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penguintransporter · 4 years

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Winning The Game Called Love (Hector Bellerin) Part I

Here it is my ladies and gents! I hope you like it, and I apologise if it’s too long, but I got carried away. Please let me know if you like it because I am always up to work on my writing, so don’t hesitate to write me DM or send in an ask (I promise, I am the friendliest person out there). This one is dedicated to @bitchforaesthetics. Anyway, read, enjoy because part II is coming out very soon...

P.S. There is no covid-19 in this story :D

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If one asked anyone at the Arsenal Training Centre to describe Aida - the young brunette behind the reception desk, nine out of ten times one would hear the same answer:

Bundle of positive energy.

It didn’t matter if one was a know or less-known footballer, coach, manager, medical staff or just a random fan touring the grounds - Aida, with her smile and positive energy, could chase away whatever dark cloud was looming above one's head. Yet, despite her contagious smile that was just loud enough and genuine curiosity, as any other human being, Aida wasn’t able to chase away the real dark clouds that seemed to clutch Hertfordshire sky in a tight embrace on that Monday morning.

Seated behind the desk and waiting for her laptop to turn on, Aida observed the gloominess outside the building and all she saw was heavy blots of grey that seemed to carry all the weight accumulated during the month of December.

Her last month at Arsenal FC, doing the job she enjoyed more than anything.

If it only had snowed; just a little.

She would be lying if she said she liked freezing cold, and if anyone, she would be the absolute winner of “the worst balance on icy pavements” competition - if there was one - but Christmas had a different feel to it when everything was covered in fluffy and pillow white cover. And even if she wasn’t religious or celebrated Christmas as the majority of the people, she was a firm believer that snowy Christmas made that cup of hot cocoa, as she sat in her tiny studio under her favorite blanket, just a tiny bit better.

Aida glanced at the small card that sat next to her laptop - red and golden swirls decorating the backside of it, and with a sigh she averted her gaze back at the laptop screen that had already turned on and was humming quietly - red Arsenal FC logo staring back at her. The large and Christmas decorated lobby was still quiet, but not for too long. In just a few minutes, most of the footballers and some other employees will start pouring into the building, either for training or for their 9/5 job, and with that the building will start buzzing with contagious energy.

All except Sead. He was late on most of the days.

Aida looked at the clock in the corner of her screen before looking up expectantly at the door, and as if on cue, Alexandre Lacazette walked in through the door, talking to his fellow countryman Thomas who worked as a medical assistant. Both Aida and Thomas, along with some others were shortlisted for the layoff, but in the end it was Aida who pulled out the shorter straw.

She shook her head, refusing to create unnecessary tension.

Aida knew that she gained nothing from sulking and sadness. She still had to sit behind the reception desk for another few weeks, smiling and giving the best first impression to everyone who came in. So, with a deep breath, Aida lifted her chin high and looked at the two men in front of her.

“Bonjour lads,” she grinned - the dark thoughts disappearing as soon as she spoke, leaning on the till in front of her. “Lovely weather outside, no?”

“Good morning indeed, sunshine,” Alexandre responded while still walking across the lobby, “I am actually wearing my bikini on underneath this outfit, what about you?” he added as he disappeared through the hallway that led to the changing rooms while Aida only laughed after him.

“What a ridiculous man,” Thomas commented, stepping in front of Aida’s desk, smiling at her. “It is so cold outside. How did you travel?”

Aida sighed defeatedly. “Clio took four tries and a bottle of warm water to start this morning, despite the lack of snow and ice. I was really chuffed for this winter, but so far it has only been disappointing.”

Her soon-to-be ex-colleague nodded, agreeing with her words before his eyes landed on the shiny invitation on Aida’s desk. “Oooh,” he mused, running a hand through his ginger curls. “Who’s date are you? Is it David? Please say it’s not him?”

“Nope!” Aida replied, giggling. There was nothing wrong with David Luiz - he was in fact a genuine sweetheart, but also notorious around the building for his charm and flirting action. Whether it was Aida at the reception desk when he needed an excuse for being late for the training or if it was Simone in the kitchen when he wanted another round of hash browns - he didn’t pick his victim nor his weapon. “Actually,” Aida started, “it was Finn from HR. He thought it would be a nice gesture since I do not get to stay here.”

“I don’t have to tell you again how sorry I am that you have to leave,” Thomas mumbled and Aida shrugged, hiding the disappointment.

“Oh well,” she trailed off as few of the other players walked into the building and she made sure that she smiled at each one of them. She also made sure to high-five Calum Chambers as she did every morning for more than a year. “There is nothing that you can do really… Post?” she asked, trying to change the subject, and Thomas nodded, leaning over the till to grab the signing pad that rested on Aida’s desk while she shuffled some envelopes before pulling out a big, mustard yellow one. “There is something from Miami. I am assuming it is for Michael,” Aida spoke, exchanging the signing pad for the envelope. “Just tell me if there— ,”

They were cut off by the upstairs’ doors slamming shut with a force. Both her and Thomas looked up, watching Mikel Arteta walk downstairs with a risky speed - phone pressed to his ear as he spoke in a very quick and heavily accented English. Thomas quickly cast his eyes downwards, but Aida kept her eyes locked at the dark-haired man, waiting for the manager to notice her. When he finally did, she gave him a bright smile - ignoring the fact that he looked as if he was angry with the whole world - including Aida.

To Thomas’ surprise, Arteta returned Aida’s gesture with a friendly grin and a small wink before putting his agitated face expression back, walking away towards the training pitches.

“I really don’t know how you do it,” Aida’s colleague muttered, and she responded with a childish giggle.

She was about to add something sarcastic, but the main entrance doors opened, letting the gust of cold wind trail in with force as Héctor Bellerín walked in with confidence that he mastered so well. He was dressed in clothes that resembled every outfit of Aida’s dad in the family photographs from the nineties, looking the only way Héctor Bellerín could - both ridiculous and extremely cool at the same time.

“Want to watch me how I fail?” she whispered before clearing her throat a little, following their vice-captain with her green eyes. “Good morning, Héctor!” she called out, raising her voice so he could hear her perfectly. “Bollocks weather, innit?”

Nothing.

Not an eye-contact, a simple shrug, or any kind of motion or face expression that showed a tiniest bit of interest.

Aida was aware that her friendliness sometimes caused people to recoil and shy away from her, and that her behavior could be overbearing at times, and she often wondered if people in the modern world, including Héctor, forgot how to be friendly and appreciate an honest smile. Aida was confused and a slightly bit hurt because it has been more than a year since she started working for the club, and they only spoke two times - morning of her first day, and that time when they accidentally slammed into one another as they crossed their paths in the medicals.

She wasn’t sure if she was doing something wrong because to Aida, he seemed like a nice and down to earth lad, and occasionally when she would observe him interact with his teammates and other staff members, she felt a pang of jealousy because she never got more than a cold stare across the room or occasional roll of his eyes.

“Maybe he’s just not a morning person,” Thomas commented, breaking Aida’s train of thoughts. He placed the envelope under his arm as he stuck his woolly hat inside the pocket of his puffer. “Anyway, I have to go. I have meeting in ten minutes. I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, good luck with your day,” Aida responded, watching Thomas walk towards his office on the ground floor.

She sat back in her comfy chair with an itch of confusion mixed with some foreign feeling of sadness that started to tickle her. She couldn’t pinpoint what she was doing wrong when it came to Héctor Bellerín. They barely interacted, and yet he wasn’t giving her a chance. It didn’t help either that out of all people that Aida interacted with on a daily basis, he was the only one who made her heart both flutter and break at the same time.

Her eyes glanced at the small calendar taped on the inside of her desk before resting on the party invitation again - her heart soaring with that familiar feeling.

Aida nodded, forcing a smile at some of the guests who passed her by. She wasn’t sure who they are or what their names were, but judging by their expensive clothes and blinding jewelry and watches, she figured out they must be very important people with lots of money.

The evening of the charity party has arrived quicker than she expected; quicker than she wanted, and even if the party was for a good cause, and she was meant to have a good time, she couldn’t shake off the tension that slowly accumulated over the past few weeks - her last weeks as the club’s employee. She didn’t want to leave, but despite talking with the HR department once again, there was nothing that she could do. Official answer was that the previous season was really bad for the club both, in terms of injury and finances, and that they had to cut the cost when it came to everything, including staffing.

“Ada!” a boy’s scream rang out over the classical music they played, making Aida look up from where she was standing, and observing her pointy loafers and tiny specks of water residue from the drizzle of rain she caught on the way from the parking lot to the party.

Aida’s eyes connected with the small boy, dressed in a mini version of the official Arsenal FC suit as he ran towards her - his curly and unruly hair giving him a few extra inches in height. Despite feeling anxious and a bit sad, Aida smiled greatly at him, crouching down to his level before catching him in a tight embrace. Over his shoulder, she noticed his mother Alysha giving her an apologetic smile, but with a small nod, Aida reassured her that it was okay. She spent a lot of time with the boy on more than one occasion - in fact, whenever Pierre-Emerick brought him to the centre, Pierre Jr. spent half of his time, sitting behind Aida’s desk as he talked in delight about his favorite cartoons and toys.

“My God, look at you! You are so handsome tonight,” Aida mused and the boy giggled, embracing her once again, silently asking her to lift him up, and Aida obliged. Letting out a puff of air, she straightened up with the boy in her arms - it always surprised her to learn that he was heavier than he looked. With a smirk, she pulled at this red tie jokingly. “Has your daddy helped you with your tie?” she asked, tickling his stomach.

Pierre Jr. let out a loud cackle, squirming in her arms. “No, it was mamie. She also tied daddy’s.” Aida smiled at the boy’s mix of using French and English words, but as soon as the boy started telling her something about minions, Aida, as much as she hated to admit, stopped listening.

The fact that she was going to be without a job occupied her brain and wasn’t something she was able to push away easily. Where did it go wrong? Obviously, like everyone else, she had her fair share of personal problems over the year, but she managed to keep them away from work - being nothing but professional and friendly the entire time. Aida always tried to give her best, treating everyone with nothing but respect, and even ran a couple of successful campaigns with the fans touring the grounds, but it was all in vain.

Aida loved the club and being part of it. She loved the mornings when she would be one of the first to arrive, she loved that cup of coffee with Simone in the empty canteen, listening to all the anecdotes that happened since the older lady started working in the kitchen, fifteen years ago. Aida enjoyed the silly banter with footballers and the staff - heck, she even liked when Granit mispronounced her name and she had to correct him every day. She experienced so many nice moments during the past fourteen months and it felt so strange knowing that soon enough those moments will just be a nice memory.

“—so I told Curtys to stop hitting me with the pillow, but he didn’t. So I ate his hobnobs.”

Aida blinked quickly, reverting back to the reality from her thoughts and looked down at the little boy who was proudly explaining his hobnob revenge on his older brother.

“Great job,” she answered, ruffling the boy’s hair before looking away from his glinting eyes and cheesy grin. Various groups of people mingled around her, and Aida moved her gaze across the room. Manager Arteta was talking to the club president while Claudia, the girl that was going to take her job along with being Arteta’s assistant was chatting excitedly with Naomi from PR. Everyone seemed to be in a better mood than she was, and Aida hated it.

“Papa!” Pierre Jr. cried out happily and Aida followed his gaze. She spotted Pierre-Emerick, surrounded with some of the teammates and their significant others.

“Do you want to go there?” Aida asked softly. Pierre Jr. nodded rapidly, and Aida craddled him before making her way through the well-dressed crowd.

Héctor Bellerín wasn’t exactly a man of few words, and everyone who knew him privately, knew that fact. The young Spaniard with an extraordinary London cockney accent loved to talk, appreciated a silly joke and banter, but also enjoyed discussing serious subjects and matters at any given opportunity. He was no stranger to a good book or a documentary, but also loved playing CoD with his teammates and just chill around his house.

He considered himself polite, trying to treat everyone with respect, and most of the time he kept his cool - except that one time with Richarlison, but the lad deserved it. Yet, despite it all, the behavior of the girl behind the reception desk, for some reason, annoyed the shit out of him.

Héctor found her behavior tiring and utterly insincere. Ever since she started working, she would greet him with that smile that couldn’t have been a real one, asking him about the weather - day in and day out. It tired him to the point that he just decided to ignore her.

On the other hand, he didn’t think that there was something wrong with her - moreover, he did agree with some of his teammates the first week she started working that she was actually pretty, but after another few weeks, her “eager beaver” behavior became a huge turn off. To Héctor, she seemed to be a type of girl that had no rest nor knew how and when to keep it down, and in his head, he used to paint this picture of her where she is making cupcakes every day, talking to fluffy animals and farting rainbows.

So, when she approached their group at the party, wearing a teal-coloured dress that wasn’t really a proper fit for her height or body type, carrying Aubameyang’s son in her arms, he waited for that bubble of overbearing happiness to burst in front of them.

But it never did.

Instead, she greeted everyone with a short “hello” before reaching the little boy back to his father. “I apologise for interrupting your fun, but the best dressed man in this room wanted to go back to his daddy.”

“Excuse me—” Calum started, clearing his throat loudly as he smoothed down his tie. “What about us? We look decent as well, no?”

His hand went towards Héctor’s shoulder, brushing the invisible dust from Héctor’s suit.

Héctor swatted his hand away.

“You look good too,” she replied, followed by a brief silence as Héctor took a sip of water, stopping himself from rolling his eyes.

Wasn’t she a walking chatterbox?

Has she already asked about Calum’s mother's wellbeing?

“Only good?” Alexandre pressed, but she sighed in defeat.

“Well, I hope you enjoy your evening…” she trailed off, breaking the banter that his teammates started. “I have to go back to—” she bit her lip, looking behind her shoulder, “—I have some stuff to do.”

Only a few seconds later, Héctor watched her walk away through the crowd of men dressed in black suits and red ties.

Part II

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prettyyyboyluke · 4 years

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The Light Room

you got a taste of the dark room, now here’s the light room

ever since i was shown the dark room, i have made sure to be on my best behavior. i was so sore and tired for at least three days after everything, i even think ashton and luke felt bad since every time we would go somewhere, they could tell that i would wince every few steps. but since then, i have not acted out once. don’t get me wrong, i loved being in there, but it was just so much given to me at one time. we were currently waiting in a lobby for the boys to get an interview that some podcast begged them to come to. normally, i would dread coming to these things because they take so long, but i actually wasn’t upset at all that i was coming with them. it gave me something to do, and i could just sit and watch them talk. the only downfall is that it was extremely early in the morning.

i was resting my head on ashton’s shoulder while we all waited to be escorted back into the room. “you tired, baby?” ashton asks. “just a little, i’m not used to waking up this early.” i responded, snuggling myself further into his side.

“you boys ready? it might be a while, so get comfortable.”

after a grueling three and a half hours, they were finally done with the podcast. i sat patiently outside the room while they were answering questions about the new album, the tour coming up, and whatever other secrets they wanted to know. “that was probably the longest interview we’ve ever done.” luke said, walking out of the room. “you’re done now though, right?” i asked, taking michael’s hand in mine. “yes pretty girl, we’re all yours now.” calum chuckled. once we all piled in the car, we were on our way back home.

“i’m going to take a nap, so if i’m not awake by at least 2:00, someone come wake me up.” i said, walking up to my room. “are you sure you want someone to wake you up? you can get, cranky.” luke said. “i’ll be crankier if i don’t get to sleep, now goodnight.” i answered. after i walked into my room, my clothes were thrown into the hamper and i climbed right into bed to get the extra sleep i desperately needed.

the rest of the boys were in the den, talking about the pod cast from today. “i think that went well. they seemed pretty invested in the album.” michael said. “yeah and the tour too, i think that might have been our best podcast yet.” luke pitches in. “one of the interviewers kept looking towards y/n, and it made me want to slap his face and tell him not to look at her.” ashton says. “they did ask us some pretty interesting questions about her.” calum responds. “she was very well behaved, though. i think what happened in the dark room gave her a run for her money.” luke says. “i can’t blame her for being curious, hell i’d wanna know what was in a room i’m not allowed into.” michael says. “she surprised me with the flogger, i thought she would break right then and there, but nope, she asked for more. guess ashton trained her well.” luke pats ashton on the back. “i think she deserves a reward, after luke wakes her up, why don’t we take her to the light room, she hasn’t been in there for a while, and i bet she’d love going back.” ashton suggests.

the rest of the boys agree and go into the light room. this room was significantly different from the dark room. the light room was white and gold. there were no whips or handcuffs on the walls. in the middle of the room was a white bed with multiple pillows decorating it at the top. instead of holes in the ceiling, it was a giant mirror, so anytime you would be able to look up and see the erotic scene happening below you. on each of the walls there were different pictures, all in black and white. i was wearing the same white lingerie set in all of them.

the first picture was calum sitting in a chair, elbows resting on his knees and his head resting on his hands. i was behind him, with one hand on his shoulder, my hip popped out the slightest bit. the second was a picture of michael and i. he was sitting on the same chair with me straddling his lap and his hands were cupped around my ass. the third picture was a with luke, i was on my knees, palms resting against my thighs while luke was standing above me, admiring how i looked from beneath him. the fourth picture was of ashton. it was a close up of my head tilted to the side so my neck was exposed, and his lips were attached to the skin. the fifth, and final picture was hung above the bed. a picture of all of us. i was in the same position like i was in luke’s, blindfolded, and with each of them standing behind me, holding some type of toy.

there was only one gold dresser in the room that held the most powerful and expensive toys we owned. towards the other end of the room was a closet that had every type of lingerie set we owned, all hung up and organized by color. there was white, cream, grey, light purple, lilac, baby blue, and a pale yellow. right next to the closet was a little seating area, with one chair in the middle, and four surrounding it. the light room was a lot simpler than the dark room, but boy did we have fun in here. above the doors, across from the bed, was a simple phrase i loved to hear.

GOOD GIRLS GET REWARDED

it wasn’t anything special, but every time i heard it, it gave my stomach butterflies.

once 2:00 o’clock hit, luke was tip toeing into my room. “angel, it’s time to wake up.” he whispered, lightly shaking me. i opened my eyes, squinting when i saw the light. “i’m awake.” i sighed. “did you sleep well?” luke asked, smoothing out my bed head. “very well, i could’ve slept longer, but i didn’t wanna waste more of the day.” i yawned. “why don’t you go wake up a bit, and then meet me in the light room, we have a little surprise waiting for you.” luke said before stepping out of my room.

i went to my bathroom and washed my face, letting the post sleep look fade away. i brushed my hair and just let it flow down my back naturally before i finally left the bathroom. when i opened the doors, there was the white lingerie set waiting for me on the bed. ashton was sitting in one of the four chairs, “you’ve been so well behaved that we’ve decided we should reward you.” “so that’s why we’re in here.” “yes baby, now, why don’t you go put on what michael set out for you and then we can start your rewards.” he said, stepping out of the room.

the lingerie set stared back at me. it was the same one i had on in the pictures that were hung up in the room. i put it on, smoothing everything down before the rest of the boys reentered the room. “there’s our pretty girl, give us a spin.” calum said, while the rest were making their way into the room. i spun around, taking my time so they could all get a good look at me. “why don’t you go sit down on the bed for us, angel.” luke said. i sat on the bed, hands in my lap, and waited for what was about to come.

“since you’ve been so well behaved for us, we want to show you what happens to good girls who obey.” michael says, walking up to stand in-between my legs. he leaned down to me, his lips ghosting over mine. i tilted my head up so i could catch his between mine. the kiss was passionate, one of my hands coming to cup his cheek and the other holding onto the openness of his shirt. michael’s tongue slipped passed my lips and started to make it’s way to explore my mouth. one of his hands roamed down my body, stopping at the waist band of my panties. my hips bucked up on instinct, wanting to catch some type of relief from the aching between my thighs.

michael was the first to separate this kiss. “go ahead and lay back for me, princess.” he whispered against my lips. my head hit the pillows and i saw each of them begin to walk around the light room through the mirror on the ceiling. luke and calum went to go sit in two of the chairs by the closet, moving them towards the bed. i completely forgot about michael until his hands spread my legs. “think it’s time for your first reward.” he said, kissing the insides of my thighs. one of his fingers rubbed over my clit, letting the wet spot grow on the underwear. “just relax angel, you’ll get the release you need.” luke said.

the anticipation was killing me. michael loved to make me wait and beg for what he was gonna give me. he finally pulled my panties down, pausing to let his fingers collect some of my arousal. michael’s tongue was flat against my heat, getting it sopping wet. my thighs were pressed up against my stomach, giving michael as much as possible. one of my hands were tangled in his hair, twisting and pulling each time he sucked harshly onto my clit. “oh god, please, right there.” i moaned, my hips rising from the bed. “look at how pretty you look, angel. think we might to take a picture.” luke said. calum went to the closet and grabbed the camera that was sitting on one of the shelves.

he stood behind michael, snapping a picture. my head was thrown back, mouth open, and eyes closed. “you look so pretty like that, baby. you just love this type of attention, don’t you?” ashton said. “mmhm!” i moaned back. my legs began to close around michael’s head, making him hold one of them open with his arm. my breathing became heavier, my stomach tightening when michael put two of his fingers inside me. “just like that, please don’t stop!” i begged. sweat began to form on my forehead while michael continued to lap away at my heat. my hips were rolling into michael, my muscles clenching down onto his fingers. “you wanna cum, pretty girl?” calum asked. “please! oh god, please!”

i could only focus on michael. i sat up on my elbows, watching him. his eyes met mine, determined to get me to where i wanted to be. my bottom lip was between my teeth, biting down while keeping eye contact with michael. his lips enclosed around my clit, my head being thrown back once again. with a few more thrusts of his fingers, my body began to shake. my legs were slightly shaking around him, my mouth open with whimpers spilling out. “that’s a good girl, just like that, sweetheart.” michael praised.

the background was filled with lewd sounds, not only coming from me, but calum as well. his hand wrapped around his cock, slowly moving his hand up and down. he focused on his tip, letting groans out every now and then. his thumb swiped over his tip, collecting the pre-cum that was leaking from it. i could tell he was close from just the way he sounded. calum always sounded the same when he was about to cum, his voice got all raspy and his moans were at such a low octave.

my chest was heaving, coming down from the high. “up, angel, let me see that mouth.” luke said, standing up from the chair. i sat up on my knees, tongue out. luke began to unbuckle his pants, sliding them and his boxers down his legs. i crawled towards luke, taking his cock in my hand. i wrapped the tip of his cock in my mouth, sinking down on it slowly. his hands tangled themselves in my hair, guiding me up and down his cock. “just like that, angel. fuck, don’t stop.” he husked. my tongue swirled around his tip, then dragging it on the underside of his cock. i let myself take all of luke down my throat, the head of his cock touching the back of my throat. drool pooled around my mouth, dripping down onto my chin.

“stay just like that, ‘m gonna cum.” luke moaned, holding my head in place. i could feel his cock throb in my mouth, shooting his load right down my throat. i quickly swallowed the salty liquid and let luke slip out of my mouth. “atta girl, taking daddy’s cock like such a good girl.” luke whispered. i smiled up at luke, loving the praise i was getting. “i love being daddy’s good girl.”

calum came and sat on the bed behind me, his boxers loosely on his hips. he moved my hair out of the way, and began to pepper my skin with kisses. he sucked on the skin below, leaving a mark. “so pretty, it’s just asking to get marked up.” calum whispered, making another mark on my neck. “someone, please, fuck me.” i whined, letting my head loll back onto calum’s shoulder. ashton’s jeans dropped to the floor, his cock in his hand. “you wanna get fucked, doll?” he asks, spitting into his hand. “please, i want it so bad.”

ashton let his cock collect my arousal, parting my lips before sliding right into me. he held my legs back, letting calum take them so he focus on his hip movements. ashton moved at a very pleasurable pace, making me feel every inch of him. “feel good, pretty girl?” calum asks. “so good, fuck, just like that.” i moaned. ashton picked up the pace the slightest bit, hitting the spongy spot that made me cry. my legs were starting to get out of calum’s grip. “ah ah, you keep em here, just feel what ashton’s giving to you.” he whispers.

ashton kept a strong gaze on me, watching how i reacted to him. he continues to go harder, catching me off guard, my body spasming, clenching down on his cock inside me. “ah,” i gasp, back arched and toes curled. “you like that? look at how you just swallow my fucking cock.” the pace fastens incredibly, ashton’s skin slapping against my own. my breath grew jagged, trying my best to keep it under control with the amount of pleasure i was gaining. i could feel the pit of stomach turn to a knot, begging to be unraveled. “oh god, please, please,” was the only thing i could muster. my eyes were glued shut that the only thing i could see were little white spots. my walls closed around ashton, making it harder for him to move inside me.

