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lovesosweeet · 4 months

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KNOW IT ALL x THE BAND CAMINO

part 7

a calum hood songfic

read 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

two years ago

Michael and Crystal’s wedding is the unofficial debut of Tillie and Calum’s situationship. Tillie is a grooms-woman, Calum the best man, and they’re surprising the happy couple with a performance of “Lover” by Taylor Swift during the reception.

Tillie is already tipsy by the time they get to the “groom’s room” for the morning. Calum was tasked with getting bagels for all the guys, meanwhile Tillie was making all the guys Irish coffees and trying to get everyone else hyped up. He walks in with his giant bag of bagels and finds his girl chanting ‘chug’ at Luke. He’s just drinking a bottle of water.

“Tillie, you gotta take it down a notch,” Ashton says, giggling over his mug of spiked coffee.

She whips her head around, grinning evilly. “You wanna be next, Irwin?”

Calum laughs, plopping the bagels onto the table and cracking open the bottle of orange juice he’d bought at the bagel shop.

“Honestly, maybe you should make all of us chug a bottle of water. Gotta be hydrated for the big day,” Cal says and takes a sip of his juice.

“Water is for losers, Cal,” Tillie teases.

“Tills, I’d actually like to remember the best day of my life. I will be drinking water until the reception,” the groom comments. He rips into the bag of bagels, grabbing an everything for himself. “Thanks for getting the bagels, Cal.”

Tillie pouts, running up to Michael and jumping onto him like a koala, making him nearly lose his balance. “You at least have to take a shot!”

Michael groans, just continuing what he was doing. He spreads cream cheese on his bagel while Tillie clings to him. She’s not heavy, and she’s supporting herself. It’s just a nuisance to have a human stuck to you while you try to make a bagel. “Let me guess, you’re not letting go until I agree to take a shot.”

She grins. “You know me so well.”

“I’ll drink an Irish coffee, but that’s it,” he offers as hopefully an acceptable compromise.

At that, Tillie lets go of Michael, dropping to her feet again. She heads to the bar in the back corner where she’s made a few other Irish coffees already this morning, quickly mixing one up for the groom.

“Tommy, want one?” She calls.

“I’m good, T. But thank you.”

“Knock knock!” A familiar voice calls from the doorway, not bothering to wait for an ‘okay’ before he walks in. Ryan and Andy, the boys’ tour photographers, walk in, cameras around their necks and coffees in their hands.

The group of guys, and Tillie, cheer as they enter. They all exchange hugs and greetings, and the photographers stop at the table to get bagels for themselves, too. Crystal hired a more traditional wedding photographer for the bridal party and the rest of the day, but for the groomsmen, Mike just said he’d have Ryan and Andy get photos of them getting ready, since they’d be attending the wedding anyway.

While the whole gang eats bagels and Tillie forces Irish coffees into everyone’s hands, the photographers grab candid shots of the groomsmen in their matching black sweatsuits. Tillie’s is massive on her, since they ordered unisex sweats. The men’s size small is roughly a women’s medium, and Tillie is and extra small across the board.

Michael’s says “groom” in black embroidery on the chest, with the date embroidered in white on the cuff. The guys’ and Tillie’s say “groomsman” and Calum’s says “best man.” They all thought they were goofy, but Crystal insisted they do something. They settled on these, hoping the subtle embroidery comes off as a little less cheesy.

Unlike Crystal and the bridesmaids, this group doesn’t really have much to do to get ready for the wedding, so their day is mostly spent goofing off. While Tillie does her hair and makeup, the boys play beer pong and do makeshift karaoke using Youtube and a whiskey bottle as a microphone. Once Tillie is ready to go, she helps Michael do his hair.

Michael has done his hair to go on stage countless times, so he could easily do it himself, but Tillie said that this is the one day in his life that he shouldn’t have to do his own hair. Calum thought it was sweet that Tillie was being such a good friend and whispered to Ryan to make sure he got pictures of the interaction.

When Michael disappears to go do his first look, Calum takes a seat next to Tillie on a leather couch, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She relaxes into his side quickly, leaning her head on his chest.

“Are you excited?” He asks.

“Of course!”

Calum smiles. “Me too. Are you gonna cry?”

Tillie cackles. She’s not entirely emotionless, but crying at weddings is definitely not something she has on her resume. “Who do you think I am? Hell no. Are you?”

His cheeks tinge pink and he hangs his head. “Probably.”

She looks up at him with a pouted lip and grabs his cheek between her fingers and thumb, pinching him. “Aw, aren’t you just the cutest!” She coos exaggeratedly.

He rolls his eyes and pulls her tighter against himself. “I’ve known Michael since we were so young. It’s a big day. I love them.”

She smiles, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips. “It’s sweet, Thomas. It’s a nice feeling to have people you care about that much.”

“Woah,” Andy says as he stares at the two of them cuddled up on the couch. “So this is like, a thing now?”

He’d seen the pictures of them online. The hickies on their necks and interlocked hands. He had seen and heard the rumors, but he knew Tillie. He had spent a lot of time with her on tour, and he knew her habits. He also knew that Calum had a thing for the spunky girl, but he didn’t think anything was ever going to come of it. He thought maybe this was a one or two night thing, but now, he’s seeing it in person, almost two months after the first round of photos went around.

It seems like Tillie is actually dating him. It seems like they’re happy together. He had to see it up close to believe it.

He believes it now.

“Is that a problem for you, Andrew?” Tillie asks. She places a hand on Calum’s leg and squeezes it. He pinches her side in response, so she does it again.

“No, no! Not at all. You guys are cute. Just a little shocking at first.” Andy holds his camera up to his eye and snaps a photo of the two of them cuddled up on the couch before they can even recognize what’s happening.

That’s when the day of coordinator walks in and says they have 20 minutes to finish getting ready and to line up. Tillie groans, not wanting to put on her dress. Since she’s standing with the guys, her dress is black to match their tuxes, even though the bridesmaids are all wearing champagne, gold, and pink.

She gets a kiss on the cheek from Calum before she heads to the bathroom to change into the one shoulder chiffon gown that Crystal picked out for her. She was given the OK to wear Converse with it, thankfully, since her feet will be mostly hidden by the dress. When she reenters the room, Calum grins.

“You look so good,” he gushes, his hands on his face while he takes in the stunning woman in front of him. Her hair is dark brown for the wedding, curled and pinned so it cascades only over her right shoulder, and while she got dressed, she put on a coat of her favorite red lipstick.

He walks up to her, bending down to kiss her, but she sticks her hand up in between their faces.

“No! Not when I have my makeup done,” she says with a tone that comes off as ‘how did you not know this.’

He pouts. “Not even on the cheek?”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine, one kiss on the cheek.”

Cal pecks her cheek lightly before he grabs her by the shoulders, spinning her around so she can walk in front of him, but leaving his hands on her shoulders. He massages them while they walk to line up for the ceremony. She is first in line, while Calum is last, as the best man. Michael ended up having Cal as the best man solely because he’s known him the longest, so he kept that same energy when ‘ranking’ the rest of his groomsmen. Tillie has known him the least amount of time, so she’s on the opposite end from Calum.

She doesn’t care. She’s just excited to be a part of this day for Michael. There aren’t a lot of people in this world that she considers family, but Michael earned that title long ago. She’s happy to wear a stuffy dress and spend the day around people who are all crying if it means she’s celebrating her brother.

