not your Range Rover, but-

"It's perfect," she smiled, leaning forwards to run her fingers over the dashboard.

He gave her a small nod and smiled, turning the keys and causing the engine to roar to life.

She looked over at the door, thinking that the air running through her hair would be perfect right about now, but instead she stared perplexedly at the wood panelling. Absent were the normal switches for the windows.

"It's this one," Ashton said, reaching across her lap to touch the spinning handle. In this close proximity, she noticed that his usual smell of leather and cigarettes had gained a new underlying hint of sandalwood and another undeterminable scent. The fact that he'd put on a little bit of cologne for their date made the outer corners of her lips tweak up into a smile.

"What?" Ashton asked, once he'd resumed his normal position, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"Nothing," she smiled, shaking her head. "I just think you're adorable."

He giggled - full-out giggled - and readjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "Now that's not something I get often."

They both laughed, and then sat in comfortable silence for a little while.

"Can I turn on the music?" Marina asked, as they turned down a quiet country road.

"Sure. But I have to warn you, the radio only picks up one station and it's all country, all the time."

Marina laughed and turned the volume dial up. The sound of a twangy guitar and southern accent immediately filled the cabin. She looked over to Ashton again and smiled, putting her arm out the window and moving it along to the beat, wind whipping through her fingertips.

---

They drove until Marina had no idea where they were. Eventually Ashton pulled off the gravel road, the truck chugging along merrily until he cut the engine and it sputtered to a stop in a field of tall grass. Marina looked around at the tall stalks growing wild, swinging freely in the wind. They had to be the only ones around for miles.

"Ashton where are we?" she asked in slight confusion. He hadn't told her what the plan was for their date, but she assumed it would be at a restaurant in town somewhere.

"Our date," he replied with a smile, pocketing the keys and jumping out of the truck.

Marina chuckled lightly, and opened the door, stepping out of the passenger side. She followed Ashton to the back of the truck, and watched as he pulled the tailgate down to reveal an array of blankets and pillows, with a picnic basket in the middle.

"Voila," he gestured to the setup, leaning casually against the side of the truck.

Marina couldn't help the smile on her face. "Aww this is cute," she cooed, "You've really outdone yourself, Ash."

He looked over at her and smiled, taking her hand to help her up into the back of the truck.

"It's beautiful out here," Marina said as she looked around. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a faint orangey-purple hue over everything it touched.

"I know right. I come here to think sometimes, and I think it's so peaceful. I wanted to show it to you."

"Well thank you for sharing it, I really appreciate it."

"I know there's some stuff you don't know about me yet, I know I can be guarded, but I want you to know that I'm really trying to let you in."

The conversation flowed easily between the two of them, even the pauses were comfortable. After one particularly longer silence, Ashton spoke up in a slightly different tone.

"Sometimes I can't.... sleep," he confessed quietly, staring off into the distance, eyes closing slightly in reflex as the setting sun poured out towards them.

Marina looked up at him, raising her head off his chest. "Why not?" she asked gently, lacing their fingers together.

He leaned down to rest his cheek on the top of her head, and was silent for a little while. She rubbed gentle circles into the scarred skin on the palm of his hand.

"I've just been thinking a lot… especially recently."

"What about?" she asked.

He let out a small sigh, a puff of air that reverberated off her ear.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want."

His other arm snaked around from its casual position resting against the side of the truck, to pull her closer to him. He was silent for a little while longer. "About you," he said softly. "About… us." She was still, kept silent, waiting to see if he would elaborate. She could hear the smile in his voice but it was tinged with something else.

She felt him shake his head. "I'm not a good person, Mar."

"Yes, you-"

"I sell people coke. I get people addicted to it and ruin their lives. I'm like, shittiest person of the year. I profit off other people's misery, just to give them an escape from reality for a couple hours -  do you know how much that eats me up inside all the time? But this is the only thing I have, the only thing I'm any good at. And I can't just stop, the boys rely on me running all of this. What would they do? They need the money for their families just like I need it for mine. And the thought that…" he trailed off, looking away into the fields.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke up again. "It's different now.  I always knew I'd be able to take care of myself, but I forgot about the fact that maybe one day I'd want to share my life with someone else. Someone who deserved better. And now I'm thinking maybe I made the wrong choice, but at the same time I can't abandon the Dragons, they're my brothers."

"Have you talked to them about this?"

"No," he shook his head. "There's never really time, when we're all together. And I don't wanna… they look to me for advice, how can I just bail on them? And what would I even do?" he sighed. "This is all I know."

"You're good at a lot of things, Ash. You're an incredible businessman, and leader. That can transfer into a lot of different areas, if you ever need it to."

"You think?" he asked. She reach a hand up to brush softly against his cheek. She'd never seen this side of him, so vulnerable, almost insecure.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," he said after a moment, clearing his throat and shifting position, covering himself back up again.

"No, hey don't be sorry," she said, turning over to look him in the eyes, trying to convey the sincerity of her words. "It's important to talk about this kind of stuff. I really appreciate you opening up to me."

He gave her a soft smile and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so glad I have you," he said, snuggling further against her.

"Me too," she whispered softly.

"I love you," she said, looking out into the field of glowing, golden grass. She looked up at him. He was watching her, blinking through weary, tear-filled eyes, a glimmer of hope shimmering beneath the surface.

"I love you too," he said softly, breathing deeply into her hair and closing his eyes. "So fucking much."

"And you're not a bad person, Ash. You're a good person who fell into bad circumstances. You have such a good heart, deep down in there," she said, poking his chest gently. "I know hiding it is the only way to survive in this town. But I've seen it, I know it exists."

---

Ashton slept over that night, and in the morning Marina awoke to the other side of the bed empty. Confused, she sat up, and saw a note on the bedside table.

I woke up early and you looked so adorable I didn't wanna wake you. I'm just next door with the guys, come over when you're awake :) - Ash

Marina looked out the window, watching the guys chatting away and working on their motorcycles in the driveway. She didn't want to be too quick to rush down there, they looked like they were having a great time just chatting, listening to some classic rock music, and tinkering away on their cars and motorcycles. Marina smiled. The Dragons truly were like a brotherhood. A couple minutes later, a black suv pulled up, parking across the driveway. Marina supposed someone was coming to pick up a delivery. The boys must have assumed that too, as the three of them continued on, with Calum putting down his wrench and casually making his way towards the vehicle. Suddenly, four people in police uniforms and bulletproof vests jumped out. Calum took a couple steps backwards, surprised. He yelled something to the guys, who immediately dropped what they're doing.

Marina couldn't hear exactly what was going on, but two of the officers advanced quickly down the driveway, the other two standing guard near the vehicle in case reinforcements were needed. Marina's heart thudded in her throat. What was going on?!

The police officer yelled something again, and Ashton moved to place both hands behind his head, demonstrating that he wasn't armed and wouldn't put up a fight. Marina saw the reflection of stainless steel from one of the officer's pockets and each of the two officers grabbed one of Ashton's hands, pulling them down behind his back and clamping the cuffs on.

Marina flew outside to the porch, hands grasping the newly stained wood banister, the same one that Ashton had placed his bouquet of flowers near what now felt like a lifetime ago. It took everything in her not to run down the stairs and demand to know what was going on, try to pull Ashton away from the officers, but she knew she couldn't. As far as everyone else in town knew, she had nothing to do with the Westbrook Dragons.

From her new vantage point she could see and hear the unfolding events even better. One voice stuck out on the driveway, the loud and booming one of the police officer who was leading Ashton away.

"Ashton Irwin, you are under arrest for assault causing bodily harm. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to contact a lawyer. Anything you say may be used against you in the court of law."

No no no no. All that was running through Marina's mind in that moment was sheer panic and shock. She tried to call out to him but her voice got stuck in her throat and instead she made a funny, wheezing sound, as if she'd just been punched in the stomach.

One of the officers opened the door to the police car, and the other two led Ashton over. At this moment Ashton scanned his surroundings, turning back towards the house. His eyes locked with hers, dark with defeat but also an underlying defiance. He communicated wordlessly with her, trying to give her a reassuring look that everything would be alright. But he only had seconds before the officer pushed his head down into the car, and slammed the door shut. Then she could only see his silhouette and the black bars across the window. The remaining officers climbed into the suv, gravel crunching underneath the vehicle's tires as it left the driveway, turning onto the main road.

Marina waited until it was safe and the car was just a speck in the distance, then she ran down the stairs to the three boys remaining in the driveway, her rapid footfalls quickly closing the space between them.

"Is he gonna be ok? What's going on?" she asked, tears already streaming down her face.

Both Luke and Michael put their arms around her instantly. She buried her face in the sleeve of Luke's leather jacket.

"Looks like Parsons snitched," Calum said, crossing his arms, face stony.

[midnghtprentiss]

Royalty - Chapter One.

Olivia felt her body heavy the moment she put on the dress. It was not the type of clothing she wore at the convent, it was full of sparkles and lacy scraps. On his head was the crown that clearly showed his destiny. Queen of a man she knew and a desperate nation. In a place where she did not know.

"Majesty, we are ready to go. " One of the guards approached, bowing first.

"Just one more minute." Olivia stammered, approaching Sister Mary. "Thanks for everything, Mary. I will never forget you."

"You have no time to waste, Olivia. Soon you will be married to Prince Luke who will also be king. Win his heart and you'll be able to get through it." Sister Mary gave the girl a hug and then went on her way to the carriage.

The carriage was large and comfortable enough for a long journey. Olivia liked to travel around the country, even though she didn't do it very often. She liked to observe nature, people and places, which would soon be in her possession. The region was beautiful, full of chateaus and villages. As well as it was full of animals and plants different from what I was used to.

"Princess, we're coming. Get ready." One of the guards alerted on his horse.

The castle was beautiful. Full of flowers and flags showing that it belonged to the royal family. Some servants and royal guests were waiting for their carriage at the entrance to the castle. The moment they stopped, the door was opened for Olivia, who went down and looked around. The instant she saw Grace and Nora with their chaperones, she ran to meet him. Hugging them as tightly as I could.

"Olivia! How are you" Grace hugged her friend and then made room for the others.

"How I missed you. Did you travel well? We have a lot to talk about later. " Olivia smiled and looked at the castle door.

Queen Liz, King Andy. With his bastard son Calum. But no sign of Luke. The women quickly started walking in the same direction, but before a tall, blond boy came in.

"Majesty. " He bowed briefly before extending his arm.

" Luke! " Olivia shook her head and walked away. "You are ... Bigger. I have to admit that this new form of you has gone well with you."

"You look beautiful, Your Highness." He smiled, showing his flushed cheeks and stretching his arm so she could catch him.

"Call me Olivia, please. " She smiled, fitting her arm, going towards the rest of the people.

Wherever she went, people bow, whisper and smile. Olivia was the queen everyone expected to replace Liz on the throne. Liz had an ambition to protect her children at all costs, even if it cost her own life.

After the formalities, Olivia and her ladies were directed to their royal quarters. The walls were lined with light fabrics filled with flowers, while the ceiling with gold details had some paintings. Solid wood furniture with chandeliers. The bed with posts that held a white silk veil, made the whole environment less scary and cozy. Not as a child, but it was still cozy.

She sat on the bed, feeling the soft, fluffy fabric, letting her body slide in the middle and the mattress welcoming her in a simple and comfortable way. However, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Oli, we need to get ready for your dinner. The king wants to do especially to flatter the future queen of Australia and daughter-in-law. " Nora murmured entering the room and approaching.

"I think I'll explore the castle before I do anything." The girl stood up quickly, adjusting her cottage around her body.

"We meet here in an hour, right? " She quickly agreed and walked away.

Those walls and corridors kept secrets and saw things that can never leave Olivia's memory. She and Luke used to run and play all over this place. They created a world without even leaving, but after she went to the convent, he abandoned the games and high imagination.

She walked down the steps they were running on and where Luke had tried to steal a kiss for the first time. He was so ashamed that he had to run. At the end of the stairs there was a room, where were his old rooms. The door was open and then Olivia could see that Luke was there and where there was a bed now she had a piano.

"Since when have you played? " Olivia murmured, leaning against the door.

"Hm, hi. Since you left. I didn't have anyone else to run or imagine and you know the rules with Calum." She smiled and approached, looking around.

"I remember that room. We stayed here for hours. Imagining the future where we weren't royalty and didn't even need protection." Olivia commented, running her hands over the old furniture.

"It was good and as if we were free. Nobody else comes here. Just me. It is good to be able to work on so many memories." Luke smiled, approaching. "Don't you have to get ready for the party?"

"I can do that later. I needed to come by before. " She smiled and stood up. "I didn't mean to disturb you. Anyway, it's good to know that you take care of it here."

Olivia walked out, leaving the room behind, walking down the stairs quickly. Heading towards your room.

Her ladies were already waiting for her, with some jewelry and dresses she could choose from. Olivia was an easy person to please and that was a very good quality, but when it wasn't her days, nothing pleased her.

