#shirtless calum in the background

[ashtonsunshine]

The 5SOS Show Nashville

via 5SOS instagram stories. 1st September 2023

[allsassnoclass]

Love is Blind to Ugly Sweaters

Written for Ficmas Day 3 Pairing: Calum Hood/Ashton Irwin Rating: Teen and Up Audiences  Key Tags: Christmas Sweaters, Canon Compliant, Getting Together Word Count: 1,702 Read on AO3

Summary:

“Besides,” he says to fill the silence, “I want to win the ugly sweater contest this year. I’ve got a great one.”

Calum laughs, one loud, bright HA that makes Ashton blink. The view on the phone screen shifts until he can see Calum’s face again, the background moving around him as he walks through his house.

“Don’t get cocky. You have to beat me, and I’ve got a fucking awesome sweater this time.”

Ashton loves talking to Calum in the morning.  There’s something endlessly appealing about Calum when he’s only partially awake, eyelids drooping and expressions soft, voice gravely in a way that sends shivers up Ashton’s spine.  In the morning, Ashton can get away with running his fingers over Calum’s scalp or letting his gaze linger on him longer than normal, drinking in the sight of him bent over a cup of coffee or blinking at the morning light.

When they aren’t physically together, Ashton likes video calling him to start his day, anyway.  He can’t reach out and touch like he wants to, but it’s still a treat to see the unguarded version of Calum that not everyone is privy to, even if he sees him through a phone screen.

Calum is still in bed when he picks up, giving Ashton a devastating view of his curls and collarbones.  The fact that he sleeps shirtless does endless damage to Ashton’s psyche, as if he hasn’t had a full view of Calum’s chest countless times over the years while swimming, sunbathing, or changing in various dressing rooms or hotels around the world.  Still, it makes Ashton wish even more that he was in bed with him, taking the place of the sheets that have the privilege of brushing against his bare skin every night.

“Morning,” Calum says, rubbing a knuckle against his eye then squinting at Ashton through the screen.

“Good morning,” Ashton says.  “Busy day today.”

Calum hums.  His eyes slip closed again, then open slowly.  Ashton wishes he could see him just a little bit clearer.  He’d love to count his eyelashes as they flutter.

“I should get up,” Calum sighs.  “I was going to make Roy breakfast.”

“That’s kind of you,” Ashton says.  “Do you have a lot to do to get ready for the party?”

Calum shrugs halfheartedly.  He’s still waking up, and Ashton knows that he’ll become more vocal as the call progresses and he gathers his wits.

“You’ll be there?”

“Of course,” Ashton says.  “When have I ever missed a party at your place?”

Calum shrugs again, then sets the phone down so he can sit up and stretch.  Ashton gets a good view of his ceiling.

“Besides,” he says to fill the silence, “I want to win the ugly sweater contest this year.  I’ve got a great one.”

Calum laughs, one loud, bright HA that makes Ashton blink.  The view on the phone screen shifts until he can see Calum’s face again, the background moving around him as he walks through his house.

“Don’t get cocky.  You have to beat me, and I’ve got a fucking awesome sweater this time.”

“You’re hosting!” Ashton says.  “You can’t compete if you’re hosting.”

“Roy is hosting,” Calum replies.  “He’s the judge.  I’m just another party guest.”

Ashton opens his mouth, then closes it again.  This was not part of the plan.  Calum has the uncanny ability to find the tackiest, worst sweaters in any thrift store they go to.  Ashton’s sweater is good, but this might throw a wrench in things.

“Wait, is that why you’re making him breakfast?” he asks.  “Are you bribing the judge?  That’s cheating!”

“What?” Calum asks, fumbling with his phone.  He drops it on the counter, then taps near the microphone.  “What was that, Ashton?  I think you’re breaking up on me.  I can’t hear you.”

“You can hear me just fine,” he says.  Calum makes a few weird noises with his mouth, then taps at the microphone again.

“Sorry, I can’t–this call just isn’t working.  I’ll see you tonight though!”

He cuts off the call.  Ashton stares at the blank screen until a text comes through, a simple kissing-face emoji.  Ashton’s glad that no one is around to see him blush, even as he begins making plans to “improve” his sweater.

-/-

Ashton arrives precisely on time, which means that the party is already in full swing, the house packed with friends and an EDM remix of a popular Christmas song blaring from the home speakers.  Ashton suspects that Michael has elected himself DJ for the hour, or at least until he gets bored, and this specific mix has the mark of his enthusiasm and Christmas spirit.  Ashton takes his time shedding his coat and boots, preparing himself to enter the fray.

The first person that he sees is Luke, and the first thing that Luke does is burst out laughing.

"What?" Ashton asks, catching his grin even if he doesn't understand the joke.

"Did you and Calum plan this?" he giggles when he catches a breath.  "I don't know if it's better if you planned it or if you didn't."

"Planned what?" Ashton asks.  Luke doubles over with the force of his laughter again, then waves a hand helplessly at him.

"Nothing," he laughs.  "You'll see."

He glances at Ashton again, laughs so hard that Ashton is scared he's going to start crying, then stumbles off into the crowd.

Ashton looks down at his sweater.  It's hilariously ugly, in his humble opinion, but he didn't expect that reaction, and he doesn't understand why Luke would bring Calum into it.  Calum has nothing to do with it.  This sweater is all Ashton, and he’s proud of it.

He gets a few double-takes as he makes his way through the crowd greeting people.  Most everyone takes some sort of delight in his sweater, but there's definitely something else going on, too.  He gets way too many understanding grins and waggled eyebrows for it to all be about the sweater.

When he finally sees Calum in the kitchen, he understands.

"You bastard!" he grins.  Calum whirls around, revealing his sweater.  It's an amalgamation of every Christmas theme imaginable, mixed with all of the colors of the rainbow and then some, and pasted haphazardly on top of a lumpy mess of wool with gaudy elbow patches.  It's gloriously ugly and completely one-of-a-kind, except for the fact that it's a direct copy of the sweater that Ashton is currently wearing.  The only slight differences are the pieces of yarn that Ashton messily stabbed through the wool earlier in the day to make it uglier and a few holes in Calum's.

Calum gives him a disbelieving once-over, then laughs.

"How?" he asks. ��"I got this at a flea market two months ago.  I've never seen another like it."

Ashton shrugs helplessly.

"Matt found this at a thrift store in the next county over.  I thought it was the only one of its kind."

"I can't believe we did this," Calum says, shaking his head.  "This is really taking the soulmate joke to another level.  We're worse than an old married couple."

"This is insane."

Ashton rubs at his forehead, then shrugs again.  There is no explanation.  Somehow, he and Calum are so in tune that they randomly bought the same ugly sweater that no one has ever seen before, yet Calum still doesn't know how much Ashton is in love with him.

Calum steps forward and tugs at Ashton's arms, making him hold them out so he can catalog every detail of the sweater.  He puts his hands on Ashton's waist and turns him around to look at the back, then around again to face him.

"Holy fuck," he says, looking at the sweater, then at Ashton's face.  "This is an abomination.  How do you still look like this?"

"Like what?"

Calum gestures helplessly.

"This is the ugliest sweater I've ever seen in my life.  That's why I chose it.  You're not allowed to still look good in it!"

Ashton blinks, then looks back down at the sweater.  They're both liberal with their compliments on each other's appearance, but this is a bit much.  He thinks the only person who could possibly pull this sweater off is Calum, and he knows that that's because love makes him blind and Calum is somehow endearing enough to make it work.

"I don't," he says.

Calum scoffs.

"I don't," Ashton insists.  "You can pull off anything, but not me."

"That's a blatant lie."

"It's not!  You're too cute to look ugly."

Calum scoffs again, louder.

"You're just saying that because you like me."

"I love you," Ashton corrects.  It's an easy admission, one that's almost always misinterpreted due to years of friendship.  This time, however, it makes Calum pause.

"Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here," he says.  "There's no way you could think I pull this sweater off unless you're stupidly in love with me.  I love Michael, but he could not handle this sweater.  I love Luke, but he'd look like an idiot.  You, however, somehow still look fine, and if you're saying I do, too, I'm going to kiss your stupid face.  I think it's time for us to get to that part of the 'married couple soulmates' thing."

Ashton gapes at him.

"Are you serious?" he asks after a moment.  Calum nods once.  "Because I'm very serious, Calum.  I don't want you kissing me if you're going to take this lightly."

Calum's expression softens, and he runs his hand down Ashton's arm to take his hand.

"I'm very serious," he says.  "I've loved you for a long time, and I know that you've loved me, too, but I'm getting a little tired of waiting for you to make a move.  I feel like the matching sweaters are a sign."

Ashton doesn’t want to ignore a sign from the universe, especially when it’s pointing him in the direction of everything he wants.  One thing, however, gives him pause.

"Calum, we can't get together because of the sweaters," Ashton says.  "That's a horrible story.  We can't owe the start of our relationship to these atrocities."

Calum rolls his eyes, still smiling.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he says.  "You can bullshit a story for us later."

Calum cups his face and leans in.  Ashton gets on board pretty quickly, and they spend enough time kissing in the kitchen that they both miss the call for the sweater contest.  He doesn't mind, though.  He feels like he won the best prize of all tonight, and Calum's lips on his is the best reward he could ask for.

[talkfastromance4]

and all right. last one (I think unless I get another idea). so how about a prey reader who has a thing for hide and go sneak with punishment *cough* me *cough* and werewolf ashton and like we know he's a werewolf and all soooo we decide to do a round of hide and go sneak and I think you know what happens here 😏

i tweaked this just a teensy bit to go along with the calum one but i hope you enjoy :)

**still based on the lupercalia from chilling adventures of sabrina

• • • •

Night three of Lupercalia consists of the Hunt. Where the one you were paired off with chases you through the woods. The females are dressed in a blood red cloak trying to evade their big bad wolf and you were the lucky little wolf to have caught the eye of Ashton Irwin, pure Alpha. 

The first night was spent with him teasing you endlessly with his words while his fingers and lips tantalized your skin. The second night was spent in his bed where you saw universes forming and exploding and you felt euphoria like never before. 

You and the other females were standing behind the males as Andy listed off the rules and a small background history of the event. You shot a wink to your friend who already turned her focus on another Alpha, Calum Hood. You hadn’t seen her since that first night but you could tell by the glazed look in her eyes where she was. 

“Ladies, if you would step forward please,” Andy calls. 

You step forward to stand right in front of Ashton who is shirtless, his muscles rippling in the moonlight. His eyes glide over your ensemble, a black lace babydoll nightgown that showcased his markings on your neck and breasts.

“Hi Little Red,” Ashton smirks, his eyes devouring you, “you sure are looking good.”

“Think you can catch me?” you smile innocently at him, your fingers tracing his black and red moons which signifies this moment perfectly. He’s in the black of night under the full moon chasing your red. 

“Hoods up, ladies,” Andy continues and you comply. “Good luck finding your prey, wolves.”

“I’ve got your scent on lock, little one,” Ashton assures as you step away. His eyes are intense on you with each step you take away from him, a silent challenge he’s more than willing to accept.  

The horn blows ominously through the trees and you sprint away as fast as you can. Shrieks of laughter and prideful howls echo all around. You’re filled with adrenaline the further you run, your ears picking up on someone following you. 

The even heartbeat and shallow breathing tells you it’s Ashton, you could spot his heart from miles away and the fact that he was right on your heels only excites you more. 

Then it’s gone. You halt in your tracks, heart pounding in your ears as you spin in the dirt searching for him. Did another female pluck him up? 

And then you’re forced against a large oak tree, Ashton’s breath hot on your face, fingers pressed to your throat while his other fingers skim below your nightgown. You shiver and burn at each touch. 

“What big eyes you have,” he cocks his head from side to side, his fingers tightening and loosening with each pulse of your heart. 

You’re aching for him to do something more. His thumb runs over your bottom lip.

“What full lips you have,” he whispers then slowly sinks to his knees. His fingers release your throat and you gasp as he hikes up your negligee. “Mm, they’re sure to lure someone bad.”

You gasp again when his hot mouth suctions onto your clit, his tongue rolling and wriggling perfectly. Your fingers fly to his raven hair just as he lifts your leg over his shoulder. He hums and groans against you, eating you out ravenously against the tree. 

His fingers squeeze onto your thigh, and his hot breath fans over your core as he slips a finger inside. The cry you let out is animalistic, a near howl at the moon as he fills you with pleasure once more. You begin to rock your hips against his face in a sinful way as he sucks on your clit, his finger pumping in and out of you easily. 

Your back arches off the tree as you come undone, your body tingling and fuzzy. Ashton licks you clean, kissing your thighs and your stomach and over a teeth mark of his on your chest that he gave you. You’re breathing heavily, eyes half lidded as he gives you a kiss. 

“You’re everything a big bad wolf could want,” he pants and pulls you flush against his body as howls are heard in a symphony amongst the trees.

• • • •

 Taglist:  @galcalirwin @cashtonasff5sos @wokeupinjapanisabop @myloverboyash @rotten-kandy @tea4sykes @jannimoeller3 @loveroflrh @iovehemmings @cxddlyash @princesslrh @here-for-the-uproars @katiaw2 @g-l-pierce @fairyintheglass @gosh-im-short @banditocth @dezzym17 @wildflowerxcth @lukeisbaby @spicycal @mysticalhood @thesubtweeter @wastedheartcth @atlcalm @itjustkindahappenedreally @calumance

[silenthearts]

Angela

Hello, I am back with a little blurb, I’ll make a part II if its requested enough! This blurb is heavily based on the song : Angela by the Lumineers which i reccomend listening to get the feel of this whole thing 

Either way here it is

Part II

She opened her eyes to meet the dark room, the constant turning and uncomfortableness finally getting to her as the summer heat grazed her skin. Her belly was big and uncomfortable anyway she laid. She sighed as she sat up, her hands found their way to her stomach. “You’re not going to let mummy sleep tonight, are you?” she hoisted herself up and off the uncomfortable bed. The quiet snores of her boyfriend sounded through the room as the smell of alcohol stank up the air.

He had been out as he usually did, and she stayed home alone like most nights. Like most nights she felt lonely, stuck and numb. But tonight, was going to be different, she told herself. Tonight, it was the last straw, she was done with him. She was done with his abrasive and demanding behaviour. Her feet felt tired and her legs ached as she made her way to the bathroom. The light illuminated her features and hurt her eyes as she stared at herself in the mirror.