The ceremony is short but incredibly sweet. As expected, Calum cries, and so does every single member of 5SOS. Actually, Tillie is pretty sure she’s the only member of the bridal party who doesn’t at least tear up. She smiles the whole time, in awe that two people are both so in love and so surrounded by love that there’s hardly a dry eye in the room while they vow their lifelong dedication to each other.

The reception is an open bar, which means Tillie is ordering trays of shots and challenging everyone to take them. She’s so wrapped up in cheering and whooping as she gets person after person to take a gulp of burning tequila that she doesn’t notice that the DJ has been cut off and Luke and Sierra are on a small stage.

When she realizes, she halts and sets the now empty tray on the closest table.

“Hi, everyone,” Luke says. “Sierra and I have prepared a little song. Please dance while we sing, because it’d be really awkward if everyone just stared at us.”

Everyone in the room laughs, but nobody moves to start dancing again, even as Luke plays the opening notes. Tillie recognizes it immediately and smiles, her eyes searching the room for her guy. Calum appears by her side in seconds, wrapping his arm around her waist to let her know he’s there.

“Can I have this dance?” Cal asks.

Tillie blushes and smiles. “If I have to,” she huffs sarcastically. She grabs his hand and pulls him to the dance floor while Luke and Sierra cover “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis.

Calum and Tillie dance to the song with everyone, and Tillie can’t pretend she doesn’t feel Michael staring at them with a huge smile. He’s happy to see the two of them so happy on his big day. Calum has the dorkiest, cheesiest grin as he stares down at the girl he’s wanted for so long. Her cheeks are extra flushed now, feeling a little uncomfortable with all the eyes on her during what is the most heartfelt dance she’s ever shared with anyone, but she’s happy in this moment.

She feels like the song is spot on. She feels like she’s falling in love, and it’s terrifying and exciting at the same time.

When the song ends, Cal nods his head toward the stage with a raised eyebrow. He’s asking Tillie if she wants to go sing their song now. She nods in response, once more dragging Calum behind her.

Calum takes the acoustic guitar from Luke, who looks surprised. They hadn’t told anyone they were also planning on singing.

Tillie stands behind the mic while Calum takes the stool Luke was just using. Crystal and Michael are watching them with sincere surprise, but they’re both excited to see whatever the duo on stage is going to share. They are both talented enough to kill whatever performance they have planned, and they know them so well that it’ll be something special to the Cliffords.

“Hi folks,” Tillie starts, giggling as Calum almost slips off the stool next to her while he tries to get comfortable. “First off, cheers to the happy couple!” Everyone cheers.

“Okay, no, you’re supposed to drink. Everybody, drink.” She takes a sip of the rum and Coke next to her as a demonstration while the whole room laughs. About half of them succumb to yet another attempt of Tillie’s peer pressure.

Calum just watches her in awe.

“Now, I know that a very special someone is a Swiftie,” Tillie continues. “In that vein, Thomas and I — actually, hold up! Can we get a round of applause for the best man?!”

Calum hangs his head in embarrassment while the whole room hoots and hollers with praise.

“Okay, back to me,” she says, making everyone laugh. “We’re gonna cover madam Swift’s ‘Lover’ for the happy couple.”

Michael looks at his best friends with tears in his eyes as they begin the song, and Crystal is already crying from Luke and Sierra’s performance. She reaches up and wipes the tears from under Michael’s eyes before she pulls him to her to dance again. Tillie hadn’t felt like crying that badly until she saw that.

She wishes she could find a love that would mean someone would wipe tears from under her eyes and pull her closer in that moment, even if she’d rather pull away.

The weirdest part of that, for her, is knowing that Calum wants to be that person, and she is letting him close enough that he may be able to.

Their performance goes without a hitch. Together they harmonize beautifully and Tillie has palpable chemistry with Calum. He stares at her longingly as she hits the high notes and he loves how her nose scrunches up when she does. He’s pleasantly surprised at the end of the song when she walks over to stand closer to him and looks him in the eye.

“Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close, forever and ever?” She sings with a smile.

He’s on a high by the time the song ends and everyone applauds them. He can’t help himself from planting repeated kisses to her forehead before they take a quick bow.

They reenter the audience and the DJ resumes his music. Tillie grabs her rum and Coke and holds it up as she dances her way back into the crowd. Michael steps away from his wife so he can go find Tillie and Calum — but mostly Tillie, even though Calum is following her around as he has done since that night in Montreal.

“Matilda!” Michael singsongs, wrapping her into a hug.

“Michael!” She mocks.

“What the hell was that?!”

She shrugs, her eyes flitting to the tall Māori man to her left who’s smiling at her in a way she can only describe as lovingly. “Crystal likes Taylor. We thought it was fitting.”

Mike hugs her again so he can more discreetly whisper into her ear. “Don’t be going soft on me, now.”

With her hand that’s not holding her drink, she pinches the groom on his side as hard as she can. “Never.”

When they’ve hugged and Michael has given Calum an embrace, too, Mike puts a hand on each of their shoulders. “Thank you guys, seriously, for everything. I love you both, but I’m gonna go hang with my wife.”

For the first time in her life, Tillie is at a wedding and pondering the thought of what her own wedding might look like someday. Even stranger: the person she’d consider marrying is staring at her, wonderstruck, imagining the exact same thing. Tillie has Calum’s suit jacket draped over her, swallowing her tiny frame, and stares up at him with stars in her eyes,

She doesn’t stop him when he bends down to kiss her, knowing her lipstick is a lost cause at this point.

Standing in the Los Angeles January coolness under the stars, they’re both over the moon. Surrounded by people they love, they’re in their own little world as they sway to a song neither of them is listening to.

read next chapter

a/n: listen folks, i uh... forgot about covid when i worked out the timeline of this story. so let's pretend covid didn't happen like the people in the south did during the pandemic, cool?

ALSO bomb drop in the next chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!! which is already written!

#5sos #5 seconds of summer #luke hemmings #calum hood #ashton irwin #michael clifford #fanfiction #fanfic #5sosfam #imagine #calum fic #calum 5sos #calum imagine #songfic #calum x ofc #calum x fem!oc #know it all #the band camino

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hoodharlow · 2 years

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period mena x cal anon: AHHHHH screaming mena is just like me frfr. when i tell you i canNOT wait for whatever you have them in for- fwb, hood baby #2, marriage, whatever tf i just love them and nico has such great taste w the paletas de fresa like girl same... also 🌹 for odaat? literally lomls

“Take off your clothes.” Alexis Ximena said, walking out of his closet with an arm full of clothes.

“If you wanted a quickie you could have just said.” He joked.

“Cal, I’m being serious. I know you don’t care about this, I wanna make a good impression on Dr. Perla–”

Calum pulled her toward him so she straddled his thigh. “Relax, okay?” He said softly. “It’s going to be okay.”

"I know." She sighed.