Grace helped her to wear a green sleeveless dress with gold details all over the sleeves and shoulders, with a medium tail and lace on the front, highlighting her well-designed medium body. The crown on his head fitted into the locked hairstyle. The ruby ​​earrings that had been gifts from the English queen.

"You look stunning, majesty." A male voice had echoed through the room. He was a blond boy and a little shorter. "I'm Michael, your coast guard and if you want, I can be your friend too."

"Oh, hello Michael. You can call me Olivia." She smiled approaching the boy. " I would love for you to be my friend and faithful companion."

He smiled and bowed. The ladies left and Olivia followed, walking next to Michael who kept his hands close to his sword and his posture upright.

"Calum chose me along with Luke to be your guard. " He asked, looking through the corridors.

"I trust them to entrust my life to you. Thanks." As soon as they approached the main hall the doors were opened.

All attention was directed to the woman who passed by, no longer as a child, but as a woman. Noble people greeted her, others ignored her, but none of them could deny that Olivia was not funny. His light steps, straight posture and hands close to his body.

"Olivia, I want to introduce you to Cardinal Louis. He was sent by the Vatican. " King Andy approached introducing the man who smiled kindly.

"It's a pleasure, Cardinal. " He nodded and left.

"You look stunning, Olivia. " The queen said looking up and down as she looked. "Fit for a queen."

"Thanks. " The girl agreed and was soon called by the ladies. "Let's Dance." Olivia pulled her friends to the middle of the dance floor, dancing what they knew because of the dancing melody of the orchestra.

Luke and Calum watched them from a distance. They drew attention, but the pedestal was all Olivia's and no one had any doubt about it. Her presence in the country made some people fear war or worse. But without a doubt the salvation of the Hemmings was in the Pristol family, precisely in Olivia and in the future children that she and Luke would have.

"Can I ask for a dance? " Luke murmured, extending his hand to Olivia who took it without hesitation, passing it over the boy's shoulders. "You look beautiful, Olivia."

"You look beautiful, as always, Luke. It looks like we're going to have to get used to these events after we get married." He shook his head, turning the woman over.

"If we get married. It all depends on the circumstances my father decides." Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"You don't want to marry me, do you? " Olivia's voice sounded hard, but she wasn't surprised. "I'm doing what's right for my country, but I'm not going to wait too long Luke. Australia is my alliance, but it is not the only option."

Olivia moved away, leaving the middle of the dance floor, heading for a less busy corner. She smiled at Michael who kept a safe distance.

"Diplomacy is not easy, is it?" Calum's voice echoed through the background, making her jump in surprise.

"Good to see you, Cal. There were so many letters during twelve years that I can recognize you from afar." He smiled at the compliment, laughing quietly.

"How is your stay going? " The girl murmured, handing him a glass of wine.

"It is not as comfortable as the convent, but it will soon be. Or not." She shrugged. "I'm a part of the game here. I may stay until I marry your brother, if we get married.

" don't know much about diplomacy but I understand about Luke and he doesn't like that." Calum always tried to defend his brother and that was mutual.

"I don't know, Cal. If they don't find me useful, I have to find someone who thinks otherwise." Olivia smiled, placing her hands on the boy's shoulder before leaving.

Attention went to the king a while later to organize a toast in honor of the future queen.

"Olivia's return represents a new beginning and reconstruction of our nation. To the Queen Olivia of New Zealand." Everyone raised their glasses celebrating Olivia's life.

At the end of the party, she decided to return without the chaperones, only with Michael who maintained the same posture, just looked a little tired. Olivia offered to take a nap, but he denied it and went about his business.

"Mike, being a woman is difficult. I have to be quiet until men want me to speak, but I'm not that kind of woman" Olivia murmured, drawing the attention of the guard who crossed his arms. "I'm Olivia Pristol, queen of New Zealand and if Australia wants me to be part of the game, so be it my way."

[sweetlydecaffeinatedenemy-blog]

Bright Horizon - Ashton Irwin a.u

Senior year is hard enough without your whole life taking a tumble.

This is exactly what happens to Ashton Irwin when he meets a girl at a party and accidentally can't get her out of his head. It should have been simple enough, find her, get to know her, and take it from there.

However, life has a way of throwing you a curveball just when you think you have everything planned out and that certainly is the case of pretty much everything in Ashton's life.

When worlds collide it will become more obvious than ever that you can never fully be I control because Nothing is ever simple and nothing stays the same.

But what fun would it be if everything stays the same.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&work_search%5Bquery%5D=bright+horizon+-+ashton+irwin

https://www.wattpad.com/story/219653792-bright-horizon-ashton-irwin-au

[flarelunari]

Am I the only one that wants to shamelessly write fanfiction about that 'stain' on Luke's pants?

Halp

[dulcetsfic]

hi friends, it’s been a hot minute. i just unearthed a bevy of my old fics from an old folder, and i’ll be reposting here comes the sun (as the only completed one) in its original, unedited 2014 glory. it’ll be available at @hcts5sos on tumblr and also on wattpad for ease of reading. stay cool!

[5-seconds-of-bucky]

Too Good To Be True (Ashton Imagine)

A/N: I'm starting a proposal "series" because I was inspired by the Mystal engagement. (Which I was crying at those pictures they are so cute!) I'm just going to do one for all the boys cause why not. Anyways, thanks for reading and please like and reblog!

You can find Luke’s here, Calum’s here, and Michael’s here

Warning: 1 bad word and just a lot of fluff ok

You probably should have known something was up when Ashton asked you to come to the tree, but you didn't.  You just assumed he had some cute date planned. You were finally on winter break and you guys needed to get a few dates in before the holiday was over. 

"Do I need to wear something nice?" You ask Ashton over the phone, looking through your closet for something to fit the occasion.

"No. You can if you want to but I mean shorts and a t-shirt work totally fine. We're not going anywhere super fancy." He says, messing around with the velvet box in his pocket. Every time he touched it he felt the excitement and nervousness inside himself rise. Everything had been planned to the last detail. It was the four year anniversary of your first kiss and Ashton planned to propose under the very same tree of which that kiss was shared. 

"Alright then. T-shirt and shorts it is." You chuckle, pulling out a pair of black Nike shorts and a punny cat shirt. "Does my punny cat shirt sound ok to you?"

"Perfect. Alright, I have to go. See you in two hours."

"See you then. Love you!"

"Love you too babe." Ashton says as he hangs up. He grabbed his keys and guitar, felt his pocket to make sure he had the ring, and walked out the door to his car. "It's now or never." He whispers to himself as he opens his front door and got ready to propose to the girl of his dreams. 

"What's all of this?" You ask as you walk up to your meeting spot, seeing Ashton with a blanket spread out, a small basket, and a guitar.

"Thought I'd do a DIY date instead of going out." He replied, giving you a quick kiss as you sat down.

"Well it looks really nice. I couldn't have done better myself." You say. 

"Thank you my dear." He says in a snooty voice, making you giggle.

After you had finished the sandwiches Ashton had made, you laid down on the blanket to look at the stars. 

"Have you ever wished upon a star and had your wish come true?" Ashton asked, glancing over at you to see you looking up towards the sky, deep in thought. 

'I mean, not really. Stars are millions of light years away, making it very probable that by the time you make a wish the star is dead. " You say with a smile, trying to get a laugh out of the boy laying next to you. "But in all seriousness, yeah. I wished that I would find the perfect boy someday, and I'm sure I have. What about you?"

"I wished that one day we would get married and start a family." He replied simply, admiring the way your hair was sprawled out on the blanket around your face and how sparkly your eyes looked when you were deep in thought.

"That's sweet." You say, snuggling deeper into his side.

"Speaking of which," Ashton starts as he shuffles around so that he's sitting up, pulling you up with him. "I've been thinking recently. I know you're the right girl for me. Every day since we met, I've admired the way your eyes twinkle when you get excited and how you can't stop giggling when you get sleepy. The way you have to butter one side of your bagel first, your intense love for cats, and your deep hatred for parties with more than ten people. Every time I see you, I manage to fall more and more in love. I know we're only 21, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and if you say yes, it'll start right now." He pulls a velvet box out of his pocket, gets on one knee, and flips the lid open, revealing a beautiful diamond ring. "Y/N, the love of my life, will you marry me?"

"Oh my gosh." You breath, staring at Ashton with your hands covering your mouth. "Oh course!" You scream, pulling him into the tightest hug you had ever given, pushing him to the ground with you on top of him.

"I love you." He states simply, puling your head towards his and giving you a kiss.

"I love you too." You say once you pull away, a few happy tears streaming down your face, your smile as wide as it had even been. "It's almost too good to be true."

"Did you know that today is the four year anniversary of our first kiss?" Ashton asked, still holding you against his chest.

"No! How did you remember that?" You reply, looking at your now-fiancé in shock.

"I wrote it down when I got home that night because that was when I knew you were the one. I've kinda been planning this for a few years."

"Holy shit." You laugh. "You must be the most romantic guy I know."

"Well, it's about to get better 'cause I brought my guitar and I'm going to play some songs for you that I wrote recently."

"This day just keeps getting better and better."

[hcts5sos]

Here Comes The Sun - Chapter Two

Two days later, Ellie finds herself sat in her favorite armchair in the basement watching the boys play their single (and by single, she literally means their single; it’s their only finished song). Normally, this would be cause for contentment – the little turds are actually quite good – except for the fact that it’s audition day, and Ellie’s been listening to a handful of hopefuls crash and burn.

“I don’t know, I sort of liked him,” Ellie says when they take a fifteen minute break between their last audition – a mousey looking boy with an unfortunate twitch; Ellie had wanted to tuck him under a duvet and cuddle him after Michael had dismissed him – and their last audition of the day.

 So far, so good. Ellie hasn’t heard a peep from Ashton for the last two days – probably that soundproof basement – and time’s just about run out now. She can’t help but feel a little smug about it; as it turns out, her momentary lapse in judgment about Ashton had been, as she’d thought, due to the mild concussion. She’d taken a paracetamol and by the time Michael and Luke had come home, she’d been thinking much more clearly. Namely, about how Ashton Irwin ruined her life, and there was no way that she could possibly, sanely think of him any other way.

 “Are you kidding, Ellie,” Luke deadpans, throwing himself onto the couch next to her. “He kept twitching and adding in extra beats. Calum got all messed up listening to him.”

 “I sort of liked the third one we saw,” Michael says, taking a large swig of water from a bottle. “What was her name? Joanna?”

 “You mean the one with the huge boobs?” Ellie asks dryly, and Luke giggles into his wrist.

 “Yeah, I liked her too,” Calum pipes up before cackling away, and honestly. They’re such kids.

 “She hit the rim most of the time!” Ellie protests. “I’m not even musically inclined and I knew that.”

 “Well, she’s the best so far,” Luke says, his voice wobbling with laughter, and Ellie spares him a withering glance.

 “Maybe the next one will be better,” Michael says doubtfully, scanning the sheet.

 “Who is it?” Ellie asks while poking her brother in the head.

 Luke yelps and bats at her hand, then answers: “Irwin, from next door.”

 Ellie freezes as Calum brightens. She doesn’t even put up a fight when Luke punches her none-too-gently in the shoulder and then pulls out his mobile to text or Tweet or something. “Oh him! Yeah, ran into him the other day when I was with Ellie putting up posters. Like, literally. Ellie ran into him.”

 “Oh?” Michael asks, looking at Ellie with a smirk. She glares at him as best as she can with dread curling in her stomach. “Did she really?”

 He all but purrs the last bit. Ellie’s going to murder him in his sleep. She jabs a finger at him.

 “Shut it, Clifford,” she says dangerously. “I know where you sleep.”

 “What’ve you got against Ashton?” Luke asks mildly, looking up from his phone as Calum tackles Michael and starts wrestling with him for some unknown reason. The amount of testosterone in the room is stifling. “He’s pretty cool, you know, for a first year at uni.”

 “He is not,” Ellie hisses, and it’s with enough vehemence that Calum and Michael stop tussling long enough to stare at her. Luke seems skeptical and a little bit shocked. “He’s not cool at all. Do you not remember?”

 Luke squints at her. “Ellie. That was like, nine years ago. Think he’s changed a bit.” He rolls his eyes, like she’s the one being unreasonable about wanting to not be around the boy that ruined her childhood.

 “Aw, she’s just being prickly ‘cos she’s got a big fat crush on him,” Michael says offhandedly, demonstrating by planting a wet smooch on Calum’s cheek. Calum shrieks and laughs, trying to wriggle away.

 Ellie whips around so fast her neck nearly snaps off. “I do not have a crush on him!” she all but shrieks, and Michael and Calum stare at her. Even Luke looks up, alarmed, and he’s practically glued to his mobile at all times. It’s possible Ellie breaks the sound barrier with her scream; she’s decided to use her power for good.

 “Ashton Irwin is a horrible person, alright, why on earth would I have a crush on someone who literally made my childhood a living hell?”