“fuck, baby, ‘m not gonna last much longer.” ashton grunted. one of calum’s hands went down to rub fast circles around my clit, while his arm still held my leg back. “don’t fucking stop, don’t you fucking stop!” i groaned. “such a dirty mouth for such a sweet girl.” calum said, continuing to move his hand. i could feel that knot begin to unravel, waves of pleasure moving through every part of my body. my bottom lip was between my teeth, biting down so hard it was just about to draw blood.

i gave my all to ashton, while he road out my orgasm with his quickly approaching. “daddy, please, i want it.” i begged for him to keep going. his hips were thrusting against mine hard. i was extremely sensitive, but ashton didn’t stop until he was spewing his release inside me. his shoulders hunched making him muster the most inhumane groans. once ashton had pulled out of me, his release and mine were dripping onto the sheets. his finger caught the smallest bit of it and brought it up to my mouth. “go ahead, taste it.” he says, putting his pointer finger into my mouth.

calum was rubbing my arm up and down slowly, calming me down from the second orgasm of the day. i closed my eyes and continued to suck on ashton’s finger until my breath was under control. “there’s our good girl, you want more?” calum whispered. i didn’t say anything, i couldn’t focus on anything other than my body feeling like jello. i shook my head against his shoulder, letting any feeling come back to me. “c’mon, look at me, angel.” luke said, tapping the side of my cheek. my eyes fluttered open, meeting luke’s blue ones. “think you’re gonna behave now?” he asks, rubbing my cheek. i nodded my head and let my eyes shut again.

“we don’t need to go to the darker room, doll.”

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cakesunflower · 4 years

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Who’s Gonna Love You Like Me? [Brother’s Best Friend!Calum AU] Part 8

A/N: apologies that it took me over a month to update this fic!! but now i’m done with college (big yikes) so now i can get back to writing and updating on a semi regular basis :-)

“Josie—got a cutie waiting for you in the front.” Josie glanced up at Sarah’s words, pulled out of her conversation with Lizzie as she swiveled in the leather salon chair at one of her stations. Her eyes caught sight of Calum leaning against the desk, her eyes immediately meeting his as he raised two fingers up in a wave.

Josie excused herself from Lizzie, walking down the length of the salon with her eyebrows raised and a surprised smile curling at her lips, not expecting him to drop by. “Hey,” she greeted with a small laugh, glancing at the receptionist, Maddie. “I’m gonna step out real quick.”

Maddie hummed in response and Josie grasped Calum’s wrist, pulling him outside for some privacy. Talking amongst Los Angeles pedestrian traffic was better than in front of all her coworkers, even if they were some of the chillest people she’d ever met. The sun was bright, as always, and Josie let out a laugh as Calum pressed her against the brick wall next to the window of the salon. “Hi—what’re you doing here?” Josie greeted.

Calum smiled, his frame shielding Josie from the sun as he gripped her hips. “Wanted to see you real quick and ask you somethin’,” he responded, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Josie inhaled sharply as she kissed him back, the smile evident on her lips. When they pulled away, Calum raised a hand to curl his finger around a stray lock of her blonde hair, his grin never leaving at Josie’s curious expression. Brushing his nose against hers, voice dropping low, Calum asked, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Josie’s heart jumped at his words, her grin widening as his finger brushed along her cheek. Her own hand had reached up to play with the chain around his neck, an accessory she thought he worked unfairly well, as she bit down on her grinning lip. Her cheeks were already hurting from the grin on her face, excitement coursing through her veins. She felt silly, being so thrilled with the simple question Calum asked her, but she would be lying if she said it wasn’t one she had been waiting for.

“I would love to,” Josie responded, feeling a warmth spread in her cheeks under Calum’s gaze. She kind of loved how he so easily made her blush.

“Great,” Calum smirked, hips pressing against hers. “You’re off tomorrow, right?” Josie nodded with a hum. “Alright—I’ll pick you up at your room at five.”

She scoffed out a laugh. “Five?” Josie asked with a raise of her eyebrows. “It’s a bit early for dinner, isn’t it?” She normally ate at seven, years of classes interfering with her schedule having an effect on when she ate.

“Not for what I’ve got in mind.” Calum chuckled, winding his arms around her waist to keep her close. “None of that dinner and a movie bullshit. I got somethin’ planned for us.” He pressed another kiss to her lips before murmuring, “Alright, get back to work.”

Josie smiled, pressing her hands to his chest, reluctant to move away from him. But right before she did, her smile turned coy. “Just so you know—I’d totally be fine with a dinner and movie with you.”

He grinned as she pulled away, heading back to the door. “Noted.”

For the rest of her shift at work, Josie couldn’t help but think Calum was a bit of a tease. She loved that he had been impatient enough to arrive at the salon to ask her on a date in person, loved the few kisses they stole before she had to go back inside. But concentrating on her next few clients had proven to be difficult, to busy trying to school her features to hide the wide grin that threatened to erupt at the mere thought of going on a date with Calum. Her excitement buzzed at her veins, crackling like electricity, and she wondered what he had planned for the two of them.

Later that night, when Luke was in his bedroom getting ready to turn in for the night, Josie was leaving the kitchen to go into her own when Calum entered the living room, his shift for the day a short one. Josie’s eyes widened in excitement at the sight of him, making sure the water didn’t spill from her glass as she quickly ran over to him and grasped his hand.

“Can I get a hint for where we’re going tomorrow?” she asked with a sweet smile, looking up at him with big blue eyes in hopes to get him to give in.

But Calum knew how to handle Josie. He scoffed with a roll of his eyes, lips curling up to grin as he ran his tongue along his lower lip. “Not happenin’, sweetheart,” he responded, making Josie’s lips fall into a pout. “Just don’t wear heels.”

Josie scoffed, gaping up at him. “That’s so vague, Calum.”

He moved past her, a ghost of a smirk apparent as he took off the cushions on the couch in preparation to pull out the bed. As Josie walked over to help him, he pointed out, “At least you know it’s not fancy.”

Josie didn’t hesitate in taking one of the cushions and throwing it at Calum with a huff. He merely laughed, catching it easily before it hit him and placing it on the ground. “You’re the worst,” she declared, fixing his pillow before walking around the bed to head up the stairs to turn in for the night.

Behind her, she could hear the smile in Calum’s voice as he asked, “What, no goodnight kiss?”

Raising an eyebrow, she looked at him over her shoulder. “Do you think you deserve it?”

Calum’s face scrunched, eyebrows drawing together and lips pulling downwards as he scoffed. “Yes.” Josie watched him, fighting off the amused smile that threatened to grow as he approached her, his dark eyes never leaving her blue. “All this sneaking around, keeping my hands to myself so we don’t get caught? Fuck yeah, I deserve a damn goodnight kiss,” he grunted.

She couldn’t fight the grin that split across her face, only for it to be obscured by Calum’s hand placing itself on the back of her neck, using it to tug her closer as he bent down to close the gap between the two of them. Josie wasn’t about to push him away, though she still smiled against Calum’s lips as she kissed him back. He tasted like minty toothpaste and Josie was no stranger to the subtle yet exciting thrill she felt shoot down her spine at the act of so openly kissing him in her house, knowing her brother was just up the stairs.

She would much rather embrace the surge of exhilaration of sneaking around behind Luke’s back than the guilt of keeping such a secret from him.

*****

As he had said, there was a knock on Josie’s bedroom door at five in the afternoon the next day, right when she had finished tying the laces to her most comfortable pairs of red Converse. She paired it with a yellow sundress, tight around the bodice and fluttering around her mid thigh, and it consisted of small red roses that matched her shoes. Calum had said it wasn’t a fancy date, so Josie hoped her outfit choice was fitting to whatever he had planned for them.

In the couple of seconds it took for Josie to walk from her bed to the door, she did her best to tamp down on the excited flutter that had been a consistent presence in her stomach since yesterday. It was kind of funny; her and Calum were already together, obviously, but the idea on going on their first date made it seem all the more official. Like they were actually doing this—despite having been doing it for a while. Being with Calum, even though they were sneaking around, brought Josie a sense of calmness that she hadn’t experienced with another guy before. As though in the grand scheme of things, she had nothing to worry about, no reason to doubt Calum or what they had.

It was refreshing and exactly what she needed.

Him. He was exactly what she needed.

When Josie opened the door, her grin easily curled at her lips at the sight of Calum, dressed in his favorite baggy black pants, a silver belt chain looped on the side, with a white shirt tucked in and his shining black leather jacket on top. He looked casual and comfortable and so unbelievably good—if Josie lacked better control of herself, she’d melt into a puddle right then and there.

Instead, a smile graced her pink lips, leaning against her door as she playfully mused, “Well, hello there.”

His boyish charm was ever present as he returned, “I’m here to pick up a blonde bombshell.”

At that, Josie let out a very unladylike snort, pushing herself away from the door as she turned her back to him to grab her purse off the dresser. “Don’t ever call me that again,” Josie laughed, grabbing her denim jacket in case she needed it. Raising an eyebrow, hoping to filter some of the overwhelming excitement she felt, Josie asked, “We out?”

Calum grinned and the glimmer in his eyes told Josie he was just as excited, and nervous, as she was. “Yes, ma’am.”

They got in his car and were on the road just moments later, all the while Calum kept expertly shut about where they were going. After shutting her down for the sixth time, Calum scoffed before letting out a laugh, shooting her a look as he said, “You’re the most impatient person I’ve ever met.”

Josie shot him a skeptical look as his playlist played a Coldplay song. “More than Ashton?” she questioned, the smugness seeping into her voice because she knew she wasn’t nearly as bad as their friend.

Calum scoffed, one hand on the wheel as his left elbow remained propped on the door, the window down to let in the pleasant breeze. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

Josie’s jaw dropped, a gasp escaping her as she pointed at him accusingly. “That’s fucked up.”

He merely grinned, shifting so his left hand was on the wheel to allow his right hand to grab her pointing finger before maneuvering her hand so he could lace their fingers together. The gesture only widened Josie’s smile, warming her cheeks as she felt the breeze dance through her blonde tresses as Calum drove them to whatever secret destination he planned for. Josie eventually resigned herself to Calum’s desire of wanting to keep things under wraps, enjoying the car ride with him as the music played, the wind billowed in her ears and his fingers remained laced with hers.

The calm that settled over her was welcomed, enjoying the sensation of her hair tickling her skin as it danced in the wind and the warmth Calum’s touch brought. Already, Josie knew this was probably the best date she’d been on. Simply because it was with Calum.

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination, and Josie’s eyebrows raised as they passed the sign that read their arrival at Lake Balboa Park as Calum pulled into a parking lot. Josie hadn’t been to Lake Balboa before, but there were barely any clouds and the branches on pretty cherry blossom trees, and as she stepped out of the car, the gravel crunching underneath her shoes, the smile was easily lifting her lips.

Especially when Calum walked to the trunk of the car, opened it, and revealed a folded blanket and, quite literally, a sizable picnic basket that had Josie’s smile widening all the more. Her lips were parted in surprise, gaze flickering so her blue eyes could meet Calum’s triumphant brown ones, and no amount of sunshine could spread warmth throughout Josie’s body like Calum did in that moment. He grabbed the blanket and tossed it at her, which Josie caught even in the midst of her shocked state, and the wide grin he wore told her he knew just how off guard he’d caught her.

“A picnic?” she asked, well aware of the answer, the excitement evident in her tone and the way her dimples deepened at her grin. It was taking a lot of willpower not to bounce on the balls of her feet. “Stop—that’s so romantic.”

Calum smirked as he shut the trunk, quirking an eyebrow as they began walking. “Why do you sound so surprised? I can be romantic,” he added with a huff.

Josie snorted, hugging the blanket to her chest as she shot Calum a look. The sarcasm was evident in her tone when she drawled, “Yeah, pushing me into the pull because Luke came home just screams romance.”

He shot her a flat look and Josie merely smiled sweetly, and though she was teasing him, she found the memory funny. It had happened only a few days ago when the two of them had been enjoying their backyard pool. At one point, they’d gotten out, were in the middle of kissing, when Luke’s loud voice announced his arrival and, in a panic, Calum had pushed Josie into the pool. When she had resurfaced, she stared at him in utter disbelief while Calum had the decency to look just as surprised at his actions.

The two of them continued down the path, greenery and flora around them and Josie was mesmerized by the sight of the lake, noticing the ducks that swam contently and the few pedal boats among them. Eventually, Calum found a nice spot under a tree right on the soft grass, the lake in front of them, and Josie smiled as she spread the blanket before the two of them settled on it.

“Alright,” Josie grinned, sitting comfortably with her legs folded beneath her, leaning back on one hand as her gaze met Calum’s. “Dazzle me with romance.”

She watched intently as Calum began pulling out the items he had packed, consisting of cloth napkins, plates, utensils, two glasses to drink the red wine—which made Josie a lot more excited than it should’ve. She then noted all of the food he brought, her eyebrows raising and lips parting at the dishes; fresh corn and tomato fettuccini, shrimp summer rolls, cut up pieces of toasted baguette, and chocolate truffles for dessert.

Holy shit. “Did you make these?” Josie asked, the awe evident in her voice as she eyed the fettuccini and shrimp rolls.

Calum’s gaze met hers and Josie saw the pride dancing in his dark eyes, smiling as he answered, “Sure did.” Then, with a smirk, he asked, “Are you dazzled yet?”

And a little bit in love, but Josie kept that fleeting thought to herself.

Instead, she leaned forward, right hand finding the back of Calum’s neck as she pulled him close, hoping her kiss would convey just how amazing all of this was, how much she appreciated it. Calum truly went out of his way to make their first date special, taking advantage of the perfect weather and putting his skills in the kitchen to use in making the food that looked and smelled delicious. There was a permanent warmth in Josie’s chest; no one had ever made such an effort for her before, and it was impossible to keep the smile off her tingling lips after she slowly pulled away from Calum.

His smile remained, brushing his nose against hers as he said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Calum completed the set up by pulling out his phone and letting some music gently play as he poured them some wine before they indulged in the food he had prepared. Josie couldn’t keep the smile off her face even if she tried as they ate, drank, talked. Her gaze never left Calum, admiring the way the sun peeked through the cherry blossom tree above them and splashed against him in certain spots, feeling like she was in the scene of a damn movie as a flower occasionally fluttered down and brushed against her skin.

Eventually, after they’d finished the delicious food Calum had made and the wine was pleasantly warming her up, Josie sat with her back against the tree and Calum’s head resting in her lap. Her fingers were running through his dark hair, the strands soft between the digits, and she admired the content smile on his face, eyes shut as he reveled in the feel of her fingers in his hair.

They’d been at the lake for over an hour or so, judging by the way the sun was slowly making its descent, but neither of them made a move to leave. Instead, Josie picked up one of the cherry blossoms that had fallen next to her, holding the pink flower by its short stem and twirling it before glancing down at Calum. With a gentle smile upturning her lips, Josie held it upside down before lowering it, tickling the tip of his nose with the petal.

She watched as his nose wrinkled, closed eyes scrunching at the sensation as his lips curled into a close mouthed smile. The peaceful expression that rested on his features transformed into an amused grin, breathing out a laugh as Josie hummed, “Thank you for today, Cal.”

He opened his eyes then, dark brown looking up into bright blue, and his smile softened. The natural pinkness in his cheeks tempted Josie to kiss them as she brushed some curls away from his forehead. Calum reach his left hand up, the silver bracelet dropping away from his wrist as he cupped Josie’s cheek. “Anythin’ for you, pretty girl,” Calum told her earnestly.

The blush returned to her cheeks, but she didn’t have much time to register it as Calum pushed himself up and brought her down enough for their lips to meet in the middle. Josie melted into him, into the kiss, and came to the conclusion if a perfect day were to exist, it would be this.

They’d watched the sunset after, and as the cicadas began chirping throughout the darkened park, the two of them packed up the picnic and, with Calum’s fingers intertwining with hers, made their way back to his car. The drive home, as always, was filled with chatter and music, and when they pulled into the driveway, Josie sat up. “Oh, Luke’s home.”

She glanced at Calum, who didn’t look troubled at all, and it wasn’t lost on Josie how his calm managed to relax her effortlessly. So the two of them got out of the car, deciding to bring in the picnic basket—the most damning evidence of their outing—later on when there was no chance of Luke catching sight of it.

Josie chewed on her lower lip, unable to stop the nervous habit, as they walked into the house, instantly catching the attention of her brother, who was on the living room couch watching TV. “Hey,” he greeted before turning to look at the two of them, eyebrows raising as a corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. “Where’re you coming from all dressed up—a hot date?” he joked, gazing at Josie questioningly.

She knew he was completely kidding around, but the oblivious truth in Luke’s words had Josie’s heart momentarily stopping, stomach dropping before she forced herself to scoff. “No—I was out with some friends and asked Calum to pick me up.”

It would be better if she didn’t focus on how swiftly that lie escaped her.

Next to her, Calum huffed. “What, I don’t look all dressed up?”

Josie wanted to nudge him into silence as Luke gave him a once over before offering a single shrug. “Nah,” he answered before turning to watch TV once more, unaware to the scowl that scrunched at Calum’s eyebrows, mildly affronted.

Despite herself, Josie couldn’t fight off the amused smile upturning her lips as Calum made a face at the back of Luke’s, so childish and boyish and endearing. Leaning close to him, her voice a whisper, she chanced the risk of Luke hearing her as she hummed, “I think you look hot.”

The smug smirk on Calum’s face, accompanied by the wink he sent her, made the risk worth it.

*****

“Go on without me—leave me here to explode in a mess of spaghetti sauce.”

Josie caught Luke’s bemused eye roll as the rest of the boys chuckled at her antics, though she was serious about the implication of being unable to move. She dropped down on a bench on the sidewalk, her stomach feeling heavy after the lunch she practically inhaled; the portion of spaghetti had been the size of her head, almost, and Josie had practically licked the dish clean. And although her mouth was quite happy with the delicious explosion of taste, her stomach was another issue. She genuinely felt like she couldn’t move.

And the fact that the cars were parked a few several blocks away. . . Josie didn’t think she could make it.

“Alright, Lil’ H,” Ashton spoke up, making his way to her and promptly ignoring the distasteful scrunch of her face at the nickname he’d uttered. It was one he and the rest of the boys coined for her back when they were a lot younger, and although they outgrew the use of it, there were still some instances where they’d mention it. Josie had never liked it. She watched as he stood in front of her before turning his back to her, wiggling his fingers out at the seated girl as he said, “Hop on.”

Her eyes lit up, understanding that he was offering her a piggy back ride. Not needing to be told twice, Josie got up as Ashton crouched down enough so it was easy for her to hop onto his back, arms winding loosely around his neck as his hands gripped her thighs to keep her up as he stood straight. She grinned where she was settled on his back, catching the exasperated shake of Luke’s head and the fond grins on Michael and Calum’s faces before they all continued on their way.

Moments like these made Josie a lot happier than one would think. For as long as she and Luke knew the boys, Josie had always feared that she was encroaching on her brother’s friendship with them. When they were kids and she would sometimes tag along, at first Luke had been irritated, but his fondness for Josie always won out in the end, and he’d bring her along to get food or to the park when he would go with the boys. Because of that, the rest of them grew fond of her too. It wasn’t hard, either—it wasn’t like there was years and years separating her from them in age. Only a couple, but she was still Luke’s little sister. And even though they would harmlessly tease her for that, always playful and never spiteful, there had been moments when Josie would think they were sick of her tagging along when she did.

Now, though, with all of them in their twenties, that feeling never came back. Even if it did, Josie knew that Luke would never allow for it to stay for too long. Same went for the other boys. And Josie loved them for it.

“Come to think of it—I don’t think it’s that great of an idea for you to give me a piggy back ride after eating,” Josie piped up, glancing down at Ashton with a raise of her eyebrows.

He made a noncommittal sound, utterly at ease as they continued. “It’s either this or listen to you complain—which I can totally do without.”

Josie scoffed at his teasing as she heard Calum lowly chuckle next to them. “I’ve got my arms around you, Irwin. I can easily choke you.”

She couldn’t quite see his face, but Josie heard the smirk in Ashton’s voice as he responded, “Sounds kinky.”

Luke, having heard him, shot Ashton a scandalized look that the rest of them merely laughed at. Josie was sure she heard him mutter something about his friends corrupting his little sister, and she rolled her lips into her mouth as she glanced down at Calum to her right. He met her gaze, mirth and mischief both dancing in his eyes, silently letting her know he’d heard Luke as well.

They kept making their way down the sidewalk until Michael stopped in front of the glass walls of a vintage looking record store. He didn’t even have to tell them he wanted to go in before everyone was already turning towards the shop, Josie hopping off from Ashton’s back as she wandered inside. It smelt just like Josie thought it would; of plastic wrap, laminated cardboard, and heavily treaded carpet, yet there was something familiar about it as she danced the tips of her fingers over a few records stacked on the table in front of her.

They all shuffled through the aisles, looking at the various records, an unfamiliar classic rock song playing in the background. As Josie moved, she happened to glance up, only to freeze when her eyes startlingly met an achingly familiar pair of green ones. The breath caught in Josie’s throat, nearly choking her, as Austin stood a few tables away, a furrow knitting together his eyebrows as he registered exactly who he was looking at, too. And when he did, the confused frown transformed into a scowl, and the blood in Josie’s veins froze, ironically springing her into action, too.

“Oh, fuck me,” she whispered, unaware of Michael’s confused glance her way. The panic heightened, though, when her ex-boyfriend moved to approach her, and with her eyes widening in alarm, Josie silently turned around and swiftly made her way out of the store, ignoring Michael’s confused calls of her name.

Shit, shit, shit. She did not want to have an unprecedented confrontation with her ex-boyfriend, who—by the looks of it—seemingly had a bone to pick with her. Pushing the door of the store open, Josie stumbled out onto the sidewalk, the fresh air not enough to loosen the tightness of her throat, and she’d barely made it two steps away from the store when Austin’s voice froze her in her tracks.

“Do you ever get tired of running away?”

Josie squeezed her eyes shut momentarily, face scrunching in aggravation before she forced herself to turn around, meeting Austin’s unimpressed gaze. Despite herself, Josie rushed out, “I don’t run away.”

He scoffed, not at all convinced with his arms crossed over his chest. His tattooed biceps was a bit more pronounced under the short sleeves of his shirt than she remembered. He’d been working out, it seemed. “That’s exactly what you just did,” Austin pointed out, a wry smirk tilting at his lips. “What, you didn’t want me to see you with your new boyfriend?”

As if the universe had some kind of personal agenda against her, just as Austin had asked his question, the door behind him opened and out stepped her brother and the rest of the boys. Josie was biting down on the tip of her tongue as Austin stepped away to look at both her and the boys, and the panic quickened the pace of her heart as Austin gave them all a once over.

Luke frowned at Austin, knowing exactly who the guy was, jaw tight as he asked, “What’re you bothering my sister for?”

Just as he had asked that, Josie had simultaneously told Austin, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

She’d desperately wished the words hadn’t fallen past her mouth, noting the brief flicker of Calum’s gaze to her, and Austin rolled his eyes at her words. There was something dancing in his green eyes, and Josie recognized it as his intent of making this as difficult for her as possible, a resentment driven need for some kind of revenge over her breaking up with him more than once.

