#with Luke/Michael/Calum all having such wonderful beautiful partners

[daydadahlias]

oh PLS i can sacrifice main ship ash to have mattshton together and happy just once

but can EYE sacrifice main ship ash

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Dom!Michael Masterlist

a different kinda love (ao3) - citiesbelow michael/calum, ot4 E, 6k

Summary: Calum and Michael decide to spend an evening at home having kinky sex and then it ends up more emotionally intense than planned, but they cuddle and talk it out and everyone's happy in the end.

Beautiful Night (ao3) - Grace_Williams michael/ashton M, 1k

Summary: Michael Clifford actually said “is this your hole? It’s beautiful” on a twitch stream in August 2022 and this is what I wrote because of it.

Calum Gets His Way (ao3) - Jay_isnotokay ot4 M, 5k

Summary: But Calum hadn't said anything or told anyone about the dirty thoughts plagued his every waking hour.

So he guessed he was just gonna have to swallow his pride and just say it.

Which was a lot easier said than done.

~

or Calum finally asks for what he wants, and the boys are happy to fulfill his wishes

Dicks, Desks, & Lace Panties (ao3) - screamssetonfire michael/luke E, 2k

Summary: assistant!Luke likes to wear lace panties and show them off to his boss, ceo!Michael.

Ease (ao3) - Grace_Williams calum/ashton, michael/luke G, 138k

Summary: In a world where everyone was a dominant or a submissive and everyone had an assigned soulmate, Ashton was remarkably unsure of himself. Nothing is going as he planned and his soulmate, Calum, is, to put it simply, not who he expected.

Michael is Calum’s best friend and an all round terrible example when it comes to navigating relationships.

Calum’s assistant Maggie, along with her soulmate Carla, seem to be the only ones who do understand how a relationship is supposed to work.

Are they the only people can put those around them at ease?

Everything That’s Come and Gone (ao3) - MCRmyGeneral ot4 E, 6k

Summary: Mostly he just sat and stewed on the fact that apparently he’d been fucking as least Ashton, if not all his boyfriends, for months while they laughed behind his back.

Or, Ashton says the wrong thing and it makes Luke think too much.

filthy animal (ao3) - lucasshem michael/ashton E, 2k

Summary: ashton and michael fuck the living shit out of each other.

Green Light (ao3) - SpencerKnight ot4 E, 181k

Summary: Class is an age old concept–almost as old as the concept of human slavery, and in a world where buying humans is a standard behavior by those who can afford it, Luke’s only hope as a member of the lower class is that he falls into the hands of a decent buyer–the hands of Ashton Irwin and his partners. Luke knows he has one chance to please his buyers or he risks getting put back on the market, but he’s thrown for a loop when Ashton admits that Luke is the one that gets to call the shots. In an attempt to find security with the trio, Luke braces himself and gives them the green light to do whatever they want with him.

He had no idea they would refuse.

how far will you go? (I just wanna feel you cum) (ao3) - orphan_account ot4 E, 7k

Summary: michael being purposely obstinate and getting what’s coming for him: ot4 edition

i can be good (make you proud) (ao3) - FINEHEMMINGS ot4 M, 3k

Summary: luke is ashton’s submissive who only wanted to make his dom proud, but the plan completely fails.

I’d like to see you have your way (ao3) - iambic_pulse, phanjessmagoria ot4 E, 20k

Summary: Ashton asks Luke to take control of him one night, just for a little change of pace. It doesn’t go as well as he hopes.

I Don't Need It To Be Easy, I Need It To Be Worth It (ao3) - orphan_account michael/calum, luke/ashton M, 18k

Summary: *The blond one chuckles without humour, “Alright, you wanna play dumb, fine. But don’t go anywhere near my mum again, got it?”

Now, Calum is starting to get angry too, “Who the fuck do you think you are? I'll hang out with who I want, I’m not gonna let a wanna be Billie Joe Armstrong dictate my life.”

Michael is smirking now, “Cute insult,” he says mockingly. “I wonder how clever you have to be to come up with this, what a sass genius.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re just proving my point,” says the blond one.*

After making the resolution of becoming more athletic, Calum decides to take up yoga class. There, he meets Karen, a rich white L.A yoga mum, who's also a very happy and sweet lady who keeps invating him to the most exclusively rich people events.

One day, he meets her son: Michael. This guy couldn't be more different from his mum; he wears dark clothes, dark make-up, and he's rude.

Another issue: Michael seems to hate Calum, and wants him to stay away from Karen, and Calum isn't sure why...

I love the way you scream my name (ao3) - mlstyles257 ot4 N/R, 5k

Summary: The boys had purchased the Sybian months ago. But their lives were so hectic, that they haven’t gotten around to using it yet. First, they were working on their new album, then they were on the road on tour, before finally, after months of the toy collecting dust in their closet, they had free time. Michael was the one to stumble across the toy while…doing some research. He immediately sent the link to Ashton and Calum with a simple caption of ‘for Luke’. Safe to say, they bought it pretty quickly.

Luke is a little anxious to try out the new toy, but with a little reassurance from his boyfriends and a demonstration from Calum, he agrees to give it a go.

say you want me and dont be nice (send those shivers running down my spine) (ao3) - orphan_account michael/calum N/R, 5k

Summary: :+: Calum and Michael are in gangs, and when Calum gets slightly turned on by the gun in Michael's hands, things get dirty :+:

tell me what your worst fantasies are (i bet they look a lot like mine) (ao3) - orphan_account ot4 N/R, 8k

Summary: :+: or where Luke has twisted fantasies and the boys have twisted minds:+:

The stars shine in your eyes (ao3) - buddieshipper420 ot4 N/R, 2k

Summary: Calum finds Ashton floating dangerously close towards subspace, and they all take care of their sub.

That's it, that's the fic.

Wanted You All Along (ao3) - MCRmyGeneral ot4 E, 5k

Summary: For as long as he could remember, Luke had an annoying habit of putting things in his mouth.

Or, Luke deals with his oral fixation, and also with the issue of him being in love with all three of his bandmates. Ironically, the two issues overlap in the most coincidental way.

we’re speaking in bodies (ao3) - thedeathofhyacinth ot4 E, 3k

Summary: Calum loves his Doms and his Doms love him.

What’s the matter baby? (ao3) - ExplicitStark luke/ashton, ot4 E, 4k

Summary: “You’d like that wouldn’t you , whore. Your so fucking pathetic. I’m sure you’d love Calum and Michael to watch you ruin yourself because of me fucking your tight ass. But we can’t can we? Cant have them catching us. So if I were you, I’d pay special attention to those slutty noises your making”

Yes Daddy (ao3) - cinnamonhood ot4 M, 2k

Summary: Luke and Calum are caught breaking the rules and are punished by their daddies.

[wastelandcth]

In the Mountains - cth

summary: who would've thought hiking with the boys would have ended up being so eventful? as the fifth member of 5sos with a crush on a certain bass player, you’re about to find out. 

author’s notes: thanks to @calumspupils for sending this request in! I hope you enjoy it!

masterlist || request

You didn't really know how you'd gotten to this point in your life. How you had ended up in a band with four people you'd give the world to, it all still seemed like a fever dream. Most mornings you'd wake up either on a tour bus or in a hotel room miles from home wondering if this was your real-life and it wasn't until you were sat at breakfast with your bandmates that you realized how grateful you were for the twists and turns that had led to your crazy life.

Some days you'd play shows and feel like you were on top of the world, rocking out on stage with your best friends. Some nights the views from the airplanes you'd grown used to being on took your breath away for so long you were afraid you'd actually imagined it all. That all the cameras flashing and fans screaming out lyrics you'd written with the four guys on stage next to you were a figment of your imagination and you'd wake up one day to find it all gone.

"Hey, I know you don't love hiking but...I'm sure we'll make it fun," Calum's voice rang out in the car, bringing you back to the moment at present, "And I'll be there to tell you all the jokes and point out cool rocks," he said with a wink.

Calum Hood. You'd turned your head to face him, the California sun was hitting his skin and making him glow. His bright smile adorning his face as the sunglasses he was wearing slid down his nose to reveal those brown eyes you'd fallen for. His soft voice and gentle teasing bringing warmth to your stomach that always seem to linger whenever you two were alone. It was something that you thought you'd kept to yourself, a little secret, but the comments online only left you a blushing mess.

If you were being honest, you'd been in love with Calum since the first months you'd spent with the band, getting to know each other and making sure you'd be a good fit into the group. those weeks had been filled with outings together where all five of you would spend hours on end telling stories about growing up and then laughing over how the internet blew up when they introduced you to their fanbase. But those few weeks were also spent trying your best to not make a fool of yourself in front of Calum, who seemed to always be at the right place whenever you stumbled or when your voice would crack while you were practicing alone.

You two had clicked instantly, both stuck to each other's hip as you took on the world. You'd write together, spending hours on a couch drafting out possible songs and humming along to tracks that had potential in matching the band's sound. You'd even become neighbors at one point when you'd first moved into the city to be closer for band work. He'd helped you move into the apartment next to his and you'd spent many weekends at each other's place, laughing over the awkward silences when you'd both caught each other glancing for a few seconds too long.

So you were in love with your bandmate, your best friend, with Calum Hood. How bad could it be?

Apparently, very bad. You and Calum had never been the subtle type and although you both pretty much knew there was more than friendship between you two, no one made a move to make it more. Ashton had asked you once when you two had gone out for lunch after a studio session.

"I just can't understand why you two haven't already gotten over it and got together. You'd thought about it, he's thought about it. Just do it," Ashton huffed, shaking his head as he watched you tense up and shake your head.

"The band is what's important, Ash. We can't let our feelings get in the way of fucking up what all five of us have created. He knows that and I do too," you'd replied, laughing quietly as Ashton only shook his head and mumbled something under his breath.

But Ashton was always one to try and make others happy in his own special way. And that's how you found yourself in the car with Calum on the way out of the city for a hike you were less than excited about. You knew Ashton was up to something when he'd texted the group saying that you and Calum would have to drive to the trail together since you wouldn't fit in his car with Luke, Mike, and their partners. As a form of payback, you'd purposefully told Calum to pick you up thirty minutes after the original time to make sure you were the last ones to get there because there was nothing more than Ashton hated than being late. And that's how you found yourself driving out of the city with Calum, lost in your own head over how beautiful he looked.

"Mhm, you always make things fun," you chuckled and winked back at him, "We're gonna need it especially now that we're late and Ashton will definitely kill us."

The hike had gone surprisingly good considering three of you were not the most athletics and Luke and Michael had constantly been racing seeing who could go the farthest faster. Ashton had tried his best to keep everyone on track until you and Calum had teased him about being the mom friend as he'd set up his phone on a rock to shoot an update video for fans to let them know about the band had been up to. It had all been going according to plan until you moved closer to Calum and twisted your ankle, ending up on the floor staring up at the blue sky.

"Oh my god, I'm going to die. Just leave me here to die because I'm not making it," you cried out, "This is the end of me!"

In a matter of seconds since your back had hit the ground, four familiar faces hovered above you, one of them looking more concerned than the others. The pain shot through your spine and down your leg, your eyes closing as you tried to stop the tears from falling down your cheeks. Soon enough you found yourself being lifted up from the ground and a warm body pressed against your back. You could hear all the guys fighting over what to do, which meant your ankle wasn't twisted backward since none of them had screamed or puked their guts out. Their voices all mumbled into one as you breathed through the pain and it wasn't until Calum's warm breath was hitting your ear that you felt yourself take a deep breath in and open your eyes.

"I'm gonna stay here with you until Ash and the others can get a ranger to bring a car or something like that, okay?" he mumbled softly, his hand rubbing at your back as he helped you sit back against a rock.

"Please don't let my leg fall off, I need it to run on stage and to kick Michael when he steals my food," you whined.

"That's not gonna happen, okay? I think you just twisted it and it's all going to be okay, sweet girl," Calum mumbled and kissed your forehead, "Promise."

The sun was still high in the sky by the time you started thinking Ashton had left you both in the desert. You'd both been sitting on the ground together, watching as  your ankle grew and grew in size as the time passed by. The pain had dulled and your head was resting on his shoulder when your brain had started to think of the worst.