 Ellie’s voice goes so high on the last bit, only dogs are probably meant to hear it, and she knows she’s got a bit of crazy-eye going on, but she honestly hates Ashton Irwin with a passion, and she’ll be damned if any bit of concussion changes that about her.

 It’s so silent in the basement, you could hear a pin drop, and then there’s a small, awkward cough at the staircase.

 “Should I come back another time?” Ashton asks tentatively. Ellie closes her eyes and sighs. Of course.

 “Um,” Calum says, breaking the silence. “How long have you been standing there?”

 “Just the last bit about hell,” Ashton says, tromping down the stairs. “Who’s made whose life a living hell?”

 Michael swallows. “Er, not important. You’re early.”

 Ashton stops at the bottom of the stairs, hand on the railing. “Er, thought it’d be better to be earlier than later,” he says. He sounds confused, and Ellie wills herself not to look at him. “Hiya guys. El.”

 Ellie makes a sound from the back of her throat that sounds a bit like Calum’s cat before it hacks up a hairball. Michael snorts at that, and she glares at him.

 “Alright?” Calum says, smoothing over the awkward spot with his usual friendly candor. “C’mon, we’ve borrowed a kit from my dad, so go on and do your thing with it.” He waves over at the set, and Ashton grins, flashing those damn dimples again, and shucks off his shoes and heads on over. Ellie determinedly does not notice Ashton’s got really nice arms. The nicest arms in the world wouldn’t matter if they were attached to the likes of Ashton Irwin.

 “So, basically, we’re going to see if you can hold a beat, first of all,” Michael says, plopped down on the couch on Ellie’s other side. Calum perches on the arm rest next to him. “Feel free to, like, sing too, since it’d be sick of we could get a four part going. Then, we’re going to see if you can follow our music, and that’s basically your chance to show off. Let’s see what you can do, yeah?”

 Ashton nods, surprisingly serious about it. Ellie can’t help but watch as he tests out the snares, the cymbals, tightening screws as he goes, and then he’s twirling the sticks in his hands and beating out a quick one, two, three, four, before launching into a fast, up tempo, and then he’s singing, a dry, raspy voice that’s a little too quaver-y but fairly good nonetheless.

 It’s his hands that really capture Ellie’s attention, the effortless way he makes Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” rockier with the change in the kick drum, and he’s good. God, he’s really good. Ellie’s more than a little surprised at it, and so is everyone else. Luke’s even stopped texting to pay attention.

 When he finishes with a final cymbal clash, Calum and Michael burst into applause, and Ashton goes a little red.

 “Jesus Christ, that was amazing,” Calum exults. “Dude, we could totally, like, do a cover of Teenage Dream now, the chords are pretty easy – ”

 Michael talks over Calum, his voice getting high pitched and excited, “Yeah, definitely, and we could totally rework the lyrics a bit, fit it with Luke’s vocal range – ”

 Ashton glances over at where Luke and Ellie are sat, and Ellie determinedly doesn’t look away when Ashton locks eyes with her. She hates him. She hates him. She definitely, one hundred percent hates him. She hopes he stubs a toe on his way out or trods over Lego pieces.

 “Okay, okay,” Luke says, getting up and tossing his mobile onto the cushion. He’s smiling, even though he sounds serious. “The second part. We’ve got a song called Out of My Limit, and, well. It’s our only song right now, so just. See if you can follow along a bit. No pressure if you can’t.”

 “We’ll play it first,” Michael adds, tossing his guitar strap over his head. “So you can get a feel for it.”

 Calum fiddles with the strings on his bass, testing it a bit, and then he gives a thumbs-up to show he’s ready. Luke beams at Calum then focuses in on himself, counting out a soft one, two, three before they launch into the intro.

 Ellie’s heard it so many times she probably could play it in her sleep – which is saying something, since she can barely play Mary Had A Little Lamb without making something twinge off-key – so she watches Ashton, how he stares hard into his lap and taps his foot along with the rhythm. It’s hard, looking at him now, to figure out just how the scrawny ten year old from ages past turned into him, with his stocky shoulders and his well-cut jaw. The hair’s the same – dirty blonde, gently curling throughout – and the eyes are similar (not as mean-looking), but. Well. Ashton Irwin grew up well.

 The final lasting chord rings out, and the boys beam at each other, congratulating each other silently for a job well done, too cool to make any outward appearance of delight. Ellie’s by no stretch of the imagination “too cool” so she bursts into raucous applause that has Michael rolling his eyes at her. Whatever.

 “Well?” Luke asks, turning to look at Ashton. “Think you’ve got it?”

 “Reckon I could give it a go,” Ashton says, twirling his sticks in his hand again. It must be a nervous habit, Ellie thinks with a harrumph, and it’s not at all impressive. Not in the slightest.

 “Alright, let’s go from the top, then,” says Calum with a nod at Luke, and then he starts counting down again.

 Ellie’s not sure what she expects. Probably that Ashton crashes and burns painfully, as all the others did, and that he’d be shuffling out of the basement shamefully hunched over with hands shoved in the pockets of his trousers. Or that he just tries to skate by with a simple beat and gets overwhelmed by the guitar and the singing.

 She definitely doesn’t expect Ashton to literally carry the song. She doesn’t expect Calum and Michael to trade incredulous glances, and for Luke to lose his place halfway through the song because Ashton – Ashton is literally hitting the ball out of the park. He’s not too loud, not too soft, and he knows innately just exactly when to improvise and when to stick to the beat given by the guitars. Ashton even makes Michael’s guitar solo better, which had been difficult for others because they’d tried to overpower him; Ashton just compliments him, the thud of the kick snare a constant rhythm.

 The same last chord rings out, but there’s no too-cool demeanor waiting on the end. Instead, Calum hoots and leaps into the air, starts randomly jamming out on his bass, and Michael looks like he’s ready to cry, and Luke, even, looks impressed. His face does that thing where it seems like he’s constipated, and Ellie knows that means that he’s really, truly floored.

 “How was that?” Ashton asks. There’s a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, and he looks exhilarated, eyes shining, dimples out in full force.

 “Dude, you’re totally in,” Calum crows, hurrying over to give Ashton a fist-bump and a hug. Ashton looks mildly surprised at that – Ellie harumphs; Calum’s a very tactile person. If Ashton can’t deal with it, he’s better off not in the band – but he accepts the hug enthusiastically.

 Ellie wilts a bit. Well, fine. Ashton can hug Calum all he wants, it’s still not going to change anything.

 “That was awesome, man,” Luke says, crowding the front of the drum set. “Can I talk to you about some parts I thought were a little shaky, I…” Ellie tunes out her brother; he’s probably blabbing on about some sort of thing, and while Ellie’s proud of him – so proud it’s almost painful – she could do a few minutes without hearing how Luke thinks the beat ought to go.

 Michael collapses onto the sofa next to her again, taking Luke’s spot and slouching all over her, like some sort of limpet. With black, straightened hair. Ellie ruffles his hair affectionately; she’s got a soft spot for Michael’s continuous hair-dye. It changes almost as consistently as the weather does. Last holiday, it had been a galaxy-theme, but going back to school had meant Michael had had to dye it to an ordinary color.

 “Hiya,” Michael says. “He’s good, isn’t he?”

 “Passable,” Ellie says evenly, and Michael snorts, pushes himself off her.

 “He’s better than just passable, Ellie, he’s awesome,” he says, then hesitates. “And it’d really fucking be awesome for the band if he were in it.”

 “You don’t have to ask my permission,” Ellie says, watching as Ashton tries to fend off overexcited Luke and Calum.

 “Is that a yes?” Michael asks anyway, and Ellie rolls her eyes.

 “Yeah, fine, whatever,” she grumbles, and Michael whoops, ruffles her hair and hugs her only somewhat awkwardly. Ellie’s impressed.

 “Love you,” he says easily, smacking a kiss to her cheek, and Ellie waves him off with a sort of fondness bubbling up within her as Michael heads over to the drum kit to talk rehearsals and practices and whatever it is they talk about when she’s out of hearing distance.

 Ellie watches them interact affectionately, feeling a bit like a mother hen. She really loves her boys, to the moon and back, and there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for them.

 Ashton catches her eye as her gaze slides over from Michael to Luke, and he’s staring at her, an odd expression on his face. Ellie, caught off-guard, just stares back until Calum’s tugging at Ashton’s arm and saying something ridiculous (“You’re nineteen right? Sweet, free booze! We should go out to the pubs soon!”) and he breaks their eye contact to grin at Calum.

 Ellie frowns. Weird.

 +

 That night, after dinner, Ellie stands in front of the closed curtains of her window. She remembers when she’d first discovered that her window opened directly across from Ashton’s; it’d been the day before The Incident, the day after the Irwins had settled in, and she’d been so excited to see that someone her age was across from her. She spotted him, shaggy blonde hair curling wildly atop his head, sitting alone on his bed, and she’d waved. He’d waved back and smiled a little uncertainly, and nine-year-old Ellie had thought he had a very nice smile.

 Ellie wants to go back in time and shake the little girl she’d been. How naïve. How foolish.

 Since The Incident, Ellie had kept the curtains facing Ashton’s window closed, though the window itself is almost perpetually open. She can never quite sleep in a stiflingly hot room, and even in the dead of winter, she tends to keep it open, preferring to swaddle herself in duvets than close it. Her mum gives her flack about it all the time, but Ellie ignores it mostly. Just like she ignores Ashton’s existence literally less than ten feet away from her. Like she ignores his music when he plays it on spring days, like he ignores his friends when they come over, like she ignores the girls Ashton brings home (Ellie always scoffs and rolls her eyes at them, because, seriously. They could do loads better).

 But now, Ellie flings open the curtains of her window, and there Ashton is, in his room, sat at his desk with his back facing her. His head is bent down, so all Ellie can see the top tuft of his curly hair – and also a rather gratuitous view of his bare back, with his shoulder blades shifting underneath his skin, the lamplight throwing the definition of his spine into relief. It is, for all intents and purposes, a nice back.

 Ellie squeaks and ducks down under the window, her cheeks flaming. For God’s sake, is he immune to shirts? Admittedly, it’s summer and it’s hot, but still – the window’s open. It’s not that hot that Ashton needs to – to – trapeze around the house shirtless.

 “Pull yourself together, woman,” Ellie mutters to herself, trying to calm her thudding heart. She reminds herself that this is the same Ashton Irwin who’d caused her so much pain growing up; regardless of how fit he’s become – which, wow. Very, very fit – he’s still that ten year old boy on the inside.

 Ellie clings to this hope as she slowly straightens and peeks over the windowsill.

 “El?” Ashton asks, suddenly there at his window, filling out the small square pocket of space with his chest and arms and face. Ellie does not scream. She doesn’t. She shouts in a very heroic manner.

 “Ellie?” Luke calls from his room, and Ellie whips around. Luke can’t know that she’s about to talk to Ashton. He just can’t.

 “I’m fine,” she calls back hastily. “Just saw a spider, no reason to be alarmed.”

 “Did you kill it?” Luke shouts back. He sounds panicked, and Ellie curses herself. Right, she’d forgotten Luke is terrified of spiders.

 “Yeah, I got it, it just caught me off-guard,” she says, and Luke seems appeased by that because he doesn’t call back.

 “What the fuck, Ashton, you scared the shit out of me,” she breathes harshly, turning back to see Ashton’s bemused expression. She wants to punch it right off his face.

 “Why were you under the windowsill?” Ashton asks.

 Heat creeps up underneath the collar of Ellie’s shirt. “I dropped something,” she lies.

 “Thought you were killing a spider,” Ashton says, and he sounds smug. Ellie automatically scowls at that.

 “Do you make a habit of listening in on my private conversations?” she asks snidely, before she can stop herself. “First Michael, now this.”

 “Your window is open, and you were shouting,” Ashton points out. Ellie frowns. Damn it. “Besides, it was an accident. I thought I heard something, and came over to check it out. Sounded like a cat getting trodden over.” Ashton glances over the edge of his window. “Guess not. Carry on, then.”

 “Wait!” Ellie bursts out as Ashton moves to go back to his desk. He glances back, surprised. “I just – um.” She can feel the bile rising her throat. She cannot believe she’s about to do this. It’s like offering an olive branch to the devil himself who’s likely to use the leaves as toilet paper to wipe his bum.

 “What?” Ashton prompts, and Ellie swallows and glares at him.

 “I just, um. Wanted to apologize. For my rudeness,” she bites out.

 Ashton frowns at her. “That sounded very sincere,” he says dryly, and every fiber of Ellie’s being is to sneer at him and tell him that she meant it that way, but. But she’s got to take the higher road, be the better person and all that. Michael would be so proud. More or less.

 “Sorry,” Ellie mutters. “I’m, um. Not good at this.”

 “What?” Ashton asks with a hint of sarcasm. “Being a decent person?”