“No?” Austin cocked his head to the side, challenging. Josie was fully aware of everyone’s gaze on her—especially Calum’s. But she watched as Austin allowed his gaze to wander over the four other men, a sardonic smirk on his lips as he asked, “Tell me, Josie—which one of your brother’s buddies are you fucking around with?”

Her heart jumped out of her body, as if a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over her head as she gaped at Austin and the obvious smug expression he wore. Oh, God. No, no, no. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go down. She couldn’t even be furious with Austin for pulling this shit—Josie was too busy drowning in the panic and anxiety that churned her stomach, the busy buzz of the street silencing into the background, all too aware of her thundering heart beat. This wasn’t happening.

Josie vaguely heard Luke sputter indignantly, ready to give Austin a piece of his mind, but her ex beat him to it as she watched his gaze take in the other men standing before him. She watched as Austin’s gaze ultimately landed on a stone faced Calum, who also looked about two seconds away from breaking Austin’s nose, before her ex huffed out a humorless laugh through his smirk and jutted his chin at the tattooed brunette. “It’s this one, isn’t it?” He clicked his tongue, a knowing expression flickering across his face. “I saw you with him around campus a couple of months ago. Should’ve known.”

Josie’s gaze flashed to Calum, who didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he was too busy glaring at Austin, hands curled into fists at his side. Michael and Ashton remained silent, the tension enveloping them nearly suffocating as Luke’s confused glare settled on Austin. “Yeah—I told them they should hang out when Cal was visiting. . .”

The way he trailed off, his stare flickering between his hardened best friend and frozen sister, Josie could pick up on his confusion, the skepticism that was filtering into his voice as he looked between the two of them. Luke looked unsure of what to believe, his irritation with Austin’s arrival overshadowed by the bewilderment his accusation brought.

Next to her, Austin snorted. “Looked way more than hanging out to me,” he surmised, and Josie was overcome with the urge to sock him in the jaw, too. God, what was he doing? Why was he doing this?

Of course, she knew. She was just still trying to process.

His green eyes met her unblinking, startled blue ones, and Josie’s heart dropped at the guiltless look in his gaze, utterly unapologetic that he just majorly screwed things up for her. With yet another sardonic smile, he quipped, “Nice to know I’m not the only one you’ve fucked over.” He purposefully looked towards her brother, let out a scoff of contempt, before pushing past them to head back into the store.

Everyone was a bit too shocked to do anything but let him go.

Hesitantly, Josie shifted her gaze and it immediately landed on Calum. He was watching her and Josie’s throat tightened at the concern she was met with. He looked worried—not that Josie blamed him. She was pretty sure she hadn’t taken a breath in the past few minutes.

Calum looked like he wanted to step over to her, to hold her hand, but he also looked conflicted, unsure of what the right move was. Josie wasn’t sure, either. Yet her softened gaze remained on him, hoping her silence would convey that she understood, that this was all so royally fucked.

But then she looked at Luke, who had been watching them this whole time, and Josie’s throat locked up when Luke’s blue eyes narrowed. He took a step away so he could look at both Calum and Josie, eyebrows drawing together as Michael and Ashton exchanged a look. “Is he. . .” Luke trailed off, a disbelieving scoff escaping him as he looked at Calum and Josie. “Is that true? Did you two—”

All she could make out in his tone was one of disbelief, nothing else to give away how he was feeling. Maybe he was as numb as Josie felt.

Her lips parted but no words came out, because Josie truly didn’t know what to say. Should she confirm Austin’s accusation—his truth? Or deny, deny, deny? It seemed that in that moment, all of the sneaking around behind Luke’s back and subtle lies were starting to choke her, daring her to spew out another one right to his face after basically being told the truth from a third party. Sure, maybe Josie could play off Austin’s words as some jealous, resentful ex, and maybe Luke would believe her.

But, God. She was sick of the lies.

Before she could even decide what to do, Calum moved, and Josie’s gaze instantly fell upon him as he came to stand next to her. She watched him, wide eyed and parted lips, as his gaze remained fixed on Luke, who was watching him with sharp eyes. “We aren’t fucking around,” Calum told him, all confident and firm despite the bombshell he was dropping. “And it wasn’t just a random hook up. Josie and I are together.”

Her heart was in her throat, anything she could possibly say dying on her tongue as she looked up at Calum, eyes wide at his confession. They hadn’t quite discussed when the right time would be to tell Luke about them, and Austin had made sure they wouldn’t after what he’d done. And as surprised as Josie was that Calum took it upon himself to confirm the truth, there was also the tiniest bit of relief she felt relax her stiff muscles. The kind of relief that came with letting go of a secret that had been weighing her down for too long.

Calum’s gaze flickered down to her and Josie inhaled softly at the look in his eyes; soft, reassuring, encouraging. It was enough to make it easier for Josie to breathe.

But when she looked back at Luke, who was still silent, it felt as though an iron grasp had found its way around her heart.

And instead of exploding on them in a fury as Josie had feared, Luke remained still, Ashton and Michael watching the scene unfold intently. But Josie remained focused on Luke. His expression was empty, features never giving away what he was thinking, what he was feeling. Luke, who was so expressive, but looked utterly blank in that moment.

Who was quiet. Too quiet—a complete contradiction to the betrayed anger that was swirling in his eyes. And, Josie realized with her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach, Luke’s silence was a whole lot worse than anything she could’ve imagined.

tags: @irwinkitten @loveroflrh @astroashtonio @sweetcherrymike @softforcal @wildflowergrae @loverofhood @captain-what-is-going-on @angelbbycal @singt0mecalum @hopelessxcynic @lfwallscouldtalk @bodhi-black @findingliam-o @softlrh @highfivecalum @calumsmermaid @erikamarie41 @quintodosuniversos @longlastingdaydream @babylon-corgis @lukehemmingsunflower @spideyseavey @miss-saltwatercowgirl @pastelpapermoons @conquerwhatliesahead92 @rotten-kandy @metangi @neigcthood @ohhmuke @mindkaleidoscope @5sos-and-hessa @trustmeimawhalebiologist @vxlentinecal @pettybassists @vaporshawn @lu-my-golden-boi @visualm3nte @isabella-mae13 @dontjinx-it @lifeakaharry @neonweeknds @antisocialbandmate @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave @calpalbby @grreatgooglymoogly @sunnysidesblog @cocktail-calum @miahelizaaabeth @dramallamawithsparkles @kaytiebug14 @hoodskillerqueen @bitchinbabylon @empathycth @xhaileyreneex @inlovehoodx @aestheticrelated @bloodlinecal @sublimehood @madbomb @raabiac @britnicole11 @outofmylimitcal @wildflower-cth @bloodmoonashton @vxidhood @gosh-im-short @thesubtweeter @mycollectionofnuts @cthwldflwr

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ariparri · 3 years

Text

Fluff Alphabet - Glitter Bomb

At long last, here's the fluff alphabet for Carson and Tulip!

I wanted to get this done first before finishing up the stuff for Isa and the other au ships.

I'm still practicing with moodboards since I'm not good at making them. This is the second one I made for Glitter Bomb because I wasn't happy with the first one.

DieRuca Fluff Alphabet

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A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

Carson finds Tulip eccentricity. He just loves how she isn't afraid to be herself. He loves a person with confidence, high self esteem and prides their own intelligence. He just finds that extremely attractive. Anybody can have a pretty face, but if the personality is terrible then everything else gets ruled out.

Tulip finds Carson, himself as a whole, attractive. She loves his style, the way he dresses like he's part of some band that plays in their garage and how he doesn't care if his style doesn't match. But what she finds most attractive is his humor and his laugh. Carson has a contagious laughter, and she's always finding herself laugh along with him even when she's trying to be serious. She just loves it, his sense of humor is great and his laugh always seems to brighten up everyone's mood.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

Carson didn't really think about actually having kids. He did say that if he ever got a daughter, he would name her after his mother. Tulip at the time didn't see herself being a mother. She always saw herself to be more of an independent woman with her own ideals and goals. They both talked about it every now and then, both agreeing they weren't in any rush to settle down and have kids. That was until Tulip had an unplanned pregnancy and the topic of kids was brought up again. While Calum wasn't planned at the start, they both agree it would be nice to have a kid and see how things go about from there. After a while of thinking about children, Carson was getting a little too excited and that excitement was starting to rub off on Tulip. She eventually couldn't wait to have their first child.

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

The preferred position they cuddle in is the sweetheart cradle. Carson would lie on his back and hold onto Tulip while she rests her head on his chest. Another position they cuddle in is the arm draper. They'll both lie on the bed, facing each other with their arms draped over the other. They're also fond of resting their head on the other's lap. Especially when it involves horror movie marathons and Carson just relaxes his head on Tulip's lap and she starts scratching his head. It's a soothing feeling.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?)

Dates can be wild for Carson and Tulip. They have a poster full of date ideas and they choose five from the list before placing those ideas on a dart board for them to hit a target. Each gets three darts and whatever idea gets the most hits that's the date they go on.

A couple favorites are paintball or laser tag. They enjoy having a bit of a competitive game as a date, it makes it more fun and exciting. Another favorite is where they go thrift shopping and pick out each other's outfit to wear on the date. Tulip picked out a nice long rainbow skirt to match with a neon green crop top for Carson while he picked out anything in yellow.

E = Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world...))

Tulip: You are the spark to my flame

Carson: You are my twin flame

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

Carson realized he was in love with Tulip when Jae and Diego joked about how he and Tulip were always budding heads. Carson claims it as a simple rivalry on who was the better prankster of the two. Not satisfied with his answer, Jae and Diego pressed on. It eventually got to Carson spouting on and on about how ridiculous Tulip can be, before he started trailing off to all the things he liked about her. He kept going on until he noticed the looks on his friends' faces and realized just exactly what he was talking about. It didn't take too long until Jae slaps his back and loudly announces that he was a lovestruck fool.

Tulip was quick to realize her feelings for Carson. She found out she liked Carson more than a friend when he was hanging out with another girl for some time. She didn't even know why she felt bothered by it till Tonks just bluntly told her that she was falling for Carson. She of course was in denial for some time. But when Carson went out on another date with this girl, it was clearly obvious that Tulip was in fact jealous and in love with Carson. But all that jealous tension quickly died down when Carson introduced the girl as his cousin who was visiting from Scotland. Tonks couldn't stop laughing and she never let Tulip live it down.

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

Being quite the charmer, Carson can be gentle. It's in his words and gestures. He always addresses Tulip in terms of endearment and when he does, his voice is tender and filled with so much love and emotion. Carson gives great foot massages, so he always gives Tulip a massage whether or not she asks for one.

Tulip's a bit more forward with her affection, most of it is done through actions than words. Whenever Carson is sitting down and Tulip is standing behind him, she'll place her hands on his shoulders and give him a gentle massage. Head scratches are another thing she often does for him whenever they're both just lounging about in the comfort of their own home.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

The way they hold hands often involves being wrapped around one another. They'll be sitting next to each other and Carson will have his arm draped over Tulip's shoulder and she'll reach her hand up to hold his own. The other one is similar to this but instead of sitting, they're standing. One of them will be behind the other, arms wrapped around their body while the other's arms are crossed to intertwine their hands.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?)

At first, they were both annoyed with each other. They practically challenged the other every chance they got when it came to pranks. It wasn't until Veruca asked them for help with Filch when they decided to put aside their differences and work together. They were pretty amazed with how well they both were able to work together and combine their own preferred pranks into one mega bomb. Both Carson and Tulip had some new found respect for each other after this prank and often pair up to create big pranks.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

Yes. Both of them can get jealous. When Carson gets jealous, he can throw a little temper tantrum and Veruca ends up being on the receiving end of it. He would eventually step in and tell the person to back off. If they can't get the hint, well Carson's old tricks come into play and if Dennis also doesn't like the person he joins in. Carson can be a bit of a mopy cry baby though and would get a little clingy when Tulip realizes what's going on.

When Tulip gets jealous, she broods about it for a moment before setting up a mega dungbomb in the person's belongings. After hearing a loud explosion and seeing them run off screaming, Tulip is satisfied with the turn of events. Especially when Carson comes by to see it happen and he just burst out laughing. He pretty much knows who was responsible but feigned ignorance when asked about it.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

Their first kiss had a bit of an outside help. On their second date, being paintball war, Dennis tagged along for the fun. It ended with Tulip getting the most hits on Carson. They were in the middle of talking where Carson was congratulating her, until Dennis basically jumped into the back of Carson's head pushing him forward, making him kiss Tulip. They pulled apart, a little awkwardly if it wasn't for the smug mocking croak coming from Dennis. Carson clearly wasn't amused but Tulip pulled him in for another kiss.

L = Love (Who says 'I love you' first?)

While Carson does like to express his affections towards Tulip, he's never actually said that he loved her before. Tulip didn't seem to mind since she was perfectly fine with how they express their affection. It wasn't until seeing just how romantically sappy Diego and Veruca were and how Jae points out that they haven't said it to each other yet. During one of their night outs to the bar they frequent, Diego and Veruca announce they finally started dating. In the middle of the excitement, Carson pulls Tulip closer to him and finally says those three magical words. It may not be romantically special, but it was perfect to them.

M = Memory (What's their favourite memory together?)

Carson's favorite memory together was during the Celestial Ball. Tulip didn't have a date, and while Carson didn't go with anyone either, he promised her a dance. After Carson went through his rounds dancing with everyone who attended the ball alone, it was Tulip's turn to dance with him. He wasn't used to her dressing up, so seeing her in a dress was a nice surprise. They both had a fun time just laughing and dancing the night away.

Tulip's favorite memory of them together involved filling the entire Ravenclaw common room full of glitter and dungbomb filled balloons. They set it up to it popping on the dungbombs time, so everyone caught in the room were covered in glitter and dungbomb stench. The amount of trouble and the looks on everyone's faces were the highlights of that day. Even when they were in detention they couldn't stop laughing, Flitwick had to extend their punishment time.

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

At the start of their relationship, Carson went all out with the tulip and balloon bouquets. It had to take Dennis biting onto him or croaking in refusal to get Carson to stop spoiling Tulip with all the bouquets. Other than the bouquets, Carson does buy her a lot of outfits that accentuate her figure, or even pins and necklaces from Zonko's as a reminder of her love for pranks.

Whenever Tulip is out and she happens to see some band merchandise, especially for bands Carson loves, she'll buy some for him. She buys mostly for the shirts and bandanas than the posters and pins. Carson definitely prefers them since they're everyday uses. Although she buys them for him, she sometimes steals the shirts whenever they're going to bed.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

Red reminds Carson of Tulip all because of her hair. Every time he finds anything red, he instantly thinks it would look great on Tulip, something that would compliment her natural beauty.

Fuschia reminds Tulip of Carson. Despite blue being a color Carson often wears, his favorite color is fuschia. She's often reminded of the pink colored shirts he likes to wear with the Twisted Sister logo on them. Whenever she finds something completely ridiculous in that color, she'd send him a picture of it with the caption "This is clearly you"

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Carson likes to use many names for Tulip. Most common one would be Cherry for her hair. Other names he calls her are Babes, Cuddle Cakes, My Flame, Hotness, and Troublemaker. He also started calling themselves the Gruesome Twosome after Tulip's mother called them out of slight annoyance.

Tulip doesn't often use pet names, but when she does it's a mix between Dream Boy, Hot Stuff, Muffinhead, and Prince Charming. She mostly uses them as a way to tease him or feign annoyance with him.

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)

Carson has a collection of old VHS movies. He usually keeps them displayed but some nights they'll have an old movie marathon. With Tulip, she sometimes challenges herself with watching the sunset and the sunrise in one day. She isn't entirely a morning person, so to watch the sunrise at least once every now and then can be a fun way to challenge herself to get out of bed. Carson sometimes joins her in this little activity.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

On a rainy day when both of them are simply bored, they'll sit on the sofa while slow music plays in the background and they're drinking hot chocolate. On other rainy days, they would go out and have a little water day. They'll chase each other around and jump around in puddles.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?)

Dennis usually gets involved when Tulip is sad. If Carson's hot chocolate or blueberry muffins don't help comfort her, Dennis will jump onto Carson and stick his tongue into Carson's ear. He'll latch onto him and cause Carson to start shuffling around trying to get the darn toad off of him. Surely enough, Tulip will start laughing at them.

When Carson is sad, Tulip sometimes brings out the board games or turns on the ghost hunting channel. She also tries to make the blueberry muffins his mother often makes for him. Sadly, she isn't much of a cook so she makes a huge mess in the kitchen. Carson walks in to see Tulip close to having a crisis in the kitchen before bursting out in laughter and he's suddenly in a better mood. He then rushes to help her clean up and then bake the muffins with her.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

Sometimes they talk about their families. While Tulip can be a little annoyed by her parents, Carson distracts her by talking about how his mother wear a dress when he was five. They often talk about past prank wars and old memories. Tulip likes to bring up all the times Carson cried about puffskeins just appearing out of nowhere, embarrassing him just a little bit.

Date ideas often come up, and whatever isn't on their date list they'll talk about it before adding it to the list.

They also love to reminisce about the times they annoy both Chester and Andre. Carson just has crazy fashion ready for when Andre wants to use him as a model and the atrocity he has to face when Carson comes out with the most ridiculous outfit.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

Carson is actually a fan of health and skin care, so coming home to see Tulip having the face masks out he tosses his work to the side and throws himself onto the sofa to ready for some relaxation. They both also listen to music and well, sing together. Most of the music they listen to range from 80s rock, pop, funk, and a little bit of R&B and Jazz. Two terrible singers paired together so perfectly, neighbors must hate them. Carson also plays the violin if Tulip is having a stress day. The melodious sound that comes from the instrument helps soothe her from getting a headache.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

They both like to show off their intelligence, which usually comes into play with their pranks. They try to one up the other by performing a prank that can be seen as more superior than the other.

They also like to show each other off. Mainly when someone tries to bring down the other, they'll start singing a bunch of praises and all the accomplishments their partner has done. They're kind of the jealous, boasting couple.

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)

Yes. You know that meme on Proposal Instructions? This one.

These were clearly joke proposals they both did just to get a laugh out of each other.

It was also a double proposal. On one of their dates to a paintball park, they invited a few friends for a group date. They were all pretty much in on the plan but didn't know the other half had the same idea. Tulip was the first to propose which made Carson stop and go, "Are you freaking serious?" before pulling out the ring to propose to her with. Everyone got a good laugh out of it.

X = Xylophone (What's their song?)

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starships

youtube

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

Tulip at first didn't think much about it. But after both of them did joke proposals the thought has definitely crossed her mind. Just like Tulip, Carson didn't really think much of marriage until he and Tulip have been dating for a while. It definitely would be a dream to be married and it would make his parents, especially his mother, proud.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

Carson absolutely doesn't want a pet. Tulip already has Dennis and he is the only one that Carson is willing to tolerate. And Tulip is perfectly fine with just having Dennis as a pet. That is of course until they have Raylene and she wanted to keep a piglet they found hurt in the woods while on a camping trip. At first Carson wasn't a fan of it, but the puppy eye look his daughter was giving him made him cave.

#glitter bomb #tulip karasu #carson ivey #tulip x carson #hogwarts mystery #hphm #harry potter hogwarts mystery #fluff alphabet

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vipclifford · 4 years

Text

Red is the Warmest Colour

event masterlist

soulmate au where you can’t see colours until you kiss your soulmate

Luke coated his nails in a dark grey colour, though the label claimed it to be ‘candy apple red’. Whatever that meant. He knew that red was the colour of blood and anger and love, that red was fiery and intense. He knew that red was the colour of lipsticks that stained his cheeks after his aunts kissed them when he was younger. He knew that red was the colour that made his face warm when embarrassed. He just didn’t know what it looked like.

Colours only appeared after kissing your soulmate. Not after a first look, not after a first touch, but after a first kiss. Some people went on their entire lives without ever finding them, instead settling for a dull existence with a mediocre partner, and the idea terrified Luke. He wanted nothing more than to see the blue of the sky and the sea; the greens and yellows of the leaves; the oranges and reds of a sunset. He wanted nothing more than to love and be loved like he truly deserved, to have someone made for him by his side as they explored the colours of the world. Luke felt like he was running out of time.

“We’ve got to pick up Amber in twenty minutes, so we better get going,” urged Michael as he rushed into the living room. Luke nodded, blowing on his freshly painted hand as he grabbed his phone with his dry one.

Luke remembers the day Michael found out he had met his soulmate. He remembers the excitement in his eyes as he kept looking at everything and anything, occasionally yelling ‘this is green, Luke, this is really green!’ or ‘why does everyone hate the colour orange? It's so nice!’ Luke was so happy for his friend, but he couldn’t help but wallow in envy that night as he tried hard to envision Michael’s detailed description of the colour red.

But you can’t imagine a colour you’ve never seen.

The party’s atmosphere was chill and cozy, not rowdy like the ones Michael usually brought him to. Ashton, the host, greeted him with a hug as he stepped through the door, and Luke loved how amiable he seemed. The only faces he recognised were those of Michael and Amber, and yet he felt like he belonged amongst these strangers.

“Nice nails,” commented a dark haired stranger who leaned on the railing a couple metres beside him, cigarette between his fingers. “What colour are they?”

“Red,” he told him proudly, a small smile stretching his lips. “At least that’s what the label says,” he shrugged, turning his attention back to the city lights.

The stranger hummed in response, seemingly pensive as he blew a cloud of smoke.

“Fiery and bold. I like it.”

Luke nodded as he gave him a quick glance, noticing that his nails weren’t plain either. “What colour are yours?”

“Blue.”

“Calm and serene. I like it,” Luke echoed his previous words, smiling when he heard his quiet chuckle. “I’m Luke.”

“I’m Calum. You want?” Calum offered, holding out the cigarette towards him. Luke declined with a shake to the head. “You don’t smoke?”

“I’ve, uh, I never found the appeal,” he shrugged somewhat nervously, something deep within his mind telling him that he should’ve just complied, that he should’ve tried to fit in.

“Good. Smoking is shit. By the way,” he said in a low voice, taking a few steps closer to him. Close enough that Luke could smell his cologne masked by the smell of tobacco. “Don’t look now, but the girl in the stripy top has been eyeing you for the past five minutes. Might be worth seeing whether you can finally admire your red nails by the end of the night,” Calum told him with a soft smile, giving a supportive squeeze to his shoulder.

He still couldn’t see red by the end of the night.

Luke laid in his bed, phone in hand as he scrolled mindlessly through instagram. But then he found his fingers tapping on Michael’s account, found his eyes searching for Ashton amidst his followers, found himself looking through Ashton’s followers as well until he landed on the account he pursued.

Calum Hood.

He felt his lips tug upwards as he scrolled through his feed. There were pictures of coffee cups and what he presumed was his dog; blurry pictures from nights out and shirtless pictures at the beach. He couldn’t help zooming into those. Although Luke hadn’t ever found the appeal of tattoos either, too indecisive to commit to a design for the rest of his days, he was intrigued by the patterns covering the skin of his arms and chest. Something about the way the ink clung to Calum’s bicep made him open his eyes.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath after unconsciously double tapping the screen, accustomed to liking every picture when scrolling through his feed. Hasty fingers were quick to unlike it before throwing his phone across the bed.

Luke’s heart was racing in his chest and he could feel himself begin to sweat and his fingers were tingling and he knew that if he could see colours he would be seeing red. A panicked and anxious red. He hated himself for always getting like this over minuscule situations, though he hated himself for a lot of things. But then his phone buzzed, snapping Luke out of his thoughts. A smile returned to his face upon reading the notification and he felt the world go back to a tranquil blue.