She leaned into Calum and curled up against him. She laid her cheek against his cheek and played with her hair tie. Nico would do the same when she doesn't know how to share what she's really feeling.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

"I just can't help thinking how his life would be different if I wasn't born." She confessed. "Would he have married her instead? What would their kids be like if they had some? Would he become a doctor? Maybe I'm the reason he didn't end up with her. Or–"

"Alexis you're the greatest thing that has ever happened to your father. Sure you were born in a not ideal time, but he doesn't regret you. I know that because that's how I feel about Nico." He pulled up so she was looking at him. “And obviously his life would be different without you. But so will everyone else’s. Who would be the youngest GOGO winner? Who would be the first latinx woman to get their own superhero movie franchise? Who would be Aaliyah’s best friend? Who would spoil my kid even though they know they’re not supposed to?”

“First of all it’s EGOT not GOGO,” she said as a matter of fact, making him chuckle. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself more on to him as he lazily hugged her. “I really appreciate what you said, but I don’t spoil your child.”

“Yes, you do. We spent ten minutes looking for a specific Prada bag you gave her.”

“Yeah and we spent ten minutes looking for a pair of Docs. How many pairs of black Docs does a toddler need?”

“She needs them? Each one goes with a specific–whatever” he pulled his arms away from her and crossed his arms on his chest, pouting because he knew Alexis Ximena was right.

She pulled his arms apart and nuzzled against his chest. Calum leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. He pulled away then bent down to kiss her once more. She held onto his cheeks, letting he deepen the kiss.

#one day at a time thoughts #odaat #anon 😌😌😌

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carolinaflicker · 3 years

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birthday girl - calum hood

pairings: calum hood x reader

summary: it’s the reader’s 24th birthday, and somehow she can’t seem to keep her hands off of calum

genre: smut with a hint of fluff

warnings: SMUT SMUT SMUT, PROTECTED sex (wrap it before you tap it), slight daddy kink, teasing + degradation, calum being hot, also female pronouns!

word count: 1770

The faint smell of hairspray sat densely in the air as she checked her reflection one last time. The red on her lips sat bold, and the black material running down her body clung tight. She fiddled with the rings on her fingers, doubtfully swapping the combination before huffing and leaving them be.

She stared at her own face in the vanity as she began to lightly run her fingertips over every bump and blemish that held her skin prisoner. Before being able to pick apart every inch of her body, her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle call in the living room of her flat.

“Love, are you almost ready?”

She turned her head swiftly as she heard his approaching footsteps, seeing Calum appear in the doorway.

“You know it’s your birthday, right? You’re kind of the expected guest.” His low chuckle resonated through the room.

Her eyes scanned his face as if it would be the last time she saw him. Y/N found herself doing this frequently, and every time she would find something she hadn’t seen before. This time it was a small freckle just under his bottom lip.

She enjoyed these moments with Calum, the little things that made every day with him a new one. She’d never loved someone as much as she loved him and, quite like her boyfriend, once thought she’d never find it.

It was Calum’s teasing smile and quirked brow that prompted Y/N to realise she was staring at him and, with reddened cheeks, quickly turned to make herself busy.

“You look beautiful.” His hands fell upon her shoulders from behind, and she bathed in the comforting smell of his familiar cologne.

“So do you, handsome.” She said, smiling at him through the mirror.

Calum reached down to give a swift peck to the crown of her head before walking away, giving his girlfriend a gentle reminder of the time passing.

Placing her emergency kit into her purse, Y/N finally noticed the trousers that Calum had chosen to wear. Green and blue plaid adorned the muscles of his thighs, wrapping and moving in just the right places to make her palms sweaty.

She took incredible interest in the way the black shirt he’d tucked in was slightly unbuttoned to reveal two silver pendants resting on his toned chest. Her heart began racing as she fantasised kissing every inch that she could see.

She suspected he had picked these ones specifically for her birthday, knowing they were her favourite. Probably also knowing exactly how they made her feel.

After slipping her final foot into her heels, Y/N turned the light off in their shared bedroom and set her sights on seeking out Calum.

Finding him stood at their kitchen counter she took quick steps over to him, not hesitating to run her hands up his exposed chest to let them rest around the back of his neck.

Calum released a hum of satisfaction when his girlfriend planted her lips on the side of his neck. Placing one hand on her hip and the using the other to gently grab her chin, he pulled her gaze up to meet his.

“Was this morning not enough for you, princess?” When he received a shake of the head, he continued. “Oh and not at breakfast either? And then after the shower. And then-“

Y/N pulled his lips down to meet her own, not worrying in the slightest about the red stain she would leave after.

“C’mon, Cal,” She all but whined, “I need you.”

“And isn’t your life so hard, darling?” He tutted at her mockingly with a small pout, before squeezing her hip and walking away to grab his keys.

Calum let out a loud laugh when he heard Y/N’s dejected mutter about being the birthday girl.

———

The party was in full swing; people flooded every inch of the bar they had hired out, celebrities and friends alike. Shouted words were being exchanged over the bass of the music playing and shots were being thrown back like water.

Calum leant at the bar, nursing a drink in his hand, paying little attention to the story that Shawn Mendes had been telling him for the past 10 minutes.

Instead his gaze was focussed on his girl dancing across the room, happily being spun around by Luke and Ashton to the tune of Dancing Queen.

He had been watching for a while now. Seeing her like this with his band mates never bothered him, in fact Luke was the very reason Calum and Y/N knew each other at all.

Having met Y/N two years prior, Luke had invited her to his 21st knowing just how well she would get on with the bassist. Calum had thanked Luke more times than he could count for this, wondering every day how he had managed to find Calum his perfect half.

Now at his girlfriend’s 24th birthday, he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away. Not out of jealousy, but rather out of pure want. He’d scanned the way her figure moved around the dance floor so many times he was almost dizzy, but that didn’t stop him.

As the music faded and the beginning chords of Wicked Games played through the speakers, Calum excused himself from Shawn quickly and made his way over.

It didn’t take him long, as Y/N soon felt a pair of familiar hands touch upon her waist, and she barely had to look back to recognise who it was. She released her hold on Ashton’s hand and turned her body around fully to face her boyfriend.

“Well hello, stranger.” Y/N’s face gleamed at Calum’s in the dim light.

“Hey, gorgeous. Having a good time?”

He could barely hear the happy sigh that left her mouth over the music but felt a warm feeling spread in his chest as she announced, “The best!”.

Brushing a strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear, he leaned down to whisper, “You wanna make it even better?”

The excited look she was giving him quickly turned darker, as she took her own turn to whisper.

“Show me what you got, handsome.”

Ignoring the cheers from Luke and Ashton, Calum grabbed Y/N’s hand, pulling her from the crowd. The woman had to stop herself from all but pouncing on her boyfriend then and there, instead giving a polite smile to Michael and Harry, who seemed to be in an animated conversation.

Y/N thanked every entity she could think of that the bar they’d hired was nice enough to sport separate bathrooms. She sure wasn’t quiet with Calum, yet with the music blasting and their own room, she doubted they’d be heard by anyone.

Rushing in and locking the door, Calum immediately lifted his girlfriend onto the counter. As if by magnets, the two grabbed at each other, kissing like their lives depended on it.

Y/N reached a hand into Calum’s curly hair and pulled, releasing a groan from the man’s mouth. As she attempted to grind against him further, he pulled away and took hold of her by the neck.

“Look at you, pretty girl. One word from me and you’re ready to drop your panties. When did you become such a slut?”

The fingers wrapped around her throat seemed to send the blood rushing faster to her core, a desperate, incoherent mewl escaping her lips.

As she reached down to unbuckle the belt around his waist, he was quick to pull her hands away.