 “Apologizing,” Ellie snaps. “Which, I guess you don’t seem to comprehend, seeing as you’ve been rude to me.” Never mind that Ellie had called him the harbinger of all misfortune in her life once, when she’d been drunk off her arse.

 Ashton has the decency to look contrite, his flinty expression sliding off his face. “Sorry,” he says, and the word rolls off his tongue like water. “I didn’t mean that. You’re a decent person, El, honest.”

 “Why do you keep calling me that?” Ellie asks, exasperated and a little irritated, though she’s not sure if it’s by Ashton or by herself. “My name’s Ellie.”

 Ashton looks surprised, like he hadn’t even realized he was using that particular nickname. “Dunno,” he says, shrugging. “I just like calling you El.” He pauses. “Is that, um. A problem? Do you have like a thing about nicknames?”

 He sounds so genuinely distressed, it throws Ellie off. The more she talks to Ashton, the harder it is to reconcile the Ashton of now with the nasty boy who’d shoved her off the swings. It’s like watching a 3D film without the glasses – everything’s a bit blurry and fuzzy, just enough out of focus to give her a headache.

 “No,” Ellie says slowly. “I don’t. I was just – no one really calls me El.” The singular syllable falls off her tongue neatly, and Ellie likes it, actually. It makes her sound less like a kid – an image Ellie’s been trying to shed with little success – and more like. Someone.

 “Cool,” Ashton says happily. Ellie blinks at him. “Then it’s just, like. Our thing. Nicknames. You can call me Ash if you want.”

 Ellie inexplicably flushes, and she says, a bit harshly, “That’s not our thing, everyone’s got nicknames. I call Michael Mikey all the time.”

 A flicker crosses Ashton’s face, but he smiles crookedly, the hint of a dimple whispering at his cheek. “I was just saying,” he says placidly.

 For some unknown reason, Ellie’s blood pressure rises at that, and she snaps, “Well, don’t. Don’t, like. Pretend that you know me or that you even like me at all, because I’ll tell you, I – I know.” Know what exactly, Ellie has no clue – that Ashton’s secretly the devil’s spawn, that he kicks puppies in his free time, that he pushes little old ladies over; all perfectly reasonable suspicions – but Ashton’s face goes blank, and Ellie feels strangely triumphant. So Ashton’s hiding something. Ellie feels like doing a little jig; she’d known it all along.

 “You know?” Ashton asks quietly.

 “Yeah, and you’re a dick for it,” Ellie says wildly, grabbing at frantically straws. “And to think, I was going to apologize for being rude when you’ve been – you know.” Ellie literally has no idea what she’s talking about, but Ashton’s face crumples a bit, and Ellie expects to feel the rush of triumph that she’s finally gotten Ashton to look like that.

 To be honest, Ellie’s not impressed. Feels a bit hollow, actually. The books have got it all wrong, it seems. She’d have thought besting her greatest enemy would feel better.

 Still, it still feels good, shutting the curtains on Ashton’s pained expression, and Ellie huffs out a satisfied breath. She’s not quite sure on what grounds she won, but it certainly feels like a victory, so she’ll take it.

 Luke shuffles past her open door and peers in. “Who were you talking to?”

 “Ashton,” Ellie replies, feeling a bit smug. She’s going to text Michael a picture of a triumphant My Little Pony thing. He’ll get a kick out of that.

 “Oh,” Luke says disinterestedly. “Cool.” He plods out of the view of her doorway, then backtracks, a little bit more keen on the conversation. “Why were you talking to Ashton?”

 “Just letting him have it, a bit,” says Ellie happily, not looking up from her phone. There’s an embarrassing number of My Little Pony reaction pictures already saved in her photos.

 “You were rude to him,” Luke sighs, not even a question. He sounds a bit cross at her, and Ellie shrugs.

 Stood up to my hair pulling demon :DDD Xxx. “He started it.”

 “Don’t be so bratty,” Luke says, which is brilliant coming from him. He still whines if their mum doesn’t bring him a glass of water. “We need him more than we need you.”

 Ellie looks up sharply. “But where would you be without your first groupie?” she asks tightly, pasting a smile on her face. Luke doesn’t back down.

 “Where would you be without a band in the first place?” he shoots back, then shakes his head, pulling out his mobile seemingly out of thin air. His trousers don’t even have any pockets. “Whatever. Do whatever you want to do, Ellie. Just don’t drive Ashton off.”

 Luke disappears again from the doorway; Ellie can hear the stairs creaking as he goes, and she throws herself onto her bed, sprawling out.

 Do you think I’m a brat? She texts.

 !!! BRONY POWER!!! :DDD

 And yeah, sometimes.

 Wait, why did Ashton just text me with a sad face and an apology????

 Ellie scowls at her phone. Why do you have The Thing’s number????????

 We traded numbers for band stuff. What did you say to him? Ellie can almost hear Michael’s accusing tone, which she thinks is highly undeserved, considering Ashton’s been hiding something. Ellie’s not sure what he’s hiding, but it’s something.

 Nothing!!

 Michael’s text is instantaneous. WHY DID HE JUST OFFER TO LEAVE THE BAND??? WHAT DID YOU SAY

 Ellie stares at the text message, shocked. Her finger hits the call button before she can even process what she’s doing.

 Michael picks up on the first ring, and he sounds near hysterical. “What did you say to him?!”

 “I didn’t say anything!” Ellie says defensively, even though something akin to guilt is slithering down her gut. She puts it up to the spicy Chinese her mum had brought home. Never again, sweet and sour chicken.

 “Well, you must’ve said something wrong, ‘cause he’s offering to leave the band, which is ridiculous ‘cause he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us – since me, of course,” Michael says. “You have to apologize to him.”

 “That’s what I was going to do!” Ellie replies frantically. “But then he said something about nicknames, and I just – we’re not friends or anything, like – ”

 “So you mean to tell me,” Michael says, “you made him think he should quit the band. Over. Nicknames.” He sounds utterly calm, which is strangely terrifying. Ellie hedges.

 “Well, when you put it that way…”

 “You’re going to have to fix this, Ellie Hemmings,” Michael says lowly. “I swear to God, if you don’t fix this, I’ll pull out another chunk of your hair and we’ll call it even.” He sounds like he’s near tears, which would be hilarious, if it weren’t for the fact that Ellie might’ve accidentally ruined her brother’s band. Guilt, meet Ellie.

 “Alright, alright, alright,” Ellie says hastily. “I’ll fix this, promise.”

 “You’d better, or I will kill you,” says Michael simply before he hangs up on her. In the safety of her room, Ellie scowls at her phone. Honestly. Musicians. Overdramatic lot, they are. Ellie can fix this – not that she’s sure what she needs to fix; she doesn’t even know what she said – Michael is just overreacting. She’ll apologize to Ashton tomorrow morning when he shows up for rehearsal, and everything will go back to as it was before. Easy.

 And it’s no one else’s business if Ellie can’t sleep because of the vague stirring of guilt in her gut.

 +

 The next day, Ellie literally drags herself down to the basement, having rolled out of bed and thrown on a loose fitting top and her favorite pair of shorts. Luke’s studiously ignoring her, Michael’s glaring daggers at her – even Calum, cheerful, bright Calum, seems to be giving off an anti-Ellie vibe.

 “Is Ashton coming?” Ellie ventures timidly when her morning greeting goes unreturned.

 Michael ignores her. Luke ignores her. Calum ignores her. It’s like she’s talking to three teenage walls with bad hair. “Hello?” Ellie tries again.

 “Yeah,” Calum replies in a clipped tone. “Yeah, he’s coming.”

 Ellie sits back, a little stung. “Oh.” Then: “Talked him down from the proverbial tree, then?”

 Luke glares at her. “Shut up,” he says, which, rude. “This is your fault. You’d better set things right when he gets here.”

 “Rude,” Ellie says back. “And I will. Promised, didn’t I?”

 Luke just shakes his head. “Don’t fuck this up, yeah?”

 “I’ll do my utmost,” says Ellie dryly, feeling the tiniest bit stung by the cold shoulder from her three favorite people in the entire world. It’s not that she’d tried to make Ashton quit the band; Ellie honestly, genuinely doesn’t even know what she’d said.

 Footsteps on the stairs alert the four of them to Ashton’s presence, and Ellie automatically swivels her head to look at him. Ashton ducks his head as he walks in, not even caring to kick off his shoes. Ellie stares. He looks, well, a bit like shit, to put it plainly. His hair’s mussed up – and not at all in the artful way; more like a woodland creature had unsuccessfully tried to make a home there  – and he’s got dark circles under his eyes and it’s like he rolled out of bed and threw on whatever he’d found lying the floor.

 Which. Probably isn’t a far stretch from the truth. Ellie’s seen the travesty that is Luke’s bedroom, she knows full well how messy teenage boys can be.

 “Hiya,” Ashton says, and he even sounds tired. Calum looks sympathetic and Luke waves a little, like he’s trying to be gentle. Even fucking Michael looks solemn, and Michael’s usually like a hyperactive kid who’s been let into the sweets box.

 Ellie can’t take it anymore. She stands up abruptly, and all eyes turn to her. It’s not for him, she tells herself as she stomps over to Ashton. It’s for the band. For Michael and Calum and Luke.

 “Can I talk to you?” she asks – demands really, staring up at Ashton. He really is too fucking tall. It’s not fair. Nothing in Ellie’s life is fair, starting with this entire situation.

 “Um,” Ashton says awkwardly, glancing around the room. “I don’t think – ”

 “Great,” Ellie cuts him off, seizing his arm and dragging him back up the stairs. She’d really rather not get on her knees – figuratively, of course – in front of people who would undoubtedly take the piss out of her for the rest of her natural life.

 Ashton doesn’t look at her when she all but pushes him down onto the couch, and honestly, Ellie’s already ten thousand times done with this bullshit. She feels guilty as all hell for some unknown reason, her favorite people won’t speak to her, and Ashton won’t even spare the fucking courtesy to look her in the eye.

 It’s totally not her fault she starts out what’s supposed to be her apology with “For fuck’s sake, you’re so infuriating.”

 Ashton looks up sharply, like he can’t believe he’s just said that. Ellie can’t believe she’s just said that, and she quickly backtracks because she knows that even though she’s shut the basement door behind them, the Terrible Trio are probably stacked like Jenga blocks, ears pressed against the door, nosy little shits that they are.

 “I’m sorry, fuck,” Ellie says, running her hands through her hair anxiously. It’s a bad habit of hers, playing with her hair when she’s nervous. “I didn’t – this was supposed to be an apology.”

 “It’s a fucking shitty apology,” Ashton snaps, his eyes bright, body tense. Ellie shrinks back a little, and Ashton softens the tiniest bit. “I’m – ”

 “No!” Ellie shouts, then in a lower voice: “Fuck’s sake, Irwin! Stop bloody apologizing for things that aren’t your fault!” Ashton’s staring at her, wide-eyed, like she’s likely to leap onto the coffee table and start tearing off her clothes, Hulk-style. “I’m sorry, okay? For whatever it was I said that made you think you should quit the band, I’m sorry. I lied about knowing whatever you think I know, I really don’t, just. Please. Don’t leave.”

 She debates for half a second getting down on her knees and clasping her hands together, but Ellie stops herself. She’s not that desperate. Though if Ashton keeps up the surprised look and doesn’t say anything, she might have to.

 “You lied?” Ashton asks after a moment of silence. Ellie nods vigorously, so hard her jaw feels like it’s about to unhinge and fall to the floor. “You don’t know…?”

 “No, for fuck’s sake,” Ellie retorts. “I mean, no, I don’t. I swear, I literally had no idea what you were talking about.” She pauses, then begrudgingly adds, “Sorry.”

 Ashton looks at her, then down at his hands. “Oh,” he says.

 Ellie bites back the sharp insult tingling at the tip of her tongue, because what sort of answer is oh. For the band, she tells herself again. This is for the band.

 “So?” Ellie asks, arching an eyebrow. “Are you going to stay in the band or what?”

 Ashton glances up, and they lock eyes for a moment. His gaze is searching, eyes flicking all over Ellie’s face, like he’s trying to find something there. Ellie stares back defiantly. He won’t find anything. She is a closed book, an iron safe, female masturbation – a bundle of secrets kept tightly under wraps.

 “Alright,” he says finally, and Ellie’s practically knocked off her feet by how relieved she is. She hadn’t realized how heavy the weight on her shoulders had been until it’d been taken off – all by one word from Ashton’s mouth.

 Ellie considers going into full Irish jig, flailing limbs and coffee table be damned. Ashton’s smiling now, a tentative, shy little thing, and Ellie’s surprised by how little she wants to punch it off. It’s probably due to the overwhelming relief that her friends won’t resent her anymore. Ellie wants to take Ashton by the arm and pull him down to the basement and show him off proudly, like, “Look! I fixed it!”

 “Fantastic,” Ellie says, somehow really meaning it. The band, she tells herself. It’s because of the band. “Good. Great. You should go to your band’s rehearsal then.”