‘@calumhood followed you’

The second time he saw Calum was at some other friend of Michael’s pool party, eyes gazing over the buffet of finger food. The place was once again packed with strange faces and Luke was glad to have found his new acquaintance amidst the crowd. He looked different in the daylight. Maybe it was the way the sunlight bounced off of his grey skin, or the way droplets of water trickled down his chest, but Calum looked as though he was glowing. Almost ethereal.

“Stick to pizza, it’s always the safest option,” Luke commented as he approached the man, Calum’s eyebrows briefly shooting up in surprise when he realised it was him.

“If it isn’t my instagram stalker,” Calum teased with a cheeky grin, nodding at his suggestion. Luke turned his head away as soon as he felt the red heat rise to his cheeks, beyond embarrassed by the fact Calum remembered. “Any luck with stripy top?”

“The fates didn’t seem to be on my side that night,” he replied with a shake to the head, reaching for a fresh can of beer. “Maybe I should go for a girl with a plain top next time.”

“Cheer up, mate,” Calum said with a soft chuckle, placing a comforting pat to his back. Luke chose to ignore the way it lingered for a few seconds. “Soulmates aren’t everything.”

But they were everything to Luke.

He had been dreaming about finding his soulmate since he was six. He was playing weddings with his friends during lunchtime and after the ‘groom’ kissed his ‘bride’, the pair yelled out in horror. They kept telling the group that everything around them had changed, that everything looked brighter and beautiful yet so strange, but none of the kids could understand what they meant. He remembers telling his mum about it on the walk home from school, who enlightened him about the concept of soulmates with a smile. Luke spent the rest of the day asking about the colour of the sky and the trees and his shirt, just to receive answers he couldn’t comprehend. He still couldn’t.

Luke simply hummed in response as he opened the can, trying his best to be nonchalant despite strongly disagreeing with his comment.

“Lots of people lead wonderful lives without ever finding their soulmates, you know? They just say ‘fuck you’ to the universe and live a happy life without depending on a soulmate, I think it’s amazing.”

“I guess,” Luke agreed with a shrug. “But don’t you ever picture yourself being truly happy, discovering the colours of the world with a girl that’s perfect for you in every way?”

“Sure I do,” Calum replied casually, taking a bite of his pizza slice. “Not necessarily with a girl, though.”

The speed at which Luke snapped his head to look at him in surprise was almost embarrassing. Calum’s eyebrows rose in a coquettish manner, a knowing smile on his lips as he watched Luke process his confession.

“Then, uh,” Luke muttered, returning his focus to the beer in his hand, “then you should at least try to find him. No need to rebel against the universe just yet.”

It was Calum’s turn to hum in response as he ran his fingers through his wet curls, watching his friends call for him from the pool. “Catch you later,” he said, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze before walking away.

The third time he saw Calum was in his own apartment

Michael just loved having the chance to get drunk and party with his friends, and what better place to do it than from the comfort of his own home. Soon enough, Michael’s friends began to fill the space between the walls, bringing their loud voices along with beer and vodka.

Luke tried to join in. Luke tried to let loose and have fun but all he could focus on was Calum. The way the strobe lighting made him move in slow motion; the way his biceps pressed tightly against the material of his shirt; the way his hand rested on some guy’s arm. Their eyes met for a brief second before the guy placed a hand on Calum’s cheek, returning his attention back to the stranger.

Luke didn’t know why but that simple action made his heart ache. It made his throat constrict and his hands shake and Luke had to get away, he just had to pull himself away from the scene he was stuck in. He couldn’t handle the loud music or the flashing grey lights or Calum. He pushed people out of his way until he finally reached the terrace, breathing out a relieved sigh when the warm breeze brushed past his face.

No guy had ever made Luke feel as jealous as he felt now. Especially not a guy he had only spoken to twice. He felt so irrational and silly and dumb for feeling the way he did and he had to force himself to look at his bold red nails to ground himself. To remind himself of the confident man he should be.

His mother always told him such amazing things about the colour red. She told Luke red was strong like him; that red was loving like him; that red was courageous like him. He could never agree with her words, always having been too shy and insecure for that, but incorporating the concept of red into his life never failed to empower him.

So maybe he was jealous, but he was okay with that. Maybe he liked Calum, and he was okay with that too.

“There you are,” spoke a deep voice he had been longing to hear for days. “I was looking for you,” Calum told him as he rested his arms beside his, elbows touching.

“Guess you found me,” he murmured, all newly acquired confidence replaced by his usual timidity the second Calum appeared by his side.

“Why are you out here on your own? Isn’t this your party?” Luke shook his head.

“It’s Michael’s,” he clarified, “I just happen to live here too. And I’m out here because I needed a breather.”

“Too crowded?”

“Something like that.”

The atmosphere between them was somewhat awkward and uncertain, as though neither of them wanted to say the wrong thing. Luke just didn’t want to make a fool of himself. Calum pulled out a cigarette from the pack, placing it between his lips as he lit it.

“I thought about what you said the other day, you know? About trying to find my soulmate,” Luke turned with curious eyes to face him, humming to urge him to continue. Calum thought about him. “And, you’re right, I guess. Deep down, soulmates are everything to me,” Calum confessed before taking his first drag. Luke placed a comforting hand on his toned arm, softly caressing his skin. “But I fucking hate that they could be anywhere. They could be right in front of me and I would never find out because I don’t go round kissing strangers. The chances of finding them are so fucking low, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Luke murmured as he turned back to look at the city lights, letting go of his arm. “Do you believe in fate?”

“To an extent,” Calum shrugged, “I think that there are certain things that are set in stone, but how you get there is completely up to you.”

“Okay, then I think that you finding your soulmate is set in stone. You’ve just got to take the leap,” he told him. “What colour do you want to see?”

“I want nothing more than to see the peaceful blue of the sky or the powerful navy of the ocean. I love the idea of blue so fucking much that I’ll paint my nails that colour like a fool even though it just looks grey,” Calum chuckled humourlously, holding his hand out to Luke to let him see. “I don’t want to die in a world that’s still black and white.”

“You’re like me but with red,” Luke chuckled slightly in disbelief just to wince at his lack of sensitivity regarding Calum’s last sentence. “Uh, why are you telling me this?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “guess I’m just the right amount of drunk to ramble about my feelings. Don’t get used to it.”

Luke smiled softly at his words. Getting used to him, that sounded like a nice idea. “Well, drunk or not, I think that you will find your soulmate. In no time you’ll be looking up and seeing a blue sky, trust me.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

They were both silent as they looked each other in the eyes for a few seconds. All that could be heard were the cars driving past and the music blasting through the apartment. Luke noticed just how good he looked in the dark, and just how plump and appealing his lips were. He watched Calum lean in slowly, felt his body do the same, felt the tip of their noses brush against each other until–

“Luke!”

The pair are quick to pull away from each other upon hearing Michael’s voice, leaving a foot’s distance between their chests.

“What do you want?”

“Have you seen Amber?” Luke couldn’t help but frustratedly roll his eyes at his best friend who stumbled over towards him, annoyed that he had ruined the only highlight of his night.

“No. She’s probably with her friends or something, I don’t know.”

“Can you help me? I’ve been looking for her for ages and our apartment isn’t big enough for me to have taken this long. Please,” Michael begged, occasionally slurring his words.

Luke glanced over at Calum who gave him a nod, silently excusing himself from the scene. “Yeah, okay, whatever.”

Michael found her a few minutes later passed out in the bathroom. They really were soulmates.

Luke couldn’t stop thinking about their almost kiss. The way his dark eyes fluttered closed, the way his face emitted warmth, the way the soft skin of his nose brushed against his. The moment was so tender and vulnerable and perfect until his ill-timed friend decided to make a guest appearance. He should’ve expected that from Michael.

The sun shone brightly on the hot June’s day as Luke and Michael made their way into a pub, desperate for some refreshing beer. It wasn’t their usual bar, it was one in the city that Michael’s friends recommended and as usual Luke felt out of place. They sat down at a table of faces he somewhat recognised, filled himself a glass from the jug of beer and listened to their conversations, only joining in when his self esteem allowed him. He eventually got up to order the next pint, patiently waiting at the bar for the bartender to take his order.

“Fancy seeing you here,” grinned Calum as he pulled up beside him, Luke’s eyebrows lifting up in surprise when he saw him. “Come here often?”

“First time. Michael dragged me, as usual,” he replied with a soft smile.

Calum nodded, fingers rhythmically tapping on the counter. “Keep it that way, this place is shit. Wanna get out of here?”

“What?” Luke asked with a confused look in his eyes, anxiety bubbling in his chest at the spontaneity of his offer. He never just did things.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Calum enunciated louder, fingers running through his dark curls as he awaited a response from him.

“Okay,” he found himself saying and soon enough Luke was running down the streets with Calum, chest full of laughter. He didn’t know where he was and for once he didn’t even care, too engrossed in the conversation and fun he was having with his new friend.

They found a small patch of grass and Luke felt like laying in it, so that’s what he did. Calum didn’t join him, however, too busy studying whatever was behind that metal railing.

“There’s a pool there. I think it’s a primary school.”

“Okay?” Luke chuckled slightly, not knowing where Calum was going with this.

“Let’s jump in.”

“What?” he asked but was too late, for Calum was already climbing the fence. “Calum what the fuck.”

“Come on, live a little,” he grinned as he sat at the top, looking down at Luke. Luke stood up and slowly made his way over to the fence, thinking that at some point Calum would tell him that he was joking and come back down. But he didn’t. “Climb up, it’s easy.”

Luke placed his clammy hands onto the metal railing and strategically placed his foot somewhere where he could later hoist himself up. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I almost never do,” he murmured as he climbed the fence, meeting the man at the top.

“That’s what life’s all about,” Calum smiled before jumping off the other side, sprinting towards the pool.

Luke shook his head in disbelief as he watched him, a small smile on his lips, before slowly climbing down the fence. He ran behind him until he reached the swimming pool. The lights lining the edges of the pool made the water glow and seem that much more appealing. Much like Calum, who glowed with the light from the sunset as he took off his grey shirt.

“Are you gonna jump in like that?” Calum teased as he watched Luke make no move to remove his clothes. Luke rolled his eyes playfully as he kicked off his shoes, eventually stripping down to his underwear.

Calum pushed him into the water when Luke least expected it, too busy testing the temperature of the pool with his foot. He was splashed in the face as soon as he resurfaced by Calum jumping in too, emerging with a laugh.

“That wasn’t funny,” Luke complained in mock aggravation, splashing Calum with water. “I could’ve drowned.”

“Why, don’t know how to hold your breath underwater?” he taunted, mimicking his action.

“I’ll have you know I’m the best at holding my breath underwater.”

“Really?” Calum questioned with a raised brow, a look that Luke couldn’t quite decipher in his eyes. “That sounds like a challenge.”

“A challenge you won’t disprove,” Luke said somewhat boldly.

“Alright, on the count of three we go down,” Calum explained prior to counting down, the pair taking a deep breath just before submerging themselves underwater.

They watched each other as the water made their hair flail about, determination written on their faces. But then time seemed to stop as Calum pushed himself closer, his rough hand finding its place on Luke’s cheek. He instinctively closed his eyes and suddenly Calum’s lips were pressed against the corner of his mouth and Luke felt like a fool. He still felt like a fool as he pushed himself up to the surface, vexed as he watched Calum emerge a few seconds later.

“I won,” Calum grinned mischievously.

“You fucking cheated, I demand a rematch,” Luke insisted despite Calum denying his claim, so they counted back down from three and immersed themselves in the water.

Luke felt flustered under Calum’s gaze, which kept dropping down to his touch-starved lips. Anxiety bubbled in his chest as he kept watching Calum‘s eyes linger, too scared to mirror the action. His previous tactic had left Luke dumbfounded and confused. He thought that he was going to kiss him, that he wanted to kiss him. But now he didn’t know whether Calum craved his lips as much as Luke did or whether he was trying to distract him again. Luke didn’t want to look like a fool.

But then he looked down at his plump grey lips.

Luke felt his hands jitter as Calum’s demeanour became determined. Calum’s eyes never left his as he slowly inched closer, each second that passed making Luke’s heart beat faster and faster against his chest. He could feel his pulse in his ears as Calum’s nose softly grazed his own and Luke had finally had enough as he pressed his lips to Calum’s.

Luke didn’t know where this sudden surge of confidence had come from but he didn’t care as Calum kissed him eagerly, arms wrapping around Luke’s neck to pull him close. It felt as though he had been wanting this to happen for a long time. He placed his hands on Calum’s soft cheeks as they pushed themselves back up above the surface. They kissed and kissed and kissed until Luke felt his lips go numb, but he couldn’t bear to pull away from his intoxicating touch. Neither of them could. Neither of them wanted to.

“Don’t open your eyes yet,” Calum murmured against his lips once he reluctantly pulled away, smiling softly when Luke chased them to leave a quick kiss. “I’m not ready to be disappointed.”

Luke frowned at this, though he understood the meaning behind his words. “Okay,” he whispered, softly stroking his wet cheek. “How long have you wanted to do that?”

“Too long,” Calum chuckled quietly, leaning into his touch. “Probably since the first time I saw you.”

“That night at Ashton’s?”

“No, before that. I can’t remember whose party it was but you were there, happily dancing with Michael and Amber instead of looking awkward and gloomy in the corner like usual,” he teased, accepting the light slap to his shoulder. “You just looked so beautiful and carefree and I was like ‘fuck, he’s the one, I need to talk to him’. And then I didn’t,” Calum laughed.

“Shut up, that’s too cheesy to be true,” Luke complained although he couldn’t stop himself from pressing happy kisses to his lips.

“Believe what you want.”

“Do you want to look now?” Luke asked after a few seconds of silence. He could sense his reluctance, which was eventually overpowered by the acceptance of the fact that he had to open them eventually.

“Okay.”

Luke took a deep breath, anxiety bubbling in his chest in case the world was still grey. But that kiss felt right, his touch felt right, Calum felt too right for someone who wasn’t his soulmate. He had to be. He wanted him to be. He needed him to be.

His eyes opened to a bright sky filled with so many different colours he couldn’t even name. They were bright and warm and real and fuck, colours were beyond anything Luke had ever tried to imagine. His cheeks hurt from grinning as he kept looking around, looking at the green of the leaves and the blue of the pool. He looked down at his nails and he felt like crying. “That’s red,” he said excitedly, almost in disbelief. Red was so beautiful. Luke looked back at Calum just to find him already looking at him with a smile on his red lips.

“Your eyes are so blue,” Calum muttered in amazement as he pulled him in by the cheeks to kiss him tenderly. “I fucking love blue.”

“I fucking love red,” Luke chuckled with a shy smile, glancing up at the changing sky before joining their lips together again. He kissed him and kissed him and kissed him once more because although the colours were wonderful, Calum’s lips were more.

i’ve had so many technical issues but she’s finally posted! thank you @maluminspace and @h0tsos for doing this event, it was really fun and i enjoyed writing something that was somewhat out of my comfort zone because i’ve never written a slash fic. also a special thanks to @sexgodashton and @5-secondsofcolor for being the most helpful when i was stuck!!

taglist: @cashtonasfuck @maluminspace @castaway-cashton @loveroflrh @5sosnsfw @gigglyirwin @mysticalhood @punkrockpreferences @koalacal @calumsmermaid

message me or tap on the link in my masterlist to be added!!

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maluminspace · 4 years

Text

Genre: Fluff/Parent!sos

Pairings: Calum Hood/Michael Clifford

Word Count: 5.8k

Written for: 5sos fic event

Prompt: “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I almost never do.”

Event Masterlist

A/N: My first contribution to the fic event that @h0tsos and I put together. This whole experience has been so fun, we’ve managed to bring together a bunch of really talented writers and I hope you all enjoy all of the fics they’ve all produced. I really hope that everyone’s on board to do another of these because I’m so happy with how this one is turning out!

Title taken from ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ By ABBA.

***

Michael Clifford had made no secret that his days off were incredibly important to him. He loved to lounge around in his underwear playing whatever games he fancied with his online buddies for as long as he liked.

So it is a testament to his friendship with his long-term best friend, that he’d given up one of these glorious days to take care of Luke’s daughter.

Michael had thought it would earn him some much needed friend points since he’d gotten Luke into trouble with his girlfriend after their last drunken night out.

The park had seemed like a good idea at first. Michael had thought that a bit of fresh air might be just what his honorary niece needed to tire her out. It turned out, however, that little Ivy had more energy than Michael had given her credit for.

“C’mon, Uncle Mikey!” The toddler grinned as she pointed towards the playground hopefully. “Push me on the swing!” Her blonde curls bobbed around her face adorably as she bounced up and down on the spot, staring up at Michael with big blue eyes. She looked so much like her dad, that was undeniable.

“Isn’t it nearly time for your nap, Miss Hemmings?” Michael yawned, glancing at his watch. He’d sort of hoped to be home by now so that he could join his gamer friends in a few online battles whilst the little one slept for a couple of hours.

It didn’t seem like that was going to happen, though and he just had to make his peace with the fact that he was probably going to be out in the world entertaining this energetic toddler for the rest of the day.

Ivy shook her head defiantly. “Not tired!” She giggled. “Swings now!”

Rolling his eyes, Michael admitted defeat. His best friend’s little girl really knew how to wrap him around her finger already. He allowed Ivy to lead the way to the playground, hoping that he’d at least get to sit down for a bit whilst she played with other kids.

The play area in this particular park was a fairly large one, split into a few different sections for different age groups to enjoy. The whole playground was surrounded by a bright red fence and there were two sunshine-yellow gates marking the entrance points. The toddler section was situated next to the nearest entrance. It was undeniably cute, with ocean themed rockers, swings and slides. Beyond that was a pirate ship themed jungle gym, complete with various climbing frames, slides and monkey bars. On the other side of the playground was a set of swings for older kids, one of the tallest slides Michael had ever seen and a climbing frame that gave him vertigo just looking at it!

It was a warm sunny day, so of course the place was absolutely packed, full of families of all descriptions. There were quite a few older kids tearing around, not really caring which of the smaller ones they scared in the process of whatever dumb game they were playing. Michael made sure to keep an eye on them, knowing that he’d probably end up in a huge argument with their parents if they ruined Ivy’s day in any way, shape or form.

Luckily the boisterous brats seemed to be terrorising the area of the playground where the larger slides and climbing frames were situated and Ivy only seemed interested in the toddler section. She headed straight for the swings but another little girl swooped in to grab the last empty one just before her.

At first, Michael thought that Ivy was going to get upset, but she simply pulled Michael over to the slide instead. It was set into a simple little purple plastic structure shaped like a submarine. Ivy seemed torn between playing in the submarine and going on the slide itself. Her cute little face twisted into a confused expression as she seemingly contemplated her choices.

It was only when Ivy spotted a little boy hiding inside the submarine, that she made her decision. “Hello!” She chirped, her blue eyes regarding her potential new friend with excitement. “What game are you playing?”

The little boy, who seemed to be right around Ivy’s age, looked up at her, his brown eyes shining with tears. He looked a little bit frightened and Michael immediately felt the need to find out what was wrong. Before he could ask what had happened, though, Ivy beat him to it.

“You’re sad?” She asked, plonking herself down on the tiny painted bench next to the crying boy.

The brown-eyed little boy nodded and pointed to a scrape on his elbow. “Fell over…” he sobbed, aiming a tearful glance at the older kids still running around recklessly near the pirate ship.

Michael felt anger bubbling up in his chest. How could those mindless brats knock over a toddler and not even make sure he’s okay before carrying on with their stupid game? “Where’s your mummy or daddy, buddy?” The blonde man asked. The little boy shrugged, fresh tears spilling over into his cheeks.

Michael tried to think, glancing around the playground to see if he could find a distressed parent. It didn’t take him long to find a man that looked like he was on the verge of tears, frantically glaring around the playground with a tiny backpack in one of his hands. He seemed to be calling out a name but he was a bit too far away for Michael to hear him over the noisy games of the dozens of children filling the playground.

Of course leaving Ivy and her new friend alone, even for a second, was out of the question. That only really gave Michael one option, he jammed his thumb and index finger into his mouth and whistled loudly, waving his free hand wildly so that the frantic dad would know it was him that was trying to attract his attention.

When the upset man finally met Michael’s gaze, the blonde gestured for him to come over.

Taking one more look around the playground before figuring that he had to trust this stranger, the dark haired man jogged over. “Have you seen my little boy?” He asked, before Michael had a chance to speak. “He’s only three years old, he has…”

“Brown eyes and dark curls like you?” Michael asked, smiling in what he hoped was a soothing way.

The stranger nodded hopefully. “Have you seen him?”

Michael gestured to the little submarine and stepped aside so that the obviously distressed dad could be reunited with his son.

The dark haired man crouched down and his face lit up with relief as he saw the little boy sitting next to Ivy on the bench inside. “Arlo!” He sighed. “Why did you run away from me like that, little dude?”

The toddler’s lip started to shake as though he was about to start crying again.

“No, no! Don’t cry, buddy!” The father said gently. “I’m not angry, I was just worried! I couldn’t see where you were!”

“Sorry, Daddy.” Arlo muttered, scrambling out of the submarine to give his father a hug.

The tall, raven-haired man grinned as he enveloped his son in a loving embrace. It was only when they pulled apart that he noticed the graze on Arlo’s bare elbow. “Oh no, Sweetheart!”, he sighed. “What happened?”

Arlo shrugged but once again shot the group of boisterous older kids a furtive glance that told Michael everything he needed to know.

“You should have come to me, buddy!” The father said, his brow knitted together in a worried expression. “We’ll clean it all out when we get home, yeah? I think we still have some of those dinosaur band aids left too. I’m sure that’ll fix it right up!”

Arlo seemed satisfied with his dad’s plan and gave him a watery smile. “Can I play some more?”

Before the kid’s dad could reply, Ivy bounced over reaching for Arlo’s hand. “Lets play on the slide!” She giggled, pointing at the submarine slide.

Arlo looks at his father hopefully before the man that Michael had decided is incredibly handsome now that he’s seen him up close, told the toddler to go ahead.

Ivy literally jumped for joy as her new friend took her hand and allowed her to pull him over to the slide.

“She seems like quite a handful.” The handsome stranger observed as he watched the two toddlers climb the few steps to the top of the slide.

Michael nodded. “She really is… I can’t keep up with her. She’s like a tiny whirlwind. I have no idea how people have children and stay sane.”

“Well you’re not alone in that.” The stranger smiled softly. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have no idea what I’m doing. I almost never do.” A sort of sadness tainted his smile as he gazed over at his son.

Feeling the need to cheer up the sweet stranger, Michael paints a cheerful smile on his face. “You look like you’re doing a great job to me.” He reassured as best he could. His lack of experience in parenting kind of made him feel like he had no right to say something like that, but he needed this guy to know he wasn’t a bad person just because his kid ran off one time.

“Thanks.” The dark haired man shrugged. “It’s nice to hear that once in a while.” He turned back to face Michael and once again the blonde was taken aback by just how pretty the stranger’s face was. “I’m Calum, by the way, and the little escape artist over there is Arlo.”

Taking the hand that was offered to him, Michael let out a tiny laugh. “The little ball of sunshine over there is Ivy, I’m Michael.”

“Is it just the two of you here?” Calum asked, taking a quick glance around the playground. “Ivy’s mum not here with you?”

Michael shook his head, a sudden fear washing over him as he realised that Calum had this all wrong. “No actually… I’m not…”

“Oh I’m sorry man.” Calum interrupted, a slight blush ringing his cheeks. “That was a stupid question. I, of all people, should know better than to ask that. Being a single parent is hard enough without idiots like me assuming stuff about you and your family…”

Before Michael could explain the whole misunderstanding, Ivy yelled over, not only saving him the bother of clearing things up, but saying it much simpler than he could have. “Watch this, Uncle Mikey!” She giggled, launching herself down the slide at an almost alarming speed. He rushed forward to catch her so that she didn't topple off the end of the contraption and hurt herself.

“Be careful!” Michael sighed. “What would your daddy say if I took you home all bruised up?”

Ivy simply laughed again and bounded off to join her new friend at the base of the steps.