“Not tonight.” she whispered, her hands still cradling her bump. She knew her baby was almost here; she knew her baby didn’t deserve a father like him or a future like hers.

She had made her mind up, turned off the light and walked ever so slowly out of the dark stuffy room. Leaving the man, she once knew behind her, alone in the misery she’d left behind.

His car keys laid on the kitchen table and without a second thought she grabbed them and made her way to the huge front door which has stopped her from leaving many times, the regret always sinking in before she could even touch the handle.

But not tonight.

She slipped on her converse and opened the door. The cool breeze amidst the summer night caressed her cheeks, the night was inviting her to leave, to run.

The future laid in front of her, the only important thing being the little girl slowly growing inside. Stealing all the love she's ever had to give but no one that wanted to receive it. Everyone but him.

A smile cracked across her lips as she finally had a plan, a very sudden and rushed plan, she knew that, but a plan was a plan, nonetheless.

She rushed to the old tanned coloured car, unlocking it and slipping onto the driver’s seat, her belly almost being squished in the process. “We’re leaving today Ophelia. Today is the day my darling. We’re gonna go be happy.” she muttered to her baby girl and received a kick in return. “Yeah, I knew you’d like that too.”

She pulled her seat back to comfortably fit her and her huge bump and pulled the ratty seat belt in place.

She took a deep breath and turned the engine on, the roaring of it shaking the whole car, the flimsy half opened windows vibrating as she slowly backed out of her driveway.

Two hours it was, two hours to his house. She drove through the peaceful night, the smell of the trees and breeze filling the car and replacing the horrid cigarette smell that stuck to the seats.

She bobbed her head to the quiet music in the background as for the first time in ages her shoulders didn’t feel heavy anymore. They felt free and light, the constant abuse not weighing her down anymore.

Her destination approached and the closer she got the worst her belly hurt, but it didn’t feel like a kick or a movement. It felt like it always felt every time she saw him. Butterflies.

The memory of his perfect smile and chubby cheeks popping in her thoughts brought a smile to her face. Last time she saw him though, his smile was nowhere to be seen instead tears streamed down his face as he told her to leave.

She knew she had hurt him, by choosing abuse over her friend who she had known since childhood, a friend she knew she loved more than a friend and now a year later of no words exchanged between the two she was showing up at his door begging for his forgiveness and understanding.

He was right when he told her he wasn't right for her and although it hurt to admit she always knew he was. 3 a.m hit, and she had arrived. His house stood in front of her, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. What if he didn’t forgive her? What if she was too late? Maybe he was happy with somebody else. Maybe he had moved on and didn’t think twice about her.

She breathed in deeply and pushed the car door open, slowly shutting it behind her.

The way to Calum’s front porch felt long, even longer than the drive there, the butterflies she felt in her stomach took over and turned her whole body numb.

She pushed herself up the stairs and with great difficulty she finally made it up to his door. Her hand was rolled into a fist by her side, ready to knock, her braveness quivering and suddenly she felt like she shouldn't be here, it felt like she should be anywhere but here, but she came way too far to just simply walk away again.

She sealed her eyes shut regaining her confidence and finally her fist connected with the door. Seconds turned to minutes as she stared at the closed wooden door.

 Maybe he moved.

Or it's late and he won't answer the door

Or he doesn't care

 Her thoughts were a mess and louder than she wanted to admit, tears threatening to spill as she made up all the crazy possible scenarios in her head. Suddenly a noise from the inside jolted her out of her messy thoughts. The door slowly opened to reveal a shirtless Calum with shaggy hair and sleepy eyes.

“Angela?”

[vipclifford]

Wildflower - Chapter 2

here’s the previous chapter

Soulmate AU where things in your life appear as flowers tattooed on your skin, each with their own meaning.

Calum inspected his newly acquired bloom in the mirror the next morning. It was small in size, which was good despite the fact that the bright blue petals made his skin look bruised. He rubbed frustratedly at the flower in hopes to make it go away, but that only made the petunia stand out more against his reddened skin. His actions were futile and he knew it. He pulled his shirt down in anger before storming out of the bathroom, unwilling to stare at the reflection of a cursed man a second longer.

He hated the fact that a stranger he had met twice had managed to mark his skin with such ease. He hated the fact that of all people, Calum was forced to associate his bloom with Rory, the girl he could only describe as a bitch. Because she was a bitch. He hated the fact that his body now housed two undesirable blooms.

Duke’s paws padded against the wooden floorboards as he made his way over to Calum, nudging his dad’s calf with his furry head to remind him that it was time for his daily walk. He crouched down to stroke the dog’s head, a gentle smile tugging at his lips for the first time that day. A walk could do them good.

The park was busier than usual, presumably to do with the fact that a small Christmas market had established itself there for the duration of the month. The smell of cinnamon and chocolate lured Calum closer to the stands that each year he fought hard to avoid. Maybe it was because he missed home, but Calum was always reluctant to embrace the wintertime Christmas culture. It made him feel like he was losing the person he used to be.

Calum remembers his first Christmas away from home.

He was staying in London with his four best friends, excitement in their eyes as they watched snowflakes fall for the first time in their lives. Christmas carols were playing in the background to get them in the yuletide mood; the roast dinner smelled amazing and multiple gifts were tucked neatly beneath the Christmas tree.

But everything felt so wrong to Calum as he sat down to eat his dinner. The fact that the sun had set at 4pm and that the temperature outside was below zero felt wrong. The fact that his usual barbecue had been replaced by a roasted chicken felt wrong. The fact that he was trapped inside a thick jumper when Calum was used to spending a shirtless day by the pool also felt wrong. All he could think about was his family, spending Christmas day in the sun as God intended. And it was that very day, at that very dinner table, that Calum bloomed a sprig of golden wattle on his forearm. The spirit of the Australian people.

He wrapped his coat tighter around his torso as he searched the makeshift aisles for the hot chocolate stand. The market was filled to the brim with children running around, racing each other to see who could reach the small grotto first to meet Santa. Calum smiled to himself as he noticed the excitement on their faces, ecstatic to meet the man who supposedly left them gifts every year.

The smell of chocolate became stronger and stronger with every step he took until Calum was finally standing in front of the place he was looking for. The hot chocolate stand.

“Hi Calum,” said the person he least wanted to see at that moment, standing across the wooden counter with a small smile on her lips. Rory.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the odds of meeting her here. “What can I get you?”

“Medium hot chocolate,” he grumbled.

Calum stared at the ground as she prepared his drink, hoping to minimise their interaction as much as possible. She placed his drink on the counter but when he went to grab it, Rory pulled it away from his grasp. “Can I help you?” he muttered in confusion at her antics.

“It’s on the house if we could have a quick chat,” Rory said somewhat hopefully.

Calum pulled out the money that was due from his wallet and placed it upon the counter, pushing it slightly towards her with an unamused expression. “In that case, I’m even more inclined to pay.”

“In that case, I’m not giving you a choice. We’re having a chat,” Rory told him with determination, pushing the five dollar bill back towards him. She told her coworker she was talking her break before leaving from the side of the stall, Calum’s hot chocolate gripped between her fingers.

Calum released a frustrated sigh as he tucked the green note back into his wallet before following behind her. His hands scrunched up into fists as he thought about things he hated. Rory, the fact that he was following Rory like a whipped fool and Michael for indirectly putting him in this situation in the first place.

She sat down at a bench and waited for him to join her before speaking.

“I think I should apologise for whatever happened last night. I don’t actually know what you bloomed but you’re clearly pissed off at me so I wanted to say sorry,” Rory explained, watching as Calum unhooked the leash from Duke’s collar to let the dog run around freely. “I’m sorry.”

Calum took a long sip of his drink and fuck did it taste as good as it smelled. Rory took his silence as a hint that he still didn’t want to talk.

“You were right, you know? I was never validated as a child. Mommy never complimented my drawings. Daddy never came to any of my ballet recitals. But I wasn’t bullied for my bra size, thank you very much. I was bullied for the yellow carnations on my back.” Disappointment. The universe had deemed her a disappointment and Calum was feeling sorry for himself because of the small petunia on his hip. Calum’s angry bloom suddenly didn’t seem so bad. “So yeah, I’ve got an inferiority complex and I’m a bitch. But I’m a bitch that’s sorry.”

“I don’t need your apology,” he mocked, keeping a straight face. “Your words can’t change what happened, they do literally nothing to help me.” Calum held back a teasing smile when he saw Rory roll her eyes playfully from the corner of his.

“Touché,” she commended, tightening her ponytail. “What did you bloom?”

“Why do you work at the Christmas market?”

“I’m volunteering.”

“How selfless of you,” Calum nodded, not quite expecting that response from Rory. Duke ran back towards the bench and hopped onto Calum’s lap, muddy paws dirtying his jeans. “Fucking hell, Duke,” he sighed, placing his drink beside him before lowering Duke onto the ground. He grimaced at the sight of his trousers, hands trying to wipe the dirt off of his jeans.

“He’s a good boy,” Rory remarked with a playful tone, watching Calum hook the leash back onto Duke’s collar.

“The goodest boy,” he affirmed, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He picked up his drink as he stood up, holding it out in the air to draw Rory’s attention to the cup. “So, we’re good? I don’t owe you anything?”

Rory shook her head, tucking her hands into the pockets of her coat as she stood up. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Happy New Year!” greeted Calum as he let the friends of his friends flood into his home, ready to drink into the next year with semi-familiar faces.

Calum was hosting the New Years Eve party this year with his roommate Roy. Over the past three years, Calum and his band mates had taken turns throwing the annual celebration and this time the responsibility had fallen onto his lap. Calum didn’t mind though. New Year’s Eve felt the same wherever he was in the world, and Calum wasn’t one to turn down any excuse to party.

The speakers blasted classics through the decades, bouncing from one hit to the next for hours on end. LEDs lit the apartment in colours ranging from red to green to blue as he bounced to the rhythm of the music with his friends.

“I’m going out for a smoke,” he told Luke who shook his head incredulously at him, lips tilting upwards when his tipsy boyfriend began pressing kisses to his cheek.

“Weren’t you going to quit?” Luke yelled over the music, arms wrapping around Adrian’s neck to pull him closer. And then they were kissing, lost in their own little world before Calum got a chance to reply.

A small part of Calum envied them. He envied the forget-me-nots that covered the skin of Luke’s shoulder blade, matching the ones on Adrian’s hand. He envied the way they held each other softly, lovingly, like the only thing that mattered to them in that moment was the man in their arms. Calum longed to feel that way about someone. He yearned to have what they had.

Roy yelled that there were fifteen seconds left until midnight, turning down the music to let his voice be heard, and soon enough the whole apartment was counting down the remaining seconds. Calum was glad Roy had interrupted his envious thoughts before a jealous hydrangea bloomed on his forehead.

Excitement bubbled in Calum’s chest as he thought of the year ahead, happy that at least he’d be starting it off right; drunk and surrounded by all of his friends.

So much can change in a year.

His eyes met Rory’s across the room as they pronounced the last number and the clock struck twelve. Surrounding couples joined their lips together while the rest of the room erupted into cheers. It was only when Luke and Adrian wrapped their arms around him, excitedly yelling ‘Happy New Year!’, did Calum come out of his daze.

“Happy New Year guys, I love you,” Calum grinned, embracing his two friends back. He playfully rolled his eyes as they mocked his words of affection before going to find his other friends to wish them the same thing.

���You came,” he noted, somewhat surprised when he found Rory up on the roof terrace, leaning on the metallic railing beside her. She gave him a quick nod while she blew out a cloud of smoke.

“Michael invited me. You don’t mind, right?” Calum shook his head, hand reaching out to grab the cigarette she offered him.

“It’s New Years, anyone is welcome here tonight,” he smiled softly before taking a drag. “Happy New Year, by the way.”

“Happy New Year,” Rory repeated as she reclaimed the cigarette, fingers almost brushing against his during the exchange. Almost. “Any resolutions?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” he shrugged, brows furrowing when he heard the music turn off downstairs. “Excuse me,” Calum muttered as he made his way back down to the party.

Everyone appeared annoyed despite their inebriated state, trudging their legs towards the front door. Calum pushed past his guests to reach the front of the crowd, finding a policeman standing menacingly beneath the doorway.

Sounds about right, he thought.

Calum felt helpless as he watched his friends flood out of his home. His neighbours just had to file enough noise complaints to shut his party down, one hour into New Year’s day. They just had to ruin his first glimpse at the new year, tainting the months ahead with a feeling of dread. If the first hour had been bad, Calum didn’t want to know what else was coming his way.

He eventually walked back into his living room, confused when he saw Rory frantically searching for something around the room. Calum leaned against the door frame, watching her with an intrigued expression. “You alright?” Calum questioned, turning on the normal lights to brighten up the place.

“I can’t find my fucking jacket,” she complained as she retraced her steps a third time. “Both my phone and my keys are in there.”

Calum looked around the apartment with Rory for wherever it could’ve been misplaced, the pair of them ending up empty handed.

“I’ll ask around, it should turn up tomorrow if anyone’s got it. Do you have a way to get back home? Or to get in?”

“Uh, yeah, I live around six blocks from here and I’ve got a key tucked into a top secret hiding spot just in case. So, uh, see you next time.”

“I’m walking you home,” Calum stated, already making his way to the hallway where he could grab his coat and keys. Rory chased behind him speaking words of disapproval, telling him over and over that she would be fine on her own, that she didn’t need him to protect her. “You can’t change my mind, Rory,” Calum said pointedly, opening the front door. “I’m walking you home.”

“At least make me a hot chocolate for the road.”

They found themselves in his kitchen a few minutes later, countertops filled with spilt whiskey and empty beer cans. Rory managed to find a clean spot she could hoist herself onto as Calum carefully read the instructions at the back of the packaging. His curls covered his forehead, trying their hardest to reach his eyes but failing.

“Did you forget how to make it, or what?” Rory teased.

“I just want to get it right.”

A warm mug of hot chocolate eventually made its way into Rory’s hands who hummed in delight after the first sip.

“Task completed successfully.”

There was an air of awkwardness surrounding the pair as they walked down the barely lit streets, sodium lampposts painting what little they saw around them yellow. Music could be heard from the windows of apartments nearby and Calum did all but curse their neighbours for not getting their parties shut down as well.