 Ashton gets up with a grin, and it’s like he’s an entirely different person now. His back’s straighter, his eyes are brighter, and when he passes, he brushes a hand along Ellie’s elbow in thanks. Ellie doesn’t shiver. She doesn’t.

 “Thanks,” he says earnestly before he pulls open the basement door and, as Ellie’d predicted, Calum, Michael, and Luke go sprawling out all over the kitchen floor.

 “Yay, you’re back in the band,” Calum cheers upside down from where he’s smushing Luke into the tile face first. Calum’s Ellie’s favorite.

 Ashton looks down and laughs. “Guess I am,” he says, smile back and blinding. His dimples poke out again as he pulls Calum up, then down the stairs. Ellie watches with a sort of detached interest; she’s actually quite missed those dimples.

 Ellie freezes. Hang on, no she hadn’t missed them. This is Ashton Irwin. Just because he’s flashed her a smile here and now doesn’t mean she’s forgotten. There’s a sore spot at the back of her head that still has a phantom sting every time she thinks of Ashton Irwin and the damn swing set. Ellie still one hundred percent sure that she still hates him.

 Okay. Ninety percent. Eight seven at the lowest.

 Luke gets up grumbling and inanely dusting off his knees before following them down, but Michael pauses before he heads down, eyebrow cocked, hand on the threshold of the door. His gaze makes Ellie squirm a bit, because she knows that he knows her too well. It’s like getting scanned by an emotional x-ray.

 “Still hate him?” he asks with a coy smirk. Ellie hates him.

 Ellie reaches over and throws an ornamental couch pillow at him. Michael ducks a second too late, and the pillow makes contact with a satisfying thump. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about; the hair dye’s affected his reasoning skills. It’s the only explanation for Michael’s recent bouts of insanity.

 “Fine, fine, come down then,” Michael relents before his black hair disappears behind the door.

 Yeah, Ellie’s got this totally under control, this pesky undercurrent of something under her skin. She’s fine. She’s great. She can still hate Ashton Irwin.

 … Well, she will after she sits on the couch for a couple moments, trying to forget Ashton’s small smile.

[bananashemmo]

What’s your favorite part of ‘The Math Teacher’ ? 🌸 #lukehemmings #5sos #teachersos #themathteacher #5sosfanfiction https://www.instagram.com/p/BtV7lGUAjZa/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dw7ajon3tiaq

[aleebmealone]

Chapter One- More Than Qualified

The leaves brush past my ankles, blown by the cool autumn wind. I tighten the blazer around my torso, buttoning it in the front as I walk towards the tall glass building. This was my opportunity to change my future.

I open the door and the receptionist smiles up at me with perfect white teeth behind perfectly painted red lips, “Good morning, how can I help you?” 

“I'm here for the interview to replace Benjamin Evans,” I reply, keeping my voice even and smooth. She looked at me for a moment, doing a fair job at hiding her surprise, “Ms. Dawson is it? Have a seat and I’ll call you up in about 15 minutes at your interview time.”

I thank her and found a seat near a window, pulling my phone and airpods out. I went to the favorites list on my contacts and pressed the first one.

“Hey bestsie booskie, are you on the way to the interview?” My best friend Blake’s voice rang out on the other side of the phone. “I’m waiting in the lobby of Madison Avenue for them to call me up. I'm really trying to stay calm here.”

“Well remember what you heard in that TikTok, it's helped you in interviews before. Take your time when you're speaking, they are there to listen to you. You set the pace with them okay?” Blake’s voice was very calming and I could tell that they were really trying to calm me down. “Also, you should go over your notes and the Tweets that you saved about the situation. I know it’s been a while but since they're finally setting out for a manager, they're going to need to be touring soon again. Just remember the talking points we went over yesterday.”

It was a good idea, and since Blake was in my airpods, I could look at my phone while I listened to them talk on the other end. 

“Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer look for new management a year after firing Benjamin Evans due to mismanagement,” was the first headline that read in the trending page on Twitter. 

It was a pretty large scandal following a song that was released two months after their 5th album, 5sos5. They claimed it was a total accident but the lyrics that the band had written together in secret spread like wildfire and had many people questioning what their manager was doing behind the scenes that made them feel this way. Eventually the band finally had the rest of the HR team file an injunction and got Evan’s fired from his position. Because of this, the entire responsibility of managing fell onto the band themselves and in order to pick up the pieces, they had to cancel their tour for 5sos5.

Now that a year has passed and they were able to settle the lawsuit that Evan’s filed against them, they're looking for new management in order to be able to go on tour again and just get back to normalcy.

“The fans are really excited to see them, and I’m sure they’re excited to get back on the road as well, Kavya. You just have to ensure that you will be there to back them up, not control them.”

Blake’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts about the scandal. “I know Blake, listen I’m gonna call my mom real quick before I have to go in okay?” I pull up my mom's contact on my phone, “Okay bubs I’m so excited for you! Try not to pass out at how gorgeous they are! Do good, I love you!” 

“I love you too Blakie,” I replied and went ahead and started calling Mom. 

“Hey Kavya-nana, what’s up,” I immediately took a breath hearing my mom's voice on the line. “Mom, I’m freaking out.”

“Is the interview over already?” She asks, surprised. “No, no, I'm in the lobby waiting but I’m seriously so nervous.”

“Kav, they called you didn't they? You stood out in your application, they want to get to know you a little better. This is already a huge step. I'm sure they didn't call back any more than 10 people.” My mom reassured me, “You’ve been through multiple internships regarding entertainment management, and you have a masters degree from NYU in the field. You're qualified for it, you just have to impress them in the interview. What are you wearing?”

I look down at my outfit, “The black heels I got for that presentation on my thesis, with my go to black dress pants that I usually wear, the baby pink scalloped dress shirt and a black blazer.”

“Is your hair up in a ponytail with the matching pink ribbon?” I touch the ribbon that my dad gave me before a huge presentation my first year at grad school. “Yes, of course Mom.”

“Well you certainly look the part, you didn't do some crazy makeup right, just the professional kind. And- oh, are your tattoos showing.” I roll my eyes, remembering how big of a meltdown both of my parents had over the small tattoos that are spread around my body. “Yes my makeup is professional and no you can't see my tattoos. I'm pretty sure they won't care if I have any, because they all have them so…”

“Well fine, fine, you just know how we feel about those things okay. You're going to be fine, just talk politely and pray before you go in okay.” I subconsciously bring my finger up to my forehead, “And put a cross on your forehead okay? Bye nana.”

“Bye mom,” I sigh, hanging up. I take the airpod out of my ear and back into its case before slipping it into my pink Kate Spade that also matches the color of my top. 

“Ms. Kavya Dawson?” A woman calls from the elevator that just opened. I stand up and grab my purse before walking over to her, making sure to keep the sound my heels make to a minimum on the hard vinyl tile. 

I get into the elevator and the woman pushes the button to the 36th floor. My breath catches in my throat as the elevator lurches upwards and I feel my palms become damp.

“Well you're awfully different from the applicants we’ve had come up here so far honey,” the woman says, turning and looking at me up and down. I stare at her for a moment, “Oh, oh not because you're a woman, just… you're so young.” 

“Oh, um… I guess yeah,” I awkwardly stutter. “I just finished my masters degree so I guess I am pretty young.”

“Oh…” The woman turned back around and an awkward silence filled the air. “Well, are you a fan of this band?”

My cheeks heat up immediately against my will but she doesn't seem to notice. “Well I guess they are very popular amongst my peers and I have heard a few of their songs.” Lie. “So I guess you could say I like their music. Lie. “But I really don't know much about the band members themselves.” Lie number three, strike you're out.

The elevator bell dings, signaling that we made it to the floor. “We’ll I'm sure you're going to do great, have a seat right over here and they’ll come get you in a moment okay?”

I smiled at the woman kindly and took a seat in front of two opaque double doors. My throat was in my heart at this point. The woman's judgment of my age threw me for a heavy loop.

“You're more than qualified.” 

“Take your time when you're speaking, they are there to listen to you. You set the pace with them okay?”

My mother and my best friends' voices rang in my ears, slowing my heart rate just the slightest bit. I’ve been in situations like this with less qualifications and preparation time before, and I made it through just fine. 

I will be fine 

A man opens the opaque doors. He was much older than me, definitely in his mid 40’s wearing a three piece suit that absolutely cost as much as my tuition for grad school. He stared at me for a moment, confused. “Are you here for the interview?” 

I stood and nodded at him. He held the door open for me and motioned for me to go in while looking at me up and down, “Good luck with those assholes,” He puffed out.

I was not fine.

I genuinely stopped breathing when I walked in. This wasn't the first time I saw them, but absolutely the first time I saw them up this close. 

The room was a pretty normal conference room with giant windows overlooking New York City. Large black leather chairs surrounded a large brown table that 4 boys sat at the end of. 

The four boys stood up and walked over to me, holding a hand out. 

Firm grip but not too firm

“Good morning, I’m Calum Hood.” He was wearing black slacks with an untucked button up and a loose tie.

“Ashton Irwin, it’s a pleasure,” a button up red velvet shirt that had the first three buttons unbuttoned with black slacks.

“Michael Clifford,” He sported a pair of black ripped jeans and a patterned red and black short sleeve button up. As he held out his arm I saw the iconic tattooed band around his elbow.

“And I’m Luke Hemmings,” A lovely collared short sleeve shirt and khaki pants that hugged his tall body perfectly.

I gulped, “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you, my name is Kavya Dawson.” Luke motioned for me to have a seat at one of the chairs and they walked back to have a seat at their computers. 

“Kavya, that’s a lovely name,” Ashton said, “What does it mean?” 

“Thank you, it means poetry in motion in Hindi,” I answered, settling down in my seat. I cross my fingers and place them above the desk. 

“Fascinating. So Ms. Dawson, tell us a bit about your history, your career, education, anything you would like to let us know.” Luke said, shifting through some papers, presumably my resume.

“Of course, I am a recent graduate from New York University where I received my masters degree in Music Business Management in one year by having extra credits from my bachelors degree and taking large credit hour semesters.” I felt myself run out of breath quickly with how fast I was talking. 

Take your time when you're speaking. Blake’s voice once again. 

I caught my breath before speaking again, slower, “Before that I received my bachelor's degree in business management from Clemson University in South Carolina. I graduated super early by having a lot of dual enrollment credits from high school, but also because I took large credit hour semesters pretty much every year.”

I tried looking at all of them the same amount of time, without staring at one of them for too long. It was not easy.

“While I was doing my bachelors, I spent one summer in Las Vegas with the Blue Man Group working as a stagehand, and another summer in Los Angeles as a marketing development intern with Primavera Sound Los Angeles.”

I stopped again, collecting my thoughts, making sure to smile at them to make a good impression. 

“During my masters I was involved in several internships including ones with Broadway as an event manager and Sirius XM as an intern with the marketing department and another with the management department. I’ve been involved in multiple charities and soup kitchens in every one of the states I’ve interned in as well”

“That's a very impressive list of things you've done Kavya.” Calum stated, peering at me over his glasses. “There are a few things that set you apart from the other people we’ve interviewed so far. Your age. I mean… You're, like, younger than us aren’t you?”

The grip on my fingers turned pale so I pulled my hands back under the desk and straightened my posture. “W-well yes.

Calm down.

“While I am younger than the average applicant for this job, there are a multitude of reasons that it could actually be an asset to this business. For one, if I am to take over this position, you all will have a lot more power in your business.”

They all seemed to perk up at this, raising eyebrows or shifting their positions.

“To elaborate, you four have been running this company by yourselves for the past year, and the company in question wouldn't even exist without you. It only makes sense that it's you four that make the big decisions and you need someone to carry it out for you.”

“With all due respect Kavya, that isn’t in the job description,” Michael finally piped up.

All the air left my body and the room fell to silence for a moment.

“It should be.”

“Excuse me?” Michael responded again. 

“The reason for Benjamin Evans' failure was a lack of respect for the people he was working for; you.” Michael relaxed in his chair a little, bringing two fingers to his lips in thought. “You are 5 Seconds of Summer, not your HR, not your management, just you. Your company, your brand should be working for you, not the other way around.”

My cheeks flare up in a bit of anger, remembering the sad lyrics that exposed Evans’ abuses. “I read the lyrics of the leaked song,” The men stared at one another, “You should have never experienced that much pain in something you should love to do.” 

“So how would you run things differently?” Michael asked. I took a breath, trying to focus my thoughts yet again. “I would let you guys have far more freedom, financially, and socially. The way you've been running the company the past year can be tweaked to be more to your liking and comfort. I would never ask you to hide who you are as people from your fans or the public. Your relationship can be public as well as your other endeavors. I would never pay paparazzi to find you in order to create a scandal to bring more attention. I would circulate the finances better in order to focus on benefiting the company rather than benefiting myself. We would be able to book more and better venues rather than places that you may feel uncomfortable with, and we would overall be able to be more honest with your fans.”