“Wow, I messed up even worse than I thought.” Calum chuckled. “Can we just start over?”

Michael smiled fondly as he brushed himself down. “It’s fine, I’d assume the same thing you did. Ivy is my best friend’s kid, though. I offered to take her for the day to give her parents a rest.”

“That’s sweet.” Calum complimented, letting his gaze drift to Arlo and Ivy again as they reached the top of the slide. “They’re lucky to have a friend like you. Ivy seems to love spending time with you, too.”

Michael managed to tear his gaze away from Calum to watch the children go down the slide again - a lot more safely this time. “Yeah, probably because I let her eat way too much sugar and don’t enforce nap times.” He admitted, feeling somewhat guilty in the presence of a parent who’d most likely have a meltdown over someone taking care of his own child with such lax discipline.

The dark haired man simply laughed. “That’ll all change if you ever have your own. Nap times are like the only part of the day you can shit done without a tiny shadow following you around chattering about whatever annoying TV show they’re most into that day.”

Michael laughed, allowing himself another look at the handsome man beside him. “I get that. I guess these are just perks of being the favourite uncle.”

Once again, Calum’s smile slips from his face, replaced by a more thoughtful expression. “Yeah, that must be fun. Sometimes parents get so caught up in all the mundane stuff, it’s difficult to provide light entertainment like this.”

Faintly, Michael wondered what Calum’s deal was. He seemed pretty lonely and Michael couldn’t help feeling bad for him. Being a parent was hard, he knew that from what Luke told him - the sleepless nights, the tantrums and the constant worrying that you’re doing a good job. He couldn’t really imagine going through all that alone. Luke had a partner, siblings, parents, in-laws and a whole group of close friends to help him out with Ivy, and even he still struggled at times. “Well you’re here now and Arlo’s having a great time! Look at his little face.” Michael grinned, glancing over at the little boy as he tugged Ivy towards the steps of the slide again.

“That’s all thanks to you and Ivy.” Calum insisted. “He was having a shit time before and I…”

“Hey…” Michael soothed gently, automatically placing a hand on Calum’s shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Kids get into scrapes all the time. Ivy got her fingers trapped in her toy box last week. Luke thought he was gonna have to take her to the emergency room, he thought she’d broken them!”

Calum stared at Michael’s hand for a moment, before lifting his gaze to meet the blonde’s eyes. He seemed to go through a bunch of different emotions, all of them flickering across his face and disappearing too quickly for Michael to identify them.

Worried that he’d overstepped a boundary, Michael pulled his hand away, feeling his cheeks heat up in an embarrassed blush as he dropped his gaze. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine.”Calum reassured him. “I just don’t get much adult company these days. I’m not used to being the one that needs comforting.” He laughed humorlessly.

That wave of sympathy and sadness that Michael had felt for Calum a moment ago seemed to intensify. “Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from Luke, it’s that parents need a shoulder to cry on sometimes too.”

The raven-haired man gave Michael a soft smile. “You’re right. We do. I’m glad your friend has you to help with little Ivy - he’s a lucky guy.” He met Michael’s eyes for a moment before turning back to the children and taking a step towards them. “I should probably get Arlo home, it’s almost lunchtime - he gets cranky if he doesn’t eat on time.”

“I feel that on a deep level.” The blonde man laughed. Luke had always told him he got on so well with Ivy because they were mentally the same age. Apparently, he was entirely right.

Calum gave a huff of laughter before calling his son over. “C’mon buddy, time to go!”

Arlo’s face dropped into a heart-breaking frown and Ivy mirrored it perfectly. They both looked so distraught at the imminent end to their short friendship, that Michael just couldn’t let it happen. If he ever needed a reason to stop being such a wuss, this was definitely it. Even though he couldn’t explain why, Michael felt a strong connection to this stranger and his need to get to know him better had started to consume him. He wasn’t usually the confident type; Michael never usually put himself out there, always waiting for others to make the first move instead. Judging by Calum’s demeanour, though, he was sure that if he didn’t say or do something, this would be the last time they ever spoke. That thought had barely crossed Michael’s mind as he summoned all of his courage. “Hey, Calum, um…” He scratched the back of his neck nervously, trying to force out the words perched on the edge of his tongue as Calum turned back towards him, a curious expression on his handsome face. “I was gonna take Ivy to our favourite little café for lunch - it’s only about a five minute walk from here. I wondered if you and Arlo wanted to join us? It’d be nice for Ivy to have someone her own age to chat to…”

Arlo and Ivy both looked up at Calum hopefully, their little faces focused on him as they patiently waited for his response.

Calum’s face broke out into a genuine smile. “You really wouldn’t mind if we tagged along?”

Michael shook his head, trying to control the nervous energy pulsing through him. This was the closest he’d ever been to asking someone on a date and it was pretty terrifying. “Of course not. You’d actually be doing me a favour because if I have to hear about how Olaf from ‘Frozen’ is the funniest thing ever one more time, I’m sure I’ll lose my mind. Please let Ivy give that speech to Arlo whilst we talk about anything else. You’d be saving me, honestly.”

Dropping down to crouch next to his son, Calum slips the backpack in his hands over Arlo’s shoulders. “What do you think bud?” He asked. “Do you wanna go for lunch with Ivy and her Uncle Mike?”

Arlo nodded, immediately reaching for Ivy’s hand. “Can we have toasties?”

Calum shrugged and looked up at Michael. “I don’t know; do they make good toasties, Mike?”

Nodding confidently, Michael took Ivy’s free hand. “They make the best toasties I’ve ever had.”

“And milkshakes!” Ivy interjected matter of factly, causing Calum and Arlo to giggle adorably.

The looks on all three of their faces made Michael’s heart melt. He was pretty sure he’d never felt quite so proud of himself before. “Well, that depends.” He chuckled. “Their banana milkshake is the best I’ve ever had but their chocolate…”

“Choccy milkshakes are the best!” Ivy grins, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “Lets go!”

***

The walk to the café took a little longer than usual. That was mostly down to the fact that Ivy and Arlo stopped every couple of minutes to discuss, in Michael’s opinion, the most mundane shit imaginable. At one point, Ivy had stopped to tell her friend that a twig on the ground looked like a crooked old finger. She proceeded to pick it up and the two of them giggled over it for a while. Michael has taken this opportunity to ask Calum some simple, non-intrusive questions. He just wanted to get to know the handsome stranger better; there was no crime in that. A moment later, Arlo stopped to scoop up a handful of cherry blossoms and throw the tiny petals into the air. This resulted in both toddlers giggling delightedly whilst twirling around every time the warm breeze picked up enough to swirl the petals around in the air.

The whole thing was completely adorable. Michael found himself smiling stupidly big by the time they’d reached the café. He was particularly pleased when he noticed that Calum’s happy expression mirrored his own. He somehow looked even hotter when he was genuinely cheerful.

The little café was pretty busy, but luckily, Michael’s favourite table near the window was still available. He urged the children over to it before slipping off his denim jacket. He didn’t miss the way that Calum eyed his bare, tattooed arms for a moment before helping Arlo into one of the chairs.

The waitress arrived before Michael had even helped Ivy out of her pretty blue cardigan. Not that he needed the menus to order of course; he and Ivy were creatures of habit.

“Oh, you’re taking care of your Uncle Mike today, huh?” The middle-aged lady grinned at Ivy. “Is he behaving himself, or do I need to give you his banana milkshake instead?”

Ivy laughed, her blue eyes sparkling gleefully. “He’s a good boy!” She answered instantly. She’d always loved the staff here, having been a regular since birth as it was one of Michael’s and Luke’s favourite places to hang out.

“Glad to hear it!” The waitress nodded. “Are you two gonna get your usual, or are we having a change today?”

Michael was terrible with names and since the staff here didn’t have name badges he was clueless as to what to call the friendly waitress. “The usual, please.” He grinned, as he glanced back at Calum who was quietly reading out the children’s menu to Arlo.

The lady nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less!” She laughed, before turning to Calum and Arlo on the opposite side of the table. “And what can I get for your new friends?”

“Two cheese toasties, a cappuccino and an orange juice, please.” Calum replied, placing the menu back in its holder.

Once the waitress finished hitting the order down, she informed the men that their order wouldn’t be long before she bustled off behind the counter.

“This place seems nice.” Calum observed, glancing around the simple room approvingly. “I never even knew it was here.”

Michael widened his eyes in mild surprise. “Really? I come here at least once a week.” He confessed.

“Yeah, I can tell.” Calum chuckled. “You’re on first name terms with the staff.”

Heat rose in Michael’s cheeks yet again and he faintly wondered if anyone had ever made him blush this much in such a short space of time.

“I don’t mean that in a bad way!” Calum rushed to repair the damage he obviously thought he’d done, by reaching out to place his hand on Michael’s lower arm. “I think it’s really cute, actually.”

Maybe it was because they were sitting opposite each other in a quiet little corner of the café, that made Michael hyper aware of the word ‘cute’, or perhaps it was the slight emphasis that Calum put on that particular word. Whichever it was, the blonde was kind of melting and it was incredibly embarrassing. He’d never really flirted or been flirted with much when he was sober, so he wasn’t sure how to react. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if this was flirting; was he just overreacting? Was this how normal people interact during the day? Michael wouldn’t know; he spoke to the same few people during the day and two of those were his parents, one was Luke and the rest were employees at this café.

“Yay! Milkshakes!”

Ivy’s excited voice pulled Michael out of his fog of thought and back to the table. Calum still had his hand on Michael’s arm and it felt as though that patch of skin was burning, but not in an unpleasant way - in a ‘I need more’ kinda way. Knowing that that thought is entirely not appropriate for the situation, Michael forces himself to remove his arm from Calum’s loose grip. He offered the raven-haired man an apologetic glance before turning to the familiar waitress that was approaching their table with a tray of drinks.

Calum seemed a little saddened by Michael’s decision to pull away from him, but his face brightened a little as he watched Arlo sipping his juice delightedly through a colourful paper straw.

Somehow working out a way to let Calum know he was cute, too, preferably without being too forward, was now Michael’s top priority. He had absolutely no idea how to do that though.

“I’m sorry.” Calum mumbled, “I apparently don’t know how to interact with other grownups anymore.” He adds, almost guiltily.

“Don’t apologise!” Michael rushed to put his new friend’s mind at ease. “I’m the worst at speaking to people, especially when I don’t even have a beer for a bit of Dutch courage, y’know?”

The raven-haired man laughed at that, although he kept his attention mostly on Arlo. This was presumably to avoid eye contact and Michael understood that reasoning. “Ah yeah, I remember alcohol.” Calum sighed, in faux distress. “Haven’t had the time or opportunity to enjoy any of that in a while.”

Something about Calum’s tone and demeanour suggested that he was mildly upset about that but the fondness with which he regarded Arlo, made it clear that his key reason for not having a beer lately, was entirely worth it.

“Yeah, I guess being a dad can do that.” Michael replied, hoping that his sympathy didn’t come across as sarcasm or anything. “Eat up your time, I mean. It must be really rewarding, though.” He added.

Calum nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, it is really rewarding and I wouldn’t trade my time with this li’l due for anything.”

It was obvious that Calum was telling the truth. The love he radiates for his son was undeniable. It was also obvious that Calum was tired, though, and possibly in need of some time for himself. It was far too early in their friendship for Michael to start prying about how much his friends and family help out with Arlo - let alone offer his own help - but he was determined to do something. “It’s important for you to have a bit of down time too.” He ventured cautiously. “I know that Luke and Chloe take Ivy to a playgroup sometimes. That gives them a break to hang with other parents and stuff…”

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to do something like that.” Calum shrugged. “I think it’d be great for Arlo to make new friends.”

“I made a new friend today, Daddy!” The little boy grinned, pure joy painting his tiny features as he beamed up at his father. “Ivy is my new best friend!”

Michael was pretty sure his whole heart had just melted into a puddle of mush on the floor. Arlo was just about the cutest kid he’d ever met, besides Ivy.

“She is?” Calum asked, his brown eyes sparkling with happiness. “Well I guess I’m gonna have to get in contact with her parents to set up more play dates for the two of you, huh?”

Both of the children nodded excitedly at the proposition and Michael couldn’t help but beam at them. In his peripheral vision, he noticed Calum’s gaze turn back to him. Even though he kept most of his attention on the kiddos, Michael didn’t miss the way Calum’s eyes continued to sparkle as he glanced at him.

It’d admittedly been a while since Michael had dated anyone. He was severely out of practice when it came to flirting like this. Luckily, he was saved the bother of trying when the waitress chose that moment to return with their food. She set each person’s chosen meal in front of them, pulling funny faces at the children and smiling politely to Calum. When she placed Michael’s plate in front of him, she offered him a knowing look, almost like a smirk and she motioned with her eyes to Calum. It was undoubtedly a silent appreciation of his taste in men. He gave her a quiet laugh in response, but inwardly he wished the ground would swallow him up.

As they ate, the children exchanged careless conversation. They giggled at each other constantly and took every opportunity, no matter how small, to chat to the other. Michael found himself faintly wishing he had the confidence and nonchalance of a kid Ivy and Arlo’s age. As it was, he was stuck in an awkward silence with the most attractive person he’d been in close contact with for months. Calum was definitely the most promising candidate for a date that he’d had in embarrassingly long time, but he was too stuck in his own head, too worried about making a fool of himself to do anything about it.

Unfortunately, Calum seemed equally as determined to keep himself guarded. Unless of course he wasn’t attracted to Michael at all, in which case he was simply waiting quietly for this ordeal to end. Either way, Michael felt completely out of his comfort zone and therefore decided to make little more than pleasant small talk.

As the food on everyone’s plates gradually disappeared and the inevitable ending of the lunch ‘date’ grew ever closer, Michael felt his anxiety about the whole situation growing inside of him. He kept trying to weigh up the options in his mind. Was he more scared of putting himself out there for once, or of letting this promising opportunity slip through his fingers? It was a question he spent a long time debating with himself - too long in fact. By the time he’d decided that he was definitely not Calum’s type, everyone had already finished their lunch and both of the children were slumping over the table, obviously feeling tired now that their bellies were full.

“I think it’s time for a nap, little bud.” Calum chuckled softly as he tucked one of Arlo’s curls behind his ear. “Are you gonna say bye to Ivy and her Uncle Mike?”

Arlo groaned, shaking his head disapprovingly. “I don’t wanna go!” He protested. “Wanna play more games with Ivy.”

Ivy agreed, sleepily nodding her head. “And we want cake.” She added with a yawn.

It was adorable that both children had taken such a shine to each other and the thought of parting them now was heart-breaking, but definitely necessary. “Well I think you’d both fall asleep in your cake if we got you some now.” Michael reasoned gently. “I think we’ll have to just arrange to meet up another time.”

Pouting dramatically, Ivy shook her head. “Don’t wanna go home yet, Uncle Mike!” She whined defiantly.

Before Michael could argue with her, the waitress appeared with the bill. “I thought I’d bring this over seeing as the little ones look about ready for bed.” She laughed, placing the printed receipt on the tale. “I’ll be right back.” She added before gathering the plates and heading for the kitchen.

Calum shuffled in his seat in order to pull his wallet from his back pocket before reaching for the bill.

This was Michael’s only chance to do something to show he liked Calum without putting too much pressure on himself. He grabbed the bill before the other man could and gripped it tightly in a closed fist. “I’ll get this. It was my idea to come here, so it’s only fair!”

Calum’s surprised expression softened into something like a grateful smile. “I couldn’t let you do that…” He argued, but there wasn’t much conviction in his voice.

“Sure you can!” Michael insisted. “Please, you and Arlo deserve this.”

Seemingly deciding that protesting further was pointless, Calum simply thanked him and slid out of his seat before turning to Arlo. “C’mon buddy, it’s home time.”

The little boy frowned but did as he was told, clambering off the seat and joining his father at the end of the table.

Ivy wasn’t quite so well behaved, though. She opted to begin a tantrum just as the waitress returned to take the payment for their meals. Michael handed the lady a few notes and insisted that she keep the change before turning to the crying toddler. “Ivy, do you really want me to have to tell your Mummy and Daddy that you’ve ruined the day like this?”

The blonde child shook her head again, although tears continued to fall down her chubby cheeks.

Once the small group had filed out onto the street, Ivy pulled her hand out of Michael’s and lunged at Arlo, wrapping him in a big hug. “You’re my best friend.” She pouted as Arlo hugged her back and returned the sentiment.

Judging by the heartbroken look on Calum’s face, he was having as tough of a time with the idea of separating the children as Michael was. After silently chewing on his lip for a moment the raven-haired man turned to Michael, a resolute expression on his beautiful face. “Could I borrow your phone for a moment?”, he asked.

Despite his confusion, Michael nodded and pulled his phone from his denim jacket before unlocking it and handing it to Calum. He watched in shock as the other man typed in his name and number into Michael’s contact list. “Could you please forward my number to Luke and Chloe? Maybe we should arrange a playdate for the little ones. They seem to have really hit it off and it’d be a shame to keep them apart.”

Michael nodded, slightly disappointed that reuniting the kids was the only reason Calum had offered his contact details. “Sure, I’ll make sure they know how well these two got on today - I think they’ll like that Ivy found herself a new friend.”

Smiling, Calum held his hand out to Arlo. “It’s time to go, lil’ dude. I’ll make sure that you get to see Ivy again soon, okay?”

Even though the little boy was obviously upset about having to leave Ivy, he seemingly trusted his father implicitly and gave her one last hug before taking Calum’s hand.

Ivy’s bottom lip started to wobble again as fresh tears brimmed in her sky blue eyes. “C’mon, little miss.” He said, scooping her up into his arms. “You heard Arlo’s daddy, you two will get to play together again really soon, yeah?”

The toddler nodded glumly as she cuddled into Michael, resting her sleepy head on his shoulder.

“Hey uh, Mike…” Calum mumbled just as the blonde man turned to leave.

Michael stopped in his tracks, glancing back at Calum and Arlo curiously, not sure what else there was to say.

“If you, um, wanted to text or call me sometime.” Calum rambled, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “We could maybe hang out, y’know, without the kids… I could buy you a drink or dinner or something…”

Michael’s heart seemed to leap out of his chest as he nodded all too eagerly. “I’d really like that.” He replied, unable to stop a beaming smile from erupting across his face.

A sigh of relief escaped Calum as the tension in his face and shoulders lessened. “It’s a date, then…”

“Yeah, it’s a date.” Michael grinned. “I’ll text you as soon as I get back to the car so you have my number too.”

“Great.” Calum replied, lifting Arlo into his arms. “Don’t forget to pass my number to your friends, too. It’s not like Arlo to click with other kids so easily; I’d hate for him not to see Ivy again soon.”

“I’ll make sure they contact you ASAP.” Michael promised. “See you soon, Calum.” He added, before turning back in the direction of where he’d parked his car.

As he set off, still feeling a little giddy at having been asked on a date by the most gorgeous man he’d ever laid eyes on, his attention was brought back to the real world by Ivy’s sleepy little voice. “Uncle Mike…” She yawned, fixing him with a heavily lidded stare. “What’s a date?”

Tag list: @catearscliffo @byxthexway @afuckingunicornn @painkillerash @moonchildsblack @calumbbyyy @h0tsos @loveroflrh @sexgodashton @megz1985 @myfalsedevotion @aulxna @honeyedlashton @tea4sykes @ghostofmashton @fairyintheglass @cashworthy @cashtonasfuck @opheliaaurora23 @5sosnsfw @wildmichaelflower @wildfl0wer-meg @irwinkitten @cxddlyash @wildmalumflower @cashtonasff5sos @iovehemmings @lowpowermodex @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles @celticclifford @5-secondsofcolor @queer-5sos @Secret-Diary-of-an-Aquarius-blog @babylon-corgis @paradigmax @koalacal @treatallwithkindness @lovelybonesetc @morguleth @atlcalm @mantlereid @calumsmermaid @punkrockpreferences @mermaidcashton @mysticalhood

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allsassnoclass · 4 years

Text

the closest i’ve ever been to the heart of everything

Ficmas Day 9

Pairing: Calum Hood/Roy English

Rating: General Audiences

Key Tag(s): New Years, introspection

Word Count: 1700

Read on AO3

—

The first morning of 2021 in the Hood-English household.

—

2021 arrives quietly in the Hood-English household. Neither of them have plans, one last difference that 2020 has prompted in their lives, so they sit with Duke in the living room and turn on the radio, breaking out cards and board games to tide them over until the clock finally ticks over to a new day, new month, and entirely new year. They cheer in the new one and curse out the old one loud enough for Duke to give them both reproachful looks for interrupting his sleep, then Roy heads to bed. Calum has a few phone calls and video messages to send and respond to, throwing his love and well-wishes out into the world with a sigh of relief and hope for a brighter future. Roy’s entire world is contained in that living room, and the rest of the universe knows that he has infinite time to make connections and spread light, something which he is more inclined to do early in the morning than late at night.

Duke follows him into the bedroom and flops down on his bed, unaware of how momentous this moment is for his two humans and everyone else who has been desperate to see 2020 go. Roy is asleep by the time Calum joins him.

The first morning of 2021 begins in darkness for Roy. He and Calum had left the house the day before to watch the last sunset of 2020, and Roy feels that it’s important for him to see the dawn break on the new year. Calum had not been so keen, but that’s okay. As much as he loves sharing bits of himself with Calum, it’s also important to keep standing on his own feet and meet the future head-on, and Calum will still be here, sleeping peacefully and contentedly by the time he gets back.

His hair is a tangled mess against the pillow. He keeps saying that he wants to cut it, but he hasn’t yet, despite Roy offering to help do it at home. Secretly, Roy thinks he enjoys knowing that he doesn’t need to particularly take care of it and be visible now. Over the course of quarantine, Roy has watched him relax into himself more than he already had, giving himself time to exist without the pressures of being an international celebrity or strict schedules that sometimes come with the band. They both have been on parallel tracks of self-discovery, taking steps on different paths while still holding hands, and it’s been one of the bright spots of the year.

Roy slips out of their house and begins his run. The city wakes up around him in that hazy way that LA is prone to do, never fully asleep yet always groggy in the early hours, and the further from the heart of it he gets, the lighter the sky becomes around him. He pauses where he would typically loop back towards home and looks up, sky a beautiful blend of yellows, pinks, and reds, slowly and steadily chasing away the dark desperately clinging to the day. He closes his eyes and breathes in the energy of fresh starts and a bright sun, letting it fuel him for the way home.

Calum still isn’t awake when he returns, just like he expected, but Duke greets him at the door. He lets him out to do his business and fills his food and water so Calum won’t have to worry about it, then slips into a quick shower. It was cold out there this morning, winter permeating across California and here to stay for a while, but they have a gas fireplace that’s warm, and he grabs a journal and turns it on, taking a seat on the floor near it. His morning mediation is brief today, but it does the trick. Deep, slow breaths center him, helping him come back to inner alignment, and he rids himself of any tension and focuses his thoughts toward openness to the universe and whatever the new year might bring. He is constantly trying to improve, but despite the made up classifications of dates and years it’s still nice to feel like there’s a starting point, especially when so many people need it right now. A new year always breeds a thrumming, united, optimistic energy. It reassures people that the future can be better, and Roy plans to continue harnessing that energy for the rest of his life.

When he’s done meditating, he picks up the journal. Duke had joined him in the living room at some point while he had his eyes closed, resting his head on his paws. He’s used to the rhythm they developed during quarantine, patient in the time between his breakfast and Calum taking him for a walk. Roy feels like, in a way, he’s learned a lot from Duke this year. Dogs find simplistic joy in so many things, not needing a lot to maintain their happiness, just love and companionship. Duke has basked in Calum’s affections this year, overjoyed to have both humans in the house for the longest consecutive time.

Of course, Roy has also been basking in Calum’s presence this year. It’s been the longest time they’ve been able to spend together since they met, and Calum’s presence has been priceless.