"You know, this wouldn't have happened if you were Australian. Us Aussies are known for our athleticism," Calum chuckled as he nudged your side with his elbow, "It's a well-known fact."

"I can do a better Australian accent than all four of you," you scoffed, rolling your eyes as you smacked his thigh, "And I can outrun pretty much all of you except Ash."

"Except right now."

"Calum Hood, I swear if you don't stop making fun of me-"

"What? Are you gonna hit me again? I dare you-"

You don't know what came over you. Maybe it was the heat of the sun beaming down on you both. Or maybe the fact that you were thirsty since Michael had taken the only backpack with water with him before you two realized it but Calum's lips looked very nice and it took no self-restraint for you to lean in and stop him mid-sentence.

"Maybe you should twist your ankle more often, huh?" Calum chuckled as you both pulled away, "Or bully you more often."

"Shut up and kiss me again, idiot," you laughed and pulled him back in for another kiss.

"Who knew all I had to do was get you two alone on a hiking trail for you to finally kiss, huh?" Ashton's chuckled made you both pull away, making you both look like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh shut up, I'm never going on a hike with any of you again," you huffed and gratefully took the park ranger’s hand as he helped you on to what looked like a golf car.

It was a short trip back to the medical center, where they treated your very swollen ankle with ice while you downed all the water you could get your hands on. But you were grateful that Calum hadn't left your side once, his hand in yours as you squeezed it whenever you'd hit a bump or when the park ranger wrapped your ankle. His hand was still in yours as you both drove back to the city and it never left yours even when you both laid on the couch in his living room that night, drifting off in each other's company for once accepting that maybe, just maybe, this could be more than just stolen glances.

taglist: @hoodhoran @finelliine @moonlightcriess @dinosaursandsocks @mxgyver @calpops @karajaynetoday @notlukehemmo @calumrose @devilatmydoor @lyss-xo @lowkeyflop  @hemmo1996-5sosvevo @myloverboyash @notinthesameguey

[starshipsofstarlord]

Fame With No Shame | Part Three

A/N; I think at most there will be one more part to this series, and that will be the reveal of Luke and the readers relationship to the public. Thankyou for all of the requests for this series, please enjoy xx

Summary; in the midst of an interview, there is talk of (Y/N) dating a member. The interviewer is keen to find who is the lucky gentleman within their ranks, but can Luke remain steady though the enquiries about his girl?

Brushing his hands down his black clothed legs, Luke sat upon the seat, eyes interpreting his composure. His face was slightly flushed, aware that his hair was a bouquet of messy curls, the state of his redress had not gone unnoticed by the hostess nor his curious band members. All were wondering of whom he had hassled sexually with before this set, but nothing was mentioned, at least not yet.

A small part of him wanted to let the world know of his relationship status, and more importantly, whom he was entangled with. But it would all be released in due time, he would just have to remain both vigilant of letting anything slip and patient. The rumours could manage to infuriate and humour him all at once, so many fans had claimed to know the identity of the woman in his life.

There were many suspicions, although they were only proven by the hope and dedication of all kinds of people on sites such as tumblr and wattpad, that his lover that was concealed to their eyes was not a lady at all. It was perceived that it was a bandmate; a dear friend of his, that he was sleeping and taking midnight strolls with.

That of course was not the truth, the shipping had been dragging on for years, he sometimes wished that the guesses could be correct all by their own. (Y/N) however was amused by how much it infuriated him, and all of his frustrations would dissipate at the sound of her glorious laugh, and in the end, all that was left was for him to join in and relax.

Things between them were certainly going good, to say the least. He had never felt so elated to see someone pour themselves a mug of coffee, or tie their shoelaces. It wasn’t hard, and hadn’t been difficult for him to admit the facts – he was in love. If there was any evidence that they existed, he was sure that he had found his soulmate.

She understood not only his emotions, but his springs of motivation, the ideas that would creep in the middle of the night or whilst he was in the bathroom for songs. His process was normal to her, because she experienced the same waves of inspiration, the urge to write what flowed to mind and execute lyrics until they were sure enough ready and sounded right to be released to the rest of the world.

And together, that was like the universe had combined the two creators for a reason, to make a beautiful sound, an eternal symphony that would play on forever and a day. If people knew about them, it could disturb the state of their peace, the security that they found within their relationship. And that would be the most tragic and morbid interference that either of them could ever experience.

Hate online was strong, and (Y/N) suspected that neither of them were prepared to take the mixed responses to their newfound and blooming romance. Each of them individually received the expressions of resenting opinions, through messages, through posts, through the loop of the internet. It was never ending, the trolls were headstrong and stubborn, they didn’t want to be stopped, and any reply that they got in turn only made their day, encouraging them to cackle away at the fact that they drew a celebrity’s attention and time away from more important matters.

“And we’re live.” The hostess of the radio show confirmed, settling more comfortably into her plush, swivel seat, as she set her digging eyes into the men that were seated around the platform of a small, recorded station. “My name is Heidi, and we are here on HotRadio, with the one, the only, Five Seconds of Summer.”

Luke adjusted his headset, leaning closer to the microphone so that he was close enough to allow his reviews and answers be heard better than when he was reclined back, awaiting the start of the recording. “So now tell me boys, how was it working with (Y/N) (L/N) for your new single, Flashes.” He gulped at the mention of her name, this wasn’t the best situation, considering that he could accidentally allow some classified information slip, and spiral through the channels of the web.

“She was amazing!” Michael blazed in with his initial impression of her, a jolly grin spread across his lips and chin. “We’ve been fans of her work for so long, it was a dream to finally work with her.” His hands waved as he spoke, confirming his excitement, although working with (Y/N) had already been and gone.

“Yeah.” Ashton bobbed his head, agreeing with his friend. “She is such a talented woman, we don’t do many collaborations singing with other people, but all four of us can definitely admit that she was such a great sport. She put so much work into the song, from lyrics and notes, there is a bright future ahead of her.”

The boys speaking of her made Luke want to purposely trip in his secrecy, they had no expense from gushing over her in such an idealistic way. However if he were to join in, he’d risk the exposure of the relationship. (Y/N) would be mad at him if he were to do that, so he rubbed his chin, feeling the growing prickles of stubble against his guitar picked hands.

Heidi smiled, they were eager to tell her their what appeared to be honest opinion. Yet there were still more details that she and the fans sought; answers. There were so many questions that were lingering, waiting to be spoken aloud in the recorded air.

“Was there any romance sparked between one of you and (Y/N)? How about you Calum?” It was typical, the enquiries about the song itself, that was supposed to be the main attention of this interview , it wasn’t about love, or feelings or whatever.

The thought that Calum, out of all of them, was the one considered to have gained her affections made Luke bite the inside of his cheek. Sure, Calum was single, but so was he, or at least was in the media’s eyes, and before he met (Y/N).

Luke’s frown was subtle, but it was still there! And everyone was oblivious to his disconcerting expression, all because the spotlight shined on the bassist, and the idea that he, out of all them, was privileged enough to have possibly shared a bed or the exchange of numbers in the static noise of the track.

Cal cleared his throat, ruffling the collar of his shirt, as though there were a reason for him to be fanning himself. “I mean, I’m not one to disclose that personal information.” That son of a bitch, Luke thought. From his response, something had obviously occurred, it was too bland for an answer.

That was until said boy began to laugh, spewing a humoured chuckle from his mouth whilst looking Luke dead in the eyes. The opposing man could only frown, his face hardened by the strong crease that went down the centre of it.

“Too bad she already has a boyfriend.” Michael chipped in, the guitarist’s attitude and statement not only making Luke paranoid, but also worried. What if he were not the only one that had grabbed the affections of (Y/N)?

 To begin with, it was clear that she was a bit of a player, and he had no problem with it, there was nothing wrong at all with a woman embracing her sexuality, it was even kind of sexy. But now they were partners in a relationship, and he could only trust her to be faithful.

Mikey’s words had not only drawn the intrigue of the lead singer, but also Heidi, who was leant forward in her seat, the dimples in her face prominent as she was presenting glee from hearing first time news, that was broadcasting on her radio channel.

“Are we permitted to be told who the lucky gentleman is?” How she hoped that the revelation would be unconcealed during this very interview, personally the woman was curious herself, but also the thought of the views skyrocketing encouraged her desperation for an answer.

Ash smirked, his eyes fluttering through his trio of bandmates, this was certainly entertaining for the rest of them also. Except one from the looks of it, Luke was gnawing on the outer portion of his lip. This was getting to him, just as they wanted. They knew, all along, what was occurring between Luke and the talented lady.

She had been a crush of his for a long time, and it seemed that she shared that affliction of interests, by being attracted to the natural blonde himself. It was noticeable to the boys from the first time that (Y/N) had entered the studio, their eyes navigated to the sight of the other, and their attention had to be drawn for the pair to look away from one another.

“One of us.” The eldest member replied, and Luke realised that in that moment, he had not been as discreet with the entire dating ordeal as he thought he had. They’d quickly realised that there were strings attached when Luke began to miss their nights out clubbing, and said he’d prefer to stay in and watch a movie – alone.

However, it was not a solitary activity, and binging television was not all that the promiscuous man was partaking in. The symptoms that brought light and revelation to Luke and (Y/N)’s involvement was matching marks of red suction bites around the circumferences of their throats, that eventually healed and could be concealed, however the boys could see right through their efforts.

And then there was the undebatable evidence of smeared lipstick scorned across their lips, a shade which consisted perfectly against one another, from nudes to striking reds, the pigment that streaked against Luke’s vigorously hungry lips consisted to be suspiciously similar to the original prominence that was lined and filled on (Y/N)’s own petalled mouth.

“Oh.” It appeared that the prying interviewer had not even put any efforts into hiding her pleasantly condemned grin, every detail that was slipping through the teeth of the men gave her some kind of joy.

She had somehow hit a gold mine with the answers that her pay check curiosity had earned her. There was so much going on behind the scenes that had never been revealed, and it seemed that all would be exposed, on HotRadio! “Are we granted to know which one of you is the lucky man?”

Luke shifted in his chair, gripping onto the arms with his painted nails. He was prepared to hit rock bottom in this deep deep ocean that he had swam himself into, yet a snicker left Cal, bringing all afraid and all too alert attention to him.

“I think not, we can keep a secret for a little longer.” His eyes paced slyly over to Luke, sending him an all knowing wink.

He sighed, he lived to fight another day.

[calpops]

engagement party | c.h.

Your engagement party with Calum goes off without a hitch and questions about the wedding get answered with grins and full hearts.

1.3k words

dates with cal masterlist

Copyright © 2020 calpops. All rights reserved. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format (translations included).

<< >>

Thousands of blooming flowers surround you, stems and petals and fairy lights creating a demure glow to the night. People linger all about and Calum stays at your side. The ring on your finger glimmers under a full bright moon as friends and family come up to congratulate you both and take a peek at the opal and flecks of diamond. You wear a smile that doesn’t go away and Calum matches you, eyes crinkling and hands squeezing yours. He’s dressed up but not as much he will be for the wedding, images of him in a proper tux invading your thoughts. His parents and Mali even made it to the party, Calum flying them out without a second thought after the night he consoled you and promised you he and his family were your family now.

Michael and Luke come up at the same time with their partners on their arms and genuine happiness for the both of you on their faces. Small talk ensues about the wedding before Calum clears his throat and gives them both a knowing look.

“You’ll both be in my groom’s court?” Calum asks though you’re pretty sure he doesn’t have to. They’re his brothers and would never say no.

“Obviously,” Luke says and claps Calum on the back. The unasked question of one of them being the best man doesn’t phase either of them. You’re pretty sure everyone knows who that will be; there’s no envy or hard feelings about it. You’re also pretty sure they’ll all circle around to each being a best man for each other at some point.

“Couldn’t stop me even if you tried,” Michael joked, the entire group laughing but knowing the joke was quite honest. “I really didn’t know this day would ever come,” Michael continued, a teasing air to his tone. “Until the day he came back from your first date. Then I figured it would happen eventually.”