“I think that my New Year resolution is to work out more,” said Calum, answering the question she posed at the rooftop in hopes to interrupt the silence.

“That’s such a shit resolution,” Rory snorted with a soft shake to her head. “It’s up there with quitting chocolate and procrastination. It’s the kind of standard goal that boring people set themselves because they have no true aspirations.” Calum rolled his eyes playfully at her words, kicking the can that was resting in his path.

“What does an interesting person like you choose for their New Years resolution, then? I need inspiration since apparently I’m so boring.”

“Can’t tell you or else it won’t come true,” she shrugged, tone nonchalant.

“It’s not a birthday wish,” he said incredulously, concentrating on not letting Rory kick the metallic can away from him. “Or are you too ashamed to admit that you’re boring too?”

“I guess we’ll never know,” she replied, a mischievous smile on her lips once she finally managed to kick the can onto the parallel road.

Calum was forced to face the adjacent door to Rory’s apartment once they reached it, not allowed to find out where she kept hidden her secret key.

The place was small, though it was also the perfect size for a person living alone. Paintings of flower-covered skin filled every inch of her walls. The colourful petals looked vibrant against drawings of shoulders and ribcages, standing out beautifully against flesh of different tones. Calum took a few fascinated steps closer to study the artwork, astounded by the realism and detail.

“You’re an artist?” Calum asked, turning his head away from the wildflowers on the wall.

“Aspiring artist,” clarified Rory, stepping towards the windows to close the curtains. “I work at a tattoo parlour though, so I still get to produce art in a way. On people, not canvases, but we’ll get there one day.”

“I’m sure you will,” Calum hummed, knowing from experience that if you really want something, it will happen. Or perhaps he was just lucky. “You’re really talented.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, throwing her hair over the chrysanthemums on her shoulder. Calum nodded politely as he took a few steps back towards the open front door. “I think I better get going.”

“Why did you walk me home?”

“What do you mean?” he questioned with a confused demeanour, hand resting on the doorknob.

“You know what I mean,” she insisted calmly, making her way to stand in front of him. Rory was tall, taller than average, and yet she still had to lift her chin up to face Calum. “Why did you walk me home?”

“Why did you let me into your apartment?” Calum challenged with a teasing grin, leaning his arm on the wooden door frame. “I only planned on walking you to the building to make sure you were safe, but you insisted on me making sure I took you to the door. You also asked me to make you a hot chocolate.”

“What are you trying to say?” she spoke almost menacingly, though there was a playful layer wrapped around her voice.

“I think those were all tactics to spend time with me,” he explained cheekily, mischief in his eyes. “You like me.”

“I do not,” Rory huffed, horror painted on her every feature.

“I’m only teasing,” Calum chuckled softly, stepping backwards into the hallway. Rory rolled her eyes at him, clearly unamused. “This was fun,” he admitted, tucking his hands into the pockets of his coat. “We should do it again sometime.”

“In your dreams, Hood.”

The sun was beginning to rise as he walked the empty streets, occasionally walking past a drunk group of friends that made their way back home after a wild night. Calum felt the familiar tingle on the back of his calf, waiting a few nervous seconds to see the new bloom upon his skin. It was a lotus flower. New beginnings.

Calum’s lips curled into a smile as he looked down at the soft pink petals, excited for what the year had to bring.

taglist: @cashtonasfuck​ @koalacal​ @maluminspace​ @castaway-cashton​ @calumsmermaid​ @punkrockpreferences​ @itsshynotshay​

join my taglist

[deadmancrawling]

Callie | c.h.

a/n: hello i am back with more uncle!calum !!! as always, thank you to miss jules for being a main inspiration, and thank you to norma as well for also semi inspiring this little imagine/one shot/blurb whatever you want to call it. i hope you enjoy!!

summary: calum babysits callie for the first time ever, by himself, until he calls you for help

word count: 1.5k

pairing: readerxcalum (kinda, if you could call it that)

rating: PG

warnings: soft. cute. uncle!cal.

           The two girls Calum loved most in his life were his sister, Mali-Koa, and his Mum. His entire life, those were the two women who kept him grounded and made sure he’d always kept his head on straight when making any kind of decision.

Everything changed the day that Callie was born. At six pounds, seven ounces, his niece was the one girl he’d make sure he’d never disappoint, never hurt, and would always be there for.

Calum, being Calum, had rarely held newborns in the past, but his face lit up when his sister handed him his niece.

“What’s her name?” Calum asked his sister, his eyes never leaving the newborn baby in his arms.

“Callie Joy.” Mali smiles, looking down at his daughter.

“Callie, as in…” His eyes were beginning to tear up.

“As in Calum, yes.” Mali states. “Joy is named after Mum.”

Calum didn’t know what to think. He’d always heard jokes about his sister naming her future children after him, but he didn’t think she was one hundred percent serious. It was touching, that his sister would even consider naming her children after her brother, but the fact that she actually did it, makes his heart even happier.

“Callie Joy. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Calum smiles, looking down at the baby in his arms.

“She looks like Rob,” Mali chuckles. “I carried her for nine months for her to look like her father.”

“I think she looks just like you.” Calum says, his eyes trained on the little girl in his arms. “Spitting image, really.”

“You’re just flattering me.” Mali chuckles.

Callie begins to cry in Calum’s arms, and he immediately looks up at his sister for help.

“I think I broke her.” Calum says. “Mali I broke your baby.”

“No, she probably needs a diaper change or is hungry.” Mali giggles, taking the baby from her brothers arms.

Mali uncovers her daughter and checks her diaper, but realises she’s just hungry and ends up leaning back to feed her.

Calum turns away to give his sister a bit of privacy as she feeds her daughter.

“You can still look at me you know. I know you’ve seen a boob before.” Mali chuckles. “It’s also not like I’m trying to flash you.”

“It’s just weird. Seeing you be a mum and all that.” Calum says, looking at his sister.

Mali’s looking down at Callie and rubbing the side of her head, gently singing to her as she feeds.

Calum takes in the moment; his sister is actually a mum of her own. It’s not just Mali-Koa and Calum anymore, now it’s Mali-Koa, her daughter, Callie, and Calum.

“I think I’m going to head home.” Calum states. “I’ll swing by tomorrow?”

Mali looks up and smiles at her brother. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

9 months later

9 months ago was the best day of Calum’s life.

Tonight?

The worst.

He’d taken Callie for the night so Mali could finally get a full nights rest for the first time since Callie was born.

Sure, baby sitting and having Callie all day was fun. But Calum got to give her back and have her parents take care of her all night.

Just having gotten off tour, Calum missed his niece dearly.

Of course, he’d gotten the daily FaceTime calls from Mali about Duke, and every other FaceTime, he’d see his niece, who instead of looking like her parents, looked exactly like him.

Now that he’s back, he was determined to spend as much time with Callie as much as possible.

For the first few hours, Callie and Calum were good. They watched Moana, Callie drank her bottle, and the two of them fell asleep, snuggled in blankets, together on the couch, while Trolls played in the background. Everything was seemingly fine until Callie started crying.

Immediately, Calum’s eyes shot wide open and he sat up, holding the baby to his chest as he did so, so she wouldn’t fall.

He checks her diaper and changes it, and then warms up one of the bottles from the fridge and tries feeding his niece, but she refuses the bottle.

“Oh please, Lil Cal, stop crying. It’s okay.” Calum assures, rocking the baby in his arms.

Callie won’t stop crying, and he does everything he can to try and calm her down.

He grabs the guitar and starts strumming a short tune. He tries feeding her. Tries wrapping her up in a blanket and laying him down on his chest. He tries putting her in her car seat and rocking her back and forth, but even that doesn’t work.

As a last resort, he calls you.

You and Calum aren’t really close, nor have you even known him for that long.

In fact, you’d only ever hung out with him twice, and the first time was because he brought you home from the club. But he knew that you worked at a daycare, and that was enough of an excuse to call you up.

“Hello?” You answer. Your voice is groggy, and you’re shocked you’ve been woken up at two in the morning by someone you hardly know.

“Hey, it’s Calum.” Calum says. He looks around the room. “Um, I kind of need your help.”

“Calum, it’s two in the morning. I’m not coming over so you can fu–” you begin.

“It’s not that.” Calum cuts you off quickly. “I have my niece tonight and I can’t get her to stop crying. It’s Mali’s first night of being alone without the baby and I don’t want to wake her up.”

You’ve never heard Calum sound so desperate, it almost makes your heart break. You can hear the baby in the background, and you look around the room, looking for an excuse not to go.

“Calum… I don’t think…”

“Please. I’ll do anything. I just don’t know what to do when it comes to babies.”

You sigh and move the blankets from your legs. “I’ll be over there in ten. Leave the door unlocked.”

“Sure thing.”

Ten minutes later, you find yourself pulling up to Calum’s house and walking through the front door. His house looks normal, but the faint cry of a baby makes its way through the house. You sigh and follow the cries to Calum’s room, where he’s sitting on the bed with his dog, Duke, and a baby in his arms.

“You’re here!” He cries, a brief look of relief splashing across his face. “Thank you for coming, I really appreciate it.”

You nod and smile, looking at the boy and the baby in front of you. “Let me see her.”

Calum easily hands you his niece and you hold her to your chest for a few minutes, but she doesn’t stop crying.

“Hey, baby girl, what’s wrong? What’s got you frazzled?” You say, looking at the small baby in front of you.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say she was Calum’s daughter just by the looks of it.

Callie keeps crying in response, but her cries are no longer screams, just soft cries in response to your voice.

“You know, you’re giving your uncle here a scare. Between you and me, I just think he’s afraid he might accidentally hurt you.” You say, unbuttoning her outfit. “Oh no, Miss Callie!” You say, looking down at her diaper. “That looks a little full, doesn’t it!”

Calum hands you a diaper, and you begin to change her.

“Her diaper was fine a few minutes ago…” Calum mumbles.

You give him a sympathetic smile before turning back to look at the baby laying between your legs.

“Here, I bet that’s all better.” You say, wiping her clean and changing her diaper. “I bet you’re hungry after all that crying too.”

You hand Callie back to Calum and stand up before walking to the kitchen to grab a bottle from the fridge. You warm it up and head back into Calum’s room, handing the bottle to him.

Calum sticks the bottle in Callie’s mouth and looks at you. “Thank you for coming. I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to handle her cries for much longer.”

“It was just a dirty diaper, it’s no big deal.” You mumble.

“I changed her diaper when she first started crying. She just hasn’t stopped til you came over.” Calum admits.

You look at him – he’s wearing sweats and is shirtless, and he’s holding Callie close to his chest as he’s feeding her the bottle.

“What can I say, I’m the baby whisperer.” You giggle, looking at him. “I think I’m going to go now, I’ve got work in the morning. I pass on the baby whisperer dust to you.”

“Thank you again, (y/n),” Calum states. “I really appreciate you coming to help me. I owe you one.”

“Hey, I’m here to help. Goodnight Calum.” You say, walking out the door.

Calum sighs once he hears the front door shut behind you and looks down at his niece.

“Well, Callie Joy, it’s just you and me for the rest of the night. I promise I’ll be better.”

The nine month old opens her eyes for a slight second to look at her uncle, causing him to smile.

“I love you, Lil Cal. You’re my favorite girl in the world.”

[highfivecalum]

Wouldn’t Miss A Chance {CH} 17

Previous Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen

❋ ❋ ❋

“ASHTON,” CLARA SIGHED. He was ignoring her. Ignoring everybody, really, and Clara was getting tired of it. She knew that her boyfriend was upset with his sister and his best friend, she understood that he felt betrayed by them, but she also knew that he needed to talk to them. And talk to her about it. Ashton’s arms were crossed over his chest, his body slouched down on her couch, and his eyes glued to the TV. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but-”

“Then don’t say it,” Ashton snapped at her. He knew it was wrong to be taking his anger out on his girlfriend who was an innocent bystander in all of this, who didn’t do anything wrong for him to be snapping at her like that, but he didn’t know how else to act.

“But,” Clara continued, not being phased by Ashton’s harsh tone. “It’s what you need to hear.” Clara was facing him on the couch, her elbow propped up on the back of it, her temple resting on her fist, as she stared at him. He felt her stare and finally, he huffed and looked at her, raising an eyebrow as to tell her to continue talking. “You can’t keep acting like this, Ash. I know you’re pissed and you have every right to be, but nothing is going to get resolved by you ignoring Sophie and Calum. It’s just going to make things worse in the long run.”

“I just hate the fact that they’re together.” Ashton mumbled. “And I’m scared that Calum is going to hurt her. He’s known for that, that’s what he’s best at. He doesn’t do relationships.”

“I know you do,” Clara sighed and took his hand in hers. “But Sophie is twenty-two, Ash, she’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions. I get that you’re her older brother and you want to protect her, but you can’t anymore. You have to let her deal with relationships and everything that comes with them; fighting, arguing, disagreements, the potential of heartbreak, by herself, Ash. You can’t baby her for the rest of her life. Or yours.”

“It’s hard for me not to.”

Clara ignored him, kept talking, kept forcing him to listen to her because she knew that if she didn’t get everything out now, she never would, and Ashton wouldn’t listen to her again. “And you can’t try to keep them apart if they really do have feelings for each other and if what they have is real. If you do, they’ll resent you, and you may lose two very important people in your life, and I know that’s not what you want.”

“You’re right. It’s not what I want,” Ashton shook his head. “It’s just hard for me to accept it, Clara. Like, my baby sister and my best friend going behind my back for who knows how long? And then finding out that they’re actually together and in a relationship? It’s like being stabbed in the back.”

“Sooner or later you’ll have to accept it, because even though they kept it from you, it’s-” Clara took a deep breath before finishing her sentence, knowing full well that it could set Ashton completely over the edge and it could cause a fight between the two, but she was willing to risk that because Ashton needed to hear it. “It’s selfish of you to make them feel guilty for being together..”

Ashton looked away from Clara and swallowed thickly, knowing that she was right; it was selfish of him. He couldn’t keep two people he cared about apart, no matter how much he wanted to or how hard he tried, he knew it wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair to Calum and Sophie. Ashton wasn’t okay with it, he knew he wouldn’t be for a while, but he was going to try. He owed them that much.