“I basically want to let you guys do what you want, while keeping your brand successful.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, flicking between looking at me, each other, and the papers with my information in front of them. 

“You're 22.” Luke finally spoke after a painful amount of time. “Are you sure you're 22?”

Ashton and Calum giggled quietly, causing me to smile as well, “Yes, I’m sure.”

“This is a very impressive application, and your vision for the band's future is different from anything we've seen thus far.” Ashton said, a smile still on his face, “I do have to say though, I’m not sure it is what we’re looking for.”

My heart plummeted. “We really need to talk about how this would work, given that we are in a very precarious position and we’re not sure how much change we can handle before we drown in our finances.” Ashton continued, “We just really need to talk about it. Please don't think we’re just flat out saying no, that's not the case at all.”

Calum and Luke gave me a reassuring smile, while Michael stacked my papers and put them in a folder. 

“We will call you sometime in the next two weeks and we will let you know about your employment status. We will either call to inform you that we will be denying your application or if we need another interview, sounds good? I would say give us 10 days. We will call regardless of whether or not you got the job. It’ll likely be Ashton that calls.” Michael informs me, giving a quick smile, looking at the rest of his bandmates. “Thank you very much Ms. Dawson,” Luke stood and shook my hand again, “Please send in the next person okay?”

I slowly stood up, questions flooding my brain, but I shoved them down. It didn’t work. 

I turned to walk out the door as I heard them talk about the next applicant that would be on the other side of the door. 

“Oh Kavya, one last question,” I heard Ashton call once again. I spin on my heels a little too quickly, and my pony tail slaps the side of my cheek. “Given your age, I have to ask, are you a fan of us?”

“Oh, um…” I blush furiously, “A little bit yeah, I mean you guys are pretty popular.”

Lie

“That means she's a mega fan, lads,” Luke smirks as the color drains from my face. “W-what? No, I-”

“Have a good day Kavya!” The band laughs as I turn quickly and shut the door behind me. 

I stand for a moment facing the door, trying to calm myself down. 

I turn around after a moment and come face to face with a man's chest. “O-oh you must be the next applicant,” I stutter out. The man brushes past me and opens the door, pretty much ignoring my existence. 

What a dick.

I make my way to the elevator pressing my hands to my cheeks trying to get rid of a bit of the warmth. That was so stressful, scary, exciting, and amazing, all at the same time.

I practically fly out of the building, desperately needing to get to the quiet of my car to fully process the emotions I’m feeling.

The second my phone connects to the car, a familiar melody loudly blasts at me.

And if the skyscrapers tumble down and crash around baby, We just gotta get out, we just gotta get out.

I frantically turn the volume down by pressing and hitting random buttons until it stops. 

A little bit of a fan, Kavya, really?

[lov3ndlessly]

Getting Back on the Saddle (Luke Hemmings fic)

Request: “Dirty fic about Luke Hemmings meeting y/n at a mutuals party?”

Summary: Luke Hemmings has just been cheated on, and is dragged to a party by the 5SOS boys who want to help him move on. While there, he meets Y/N and they have a drunken, bathroom therapy session. SMUT.

Word count: 3000+

The street lights were the only thing illuminating the darkened night as the members of 5SOS pulled up to a storybook style mansion in Beverly Hills. The house was quaint and picturesque, with arches and cobblestone walls gating it off. From the front yard and through the mumble of partygoers, Luke Hemmings could make out the song that was playing –When I Come Around by Green Day. Normally, he would be the first out of the car, rushing in with one of his bottles of the Crown Royal Rare Blue whisky that he had picked up in Canada while on tour. But tonight, he walked slowly, dragging his feet behind Calum, Michael and Ashton, bottle in a brown paper bag, checking his phone.

“Luke, hurry your ass up,” Michael said, turning around to face his mate. Calum and Ashton did so too.

“I don’t even want to be here,” Luke huffed, his mind elsewhere.

Last night he found out that his girlfriend of two years cheated on him. Getting home from a gig in San Francisco much earlier than planned, he saw the two of them, tangled together, covered in sweat on the couch in his house. The sight ripped at every inch of his coolness, a boiling rage trying to escape, but Luke did everything in his power not to throw his fists at the man or burn the couch –it wouldn’t make for good headlines, if caught. Instead, he told her she had an hour to get her things out of his house, then got in his car and disappeared to a treed hilltop in the valley to look out at the view and think. He had become accustomed to the betrayal and exploitation that came with his fame, but he thought she was different.

Tonight, he didn’t feel capable of being composed around Ashton’s friends from Los Angeles that he had never met. This was the last thing he wanted to be doing.

“C’mon, it’ll take your mind off things,” Calum said, lifting a beer to his luscious lips. “Forget about her and have fun tonight. Get back on the horse.”

“Yeah, find someone else to hop on your saddle tonight,” Ashton remarked, a proud grin on his face, as his two friends laughed. He patted Luke on the back and kept walking.

Punk music roared into their ears as they entered the navy blue front door into a bustling atmosphere. There were people everywhere; playing beer pong in the living room, flip cup in the kitchen and king’s cup on the deck. This would usually be Luke’s kind of night.

“Ash, you made it!” a brown-haired man shouted, walking through the crowd. He grabbed a hold of Ashton’s hand and pulled him in for a hug. “So, if you don’t have beer, I’ve got kegs set up in the backyard, help yourselves, and the bathroom is the second door on the left down the hall.”

Ashton grinned, and the three other boys nodded awkwardly, looking around to see if they recognized anyone.

“Luke, pong?” Ashton yelled over the music, making a throwing gesture.

“Nah, I’m gonna go make a drink or something. Maybe later,” Luke lied, adjusting the sheer white dress shirt beneath his black leather jacket.

Sensing his best friend needed him, Calum spoke up: “Mikey, you go play. I’m going to go make a drink too.” Ashton and Mikey nodded knowingly.

Luke walked straight through the house and to the back deck, aware Calum was following him. He stopped at an empty table and pulled his bottle out, grabbing a clean red cup from a stack. He poured the whisky in straight and threw it back.

“You don’t need to babysit me, go get drunk or something,” he said, whilst pouring another shot for himself. If he was going to get through tonight, he was going to need a few.

He started walking towards a large bonfire. Calum reaching around him, a red cup in hand as he walked behind.

“You scrounger,” Luke remarked, pouring some into both their cups.

They clinked their cheap cups and tilted their heads back, swallowing the strong booze.

Luke pulled out his phone again, checking for notifications. As much as he hated his ex for her actions, part of him was hoping she would leave a voicemail or a text or even an email expressing some regret for what she did, and what she had lost, but there was nothing. He lifted the elaborate bottle straight to his mouth, taking a huge swig.

“Sorry, mate. I’m just going to take that from you,” Calum said, grabbing a hold of it and examining the amount missing –too much. “If it’s any consolation, I never really liked her.”

Luke lowered the cup away from his mouth and grinned. “That would have been good to know before I started dating her.”

Calum laughed. “Well, I’m gonna go find that bathroom. Be back in five,” he said, handing Luke the whisky.

Luke put his phone back in his pocket. He looked to his left and right, but no one made eye contact with him or seemed interested in talking to him, either. He returned his eyes to the fire wondering why he agreed to come. The sweet buzz of intoxication coming on, he ran his fingers through his loose blond curls. With the sound of laughter approaching the fire, he peered up to find a group of girls standing across from him. They were all beautiful, but the one in the middle holding a bottle of tequila and wearing a white ACDC crop top, black frayed jean shorts and Chuck Taylors piqued his interest. She was swigging it straight and standing there awkwardly, the rest of the girls talking amongst each other –she looked just as out of place as he.

Her gaze met his across the tops of the dancing flames, neither breaking contact. Her red lips curving into a smirk as she walked over to a table with kegs on it. He sauntered towards her, his mind barely able to keep up with his feet. Maybe it was the buzz, but something about her was alluring.

“Unless you want to mix that tequila with watered down Coke, cheap beer or mystery stuff, there’s not much here for you, I’m afraid,” Luke said, pointing at each keg, whilst leaning on the table beside her.

She pulled her red cup away, put it on the table and turned her attention to him. “I’d have to disagree,” she responded, arching her brow, looking him up and down, and smirking seductively.

Luke felt a wave of heat come over him. “I’m Luke,” he said, extending a hand.

A million thoughts were running through his head. Was she just hitting on him? Did she smile at him and walk over to this table hoping he would follow? Did she want him like he wanted her? He didn’t know what to think, after all he was a little out of practice and she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. All that he knew was that her hot gaze and mischievous grin from across the fire had completely drawn him in.

“Y/N,” she replied, her soft, petite hand lightly gripping his. He could picture it touching him elsewhere.

“I take it you don’t know anyone here, either?” Luke asked, making conversation. He mentally slapped himself in the head for not coming up with something more crafty.

“Well, now I know you,” she responded, peering up at him from beneath her long black eyelashes; he was even more curious.

Luke extended his bottle and she clinked hers against his, before they both swigged a shot. He was alert, but definitely starting to feel the booze. It was a good thing, it helped him with his nerves, but it also magnified his desires.

“Lucky me,” he said with both brows raised. He imitated her from moments earlier, looking her up and down. When his eyes wandered back to her face, he saw her bite down on her lip.

She was about to speak, but a group of people walked over to the table, voices raised obnoxiously. One of the guys in the group dropped his drink and it splashed onto her top, staining the white with a red colour that also made it slightly translucent. Trying not to stare directly at her bareness beneath it –she wasn’t wearing a bra– Luke placed his hand on the small of her back and tilted his head in the direction of the house. She nodded.

When they got back inside, there was far more people than before. Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd to a small clearing against the kitchen island, which she leaned up against. His drunk hands scrambled through a kitchen drawer, trying to find a cloth. Once he did, he ran it under the tap, then tended to the stain.

One hand slightly underneath her shirt to pull it slack and the other gently rubbing at the stain, Luke could feel her soft skin and ab crack graze his knuckles. He felt goose bumps engulf her skin and his eyes instantly shot to hers. He instinctively put the cloth down and rested his hands on the counter, her in between them. Their faces were inches apart, but their heated gaze was doing all the talking.

Y/N wet her lips, looked down and then back up at Luke in an innocent manner, but he knew she was far from that. It made him crave her more.

She leaned in close to his ear. “Thanks for helping with my shirt.”

“I was prepared to take off mine and give it to you, so you wouldn’t have to walk around in a see-through shirt all night,” Luke answered honestly. He was just about to, but their skin connecting seconds ago had froze him in place.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” she said, brow arched and lips curled up playfully.

“Or you could take it off for me,” Luke whispered, moving in closer.

Y/N’s hands fumbled with the hem of his white dress shirt, as she peered from under her lashes. Luke couldn’t take it anymore, he tilted his head in the direction of the next room and she nodded. He had no idea where he was taking her, he just knew what he wanted and that he wanted it now.

She took his hand as he ambled through the crowd, eyes searching for a door or a room to take her to. Just as he exited the kitchen, he saw Ashton with a large grin on his face, and he knew why. Luke was about to roll his eyes and keep walking when Ashton pointed towards a bathroom. Mouthing, “thanks,” Luke continued out the front door.

As soon as the door was closed and the two of them were alone in the large dim lit bathroom, Luke closed the gap between them. Grasping Y/N’s cheeks with his hands, he slammed his lips into hers, pressing her against the pale purple wall. The flavour of agave in her mouth overpowered his rich whisky’s aftertaste, electrifying his senses. He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth before she could even get in a breath. It was far from being a soft kiss, but it was hungry, fiery and lustful. There was heavy breathing and desperation in every movement. He had never wanted someone this much before; it was consuming him.

He picked Y/N up off the ground, her legs straddling his waist, and sat her down on the edge of the cold marble counter, causing her to tense. Her hands deep within his messy curls, he pulled his mouth from hers and anchored it to her ear.

“Take your top off,” he demanded, his tongue lightly gliding across her ear lobe and down to her jaw. He kissed his way down her neck, sucking on her collarbone, leaving behind a small red stamp of intimacy.

Y/N followed his orders, pulling her top over her head and tossing it to the floor. Luke shrugged off his leather jacket and Y/N undid the buttons on his dress shirt, throwing it off of him eagerly. Her hands went down to his belt buckle, but before she could get it undone, he had pulled them away.

“Lean back,” he demanded, his index finger popping the button on her black denim skirt. Y/N obeyed him and watched as he slid her skirt and lacy thong over her knees. He dropped down on his knees and positioned himself in front of her, his hands separating her thighs.

“Luke, what if someone walks in,” Y/N managed to mumble.

“Let them,” he purred, his eyes staring into hers as he lingered between her legs. He truly felt that way, too, and it wasn’t just the alcohol –he was engrossed.

Y/N’s back arched at the feeling on him hovering there, his warm breath teasing her. “Mm, please,” she let slip out.