You go warm through a night breeze at Michael’s admission and look to Calum who only smiles at the told truth. The bench you sat on for your first date is just ahead of you, memories of sweaty hands and blushing cheeks, gentle small talk, a walk home and an even more gentle kiss on the cheek flood you. Calum quietly recounts that day to the group who coo at the memory. The botanical garden is the perfect place to celebrate the engagement. It had been in Calum’s plans since he decided to buy you a ring and ask you to marry him. Ashton comes through the small crowd suddenly, a glass of sparkling cider in his hands and amusement in his eyes.

“I told Calum to propose to you here,” Ashton says with a shrug. “Not that it would’ve happened that way anyway,” he says with a knowing eye. You go flush at the comment but Calum pulls you closer, fits you under his arm and shakes his head. The night of the proposal had been a bit of a disaster but a yes and the next day had made up for it tenfold.

“I wanted to save it for this… and the wedding…” Calum trails off and looks at you. “If you’d like that?”

You’re nodding before words of confirmation can form. He’s smiling. The group rings in with their approval and comments of how beautiful that will be. “I would. Can we? Is it possible?” You inquire. The engagement party being here during closing hours is one thing, but a wedding during business hours is another.

“I’ve already looked into it,” Calum confirms with a nod and dips down to kiss your cheek. “But we can look for other venues too, just to be sure.”

You shake your head. You’ve already got images of the wedding here in your mind. The crowd of close friends and family mingling with flowers and lights helps to bring the picture alive. A wedding arch where the bench you first sat would be divine with blossoming marigolds behind you, possibly even intertwined into the lattice work of the arch you can conjure up in your imagination. You don’t want to be married anywhere else.

“No, this is perfect,” you say, mind made up without needing to venture anywhere else.

The group starts to disperse so other people can congratulate you but Calum holds Ashton back.

“I gotta ask you something,” he says and makes Ashton pause and turn back around to face you both. You already know the question that will pass Calum’s lips. “Would you be the best man?”

Ashton’s grin is splitting, dazzling against the background of highlighted flowers. He nods through his words. “Of course. I’m so happy for you two,” he says and pulls you both into a hug with his drink splashing around the rim at the motion. Ashton and Calum both choke back what could be tears.

“Thanks mate, for everything,” Calum says as you realize how much Ashton has done for Calum and for your relationship with him. He was the one to fly to London with him to help pick out the ring with Mali, the one to help plan the proposal that accidentally happened twice. You have no doubt he will be the best best man.

“Anytime,” Ashton promises and steps away so Calum’s parents and Mali can take his place.

You have your own question to ask Calum’s sister. As soon as she’s in hearing distance you’re blurting it out—a lot less practiced than Calum’s question for Ashton—and she’s nodding as she wraps her arms around you, forcing Calum’s hold from you in favor of hers.

“I was wondering if you’d ask me to be the maid of honor,” she said as she pulled away from the hug.

“I told her you would,” Calum comments and throws his hands up in surrender when you give him a look for ruining the surprise. “She wouldn’t drop it. I had to tell her,” he defends and Mali corroborates for him.

“There’s no one else I’d want up there with us,” you promise much to her delight and satisfaction.

Mali and Calum’s parents wish you both well and move on for others to come through but you pull Calum aside when you want a moment alone. Crowds—even small ones with only people closest to you— have never been your favorite. You need a moment to catch your breath and calm down, Calum’s presence always helpful in those endeavors.

“Doing okay?” He questions, concern evident in gentle brown eyes.

“Yes,” you answer honestly, you are okay, you’re overwhelmed with happiness at what the future holds and all that this party means. You sigh, unsure you can put that into words. Instead you settle for, “I can’t wait to be married.”

Calum smirks. “I can’t wait for the honeymoon,” he says and pushes a strand of hair behind your ear. He’s delicate with you and his words are enough to get you to laugh. You needed this moment alone with him more than you first realized.

He wraps his arms around you and kisses the side of your head in your moment of being alone with him and bliss. Your friends and family linger out in the garden while you soak up Calum’s affections and jokes.

“Will you ever tell me where this honeymoon might be?” You wonder aloud, Calum having told you he had it taken care of.

“No, that’d ruin the surprise,” he says. “Just trust me.”

“I do,” you reply and grin at the word choice you will be saying again soon enough. Calum catches it too and smiles along with you. I do isn’t so far away and you know those words will last forever.

<< >>

If you’d like to be added to my tag list just let me know!

Based on the dwc prompts: “Will you be the best man?”, “I can’t wait to be married”, “I can’t wait for the honeymoon” and @outerspaceisbetterthannothing message: Engagement party in a botanical garden they had their first date (where Cal planned on asking her to marry him originally). Everything is in the lights and looks magical. Ash mocks her how he ruined a perfect proposal they spent weeks organized. His family is here (he had no doubts and flown them out), she asks Mali to be her maid of honour and says how she’s always wanted a sister. And Cal is happier than he ever though he could be.

Tagged: @rosecolouredash @irwinkitten @golden-hood @who-do-you-love-5sos @caswinchester2000 @wildflowergrae @empathycth @cuddlemecalx @malumsmermaid @babylon-corgis @outerspaceisbetterthannothing @mariellelovescupcakes @xhaileyreneex @goth5sos @gosh-im-short @feliznavidaddycal @loveroflrh @findingliam-o @flowerthug @g-l-pierce @talkfastromance4 @superbloomirwin @sc0ttish-wildfl0wer @wastedheartcth @calumscalm @notinthesameguey @lukesfuckingbeard @myloverboyash @treatallwithkindness @haikucal @wiildflower-xxx @calum-uncrowned @egyptiangoldhood @drarryetcetera @another-lonely-heart @megz1985​ @idk-harry​ @dinosaursandsocks​ @wildflower-cth​ @idontneedanyone​ @everyscarisahealingplace​ @myfavfanficsever​ @stormrider505​ @karajaynetoday​ @333-xx​ @calumshpod​ @calumsphile​ @calumrose​ @justhereforcalum​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @calumance​ @mantlereid @hemmingslftv​ 

[vipclifford]

Red is the Warmest Colour

event masterlist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Fiery and bold. I like it.”

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

“Blue.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Calum Hood.

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

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

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

‘@calumhood followed you’

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

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

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

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

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

But they were everything to Luke.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The third time he saw Calum was in his own apartment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Too crowded?”

“Something like that.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You think?”

“I know.”

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

“Luke!”

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

“What do you want?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Let’s jump in.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I won,” Calum grinned mischievously.

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

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

But then he looked down at his plump grey lips.

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

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

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

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

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

“That night at Ashton’s?”

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

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

“Believe what you want.”

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

“Okay.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[cals-sunflower]

best years (c.h)

summary: he never thought he was ever going to find real love until he met her. now he never wants to let that go.

-

the airport wasn’t full at all which was a plus on having to take a 3 am flight to new york. you had been touring with the boys and their respective partners. it was the most fun you’ve had in a while. now it was december and you were even more excited to finally have that one day break before the show meaning you’re gonna drag calum to go explore the city with all the christmas lights being up in honor of the holiday.

“hey angel, did you want me to get you a coffee and something to eat? i didn’t want to just walk away without asking you first,” calum whispers to you.

“please? i would go with you but i’m really tired. i really appreciate you babe,” you picked your head off of his shoulder and kissed him before he left.

“wow y/n, you really changed the way he thinks about love. that boy is completely smitten with you,” you blushed at kaykay’s words, thinking back to how you first met.

you and your friend anna decided to have a girls day doing whatever came to mind. walking down the street, anna pauses mid conversation to tap your arm violently. “geez what anna? what could you possibly have saw,” you giggled at the girl’s antics.

“dude cuties ahead of us,” she whispered and turned your head into the direction she was looking. there was the boys standing there and the blue haired one caught your eye from the bat. he was attractive and you didn’t want to miss the chance in talking to him (even though you were lowkey scared).

“welp what do i have to lose? if he rejects me, at least it’ll be less embarrassing because i don’t know them,” anna agreed with you and walks with you up to the boys. they stopped their conversation to look at you two.

“hi, we don’t mean to bother you guys or be weird,” you faced the blue haired boy now, “i don’t know if you have a girlfriend and if you do i apologize but i think you’re really attractive. i was wondering if i could possibly get your number?” all four of the boys jaw dropped and expecting you to say that.

“wow um sure. i’m calum by the way. these are my friends michael, luke and ashton,” sticking his hand out for you to shake. “y/n. again sorry if it’s weird,” it was calum’s turn to flirt and you see him grin as he opens his phone.

“to be quite honest your confidence is attractive and you’re really gorgeous,” you blushed at his words. you two exchanged numbers promising to be in contact for a date before parting your ways.

calum taps your shoulder to hand you the coffee and a bagel. you thanked him with a smile and began eating the bagel. “you seem like you’re in a daze or somethings on your mind, what’s wrong sweetheart?”

“nothing, just thinking about the way we met. i was scared shitless going up to you.”

“well if you didn’t, we wouldn’t be here and my ass would still probably be single,” you chuckle meanwhile he leaned over to kiss your temple.

-

finally, you guys were in the hotel getting the keys to the rooms. you couldn’t get any sleep on the plane not even at least thirty minutes. “come on pretty girl, i got our key and you need to sleep,” you wave at the others before grabbing your boyfriend’s free hand with your bag in your other hand.

getting into the room was the best part, you put your bags in the corner somewhere and took off your shoes and socks. you also took off the sweatpants you had on and pulled your bra off leaving you in the oversized hoodie.

“never knew it was this easy to have you strip for me,” calum grins at the look of your face. “stop being nasty cal, come cuddle with me. i’m cold,” you laughed to yourself making grabby hands at him.

“i’m coming women, hold your horses,” he opens the duvet and gets into the bed. you wrap one leg over his waist and pulled yourself closer to him.

“i love being in your arms, you’re so warm baby.”

“likewise princess,” he kisses your nose letting his warm hand trace circles on your leg. you fall asleep in no time being in his arm.

it was 4:30 pm when you woke up legs still tangled with cal’s. you turn your head to find him already looking at you. ”calum you creep, were you looking at me this whole time?” the fallen silence that came over both of you made you guys laugh.

“no ma’am, i was actually on my phone and then you started moving. plus if you must know you’re really beautiful,” his hand rubs your cheek making your face fill with heat.

“we both know you’re the better looking one out of the two of us,” you pecked his lips before he had a chance to protest. “wait baby what time is it?”

“it’s 4:50, why’d you ask?”

“can we go find something to do around the city? please?” you put on your best pout and puppy dog eyes to get him to say yes.

“yeah we can-“ you automatically got out of the bed to get dressed. “well damn.” you walked back to him grabbing his face lightly to kiss him then walked away again.

“i love you,” you yelled out to him from the bathroom. he chuckled to himself shaking his head, “yeah i love you more princess.”

-

the whole group went out together deciding it was more fun if everyone goes. you and the girls started your own conversations while as the boys trailed behind.

“so when are you going to pop the question?” ashton asks calum in a hushed whisper. “i don’t know, i just want it to be perfect for her. it’s what she deserves, only the best.”

“man, if you’re afraid she’s going to say no, you’re literally fucking crazy,” luke says. “yeah, you guys have been together for three years. even we know she’s the one for you,” the other two boys agreed with michael.

you suddenly turn around catching the attention of calum and the boys so they stopped talking. “baby we have to take pictures in front of the christmas tree. it’s so pretty!” you walked over to grab his hand.

“i can think of something way prettier.”

when walking over to the tree, fans noticed the boys and began asking for pictures. calum glances at you to see if you’re alright with it. after all it was his job but he knew how excited you were to take pictures.

“cal baby it’s okay, you do this for a living plus i see you just about every day. they don’t, now go take pictures rockstar,” you kissed him on the cheek and walked away to stand with sierra.

seeing the girls and guys there to take pictures warmed your heart so much. you seen it as a blessing that calum allowed you to be in his world. you seen him at most vulnerable moments as he’s seen yours.

“c’mon pretty girl i believe i owe you some pictures in front of the tree,” he hands luke his phone to take them while grabbing your hands to pull you to him.