“Not yet. Gotta take care of the birthday girl, right?”

“But I want you, Cal.” She cried.

“Shame.”

He tapped her waist, indicating for her to lift her hips slightly, as he pulled the hem of her dress up to her stomach. Dropping to his knees, he tossed both of her legs over his shoulders, getting closer to the ache between her legs.

Tantalisingly slow, Calum pulled the lacy thong she was wearing down her thighs before stuffing it into his back pocket.

Finally giving her what she wanted, he placed his hot tongue onto her clit, moving in slow circles. The moan that left Y/N’s lips was pornographic, and her hands immediately flew to grasp onto Calum’s hair again.

“I wanna hear you more, love.”

As if on cue, her whines pitched higher and higher, matching the muffled sound of She playing outside.

Increasing in pressure and speed, it didn’t take long for Calum to make Y/N a mess. He knew every curve of her body, every sign of pleasure and, equally, every sign of discomfort. With his knowledge, it never took him long to have her writhing underneath him.

“Calum!” She called, “I’m gonna-“

He stopped.

“Beg.”

Looking down in disbelief, Y/N found him fully content in not touching her until she gave him what he wanted. Huffing loudly, she tried to reach for him again in desperation.

“I’m pretty sure I gave you an instruction, baby.” He scoffed, pulling away even more.

“Fuck, Cal!” She released her stubbornness, “Please let me cum. Please!”

He immediately returned to his previous actions, making her cry out. Her body shuddered and she moaned as Calum finally let her release. She felt dizzy against the mirror, her face stinging from the intensity of her orgasm.

Giving her a check over and a chance to catch her breath, Calum reached down to unbuckle his belt and open his trousers. Stroking his shaft out of his boxers, he looked at the woman again.

“You ready?”

“Just fuck me, Cal.”

Earning a smug chuckle from the man as he pulled out a condom from his pocket and slid it on, she grabbed onto his shoulders as he took her words as gospel, pounding into her with no hesitation. Low grunts and swears left Calum’s lips as he thrusted deep and fast.

Y/N reached down to gently rub her now sensitive clit, releasing a cry as a certain thrust hit just the right spot.

Before she could stop herself, she released a series of incoherent whines, followed by Calum’s name as if in prayer.

“Fuck, daddy!”

Y/N’s regret immediately began to seep into her bones. This was a kink that she had quite happily kept to herself and for 3 years had been worried of Calum’s reaction if she ever brought it up.

This regret dissipated immediately however, as her boyfriend’s rhythm grew sloppier and harder at the name. Soon the room was filled with obscene cries as they both reached their climaxes, collapsing onto each other.

“Well,” Calum said after a breath, “You’ve never called me that before.”

This earned him a weak punch to the shoulder, the woman in his arms giggling lightly.

“Happy birthday, my love.”

#calum hood imagine #calum hood smut #calum hood fluff #calum hood fic #calum hood fanfiction #calum hood x reader #calum hood x y/n #5sos imagine #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #luke hemmings #michael clifford #ashton irwin #Harry Styles

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mrsmelaninhood · 3 years

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pairing: calum hood x black/poc/plus size reader

warnings: smut and explicit language (if you are NOT 18+, gtfo)

A/N: It's been soooo long since I've written smut (or anything really) so take it easy on me pls. 🥺 this is the beginning of calum's and y'ioné's stories so, enjoy.

FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOMED 😊

The club was packed. Ever since the vaccine had been released and states begun to fully reopen. Everyone jumped at the opportunity to forget about Covid-19 ever happening.

Y'ione had just graduated with her Associates Degree in Business and her family had surprised her with a month trip to Santa Jose, California. She went to school at The University of Arizona, so she wasn’t too far away from her family.

Usually she would have declined but having spend 60+ credit hours studying and taking exams, she thought fuck it. She deserved this at least.

If she hadn’t downed half of her bottle of Patrón, she would have complained about the flabs under her arms moving slightly. How her thick thighs and backside encouraged her dress to seem shorter than it really was and her soft stomach peeking slightly through her dress but she was having too good of a time to really care. She had on a short brown cabo dress with black strap heels and her hair was in its natural anti-gravity curly state.

“You seem to be having a good time.” She barely caught the masculine accent from behind her but Y’ioné always tried to remain cautious whenever she went to a public outing especially since she had a open bottle in her hand.

“If you can’t have fun by yourself then you’re not a fun person period.”

She turned around to face Calum Hood from the Australian band, 5 Seconds of Summer. The first thing she noticed was his pearly white teeth and the smirk on his face. She didn’t even hide the fact that she was checking him out.

Everyone checks everyone out. Who cares?

The only major differences is that he almost had a full-fledged beard and his black curls was now shoulder length. Y’ioné could tell that his hair was long enough to throw up into a mini bun. He was wearing a dark blue striped flannel, black jeans and combat boots.

“Can’t argue with that.” He shrugged. "Don't tell me that you came alone?"

"Just graduated and my friend won't be here until next week. I'm not waiting 'till then to have a good time."

Unknown to her, Calum was also checking out the woman in front of him. She was dancing by herself with such confidence and looked at peace. The silk dress outlined her curves and very blessed assets. The dark curls on her head bounced with each sway and step she took.

Calum would've kept admiring her if she hadn't something to pull him out of his trance. “Shouldn’t you be in a V.I.P. section with your friends?"

"Hm, I needed to stretch... was getting a bit cramped."

“ And why are you walking around in a club without security?” Y'ioné raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Honestly, she was still shocked that the exchange was still happening.

She squeezed her bottle closer to her chest, feeling her anxiety growing. She wasn’t nowhere near drunk as she had a high tolerance and she didn't smoke so she wasn’t hallucinating either.

Was she being pranked? No. Calum Hood isn't the type to pull a prank on a fan, right?

“Awe, are you worried about me?” He smirked leaning on the bar.

She rolled his eyes at his cockiness. Yes, he was attractive as hell but come on.

“Hardly.” She scoffed. “Knowing my luck. One of your fans are hiding in the corner, recording this little interaction.”

Calum shook his head as he let out a loud laugh.

“You’re funny. I just wanted to get my own drink. Besides, my ass was beginning to ache.”

“That’s what you get for being double cheeked up on a Friday night.” It slipped out Ione’s mouth before she could catch it. “Sorry, I swear I’m not trying to flirt with you. Not saying that you’re not attractive ‘cause you are but I have to make a joke when an opportunity arises or else I’ll lose my sanity.”

“Okay… It’s not the weirdest explanation I’ve ever heard.”

“Yeah. Sorry, uh, I never introduced myself. I’m Y’ione Harwood.” She stuck out her right hand. “Not that you’ll remember a nobody like me.”

“Hey, don’t say that. I always try to remember our fans.” He shook her hand and noticed that her brown tone against his lighter brown one looked pleasing together.

“Who said that I’m a fan?” You said with a straight face.

Calum’s eyes widen, he moved forward to apologize, “I’m so sorry��.”

“I’m kidding.” Y’ione smiled. “I had to.”

“That’s fucked up.” She shrugged in response.

“Accept taking a sip of my Patrón as a apology?” She offered the 200 ml his way.

“What kind of apology is that?” He laughed.

He’d be lying if he said that this woman didn’t intrigue him.