Smiling to himself, he slipped his one hand down to her clit and rubbed it slowly, gauging her reaction all the while. Her body became entirely weak and her eyes shuttered. Seeing her at his mercy made him even harder.

“You’re so hot,” he said rubbing faster and receiving an eager moan. “You were teasing me back there, playing with my shirt and looking at me like that,” he said, his accent a sensual symphony in her ear. He rubbed Y/N again, “Now it’s my turn.”

Luke’s tongue began flicking her clit slowly, an excruciating tease. Y/N was entirely taintalized, desperately trying not to push his face deeper into her wetness while gripping his hair. He smiled against her knowing that she was helpless to his touch. He sucked hard on her clit, releasing to flick it, harder and faster than before. He spit on two fingers and forced them into her, continuing to push them in and out, as his tongue danced against her throbbing clit. His free hand held her breast firmly, occasionally taking her nipple between his thumb and index finger and gently squeezing it.

Losing control, fingers becoming numb and chills overtaking her body, Y/N bucked her hips forward and began moaning loudly. Luke paused licking, forcing his fingers inside and pressing them up against her g-spot.

“Fuck, just listening to you is going to get me off,” he whispered, continuing his rhythm.

Y/N head tilted back and her hands gripped Luke’s hair even tighter, her body clenching and her moans escaping rapidly, overwhelmed with euphoria –she was about to cum. All of a sudden, Luke’s hands slapped over her mouth and he paused his movement. A knock echoed against the door

“Anyone in there?” an obviously-drunk girl’s voice shouted.

“Occupied,” Luke shouted back, his lips just an inch from Y/N’s throbbing, wet, nearly-there pussy.

When there was no further response, Y/N pressed his face back into her and he continued, stiffened tongue gliding up and down in short, accurate strokes. And just like that, the sensation of cumming was back. Luke kept his hand over her mouth, as he felt her walls tighten around his fingers, spasming. She grinded her high out against his tongue, his eyes locked on her, as her muffled moans vibrated against the palm of his hand.

“Fuck me,” Y/N sighed, as his hand slipped away and she tried to catch her breath. She wanted to feel his thickness inside of her.

Luke rose up from his knees, unbuckling his belt and dropping his jeans in one urgent swoop. Y/N licked her lips and looked at his long, thick manhood; it was everything you would expect for a man of his stature. His eyes watched hers as he lined himself up with her slot, both of them shuttering and exhaling as he slid in. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, nails gripping his back. His strong hands gripped her hips, helping her to balance on the edge of the counter. He pumped into her, slowly at first, taking pleasure in both of their bodies’ struggling not to implode. Picking up the pace, the head of his cock pounding deeply into Y/N, he ran his tongue along her ear lobe and lightly sucked. Her nails sunk even further into him, the slight pain causing him to increase his speed even more. Pumping in and out, deeper and harder, watching her eyes flicker and her mouth hang open, he felt himself climbing.

“You feel so good. I’m so close” Y/N half-moaned into his collarbone, burying her lips into it to suppress the loud cries fighting to escape her plump red lips. “I want you to cum in me,” she whispered, while sucking on the side of his neck.

Luke couldn’t handle hearing her pleas, the dirty words pushing him so close to the edge. Feeling her legs, wrapped around him, begin to tremble, her grinding motions grow anxious and the muffled sound of hastened moans in his chest, he couldn’t contain himself anymore. He pumped hard, before slowing down, quietly moaning “fuck,” and filling her up with his warm cum. He sunk into here one last time, as they both relished in their climaxes, panting.

‘It was nice to meet you, Luke,” Y/N huffed, giving a wink and a smile.

Luke leaned in and kissed her lips, his movements sweet and gentle, as his hands settled on her neck and waist.

“Maybe we can meet each other again, sometime soon?” he responded, a smile on his face, as he helped her down from the counter and they both began getting dressed. Y/N nodded and bit her lip.

“We can’t find Luke anywhere,” Calum said, walking up behind Ashton with Michael. “Searched the whole yard where I left him.”

“We’re probably going to find him in the ditch outside, just pissed and having a nap,” Michael chirped, laughing at himself.

“Well, no. Actually, Mikey, it seems Luke has taken our advice,” Ashton said, proudly, leaning against a wall in the hallway, eyes glued to the bathroom door. He lifted a green beer bottle to his lips.

“No way,” Michael said, turning his attention to the bathroom as well. “Not in the bathroom?”

Ashton laughed, nodding and pointing, at Luke who has just emerged. Luke ran his fingers through his curls, and then stopped to wait for Y/N to exit behind him.

“Scandalous,” Calum remarked, amused.

Luke’s eyes searched the room until he found his friends discretely waving across the hall. He lifted his brows and smirked, genuinely feeling much happier than he did earlier. He wasn’t over his ex, it was too soon for that, but for the first time since he found out about her infidelity, she was the furthest thing from his mind.

 A/N: Here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. I loved writing it, so thank you to the Anon that requested this scenario. If you have anything you wish for me to write, hit me up with a message. xx

[irwingiggling]

westbrook | pt. 6

gang!ashton; gang!5sos

[pt. 1] [pt. 2] [pt. 3] [pt. 4] [pt. 5]

[Image credit: @not-grey-enough]

A/N: Wowww it’s been such a long time since I updated this story (yikes!). Some of my breaks from tumblr last longer than others, but I always find myself coming back here eventually. University has been a wild ride for me, but I honestly fell in love with this story and I feel like it deserves to be completed. I hope to finish it for you guys. This chapter has been sitting on my laptop for ages in draft form, and this weekend I finally added some scenes and finished it up for you guys.  No promises on when the next chapter will be coming, but I do have some scenes drafted for that.

Summary: In which Ashton is one of the leaders of the Westbrook Dragons, a gang who often feuds with the Vipers for control of the streets. After hearing of her estranged father’s death, Marina comes to Westbrook to fix up his house and sell it. Coming from a privileged neighborhood, the last thing Marina expects is to move in next door to a gang’s hideout.

Word Count: 4,100+ 

Rating: PG-13 (violence, language, drug references)

The next few weeks after the Dragons meeting were fairly uneventful. Marina and Ashton were still taking things slow, for the most part. Ashton had been busier than usual with the Dragons (some kind of territory issues, that he didn't care to elaborate on when Marina asked). In the meantime, Marina had continued to plunge her time into the house. Of course some things had been delayed, and what was originally a week's worth of work had turned into a month, but the house was now essentially completed. In fact her realtor, Steve, had scheduled an appointment to meet with her one last time before the final round of showings with the most serious prospective buyers.

Marina had an oddly bittersweet feeling about the entire thing. The house was what was keeping her here, with Ashton, but how would things change once it was sold? Would the two of them stay together in this fledgling relationship? Would she move back home? She got a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she thought about the possibility of moving back to the life she'd once lived, with her mother's flower shop. The only world she'd ever known, the place that had once given her so much safety and purpose, had now been completely flipped on its head. Her mother felt like a fraud, a sham. Just another everyday flower shop making a modest income, falsely elevated to the level of luxury through the use of her father's drug money. And confronting her mother would only lead to more questions, especially ones pertaining to how Marina had found out the information in the first place.

She felt a sense of security and familiarity with Westbrook that was growing stronger every day. But sometimes she still felt like a stranger in her father's old house.

It was some time in the wee hours of the morning, and Marina was currently sleeping soundly in her bed. In just a few hours she would have her final meeting with Steve, and Marina was getting some well-deserved rest after a busy day of putting up the final touches around the house. That is, until everything changed, and unfamiliar footsteps and voices outside her open window caused her to bolt upright in bed.

She'd had Ashton's number saved in her phone for a while, now - he told her she needed it just in case. This was around the same time he practically accosted her about Steve, when she was getting into her car. Back when she was still desperately trying to convince herself that Ashton was a terrible person.

"Ash?" she whispered. It came out so quiet, she wasn't sure that he even heard her, but she didn't want the sound to travel. She was shaking so violently that she was sure the sound on the other end was all rustled and unclear.

"Yeah?" he grumbled, sounding like he'd just woken up. He probably had, it was 3am after all.

"I think- I think someone's trying to break in."

"What?" he asked, louder and more coherently this time. She could almost picture him bolting upright in his bed, thoughts of sleep instantly vanishing from his brain.

"Ash what do I do?" she asked in a hysterical whisper, flinching so hard she nearly dropped the phone when she heard someone fiddling with the lock to the back door. It was across the house from her bedroom, but in the dead silence of the night, she could clearly hear the lock being jiggled and pried apart.

"Shit, where are you?" he asked, breathing heavily into the phone, sounding like he was running. She heard the slight jingle of keys on the line, and knew he was on the way out of his apartment.

"I'm- I'm under my bed," she said, silent tears now running down her face. She was frozen and absolutely petrified.

"You stay right there, ok babygirl? Don't make a sound. I'm coming, I'll be right there, ok? I promise."

"Ok," she whispered, voice breaking as a lump built in her throat.

She didn't hear any noise for a couple minutes, waiting with bated breath, laying on her side to fit under her bed, knees tucked to her chin, in the fetal position. She desperately hoped the intruder had decided to leave, but she knew the thought was too good to be true even as she tried to convince herself. Soon enough she heard slow, steady footfalls against the floor, making their way from one end of the house to the other. Her throat tightened in terror so much that she could barely breathe. Every breath she took felt like she was silently choking, hands shaking as they pressed into her knees, face itchy and raw as salty tear tracks ran down her cheeks.

"I know you're in here," a deep voice said. A pair of black leather boots came into view of the doorway. The voice chuckled quietly. "You tell your little boyfriend that-"

He couldn't finish the rest of his sentence because another figure came flying in behind him, sending the first man to the ground. The two immediately started trading punches, both fighting to get the upper hand. All Marina could see was a sliver of floor from her position underneath the bed, but she could hear the punches and the grunts as items were thrown around and knocked over. She knew it was Ashton. She saw a flash of his curls one time he got knocked to the ground.

She heard Ashton hiss and her heart leapt to her throat. Was he ok? Shortly afterwards, another pair of boots came into the room, and then another.

A hand reached under the bed and she immediately recognized it as Ashton's.

"C'mon!" he said urgently, and she grabbed ahold, allowing herself to be dragged out from under the bed. Ashton shielded her from the others in the room - she caught a sliver of two figures, black curls and golden curls, standing over another figure, before Ashton pulled her down the hallway, and out into the cool night.

He hopped on his motorcycle and she climbed in behind him, shaking hands fumbling to wrap themselves around his stomach as quickly as possible. As soon as she was secured, the motorcycle roared to life, and Ashton set off at a breakneck speed down the otherwise quiet country road.

---

Ashton helped her into the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind them. He guided her onto the couch and sat down beside her. She was still shaking a little bit, but partly that was due to the thin pajama set she was wearing, just pale pink silk shorts and a matching spaghetti strap top. Ashton noticed this and grabbed a blanket, wrapping it securely around her.

"You're ok," he soothed gently, right hand smoothing her hair. "You're safe here, no one can get you now."

She nodded, wiping her eyes. Finally she looked up, looking at Ashton fully for the first time since the break in.

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed, fingers flying up to inspect his cheek. The gash was shallow, but a couple inches long. Smeared, dried blood surrounded the area. The skin underneath his right eye was red and puffy - she was sure it would be bruised and blackened by tomorrow.

"It's fine," he said, brushing her fingers away. "What about you? Did he hurt you?"

"No, no," she shook her head quickly. "Just shook me up, that's all." She was still shaking, and she put her arms around herself to try and stop it. Ashton noticed and immediately engulfed her in his embrace, pulling her closer so she was sitting on his lap, facing him.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, rubbing her back soothingly. "I should've thought-" he cut himself off, in annoyance.

"It's not your fault, Ash."

---

Neither of them could sleep fully, instead they drifted in and out of consciousness as they held each other tightly on the couch. Hours later, when the first rays of sunlight began to seep in through the partly closed blinds, there was a knock on the door.

Calum came in, dark curls bouncing on his head. "We got him to talk." The sleeves of his leather jacket were pulled up slightly, exposing his tanned, tattooed arms. His face looked sullen, lips pursed into a straight line. He continued walking, and Ashton and Marina followed him to the far back of the apartment, into the study.

As Ashton closed the door behind them, Marina's stomach twisted - she didn't even want to think about what they did in order to get him to talk.

Ashton gave a curt nod towards Calum and raised his eyebrows, silently willing his partner to continue.

"He's linked to Parsons."

"Fuck," Ashton cursed lowly.

"Steve?" Marina asked, eyebrows raising. "Steve, my realtor?"

Calum nodded, biting down hard on his lower lip.

"Fuck!" Ashton said louder, making his right hand into a fist. "I knew it!"

"You told me about him, how'd you know?" Marina asked.

Ashton shook his head. "Something about him just seemed... off."

"Ok but what was he trying to do?"