“okay guys give me your cutest couple poses,” luke says making you laugh. you and calum do a few poses before deciding it was enough pictures.

“thanks lu, now take some with sierra!” you pushed him to sierra and took pictures for them. “wait group picture!!” michael yelled and got someone to take a picture of you all.

“that should be our christmas card we send to people,” ashton says.

“it doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” crystal replied leading everyone else to agree with her and ash.

-

calum told the boys last night that he was going to propose to you today because he couldn’t wait anymore. he had the ring in his backpack that he carried to the venue.

“is it just me or does cal look more nervous tonight?” crystal whispered to you. looking up from your phone, you see calum pacing a little and breathing out heavily.

“hey baby, you okay?” he pauses his moments feeling his heart thump harder. you stand up and intertwined your hands with his.

“you’re gonna do amazing, you all are. nothing to worry about so stop the pacing! get excited baby, there’s only like three shows left before we take a break for christmas,” he grins at you and kissed your head.

“man sweetheart, you really know how to cheer a guy up.”

“it’s my job to make sure you’re happy.”

“can you guys stop being so damn cute? it’s disgusting.”

“no.”

“well you have to stop, we go on in three minutes,” calum gives a sigh and puts a hand on the small of your back to lead you out but not before making sure he had the ring box in his jacket pocket.

“okay rockstar you got this my love. so so proud of you,” you wrapped your arms around him placing a kiss on his shoulder. “thank you baby, i love you so much,” he kissed your head.

“i love you too!”

the show was going great, you were backstage dancing with the other girls. it never got old for you, there was always a new sense of feelings watching the guys perform no matter how many times you watched.

“now before we start the next song, how are you guys feeling tonight?” michael says into his microphone. the audience replies in loud cheers making the boys smile.

“so as you might know, last month was my three year anniversary with my girlfriend. who’s been such an angel to me and putting up with my craziness,” calum waved you to come on stage.

“what the-“ kaykay nudges you to get out there. you walked on stage with your head down, a slight blush on your face.

“hi sweetheart, how are you?” calum smiles at your sudden shyness. “i’m doing good babe, can i ask why i’m here?” you can see all of phones recording the moment between you two. calum sighs and starts his speech to you.

“you make me the fucking happiest i’ve ever been. i love waking up to you. i love when you do your pout and puppy dog eyes to get me to say yes because you know i can’t resist you,” he puts his free hand on your cheek, “i love coming home from tour knowing you’re right there waiting for me with duke in your arms. you guys know that duke tries to steal my girlfriend away from me.”

you and everyone else start laughing at his comment. “this leads me to my question,” calum drops to one knee and grabs to ring box out of his pocket. “shut up, are you serious?” your hand covers your mouth in shock.

“no baby i’m not. will you marry me and become mrs. hood?” he opens the box showing the prettiest ring that wasn’t too flashy but perfect. “yes fucking yes!!” you could hear the loud cheers while he slipped the ring on your finger and pulled you into a big kiss.

“yay, guys she said yes!! now cal pal who’s the best man?” ashton says jokingly.

“now mrs. hood as much i love you, you gotta head on back so your husband can play the next few songs,” luke laughs seeing as you didn’t take offense to his statement.

“i’ll see you later babe, i love you gorgeous,” you blew a kiss to him before walking off stage to the back where you were pulled into hugs.

“this is best years everybody!”

“did you guys know about this?” you wiped your left over tears. “no, but babes we’re so happy for you!” crystal embraced you once more making you giggle.

“looks like there’s two weddings that are being planned,” sierra nudges the both of you with a grin.

the minute the concert ends, cal is already heading to you. he picks you up making you wrap your legs around him and kisses you all over your face. “y/n hood has a nice ring to it,” you nodded with a smile.

“yeah, can’t wait to be addressed as the hoods. i love you so fucking much.”

“hey turns out, i love you so fucking much too,” he hugs you tighter forgetting about everyone whoes watching you guys with smiles.

[calpalirwin]

Betrothed

Summary: Lady Keira finds herself betrothed to Lord Ashton.

A/N: Last part of my Game of Thrones AU. Be sure to read parts 1 and 2!

Content: Medieval stuffs.

Word Count: 2.3k

And away, and away we go!

__

Part 3

“My lady!” Ashton’s squire burst into the dining hall, breathless. Ashton had been knighted the evening after their arrival at Riverton in preparation for the wedding and subsequent acquisition of title as Lord and Lady of House Irwin, and as such had been given a squire.

“Yes, Bryen?” Keira asked, smiling softly at him. She had spent her first week studying the people closest to her and Ashton, and that meant Bryen Hawthorne. He was a young lad of barely fifteen, but the boy was more than eager to prove his value to his lord by doing every task at a literal run. She’d grown accustomed to his smiling face and the way shocks of his black hair would flop about when he nodded too fast at a request before dashing off with a quick “Right away, my lord.”

“Lord. Ashton,” he panted as he caught his breath, “is requesting your presence. He’s down in the training yard.”

Keira pushed back her chair, rising to her feet. “The training yard?” she wondered aloud.

“Said something about a surprise, my lady. And that I should send for you at once.”

The lady chuckled. “That man and his surprises.”

~~~

She followed Bryen out to the training yard where Ashton was conversing with three other men she had come to learn were set to become his small council. “M-my lord,” Bryen stammered, both announcing his arrival with Keira and interrupting the conversation at hand.

Ashton’s head snapped to attention, the markings of a scowl ready to lecture his squire for not waiting for a break in the conversation. The scowl however, turned quickly into a grin as he took notice of Keira. “Ah, thank you, Bryen. Keira, you remember Lords Calum, Luke, and Michael, yes?”

“My lords,” she curtsied in greeting.

“My lady,” they chorused, bowing back.

“Bryen spoke of a surprise?” she asked Ashton.

“Yes. Michael, if you would.”

Michael, set to become Ashton’s lead general, turned towards the table that was usually home to an assortment of dull practice weapons, but today housed a single shortsword and two matching daggers. The green-eyed blonde picked up the shortsword and offered it to her.

Keira gasped as the weight dropped in her hand, expecting it to clatter on the dusty ground. Instead, she found the blade to be light and balanced, like it was crafted just for her hand. The pieces finally clicked together as she recalled Ashton’s mention of teaching her how to fight, and his hushed conversations with the blacksmith and master-at-arms. “It’s not too heavy is it? I had the daggers made in case it was. Or we could try another weapon if you find none of this suits you. I just remember you admiring my own sword and dagger that I thought you might like some of your own.” The words tumbled from Ashton’s mouth as his cheeks flushed and his friends held back their laughter at his apparent embarrassment.

She tried her best to move her arms the way she had seen Ashton do so when he trained, causing all four men to jump back and out of her way as the blade sliced through the air.

“Oi!” Calum exclaimed, looking over at Ashton to see if he would step in before his friends got hacked to bits by accident.

“It’s dull, right mate?” Luke asked, his blue eyes sharp as they focused on the sword’s wild movements.

“Stance and technique needs work,” Michael critiqued.

“Careful not to nick anybody. I had it sharpened this morning,” Ashton warned her.

Calum, Luke, and Michael jumped further away. “You gave an inexperienced swordsman a sharp blade?!” they thundered.

Ashton howled with laughter as Keira continued to test the weight, liking the feel of it more and more with each pass. “How’s it feel?” he asked, while his friends continued to glare at him and question his sanity.

“I expected it to be heavier,” she answered. 

“A good sword matches the strength of the one weilding it. Too heavy and you won’t be able to use it. Too light and it’ll fly from your hand, leaving you unarmed,” Michael told her.

“Precisely,” Ashton nodded at Michael’s words. “Focus, Keira. You want it to feel like an extension of your arm.”

She closed her eyes and made a few more small passes, really paying attention to the weight of it as it moved with her. “It feels…” she started, pausing to find the right way to phrase herself. “Like I’m passing my hand through water. No resistance.”

Ashton was smiling at her when she opened her eyes again. “Perfect. That’s exactly what I was hoping for. Ready for your first lesson?”

~~~

“Sideface!” Michael directed from beside Keira. “You make yourself a much smaller target that way and your opponent has to work that much harder. As the less skilled fighter, your advantage is in the long game. Tire them out.”

She shifted her feet and lunged at Ashton. He effortlessly blocked her attack, knocking the weapon from her hands. He had been practicing with her for the better part of three weeks now, with Michael coaching her from the side. Being her practice partner had three benefits for Keira. One: no one dared question what the lord was doing parrying with his lady. Two: while he trusted Michael to coach and direct Keira, he only trusted himself to partner up with her, which meant she she got to spend a lot of uninterrupted time with Ashton. Which lead to three: she had all the time in the world to admire the way he held the practice shield and blunt practice sword, while imaging how handsome he looked in his full set of armor. “Also focus on keeping your face blank. You twist your mouth at the edges and your eyebrows furrow. I know your attack before you even move,” Ashton chided with a playful smile.

Keira felt her chest heave with her breaths as she forced her face to relax. Her eyes darted to where her sword lay in the dust and back at Ashton who followed her movements. She knew he would allow her to reach for the sword and then go in for an attack with another quip about not letting her guard down. Another steady breath and she remembered the daggers at her side. She fought back the grin, and with her eyes locked on Ashton, she reached for the sword. He moved with her and the shield dropped ever so slightly in preparation for her sword. In a blink, she changed her course, reaching for her daggers, placing one up against his ribcage and the other pressing into the base of his throat. Ashton dropped his shield and sword, raising his hands in surrender as he backed away. “Yield,” he told her, smiling proudly while Michael laughed his approval, “Good one, my lady.”

“Now if only I could find my own handsome lord to teach me to fight like that,” a dreamy sigh spoke and Keira whirled around to find Lilliyan Malver resting her arms along the fenced yard, admiring Calum as he practiced with Luke a few paces away.

“Lilliyan!” Keira rushed over to wrap her friend in a hug. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!”

The other lady laughed as she returned the embrace. “Well, I couldn’t very well miss your wedding now, could I? Although, you could have warned me that you had such a handsome council.”

“My lords, might I introduce you all to Lady Lilliyan of House Malver,” Keira began and Calum and Luke stopped their battle to come join the ladies along with Ashton and Michael. “These are Lords Calum, Luke, and Michael. And you’ve already met Lord Ashton.”

“My lady,” the men bowed and Lilliyan curtsied in kind.

“I trust you had a pleasant journey?” Ashton asked.

“Yes, the view was wonderful riding up. Although not nearly as good as the view inside your walls, Lord Ashton,” Lilliyan replied, her eyes still fixed on Calum. “Keira tells me you’re on the small council?”

“Lady Keira would be correct,” Calum nodded.

“Yes, I remember now,” Lilliyan smiled flirtatiously. “The married off lead general, Michael Clifford. The master of coin, and betrothed, Luke Hemmings. And Lord Ashton’s right hand man, Calum Hood, who still has yet to find a lady of his own. Pity… Say, Keira, would you happen to know of any eligible ladies who might be suited for such a handsome bachelor such as Lord Calum?”

Keira smiled brightly, playing along with her friend’s game. “Why yes. Matter of fact, word has it that Lord Malver is looking for a match for his eldest daughter.”

“Well it might be in Calum’s best interest if he were to send Father a raven, expressing his interest. Do you think he would teach me to fight like your lord does?”

“Oi!” Calum scoffed at Ashton. “Training all the ladyfolk now, are we?”

“Afraid you’ll get bested?” Luke teased.

“I’m sure Michael has much more pressing duties to attend to,” Calum deflected.

“She’s quite good with a bow,” Keira boasted.

“I’d pay my weight in gold to see Calum get bested by a bow,” Michael marveled at the thought.

“You’d be wise to consider it, Calum,” Ashton told the man. “It’s a relief on the mind to know that your lady is always in capable hands- her own. Plus, who better to learn from than by a skilled archer like yourself?”

“My lord, you flatter me,” Calum said with biting sarcasm and a roll of his eyes. “Alright, someone fetch Lady Lilliyan a bow.”

“And perhaps your writing material as well?” Keira pressed.