If Roy could summarize his past year in one word it would be growth. He’s grown as an individual, more than he thought he would, and he’s witnessed growth and metamorphosis in so many people around him, too. The human race as a whole has been through tremendous growing pains this year, in a way that makes him excited for the future. None of that comes close to the growth he has experienced with Calum as a pair.

One of the many wonderful things about Calum is his complete support of positive transformation. Roy has never felt anything but love and steady reassurance from him. He is a great listener and has never laughed at Roy for his ideas and thoughts, and he understands the value of silence. Silences with Calum never have to be filled, but somehow he always feels closer to him after an afternoon of separate existence and an evening of quiet company. Growth happens in those tacit moments, but they also happen in the loud and obnoxious ones that they share, or the joyful laughter that Roy always manages to catch from Calum.

He would have gone insane without Calum around to keep him grounded, a strong anchor when he gets too close to floating away, and he knows that Calum appreciated his presence, too. Being with Calum makes Roy feel the closest he ever has to his authentic self, a combination of all of the people Roy has been in the past and all of the ones he wants to be in the future whittled down to a singular being in the present. It would make him uneasy to think that they’ll have to part ways again when tours finally restart if he didn’t know that music was what they’re meant to do.

Besides, they have an unbreakable bond. Roy wouldn’t have gotten a matching tattoo with him if he didn’t know even as early as Bali that Calum would be the most important person in his life.

Calum contains too many multitudes to try to journal about, so Roy turns his attention back to the new year and articulates what he wants to see in 2021. For the most part, the things he writes down are simple. Once he notices himself talking in circles, he squeezes his last thoughts out until he has no words left, then sets down his pen and checks the time.

Calum will be getting up soon. It’s time for breakfast.

Roy has never claimed to be a master chef, but he orders pastries that Calum likes and warms some hash browns. Toast goes in the toaster and fruit gets cut up, arranged into neat lines on a cutting board with a copious amount of blueberries because it’s the one they both like best.

Calum enters the kitchen right before the hash browns are done, dashing Roy’s hopes of giving him breakfast in bed.

“Morning,” Calum says, voice sleep-raspy.

“Happy New Year,” Roy says. Calum hums appreciatively, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he passes, heading for the coffee pot.

“Coffee's on the counter,” Roy says. “I got your usual order.”

Calum switches directions, noticing the rest of breakfast laid out.

“You didn’t have to.”

“I figured we’d start the year out right.”

Calum hums again, popping a blueberry into his mouth while Roy takes the hash browns off the heat and gets toast on their plates. They move to the breakfast nook, located in a ray of morning sun that Roy always sits facing since Calum doesn’t like to squint into it. Duke takes his place at their feet, eagerly awaiting any food droppings and greeting Calum in the same move.

Calum will end up giving him some toast. That’s why Roy gave him two pieces instead of just one.

“What are you manifesting for the new year?” Calum asks after he has profusely thanked him for breakfast and eaten a good portion of it. “More growth?”

Roy marvels at how well Calum knows him and the seamless way they understand each other.

“Yeah. I want us all to continue awakening and expanding. What about you?”

“I’m not sure yet,” he says. “Give me the day to think on it.”

Roy nods. He can give Calum all the time in the world.

“Do you really think this year will be better?” Calum asks.

“Yes,” Roy answers immediately. “We can make it better.”

Calum smiles softly, taking another blueberry.

“I like your optimism,” he says. “You make me have faith in us.”

Roy smiles back at him, an answer that Calum can read easily. Roy has already told him that being with Calum keeps that faith in humanity growing. He is an optimist because Calum gives him evidence of the good in the universe every day. Another year with both of them together can only continue to breed good things, no matter what happens around them.

#my writing #roylum #ficmas 2020 #yeah I don't know what to do with this either!#I can't believe I did this but! I did have fun writing it #it's fun trying to write roy's inner monologue #NO ONE has to read this I know I got moody earlier but genuinely this one is only for me and gregory

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willddheartt · 4 years

Text

Babylon: Neon Lights | C.H. Chapter Eight: Valntyne

“she is both hellfire and holy water, the flavour you taste depends on how you treat her”

It had been a love-hate relationship between them the entire time they’ve known one another. Nobody could explain, or pinpoint, the anger and hostility between Calum and Cherry every time they were together. At this point, their friends get concerned when there isn’t a passive-aggressive comment made or some type of glare exchanged. They met through mutual friends, who tried to set them up, saying they’re perfect for each other, leaving everyone astonished that something so perfect went so wrong.

DISCLAIMER: SOME PARTS MIGHT BE R RATED !!

Series warnings: Substances (alcohol & cigarettes), Anger (snappy comments), Smut

Series Masterlist

August 21st Since I covered for one of the staff on Sunday, I collected the shift for today. The three day weekend was one too good to pass up. Violet had to work early, leaving me alone when I woke up close to the afternoon. The sun was shining bright and warmly when I sat with my coffee and cigarette on the balcony, it was such a good day I couldn’t waste it sitting inside all day. Quickly I got ready and headed out to run some errands that needed to be done. Grocery shopping, maybe some clothes shopping and definitely a small lunch.

It wasn’t often that I went shopping alone, normally Violet and I would make a whole night of it. When we moved in together we thought it would be easier to buy the necessary milk, coffee and dinner like foods together, and then buy our snacks on our own budget. I made a list of what was needed before I left and wandered through the stores, finding what was needed. For a Friday afternoon I was shocked at how quiet the stores were. I spent more money on snack foods than dinner foods but if I missed anything I knew Violet would go back on Sunday to pick up anything I missed. After a few more grocery stores, I stopped by the mall to walk through a few clothing stores. Not with the intentions of buying anything, I just wanted to look around.

With summer slowly coming to an end the shops started getting their fall colours and clothing out, which I was all for. I lived for the dark reds and burnt oranges of fall. I never understood why shops in Los Angeles stopped selling shorts when the summer months were coming to an end, sure the winter is cold but it's not freezing. After taking the groceries home and putting the perishables away, it was getting close to 3:00 PM. The restaurants and cafes would have their lunch rush over, and it would be quiet.

I sat by the window in my favourite cafe, with an iced latte and a toasted bagel. The late afternoon sun shining through the window, lighting up my notebook pages as I doodled and scribbled down small bits of poetry that popped into my head. I had been texting our friend group chat as I sat at the cafe, discussing what movies Ashton should rent for movie night. I had such a nice day by myself, I sort of wanted to end the day watching the sunset over the ocean, at the beach. Sending a quick text, letting them know I might not show tonight. I got a lot of questions in the group chat, answering them all with a simple, ‘having a me day’ text.

Just as I was getting ready to leave, ripping out a doodle from my notebook and putting it with my tip for the person who clears my table. I waved to the people behind the counter of the cafe, thanking them before leaving. It had been a while since I had a day to myself, like I had today. In all honesty it was nice.

The apartment was still empty when I went back to gather some items I was taking to watch the sunset. Grabbing a bag stuffing a blanket in along with my camera and a few more pens for my notebook. The Santa Monica Pier was only 20 minutes away, but because I wanted to get there before the sun actually set, I left at 6:30 PM to give myself extra time to find a spot or to just walk around. As you would expect a pier to be on a nice evening, such as tonight, it was packed. Friend groups and couples littered the pier, laughing and having a good time. As much as I was confident about going places alone and I really did enjoy it, I felt out of place, seeing all the groups and pairs of people around yet being alone. Nevertheless I made my way to the end of the pier and sat on the safety railing until the sky began to gather hues of orange and yellow that contracted against the cotton candy pink clouds.

Pulling my camera out of my book bag I began snapping photos of the sky, adjusting the exposure and snapping more. Within minutes the sky had gone from brilliant and bright hues of orange to settling to soft and dark purple and blue hues as the sun settled behind the horizon. Even after the sun was gone and the sky was dark, there held a pink hue over everything.

Ending off a nice day with an even better sunset.

It wasn't terribly late and I had only really missed 20 minutes of the first movie when I eventually ended up at Ashton’s house. I sat on the floor this time. In the beginning everyone but myself were crammed on the furniture, but a few minutes after I sat down, Calum joined me, saying the couch was too crammed.

#5 seconds of summer #5sos #5 seconds of summer imagine #5sos imagine #Calum hood #Calum hood imagine #Michael clifford #Michael clifford imagine #Ashton irwin #Ashton irwin imagine #Luke hemmings #Luke hemmings imagine

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highfivecalum · 5 years

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Dark In Your Heart {CEO!CH} 9

a/n: okay so i wanted to post this so bad and it’s been very requested so ... here’s part 9 but since i’m posting this today updates are gonna be a lillll bit slow after this but!!! happy reading :)))

Previous Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight

◈◈◈

“Did you bring a dress?” Calum’s voice had Maddie’s eyes tearing away from the scenery that passed her and to Calum. He was driving a company car, the nicest car Maddie had ever been in, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting against his temple, holding his head up.

The first few buttons on his white shirt unbuttoned, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his tattoos, and Maddie had to look away before he caught her staring at him. Honestly, it was hard not to stare at him. He was a sight for sore eyes. Everyone knew that.

“What?” Maddie questioned.

“Did you bring a dress? I told you to bring a dress.”

“Shit,” Maddie cursed. She totally forgot about what he told her as she packed. She was too distracted by the thought of staying in a hotel, although not the same room, with Calum and spending all weekend with him. She wasn’t nervous, per say, she was just a little on edge at the thought of spending so much time with him one on one, not able to do anything about the dying attraction she had for him. “I, uh, I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“‘S fine. I have some errands to run, so I’ll drop you off and you can pick out a dress. A nice one. I’ll give you my card to use.”

“Oh, no, Calum, you don’t have to-”

“Yes I do. I asked you to come, so it’s the least I can do.” Maddie nodded her head at Calum’s words, not bothering to argue further, knowing that no matter how many times she refused his credit card; Calum would make her use it anyway.

Of course, Calum dropped her off at the most expensive store he could and Maddie watched him and the expensive car drive away. He told her he would be back within the hour, so she had plenty of time to shop and find a nice, classy dress.

Maddie looked down at the card in her hands, rolling her lips into her mouth and shaking her head before ripping the door to the store open, instantly feeling out of place in her blue jeans and yellow blouse and boots. Everybody else was in dresses and heels, it was no secret that she didn’t fit in.

“Can I help you with something?” The store clerk greeted Maddie with a smile, no doubt a fake one, and arched her perfect eyebrow. “You look a little lost, dear.”

Maddie wanted to roll her eyes at the condescending tone. “Can you just point me in the direction of the dresses?”

Buy yourself a pair of shoes, too.

Maddie bit her lip at the text from Calum and shoved her phone in her back pocket. God, she weirdly felt like he was her sugar daddy, or boyfriend, or something ridiculous. Definitely not her boss.

Maddie found a perfect dress; white with a plunging v-neck dress, the v-neck and the waistline lined with small crystals that made her skin look amazing. Her already tan complexion looking even darker due to the color of the dress. She checked the price tag, letting out a low whistle at the price.

“Five hundred dollars. Really?” She mumbled under her breath and went on to check the prices on all the other dresses, either the same price or more, and she shook her head. The shoes were just the same. A simple pair of plain black strapping heels two hundred.

“Did you find everything okay?” The same store clerk who was now behind the counter greeted her once again.

“Perfect. Thanks.”

The store clerk eyed the items Maddie put on the counter and raised her eyebrows. Obviously the girl didn’t think that Maddie could afford it, which in reality, without Calum’s card, she wouldn’t have been able to. “Your total comes to seven hundred dollars, even.”

“Ridiculous.” Maddie scoffed, but nonetheless, pulled Calum’s card out and gave it to the girl. The clerk waited, figuring it would decline, and was surprised when it went through without a problem.

Maddie didn’t bother thanking the girl as she took the bags from her and exited the store. Calum pulled up just in time, as if he was waiting for her down the street, and smiled at her once her dress and shoes were secure in the car. “Find something?”

“Yep.” Maddie gave him his card back and huffed. “Seven hundred dollars later.”

Calum stifled a laugh, shrugging carelessly since seven hundred dollars, to him, was nothing.

◈◈◈

“Two rooms for Hood?” Calum said, hiking his bag and Maddie’s up his shoulder. Maddie insisted on carrying her bag herself, but Calum, being the gentleman he is, ignored her protests and carried them both. Maddie followed him with her arms crossed over her chest with a huff of annoyance because he never let her do anything herself.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Hood. There seems to have been a problem?” The receptionist furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him nervously as she chewed on her bottom lip. She knew he was important and she wasn’t sure what happened, but there was a mix up. “We have you booked for two rooms, but they’re adjoining, so there will be a door connecting them.”

Calum looked at Maddie, who was for the first time a lot shorter than him without her heels, and puffed his cheeks out. Calum knew she was fine with going on the trip with him, but he didn’t want to pressure her into anything that made her uncomfortable. “You okay with that?”

Maddie simply shrugged, not having much of a choice. “It’s fine.” And, really, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Sure, they had conjoined, attached, rooms, but it wasn’t like they had to share one. Or share a bed. As long as they kept the door shut and locked, they didn’t see a problem.

“Wonderful,” The receptionist grinned. “For you Mr. Hood,” She handed Calum his key card to the hotel room and he pocketed it with a quick thank you. “And you, Mrs. Hood.” Maddie’s eyes widened as the girl gave her her own key card.

“Oh, I’m- I’m not-”

“Thank you.” Calum cut her off and motioned for her to follow him, quickly walking to the elevator. Maddie tried to suppress her laughter at how uncomfortable Calum looked, but she couldn’t help it, letting out a quiet giggle. Calum turned to her, eyebrow cocked. “What’s so funny?”

“Guess I’m Mrs. Hood for the night.” Maddie shrugged with a cheesy smile that had Calum rolling his eyes, but laughing along with her as she giggled.

The only thing Calum could do was laugh and try not to let her words affect him.

◈◈◈

Calum knocked on Maddie’s hotel door, the one outside and not attached to his own room, and laced his ring clad fingers together as he waited. Calum was dressed in a suit and dress shoes, not much different than when he went to work, and he couldn’t wait to see the dress that Maddie had bought.

When the door swung open, revealing Maddie, Calum’s jaw nearly dropped. His eyes shamelessly took her in; the white dress showing enough skin to be sexy and classy, but not slutty, and her hair and makeup so simple making her effortlessly beautiful.

“Wow.” Calum breathed out.

“What?” Maddie laughed nervously, pushing her hair that was in loose curls behind her shoulders, showing her neck and collarbone off, and the small dainty diamond necklace wrapped around her throat. Calum wanted to wrap his hands around it and mark it with his lips.

“You just- you look amazin’.”

“Thank you.” Maddie blushed and rubbed her red lips together. “You do, too.”

“Shall we?” Calum held his hand out for her to take and she did so gladly, but instead of lacing their fingers together like Calum planned, she linked her arm with his and fell in step with him.

Conveniently, the banquet was held in the ballroom in the hotel they were staying at, so they didn’t have to travel far and they were there in minutes. Calum found their assigned seats, close to the front of the stage where he and other publishers and editors would be giving short speeches.

“What would you like to drink, Maddie?” Calum questioned as he stood up.

“Whatever you’re drinking.” Maddie smiled up at him, genuinely, and he nodded before taking off to the bar, greeting people to and from his way to the bar. Calum was back in a few minutes, sitting down next to her and giving her the glass of champagne the bartender poured for them.

“How many speeches are there?” Maddie asked after the seventh one.

Calum went first, keeping it short and simple, wanting to get it over with, not being a huge fan of public speaking. Maddie admired him as he spoke, so professional and intelligent. Maddie loved that he was passionate about what he did.

“This is the last one.” Calum whispered back and Maddie nodded her head. She didn’t want to continue talking while the woman spoke, not wanting to be disrespectful. Once she was done, everybody clapped, the music started, and conversation was flowing.

A certain slow song played and Calum stood up, once again, holding his hand out for her to take. Maddie looked at it in confusion and Calum cleared his throat. “Dance with me?” Calum asked, sounding so serious as he looked at her fondly, with the most genuine and gorgeous smile on his face.

Maddie swore her heart stopped, but she collected herself and let him pull her up and direct her to the dance floor. Calum held her hips and Maddie hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck. She hadn’t been this close to him since she tied his tie for him and she missed the way he smelled and how his hands felt on her.

Maddie tried to look anywhere but Calum, while he looked at nothing but her. His eyes lingered on her lips for a little bit too long and when she absentmindedly licked them, Calum’s grip on her hips tightened. At the feeling, Maddie whipped her head around, swallowing at the way Calum was looking at her. It wasn’t innocent at all.

◈◈◈

“You ready to go back to our rooms?” Calum asked Maddie once she finished her drink. They were both buzzed, enough to be smiling and laughing and talking nonstop. The room started to clear out and Maddie let a yawn rip through her. It was nearing midnight and they had had a long day.

“Mhm.”

They rode in the elevator in silence, Maddie’s head resting on Calum’s upper arm, letting out a tired and content sigh. Calum smelled so good and he was so warm and comfortable, Maddie couldn’t help but let her head fall against him. Calum didn’t mind, not at all.

“Goodnight, Maddie.” Calum pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she opened her hotel door and waved shyly as she shut the door. Leaning against it, Maddie closed her eyes and sighed, wishing so much that she was in the same room as him, the same bed as him, with him.

After dreaming and wishing of what she knew wouldn’t happen, Maddie pushed herself off of the door and took her jewelry off, undid her shoes, and reached behind her to unzip her dress. With a lot of struggle, Maddie came to the conclusion that it was stuck and she groaned. She didn’t want to sleep in it and didn’t want to take it off without zipping it in fear of ripping the gorgeous and expensive dress.

She only had one option.

Her fist hovered over the door that separated her room from Calum’s and took a deep breath, knocking on it before she could back out. It took a few seconds, but Calum was soon opening the door in nothing but his dress pants and Maddie swore it took everything in her to not climb him like a Goddamn tree.

“Yes, Madeline?” God, she loved when he called her that and she hated when anyone used her full name.

“Um,” Maddie laughed nervously and took a step forward, now in his room and outside of hers and Calum was too aware of it. “My- my zipper is stuck. Could you?” Maddie pointed to it and spun around, biting her lip, she waited for Calum.

“Course.” Calum’s cold hands grazed her skin, due to the back of the dress stopping in the middle of her back, and Calum tugged on the zipper a few times before unzipping it easily. It nearly fell off of her body- it would have if Maddie wasn’t holding the front of it to her chest. Calum’s eyes caught sight of the black, lace thong she had on. “Jesus.”

“I-Is, uh, is something wrong?”

Calum let out a quiet and disappointed laugh. “Only thing wrong is that you’re in front of me, like this, and I can’t have you.”

He couldn’t help himself as his hands traced her shoulders and upper back, smirking at the goosebumps that rose on her skin. He stepped closer, his chest nearly pressed against her back, and moved her hair to one side of her shoulder.

When Calum’s lips pressed against the dip between her neck and shoulder, Maddie let out a shaky breath and let her head fall to the side, giving him access to all of her neck. All she could feel was his lips working against her neck and his hands on her body.

“Calum.”

Her breathy moan had him biting and nipping at her skin and his hands pushing the straps of her dress down, making it fall down her body easily. Maddie stood there in only her underwear, goosebumps on her skin, but not from the cold.

As Calum’s hand trailed down her stomach, to the top of her underwear, Maddie’s own hand reached up behind her to lace her fingers through his hair, jaw dropping once Calum dipped his hand into her panties, his fingers rubbing her clit at an agonizingly slow pace.

“Tell me to stop and I’ll stop.” Calum spoke in a gruff voice. He wanted her permission, he wanted to hear her tell him she wanted it just as much as he did. And he wanted her so badly to tell him not to stop because he wasn’t sure he would be able to. “If you don’t want this to go any further tell me now.”

“Don’t,” Maddie moaned as he teased her entrance. “Don’t stop.”

Once Calum had the okay, the green light, he spun her around and cupped her face, his fingers tangling in her hair as his lips worked feverishly against her own. His hands gripped her butt, lifting her up effortlessly, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kicked the door shut, slamming her back against it and nearly growled in her mouth at the sound of her moan and the pressure of his pants restricting his hard on.

Calum kissed down her neck and her chest, nipping and sucking on her nipples before dropping to his knees, hiking one of her legs over his shoulder, trailing his mouth down her stomach, down to the top of her underwear, kissing her through them. Without warning, he was ripping them down her legs and throwing them carelessly behind him.

Maddie moaned, almost pornographically, as Calum attached his lips to her clit. She laced her fingers through his hair, throwing her head back against the door, letting her mouth hang open as the moans left her lips. Calum looked up at her through his eyelashes and smirked against her.

Calum could tell she was close with the way she tugged on his hair, how her moans got louder, and how her muscles tensed. And how her head fell forward with her hair covering her face as she moaned. “Oh my- fuck.”

Calum worked her through her orgasm, watching her come undone, and left one last kiss to her clit before pulling away. “Almost forgot how good you taste.” Calum barely let Maddie recover as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder effortlessly.

“Calum!” Maddie squealed and smacked his butt as he carried her to the bed.

Dropping her down on her back, their eyes never left each other’s as he undid his belt and took his pants and boxers off at once. Maddie’s mouth nearly watered at the sight of him bare and hard just for her.

Crawling above her, he kissed up her stomach, her nipples, neck and collarbone, and finally, her lips. Maddie’s hand trailed down his chest, stopping at his length as she wrapped her hands around him and tugged.

Maddie took control, leaning up, Calum moving along with her, and pushed him on his back. Just like he did her; her lips worked on his neck, chest, and stomach, before finally wrapping her lips around him. “Fuck,” Calum breathed through his moans as Maddie worked his length, sucking him expertly like she had before. “Jus’ like that.”

He was close, way too close, and as good as releasing in her mouth sounded, he wanted her around him. Gripping her hair, Calum lightly pulled her up and attached his lips to her.

“Want you to ride me.” He mumbled against her lips and Maddie didn’t need him to say anymore. Lining herself up with him, Calum stopped her before she could sink down on him. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Condom.”

“Nu huh. On the pill.” Maddie was breathless, her lips peppering kisses on his jaw and neck, and all she wanted was to feel him again.

“You made me use a condom the first time.” Calum moaned, his hands squeezing her hips even harder, no doubt leaving bruises, as she sucked on his skin.

“You were a random stranger the first time. You’re far from a stranger now, Cal.”

Cal. She had never called him by his nickname. He loved it.

“If you’re sure.”

“Fuckin’ positive.” Maddie muttered against his lips as she finally sunk down on him. They both moaned against each other’s skin, loud enough for the room next to them to hear, but they couldn’t have cared less.

“Fuck, Maddie.” Calum threw his head back watching as Maddie bounced up and down on him, her boobs moving with her, her fingers digging into his chest. He almost came just at the sight of her. “Take me so fuckin’ well, baby.”

Without a warning, Calum was flipping them over and pulling out, smirking at the whine that left Maddie’s mouth at the loss of contact. He admired her for a second; laying on her back, her chest heaving, neck marked up, and hair a mess. Maddie looked ethereal He swore he had never seen anything so beautiful.

“Hands and knees, babygirl.” Calum’s gruff voice demanded and Maddie found herself smirking at his orders, wasting no time to position herself; on her hands and knees, hair moved to one side so her arched back was on full display for him.

He slid a hand down her back, stopping it at her ass and giving it a smack, before he lined himself up with her and pushed in. He gripped her hips, thrusting in and out at a fast pace and reveled in the way she sounded because of him. He knew just his length alone wouldn’t make her cum like he wanted her to, so, pulling her up, her back against his chest, Calum wrapped on arm around her throat and the other worked her clit until he felt her clenching around him.

They came, together and at once, and Calum slumped down lightly on Maddie’s chest, careful not to crush her. Sweaty and heaving, they both struggled to catch their breath.