❋ ❋ ❋

“Stop it!” Sophie giggled loudly as Calum continued to tickle her sides relentlessly. Sophie was on her back, Calum hovering over her as he tickled her. He knew that she hated being tickled, but the laugh that left her mouth because of it made Calum smile widely. He loved her laugh, there was no denying it. He loved making her laugh. “Calum! ‘M gonna pee my pants if you don’t stop!”

“Ew,” Calum laughed and scrunched his nose up. He reluctantly got off of Sophie and fell back on her bed, pulling her with him. Sophie landed on his lap, legs on either side of his body and he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Can we stay like this all day?” Calum mumbled against Sophie’s skin.

“I wish,” Sophie sighed happily. The past few days that Ashton had been at Clara’s ignoring them, it was like Calum and Sophie were in their own world, their own bubble. They walked around the house in their underwear, cooked each other dinner, and had sex almost everywhere they could- minus Ashton’s bedroom, since that would have been way too disrespectful. It was nice, they were content, but they knew it wouldn’t last forever. They wished it would though. “We both have to work tonight.”

Calum had gotten the job at the shop to fix up damaged or broken motorcycles and he was ecstatic about it, as was Sophie since Calum finally had a real job. He still sold a little bit of weed on the side, but it wasn’t his main source of income, and he couldn’t have been happier. Not having to depend on drugs for money was a nice change for Calum.

A sudden knock sounded at the door and Sophie sighed in annoyance before calling out, “Come in!” Thinking it was Michael or Luke, since they usually showed up at the house unannounced, but neither of them were expecting Ashton to be opening Sophie’s bedroom door and staring at them.

“Ashton,” Calum spoke and Sophie turned her head, quickly sliding off of Calum’s lap and onto her bed next to him. She knew her brother wouldn’t want to see them cuddled up and loving on each other. Calum picked his shirt up off the floor and threw it on, not wanting to be shirtless anymore, even though Ashton had seen him shirtless before, it felt different since he was in Sophie’s bed with her.

“Ash, hey,” Sophie spoke nervously.

“Uh, hey guys,” Ashton stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking around Sophie’s room. He wasn’t sure what came over him, maybe it was his talk with Clara, or maybe it was the fact that it had been nearly two weeks and he missed talking to Sophie and Calum everyday, missed being a part of their lives, but he knew he had to try to understand and accept their relationship.

“W-What’s up?” Sophie was nervous and Calum could tell. He carefully, without Ashton seeing, slid his hand up the back of her shirt and traced random patterns on her skin, hoping to calm her down. It worked, only a little bit, and Sophie was glad that Calum was in the room with her.

“I was thinking and talking to Clara and, well,” Ashton took a deep breath. “I don’t like the fact that you’re together and I fucking hate the fact that you hid it from me for so long, but you’re both way too important for me to lose, so I’m going to try to be okay with this.”

Both Sophie and Calum’s eyes widened, not believing the words coming out of Ashton’s mouth, and sure as hell not expecting them to come so soon. “Wait,” Sophie’s lips turned up. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously,” Ashton ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t like it, I really don’t, and it’s going to take me a while to accept the fact that you’re serious about each other, but I’m going to try. You guys deserve to be happy and if it’s with each other, who am I to stand in the way of that?”

Sophie squealed, abruptly shooting up from her bed, and stumbling over to Ashton to wrap her arms around his neck in a hug. He stumbled back at the sudden impact, but quickly found his balance and wrapped his arms around Sophie’s middle. “Thank you, Ash.” Sophie mumbled in his ear and squeezed him tighter.

Sophie released Ashton and turned to Calum, smiling widely. “Just keep the PDA to a minimum, alright? I don’t want to see my best friend and my sister making out all of the time.”

❋ ❋ ❋

Sophie couldn’t stop smiling her whole entire shift and neither could Calum. Their coworkers asked what had them so happy, but all they did was shrug and continue to smile. Neither of them had ever been happier; they loved each other, were so happy together, and Ashton was finally trying to be okay with it. What else could they ask for?

Even with the drunk men that shamelessly flirted with Sophie and tried to grope her, she still smiled, not even they could deteriorate her good mood. As the night ended, Sophie got more and more excited to go home and spend time with her boyfriend and her brother. The three of them planned to watch movies together and catch each other up on life, since Ashton had been ignoring them for so long, and Sophie couldn’t wait.

“Got any plans after this?” Sophie asked Oliver as she dried the glasses he handed to her after cleaning them off. Everyone was gone, minus the two of them, and all the doors were locked but one since Sophie knew Calum was coming in to pick her up since her car was in the shop and he didn’t want her to walk home at such a late time by herself.

“Nope, nothin’ really,” Oliver shrugged. “You?”

“Just hanging out with Calum and Ashton.”

“Are you and Calum like, together together now?” Oliver asked and Sophie nodded her head happily. Sophie had discussed in minor detail about her and Calum’s relationship with Georgia and Oliver, so he knew a little bit about it. “And your brother is okay with it?”

“Not completely, but he’ll come around.”

Oliver nodded his head and the pair continued to wash dishes in a comfortable silence with only the music lowly in the background. Sophie reached over, her feet slipping on the spilled beer that was yet to be mopped up, and was close to falling, but Oliver grabbed her waist and steadied her before she could. Their bodies were close, way too close for her liking, and before she could thank him and step away, his lips were on hers and Sophie’s eyes were widening in surprise.

“What the fuck is this?” Calum’s voice sounded as the bar door slammed shut behind him. Sophie came to her senses and quickly shoved Oliver way from her, sending him stumbling to the other end of the bar. Calum was fuming, his skin red from anger and his fists clenched together, his keys that were in his right hand nearly stabbing his palm. Sophie was too stunned to find any words and Calum was quick to open the door and leave.

“Calum, wait!” Sophie ran after him, but he was already on his bike and revving the engine before speeding away from Sophie and Suzy-Cue’s. Sophie ran a nervous and frustrated hand through her hair and cursed. “Fucking fuck.” She stomped back inside, ready to rip Oliver a new one. “What the fuck, Oliver?”

“What?” He didn’t look phased.

“I just told you that Calum and I are together and then you kiss me? What the hell is that?”

“I like you, okay? And I thought that if I kissed you that maybe you would realize you liked me, too.” Oliver spoke simply and Sophie narrowed her eyes at him. “You can do better than him, Sophie. I know you can.”

“And what’s better than Calum? You?” Sophie’s voice never wavered and Oliver shrugged. “Well, I don’t like you, and I sure as shit never will after what you just did.”

Sophie gathered her stuff and made her way towards the door. She ignored Oliver’s protests, leaving him to clean up and close the bar by himself. She angrily stomped down the sidewalk, wiping the frustrated tears off of her cheeks, and pulled her phone out to call Calum, but was stopped by a familiar voice.

“Seems like Calum doesn’t care for you much if he’s just leavin’ you here like this.” Robby spoke and walked closer to her. He tucked a stray piece of hair out of her face and she took a step back, but he took another step forward.

“What do you want, Robby?”

“Hood owes me some money, Sophie. And he’s ignorin’ my calls.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

Robby let out a devious laugh and leaned down to whisper in Sophie’s ear. “Well, you, you’re collateral damage, baby.” Goosebumps rose on Sophie’s skin and they weren’t because of the cold air around her and they sure as hell weren’t the good kind that Calum gave her, no, these goosebumps were anything but good. They were out of pure fear of the man in front of her.

❋ ❋ ❋

Taglist: @calumismyprince @wrappedaroundcal @kinglyhood @roselukes @astroashtonio @catchinqcalum @irwinkitten @irwinvalentines @monsteramongmikey @youmaycallmemrshemmings @musicsavedme-00 @complete-trash-101 @jupitergranger @cosmocalum @hereforlukescruff @glitterprincelu @calteahood @mysteriouslycali @lex-micole @sincerelycalum @calistheloml @kaxseychill @mermaid-merrick @verybelowaverage @forggetablle @ihatemyself21 @rexorangecouny @alotof1dlove @dionnealberts @turtlenecktgc @nipplyportman @lauwenrodriguez @uncrowned-cal @ghstofcalum @cliffordcntrl @xx-cuddlemecalum-xx @it-was-a-lie @therainydays4 @booklove-2 @pattys-got-cakes @mpadge33 @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles @buddhas-princess @nostalgia-luke @tothemoonwithclifford @hopelessxcynic @dannisos @calpalbby @thebodaciouscth @blue-skies-are-alright @90s-good-vibes @sugarcoatedcalum @crystalisinfinite @toofadedtofight @girlstalkreality @rosesfromcth @parkerspicedlatte @rip-lukes-balsamic @miahelizaaabeth @wcstethenightt @mixedfeeelings @isabella-mae13 @antisocialbandmate @ohhmuke @absolute-moody 

(if i forgot you please let me know!) 

[queen-of-all-fandoms]

Why can’t I find ANYTHING I’m looking for? Ugh! I’m looking for a video of Luke making that weird ass sound, I don’t even know how to explain it. But he’s on the right, blue background... recent like 2018..

I’m also looking for that picture of Calum where he’s outside laying on a sofa, shirtless, black shorts, hand in his pants while he’s on the phone

[bandblogging]

Sleepover (5sos Imagine)

Pairing: platonic friendship between 5sos and the reader

Warning: some slight swearing

Words: 1469

Sum.: You have a completely platonic relationship with the boys and spent the night having a sleepover together

Luke Continuation

Michael Continuation

Ashton Continuation

Calum Continuation (Pt.2), Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6

_____

Being friends with the band from way back in australia, but staying there meant that you didn't get to see them often enough. But whenever you did stay in the same place for a while you tried to spend as much time together as possible. One of your favorite things to do was to have sleepovers together. This time it was at Calum's house. It was just the boys, the dogs and you for the night. While you wouldn't mind their girlfriends tagging along, these nights were usually reserved for you and them since you got to see them so little.

You had originally planned to cook dinner together but after just mucking around in the kitchen for an hour Ashton decided to get pizza for everyone. In the back of your mind you knew that it would happen anyway.

The boys paid for their pizza but insisted to also pay for yours. Arguing with them would've been pointless as they all of them were incredibly stubborn.

After finally deciding on what movie to watch you guys settled into the couches and for a while you couldn't hear anything but the movie playing in the background while you were enjoying your pizzas.

Michael was the first to throw his empty carton behind the couch which earned an annoyed groan by Calum. "I swear if there are grease stains on my floor you will pay for them"

When the others had finished you picked up all the cartons und brought them back into the kitchen, you wouldn't want Cal to get more upset.

"Thanks", he smiled at you.

You couldn't remember a time that you had actually finished a movie because everyone got bored at some point and so just like all the other times somebody switched on the games consol. Mario Kart had always been your favourite, simply because you at least had a chance to win. After winning over half of the rounds Ashton pouted at you, "C'mon that's so unfair, I bet the others let you win!" You laughed out loud and the others joined in. "Just because you're the worst at it doesn't mean they let me win"

You switched the game a couple of times to give everyone a fair shot at winning. These nights were always your favourite, just hanging out with the people that you loved the most.

When the games got boring to you but the boys wanted to continue a little bit you brought the old pizza boxes out to the thrash. Walking through Calum's garden made you realize how nice the night was. It was warm enough for you to not sweat but also not freeze. The stars were shining lightly and there was still a slight glimmer of pink in the sky. You sat down on one of the lounges he had next to his pool. Your feet dipped into the water and it was a refreshing cool down. You took a deep breath and sighed, at this moment everything was so right. You didn't want it any other way.

After a while the door to the patio was opened and Luke stuck his head out. "There you are! We thought you had gotten lost or something", he walked out and gave the boys a signal to follow.

"Nah, you won't get rid of me that fast", you chuckled ad patted the seat next to you. "It's really nice outside and with you four stinky boys the air inside wasn't the best anymore", your remarks were met by a number of 'Hey!'s. "I' m joking", you lifted your hands up in defense. You leaned back and stared at the sky.

"Do you ever wonder if we have a bigger purpose?", you didn't know why but that question had just popped into your mind. Michael's only answer to that was getting up and bringing out a bunch of alcoholic beverages, "Too sober for this but sure let's talk", he opened up a bottle of beer and sat back down. The alcohol was passed around and everyone enjoyed their first sip. "I mean I guess so", Ashton was the only one to answer your question. "On the completely other side of topics, Y/N how is your love life doing", Luke smirked at you and started to chuckled when you turned pink. "Why do you boys always ask this? What answer to you expect?", you shook your head and took another sip of your drink.

"C'mon you must have something saucy to spill right? We talk to you about our's too!", Michael looked at you and tried to make puppy eyes, hoping he could convince you "First up I don't want to know about your sex life, you just tell me about it without asking", you rolled your eyes trying to forget whatever they had told you over the last few years whenever they had gotten a little too drunk.

"And secondly?", Ashton raised one of his eyesbrows and his stare almost burned through you. "Secondly I have told you before, I went on couple dates with Jake, but nothing really serious for a while", you didn't know what their obsession with your love life were, they had told you multiple times that they would fuck whoever had done you wrong up, so you presumed they just wanted to protect you.

Thankfully Calum changed the conversation and you ended up chatting to each others for hours. The drinks were being passed around a few times and soon everyone was a little tipsy. Just like always you couldn't really hold your tongue and you had made some snarky remarks during the evening.

Somehow the conversation had moved on to being able to whistle with your fingers in your mouth. "I can never get it right", Ashton looked upset but all you could think about was saying "You mean, you can never get it?", for some reason the comment was funnier to you than it should have been and you started to giggle like a little girl.

"First up, yes I can! Next to you Mrs. I have nothing serious going on, and secondly that's enough", before you could blink he had stood up and lifted you out of your seat. You held your breath and suddenly you hit the cold water. You sank to the bottom of the pool, purposfully waiting until you didn't have any air left before you went back up. When you came out of the water all four boys were standing in front of the pool. Ashton was in the motion of taking off his shirt and looked like he was about to jump into the pool. "Jesus you scared us", exactly the reaction you had hoped for. You laughed and swam to the edge of the pool. "Anyone wanna join?", you didn't even finish the sentence before Ash had jumped in and a wave of water hit you. The others also took of their shirts and jumped in after Ashton. You splashed them with water just like little kids do.

When you left the pool almost an hour later you were freezing cold and your wet clothes clung to your body. You had seen each other many times in just your underwear and so you decided to ditch at least your wet t-shirt and shorts. You walked back inside the house and got towels for everyone. After everyone had borrowed underwear from Calum, you also took one of his shirts while the boys stayed shirtless.