“Yes, yes. That too.”

~~~

“You look beautiful, Keira,” Ashton murmured low for only Keira to hear as he wrapped the cloak around her shoulders.

She didn’t have time to respond as the septon continued with the ceremony, so she merely smiled, hoping that Ashton understood the thought she wasn’t speaking. Which was that he too, looked as handsome as ever in his long sleeved, forest green overcoat that highlighted the green flecks in his eyes, and was fastened shut with golden clasps that glistened in the afternoon light.

“Look upon each other and say the words.”

“Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger,” they spoke in unison. “I am yours, and you are mine, from this day, until the end of my days.”

“With this kiss,” Ashton continued, “I pledge my love.” His lips were soft as they pressed against hers, and while the kiss was brief, she felt the power behind it, like he was willing her to believe that they could be more than an arrangement.

~~~

Keira was watching the crowd enjoy the feast, particularly amused by Calum and Lillyan’s growing affections. “Think they’re all distracted enough that we might sneak away?” Ashton’s voice was low in her ear.

“What about the bedding ceremony?” she asked, feeling a knot in her stomach tighten at the very concept. While she certainly planned to consummate her marriage to her new husband, the idea of it being public knowledge was unsettling.

Ashton waved a hand dismissively. “There will be no ceremony. Our chambers are adjoined should you ever wish to spend your night elsewhere, as it were.”

“Mmm, so that’s where that door leads,” she teased. She had already known about this fact, having explored every inch of her room in the early morning after her arrival, and reveling in the fact that one door had opened to reveal another bedchamber, with Ashton sleeping soundly.

“Something tells me you already knew that though,” he teased back, having caught her on more than one occasion admiring him from the doorway when she thought him to be asleep.

“Perhaps I’ll find my way there.”

“Perhaps I’ll be waiting when you do.”

“And where do you propose we sneak off to now?”