Maddie got up after Calum fell onto the bed, stumbling on her legs slightly, and looked around for her underwear. “Where you goin‘?” Calum rolled onto his side and propped his head up, admiring Maddie’s naked body and hickey covered skin. He was sure his looked the exact same.

“I figured you’d want me to leave.” Maddie admitted and Calum frowned, absolutely hating that she thought he was going to kick her out. He would never.

He shook his head and smiled at her. “Stay. Please. Sleep with me tonight.” Maddie’s mouth opened in surprise, never expecting Calum to want her to stay and sleep in his bed with him. Calum took her surprise as hesitance and he licked his lips nervously. It was a weird feeling, he had never been nervous around her before. Always the other way around. “I mean, only if you want to, of course.”

Finally, Maddie’s surprised expression turned into a smile, and she shook her head, telling him the honest, and maybe even a bit embarrassing, truth. “Wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.”

◈◈◈

Taglist: @novacanecalum @roselukes @kinglyhood @cantbehandled-ever @hereforlukescruff @astroashtonio @monsteramongmikey @gosh-im-short @emma070900 @youmaycallmemrshemmings @cosmocalum @cakesunflower @asht0ns-world @singt0mecalum @lockthisheartinchains @cheyenne-in-wonderland @babyurart @blahehblah @inlovehoodx @softboycal @hopelessxcynic @ashtoniwir @calumsmermaid @curly-cal @callllumhood @rexorangecouny @kurtsflowergirl @cocktail-calum @lukewarmwoda @meganmisc @neonweeknds @kenopsia-falcon @blue-sunset-oreo-lover @foolishcal @ayee-style @itsmeempar @outofmylimitcal @mariellelovescupcakes-blog @post-traumatic-mess @damselindistressanu @tapolesarebabyturtles @noswagswag @scarapoison @sugarcoatedcalum @notsooperfect @trustmeimawhalebiologist @klb967 @littlebear1353 @cal-king @manicpanicbaby @colormekaykay @geeksareunique @nostalgia-luke @badguycal @all-i-want-is2b-loved-by-you @cuddlemecalx @mpadge33 @bitchinbabylon @wilsondanvers @it-was-a-lie

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jpgluke · 6 years

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The Vow // C.H

CALUM HOOD X READER

Summary: You and calum have been married for about two years. It was an average date night when tragedy strikes.

A/n: I’m super in my feelies about this one. Ugh I love it and I can’t wait to write part two!!! I hope you all love it as much as I do :^) advice is always appreciated!!!!!!

Word count: 2k

Want to be added to my tag list?

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Calum was your world. Your happy place. The one you always wanted to come home to after a bad day. Your rock. He knew how you were feeling just by the slightest glance towards you. Calum was so head over heels for you. Ever since he first laid his eyes on you. You were his best friend. The way he felt when he was with you was indescribable. He fell more and more in love with you everyday. When he asked you to marry him you didn’t have to think twice about it and these past two years have been everything and more than he could’ve asked for. For once in his life he felt completely happy with every aspect of his life.

You rolled over to face your beautiful husband. He was still asleep on his stomach. The comforters slid down exposing his bare back. He was truly gorgeous. Even when he wasn’t trying. He could be a model if he wanted to. Even when he wasn’t trying. You started tracing little shapes and writing out words on his toned back. He turned his head and barely opened his eyes. “Hi gorgeous.” His voice still raspy from just waking up. A sleepy grin plaster across his face. “How’d you sleep baby?” He pulled you into his chest and you intertwined your legs in a big jumble of limbs. Mornings with calum were always relaxing. You’d usually wake up before him and play on your phone or read a book. On the mornings he would wake up before you he would always make you breakfast. When he’d wake up he’d say the same thing every morning. “I slept great. You were really warm last night.” You continued your tracing of shapes just on his chest and he lazily combed through your hair. “Babe, I’m always hot.” He let out a laugh as you untangled yourself from him and sat up. “That was bad. Really bad” you started laughing as his jaw dropped acting offended. “Oh yeah if it was bad then why can’t you stop laughing huh?” He grabbed you and pinned you down placing kisses all over your face and neck while you tried to squirm away. “Calum stop I have to get ready for work” he stopped but jutted his bottom lip out trying to get you to come back in bed and join him. “Don’t look at me like that!” You pointed at him and then pushed his head back causing him to plop back into bed. “Fine have a good day my love. Remember date night tonight!” He threw the comforters back over him as he tried to go back to sleep for a few more hours until he needed to be in the studio. You headed to the shower to start your daily routine.

Work was long and boring but Calum frequently sent you stupid selfies of him in the studio which made you smile. When the clock struck 5 you started to wrap up what you were doing at work so you had some time to get ready before your date night. On your way out all your coworkers told you to have a good date night. They all knew you and Calum’s date nights were Thursdays. Honestly you loved where you worked everyone was kind and you felt comfortable. Most of your coworkers kept prying on when you two were going to have a baby which always made you blush. You and calum had talked about it a few times but both agreed that you two weren’t ready to have one.

You pulled into the driveway next to calum’s car and locked the doors as you headed inside. “Hey my love.” He greeted you as he sat on the couch with duke on his lap. You walked over and cupped his face and kissed his forehead. Then gave duke a kiss on the top of his head. “Hi cutie. I’m gonna go do my makeup and then I’ll be ready to go” you headed up the stairs as calum called out “you know you don’t need all that crap.” You shook your head as you walked into your room. You saw a beautiful black dress with a rose laid on top of it. You walked back downstairs holding it up in front of you. “What is this?” “What you’re gonna wear tonight. I saw it in a store window and had to get it for you.” You walked to the couch and gave him a hug “I love you” and a sweet long kiss. You never get tired of his soft lips. They always tasted like chapstick but that never bothered you. You went back upstairs to complete getting ready.

Once you were satisfied with your makeup you slipped on the black dress with some simple red heels and headed back downstairs. “God damn it my wife is hot.” He wrapped his arms around you and hugged you from behind while kissing your cheek. “And my husband isn’t too bad himself.” He spun you around and examined the face he knew all to well. “Ready to go?” He grabbed his keys and walked to the front door. “Bye duke love you” Calum called out to the small dog who seemed unbothered that you two leaving.

Calum was softly singing along to a song that played through the car speakers. It was a particularly cold day out. His hand was placed on your exposed thigh. His thumb rubbing circles causing goosebumps to arise on your skin. Times like these you were so thankful for. Calum was focused on the road but still snuck glances over at you as you quietly sang along. “Where are we going tonight?” You looked over at calum who was already looking at you. While he wasn’t looking at the road the yellow light ahead at turned red and before either of you could do anything another car slammed into the passenger side of the car.

Everything was dark and loud. Calum looked around not being able to recognize anything that was happening. Lots of lights flashing around him he looked over to you. Your eyes were closed and you weren’t moving. Blood was dripping down your face even though he couldn’t see where the source was. Calum realized what had happened and he tried to reach out for you but he was locked in place “y/n!” His voice was shaking. He pleaded for you to open your eyes. Suddenly an emt was on your side of the car

“Can you hear me? Can you move at all” the large man opened the door and unbuckled calum. “You have to help my wife she’s not responding please” calum could barely choke out what he was trying to say. Another man showed up on your side of the car. Calum was transported to an ambulance waiting nearby his injuries were minor. Just a small concussion and a few scrapes. Y/n on the other hand still wasn’t responsive. You were rushed to the hospital calum rode along in the ambulance gripping you hand so tightly.

“I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her” was the only thing coming out of calums mouth during the short ride to the hospital. When they arrived you were rushed to the OR. Calum had to wait behind. His thoughts becoming more and more negative.

“Dude oh my god are you okay. What’s happening?” Luke rushed in the other boys followed closely behind. “I looked away for one second.” His head fell in his hands. As he sobbed. “I can’t lose her. I need her.” The boys embraced the shaking boy as they waited for any news in the waiting room.

A few hours passed when a doctor in scrubs came out to talk to them. “Are you Mr. Hood?” The small man approached the group of men sitting in the waiting room. All of them stood as Calum stepped forward. “Yes that’s me. Is she okay? Is she awake? Can I see her?” He stood there in anticipation. “She’s doing better she suffered a major head injury. She should be awake any minute. But there is something you might want to know. With that large of brain damage we’re not sure how much she’ll remember.” Calums eyes started to water again. He felt a few stray tears fall down his face. How could I have done this. His thoughts were so loud in his brain. Pounding against his skull. The doctor led him to your room. As the other boys held back. You looked like you. But not like yourself. You laid in the hospital bed eyes carefully closed. He sat by your bed side and held your hand.

“I’m so sorry my love. Please wake up.” His voice cracked. His eyes were so red and puffy from the crying.

As the darkness and haziness began to fade your eyes lifted open into a room you didn’t recognize but could tell was a hospital room. Your head was pounding. The lights were so bright. As you scanned the room you see a beautiful man sleeping in the chair next to you. He looked like he had been crying and had scrapes all over his face. He didn’t look familiar to you. Once you were fully awake you were incredibly thirsty but your arms could barely move. “Uhhhhhgg” you audibly struggled to reach for the water placed on the bedside table. Which woke the sleeping beauty. “Oh my god you’re awake.” He handed you the water. You took a big sip as the cold sensation dribbled down your throat. “My head hurts. Can you tell me what happened to me?” His face fell when he told you you had been in a bad car accident. “Did your car hit mine? You didn’t need to stay to make sure I’m alright. I’m fine thank you.” The words that came out of your mouth made calum’s heart drop. You didn’t recognize him. He didn’t know what to do. Whether cry or be angry with himself for doing this to you. “Y/n do you not know who I am?” His voice broke when he delivered the question.

“I’m sorry. I don’t.” Your brain was blank the last thing you remember was you had just moved to LA. “Oh my god. Okay. Um I’m your husband. Calum Hood.” He shook his head and stood up to call the doctor in.

“Good you’re awake. How are you feeling y/n?” The doctor came in and started checking your vitals and the charts. “Well, I just found out I’m married so like I guess I’m doing okay?” You let out a soft laugh as the doctor assured you that some memory loss was normal for the amount of damage done to you brain. Calum stepped outside the room with the doctor.

“How long until her memory is restored?” He leaned against the nurses station tapping his fingers against the top of the desk as the doctor responded. “It’s hard to tell. Sometimes it comes back within the day but sometimes it never comes back. I’m really sorry Mr. Hood.” With that he had walked away. Calum headed to the waiting room where all the boys were sitting patiently waiting. “She’s awake.” He walked up with his eyes still looking at the ground. “That’s great mate.” Ashton gave him a quick hug. “She doesn’t know me. Sh-sh-she doesn’t know who I am.” His throat bobbed with emotion. “Calum... I’m so sorry. But she loves you I’m pretty sure she’ll remember that.” Michael put his hand on the broad shoulders of the brunette.

“Hopefully.”

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Part two :^)

#calum hood #calum 5sos #calum hood x reader #sad #5sos #5sos3 #5sos blurbs #calum hood blurbs #luke hemmings #michael clifford #ashton irwin #my writing #words #5 seconds of summer #tumblrsos #lukenetwork

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ohimaginethat · 6 years

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Seven Minutes (Calum Hood x Reader)

Hey, everyone, I’m back! For those of you who read it, this is part two of All Too Well, another Cal imagine I published just a little while ago. If you haven’t already, make sure you read through it again because I had to change all of Cal’s part at the end to fit better with this. And, for those of you who want to read this, but have no clue what’s going on, I’ll link part one here: All Too Well. This is also based on a song called Seven Minutes by Dean Lewis, which I just discovered recently, so give that a listen (as well as All Too Well by Taylor Swift, because it’s sprinkled throughout here, too). Happy reading!

Angry drivers honk their horns and my tires squeal below me as I make a sudden U-Turn. It was a dramatic and extremely unsafe move, but it didn’t matter to me. I didn’t have time to waste; I was ready to fight for what---for who I loved. I pushed the speed limit as much as I was able to without the worry of being pulled over and I put out the cigarette that I’d been breathing in since I got my things; she always hated when I did that.

Our car came to a screeching halt at the stop light I almost ran. I’d been too caught up in her that I didn’t notice the yellow looming ahead. Her hair was floating around her and a smile lit up her face as she sang quietly along to whatever song happened to come on the radio.

My head snaps toward Y/N, concerned. “Sh*t, are you okay? I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

I see that she has tears in her eyes when I can finally get a good look at her. Her shoulders are shaking too, but I soon realize it’s from laughter. I shake my head at how ridiculous the situation was and begin chuckling as well. Then, she utters words that I thought I’d never hear so casually, “I love you so much, Cal.” She was still giggling and was in the process of wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

Five simple words sent my mind spiraling, but in an instant I found myself repeating them back to her. When we finally approached a less busy street, I pull to the side of the road and park. I shift my entire body toward her and rest my head upon my hands. Her cheeks were tinted pink as I told her that we almost crashed because she was too beautiful to look away from.

“It must be my evil sorcery that makes you stay,” Y/N jokes.

“As long as I’m with you, I’m perfectly okay with that.” The entire ride back to her house was filled with howling fits of laughter over the smallest things. The only time it stopped was when she reprimanded me for smoking for the millionth time, but, for whatever reason, I felt like I needed to listen to her, for once. So, I made a resolution to quit smoking, afraid that I would lose her otherwise, due to her fear of losing me.

Who knew one person could change another so much? Sometimes it makes them better, and other times worse, but you’re supposed to stick with them through either, and I didn’t do that, so it was time to make it right. As I swiftly turned the corner that lead to our---to her street, I prayed that it wasn’t too late; that I hadn’t destroyed what once was a masterpiece before I tore it all up.

I slam the car door behind me and sprint for the entrance, petrified that she’d left. That I’d lost her completely. I press my forehead against the cool metal of the front door and bang on the door. I knew I’d just barely made it not when she opened the door, but when I saw the lost look in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” I whisper, “I’m so fucking sorry. I don’t know what happened. I’ve just been… Gone these last couple of months and I convinced myself that there was nothing I could do about it. That you were the one to blame and that I didn’t do a thing. And that’s exactly right. I didn’t do a damn thing to keep you, and I’ve never regretted anything more in my life.” The words flew out of my mouth in a messy jumble that left Y/N confused.

Cautiously, I took her hand into my own. She seemed wary, but didn’t say anything, so I continued, slower---gentler this time. “I can’t believe that I forgot to love you. That’s all I was ever meant to do and I forgot. After plaid shirt days and nights spent I making you mine, movie marathons and memories created under the stars… I ruined it all and for what? I didn’t gain anything; I lost everything. I know I don’t deserve you because you deserve so, so much better than me, but I can’t stand the thought of hurting you again. Moving away and mailing back your things, all the while picturing you walking home alone… Leaving you alone, Y/N---I can’t do it. And seeing you with someone else would kill me, so is there any chance in hell that you would ever let me come home?”

The world stands still for a few moments as she stares at me, her lip quivering. Then, she nods her head shakily and squeezes my hand. I’d never felt more alive.

I couldn’t stop the flow of tears falling from my eyes as I crumbled into her, pulling her as close as she can possibly be. She pushes herself away from me after a few minutes, paralyzing me with fear.

Y/N looks down at me with a small smile as she brushes her hand over my cheek, wiping away my tears, before kissing me softly. Seeing her smile makes my heart sting with sadness---How did I ever think I could let this go?

#calum hood #calum hood imagines #calum hood x reader #calum #5sos imagines #all too well #taylor swift #seven minutes #dean lewis #music

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cakesunflower · 5 years

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No Need Convincing Me [Tattoo Artist!Calum AU] Part 3

Summary: Elodie Banks hadn’t expected to get so caught up in her best friend’s tattoo artist. But all it took was one meeting with Calum Hood for Elodie to feel herself drawing towards him and the ink on his skin. Maybe once she was rid of a miserable relationship and the insecurities that came with it, she’d allow herself to realize that Calum was just as wrapped up in her.

All Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Part 3

The bedroom door swung open, the music playing throughout the apartment no longer muffled as Elodie turned around instantly, eyes landing on Calum standing in the doorway. “Oh, shit—sorry,” he apologized with a quick chuckle, one hand still on the doorknob while the other scratched at the back of his head. Elodie blinked at him, at the boyish grin on his face and the flush in his cheeks. He was drunk, or tipsy, maybe. “Thought this was the bathroom.”

“It’s okay,” Elodie assured him with a smile of her own. The nervous flutter returned in the pit of her stomach, but the smile that tilted her lips was one she couldn’t control. Calum came into view and so did her smile. Gesturing towards the ensuite, Elodie told him, “You could use this one.”

Calum nodded, shutting the door behind him as his dark eyes took in the sight of Elodie as the music blaring throughout Dominique’s home was just slightly muffled once more. She felt a familiar flush overtake her body as Calum stepped into the room some more, the heat of his gaze freezing Elodie in place as he took her in. Well, her and her costume; she and Dominique decided to dress up as Cher and Dionne from Clueless, complete with a form fitting white crop top under a black and yellow plaid blazer with a matching mini skirt, knee high socks and heels—the last two a combination only reserved for Halloween.

And with him openly observing her costume, Elodie did the same to him; she knew, thanks to Dominique, that he and Ashton were dressed up in costumes from Reservoir Dogs, their looks complete with white button downs splattered with fake blood, dress pants with matching suits and sunglasses. She’d only been around Calum a couple of times, and even though his clothes had fake blood on them, Elodie still found herself admiring the sight of him in dressy clothes. He looked good, which wasn’t a surprise.

What came as a surprise, though, was the fact that Elodie found herself liking it more when Calum wore his chains and leather jacket; both looks suited him, truthfully, but for some reason the sight of Calum in a leather jacket was burned into Elodie’s brain. And she didn’t mind it a bit.

She wasn’t entirely sure how Calum got so close to her, the distance between them minimal as he stopped a foot or so away from her. His body towered over hers, more so than Nathan’s did, and yet. . . There was nothing suffocating about this. Elodie’s stomach flipped at the way Calum’s broad frame dominated hers, but there was no real intimidation. The sound of her heart beating in her ears was louder than the music. Calum didn’t make her feel small.

Elodie looked up at him through her lashes, breath hitching when she noted the pink in his cheeks. It wasn’t a sight she’d seen before, not that she’d been around Calum enough times, but it was adorable. His lips curled, and Elodie figured it was a lot easier for him to smile when he was a bit inebriated. Voice low, yet always carrying that rasp, Calum murmured, “You look pretty.” And he meant it.

How was it so easy for him to compliment her? It should be alarming, how effortlessly Calum ignites a fire in Elodie’s face and intensifies the butterflies in her stomach she hadn’t felt in a long time. It should raise red flags that he could make her breath hitch in her throat with just a few simple words and a look casted by those dark brown eyes. But it wasn’t any of that. It felt good.

Her lips curled, her smile shy and sweet and honest, and instead of saying thank you, she wanted to return the compliment despite the nervous twisting of her stomach. “You look—”

“Badass?” Calum supplied, looking down at her as he made his eyebrows jump twice, quickly, and it was like he sensed how she was feeling and decided to make it easier, make it light with a joke and a smirk that was more charming than condescending. And, God, the slight lisp kind of flustered Elodie even more.

“I was gonna say handsome,” she told him, her voice as soft and genuine as her smile, the heat in her cheeks returning as quickly as the confidence that allowed her to return the compliment left. But Calum’s eyes glimmered at her words, his smirk softening into a smile of his own, and Elodie’s heart was in her throat as the familiar scent of his cologne began overwhelming her. Throat working, she gestured with a small laugh, “Didn’t you have to use the bathroom?”

Calum blinked, as if just remembering why he entered the room in the first place. His eyes darted towards the other door as he sounded an absent, “Right.” Looking back at her, he winked, quick and flirty and heart stopping, as he said, “Be right back,” before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Elodie let out a slow breath as she heard the lock click, head tilting back to look up at the ceiling. Was she flirting with him? Did that count as flirting? Fucking hell, Elodie wasn’t even sure what constituted as flirting anymore. Nathan didn’t even flirt with her.

Her eyes clenched shut at the reminder of her boyfriend. Whatever she just engaged in with Calum, whether it was flirting or not, should not have felt as easy and good as it did. Not when that few minutes of conversation was far better than just being in her own boyfriend’s presence.

And it was as if the universe wasn’t on her side, because the bedroom door opened, and in walked Nathan, dressed as. . . Nothing. Because God forbid he took part in something as childish as Halloween—or Dominique’s birthday. So he had arrived in one of his many custom tailored suits, looking like he did every other day of his life. Elodie didn’t get butterflies at the sight of him. She froze up—but not in the kind of way she did with Calum. Not in the excited way.

“What’re you doing in the guest room?” Nathan questioned as he walked in, not entirely shutting the door as the sound of the music and the party filtered in.

“It’s not the guest room,” Elodie found herself saying before she could stop. And she didn’t want to stop. So she smiled, allowing herself to be excited and thrilled and everything else that she was since she arrived at Dominique’s penthouse so they could get ready for the party. The birthday girl had decided she wanted to have fun at her own house, so she and her hired security could be more in charge of who arrived. Gesturing to the room with her hands, Elodie told Nathan with an exhilarated grin, “It’s my room. I’m moving in with Dom.”

He didn’t smile or share in Elodie’s excitement but, then again, she hadn’t entirely expected him to. Instead, Nathan just raised his eyebrows, a scoff of a laugh escaping him as he asked, “You’re what?”

She didn’t want him to step on her happiness, so she kept the smile on her face, even if it became a bit painful to keep. “I’m moving in with her,” Elodie repeated patiently. “She surprised me with the idea and my parents think it’s great, too. I’m gonna start packing my things up soon.”

Nathan’s eyebrows drew together, his disdain with the idea clear on his face as he began walking towards her. It was terrible, how almost everything Elodie said or decided was something Nathan couldn’t bring it in himself to feel happy about for her. What kind of boyfriend was he? What kind of relationship had Elodie been subjecting herself to? “If you wanna move out of your house, move in with me, El. It’s more practical to live with your boyfriend at this age than your best friend.”

If Elodie was someone else, she would’ve laughed in Nathan’s face at his ridiculous words. Last time she checked, there was no age limit in living with your best friend. What’s more, her and Nathan had been together for, what, six months? And most of them were miserable because Elodie allowed herself to suffer being with someone who wasn’t good to her because the image they created was good enough. Living with him sounded like the worst idea she had ever heard—the thought of it was enough to make her nauseous.

“I’m not going to move in with you, Nathan,” Elodie told him calmly, hands at her back as she nervously played with the material of her skirt. “It’s not practical.”

She could see the anger quickly brewing in the green of his eyes. He never hesitated in getting pissed off at her. She wished she was numb to his piercing scowl, but it never failed to anxiously jump her heart. Nathan’s voice was harsh as he demanded, “Why the hell not?”

He was storming towards her as he spoke, encroaching on her personal space that Elodie decided, right then and there, that she didn’t ever want him near again. So as he approached her, Elodie found herself taking a few steps back, the action only serving to piss Nathan off even more. If he was a decent boyfriend, one would think the sight of his girlfriend backing away from him—out of fear—was an alarming sight on its own. But it didn’t even seem to register as concerning to Nathan. No, it only served to aggravate him more. How twisted.

Maybe it was the notion of Nathan never seeming to be on board with any idea that allowed for Elodie to have her own independence, or the horrific reminder that getting utterly pissed off at her for no solid or logical reason seemed to be his favorite pastime, but whatever it was, it finally had Elodie uttering the words she had stupidly been fighting herself from saying, words that were only a hint at what Dominique had probably been wanting to hear her to actually say for a long time.

“Because I can’t live with you if you’re not my boyfriend,” Elodie stated, the words rushing out of her quickly and without thought, like she wanted to get them out in the open as fast as possible and hope they didn’t leave a bitter taste in her mouth. They didn’t.

Her heart was thundering as she looked at Nathan, who had stopped just a foot in front of her, looking down at her with a startled, angered and glaring expression as her words registered. Her heart was too loud in her ears, filling the silence followed by her words despite the lively party going on. God. Elodie should be out there celebrating her best friend’s birthday. Though, part of her figured Dominique wouldn’t mind if she’d heard what Elodie had just said.