When you woke up the next morning the other four were still asleep in the living room, Calum had dragged his mattress into the living room and him and you shared it. The others layed on the couches. You began to clean up a little but decided to make breakfast for everyone. You shut the door behind you after the dogs followed you so that the boys wouldn't wake up from you. You prepared pancakes since everyone loved them. You hadn't even finished the first three when Calum already stood behind you. "Ohhh Y/N, it smells so good in here", he leaned on the counter next to you. "A born master chef", you took a little bow and continued to make the rest. Calum had made coffee for everyone and slowly they all entered the kitchen. You put the plates of pancakes on the kitchen table and in between chewing you heard a few, "Thanks Y/N." and "This tastes so good", from the others. You weren't really hungry but ate one anyway.

When the doorbell rang the boys were still shoving pancakes in their mouths and so you went to open it. You opened the door and none other than Ashton's girlfriend stood in front of you, eyeing you up and down, after all you were only wearing Calum's t-shirt and boxer shorts.

____

A/N: this could get a second or third part if you wanted to. This could stay platonic or end up romantic who knows. You decide! (please tell me what you want)

CONTINUATIONS LINKED ABOVE

[sugarcoatedshawn]

Congrats on 400 Bella bby❤️❤️❤️ 🌙 I ship you with cal or luke!!!💗 (all selfies tagged Rae) I’m 20, from Guam. I enjoy reading, baking, cooking and listening to music. I’m SUPER shy😹it’s ridiculous but online I’m the complete opposite lol congratulations again!❤️

HI RAE MY LOVE !!! THANK U FOR SENDING IN !!

you already KNOW WHO IMMA SHIP YOU WITH !! OF COURse its Calum

So maybe you’re at home, using up your alone time by trying to relax. You would be resting in your and Calum’s bed with some soft music playing in the background. You would have a Duke laying on your lap, and the pup is falling asleep from your pats. You would be reading a new book and you just started getting into it. You were zoning out the entire world so intently that you didn’t even hear Duke jumping off of your lap and running to Cal, who has just come home from the studio. You didn’t hear Cal calling out your name, nor did you hear him coming up the stairs and entering your shared bedroom. Calum stood there admiring the sight in front of him; you look so cute and comfy in bed, wrapped in a blanket and a soft glow across your face created by the bedside table lamp you have on. As Duke jumps back onto the bed, he curls back into your lap which makes Calum melt and he just has to pull out his phone and take a photo of his loves, he needed to capture the moment. Calum strolls over to you, winding his arm around your shoulder and leaning over to press a kiss to the side of your head. You jump a little, suddenly being pulled out of your little bubble. “Hi, love, enjoying your book?” Cal giggles at you as you still seem a little dazed. “Cal, hi baby. How was your day at the studio.” “pretty good, got some more songs finished, but I missed you, love.” “Well, come and join me then.” You replied with a smile. Cal gives you a little laugh and pecks you on the lips. After he showers, Calum returns shirtless with some grey sweatpants on. He climbs into bed and lays down next to you. You move a little closer to him and rest your head on his chest. Calum responds by wrapping his arm around your shoulder and starts playing with your hair. “I really do love you, baby, so much.” “I love you too, Cal.” Neither of you wanted to break the peaceful silence. You and Cal fell asleep in the comfort of each other’s arms, full of love.

JSKJSKJSKSJ I WANT THIS LMAO I NEED TO STOP ATTACKING MYSELF

song: valentine by 5sos it reminds me of you for some reason i just valentine = rae in my head ??

I HOPE U ENJOYED YOUR BLURB THANK U RAE  💕💖💖💞💞

[imagine-footballers]

"Holy shit! He's on his way over here right now, he CANNOT see you!" - Calum Chambers

A secret relationship was perhaps the stupidest idea that had ever come into Cara Holding's head but agreeing to it was the stupidest idea that Calum Chambers had. What was the reason they had to keep their relationship a secret? Cara's brother, and Calum's teammate, Rob Holding. He was never normally strict with Cara's dating, he kept out of her dating life, but teammates were off limits. From the moment he met her Calum Chambers could not keep his eyes off her and Rob's rule was quickly broken. It was a Sunday morning and they were standing in Cara's flat. Calum was shirtless, only dressed in low rise grey joggers, and Cara was dressed in one of his old Arsenal shirts. Calum was doing the cooking, bacon fizzling around in the pan, while Cara was sitting on a counter and scrolling through her phone. Quiet indie music was playing in the background but that was soon disrupted by a ding of Cara's phone. It was a text from Rob, saying he would be round in ten minutes with some of the laundry she'd left at her Mum's. "Holy shit! He's on his way over here right now, he CANNOT see you!" Cara burst out, jumping off the counter and pushing Calum. “Whoa babe, calm down. Who's on his way over here?” Calum spoke, rubbing her sides tenderly but she shoved him off. “Rob! He's dropping round some stuff from Mum's! Oh my god Calum you have to leave right now!” “Babe calm down. I don't wanna hide this anymore. It's Rob, he won't freak out.” “Won't freak out? Calum you're shirtless in my kitchen and I'm wearing your shirt and my hair is a mess, it's blatantly obvious we had sex!” “It's not that big of a deal. Not like it hasn't happened before.” He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. Cara groaned and leaned against her boyfriend, pressing her head against his muscled chest. They stood there, breathing in and out slowly. The momentary peace and quiet was disrupted by a doorbell, making Cara freeze. “Cara, its Rob! Open the door, your stuff weighs a fucking tonne.” Rob called. As Cara was frozen, trying to decide what to do, Calum lifted her off him and walked towards the door and opened it. _____ this could have a part two!

[mandibierly]

‘Dirty Dancing’: 5 Thoughts I Had Watching ABC’s Remake

Colt Prattes as Johnny Castle and Abigail Breslin as Baby Houseman in ABC’s Dirty Dancing (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

ABC airs its remake of Dirty Dancing tonight, and if you’re a lover of the 1987 Patrick Swayze-Jennifer Grey film, chances are you won’t be able to stop yourself from tuning in to see how well Colt Prattes and Abigail Breslin fill their shoes. Here’s some of what was going through my mind while watching a screener.

Debra Messing as Marjorie Houseman in ABC’s Dirty Dancing. (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

1. Someone picked up on how sexy Kelly Bishop was as Marjorie Houseman at the end of the film. According to ABC, the TV movie sets out to “dive deeper into the iconic characters,” and where it works well is with Baby’s mother, now played by Debra Messing. Really, her only memorable line in the film was the saucy, “I think she gets this from me,” while watching Baby dance to “I’ve Had (The Time of My Life)” with Johnny. But Marjorie has a real voice in the ABC movie — and she uses it to announce that Dr. Jake Houseman (Bruce Greenwood) hasn’t touched her in almost a year.

Katey Sagal as Vivian Pressman and Colt Prattes as Johnny Castle in ABC’s Dirty Dancing. (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

It’s smart to expand Marjorie’s role, of course, because three decades after the film’s release, many of its fans will now relate more to her than with Baby. But also, it helps open up another character, Vivian Pressman (now played by Katey Sagal), who gets to literally sing about the “Fever” she has for Johnny. The two women later end up having a conversation that humanizes seductress Vivian and emboldens lonely Marjorie — and it’s the most welcome addition to the entire movie.

Abigail Breslin as Baby Houseman and Colt Prattes as Johnny Castle in ABC’s Dirty Dancing. (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

2. Prattes is best when he’s shirtless. And wet. On the one hand, anyone who’s brave enough to assume the role of Johnny Castle deserves some props. It��s not like he can comfort himself by saying this TV movie is introducing Johnny to a whole new generation. Dirty Dancing is always on cable — every generation has had a chance to meet him. So the pressure is on, but… it’s also kind of off. Knowing that no one will ever top Swayze’s smoldering performance and dancing, we can just sit back and appreciate Prattes’ strongest moments. Those are mainly when he takes off his shirt and jumps in the lake to practice the lift, and when he’s shirtless during the foreplay dance at his place (now set to Seal’s cover of “Cry to Me”).

Regarding the latter scene, the camera lingers long enough on his back muscles (which might, frankly, be better than Swayze’s), but I suspect I speak for us all when I say I missed Baby’s perfectly-timed butt caress.

Colt Prattes as Johnny Castle and Abigail Breslin as Baby Houseman in ABC’s Dirty Dancing. (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

3. I really miss choreographer Kenny Ortega. ABC’s version of Dirty Dancing wants to flesh out the characters and “tackle social themes like race, women’s rights and the socio-economic division in the country at that time.” To that point, Sarah Hyland’s Lisa Houseman has a lengthier, more upsetting encounter with would-be date-rapist Robbie (Shane Harper) and a forbidden friendship with a young black musician, a new character named Marco (breakout J. Quinton Johnson), who offers to teach her the ukulele. But the title is still Dirty Dancing, and on that level, the movie has to produce — and it just doesn’t.

We know it’s all building to “I’ve Had (The Time of My Life).” I watched the screener on my computer in the office, and I had six colleagues gather behind me to watch that climactic performance. Unfortunately, the reboot’s routine is so slow and simple, it leaves you wondering if someone got injured and they had to tone it down on purpose.

Maybe the problem is that Johnny, Baby, and the rest of the cast actually sing the song here. That’s fine if you’re watching a stage show of Dirty Dancing — yes, there is one — but on my TV, even if they’re lip-synching to their own pre-taped vocals, I want to see them sweat. (Remember Swayze’s wet bangs during his performance?)

Abigail Breslin as Baby Houseman, Colt Prattes as Johnny Castle and Nicole Scherzinger as Penny Rivera in ABC’s Dirty Dancing. (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

The characters sing their own music during other parts of the movie as well — including in the staff quarters, where the real magic should happen. It works when it’s Marco on a tiny stage performing Otis Redding’s “Love Man” with a band while everyone else dances, but not when it’s Johnny on the floor belting “Do You Love Me?” when you just want him to focus on grinding. Also, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the background dancer whose big solo moment involved… playing air piano.

Nicole Scherzinger as Penny Rivera and Colt Prattes as Johnny Castle in ABC’s Dirty Dancing. (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

Even when the characters aren’t “singing,” the choreography consistently underwhelms. Perhaps it’s because we’ve now seen so many seasons of sexy ballroom numbers on Dancing With the Stars, we know Johnny’s opening showstopper with pro partner Penny (a sufficiently sultry Nicole Scherzinger) isn’t a 10.

Sarah Hyland as Lisa Houseman and J. Quinton Johnson as Marco in ABC’s Dirty Dancing. (Photo: Eli Joshua Ade/ABC)

4. Wait, who’s singing this? Sometimes it’s the actors (note: Hyland gets spared Lisa’s legendary performance of “Hula Hana of Kamana Whala Hula Bay”; it’s replaced by a genuinely excellent duet with Johnson’s Marco). But often, it’s not. The highlight of the cover songs is hands down Lady Antebellum’s version of “Hey Baby,” used again for the log scene. The most questionable is Calum Scott’s cover of Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind.” It’s not like we didn’t make fun of that song back in the day, but it didn’t deserve to become a dance mix. (It’s essentially the opposite of how the 2011 big-screen remake of Footloose slowed down Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” into an Ella Mae Bowen cover that was quite good.) 

The full track listing is below, so you can emotionally prepare yourself.

1. “Be My Baby” – Bea Miller 2. “Big Girls Don’t Cry” – Karmin 3. “Love Man” – J. Quinton Johnson 4. “Do You Love Me”- Colt Prattes, Nicole Scherzinger, J. Quinton Johnson 5. “Fever” – Katey Sagal, Colt Prattes 6. “When I’m Alone” – J. Quinton Johnson 7. “Wipe Out” – American Authors Feat. Lindsey Stirling 8. “Hungry Eyes” – Greyson Chance 9. “Hey Baby” – Lady Antebellum 10. “Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On” – Nicole Scherzinger, Abigail Breslin 11. “Cry To Me” – Seal 12. “They Can’t Take That Away” – Debra Messing 13. “Love Is Strange” – Abigail Breslin, Colt Prattes 14. “They Can’t Take That Away (Reprise)” – Bruce Greenwood 15. “She’s Like The Wind” – Calum Scott 16. “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” – Sarah Hyland, J. Quinton Johnson 17. “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” – The Cast Of Dirty Dancing (Colt Prattes, Abigail Breslin, J. Quinton Johnson, Nicole Scherzinger, Debra Messing, Bruce Greenwood)

5. Closure feels good. No spoiler here, just appreciation for the movie having a definitive answer to whether Baby and Johnny stayed together.

Dirty Dancing airs May 24 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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‘This is Us’ Star Milo Ventimiglia Leads Emmy Campaign for Show’s Behind-the-Scenes Talent

Fox News is Hysterical Over CNN, MSNBC’s ‘Russia Hysteria’

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Finale Recap: And the Mirrorball Trophy Goes To…

[talkfastromance4]

Cross Her (C.H Part IV)

Summary: With a new album and tour soon to be on the rise, 5SOS’s management has decided to put Calum into a public relationship.

Masterlist

Word Count: 5867

Warnings: finally some smut! and i say ‘some’ loosely, it’s quite a bit in the middle but oh well, some swearing, drinking

Part 1  Part II Part III

• • • •

Calum was nervous. He usually gets the normal pre-concert jitters, the buzz and excitement from beyond the stage attaches to him and he just wants to get out and play. They performed Falling All into You live twice already in New York, but this would be the first time in LA. The first time performing it in front of Grace and that made Calum burst into a cold sweat.

His fingers were twitching the notes in the air and his lips were mouthing the words along with the imaginary chords. He was pacing. He shook his shoulders and rolled his neck to try to make himself a little looser. Nothing worked.

“What’s up with you?” Ashton asks. He’s leaning against a speaker as the third performance is going on.

“Nothin’,” Calum mumbles but continues his pacing, his twitching and his mouthing.

He turns away from the band with his hands behind his neck and his head to the ceiling, eyes closed. It’s sort of working, all the background noise fades a little and he concentrates on his breathing.

Then, small hands and an all too familiar touch to his shoulder caused him to jump out of his headspace. He turns around and sees Grace standing there with her dazzling smile and kind eyes and Calum feels calmness wash over him immediately.