“I hear the beach is lovely this time of day.”

~~~

“I know I mentioned it already, but you really do look beautiful,” he confessed as the water rushed over their bare feet, soaking the edges of their clothes.

“And you look quite handsome yourself, Ashton. More so than usual,” she returned the compliment.

“Ah, so you do think me to be handsome.”

“Among other things.”

Hmm? How do you mean?”

“You mentioned once that you don’t wish for this to be a matter of business. That it hardly seemed fair that our marriage should be viewed as another duty to attend to.”

“Yes. I believe I also mentioned that I only wish for you to be content here, and that I enjoy your company. But what does that have to do with how you think of me?”

“It has everything to do with how I think of you. It is one thing to say you wish for me to be content. It is another to consistently go out of your way to ensure it. And from showing me this beach to probably defying everyone close to you in order to both craft me my own set of weapons and then teach me how to use them… well it shows me that you're a man of your word. A quality I greatly admire.”

“A man is only as good as his word.”

“That may be so. The point remains however, that I long had little interest in being a lady because I envied those who got to marry for love.”

“And has your interest since changed?”

“Very much so. See, I found myself betrothed to a lord with much to offer in terms of prestige and title. And while he easily could have been a stubborn lord who viewed his lady as a mere plaything meant to please him, that wasn’t the what happened. In addition to being charming and handsome, he is kind and wise. Any lady would be a fool not to love him. And, I’m no fool, Ashton.”

Rather than speak, he decided to let his actions do the talking as he ducked his head to kiss her, much like he had before at the ceremony. This time though, his arms wrapped around her lower back, holding her tightly as her eyes fluttered shut and she melted into him. Fuck duty, they both thought, love was far better.

__

Tag List

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[blahehblah]

Us

I wrote a Calum thing, get your tissues ready!!! I hope you enjoy!!!

When Calum Hood fell in love, everyone saw it. It was probably the most incredible thing anyone had ever seen. He’d try to do everything for her, he’d want to spoil her, and make sure she knew that he loved her. 

He’d get the biggest smile, that was reserved only for her. It was soft, and his face would instantly relax upon looking at her face. He was happier, and he opened up to his friends more. His brown eyes were always warm and inviting, and between his friends he was the friendliest. 

Normally he was distrusting, and distant. He only ever talked to maybe six people in his life, and when he wasn’t in love he hardly ever talked to them. He always tended to bottle up his emotions, and when he eventually let them out, it was ugly. 

He would become angry. He would throw things. He would scream and yell until he felt better, which was rare for him afterwards. He hated feeling insignificant enough to where his anger got the better of him. 

When he adopted Duke, his little old man dog, his anger vanished. All his worries dissipated into thin air. The weight that he’d had on his shoulders after a long days work went away as soon as he saw his small companion. 

Now, just because Calum had Duke, does not mean that he was entirely happy. No, the aussie was entirely upset by the fact that he’d lost the love of his life. And it wasn’t his fault. He and his significant other were both separated by their dreams, and the need to follow them. 

This wouldn’t have been a problem, if their dreams hadn’t been the same dream. They’d both been musicians. Singing, and playing for people all around the world. His partner had gotten tired of the distance, and called it quits over the phone before he’d had a chance to say he was coming home. 

“Cal, I love you but I miss you.”

“I miss you too, so fucking much.” This was usually how the conversation would start. They’d always end with one being pulled away from the phone, or the both of them being too tired to keep the conversation going. 

“I can’t do this anymore. Look, neither of us are home, and your band is bigger than mine. That means more stops, and more places to play concerts.” The girl on the other line sighed. “Cal, I love you, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t love you the way I do, when most of the time you’re on the other side of the world. I’m sorry, but it’s over,” is what she’d said to him. 

Nia had quickly ended the call, leaving a heartbroken Calum on the other line, the phone still up to his ear, her voice still ringing in his ears. 

“What happened?” His best friend, Ashton, had asked.

“Nia, uh, she left me.” He’d had no strength to say anymore, as his throat was becoming too tight to speak, while tears welled up in his eyes threatening to spill onto his cheeks. 

Ashton’s eyebrows rose, and he immediately stood to catch the younger boy in a hug, before could collapse. “I’m sorry, mate. I know you love her.”

Three years later, and Calum hated anything that reminded him of Nia. Valentine’s day was her favorite holiday, he hated it. She loved his home country Australia, he hated living there. She loved his eyes, he hated them. She loved him, he hated himself. 

It wasn’t a conscious thing. Most of the time he didn’t think about it, he just did it. Anything that reminded him of her, he absolutely hated. 

When Eliza walked into his life, he hated her, even though she’d had nothing to do with his ex. Her smile was easy to like, and her blue eyes were kind. Her accent was slightly British, but it was mostly American. He’d guessed she lived in both areas a one point in time.

Eliza was beautiful, and she looked nothing like Nia. She had blonde hair, while Nia changed her hair color frequently. Eliza’s eyes were blue, while Nia’s eyes were hazel. Eliza was average height, while Nia was tall, nearly as tall as Calum himself. 

Calum never knew why he didn’t like Eliza, he just didn’t. He assumed it was because she was so cheerful, having the best of moods when everyone was feeling shitty. It was one of the reasons why Luke, Micheal, and Ashton kept hanging out with her. 

During the first year of his knowing Eliza sometimes Calum would catch his best friend, Ashton, glancing at Eliza more often than the other guys. Calum assumed that he’d liked the young girl, and if Ashton liked her, then Calum would suck it up, because he wouldn’t be the the one to ruin his friends happiness. 

When Ashton had finally asked Eliza out on a date, and when Eliza had agreed, the date, and a small kiss had ensued after. Ashton came straight to Calum’s house telling him that the date went well, but afterward when he’d kissed her, it felt like he was kissing his sibling. 

Ashton quickly told Eliza of this, and she had said that she felt the same, although Calum thought she’d said this to make Ashton feel better. 

The next day passed without either Ashton or Eliza making things awkward between the two, and they continued acting like best friends. Calum thought that Eliza was a good actor to be hiding her feelings for Ashton. 

When Eliza told Calum to just call her Eli, instead of her full name, he’d felt his heart stutter in his chest. This was something that he didn’t understand. He didn’t have feelings for her, for the two years that he’d known her, he’d hated anything to do with her. 

When he started paying attention, he noticed everyone called her Eli. Even Crystal and Sierra, and he’d wondered when the three of them had become best friends. Eliza had even gone so far as to give the both of them nickname. Crystal’s being Crys, and Sierra’s being Erra. He’d thought the names were childish, but the more he’d thought about it, the more he’d conceded that they had fit the two girls.

When he returned home that night to his dog, and his bed, he promised himself that he would try harder to be kind to Eli. In the two years that he’s known her, he’s barely said three words to her. And he’d chided himself in being an asshole. This wasn’t how his mother raised him. 

When he’d seen her the next day, he’d said hello, and engaged in active conversation with her. The guys seemed pleased that he was opening up to her. And once again, when Calum was paying attention, he’d noticed that Eli had called all the guys by their nicknames, and he wasn’t even aware that she’d given one to Luke. 

She’d called him Lu. And while Calum’s head said that it was childish and the name was fit for a baby, his heart thumped in his chest, and he’d hoped that she would give him a nickname. 

Two weeks later, when she’d called him Bub, and he’d responded immediately to her, his face flushed, and he swore the entire room was spinning. The guys had been taken aback from his response, and it took him a second to realize what he’d said.

“Yes, Sweetheart?” He didn’t think twice about what he’d called her, and she didn’t either. And once he did, he saw that Ashton had a small smile on his face, while Michael and Luke were practically bouncing on the couch. 

“Can you help me get this bowl down? I can’t reach it.” She’d said in her soft voice, and Calum melted.

“Of course,” he got up, and he’d noticed that his legs felt like jelly, and his hands felt slick. When he’d reached the kitchen, he saw Eli standing over the stove, and his heart soared in his chest. He could quickly tell that Eli was nothing like Nia. Nia hated cooking, while Eli looked completely at home in the kitchen, in Calum’s kitchen. 

He smiled. He reached up and grabbed the bowl with one hand while the other unconsciously grabbed her waist, not noticing that the guys had shuffled into the dining room, and were watching the pair interact. 

Ashton quickly saw that Calum’s eyes had softened when he looked at Eli, and his mannerisms had completely changed around her. He was gentle, and his hand at her waist looked completely at home there. Calum’s hands leaving goosebumps on Eli’s skin that Ashton could see from the dining room. He was happy for his brother. Calum looked happy standing in his own kitchen with Eli by his side, it had been awhile since Ashton had seen Calum act like this. 

Luke was bouncing on his heels as he looked at his two best friends in the kitchen. He’d been skeptical when he saw Calum finally take interest in Eli, but when he saw the way that Calum had looked at her, it was almost impossible not to look away. Calum looked at her as if she were God, and Luke wasn’t even sure if he could believe it. He’d known Calum, and Calum hadn’t made his distaste for the blonde girl a secret. But how could Luke be skeptical of it when Eli looked at Calum the same way?

Michael had known that Eli had a thing for Calum. After all, he was the one to introduce her to the band. He’d seen how her eyes followed Calum’s every move, and he’d seen how she didn’t press herself onto him, understanding that he’d open up to her when he was ready. Michael hadn’t known how she didn’t get angry with Caum for being distasteful towards her. Michael, Luke, and Ashton had told Calum that he wasn’t being fair, but he hadn’t given in. 

The boys watched in awe as Calum got the bowl down for Eli. Her small frame being completely obscured by Calum’s broad shoulders. He smiled a tiny smile that none of the boys had ever seen, and they assumed that it was meant for Eli. They all felt their hearts melt for their best friend. They’d all been shocked when she called him Bub, and even more so when he’d called her Sweetheart. He’d never given his ex any nicknames whatsoever. It made them wonder when the two had gotten so close. 

They knew in the back of their minds that he was smitten with her, and her with him, and it was only a matter of time before they got together. 

Calum was vaguely aware of the boys in the back watching him be soft to Eli, but all he cared about in that moment was how aware of him she was. He felt the goosebumps on her skin underneath his hand. He heard her take in a breath through her teeth, and watched her bite her lip out of nervousness. 

The pair had gotten close due to Calum’s resolve to be kinder to her. He’d stayed over at her place many nights over the past two weeks, and the two had stayed up all night talking about everything. He loved listening to her speak, and the first night that she’d fallen asleep in his arms was the first night that he’d actually gotten a full night’s sleep. 

And he’d dreamt about Eli. He’d dreamt about holding her forever, and about kissing her plump pink lips. He dreamt about loving her. And when he woke up, she was still in his arms, and his resolve had faded away. He didn’t want to do this anymore because he wanted to be kinder towards her, he wanted to do this because he wanted her.

Her arm brushed against his hand, and it left tingles in its wake. She expertly unwound herself from his grasp, and he was immediately hit with feelings of distraught and discomfort. He always wanted her to be in his arms. 

And as for Eli, she wanted to be held by Calum, and it physically hurt her to put distance between herself, and the man she was so desperately in love with. Her waist was still tingling with the remnants of his touch, and her hands ached to hold his. 

Her brain was left muddled, and her movements seemed sluggish because of the ache in her bones that made her want to be closer to him. 

Calum himself couldn’t stand to be even three feet away from her, and his body moved closer to her without him even registering it. His arms were wrapping themselves around her waist, and he was burying his face into her neck, and he could practically see her smile. 

She sighed and leaned into his touch, the cool metal of his rings feeling nice against the warmth of her skin. All she wanted to do was cook dinner for the kind boys that took her in, and for the beautiful boy who stole her breath. 

Calum seemed appeased, and his soul was light. The young boy was very happy to have his arms around the girl he was falling in love with. He kissed the girls neck without even thinking about it. And he heard her giggle, and he knew the guys in the dining room could as well. 

It was a sound that the three of them hadn’t heard before. They had all heard her laugh, it was loud and it got higher in pitch as she laughed harder. Truth be told, her laugh was melodic, but she would say it sounded like a dying goose. 

So of course this was a surprise to the boys standing in the dining room, continuing to stand dumbfounded at the couple in the kitchen. 

Calum had heard this sound before. He loved her big boisterous laugh, but this little giggle of hers, he knew was only for him. He smiled against her neck, and kissed it again. He so desperately wanted to kiss her mouth, but he didn’t, he wouldn’t kiss her until he had taken her on a proper date. 

When he looked to his brothers standing in the dining room, with dumb smiles on their faces, Calum gave them a lazy smile before he turned back to look at the girl in his arms. 

The boys were shocked to say the least. They’d seen Calum at his laziest, but this was something new. This was Calum being completely happy, and content. He wasn’t being lazy, he just felt lazy, it was the first time in three years that he didn’t have his guard up. And the boys could tell. 

Eli’s hands shook from Calum’s lips pressing against her skin. How often had she imagined him kissing her like this? How often had she imagined him holding her like this? She couldn’t remember, all she could think about were his arms around her, and how good it felt to have his skin pressed against hers. 

Eli had set the bowl down, that held the flour for the chicken she was making, and turned around in his arms. She looked up to see his face. She placed her flour covered hands on either side of his face, leaned up and kissed his cheek. She felt his breath on her neck, as she hugged him after. It was a nice feeling, and she enjoyed it maybe too much. 

Calum felt his breath hitch in his throat as she leaned up, he said he wouldn’t kiss her but his brain went into overdrive as he hadn’t thought about what if she kissed him first. He knew he wanted to kiss her, but the nervousness he felt when she leaned up towards him was almost back breaking. He’d felt no relief when he’d felt her lips on his cheek. Her lips were soft, as he’d already known that. She’d kissed his cheeks many times in the two weeks that they’d spent together. 

Before she could pull away from his hug, so that she could finish making dinner, he did what he’d wanted to wait to do, and he’d kissed her mouth. 

Her mouth was warm against his own, and she’d sighed in his mouth. Clearly she’d wanted this just as much as he did. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and pulled him closer towards her. His arms tightened around her waist, and he tugged her lower half closer to his own. The boys in the dining room weren’t sure if you could have placed a piece of paper between the two. 

Eli’s lips tingled with Calum’s mouth pressed against her own. If she could, she would kiss him for forever. His lips fit perfectly against her own, and her heart thumped in her chest. She could feel Calum’s heart beating at the same rate as hers, if not faster. Her fingers wrapped around the little curls sitting on the back of his neck. 

The two sighed, breathing each other in. They never wanted this to end, but Calum’s growling stomach said that this wasn’t the time for a kitchen make out session.

When the two parted from each other, laughing slightly. The boys sitting in the dining room let out loud whoops, and whistles, as they were extremely happy for the two of them. Eli blushed and hid her face in Calum’s neck. 

He smiled into her hair, he hadn’t felt this light in so long. He’d missed the feeling. She brought out the best in him. He kissed her head, and breathed in her coconut scent. He was addicted to it, just like he was addicted to her.

But in time, he lost her too. 

It was a year into their relationship. They were perfect for each other. They knew what each other needed at all times. They fit together perfectly, and Calum often wondered how he got so lucky, because it seemed like whatever God was up there, created her just for him. 

Eli had similar thoughts. 

And while they were perfect for each other, that didn’t stop them from having human tendencies. They fought often, and the fights blew up with so much anger that Calum had to go stay at Ashton’s place just to cool down. 