“I don’t know where your mouth has been.” He joked.

“Hasn’t been everywhere that yours has.” She swirled the clear liquor.

“Touché.” He took the bottle with slit eyes, “Why haven’t you passed out yet?”

“From talking to you or the alcohol?” She giggled.

“Both.” He felt the liquid burn down his throat as took a sip.

“High tolerance and you’re not Rihanna.” She said in a “duh” tone.

“I’m up there with Rihanna.” He and Y’ione had taken the vacant seats at the bar. Everyone else was up and grinding against a partner as Giveon played throughout the club. “Don’t even compare yourself to her.” She was laughing but the look on her face was serious.

“Damn. You’re harsh.” He took another sip before he handed Y’ione her alcohol back.

“I’m not everyone’s taste.” She kept eye contact as she poured the poison down her throat. Now she was flirting.

“The best ones usually aren’t.” He smirked back at her. Y’ione batted her false mink lashes with a smirk. “Are you flirting with me Mr. Hood?” “Is it working?” Calum hesitated a few seconds before he made the move to place his hand on her thigh.

“Maybe.” She licked her bottom lip swiping some clear gloss off.

He wrapped an arm around her neck, slowly pulling her towards him as to give her time to pull away if she felt uncomfortable. Y'ione rolled her eyes before she pressed her plump lips against his.

Calum felt himself grow hard.

“Oh! This is my song!" She cheered.

I just can't help but be sexual (whoa) Tell me your schedule (yeah)

Y'ione pulled him onto the dance floor before she turned around and rested her back against Calum's hard chest.

I got a lotta new tricks for you, baby Just sayin' I'm flexible (I will) I do what I can to get you off (I will)

"Might just fuck him with my makeup on." She tilted her head up to sing the lyrics into his ears as they continued to sway to the beat.

Calum turned slightly red. It wasn't often that he was caught off-guard, especially by a woman. He usually was the straightforward one to initiate sex or anything likewise. So this was different.

Before he could ask her to join him for the night at his place, she beat him to it. "Your place or mine?" He looked down to see big brown eyes staring into his.

"Mine?"

"I'm not trying to pressure you to take me to your place... I know that it's a huge risk. Just one slip up and your career is over with and I'd hate to even put you in that situation." He stared at her with the same intensity but he could see behind the heavy lust that there was also care.

"No. It's not-" She place her pointer finger against his lips.

"How about this? We go to my place since I suggested it and if tonight we hit it off, we can go to yours next time. Hm?"

Calum just nodded and with that, Y'ioné grabbed one of his hands and headed towards the entrance/exit.

Fortunately, there weren't any paparazzi around or else they would've been screwed.

The chill wind blew causing goosebumps to form over her brown arms. "Shit."

"Sorry, I can't be cliché with you love." She turned to face Calum with a confused expression. "I don't have a jacket to lend you."

She rolled her eyes. "I think I'll survive but thanks for the consideration." She frowned, "I completely forgot that I actually didn't drive tonight, since I planned on trying to get wasted."

"Luckily for you love. I have my keys." Calum pulled them out of his pocket with a smirk. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began leading them to where his vehicle was parked.

"Won't it be obvious seeing a random woman get into Calum Hood's car?" Y'ione whispered not wanted to draw attention from the few people that were hanging out on the sidewalk.

"Not if we hurry, beautiful." They arrived at the matte Mercedes Benz G-Wagon. He opened the door which she gave a quick "thank you" before hopping in. He jogged over to the driver's side pressing the "start" button to turn on the engine.

As she was putting her address into the car's GPS, Y'ioné couldn't help but giggled at the situation. They were sneaking around as if they were in high school.

"What's so funny?" Calum glanced at her.

"Nothing. Just thinking." She bit her lip as she looked out the window.

She was trying to calm herself down until they got to the hotel. Calum looked sexy as hell driving with his thick thighs slightly separated and his right arm resting on the dashboard. Not to mention the several tattoos peeking through the arms of his rolled up flannel.

God really does have favorites.

"You're a strange one."

"You're not the first and won't be last person to tell me that." She squeezed her already closed thighs.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Do you usually have sex with your fans?"

Calum bit his bottom lip then let out a sigh, "I try to avoid it as much as possible so no, not usually."

"I'm sorry. It's really none of my business." Y'ioné started playing with her hands.

Why did I ask that?

"No, it's understandable... So you're a fan now, huh?" She could see him grinning from the corner of her eye.

"Depends on your performance, Hood."

____

"Holy shit." Y'ione moaned out as Calum rocked back into her.

They had been going at it for 5 minutes and physically she adjusted to him fairly quickly but mentally, she still wasn't.

Foreign is not boring.

"Fuck." Calum growled as she pulled on his curls. "You're so wet."

"So I've been told." She squealed as he pinned her hands beside her head.

"You little minx." He crashes his lips against hers forcing his tongue through her plump lips.

This was a whole new field to Y'ione. Yeah, she's had sex before but never been sexed. Not like this. Calum had managed to pull two orgasms from here before they even started.

Y'ione didn't even know the she was so vocal until Calum entered her.

"O-Oh." She moaned as Calum threw one leg over his shoulder, allowing him to plunge into her soft walls even deeper.

"I'd be lying if I said that yours wasn't one of the best pussy's I've ever had." He said to immediately receive a slap against his hard chest making him smirk.

Even at her most vulnerable, she's feisty.

She pulled Calum's head towards her so that they maintained eye contact. "You know that my pussy and I are the best that you ever will have. Don't get it twisted Hood."

She lowered her leg to wrap it back around his waist before flipping them over so that she now was on top.

She planted her manicured nails against his hard chest and began to bounce causing the sound of their skin slapping to echo throughout the hotel room. He looked down to see where their bodies met and also where their fluids were building up.

"Damn." His hands moved to her squishy hips and began to help her ride him. Her dark cloud of hair covered the top of her forehead so that he could barely see her chocolate brown eyes. Her lip gloss was wipe away from all their kissing and her makeup was just starting to run down her face. She looked beautiful.

"Are you about to cum Hood?" He could feel her velvet walls squeezing telling him that she was close.

Good, so was he.

She breathed out as he pulled her down against his chest and started to pound rapidly into her making her scream.

"Oh! C-Calum- I-." He felt her before he heard her. They both let out noises of pleasure before settling down.

Y'ioné stayed laying on Calum's chest not wanting to interrupt the space of euphoria they created.

She felt him brush a puff of curls from her face. "So... how was my performance?" She giggled smiling up at him shyly.

"It wasn't bad."

"Wasn't bad? I guess that we have to go again-"

"No! It was good, okay! Besides-"

"You can't handle any more." He threw an arm behind his head.

"Please, I'm hungry." She scoffed. "I need to replenish my energy." She pointed a finger into his chest. "Thanks to someone."

"You asked, I delivered." He shrugged.

"Anyways, now a girl is craving In-N-Out since Whataburger isn't a thing in the west." She reached for her phone to see that it was 11:26 PM.

"I remember going to one of those when we touring in the South. The burgers are pretty big." He stood up and she had to turn her head away before she jumped his bones.

"Calum, go shower." She was meet with silence. "Did yo-" She looked up to see Calum in her face. "Ah! Back up!"

He chuckled, "You don't want to shower with me?"

"God knows I'd love to only if..."