“Hey, rockstar,” she greets squeezing his shoulder a bit.

“Hey sweetheart,” he smiles softly.

“You seem tense, why are you tense?” she scowls transitioning her fingers to the back of his neck.

She begins to scratch him affectionately and it feels so good, it gives Calum goosebumps.

“Just a little nervous,” he shrugs. With each scratch and scrape of her nails along his back he feels his body relax just a little bit more. No one’s ever done this to him before.

“Why? You’ve played the song before, right?”

“Yeah, but you’re here. I don’t want to mess up.”

“Even if you do mess up, which you won’t I have complete faith in you, it’s not like I’d notice,” she shrugs. She moves her fingers down his back in between his shoulder blades. She feels him melting and gets a little smug about it.

With past boyfriends she loved scratching their backs, it was her way of showing affection.

“Okay, whatever you’re doing is amazing and worth a hundred points,” he mumbles and she giggles.

“I wasn’t trying to do this for more points, it was to help you relax.”

“It worked,” he smiles lazily.

The eruption of cheers causes their small moment to go on pause; it was time for 5sos to go on.

“Where will you be standing?” he asks and she drops her hand from his back.

“Probably to the side back here with Sierra. I don’t know how your fans will react to me being in the crowd with them.”

He nods in understanding taking her hand in his.

“When we’re done playing want to watch a movie in your new home?” he asks.

“Okay,” she smiles then frowns. “Don’t you have interviews tomorrow?”

“Not until the afternoon.”

“Cal, come on!” Michael hollers from behind.

Calum leads Grace to where Sierra is standing. Before he goes onstage, Calum kisses Grace’s cheek quickly and squeezes her hand.

“Be right back,” he mumbles on her skin then departs. The girls scream louder when Calum comes onstage and pulls his bass strap over his shoulder.

Grace’s heart is beating a mile a minute and she’s very warm. Sierra giggles next to her behind her hand.

“I told you. He’s got it bad for you, girl,” she slings her arm around Grace’s shoulder for a side hug.

Grace doesn’t say anything but smiles so hard her cheeks hurt. The place Calum kissed her is still burning throughout the whole performance. When Falling All into You begins, she forces her eyes to stay open while Calum croons into the mic.

Some girls scream encouragingly and Grace is swaying along to the song and Calum’s voice. When it gets to the last chorus he cranes his head so he’s looking directly at her. It’s as if everything else around them comes to a standstill. All she sees is Calum and hears his voice and all he sees is Grace, but that’s nothing new.

Grace is frozen as the song comes to an end and the lights go dark. The crowd erupts in applause and wild screams. Grace’s eyes are still adjusting to the darkness when she feels Calum’s hand slip in hers and his familiar scent washes over her.

He knows the backstage area pretty well so he leads her further in the back where there’s a red ghost light, the background noise is just that, noise and it’s just the two of them. He’s breathing a little heavy and Grace is about to ask him what’s wrong when he speaks.

“I didn’t write that song for you,” he huffs. Half his face is in darkness and the other half is in a glowing red, his eyes intense and Grace’s heart plummets at his words.

“I kno—“

“I didn’t write it for you,” he interrupts cupping her cheek in his hand and tilts her head up. “But I sing it to you, Grace. Every word is true, I mean it when I sing it because I’m only singing to you.”

She feels his lips on hers and her breathing stops as she concentrates on the velvet touch of his kiss. Then it’s over too soon just as she remembers to breathe. When her eyes open Calum’s already staring at her, his lips parted. He’s waiting patiently as he gauges her reaction.

Grace closes the gap between them and kisses him once more, this time with more fervor but he quickly takes the lead which she doesn’t mind. His mouth molds to hers perfectly. His hand falls to her waist pulling her closer to him and Grace slides her hands up his chest and around his neck.

They kiss in whispers, tongues rolling over in easy conversation. It’s heated and sweet and tender, Grace never wants to stop kissing him. Calum never wants to let go but eventually they do after who knows how long when he hears Ashton and Michael calling for him.

When they part both of their breathing is heavy in the red glow, his forehead rests on hers as he stares into her eyes.

“You’ve no idea how long I wanted to do that,” he confesses.

“Probably as long as I have,” she whispers stroking his cheek. Because she’s happy and greedy she presses her lips to his once more.

Calum complies easily, it’s like her lips were made to fit against his. This time he has both hands around her waist while he kissed her. Grace’s fingers scratched at the back of his head but they were soon interrupted.

“I told you they were making out,” Michael chortles.

Grace pulls away from Calum just enough so their lips make a loud smack and she buries her face in his shoulder in embarrassment from being caught.

“Can I help you?” Calum sighs.

“The venue’s about cleared up if you wanna take this little rendezvous elsewhere,” Ashton explains with a small chuckle.

“Great. Thanks. Bye,” Calum says tightly.

“It’s about time you crazy kids got here,” Michael says. “Sorry for interrupting, Gracie. We’re happy you guys are together for real now. Later.”

Their footsteps echo back to the front of the stage and Grace is laughing in Calum’s shirt.

“I feel like we just got caught by our parents,” she laughs tilting her head back to look at Calum. “But they’re right. This light is making my eyes hurt, let’s get out of here, rockstar.”

“As you wish, sweetheart,” he smiles kissing the tip of her nose before taking her hand in his.

• • • •

It’s Fourth of July weekend and even though the guys don’t celebrate the holiday, Calum wants to do something for Grace. He rents a yacht for the whole day and evening so they’ll be able to watch the fireworks. The day is spent with good food, jumping off the boat and riding the jet skis that accompany the back of the yacht.

The group is photographed from smaller boats the paparazzi are on, but Calum and Grace are the main focus. In one it shows him smiling down at her, shirtless with sunglasses on, as she climbs up the ladder. In another their lips are locked in a sweet kiss. Then she’s cruising on the jet ski making her own waves as Calum watches her admiringly from his. Another photo is of them leaning over the machines to kiss once more but Calum falls in.

“You kiss me too well it made me fall in,” he teases when they’re back on the boat. The guys are still laughing their asses off that he fell in the water.

“Oh please, don’t blame me, buddy,” she sticks her tongue out.

“Sassy,” he grins stepping closer with his hands on her waist. He pinches her skin tickling her and her laughter screams in his ear.

He silences it by kissing her, she tastes like the ocean and watermelon because of the Mike’s Lemonade she’s been drinking all day. His arms wind around her waist, the pads of his thumbs tease the skin just below the waistband of her swimsuit bottoms and she curves her body up into his.

“Hey, behave,” she giggles but doesn’t go to remove his teasing thumbs.

“You’re the one being sassy,” he nearly growls nipping at her lip.

Grace cocks her head to the side observing him and Calum feels like he’s about to get yelled at from the look she’s giving him. She purses her lips and he knows she’s thinking hard about something. His eyes search hers for some sort of clue but before he can try to decode it she’s pulling him below  deck. It’s a lot cooler compared to up top and he’s curious as to where she’s taking him.

They weave behind the stairs where a small lounge area is with a couch and TV. Grace laces her fingers through his turning around so his back is to the couch. She crowds his space—which is surprising considering how small she is—until he’s fallen onto the cushions.

“You want to see sassy?” she quirked her eyebrows.

Calum stares in amazement as she straddles his hips, only the thin fabric of his and her suit is separating them and his body buzzes. He’s never been so turned on by a girl just sitting on his lap but here he is, sporting a hard on with Grace looking down at him with her big beautiful blue eyes.

She removes her fingers from between his and traces the dark ink on his collarbone. Calum’s hands rest on her thighs, her skin is warm from the sun and his fingers tickle her flesh.

“Show me what your sassy is,” he mumbles watching her lick her lips before kissing him softly.

It’s a tease filled kiss, her lips moving slowly against his, she adjusts herself on his lap achingly so and rubs against him. He moans moving one hand to the back of her head to fist into her hair then slips his tongue in her mouth.

His other hand grips her hip not sure if he wants to aid her in rocking on him or hold her in place. Her own fingers squeeze his wet curls and she gains power over his tongue so she can suck on it languidly. Calum’s moan vibrates her whole body and he clenches her suit bottoms in his hand forcing her ass cheeks to fall out. He kneads one of them giving it a slight smack before biting onto her lower lip.

She lets out a breathy moan rocking herself on him even more; he takes note of her response for later but right now he wants to keep kissing her.

“You’re so pretty,” he gasps moving his mouth to her neck. “And so fucking hot.”

“Mm, that’s you, babe,” she kisses his temple making her way down to his earlobe.

She nibbles on it and he hisses against her neck twisting his head so he can kiss her properly. She begins to grind on him again but Calum’s strong hands make her stop.

“You don’t like that?” she whispers against his lips feigning innocence.

“I think you can feel how much I like that, sweetheart,” he laughs. “If I don’t make you stop I won’t be able to stop myself from takin’ you right here.”

“We should put this on pause then, huh?” she pecks his lips making moves to get off him but he holds her there.

“Just. . . just give me a minute?” he asks and she smiles. He removes his hands from her waist to just hold her back lightly. “Are you having a good time?”

“The best time,” she smiles.

Once they rejoined the party they found they weren’t missed at all. Calum’s mind was still racing from their hot make-out session but he couldn’t think about that right now. Grace sat between his legs on one of the lounge chairs as the fireworks went off, his arms were wrapped around her. He’d kiss her temple every now and then, both of them happy right where they were.

• • • •

Calum booked their flight for midmorning the next day and they’d be flying back in the afternoon on the seventh so they wouldn’t miss Ashton’s birthday. Grace was beyond excited to go home even if it was for a short 36 hours, especially if Calum was coming with her.

“Are you sure Francesca said it was okay for you to come with me?” she asks for the millionth time as they settled into their seats on the plane.

“Yes,” he says patiently, “she thought it was a great idea for the song and PR but that’s not the reason I’m doing it. I want to see your home, meet your family.”

“My hometown is nothing like LA,” she warns. “The fanciest restaurant we have is Olive Garden. There are no clubs or raves, just a lot of bars and—“

“I’m not expecting LA, love, I’m excited to see your hometown.” He leans over and kisses her burning cheek that is blushing from his use of ‘love.’

Calum’s first impression of her old home was welcoming and wholesome. Her mother had a beautiful garden in the front and her dog greeted them excitedly, he practically jumped in Calum’s arms. Her mother cried when they hugged and smiled warmly at Calum.

“Thanks for letting me tag along,” he tells her after giving her a hug, “I didn’t want to miss Grace’s birthday.”

“Thank you for bringing her home,” her mother, Vivian, says. “Come on inside, I just cut up some watermelon.”

Calum walks down the hallway with his and Grace’s bags, he’s like a giant in a dollhouse. He loves her room then notices a One Direction poster on her wall.

“Where’s our poster?” he teases turning around to see her setting up the bed.

“I didn’t get magazines with you guys in them,” she shrugs.

“I’m crushed, Gracie. My own girlfriend doesn’t have me up on her wall,” he shakes his head.

“So I’m your girlfriend, huh?” she smirks. “I don’t remember you asking.”

“I’m sorry,” he laughs pulling her against him. “Will you be my real girlfriend?”

“Yes,” she giggles looping her hands around his neck. She stretches up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. “Our anniversary will be the 5th now.”

“I’ve always liked the number five,” he grins smugly and Grace rolls her eyes.

“You’re such a dork.”

“Now I’m your dork,” he pecks her nose.

“Good.” Grace kisses him.

 • • • •

For her birthday they go out to dinner--Calum fits the bill-- and then head out to a bar afterward for some drinks. She runs into some old friends and is happy to introduce them to Calum, she liked showing him off because she’s proud of him. He loved having her on his arm and seeing her let loose in a space she feels comfortable..

This was actually the first time he’s seen her drunk, his girl can hold her alcohol. He loves seeing her think everything is funny and have this glazed smile on her face. He had to carry her to her room, her mother was worried but Calum assured her she was just sleepy.

When he set her on the bed she began taking her clothes off and Calum stopped her hands, he wasn’t sure if she’d be okay with him being here for that.

“Can I get you anything while you change?” he asks.

“Water and Advil,” she mumbles.

“Be right back,” he kisses her forehead and goes into the kitchen. He found a water bottle and was thinking where the Advil would be when her mother came in the kitchen.

“Thanks for taking care of her, here’s some Advil.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m glad she had fun.”

“How is she doing in LA?”

Calum sees the worry in her eyes, he can tell Grace and her mother are very close. It probably kills Vivian to be so far away from her daughter.

“She’s doing great, but I think she does miss home.”

“She told me how this is all . . . fake, but I know my daughter and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“It’s not fake anymore,” Calum says softly, “I really care about your daughter, I’m serious about her. In fact, I don’t think it was ever fake, at least for me. She’s something special.”

 • • • •

Grace slept on the drive to the airport, then slept on Calum’s shoulder on the plane. It wasn’t until they got into his car that she spoke.

“Need iced coffee,” she grumbles sleepily to Calum.

“Your wish is my command, sweetheart,” he smiles kissing her cheek.

There was a Starbucks near her home so he decided to stop there and Grace held onto his right arm using it as a pillow as he drove. She was going in and out of sleep and Calum started to get a little worried. Did she drink too much and get alcohol poisoning? She didn’t black out but he’s never seen her act like this before.

He pulls up behind another car in the drive-thru then leans over rubbing her head affectionately.

“What do you want, babe?”

“Double chocolate chip Frappuccino,” she mumbles.

Once he’s got her drink, he rips open the straw placing it right in the middle of the whipped cream and hands it to her. She clutches it in both hands like a little kid and takes a hearty slurp.

“Mm, much better,” she sighs happily.

He pulls into her driveway, Calum already got her key and had both of their bags on his shoulder while she hobbled out of the car behind him. Grace makes a beeline to her room but Calum takes hold of her hand spinning her around slowly. He cradles her face in his hands.

“Are you all right? You’re not acting normal.”

“I’m always sluggish after a night of drinking. I got my coffee, now I just need a shower and I’ll be okay,” she mumbles.

He searches her face trying to detect any sign of trauma or pain she might be in. Her eyes are bloodshot and a little droopy.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” she kisses one of his palms against her cheek. “I won’t be long.”

She slips out of his grasp and continues her trek to her bathroom. Slightly appeased, he grabs their bags and brings it into her bedroom trying not to think of the fact that she’s just beyond the door behind him taking off her clothes. He sighs then heads out into the kitchen to find something to eat.