He didn’t like falling asleep knowing that he was angry with Eli, and she the same with him. He hated things that made her upset. 

When he saw her the next day, to tell her he was sorry, and that he would promise to keep his anger controlled, she was standing there. She was on the porch with Duke’s leash in hand, and it seemed she was about to go on her morning run.

When she turned around, after locking the front door, she briefly looked at Calum’s face, and continued to walk toward the gate that separated the front yard from the sidewalk. 

“Sweetheart-” he began.

“We’ll talk when I get back. I promise.” She stepped through the gate. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” He smiled in relief, he knew he was partially forgiven.

She smiled back. “I know.” She continued to walk a bit, and then broke into a slow jog with Duke in hand, and turned a corner. 

He knew there was something wrong when she didn’t return for another hour. She always made sure that she was only out for half an hour. Always. 

He was too busy pacing around the house with worry, when he got the call. By the time it was ringing for the third time, he snapped out of his daze, and answered the phone. 

“Hello?” he’d said.

“Cal, mate, I’m coming to get you.” Calum was instantly confused by Ashton’s voice on the other line. 

“Why, Ashton?”

“Cal, Eli’s been in an accident with Duke. Duke - he uh, he didn’t make it.” Calum felt all the air leave his lungs, and his legs gave out from beneath him. “The car came out of nowhere, she was crossing the street,” he paused choosing his next words wisely. “Cal, she needs you.”

“Ash-Ashton,” Calum cleared his throat, the tightness was becoming unbearable. “How is she, and don’t give me some lame ass answer because you think I’m gonna fucking die inside. I want the truth.”

Ashton could hear his brother’s plea’s, and he answered to the best of his ability without wanting Calum to break down on the other line. “She’s bad, Cal. They aren’t sure…”

“If she’ll make it.” Calum finished. He couldn’t hear the rest of what Ashton was trying to tell him. The phone dropped from his hands. He lost his dog the only person -four legged or otherwise- that loved him without a fault, and he was about to lose Eli. His Eli. He didn’t register his screams until Ashton was there, wrapping his arms around Calum. 

“Calum, Cal, buddy, you gotta calm down.” Ashton had known that Calum was a big guy, and he was at least three inches taller than Ashton. And Ashton was big himself, and he’d have to help his taller friend to the car. “Cal, buddy, I’m gonna need your help to get to the car. I’m gonna take you to see Eli.” 

At the sound of her name, Calum’s hysterics calmed down into soft sobs. Ashton thanked God and all of his helpers for giving him the strength to carry his best friend to the car.

When the two of them were buckled into the car, Ashton sped out of the driveway, and drove like a maniac to get to the hospital. He thanked God again for making all the stoplights green. 

The hospital was white from top to bottom, it smelled of sickness, and death. It didn’t sit well on Calum’s soul. 

Michael and Luke were already in the waiting room. Both of their faces were tear stained, and more tears fell at the sight of Calum’s broken face. 

They’d all seen Calum at his worst point, but seeing this absolutely heartbroken side of him, was something they’d never experienced. 

They all sat in the waiting room for at least two hours, waiting for any sign of life coming through the doors. Waiting for just a flash of a white lab coat, or the scrubs of a nurse. But nothing came for two hours.

So they waited. And waited. And waited.

Calum didn’t move once for the two hours that he sat in that chair. It was uncomfortable, but he didn’t move. He didn’t do anything. He just sat, and stared at the floor. When the doctor came in, he moved so quickly, the other boys hadn’t noticed that he moved. 

“Where is she.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Room 14.”

He nodded, and stepped through the doors. He marched his way into the room where the love of his life lay. She looked dead. Her hand was cold, and Calum could barely make out a pulse. If it weren’t for the steady beeping of the monitor beside her bed, he would’ve thought she was actually dead. 

He pulled a chair up to her bed, and sat with her hand in his. “You can’t leave me yet, baby. We’re supposed to grow old t'gether. ‘Member? We’re gonna have four beautiful babies, with my hair and your beautiful blue eyes.” 

He hadn’t been paying enough attention to the door to notice Michael, Luke, and Ashton enter. They were all teary eyed again, having stayed for the doctor’s confirmation that, Eli wasn’t gonna make it. 

Two of her ribs had pierced through her lungs causing it to collapse, the other was causing internal bleeding on her heart, the doctor said that if she were to survive Eli would remain comatose. She wouldn’t ever wake up. 

Tears fell freely from Calum’s cheeks, and he couldn’t stop himself from crying into her hand, that he so desperately wished would squeeze his hand back.

“Eli, baby, please wake up. Please, I need ya’ with me. Ya’ can’t go yet.” Calum could barely breathe with how hard he was crying. “Sweetheart, please. You promised we’d talk. Talk to me baby. Need'a hear your voice so bad.”

He felt her hand squeeze his lightly before her heart stuttered on the monitor, and he prayed he wasn’t losing her yet. It didn’t pick up it’s beat, and so many colored scrubs rushed in, and surrounded her bed. 

The boys were rushed out of the room, but before they could get too far, Calum collapsed on the ground, his heart shattering in his chest. 

Luke, Ashton, and Michael swore they could all hear Calum’s heartbreak in their own ears. His sobs racked the room, and Ashton couldn’t even comfort his friend now. He was too busy nursing the heartache in his own chest. 

Five minutes later a doctor emerged, and shook her head at the boys. Calum cried harder. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. 

Calum didn’t get the strength to enter the room until Luke had exited, from saying his goodbyes. 

He entered the room. And fell to the ground again. “I’m so sorry baby. I should’ve told you to stay, I should’ve made you stay with me. God, I love you so much. I’m so sorry baby. I’m so sorry.” 

Calum left the room, and his sobs could be heard from miles away. He didn’t know how he was going to make it without her. His heart was hurting, and his brain was tired. He tried to remember what they were arguing about the night before, but nothing came to mind. 

He cried harder, and Michael came to his aid. 

“Cal, you can’t put this on yourself. No one could have known that there was gonna be an accident,” Michael had said. Michael wanted to cry, but he didn’t want to break down in front of Calum, just in case it would make him worse. “Cal, bub,” he sighed using the nickname that Eli had given him. It stung Calum’s heart as he heard it leave Michael’s mouth, and not Eli’s. “You gotta get up. Her parents are here.”

Calum had met Eli’s parents on a number of occasions, and he knew that they would be just as heartbroken as he was. They’d lost their child. They’d be extremely upset. You were supposed to outlive your parents. 

“Calum!” Her father Pete had yelled for him. “Calum, son,” Pete was running toward the two boys as his wife Cherrie went into Eli’s room, and they had seen heartache and pain written all across her face and Pete’s. “M’sorry, You lost her too.”

Calum broke down again, but this time, in her father’s arms. “I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, it’s my fault, she always goes for runs, and she - I…” Calum’s hysterics had returned, and Pete did nothing to calm him down, for he was on the verge of breaking down himself. “I should have made her stay. We were supposed to talk,” he hiccupped. “Wanted to marry her. Wanted kids with her… She’s gone, she isn’t coming back! She’s gone.”

“It’s alright, it was an accident.” Her father sighed. “Calum, you gotta listen to me. She would want you to pick yourself up, she’d want you to forgive, and remember, because she’d never forget you.”

Calum nodded. “Okay,” he whispered. 

As time went on, Calum missed Eli every day. He never used any of the pet names he gave her with anyone else. He didn’t hate himself for the accident anymore, he remembered it, and while it wasn’t a memory he looked back onto fondly, he remembered that his brothers were there for him. And because of the accident, it made the bond they had stronger. 

He moved out of his and Eli’s house, the memories it was filled with were too painful to remember. Ashton had moved out of his house, and the two had moved into a smaller apartment, the smaller space welcoming, and cozy. 

Luke and Michael came over often to visit, and the nights were often filled with laughter, and making new music. Calum often looked back on these days, and he remembered the pain filled nights, and the tired coffee filled mornings. And Ashton’s playful, shower singing. 

He thanked whatever god existed, for giving him Eli, and he thanked Eli for loving him the way she did. He thanked himself, for loving her, even in death.

[calumbringbackthewatermelonshirt]

Music for the Soul

a/n: wow, yet another piece that was supposed to be a one shot but I got carried away with.

Cal had officially decided his soulmate sucked. Who in their right mind played the cello at all hours of the night, especially some fucking irish dancing sounding tune? Sure the way the music skipped and danced, seemingly alive was beautiful, but at 2am? On a night when Cal had and early tour promo the next day? Hell, the only reason he’d be interested in finding her would to tell her that this shit wasn’t okay. Eventually she slowed it down to a soft melodic tune, something sweet and sorrowful. It sounded like something out of a movie soundtrack, and executed just as perfectly. Still, every once and awhile, she would stop and repeat a specific few bars over and over again until she could play them at quadruple the correct speed. While Cal may have been pissed at her timing, he had to give her credit where it was due. The discipline of her playing, the emotion conveyed through her music, it was like living art. It was all he could think about as her sorrowful tune lured him into sleep.

In your opinion, your soulmate had some weird fucking taste in music. The songs were just strange. They were, as far as you could tell, bass lines for the most part. All of them were decent, composed of a few deep notes hitting in repetitive patterns, occasionally switching to a more powerful rift. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t your taste either. To you, it sound like a pop/rock sort of mix, songs played on the radio probably. You weren’t sure though. Your musical knowledge was severely limited, seeing as you almost exclusively listened to the same types of classical music you played. The tunes were catchy, though, often implanting themselves in your brain with no hope of a resolution to a song you didn’t know. They distracted you as you played, and you found yourself adding them into your own songs. It was pretty fucking annoying. Especially when you were onstage. Once, you even caught yourself adding one of the basslines into a Beethoven, having to improvise so you didn’t embarrass yourself in front of Carnegie Hall. But, sometimes, you would pick up your own upright bass and pluck out the same tunes that ran through your head all day.||

“It feels good to be back in New York.” Luke was breathing in the smog of the city, the smell of hot dogs from the vendor across the street.

“What makes New York all that special, huh, Luke?” Cal, personally, didn’t give one fuck about the city either way. He did appreciate how easy it was smoke in this city, however.

“I don’t know man. I guess I just love the energy. The vibes, ya know?” Luke pulled a face as he spoke, raising his eyebrows up and down. Calum gave him shit often, but it was all in the name of friendship.

“Listen. I got all of us tickets go see a concert at Carnegie Hall. Y’all need some culture.” Ashton had been scrolling through places he wanted to visit on his phone. Being in this band took him all over the world, but Ashton barely got time to travel.

“Bro, why? No offense, but that’s not really our scene. How about we try and visit a club of some sorts instead? Discover the next big thing?” Michael was being truthful. Classical music really wasn’t their scene.

“Classical music is quite beautiful if you take the time to listen, Michael.” Cal kept thinking about his soulmate, her own music resonating in his ears. Her music, classical music, truly was beautiful.

“What the fuck, Cal? Since when are you some musical snob?” Luke was confused. He really didn’t know much about his dark haired band member.

“Oh, fuck off, won’t ya?” Cal took another drag of his cigarette, exhaling the smoke out of his lungs as he gazed at the skyline. He hadn’t ever told anyone about his soulmate. Everyone had their own versions of discovery. Some said their entire worlds turned to color as they touched for the first time, some had tattoos that matched the same in their partners, some even having necklaces that matched their significant others. Cal loved his, though. It really fit him, he thought. A few unlucky people didn’t have soulmates, destined to be alone. Cal had, for the most part, convinced everyone in his life the same was true for him. They were sorry for him, pitiful. He didn’t care, however. Cal knew, and while he had no intention of finding his soulmate, he was still content to listen to the soft melodic tunes flowing from the strings of his soulmate’s cello. ||

“Again? A-fucking-gain?” Your best friend, Emily, was freaking out. For no reason, in your opinion.

“Yes again. They somehow found the decency in their hearts to invited me back after my botched attempt at Beethoven. I can’t believe I let that fucking bassline get to me in the middle of a performance.” You were still incredibly angry with yourself. You prided yourself on your professionalism, your dedication and perfectionism. So when you let a few fucking notes corroded into a symphony like that? It was fucking wild that she let it happen.

“Bitch. This will be the second time in two fucking months you’ll have played Carnegie Hall. At twenty. You’re not even old enough to drink, and you’re selling out the most famous concert hall in the United States. Fuck you, bitch.” Emily took a sip of her coffee. The two of you had attended Julliard together, had been roommates all four years. Emily had been a surrealistic painter, however, as opposed to your musical capabilities. The two of you posed a nice contrast to each other, her flighty and always down for adventure, while you were studious and always considered every decision carefully.

“Whatever. I’m just ready to go on the tour. People just don’t appreciate the arts like they used to. This is pretty much a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m hella excited. I even did a little shopping and got a few dresses.” You had splurged a little, sure, but it was totally worth it. Like you had told Emily, this was a once in a lifetime thing. You were damn sure to make the most of it.

“You’re still going to the concert with me tonight right?”  Emily had been blabbering on nonstop about this concert for weeks. Normally, you would have insisted she take someone else, especially this close to such an important concert. But, for reasons you couldn’t explain, some strange feeling had said you need to be at the concert, persistent and foreign to anything you had felt before. So you had told Emily that you would go with her.

“Yeah. I mean, I said I would. What the name of this band again? I keep forgetting.” You didn’t really care about the band, but it was supposedly sold out at Madison Square Garden. You figure that you had a decent chance of meeting your soulmate among almost twenty thousand people. Especially with that damn feeling you couldn’t shake. It made you start thinking about everything, all the variables and potentials. Without noticing, you started absentmindedly tapping out the bass line you soulmate was playing on the table with your nails. Emily noticed and smiled a little. She had already been lucky enough to have found her soulmate already, and while you had resisted as much as possible, she was always trying to help you find the one.

“5 seconds of summer. I really think you’ll like them, even though they’re not exactly your scene.”

“Wait, I think I’ve heard of them actually. Aren’t they that one band with the song young-something?”

“Youngblood, dumbass. I thought you were going to listen to some of their songs.”

“I’m sorry this Bach is really kicking my ass. I should get going, actually. I need to practice some more before tomorrow night.” You gave Emily a quick hug and walked to where your car was parked on the street. Maybe you could find the time to listen to a few tracks, at least.||

“Well, well, well. Here we are. Madison Square Garden.” Luke was standing in the middle of the stage, looking out over the stadium that would soon be filled with almost twenty thousand people.

“Madison Square Garden, sold out.” Ashton corrected Luke. They deserved it after everything.

“You good, Cal?” Michael, Luke and Ash were all standing together in the middle of the stage, but when michael looked over and their fourth bandmate, he found him sitting almost dejectedly against an amp. Michael studied his bassist for a moment, taking in the furrowed brow and almost scowl on his face.

“Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I’m great. Madison Square Garden.” Cal stood, brushed himself off and walked to join his other bandmates in the center of the stage. He had been finding himself thinking of his soulmate more and more each day. Sure he had always wondered about her, but why couldn’t he get her out of his head lately? He was starting to get concerned that it would interfere with performance tonight. She hadn’t even been playing much lately, and yet she was in his head more than ever. ||

“Why did I let you convince me to wear this? It’s not me.” Emily and convinced you to wear a tight and short blue plaid skirt, doc martens, and a white tube style tank top to the concert. She had even done your makeup and hair.