Nathan’s eyes were narrowed suddenly, challenging and mocking at the same time. “Are you breaking up with me?” He let out a laugh, the sound empty and humorless and twisting Elodie’s stomach unpleasantly. She looked up at him, her own eyes widened at what she had said, though not at all regretful. But she watched him warily, worriedly, not entirely sure where this was going. Because normally Elodie would just submit, she would do or say whatever she needed to in order to appease Nathan, but that was out of the window. Now, she was doing and saying as she wanted to, and there was no telling how this was going to go. The fear she felt prickling her skin was yet another sign that she had stuck around for far longer than she should’ve.

Instead of letting Elodie answer his probably rhetoric question, the empty smile that had upturned Nathan’s lips to release his humorless laugh dropped, the fire in his eyes a full on blazon as his jaw tightened. “You can’t fucking end this, Elodie.”

Somehow, through the dryness of her throat and the trembling of her fingers, Elodie managed to return, “You can’t keep around someone who doesn’t want to be with you, Nathan.” She gave a shake of her head, unable to let the guilt from seeping into her tone and saddening her eyes as she added, “It was my fault for making you think I wanted to stay longer than I ever did.”

Her words, though riddled with guilt and sadness because that’s just the kind of person Elodie was, had been pushing enough to enrage Nathan all the more. Because next thing she knew, right once she had finished speaking, Nathan’s expression contorted into one of rage, eyes fierce and lips snarling, as his right hand lifted and Elodie’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as his guttural voice raged, “You fucking bi—”

Elodie’s initial reaction wasn’t to shrink away and squeeze her eyes shut. Because this had never happened before. For all his faults in their mess of a relationship, Nathan had never raised a hand at Elodie, and so she hadn’t seen it coming. She’d frozen, lips parting to inhale a sharp breath out of utter startlement for what he was about to do, eyes widening in a sick combination of horror and confusion and terror because, shit, had she been naive enough to never expect this from him?

But what Nathan aimed to do, he didn’t get to. Because neither of them had heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, nor the quick footsteps to approach them just in time for Calum’s hand to catch Nathan’s in the air before it descended. Elodie found herself stumbling back a step, heart pounding against her check, hand pressing to her stomach as some kind of defense as she looked on with widened eyes. No tears, no tears, no tears. She didn’t want to cry. No matter how scared she felt in Nathan’s presence.

If Elodie thought Nathan’s rage towards her had been terrifying, it was nothing compared to the unabated fury etched on Calum’s face. He no longer looked like his flushed, maybe tipsy self from before; instead, his dark eyes were sharp and menacing, lips pressed together tightly yet twisted upwards in obvious outrage. His grip on Nathan’s arm was tight, strong, iron clad in the way Nathan’s arm shook in trying to break out from the grasp but being unable to do so.

Elodie was frozen where she stood, troubled head trying hard to catch up with what was happening, as Nathan turned his head slightly to meet Calum’s gaze. She watched the way Calum looked down at him, noted the muscle in his jaw jumping as he tried to control whatever anger was burning through his veins right now. “Were you really ’bout to do what it looked like?” Elodie’s throat worked at the sound of Calum’s voice. The deep timber she enjoyed the sound of was dark, heavy in the promise of violence as his focus remained solely on Nathan, who struggled to get out of Calum’s grip. He was a big guy, but Elodie didn’t know he was so strong to so easily keep Nathan in place. Calum licked his lips before letting out a quiet breath, chin tilting to bring his mouth closer to Nathan’s ear as he baited lowly, in a dangerously challenging tone , “Motherfucker, give me a reason to break your fucking arm right now.”

Nathan’s breathing quickened from his own anger, and Elodie wondered if there was a bit of panic mixing in on his end, as he jerked his shoulders to get away from Calum’s grip. But with one hand holding Nathan’s arm and the other, Elodie realized, holding Nathan’s other arm behind his back, Calum had an unforgiving grip on him. “Get your fucking hands off me!”

“So you can try and put yours on her again?” Calum scoffed, but it was controlled. Everything about him in this moment, Elodie noticed, was controlled. His expression was threatening to twitch into something far more savage than it was, his deep voice, though dark, trembled just a bit with the fury igniting his system. Calum was much better at controlling his temper than Nathan was. “Don’t think so. Let’s go.”

He was moving them, then, and Elodie watched with widened eyes as Calum forced Nathan around, hands still gripping him, as he pushed him out of the room. Nathan’s struggling grunts and curses were drowned by the music, and Elodie snapped herself out of her shocked trance as they disappeared around the corner, Calum’s broad frame easily overpowering Nathan’s, barely stumbling over her feet and following them out.

Elodie’s heart was drumming, quicker than the bass of the music playing through the penthouse, and she pushed her way past the people enjoying themselves as she looked over their heads to catch sight of the two guys. Her brown eyes darted around, unsure if she was breathing heavily from panic or surprise, as she finally caught sight of them towards the front door.

She stumbled out of the front door into the wide hallway just in time to see Calum let go of Nathan with a shove. She stood a few feet behind them, the door shutting behind them as her hand gripped the doorframe as she watched Nathan swiveled around, tugging to straighten out his suit jacket as his angrily wide eyes landed on Calum. He looked outrage, like he couldn’t believe Calum would put his hands on him, as he let out a sharp breath.

Nathan stormed over, eyes narrowed as he demanded, “Who the fuck do you think you are?” He pointed a finger at Calum warningly, a lock of his blonde hair falling across his forehead, as his voice remained tight. “You don’t put your fucking hands on me.”

Elodie feared that the veins in Nathan’s forehead and neck were about to burst, face red, and it was almost alarming how kept together Calum looked compared to him, despite the look of wrath he’d been wearing. Of course, she couldn’t really see his face; just the tightness of his jaw, his sharp gaze focused on Nathan and nothing else. He stood tall, chin jutted and hands curled into fists at his side. He was like a barrier between her and Nathan, and Elodie appreciated it more than she could say.

“Leave,” Calum said, his tone hard with no room for arguments.

Nathan exhaled sharply, his gaze moving past Calum to look at Elodie, and she felt her body tensing at the anger still present in his eyes. He didn’t even try to wash it over, instead looked at her with the same fierce look that showed the rage that didn’t diminish. Nathan’s breathing was unsteady, his aggravation keeping him from taking any stable breaths. “Elodie, let’s just talk—” he stared as he took he tried to take a few steps towards her.

Calum didn’t allow him to finish, side stepping to press a hand against Nathan’s chest and pushing him back. “Are you serious right now?” Calum scoffed, an incredulous chuckle escaping him as he shook his head at Nathan. He didn’t waver under the glare shot his way. “Fuck out of here.”

Elodie kept her lips pressed together, throat working as she watched the scene in front of her. God, all she wanted to do was head back inside and drink and celebrate with Dominique. This had escalated more than she expected. Her heart still hadn’t calmed down after Nathan raised his hand at her—he was about to hit her, for God’s sake. She thought many things of Nathan, but someone capable of doing that had never been one of them. Not until now. And to think she was just saying the absolute worst thing to him away from getting him to this point had her stomach twisting uncomfortably, terrifyingly. How could it have gotten so bad?

She watched, with scared eyes, as Nathan shot them both one last outraged look before letting out a scoff and began walking backwards down the hall to where the elevators were. His eyes met Elodie’s as he jammed the button, gaze sharp as he told her from where he stood, “You’re making a mistake.”

Elodie took a breath, shaky and catching in her throat, as she blinked quickly to rid of the tears that had gathered. Last time. If she was going to cry because of Nathan again, this would be the last time it would happen. Because she was done; she’d managed to grow some kind of spine and end things with him, and even though she ultimately needed Calum’s help, she still did it. She put an end to an unhappy chapter of her life. Nathan wasn’t going to make her cry anymore.

So she swallowed the lump in her throat, grip on the door frame tight as she responded as steadily as she could, “I don’t think I am.”

His expression hardened. As expected. And with a snarling curl of his lips and scowl that sent a shiver down Elodie’s spine, Nathan was gone.

And she could breathe.

“I’m sorry.”

Elodie’s gaze lifted, widened and glassy eyes landed on the only other person in the hallway. She tried to focus past the sound of her drumming heart and muffled music from inside, blinking as her eyebrows drew together in a gentle frown. “What?” she asked in confusion. “What’re you sorry for?”

“Uh,” Calum sounded, now facing her as he reached up to rub the back of his head. When Elodie got a look at him, she noted the expression on his face, one that was ridden with guilt as he took a few steps towards her. Coming to a stop in front of Elodie, Calum’s dark eyes met hers, and she was almost shocked at how there was little to no trace of the anger she had seen. Or, maybe, it was there, laying under the concerned softness of his gaze, but because it wasn’t meant for her he didn’t show it. Was it strange that Elodie found that sweet? Calum’s throat worked as he let out a breath. “I’m sorry that you had to see me. . . Like that. And I’m sorry that he thought that kind of behavior would ever be okay.”

Elodie couldn’t help it—she gaped at him. Her lips parted, widened eyes staring at him as if he had two heads, when in actuality, he’d only uttered words any decent human being would. And it was almost sad, how much Calum’s apology meant to Elodie, because Nathan had never thought to utter the words I’m sorry after the things he’d say. But here was Calum, apologizing for something he didn’t have to feel guilty about.

“Y-You don’t have to apologize,” Elodie told him, not caring too much about how she stumbled over her words a bit. The shock was only beginning to wear off. Elodie blinked quickly, clearing her throat as her cheeks pinkened and she added gratefully, “Thank you for jumping in and defending me.”

“’Course,” Calum responded, his voice softer than she thought was capable, the word slipping from his lips so easily as if he had never been second guessed his actions. His eyebrows then knitted together, some edge creeping back into his voice as he said, “He had no right to even try.” With a clench of his jaw and his dark eyes meeting hers, he asked slowly, “Has he done that before?”

The way he asked reluctantly had Elodie realizing that Calum was dreading her possible answer. Like if she said yes, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn to the elevator and find Nathan to finish what he’d started. And while violence wasn’t something Elodie promoted, the mere idea of Calum caring about the situation to the point where he’d consider doing something like that had her stomach twisting. But not in a bad way.

“No,” she answered truthfully, rolling her lips into her mouth as her gaze dropped. Her eyebrows furrowed as she felt her own guilt pool in the pit of her stomach. She knew it wasn’t her fault, knew that what had just happened was because of Nathan’s own flaws; but being with someone like him long enough and having to endure him drop remarks that somehow everything seemed to be her fault made it difficult to not blame herself. She had acted and he reacted, terrifyingly so, and it was she who had pushed him over the edge, wasn’t it?

“Hey, stop that.” Elodie blinked, gaze lifting to look at Calum, taking a gentle breath to keep the stinging in her eyes at bay. Don’t cry. It’s over. Calum’s frown went from a glare at the thought of Nathan to a softer, concerned one, just barely a hint of sternness present. He stood in front of her, his figure tall yet a comforting presence, and Calum ducked his head slightly to keep their gazes locked. Elodie just barely glanced at a tattoo on his collarbone peeking out from under the collar of his shirt. “It’s important that you know that none of this was your fault, alright? He’s the only one to blame.”

He was right. Elodie knew he was, but Nathan had such an imprint on her that she still found herself parting her lips to argue, “But—”

“No buts, Elodie.” The words died in her throat as her name slipped from his mouth, pressing her lips together when his hands gripped her shoulders. Just as he did so, Calum’s gaze dropped to his hands, like he was suddenly aware of him touching her without warning, and Elodie felt her heart jump at the mild panic that seeped into his dark eyes. But she remained still, silently letting him know that it was okay, that his touch was burning her and she welcomed it. Calum’s throat worked, eyes meeting hers once more, looking at her like he wanted her to truly understand what he was saying. “You weren’t the cause of any of this. A grown man should know how to act. I barely know the guy and already saw him cross so many lines. You did the right thing.”

Elodie knew Calum’s words were meant to be comforting to her, to let her know that the choice she made tonight was valid. But it also served to remind her that the choices she’d made to get to this point had been so wrong. To let it get this far. . . What had she been thinking? Her skin was hot—whether it was from shame or guilt or Calum’s proximity, she didn’t know. But Elodie’s throat worked as she blinked her gaze away, sniffling ever so slightly as she looked at the wall and found herself muttering, “You probably think I was stupid to be with him in the first place.”

“No. I think you had your reasons.” Elodie’s gaze shifted back to Calum, at the understanding that softened his features as he offered a slight shrug. “You don’t have to tell ’em to me. And it might not mean much, but—” His lips quirked up ever so slightly, honest and real as he gave her shoulders a squeeze. “—I think you’re better off without him.”

Elodie’s throat tightened, brown eyes on his, and in a moment of feeling forward, she reached a hand up and squeezed Calum’s wrist. She felt the cool metal of his chain bracelet under her touch, sending a shiver down her spine despite the warmth of his skin. When Calum raised his eyebrows, not at her touch but as a way of silently asking if she understood what he was telling her, Elodie found herself smiling. And finally let the guilt slip away as she agreed, “I think so, too.”

Satisfied by her answer, Calum’s lips quirked into a smirk before dropping his hands from her shoulders, and Elodie tried not to be disappointed by the lack of his touch as Calum ticked his head to the door. “Come on, let’s get you a drink.”

*****

When Elodie stepped into H & H Tattoo and Piercings, she was greeted by Michael exclaiming her name in happy surprise over the sound of the unfamiliar song playing through the shop, leaning away from the computer at the reception desk and pushing himself into the back of his chair hands thrown up. “Where’d you come from?” he asked with a laugh as they pulled away from a hug shared over the counter.

“I ran into her at the Starbucks down the block,” Sierra said as she walked around the desk, waving Michael away, who got up with a sigh as she returned to her rightful chair. “Asked her to come by and hang because I’m so bored.”

Elodie smiled as Michael snorted, raising his eyebrows at Sierra. “So you basically kidnapped her from the rest of her day to bring her here?”

“I wasn’t doing anything,” Elodie assured with a shake of her head and a gentle smile, one hand still holding her frappe cup. “I just got out of class and had nothing else to do.”

And it was true. After class, she’d gotten into the car and asked her driver to take her to Starbucks because she needed it even after sitting through three classes. Running into Sierra had been out of the blue, and when she was invited to come hang out at the tattoo shop, Elodie would be lying if she said her heart hadn’t jumped up to her throat at the thought of seeing Calum. It was the first thing that popped into Elodie’s head as soon as she heard Sierra’s offer, an excited flutter in her stomach to see him again.

Ever since Dominique’s party four days ago, Elodie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Calum. There were moments during the past few days that thoughts of Nathan would creep into her mind without her content, where she’d feel her heart racing as she remembered what he almost did to her after she finally stood up for herself. And then she’d think of Calum, and she’d relax. She found herself being able to breathe again—not just because of Calum, but because she was no longer tied to Nathan. She did that.

“Ready to get that nose piercing?”

The sound of his voice had Elodie’s breath hitching and she turned around in time to see Calum strolling over, tall and broad shouldered in black track pants and a red tee that hugged him snugly. She noted the bit of scruff that had become more prominent around his mouth and on his chin, and not that her opinion mattered, but she liked it. Nathan was always clean shaven, and this time around, Elodie didn’t feel much guilt for thinking how boring he was. Was that stupid? To think someone was boring because they didn’t like growing facial hair?

Elodie decided that no, it wasn’t. Because everything about Nathan had been clean shaven. Except his uncontrollable anger. She quickly pushed thoughts of him out of her head, unwanted and unneeded, as she focused on Calum. The tattoos on his arm were on full display, the black ink intricate against his brown skin, and Elodie’s curiosity once again came in full swing. She hadn’t ever seen all of his tattoos before; words and pictures alike decorating him. Elodie wanted to know what they all meant.

The smile on her face came easily as response to Calum’s welcoming smirk as he reached her, arm going around her shoulders to pull her in a hug that was just as comforting as the cologne that washed over her, fresh and woodsy as it took over the faint scent of antiseptic and something pleasant she couldn’t put her finger on. Elodie didn’t want to pull away from Calum’s hug, but she felt her heart jump when she noted that Calum didn’t move away from her.

“That hadn’t been on the agenda today,” she told him truthfully, one hand gripping her Starbucks cup while the fingers of the other played with the green straw.

Michael grinned. “Nothing like a spontaneous piercing,” he told her, finger reaching up to flick the silver cross dangling from his ear.

Elodie laughed with a raise of her eyebrows before rolling her lips into her mouth. Her initial thought was that she could wait to get a piercing, but as she let the thought play around in her head, Elodie couldn’t help but wonder, why wait? She was here now, and wanting to get her nose pierced was something she wanted to do for a long time. She always liked the way they looked on other people and there really wasn’t anything stopping her from getting it done.

She wasn’t one for spontaneous actions. Breaking up with Nathan was the biggest unexpected thing she’d done. Why stop now?

“Okay.” The word slipped past her lips before she truly comprehended it, but she didn’t regret it. She saw the grin that quirked at Michael’s lips, mirroring it a bit nervously before her gaze slid over to Calum, who was looking down at her with raised, almost impressed eyebrows. The smirk remained. “Can I get it today?”

It wasn’t long until Elodie was sitting in the same chair Dominique had been sitting in, after signing the papers Sierra had given her before Calum led her to one of the curtain separated rooms. And as she sat, her bag on one of the spare stools as she lightly drummed her fingers on her jeans clad thighs, her eyes took in Calum and his actions. He was getting everything ready, and as the song on the shop’s playlist changed to one she recognized by The Weeknd, Calum asked with his back still to her, “You nervous?”

Her eyes were on his back, on the broad expanse of his shoulders, and Elodie felt the need to touch the soft material of his red shirt again. She licked her lips as she asked, “Should I be?”

Calum turned around, gloves on his hands as he approached her, an easy and boyish smirk on his face that had her heart jolting within her chest. Elodie couldn’t help but admire how in his element he looked as he prepared to pierce her nose, tall and confident and cool. “No,” he told her truthfully, settling on the stool and being somewhat at eye level with her. Calum’s smile turned warm, friendly, and the way it put her at ease almost instantly wasn’t lost on Elodie as he promised in his usual rasp, “You’re in good hands.”

Elodie’s throat worked. She had no doubt about that.

Honestly, the whole process passed a bit too soon. But Elodie knew it was because she was more focused on Calum than what he was doing. Her heart had been in her throat as he sterilized the area, the closeness making her skin flush like a middle schooler. It was almost embarrassing. When he’d marked her nose and had her check in the mirror to approve of where the piercing would go, Elodie found herself still hyper aware of Calum’s proximity. She tried to pay attention to the sound of The Weeknd’s voice playing through the shop, on the vague sounds of Michael and Sierra chatting over in the main area. Her attention couldn’t even focus on how she stood out in the shop; how her light jeans and pastel yellow top were a splash of color against the black and reds of the parlor, that everything about her didn’t necessarily belong in Calum’s shop.

They were so different. Elodie wondered if Calum noticed, too.

No, of course not. Why would he spend time thinking about her?

“Alright, you ready?” He’s to her right, and his voice was low and gentle, like he didn’t want to startle her. Calum spoke to her in the opposite way of which he looked; all tall and set features and dark eyes but a voice that’s friendly and soft and sends butterflies erupting in her stomach each time. Elodie knew that was dangerous.

She wanted to look at him, but she kept her head straight, focused on his presence and voice and the faint scent of his cologne. Elodie twisted her fingers on her lap, keeping herself from clicking her nails as she hummed an affirmative, “Yeah.”

Making it a point not to look at the instruments he was going to use, Elodie slid her gaze to the posters on the wall to her left, but felt her eyes automatically fluttering closed when she felt the cool metal on her nose, biting the inside of her cheek as she felt the brief pinch of the needle piercing her. She felt her eye water, something Calum had told her would happen, but she barely paid attention to it when Calum, as quickly as he’d started, announced, “All done.”

Her eyes opened, eyebrows rising as she found herself asking in surprise, “That’s it?”

Next to her, Calum chuckled and Elodie told herself she was imagining the fondness in the sound as he handed her a tissue. “Yup,” he smiled, watching as she dabbed at the tear that had escaped her eye, the chain of his necklace glinting under the bright lights. Smile turning into a lazy smirk, he praised jokingly, “You were a real trooper.”

Elodie scoffed out a laugh, cheeks warm, as Calum handed her the mirror. She could feel his eyes on her as she turned her head to the left a bit to look at the piercing. Her lips quirked up at the sight of the silver stud in her slightly pinkened nose, glimmering prettily, and she instantly adored how it looked. “I love it,” she said happily, turning her head to look at Calum, who’d been watching her. His dark eyes were warm as he sat relaxed on the stool, gloves off. “Thank you.”

He mirrored her smile, shrugging modestly, before jutting his chin at her. “Told you it suited you.”

Far beyond her control, Calum could already effortlessly ignite a blush in Elodie’s cheeks, so when he so easily complimented her, Elodie damn near felt like she was on fire. Moving her legs so she was now sitting sideways on the chair, feet touching the ground, Elodie gripped the edge of the leather chair as she asked him earnestly, “How much do I owe you?”

Calum rolled his eyes, pushing back the stool as he licked the inside of his lower lip before his tongue poked at his cheek and stood up, body easily towering over Elodie’s seated figure as she tilted her head back a bit to look up at him. “You don’t,” he told her with a raise of his eyebrows, a silent reminder of when he told her it was on him. “On the house, remember?”

Elodie let out a breath. She appreciated the offer, thought it was so sweet of him to give her her first piercing for free, but Elodie had never been one to comfortably accept free things. Which was hilarious because this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened; the status of her family made for benefits such as this, but Elodie didn’t want to reap Calum of the same conveniences. Even if he was being friendly. And maybe sweeter than she deserved.

“Are you su—”

“Elodie,” Calum cut her off, a breathy chuckle escaping him as he stood in front of her. Then Calum shifted, taking a step away from her to allow himself to bend forward, his hands on the chair right next to hers and lowering his head enough to be at eye level with her. His chain necklace dangled a bit at his new position, and Elodie’s heart thrummed in her throat at their proximity because he was so close. And in that moment, she allowed herself to get lost in him for as much as she could before the distance came between them once more.

The brown of his eyes was a bit lighter than Elodie thought, a warmer brown that made them all the more inviting, framed by long eyelashes. His gaze was honest and Elodie felt the air rush out of her lungs because Calum wasn’t just watching her—he was looking at her, making sure she could see the honesty in his eyes that he was offering. Elodie didn’t think anyone looked at her the way Calum did.

“It’s on me,” Calum said, pulling her out of reverie of admiring him. He tilted his head then, a smile pulling on his soft looking lips. Did they feel as they looked? “Let me do somethin’ nice for you, okay?”

Elodie couldn’t help the way she sank her teeth into her lower lip, skin warming when Calum’s gaze dropped ever so slightly to note the minor movement of her mouth. She didn’t miss the subtle clench of his jaw, and Elodie wasn’t going to lie to herself—the urge to close the gap between them was overwhelming. But she stayed put, releasing her lip to offer a pretty smile as she said, in more of a whisper than anything else, “You’re sweet.”

Calum let out a breath through his nose, lips quirking as told her, “Haven’t been told that one before.”

Her hands itched to make the subtle movements so they were touching Calum’s instead of just feeling the warmth of their proximity. She wanted to close the distance, wanted to feel him in combination with the heat of his body. It was too inviting. Maybe it wasn’t ideal to be so. . . Attracted to someone right after getting out of a relationship as messy as hers and Nathan’s had been. And she hadn’t known Calum long, but she couldn’t lie and say whatever she felt whenever she saw him or thought about him was ordinary. Elodie could easily recognize that whatever she felt for Calum wasn’t something she normally felt. It was exciting.

She wasn’t sure if she was responding to herself or to Calum as her smile widened. “First time for everything.”

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