"If?" He leaned even closer to her face. She pushed him back with her hands causing the white sheet to fall down, exposing her upper half.

She quickly covered her chest as he continued to stare, "You keep your hands to yourself." She pointed which Calum grinned in response. “Behave.”

"It'll be hard but I'll do my best." He bit his lip as he watched her walk past him and into the bathroom suite.

"Come on Hood."

____

Y'ioné let out a yawn as she played with the curls in her bun. She was now wearing sweatpants, an old tee, and jandals. Calum fortunately had spare clothes in his car so he had changed into sweatpants and a black tee.

Wearing sweatpants like they didn’t just get through fucking. Smh.

"Got ‘em." Calum said once he sat down in the drivers seat, holding a white bag that had grease stains at the bottom.

"Are you sure that I couldn't pay?" She frowned. She was used to being asked if she could pay for meals by the guys she talked to.

"Yes. There's no way in hell, I'd let you pay. Not after the fantastic sex." He joked.

"That makes me sound like a prostitute." She groaned.

"Love, just eat." He rolled his eyes sticking a fry into her mouth.

"So fucking good." Y'ioné moaned out which Calum laughed at.

"I've heard that sentence before."

"Shut it. I’m focusing.

It wasn't long before they had finished the food and Calum was walking her back to her hotel room.

"So..." He started.

"Please don't make this awkward." She laughed. "I guess I'll see you around."

"You will."

"I'm not a booty call." She hummed playfully.

"That's not what I meant. You're weird and you have a temper but you're cool and fun to be around. So if you want to hang while you're here, let me know." He bent down and planted a kiss to her cheek which she rolled her eyes at.

"Cliché, Hood."

"Sometimes, I can be." He shrugged. "Goodnight, Y'ioné."

She smiled, "Goodnight, Calum."

#calum hood #ch #calum hood imagine #calum hood smut #ch imagine #ch smut #cth #calum hood x black!reader #calum hood x plus size reader #calum hood x og character #calum hood x woc #calum hood x poc #mrsmelaninhood

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caramelcal · 3 years

Text

Fool for you

a/n: eye- y’all wanting a part 2? cause i have it planned lol x

it gets much more interesting i promise oml...the enemies arc really do be one of my faves tho

word count: 3.15k

warning: swearing

She couldn’t believe how much shit that stupid kiss had landed her in. Her head was clouded, arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at her lap, trying not to grumble. Not only her own manager was sat in the room, but 5 seconds of summer’s too, along with their bassist, one of the people she hated most, Calum Hood.

“We have seen how everyone reacted to the speculation,” The woman in front of her started, legs pressed together with a large binder sitting on her lap, hands folded gently on top. Normally Y/N got on quite well with her manager, Caroline, but right now she wanted to scream due to the words coming out of the woman’s mouth, “You’ve been gaining popularity from it, Y/N. This could be a great way for you to gain more of a following.”

Y/N had dreamed of the day she started to trend on Twitter, but this was not what she wanted to be trending for. She wasn’t trending for her music, not even her newest single. No, she was trending because everyone thought she was Calum Hood’s girlfriend.

Speaking of the boy, he sat beside her, keeping quietly to himself. This had to have been the first time that he had ever been in her presence where he hadn’t been annoying the shit out of her. Must be because his manager is in here. He had already been approached about it and seemed sold on the idea.

An idea of them being in a fake relationship.

Her, with Calum Hood. She wanted to scoff at the thought. He was unbearable at best, constantly annoying her to the point where she wanted to rip her hair out. When she had first been asked to be the opening act for 5 Seconds of Summer’s tour she had been ecstatic. The boys were nice, welcoming her onto their tour with open arms. Honestly, Y/N got on with all of them, apart from Calum. From the moment he set eyes on her he seemed determined to do anything and everything in his power to piss her off, slowly waiting until she finally lost her cool and lashed out. It was frustrating, especially considering Y/N knew she couldn’t do much about it.

Now, not only did she have to put up with Calum normally, but they wanted her to get close with him. To be in a fake relationship, which, obviously, meant spending more time with him.

“So, of course, you guys will have to be seen out in public with one another every so often so we were thinking you guys get ‘caught’ kissing my paps again, then we’re thinking dropping hints,” Ink began to get scribbled across a piece of paper, writing out a messy and brief plan which Y/N didn’t even want to look at, “Possibly y/n being caught wearing Calum’s shirt...We aren’t entirely sure yet but we will make sure to keep you updated. Do either of you have any questions?”

Despite the question seeming like it was for both of them, it was directed at Y/N, and she knew that. PR stunts and fake dating amongst celebrities were never unheard of, but she never thought she would be getting into one herself, not now and definitely not with Calum, “I do, actually. What’s in it for him exactly?”

The question was asked towards the two managers, y/n honestly didn’t want to even look at Calum right now. He probably wanted to do this simply to annoy her because he knew that he was the bane of her existence, but y/n just hoped that he wouldn’t get even more annoying, despite knowing he definitely would take advantage of the situation.

“Publicity,” His manager stated simply, nodding his head slightly in her direction. Y/n didn’t know what else to say, and they all were enveloped in a very uncomfortable silence before Caroline let out a sigh, snapping her folder shut.

“Well if that’s all,” She stood up, making y/n’s eyes travel up to her as she began to walk away, “We will leave you two be.”

With that, the two managers left without another word, shutting the door behind them. Y/n and Calum sat in awkward silence for a few moments, y/n’s eyes set firmly in the door before she stood up, going towards the door before Calum caught onto her hand.

“Where are you going?”

“Away,” Y/n huffed, tugging her hand away from the boy’s grip as she glared down at his hand. He awkwardly pulled his hand back, putting his hands down in his lap, “Going to get my last few hours of peace before we have to start this PR stunt.”

“Aw y/n/n, not wanna spend time with me, huh?” Calum teased, making her roll her eyes. He was already annoying her and he had barely spoken three sentences to her; something he had a special gift for.

“No, not really,” He gave her a fake pout before a smirk rose to his lips, making her roll her eyes.

Calum was acting as if she would actually enjoy his company. The same Calum Hood that woke her up by pouring a bucket of water on her that morning. Freezing cold water. Dickhead.

“Why are you doing this? Like why are you actually doing this?” She asked suddenly, making Calum meet her gaze with those brown eyes of his.

He shrugged, averting his gaze for a moment before speaking, “Publicity. It might not get us any more listeners but it’ll get people talkin’.”

They fell into an uncomfortable silence before y/n nodded her head, “Fair enough. I’m gonna get going. Bye.”

And with that, y/n left the room.

Both y/n and Calum were walking together, hand in hand after a lovely ‘date’ together. It, honestly, was nothing short of awkward. Honestly, they didn’t know what to talk about with one another when they weren’t fighting; something that they became painfully aware of on their trip out that evening.

Calum, despite normally being reserved and quiet in public, actually took the lead in the conversation. Mostly because y/n didn’t know what to say and they knew that they couldn’t sit in silence, especially if someone noticed them and noticed that they didn’t even talk to one another.

It was the first PR date that had been set up, only three days after their meeting discussing the start of their fake relationship. Y/n couldn’t lie, she was incredibly nervous and uncomfortable, her white dress doing nothing to protect her from the cold air nipping at her skin.