“Shut up, you look hot as fucking hell.” Emily was really paying attention to you. She was bouncing on her heels with anticipation, and was even more excited for being first in line. She had dragged you out here about five hours prior to when the concert door opened and the line had just started forming behind the two of you about an hour ago. Still, if it made Emily this happy, you supposed it was worth it. The concert was supposed to start in less than half an hour, but all you really wanted was to be at home, running though pieces on your cello. Instead you settled for fingering through them and humming the melodies softly to yourself. It was barely audible, but as you closed your eyes and concentrated in the music, your expression slowly slipped into a smile. ||

Cal couldn’t quite figure out why, but he was nervous. For the first time in about a year. His feelings had been all out of whack lately. No matter how hard he tried, Cal couldn’t stop thinking about how nervous he was for the show tonight. He was sitting with his head in his hands in the dressing room when it started. The melodies of Bach, Beethoven, even a few du Pre. They weren’t the same as before, though. No, this time, his soulmate was singing. Her voice was soft, like she didn’t want to be heard, but Cal could still tell there was a sort of power behind it. This voice made him feel the same way that hot chocolate on a cold day did, warm and safe. It lit him up from inside, calming him and wiping out any nerves that he felt, leaving mere shadows of the butterflies in his gut. Cal’s lips curled up, and he stood. Cal had never felt more excited to get up on stage. As he did, he couldn't help but sense that you were in the crowd, watching him, perhaps even dancing as he sang. It gave him a different kind of rush, the type that alcohol nor sex could. When he was on stage, all the other boys could tell there was something different to his performance that night. Something more energized and excitable. Tonight, passion reverberated through the basslines he played. ||

@marshmallowtraver

[dukehoods]

Hey everyone! So someone asked me to publish their fic for the secret santa fic exchange with @plainwhiteluke and @flannelpunkcalum since they want to stay anonymous so here it is! @vipclifford hope you enjoy it xx

A/N: Hey there this is my first imagine what I’ve ever written so idk how good this is. Furthermore English is not my first language if there are any grammatical errrors I apologise.

This is for Alicia (@vipclifford) I hope you enjoy it

Word count: 1732

24 days until Christmas, 31 days until New Years and 12 days until the annual Christmas ball of UOC university. Alicia stood in front of her large calendar, which hung above her desk in her small room, wondering where the year went. Her roommate Emma was out in town already shopping gifts for her family, she liked to be prepared in advance. Alicia on the other hand would shop her presents two days before Christmas resulting into her running around like mad women. A soft knock at her door interrupted her thoughts about gifts and transported her back to reality.

“One second” she yelled as she put away her markers she used to write one the calendar. When she opened the door, she was greeted by her best friend Calum, who was a psychology major as well. They both met each other on the first day of college and were since then inseparable.

“Hey, do you want to come get lunch with the guys? I heard they already got your favourite Christmas cookies.” Calum laughed when he saw Alicia’s face lighten up with excitement.

“Give me a second I’m want to change first.” She closed the door on him and went straight to the drawer to get a pullover as the temperatures dropped overnight. Perfect timing for Christmas time, Alicia thought whilst she grabbed her jacket as well as her wallet.

“Let’s go I’m already starving” Alicia said while closing the door behind her.

When they arrived at their favourite diner, all the others were already there. Luke, Michael, Ashton, Kiera and Sophie said in their usual booth waiting for the other two. “Hey guys.” Alicia greeted them as she took as seat next to Kiera who was also her best friend. They both knew each other since kindergarten and were partner in crime ever since then.

Shortly after they all were seated Shaun came to get their orders. Shaun was also a student and close friends with Michael, they both were gamers and hosts of the campus game nights which took place every now and then. Shaun had also a huge crush on Sophie but was too shy to ask her out for a date.

After they all placed their order Kiera turned to Alicia.

“Has someone finally asked you out for the Christmas Ball?”

“No, I don’t think anyone would besides I don’t have a dress anyway.”

“You have to go, everyone here wants to go, and it wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“I don’t want to go without a date.”

“Ask Calum, I bet he wouldn’t say no and he has no date either.” Sophie said, interrupting the ongoing conversation. Alicia’s face turned bright red, all of her friends knew that she liked Calum more than just a friend- everyone except Calum of course. She didn’t want to ruin her friendship with him, so she suffered in silence.

“Very funny” she whispered, not wanting the guys to hear their conversation. “Also, he told me he already planned on asking someone out, I think her name was Nicole or something like that.”

“Well that’s too bad because you two would look so good together.”

“Who would look good together with who?” Luke asked confused.

“No one we just talked about…” Keira began. “We talked about my sister, she has a crush on this one guy in her class.” Alicia added quickly, her face still red as a tomato. They needed to tone down their conversation about the boys when they literally sat on the same table as them.

After they ate, and everyone paid for their meal the group of friends separated as they had different classes to attend. Only two more weeks and the semester were done for them.

“Hey, do you have a date for the Christmas Ball?” Calum asked Alicia shyly as they both walked together to Alicia’s apartment complex.

“No, you?”

“Well I wanted to ask Nicole, turns out she already has a date.”

“Oh, that sucks I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

They both walked in silence until Calum spoke up again.

“How about we both go together, I mean as friends of course.” Alicia’s heart begun to beat a little bit faster. Was this real? Or did she just dream.

“Sure, why not I would love to.” she said with a big grin on her face.

The next few weeks went by so quickly it was unreal. Only two days until the Ball and Alicia was a nervous wreck. She wanted it to be the perfect evening, but it bugged her that she still was only the second choice. It hurt to think that Calum wouldn’t see her more than just as friend.

“You should tell him.” Keira said to her as she painted Alicia’s nails.

“I can’t, I know he doesn’t feel the same.”

“You never know…”

“Oh I know, he wanted to go with Nicole in the first place.”

“Maybe he just wasn’t sure if he should ask you.”

“I don’t know, ugh everything sucks.”

“Don’t say that at least he asked you.” Kiera said to lighten Alicia’s mood, but it didn’t work. Of course, she was happy he asked her but still a small voice in her head said it wouldn’t change a thing.

“Well let’s see how it goes.”

The day of the Christmas Ball arrived and the whole college was excited about it. The Ball was one of the biggest events the UOC university had. This year’s topic was Winter Wonderland, everything was white and blue. The campus glistered in in those colours as well.

By 8pm Calum was supposed to pick Alicia up from her room, after that they would meet up with their friends in front of the main building where the Ball was hosted.

“You look absolutely beautiful.” Calum said when he came to her room. Alicia blushed and brushed one of her brown curls out of her face.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” she giggled and took the hand he offered. When she touched him, she could feel small sparks in her hand like an electroshock. ‘Get it together.’ she told herself as they both walked hand in hand out of her building.

The party was great, everyone had a good time. Alicia danced with her friends, occasionally also with Calum but like he said they were only there as best friends. The DJ switched to the next song, a slow dance. Alicia was out of breath anyway, so she decided to get a drink from the bar as Calum approached her.

“May I have this dance?” Calum asked, and Alicia’s heart skipped a beat as she nodded. He placed his hands on her waist pulling her closer to his body. Unsure where to put her arms she placed them on his neck. They both swayed back in forth to the tact of the song.

“Have I told you that you look beautiful tonight?” Calum whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down Alicia’s spine.

“You mentioned it once or twice.” she whispered back.

“Well it’s true.” He said softly as he touched her face to remove her locks which kept falling into her face.

“I need to tell you something….” he begun “I….” but he couldn’t speak any more as the song changed to a more upbeat one. Calum let go of her waist, he could read the confusion on her face then he continued: “Actually, nevermind it was not important. I need to search for the guys, see you around.”

“Calum, wait…” Alicia began but he was already gone. ‘That was weird’ she thought to herself as she searched for the rest of her friend group.

“Has anyone seen Calum?” she asked them, but nobody knew.

“Are you okay? Did something happen?” Sophie wanted to know.

“No, he was just acting strange.” Alicia sighed, this evening started out so good but now everything is weird.

All of her friends didn’t see Calum for the rest of the evening.

“Maybe I said something wrong to him. Maybe he hates me now, why should he act like this if everything is alright?” Alicia complained as she walked home with Keira. It was two days after the Ball and today was the last day of the semester. Soon everyone would go home for Christmas break.

“I asked Ashton, but he wouldn’t tell me a thing.”

“I have to talk to him before he leaves, otherwise I can’t enjoy my break. See you soon.” Alicia told her best friend before she turned to Calum’s building. Her heart was beating so fast because she didn’t know what to expect. In all the two years she knew him he was never like that, it honestly made her feel sick.

She took a deep breath before she knocked at his door, but it was Luke who answered.

“Hey Luke, is Calum here I need to talk to him.”

“Yeah one second. Calum here is someone for you.” Luke went back into their room leaving them some space.

“Hey.” Alicia began.

“Hey.”

This was so awkward.

“What is your problem? Ever since that stupid dance you’re so weird. Did I do something?” she said raising her voice slightly.

“No it’s not you…”

“What is it then?”

“I like you okay, I like you more than just a friend.” Calum shouted at her. “And I know you doesn’t feel the same. I’m so sorry I just ruined our friendship.” he continued.

“You like me?” Alicia asked in disbelief.

“Yes and I’m sorry.”

Alicia began to laugh she couldn’t believe it. All this time she thought he wouldn’t feel the same.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because you’re such an idiot, I like you too and I thought you only saw me as a friend.”

“Wait, you’re not joking right?”

“No I’m not.” she smiled at him. “I liked you for a long time now but I didn’t say anything for the same reason as you.”

Calum shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Soo what now?” she asked. Calum smirked and grabbed her by her waist.

“Now I do a thing I wanted to do for almost two years.” He took her face gently in his hands and pressed his lips on hers. A small firework erupted in Alicia’s stomach, everything about this was perfect.

“How about I take you out as a proper first date?” Calum asked after they separated.

“I would love to Calum.”

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Michael/Ashton Masterlist

part two

20/20 (ao3) - nothingliketherain (39_killer_queen) T, 9k

Summary: 5 times Ashton is affected by Michael in glasses + 1 time Michael is

Apricity - @ashtcnirwin (elivigar) T, 23k

Summary: In which Ashton and Michael miss their flight home for the holidays and are forced to spend Christmas together.

Beautiful Nightmare (ao3) - malumsmermaid T, 4k

Summary: Desperate to find the perfect guitarist for his new band, Ashton makes a deal with a crossroads demon. Ten years later his deadline is looming and terrified of what's to come he begins pulling away from his friends and family. Michael comes in one night to reveal a secret he's kept since he joined the band.

Daydreams - @daydadahlias​​ (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) T, 6k

Summary: It's not Michael's fault the owner of Fletcher's Flowers is so good-looking. And no one—Luke—should be able to blame him for wanting to come to the shop and admire the pretty buff man with large delicate hands as he assembles bouquets or pets his cat.

hear my heartbeat? (just focus on that) (ao3) - alexwritesfiction T, 2k

Summary: in which michael can’t sleep because of nightmares and ashton helps him

i’ll be patient despite our racing hearts (ao3) - expectopatronuz T, 5k

Summary: The thing is, Michael and Ashton aren’t not friends. They do things that friends do. They enjoy each other’s company. They have the same taste in music. They have good talks.

“You can be friends with your boyfriend, Michael,” Calum says, exasperated.

or, Michael and Ashton are accidentally fake dating

it's going to be okay - @sup3rbloom​ (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) G, 4k

Summary: Michael is a big name celebrity, in the same group as Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. He has supportive husband Ashton by his side, but not everything is sunshine and rainbows for the couple.

i wanna tell you so (how to hold my heart) (ao3) - babushcat (MerrytheCookie) T, 25k

Summary: Michael is a programmer by day, a vigilante’s guy in the chair by night, and a full-time admirer of the cute barista down at the coffee shop he frequents, and sometimes he wonders if everyone around him is way too dramatic or if he's missing something.

or, this technically still counts as a coffee shop au

Lucky Charm (ao3) - jbhmalum T, 28k

Summary: during the european leg of the rowyso tour, michael is pining after ashton, and he finds himself on an interesting journey with luck

Magic Mike (ao3) - im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance E, 3k

Summary: Ashton Irwin is turning 21 and wanted a grand party. To his surprise, his idea of 'Grand Party’ does not coincide with what his friends think a 'Grand Party’ means. His night may turn out to be better than he had imagine.

Partner Steps (ao3) - allsassnoclass (brightblackholes) T, 18k

Summary: Ashton Irwin wants to release his second album. He hires Michael Clifford to choreograph the video for the lead single.

Patching up all the holes (until we both feel much better) (ao3) - lightsinthefloors G, 3k

Summary: Michael’s anxious, Ashton’s stressed, and Calum just wants to go on his date.

Potato Salad (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine T, 21k

Summary: “Can I have that?” asks the stranger.

Michael hums in his throat, confused. He looks at the stranger, but the stranger isn’t looking at him. His gaze is locked on the potato salad spilled out on the sidewalk. There is a pink flush to his cheeks, but it is different this time. It isn’t modesty. It’s embarrassment.

“If you’re just going to throw it away, can I have it instead?”

(In which Ashton is a homeless stranger who is starving, and Michael has a kitchen full of food.)

Purple bruises, faded scars and fresh cuts (ao3) - Unholy E, 140k

Summary: When Ashton finally reached his home, limping, bruised and crying silently, the door flew open before he had the chance to reach for the knob and his father looked at him with such fury and hatred in his eyes that Ashton cringed involuntarily. Ashton just awkwardly stood on his own lawn as his father looked him up and down, nose crinkling in disgust as he saw the multiple bruises on his son’s face. Eventually he grabbed Ashton’s collar and dragged him into the house. Ashton yelped in pain when he stumbled over the threshold and fell to the floor, his ribs throbbing painfully. His father walked around him in circles, shaking his head disapprovingly, his face distorted from anger. He was like a predator, teasing its wounded prey, enjoying the moment before ending its life. Ashton watched the man he called his father anxiously from where he was situated on the floor, curling up into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible, despite the stinging and throbbing and bleeding of his body.

And eventually, the predator attacked.

Or a soulmate au where everyone gets their soulmate’s injuries on their own body and Michael is worried sick about his.

really not fine at all - @sup3rbloom​ (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) T, 12k

Summary: Michael is a new nurse trainee at the hospital that his husband is already working at. His husband, who is already an established and well respected doctor. Everybody in the doctor field knows who he is. Michael knew this. He didn't expect things to get so complicated when he sees just how popular Ashton is.

Something to Prove (ao3) - velvethood (orphan_account) E, 18k

Summary: “Ashton, he showed you his new song.” And okay, Calum doesn’t need to explain it any further for Ashton to know what that means. Michael is always so reluctant to show the words in his head, because they’re a little darker and deeper and colder than the other boys’ writing, but Michael came to Ashton without a second thought. He knows what that means.

take my hand (now and forever) (ao3) - jbhmalum T, 2k

Summary: It doesn’t take him long to find Ashton. He’s sitting along the stream, toes dipping in the calm water. The moon casts a light so gentle over his profile that Michael’s breath almost catches in his chest. They’re a long way from the time they fell in love, but in moments like these, when it’s the middle of the night and Ashton’s features and whole demeanour radiate youth and innocence, it feels like the first time Michael looked at him and realised he hadn’t thought of him as a friend in a long time.

or; mashton, camping, and late night talking

Take my hand (now and forever)(ao3) - lightsinthefloors G, 4k

Summary: Michael is going to meet Ashton’s family for the first time, but his immune system has other plans.

you could call me babe for the weekend (ao3) - tutorgirl E, 14k

Summary: when luke bails on ashton for a series of romantic christmas dates that he has planned, michael joins him instead.

or 12 days of christmas.