He takes a banana from her fruit bowl then heads into the living room to turn on Netflix, he’ll watch some baking to pass the time and divert his erotic thoughts of Grace.

No longer than fifteen minutes go by when he hears her feet padding on the wooden floors. She walks in front of him to get a blanket and Calum doesn’t even try not to check her out. She’s wearing one of his shirts, the Sensation one, and when she bent down he saw she wasn’t wearing any shorts. Purple lace peeked out from the bottom of the shirt; he suppressed a moan.

Grace collapsed next to him on the couch placing the blanket over her legs.

“See? All better,” she smiles brightly then drags his hand holding his banana to her mouth so she can take a bite.

Calum continues to stare at her, this girl is driving him bananas. Bad pun, but still, she comes waltzing in here wearing one of his shirts with no shorts on, bends down and he gets a sneak peek of her ass in pretty lace underwear?

“What’s the matter?” she questions, eyes wide with innocence but he notices the slight twitch in her lips. As if she were attempting to hide a smirk. As if she meant to do all of this.

“You are . . . unbelievable,” he says softly.

“What?” she laughs taking another bite from the banana.

He tosses the fruit to her coffee table then crowds her back against the couch, he’s hovering above her with her legs tucked against his chest. She squirms underneath him so her legs can adjust around his waist.

“D’you have any idea what you do to me?” he bumps his nose against hers, his hands pulling the blanket off her lap. He trails his palm up her and down her thigh, her sharp inhale coaxing him on as he slips under the fabric of his shirt on her body. He tickles his fingers along her stomach, teasing just below her breasts then back down again just barely passing below the waistband of her panties.

Goosebumps sprinkle her skin and her breath is shallow as she gasps out, “No.”

He presses his lips just below her ear, nibbling on the lobe as he mumbles, “come in here wearin’ my shirt—“ he gives her a wet kiss on her neck letting his fingers rub over her core “—then I see you aren’t wearin’ shorts and shit.” He sucks on her flesh, rubbing his middle finger in circles against her dampening pussy.

Grace places her hands behind his head into his hair, a shaky sigh of pleasure passed her lips. Calum smiles against her skin and continues to mark her up while he teases her over the fabric. Grace opens her legs a little wider and begins to jut her hips up against him.

“I’m s-so-ho . . . oh, feels good,” she moans quietly.

“Can I take these off, sweetheart?” he asks lifting his head from her neck. Her eyes are half open as she nods. He leans back on his knees hooking his fingers under the waistband and pulls them off her slowly. He drops them to the floor then gazes at her bare before him.

His middle finger swipes up her slit, his eyes met hers and she’s biting her lip. So Calum leans down to kiss her hungrily, passionately as his finger plays between her folds. Her legs jerk when he hits certain spots, he removes his hand and she sighs from the loss.

“So pretty baby,” he hums. He goes to slip his finger in his mouth for a taste so it’ll be easier to slip inside her, but Grace captures his hand dragging his finger to her own mouth.

Calum’s heart lurches as he watches her suck on his finger and feel her tongue swirl up and around.

“Fuck,” he nearly growls and she smiles cutely. How can she be so damn sexy and cute all at once?

She releases his finger with a small pop biting down lightly on the tip and he returns it quickly between her legs. She’s wetter than before and his finger slides in easily. Her mouth opens in a soundless gasp, her fingers clutch his shoulders as he goes all the way in.

Her back arches and he slowly pumps his finger in and out, in and out until her eyes close in pleasure. Her fingers curl in his hair, he loves how she always has to be holding onto some part of him. Grace moans as he picks up the pace and returns his mouth to her neck for more love bites. He slips in another finger and fucks her faster, curling his fingers as he does and her moans increase.

Grace rocks her hips into his hand and Calum feels her clench around his fingers, her hold on his hair tightens and her breath hitches as she comes undone for him.

“Just like that, baby,” he encourages, “such pretty moans.”

“Fuck, don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop,” she whimpers pleadingly and Calum scissors his fingers more rapidly.

Her breathing comes back to normal and her body relaxes into the cushions, Calum slows his fingers until he pulls them out slowly. This time, he slips his fingers in his mouth so he could taste her. He moans at the sweet tanginess of his Grace and her eyes slide open slowly.

When he extracts his fingers she crushes her lips to his biting his lip and slipping her tongue in his mouth. His fingers bruise into her hips as he kisses her back. He wants more of her, he’ll happily take what she decides to give him.

“Thanks for that,” she whispers against his lips.

“Anytime, sweetheart,” he pecks her lips and then she giggles. “What’s funny?”

“I definitely got the sensation today,” she giggles louder and Calum laughs along with her. He’s laughing so hard he falls on her chest, their bodies vibrating with laughter.

 • • • •

Grace decides to wear a spaghetti strapped silver sequined dress for Ashton’s party that night. She and Calum were to meet at his house for a drink before going out to the club Poison and when Calum saw her come out in that dress he nearly dropped to his knees.

“You should wear that all the time,” he told her slinking his arm around her waist.

“Even when I sleep? That wouldn’t be comfy,” she scrunches her nose.

“Nah, you can take it off, then,” he smiles kissing her then mumbles on her lips, “or I can take it off for you.”

“Mmm, maybe you can tonight, rockstar,” she smirks kissing him once more.

After a few more kisses they head out to his car, he opens her door and helps her get in, and he can’t stop the smile on his face. It’s so easy to be with her, and this afternoon was amazing. He’s never getting rid of that sensation shirt.

When they enter Ashton’s house music is blaring and the guys and girls are all in the kitchen. They cheer when they see Calum and Grace and Ashton races up to them. He lifts Grace in a hug exclaiming, “WE’RE ALMOST BIRTHDAY BUDDIES!”

Grace is laughing when he sets her down and KayKay brings over a crown that says ‘happy birthday’ and places it on her head.

“My birthday was yesterday,” Grace shakes her head going to take the crown off but KayKay stops her.

“We’re celebrating both of your birthdays tonight!” KayKay exclaims kissing Grace’s cheek.

“Did you plan this?” she asks Calum as Ashton goes to pour some shots.

“Nope, this is all of them,” he laughs looking around at all his friends.

“That’s so sweet.”

“Here, we need to take some birthday shots, Gracie girl,” Ashton says handing her the shot glass.

Grace sniffs it when Calum asks, “What is it?”

“Tequila,” Ashton shrugs.

“I—“

“She doesn’t like tequila, where’s rum or vodka? I’ll take this shot,” Calum takes the glass from Grace shooting her a wink before heading to the counter.

“Shit, I’m sorry Grace I forgot—“

“Don’t worry about it birthday man!” she cheers and Ashton giggles at her.

Calum returns with a new shot glass and hands it to Grace. “Vodka.”

“Thank you,” she stretches up to kiss his cheek.

“Okay, okay, happy birthday to us!” Ashton hollers and they all clink glasses.

Calum downs his shot easily, when he looks at Grace she shivers slightly and fans herself. “Woo! That’s warm in my throat.”

“What the fuck, you took shots without us?!” Luke yells joining the small group. Sierra is right behind him and gives Grace a hello hug then adjust the crown on her head so it’s a little crooked.

“It’s our birthday, man. We do what we want,” Ashton backfires picking up his drink.

“I’ll do a shot with you, Luke,” Grace says. “Have you ever taken a salted nut roll?”

Calum and the others give her a quizzical look.

“Oh you guys are going to love this. It tastes like cinnamon toast crunch. Come on.” She take Calum’s hand leading him to the counter where all the alcohol is.

Calum watches her in amazement as she pours them all the shot she described. Mikey and Crystal came over as well and he loved how well Grace fit in with his friends. His friends are his family and family is important to him, but Grace is slowly becoming more important to him.

The group of eight clinks their glasses then take the shot. Everyone makes an appreciative ‘mm’ from the taste and Grace is beaming which makes Calum swell with happiness. Calum pulls her to him by her waist planting a sweet kiss to her lips.

“What’d you think?” she asks looking up at him.

“Delicious,” he mumbles nibbling on her lower lip. When he pulls away his eyes are filled with lust and Grace’s heart leaps.

 • • • •

The evening passes by in snapshots. The flicker of the strobe lights in the club captures different moments of the group’s outing. Dancing bodies are slowed, in the next frame shots are taken, jump to the next frame and Calum’s hands are precariously low on Grace’s hips.

His lips are on her neck, her fingers are in his hair. The bass of the song keeps the rhythm of their hearts and before their lips can touch they’re yanked apart by Ashton and Sierra.

“You’ve had her for two days! It’s our turn!” Sierra sticks her tongue out dragging Grace away from Calum who has a shocked expression on his face.

Calum joins the boys and sneaks glances to Grace and the girls to make sure she was all right. Every time he looked she’d be laughing or posing for photos with the girls by sticking her tongue out or crossing her eyes which made them all laugh even more.

“Can you believe you two are actually dating for real now?” Michael shouts over the music.

“No, it’s incredible!” Calum shouts back with a huge grin.

“She’s perfect for you, man,” Michael raises his drink in mock toast before taking a gulp.

• • • • 

When it’s time for the club to close they clamber back into the limo and Grace is like a koala on Calum. She’s holding onto his chest with her legs draped across his lap, she’s practically sitting on him and he’s petting her hair.

“You all right, sweetheart?” he asks.

“I—“ she winces as one of the girls shrieks in laughter. “I don’t know.”

“What’s the matter, baby?” he lifts her head up gently but she’s strong and stays glued to his chest. “Gracie, what’s wrong?”

“It’s stuck.”

“What’s stuck?”

“The alcohol . . . in my throat . . .” she groans burrowing further into his shirt.

Calum becomes alert and sober in an instant.

“Are you going to be sick?” he’s still trying to lift her head up so he can get a good look at her.

“Not yet,” she shakes her head.

“We’re almost home,” he assures rubbing her arm.

The group doesn’t even notice Calum and Grace slipping to his car so he can drive her to her house. He’s guessing she’d rather puke in her own toilet than at Ashton’s and he’s thankful her house is close to Ashton’s.

He helps her out of the car and into the house. As soon as her feet hit the landing she’s booking it for the bathroom. Calum runs after her and gets there just in time to pull her hair back as she releases the contents into the toilet.

“Shh, there you go. Let it all out,” he coaxes rubbing her back.

“Gooo,” she moans weakly trying to shove him away. The motion causes her to throw up some more and Calum still holds her hair.

After the worst is done she’s left dry heaving a few times before her body begins to tremble. Calum helps her stand up, flushes the toilet, then gives her some mouthwash. He grabbed onto her elbows to pull her to her bed but she stops him.

“My contacts and my makeup,” she whined reaching for her contact holders.

“Babe, you can do that in the—“

He watches in wonder as she takes out her contacts like she’s done when she’s sober. She even squirts in the solution and screws it shut tight. Then she takes out a makeup wipe, her strength isn’t the greatest at this point so Calum takes over for her.

“Thank you,” she hums then shakes tremendously.

“Okay, let’s get you into bed,” Calum guides her into her room snatching up his sensation shirt she wore earlier.

“No, that’s the sexy shirt,” she cries.

“What?”

“That’s the shirt I want to wear when I want to do sexy things with you,” she pouts struggling to unzip the back of her dress.

“It can still be that shirt, love. We’ll make an exception for tonight, okay? C’mere, let me help you,” he wiggles his two fingers towards him and she stumbles in front of him.

He pulls the zip down its track and she lets the straps loose so the sequined dress falls at her feet. It’s like a disco ball has melted on her carpet. Calum knew she hadn’t worn a bra with the dress, but seeing her breasts on full display for him for the first time, it caught him off guard. He desperately wanted to touch them, kiss them, but knew now was not the time.

He pulls the shirt over her head and she clambers onto her bed, tossing the decorative pillows all about the room. One hits him in the face.

“Hey! Watch it,” he chuckles undoing his belt and removes his clothes.

“Sorry,” she sighs settling under the covers. Her eyes are already closed but once Calum is next to her, she peeks through them. “Can you stay?”

“Of course, I wasn’t planning on leaving.” He yanked his shirt over his head then crawls in beside her.

She rolls over so her backside is curved into his. His arm lays over her gently, he knows she doesn’t like to be crowded, then kisses her head.

“Go to sleep, sweetheart,” he hums.

[roselukes]

Second Chances Chapter 4

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

The club was completely packed when they showed up. “There’s so many people here.” Mackenzie sighed as she looked around for Sarah.

“Yeah, it’s the biggest club in Manhattan.” Bryana smiled and pulled Mackenzie to the bar stools. “Is your friend here yet?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know where my phone is to text her. I’ll find her eventually.” She shrugged and looked at the bartender. “Can I get a rum and coke please?”

“I’ll have a strawberry mojito,” Bryana added. The bartender nodded and began making the drinks. “Oh, we don’t have to pay. Ashton says drinks are on him for us tonight.”

“No, I should pay for my own.” Mackenzie reasoned, looking at Bryana.

“The boys have enough money to buy you a couple drinks, Mackenzie. It’s fine.” Bryana giggled and looked up as Sarah found them.

“Mackenzie!” She yelled, running to Mackenzie and hugging her tightly. “I was so worried about you. I had no idea what happened to you that night and you weren’t answering your phone. Tell me what happened!” Mackenzie gave the basic story to her, refraining from mentioning the cuts they had given her. Bryana was skilled when doing her makeup to cover them up so they weren’t visible unless you were super close to them.

“I’m okay though, they didn’t hurt me too badly.” Mackenzie smiled and hugged Sarah tightly. “What do you want to drink?”

“I’ll just stick with water for now. I want to stay sober tonight, I have a big exam tomorrow.” Sarah sighed and leaned against the bar with Bryana and Mackenzie.

“You’ll do great. You always do.” Mackenzie giggled. “Sarah, this is Bryana. She’s Luke’s best friend's ex. Bry, this is Sarah, my old roommate from school.”

“You’re Sarah? I’ve heard so much about you.” Bryana smiled and took a sip of her drink, giving her a side hug. “Come on, let’s dance.” She smiled and set her drink down, grabbing Mackenzie and Sarah’s hands. She leads them out to the dance floor and swayed her hips to the beat of the song blaring throughout the club.“Oh, my God.” Bryana gasped after a half an hour of dancing. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth, Mackenzie turned and saw Calum, Ashton and Michael followed by Luke and John entered the club from the side, blood splattered on their clothes and skin.