As instructed, she was holding onto Calum’s arm, one wrapped around and intertwined with his bicep and the other one clasping their hands together. It’s a strange and awkward movement to uphold, especially when walking but they do it nonetheless.

“Calum, stop going so fast, I can’t keep up properly,” Y/n muttered to him quietly, almost tripping over her own feet when she felt herself getting tugged yet again due to her hold on Calum.

His eyes briefly flicked back to her, “I can’t really help it, y/n. I’m already going as slow as I can.”

“Well sorry I don’t have legs like the BFG like you, I’m trying not to fall ‘cause you keep tugging at me. This dress was not a good move for this,” She grumbled quietly again and Calum doesn’t even reply. Instead, he started walking even faster, “Calum! Slow down!”

She was pulled into a lane by Calum by the time she had finished that sentence, his hands on either side of her arms holding her in place. His broad shoulders are obstructing her from being able to see out of the small alleyway but before she could ask why he did that, he’s shushing her quietly and whispering, “Saw the paps. They saw me, too. It’s time.”

God, he made it sound so dramatic. It wasn’t like they were fighting off any evil spirit or villain, all they had to do was get caught kissing by the paps. It didn’t seem like it was going to be a particularly difficult job, just one they had to execute properly, and right now everything was going pretty smoothly. They just had to make sure that it looked authentic and like they actually wanted to do it.

He let out a breath he was holding as he looked down at her, asking her silently for permission to start as his fingers went around the back of her neck, thumb resting on her cheek. She nodded her head and he began to lean in, y/n standing on her tip-toes with her arms splayed over Calum’s shoulders woth him bending down and pressing his lips on hers.

They kissed for several moments, taking little breaks in between. No tongue was a rule they had decided on so instead they stuck to closed mouth. On the last peck shared between the two of them, Calum gently pulled away, y/n’s bottom lip trapped between his lips before her feet hit the ground, their lips now completely disconnected.

She, discretely, tried to peek around Calum to see the paps, but couldn’t, so instead, they stayed in that position for a little while longer. Her eyes glanced up at Calum, seeing him still staring down at her, she whispered, “What?”

“Nothing,” He dismissed, shaking his head hesitantly before he took a small step back before putting his hand out for y/n to grab onto. She shot him a smile as she laced their fingers together, tugging him along and out of the alley.

The games had begun.

It’s only about a week later when y/n was doing her washing as normal in some hotel’s launderette. She had been off of social media for the past few days, paying no mind to the several thousand people talking about her and Calum's 'relationship’. It surely had blown up, and some might say more than they had expected it to. Y/n had accumulated thousands of more followers after the whole fiasco and although she wouldn’t admit it, she enjoyed seeing the fan theories.

Calum had actually been a lot nicer to her recently, something she hadn’t expected, but enjoyed very much. A smile is on her face as she thought about the lack of pranks that he had been playing on her, and sure, he was still irritating her but it was simply with his words. He walked her down to the launderette, before turning to get his own load of dark clothes.

Surprisingly, despite having rather heavy music, y/n owned quite a lot of white clothes. Sure, she mostly wore black, but right now she was washing her white clothes. Well, what were her white clothes...

Now? They’re pink.

She took the wet fabric out of the washer, noticing one of her favorite white dresses is now dyed an ugly pink, one that she knows she won’t pull off. Her eyebrows are furrowed, a frown settling on her face as she tried to pull the clothes out, trying to find the root cause of the problem.

That’s when she found it. A red sock; Calum’s red sock.

Suddenly everything seemed to make sense as to why he was being so nice to her; so he could pull another prank on her when she least expected it. That’s why he had waited behind once she left the launderette, that’s why he seemed so interested in her white, now pink, clothes that she apparently ‘hadn’t washed in a while and should definitely wash’.

“Calum!” She screamed out in anger, glad for the lack of other people in the small room, clenching her fists around the wet, pink clothes in her hand. They’re all ruined, inconsistent blotches of different shades of pinks coating the fabrics.

It was only seconds later when Calum popped his head up in confusion, “Yeah?”

Except, Y/n didn’t reply, and instead trained her e/c eyes onto his brown ones with a firm glare, one filled with frustration and anger. He, however, hadn’t seen her glare just yet as he surveyed the room before he catches onto her crouched-down figure. She watched as they trailed down to the pink clothes in her hand and he struggles to fight a grin off of his face.

“Thought you were doin’ a white load, y/n/n?” His voice had snide amusement in it and it only made y/n even madder.

However, before she replied, she grabbed onto the red sock of his and threw it at his head, letting out a complaint that sounds more like a whine, “You’ve ruined my favorite dress, asshole!”

“Woah calm down sweetheart, don’t be rude to your boyfriend,” Calum teased, walking around to where y/n was sat, reaching down to ruffle her hair. She quickly swatted his hand away with a grumble.

“Fake. Fake boyfriend, Hood.”

Calum simply rolled his eyes in reply, waving her off, “Yeah, yeah whatever. Enjoy your pink clothes.”

It was only a week later when management is rushing them to take nice pictures together and becoming Instagram official. Theories are still burning in the air, especially after they were ‘caught’ by paps, kissing, for a second time. Everyone knew something was going on, that much was obvious, but they wanted to hear it from them.

They snapped pictures off stage, the last one being of Calum’s arm over y/n’s shoulder, holding her close to his body with her lips placed on his cheek. Her eyes are closed upon instruction, and he has a bright smile on his face, looking straight at the camera. The photos they snapped were quickly looked over before they’re approved to post on Instagram.

Y/n doesn’t know what to say, and in fact, she’s finding it hard to breathe. It was only fifteen minutes before she had to go on stage for their next concert, and this was the most nervous she had felt in ages. What if she gets hate? What if the whole fandom hated her? She knew that most likely some fangirls would be jealous, that was perfectly understandable, she just hoped no one went far enough to send her tons of hate; especially considering it was fake.

Y/n didn’t like this situation any more than they did but there was nothing she could do about it. Watching over Calum’s shoulder, she saw him press post, and she felt like she couldn’t even breathe. She felt like the air was being restricted from her lungs, and she can’t even bring herself to opening her phone to see people freaking out over the announcement of their ‘relationship’.

“Well, that’s that.” Calum looked at her over his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh as his brown eyes wrack over her face. She’s pale, and she didn’t even seem to hear his as he talked, making his eyebrows furrow in confusion, “Y/n? You good there?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” She dismissed quickly, taking a step away from him, wringing her hands awkwardly. She’s nodding her head, but her eyes are firmly set on the ground now and Calum knows that she’s nervous. Sure, the two weren’t close and Calum took enjoyment in annoying her, but he was surprisingly good at telling how she was feeling simply from her body movements.

He hesitated, lips parting as he thought of what to say as he stared at the smaller girl who looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole, but after a few moments, his lips snapped shut. He wasn’t good at consoling, especially not her. And even if he did want to try, what could he possibly say?

This situation wasn’t ideal for her. Sure, it got her publicity, but he knew it wasn’t the type that she wanted. She hadn’t been fully introduced to the famous lifestyle yet, articles written about her, fan accounts, everything so he knew this was going to be hard for her. It took him a while to adjust to the lifestyle, and sure things like paps were still uncomfortable but they weren’t scary anymore.