"They trashed the house. He's trying to threaten us. I knew he had ties to the Vipers," he spat.

"But what does that have to do with the house?" Marina asked.

"They know.. about us," Ashton sighed, running a hand through his curls while reaching out to thread Marina's fingers in his own. Marina caught his eye, and stared at him, prompting him for more.

"They're trying to send a message. They're trying to scare you, trying to scare me, it's.... bullshit," he finished, looking away and shaking his head angrily.

"Cal, can you get the guys to clean everything up?" Ashton asked, looking over at Calum who had temporarily been forgotten.

"Yeah, course mate," Calum nodded, leaving the room.

"So..." Ashton began, taking Marina's hands in his own. She was sitting on the chair behind the study desk, while Ashton was sitting on top of the desk, facing towards her so their legs were jumbled together. "I think it might be safest if I stayed at the house, for a little while at least, just to make sure you're protected in case they try anything else. What do you think about that?" he asked, keeping his gaze fixed on her hands which he was holding between his own.

"Yeah," she nodded. He looked up at her, meeting her gaze. "That's probably safest," she said, getting caught up in the honey brown of his eyes. "And... I would like that," she smiled gently, moving her fingertips underneath his leather jacket, hugging him close.

Ashton smiled back. He pressed his lips against hers gently, then moved up to kiss her forehead.

---

Marina woke up the next night in a cold sweat, bolting upright as her eyes shot open. She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the complete darkness of the room. As her breathing slowed down, her posture relaxed slightly - if she hadn't been stabbed yet, she figured it was probably just a dream.

Just then, warm fingertips touched her skin, as Ashton shifted beside her.

"Shh it's ok Mar, I got you," he mumbled, rubbing soothing circles into her skin with the pads of his fingertips. "Lay down babygirl, it was just a dream. You're safe."

Marina instantly relaxed, sinking into Ashton's grip. She huddled up close to him, pressing her back firmly against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her there. He leaned over to press gentle butterfly kisses to her exposed shoulder. She held his forearms as they wrapped around her, shutting her eyes before drifting back to sleep, this time to peaceful dreams.

When she woke up the next morning, she was still in Ashton's grip.

"Ash," she whispered, trying to move his arms away. He just mumbled something incoherent and pulled her even closer, nuzzling his face into her neck. "Ash," she repeated, giggling softly as she pressed herself against his arms. "I gotta pee."

He sighed overdramatically, still not even bothering to open his eyes, but he did loosen his grip, allowing her to climb out of bed. Marina was starting to love the mornings - it was the one time in the whole day where Ash was soft and sleepy, the one time where he didn't need to be closed off and hardened by the world around him.

---

"What are you up to today?" Marina asked, stirring her coffee, watching the amber liquid swirling in her ceramic mug, creating a vortex.

Ashton gave a small smirk. "I'm gonna make Parsons pay for what he did," he said casually, eating a bite of toast.

Marina's gaze flicked up to his eyes, the easy nature in her voice immediately dropping. "Ashton do you really think that's the best idea?" she asked in a tone that told him it wasn't.

Ashton looked over at her, studying her. "Yes, Marina I do. He needs to know he's messing with the wrong people. I won't let him walk all over you or me."

Marina sighed, placing her mug down on the table. "I know what he did was wrong, but is violence really the answer? I was exploring some legal routes, in fact I drafted an email to my mother's lawyer already to set up a meeting. Maybe I could get a restraining order, or have him pay some kind of restitution fee or something."

Ashton shook his head. "A fee? Marina he needs to pay for what he did, and I don't mean through money or a piece of paper. That's never going to stop him, he'll just come back."

"Okay but I'm not sure that's the best way to fix this," she replied, sighing quietly in frustration that Ashton wasn't understanding her point of view.

"Well it's not really your decision to make, Marina-"

"What are you talking about, this happened in my house!" she fired back.

"Yeah but it happened because of me! He's trying to get to me by going through you."

"Ashton I don't think you understand-"

"I don't think you understand!" he exclaimed, cutting her off. "This isn't the world of private schools and cheques, Marina. This is the cold, hard, real world. And in the real world, you pay with your body."

"And I'm telling you I don't want you to do that Ashton, just listen to me!"

He got up abruptly, chair scraping across the newly polished floors. "Don't tell me what to do," he retorted coldly, quickly pacing the length of the living room.

"Where are you going?" she yelled, as she watched him make his way over to the door.

"Out," he replied curtly, the door shutting heavily behind him.

---

Ashton had been in fights before, but he'd never lost it like this. Once he saw Parsons he kept punching and punching until he couldn't see or feel anything anymore. A few minutes past the point at which Parsons had been knocked unconscious, Luke and Calum finally had to pull Ashton off of him, dragging him back into the car as he fought against them the whole way, trying to escape from their grasp and run back. At this point he couldn't tell whether Parsons was alive or not and he came to the realization that either way, he didn't care. As the four comrades drove down the streets of Westbrook in a blacked-out car, Michael dialled 911 from a burner phone. Ashton's hands were still locked into fists, steadily dripping blood onto the grey carpet of the vehicle.

---

"I've never... felt like that," Ashton said quietly, 20 minutes later with his right hand in a pail of ice cubes and his left hand holding a glass of stiff bourbon. He stared at the drink as he swirled it, as if it would give him answers as it caught the dim light of the room, glittering gold. When they got back to the apartment he had quickly showered off and changed, but some of his cuts had started bleeding again. He couldn't be bothered to care.

"Because this wasn't really about the house, or the drugs," Calum said, leaning against the faded wallpapered room, taking a long drag from his cigarette and exhaling, the smoke floating around the room.

Ashton didn't reply. He just sat there, letting the deafening silence consume him. The quiet sound of Calum puffing the smoke in then letting it out again was the only sound either of them heard for a while.

After a few more drags, Cal examined his cigarette, then squinted at Ashton. "You love her." He didn't even ask it as a question, it was a statement.

Ashton gulped back the last of the burnt orange liquid, setting the glass down on the table with a sharp clink. He reached over for the bottle but Cal swiped it from him before he could get a grip on it.

"Don't fuck it up with her because of this," Calum said. Ashton just stared at him, eyes tired, one limp curl hanging against his forehead. He held his hand out for the bottle, wordlessly. Calum studied him for a few seconds, before handing the bottle back. But instead of pouring another glass, Ashton set the bottle back on the table. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, so wrapped up in his thoughts that he barely even noticed his one hand was dripping wet from the ice water. He sniffed, setting his hands in his lap to examine his right hand. He splayed his fingers out, then made them into a fist. His knuckles were swollen, a slow trickle of blood still coming from the far left one. Then he brought his gaze up, staring hard at the door, jaw set. After a few moments, he got up and grabbed his keys from the table, wordlessly shutting the door behind him as he left.

---

Marina answered the door wordlessly, surveying him. She stood aside to let him in, and shut and locked the door behind him. He bent down to take his shoes off and she took this opportunity to leave, heading down the hallway to the bathroom. He took a seat at the kitchen table while she came back with the first aid kit, setting it down and taking a seat next to him.

She couldn't hold back the sigh when she surveyed his hand up close and personal. She set his hand down on the table and opened a bottle of disinfectant, dipping a cotton pad into it and spreading it over any open wounds. He hissed as the liquid made contact with his cuts, but didn't move. She added some antibiotic cream to speed the healing and prevent infection, and added a few bandaids here and there where they were needed. One of the larger gashes required a butterfly bandage. There was nothing she could do about the black eye that had nearly healed from the first fight, now red and purple again from this new one.

She was quiet, too quiet.

She handed him a coffee, wordlessly, hands shaking slightly as she put it on the table.

"What's wrong?" he asked hoarsely.

"Nothing," she said too quickly, in a voice barely above a whisper.

His eyebrows drew together. "Hey," he said gently, putting his arm around her wrist.

"Please don't touch me," she whispered, closing her eyes tightly, wincing at his touch.

He immediately let go, sinking back as if he'd been stung.

"Babygirl," he said, a pained expression on his face. "Are you... scared of me?" he asked, a lump forming in his throat.

She kept her gaze fixed to the floor, unable to meet his gaze. Her silence was enough of an answer for him.

"Fuck," he whispered, the breath wheezing out of him as the word left his mouth.

When she finally gathered up the courage to look up, he was staring at the wall, eyes glassy. "I would never, in a million years, ever even think about hurting you. You are everything to me. You know that right?" he asked.

She nodded gently.

"But in my line of work, sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes legalities don't help. And I have to protect the people I care about, if they're ever threatened. He's not dead, Mar. I know you didn't want that. I just made sure that he wouldn't ever come after you again."

She nodded once, in acknowledgement.

"But I'm sorry I didn't discuss it with you, I'm sorry I just left. That was wrong of me," he finished quietly.

She simply nodded again, biting her fingernail absentmindedly. She was wearing a thick cardigan, and her other arm was wrapped tightly around herself, holding the fabric close.

Ashton held out his hand towards her - slowly, gently. After a few seconds, she took it. "C'mere," he whispered. He removed his other hand from his lap and held it outwards, making space on his lap for her. She took the couple steps forward and sat down. He gently wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head against his chest, taking a deep breath. She focused on his heartbeat, clear and strong in her ears, and on the fabric of his soft flannel, the jacket he always wore over top smelling of worn leather and cigars. She felt him kiss the top of her forehead.

"I don't want you to die," she said, in a voice so quiet it was barely a whisper.

"Shhh," he soothed into her ear, running his hand through her hair over and over again, watching the rings on his fingers glinting in the soft glow of the kitchen lights. "That's never going to happen. I promise you."

She shook her head. "I can't do this, Ashton. I can't let you go every day wondering if I'll ever see you again, if you're ok, if one of your deals has gone bad. Every time I hug you I feel the gun on your hip. And I know you said you've never used it, but what if one day you do?"

"Hey," he said, cupping her chin, bringing it up to be level with his. "Don't think like that." He kissed her gently, her bottom lip slotting between his own. He pulled her close again, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I know I've never said anything like this before but it's been eating me up. I wanna raise a family with you one day, Ash. I wanna have a dog and a fucking sandbox in the backyard. I wanna see you dress up in a pink tutu with our little girl. But I don't wanna worry about holding our kids tighter every time someone passes by, or seeing their chalk hopscotch squares destroyed by graffiti the next morning."

He smiled, eyes getting teary again but this time for a different reason. He was happy, so happy around her. She made him see a life outside of the gang. They would always be his brothers, but he wanted to invite them over for a barbeque, not a break in. She inspired him to be a better person every single day. There was no other way to say it. He knew that Marina's father had started up the business, but one day the time would be right to end it, or at least pass it on.

"I love you," he murmured, staring into her eyes.

She smiled. It was her turn to tear up now. "I love you too." She laughed gently, pressing their foreheads together.

"I promise you we'll get out of here. I'll help you sell this damn house that's nothing but trouble," he chuckled lightly, "and we'll move far away. What do you think about Oregon? I heard it's nice there."

"Mmm," she mumbled, closing her eyes and just listening to his voice. She reached up to cover a yawn with her left hand. After all of this, her eyelids were starting to get heavy.

He chuckled. "Are you getting sleepy, babygirl? Let's get you to bed."

He carried her up the stairs and laid her gently down on the bed. He got in beside her and pulled the covers up around them. She fell asleep less than a minute later, head against his chest. He fell asleep soon after to the sound of her steady breathing.

[thebayerfamily]

As posted on bulletin (penguinsimagines): I'll be on full editing mode on all 7 stories for the meantime. I was reading some of my old works to my niece and found loads of typo and grammar errors, and confusing words that made the stories messed up. So, the stories are still up though but, like said, I am currently editing them all one by one. My new one entitled "Calum: A Christmas Tale" will be a bit delayed until I finish editing, so is the third installment of "My Best Friend's Lover". Also, I found an unpublished story on my drafts. Not sure where I was going about it when I started writing it but I'm pumped up with loads of ideas so I'll be doing it as well when I'm done editing. Enjoy my stories. FOLLOW, VOTE & SHARE. 8pm update: •Coffeeshop (#15 in #5secondsofsummerimagine out of 396, #83 in #5sosfanfiction out of 3.3k, #192 in #michelle out of 1.9k) - Editing done. Revised the last few chapters though. •I Miss You More Than Anything (#147 in #5secondsofsummerimagine out of 396) - Editing done #penguinsimagines #michellespersonal #wattpadwriter #wattpad #5sosfanfic #5sos https://www.instagram.com/p/CZy66-FPuxu/?utm_medium=tumblr

[kissmekissme-calum]

5SOS Preferences/Imagines (on Wattpad) https://my.w.tt/LrVntje6MO Preferences and Imagines that ONLY I wrote! Hope you enjoy

I’ve added a few more on here :)

[flarelunari]

So, as I already said yesterday - that interview did things to me. You’re welcome xP

[chocolateclairs]

does anyone have any good 5sos fanfic recs on wattpad?