“Luke!” Mackenzie yelled forgetting everything, running through the packed club over to him. “What the hell happened to you?” She widened her eyes and reached up to cup his cheeks, turning him to look at her.

“I’m fine, Mackenzie. Don’t worry about me.” Luke sighed, and pushed her hands down. “It’s nothing. Don’t cause a scene,” he muttered. As he pulled her into his office, so she could make a scene with no one seeing it.

“Luke, you’re all covered in blood.” Mackenzie reasoned, looking up at him. “You expect me not to be concerned?”

“It’s not my blood. I’m okay, just go outside with the girls and get some air, take a deep breath. We’ll talk to you once I’ve changed and gotten cleaned up, okay?” Luke held her hand gently and pressed his lips to her forehead. He let go of her and watched as she walked out of his office.

“Come on, Mackenzie. Let’s go get some air.” Sarah grabbed her hand  as she walked out of his office and pulled her out of the club and into the alley. Mackenzie shivered as her skin was exposed to the chilly New York air.

“I can’t believe he thinks nothing of it. He’s fucking covered in blood and he’s acting like it happens every day.” Mackenzie blew out an exasperated breath leaning against the wall.

“That’s because it does.” Goosebumps formed on Mackenzie’s skin as she heard the familiar deep raspy voice. She never wanted to hear that voice again. “Luke isn’t the strongest when it comes to fighting, you know.” Mackenzie turned to face Romeo and swallowed hard when she noticed his beaten up stature, leaning on the other side of the alleyway. “Hello, my dear Sarah, so nice to see you again,” Romeo smirked at Sarah.

“Hi.” Sarah sighed uncomfortably, hoping Mackenzie wouldn’t piece it together.

“Wait. how.. How do you know...?” Mackenzie gasped, looking at Sarah, who had tears starting to well up in her eyes, seeing the guilty look on her best friend's face. “You…” She gasped.

“How else do you think I learned everything about you? I had to have someone on the inside, and who better to do that than my own flesh and blood?” Romeo chuckled darkly and stepped toward Mackenzie. She backed away until her back hit the metal fence. Behind him, she could see more men stepping into the alley. One grabbed Sarah from her spot on the wall, “Your work is done,” he said, loud enough for Mackenzie to hear. Mackenzie squeezed her eyes shut quickly when she saw him place a cloth over Sarah’s mouth. She whimpered as she heard a thud. Her mind imagined Sarah’s body hitting the body, being dragged away. “Don’t worry,” Romeo whispered, “I won’t do anything to my only niece.”

“Luke’s inside, he’d know if you touched me,” Mackenzie warned bravely, her heart rate quickening.

“I’m not here to hurt you Mackenzie,” she opened her eyes slightly. “I’m only here to return this.” He held up Mackenzie’s phone and smirked as he held it out to her. “I thought you might want it back. Maybe, keep it as a memory of our time together.” He said, grabbing her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles before dropping her phone and starting to walk out of the alley. Mackenzie grabbed her phone.

“I hope the next time I see you you’re in a body bag.” Mackenzie spat, running back inside. She looked around for Bryana and jogged to her when she found her. “I need to talk to Luke. Now.” Mackenzie’s breathing was ragged and irregular, tears were streaming down her face. She could feel her heart trying to beat through her chest.

“He’s in his office.” Bryana pointed to the office and Mackenzie walked to the door. She knocked and waited for a response.

“Luke? It’s Mackenzie. We need to talk.” She sobbed, looking down at her feet. She was about to turn and walk away when the door opened. Luke stood there in his bloody shirt, half unbuttoned, sipping on some scotch he had poured himself after she had left.

“Come in.” He sighed and held the door for Mackenzie as she walked in. He closed the door again and locked it, leaning against the door. “What do we need to talk about?” Figuring there was nothing wrong. She had always been dramatic. The crying normally was an act, he thought, just a way for her to win that round of the argument. She had done it when they were still together and he was sick and tired of it

“Romeo was outside. He cornered me and gave me this. And he took Sarah.” She sobbed She handed her phone to Luke.

“Did he touch you?” Luke asked, throwing her phone onto his desk, placing his scotch down, grabbing her waist and pulling her into his chest. “I need to know if he hurt you.”

“No, Luke. He didn’t touch me.” She sighed, tears pricking her eyes. “Did you know that Sarah was his niece?” She looked up at Luke. He looked down guiltily and avoided her gaze. “Oh, my God. You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”

“She was your best friend, Mackenzie. I didn’t think she would help him get to you. The last time I spoke to her was when she mentioned to everyone that she didn’t talk to any of her family,” Luke finally let his gaze drift to hers. Even when her eyes were glossy, they were still brighter than he remembered them to be. He ran his finger over her cheek softly. “I didn’t know how to tell you without having you think I was trying to turn you on her”.

“You always hated her. Is that why? Because she knew who you were?” Mackenzie demanded, crossing her arms. Luke nodded slowly and sighed. “We are not leaving this room until you tell me everything. You have to tell me the real reason you left me, who is after me, and why they want me.”

“Mackenzie, I can’t tell you all of that. It’s too dangerous for you.” Luke reasoned, pulling her closer. “Everything I’ve done, I’ve done because I love you.”

“That’s fucking bullshit, Luke! If you loved me, you wouldn’t have left me to get kidnapped by some ugly old men!” Mackenzie yelled, pulling away from Luke. “Why did you leave me?”

“I left you because I know what the gang can do to a person! Look at what it did to Bryana! She lost almost everything when she got involved. I didn’t need that happening to you.” He snapped.

“Fine” she snapped back, wiping her tears away. He tried to grab her arm but she had already stormed out of his office, making her way outside to the street, where taxis were waiting. She called one and jumped in, giving the address of Luke’s house where her stuff was. She pulled out the cash Bryana handed her, just in case she needed to get home or call a taxi, and paid the driver her fare, before turning and staring at the big house she had so many memories in. The first time he brought her to the house. The first night she stayed over. The first time they had sex. The first “I love you”. All the memories got worse and worse as she made her way inside up to the bedroom. All her stuff had been put into, his bedroom. She was beyond upset now. She picked up the framed photo of her and Sarah. She pulled the picture out and ripped it in half, throwing away Sarah’s half. She laid on Luke’s bed and buried her face in the pillows. They smelled like him and it hurt after everything they had been through, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop taking in the scent she missed so much.

***

Luke didn’t come home that night. He stayed at the club to give Mackenzie some space to think. He decided he’d come home around 5pm, after he was sure she’d have time to cool down. Maybe she could be reasonable to talk too now. He stopped at the Apple store on his way home, getting Mackenzie a new phone, to make sure no one would track her old phone back to her. He would have to dispose of the old phone or plant it somewhere as soon as he could. He had everything set up for her including a new number and a nice background image of himself shirtless. It was a joke they had when they were together. She had taken it of him when they were still together. She had sent it to him multiple times, just to tease him. He set the picture just to lighten up her mood, he knew that she would be in a tough position for the next little while. When he got home, the entire house smelled of garlic and meat. “What’s going on in here?” He asked, loosening his tie as he walked into the dining room.

“Mackenzie made spaghetti, and holy shit, it’s so good!” Calum said with his mouth full. “It’s the best spaghetti I’ve ever had.”

“It’s not that good. I’m not that good of a cook.” Mackenzie smiled softly, blushing lightly, turning back to the stove, moving some pots around.

“Around here you are incredible. We don’t have home cooked meals unless it’s kraft dinner ” Calum grinned.

“Mackenzie, can we talk for a second? Please?” Luke sighed, rubbing his neck before shoving his hands in his pockets. Sleeping in his desk chair was never good for his posture and it always left him feeling sore. He needed a couch in there. Mackenzie nodded and walked to the foyer to meet Luke.

“What is it?” She asked, looking up at him, placing her hands on her hips. Luke handed her the phone.

“This is yours now. I got everything set up for you already, you just have to reconnect the rest of your stuff. My number and the boys’ numbers are on speed dial in case you find yourself in an emergency. I’ve got your phone linked to the computer in the club so I can track you if I need to, but I won’t do it unless it’s really necessary. We have a plan to keep you safe” Luke explained.

“I wouldn’t need this if you hadn’t left me.” She mumbled, rolling her eyes and stuffing the phone in her pocket. “I can’t believe you left me because of such bullshit reasons.” she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m assuming that you aren’t going to tell me this new plan of yours”

“Loving and wanting to protect you is not bullshit.” Luke seethed, looking down at her. “I love you with every fucking part of me and I will never stop loving you. If I lost you because I couldn’t protect you, I don’t know what I’d do with myself. So, don’t tell me it’s bullshit, and you don’t need to know, because right now it doesn’t involve you.”

“Of course you aren’t. You know what the worst part about this is?” Mackenzie sighed, looking up at him again. He shook his head and his expression softened. “The worst part is that I still love you, too.” Luke’s breath hitched in his throat. He leaned down and lightly placed his lips over Mackenzie’s.

“Just please give me another chance to protect you. Give me a chance to earn your trust again.” Luke whispered against her lips, grabbing her waist..

“I-i..” She sighed pulling away, holding Luke’s hand. “I can’t. Not yet.” Tears pricked Luke’s eyes and he pulled his hand from hers. “Luke, it’s just not that easy. We have to work up to that.”

“All I want is to have you in my arms again. I just want you to be mine so I have a real reason to protect you. I just want to be there for you”  Luke pleaded, looking down at Mackenzie. “and maybe occasionally get a kiss or two.” he asked hopefully. She slightly smiled at his hope and gently cupped his face before pulling her hands away.

“Luke, I can’t risk the heartbreak again. I just can’t.” She sighed and turned around, walking back to the dining room.

“Just give her time, mate. She’ll come back to you, I know she will.” Ashton squeezed Luke’s shoulder as he passed by him. “She just needs to get there herself and realize what you did was for her.”

“Everything I do, I do for her.” Luke whispered, watching Mackenzie interact with his friends from afar. “I’ll never love anyone as much as I love her.”

“She knows that. She’s glowing, mate. She loves you just as much, she’s just not ready to show it again because of what happened. She just needs time.” Ashton smiled and walked into the dining room. Luke smiled softly and walked in. He didn’t want to wait for Mackenzie to be ready, but he knew he had to. He knew that if he wanted her back, he was going to have to wait for her. All he wanted was her, and he would do anything for her.

***

Mackenzie walked up the stairs, following Luke to the room. She walked in and froze as she saw all of her things placed out just as they had been a year and a half ago, before Luke left her. “Luke, what the hell is this?”

“I just figured we could go back to the way things used to be. Before all of this happened.” Luke sighed and looked down.

“It’s not that easy, Luke! I can’t just jump back into our same routine!” Mackenzie pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m not sleeping in here with you.”

“Mac,” he tried. She shook her head.

“I need space Luke. You moved my stuff into the house without even telling me. You can’t just move my stuff into your room and expect me to be completely fine with it.

“Alright, fine. I’ll move your things to the guest room.” Luke sighed and called the boys up to help. They picked up her things and brought them to the guest room. They placed them around the room, making it her own.

“Thank you, boys.” Mackenzie sighed and sat on the bed. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.” She yawned.

“Goodnight, Kenzie.” Ashton smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. They boys walked out, leaving Luke and Mackenzie alone.

“Goodnight, Luke.” Mackenzie laid on the bed with her back to Luke. He sighed and walked out of the room and to his own. Mackenzie pulled the covers over her body and turned off the lamp. She closed her eyes and it wasn’t long before she was off in dreamland.

***

His hands were on her body, pinning her down. Romeo was gripping her wrists tightly, a smirk on his face. “I hope you’re ready to watch your Lukey die.”

“No, don’t hurt him!” Mackenzie cried, trying to push Romeo off of her. She looked up as Al walked in, dragging a bloody and beat up Luke behind him. “Luke!” She cried, kicking her legs at Romeo. He tied her hands and pulled her into the chair so she could see Luke clearly.

“Mac..” Luke whimpered softly, looking at her sadly. Romeo aimed his gun at Luke’s head and Mackenzie screamed.

“No!” Tears were falling down her cheeks. Romeo pulled the trigger and Mackenzie screamed as she watched Luke’s body fell to the floor.

Luke’s eyes shot open as he heard the cries and whimpers coming from the guest room. He got up quickly and ran to Mackenzie’s room. He sighed as he saw her sleeping form. She was tossing and turning, tears soaking her pillow. He carefully lifted her blankets and laid himself next to her. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and held her close to his body. “You’re okay, Mac.” He whispered. Her whimpers and cries stopped as Luke rubbed her back.

“Luke?” Mackenzie whispered, opening her eyes slowly. “Luke!” She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him in super close, soaking his bare chest with tears.

“I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.” Luke pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“They had you.. You were killed, Lu. Right in front of me.” Mackenzie’s eyes welled up with tears again. “I can’t lose you like that.”

“You will never lose me, Mac.” Luke wiped her eyes. “I may get hurt sometimes, but getting hurt is what made me the strongest leader this gang has ever seen.” He said, running his fingers up and down her back, calming her down.

“Are you still running the underground boxing ring?” Mackenzie asked after a while, looking up at him.

“Yeah, we’re making the most money any ring leaders have ever made.” Luke smiled softly. “You should really come see a fight sometime. Chris is our top boxer.”

“You know I don’t like watching the fights.”

“I know, but you were the one who told me about the underground ring.” Luke smiled. “How did you find out about it, anyways? You never did tell me.”

“Oh.. Sarah told me about ring in New York. She said her uncle had been involved with it..” Mackenzie looked up at Luke, fear in her eyes. “Oh, my God. Romeo. Was he involved with it?”

“When we took over the ring, we kicked Romeo out of business.” Luke sighed. “That’s when we became rivals, and I guess he knew that hurting you was the only way to bring me down.”

“Luke, you have to forget about me. We’re not going to work. We tried it before and it ended badly, how are we supposed to make it work again?” Mackenzie sighed.

“We just have to try.” Luke whispered, pressing his lips to hers.

“I’m scared, Lu..” Mackenzie whispered against his lips. “I’m scared to give you everything again. What if we end up the same way?”

“Mac, baby, it’ll work out. Just go back to sleep.” He kissed her head and held her close as she fell back asleep slowly.

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