As he stared at her, a frown prominent on his lips, he studied her. He noticed how awkward and uncomfortable she had become from the moment that he had posted the photo, almost as if she was awaiting an attack. He knew it was scary, the paps, the fangirls, and he also knew that this abrupt change in lifestyle from this moment on was going to be difficult for her; so he would make it easier.

He would answer the questions, take the heat about the relationship. He would protect her from all of the nasty comments as best as he could because no one deserved to be flung into the lifestyle like she was being right now, despite wanting publicity. This was a whole new life starting for her from the moment he posted the picture and as he nodded his head discretely, it was like a deal had been sealed with himself.

He was going to help her through this, even if she still hated him.

It was three hours after the show had taken place and she still hadn’t turned her phone back on yet. She felt sick to her stomach, staring at her phone almost as if it was taunting her; itching for her to open Instagram but at the same time, wanting her to stay far, far away from the app.

Yet, soon enough she found herself booting up her phone and going onto Instagram, almost immediately finding Calum’s photo. She clicked on the comments and was pleasantly surprised. People were actually being supportive.

“omg look at them!!!”

“THEY LOOK SO GOOD TOGETHER WTF”

“I want someone to look at me the way Cal looks at Y/n”

That last one made her smile. She knew exactly what picture they were referencing. The one where y/n has her back to the camera in Calum’s embrace, and he’s staring down at her with a smile, arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against his chest. She remembered her face buried deep into Calum’s shirt, surprised that the makeup she was wearing didn’t rub off on the material.

She was subconsciously shaking her head as she pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top of them. She flicked back up to the pictures, almost analyzing the way Calum stared down at her. The fan was right, Calum looked at her with so much “love” in his eyes, a look that y/n had never seen on Calum before.

It was crazy. If y/n didn’t know any better she would think that Calum actually was in love with her but the only thing he loved about her, was how annoyed he could get her. Calum was certainly a good actor, looking at her like she was the sun and he was the revolving planets; like the only girl in the entire universe. Well, at least if Calum got bored of music he could go into acting.

They already had everyone fooled, and they were just getting started...

#calum hood #calum 5 seconds of summer #calum 5sauce #5sauce #5sos #5sos blurbs #5sos x reader #5sos x y/n #calum 5sos #calum hood x you #calum hood x reader #calum hood x y/n #calum thomas hood #5sos x you #5 seconds of summer x reader

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suchalonelysunflower · 3 years

Text

A Dance Of Thorns (c.h)

Where The Roses Bloom - Chapter 4

Pairing: Stable Lad! Calum Hood x Princess! Reader

Summary: Welcome to the masquerade to celebrate Your Royal Highness engagement. How many surprises can one night hold?

Warnings: Angst, Drama and Smut. Language, mentions of alcohol and abuse. Some grammatical mistakes (English is not my first language, I’m sorry!)

Word Count: 12.3 k

Author’s note: by far the longest chapter I’ve written but anything for the drama ✨ I would love to hear your thoughts on this 🥰 Remember that Reblogs, Feedback, Comments and Likes are very important! You have no idea how much they help me 💕 Hope you like it and Happy Reading 🦋🌻✨

My materialist // wanna be part of my tag list?

Series Materialist || prologue || chapter one || chapter two || chapter three || chapter five || chapter six || chapter seven || epilogue

A month has gone by since the first time you saw King Luke Hemmings and you found out that you are supposed to marry him in less than a few weeks. And ever since that moment, you have invested every little free time you have into trying to stop that from happening.

You spent your afternoons sitting down at the library, reading book after book that might contain some kind of information to let you escape that awful deal. But every book you read said the same thing “A King’s promise may never be broken by law”

Still, that didn’t stop you.

Calum was also helping in every way he could. In the afternoons on his free days, he would go to the public library in town, searching for anything that could help your situation. He would spend hours reading about foreign laws that could give you at least some kind of leverage. He would ask around, hoping some kind of gossip might help you win something against your father, but until now all your tries gave little to no satisfaction.

At night, Calum would climb the castle’s walls to your window. It was the only way you could spend some time together and share hushed conversations since your father forbade you to go out without a proper companion.

He would lay with you in your bed, curled up together as he told you stories about faraway lands his father once told him, all in attempts to distract your mind from the reality you were facing every time the sun came out. He would kiss you goodnight as you fell asleep in his arms, letting the beat of his heart work as the symphony of your dreams. You would whisper “I love you’s” in the darkest of the room, letting them get lost in the stars as they shined down on you.

Every night you would go to sleep with Calum around your arms, but when the sun came up all traces of him disappeared with the moon. Well, everything but the white rose he left on your dresser along with the promise of keep fighting for you, no matter how long it took.

And with the sun it came the charade. You acted as the most obedient daughter you could ever think of. You attended your lessons, you didn’t speak out of place and obliged to every activity that surrounded the wedding, whether it was about flowers, food, decorations… things you couldn’t care less about since you were determined no to marry the King.

King Luke was not a bad person, on the contrary, he was one of the few people you could have a conversation with besides Sir Michael. Many afternoons they would accompany you in the library, never commenting about the books you chose to read as they sat in silence one in front of the other, immersed in their reading or their hushed conversations.

You learned to find a friend in Luke, someone that could have at least the same amount of trust you once had with your brother. He would make you laugh and he’d tell you everything you wanted to know about him, it was so easy and somewhat comforting to know that you were not as alone as you felt. But that did not mean that he had your full trust.

After Ashton took your father’s side in this dilemma, leaving you alone in a marriage you wanted no part of, you lost every ounce of trust you once held in your heart. And even though Ashton did try to make it better, to apologize for the way he treated you; you did not let him go near you. Every time you found yourself alone with him, you ignored his every move, and if you were in the company of others you didn’t even dignify him with a glance. You knew you might be a little harsh on him, and all of this hurt you as well, more than you would care to admit. But if your father learned about you and Calum… who else could’ve told him if not your brother?

Out of all the people who could betray you, you never expected Ashton to be one of them and you let him know that, no matter how much you needed your brother with you. If he declared your death with this marriage before you were sent away, then he’d be dead to you as well.

You were not going to give up, not even with the ceremony breathing on the back of your neck. There must be a way where you could break this engagement, something that could give you your freedom again.

The ceremony was scheduled one day before your twenty-first birthday, one day before you gained your independence as a royal as the law said it, one day before you could refuse the King’s requests with total liberty. Your father had planned this well, you must admit at least that. But if there was a way where you could delay the wedding… somehow make it past your birthday without getting married, then you would be able to get away.

But that task was more difficult than you have anticipated since your father was in charge of your schedule, everything was going smoothly and at perfect timing. There was nothing that you could do to delay the event.

“I need you to hold your breath for me, Your Highness”

For example right now, as the seamstresses adjusted the corset of your white dress to your body, your mind was reciting the laws again, trying to find some plothole that could be beneficial for you.

The grip you had in the chair tightened as they tied the corset on your back, helping you get into the skirt afterward. You didn’t say a word as the seamstresses chattered among them. You ignored the comments regarding your future marriage, or how beautiful your children will look if they look just like the King, or how lucky you were to be marrying into a rich kingdom.

“You will look beautiful on your wedding day, Your Highness,” The oldest lady said with a dreamy sigh “Your lover will not know what hit him”

“But my love will not be the one waiting at the end of the altar” You wanted to say, to scream at them for keeping up with the lie. You didn’t love Luke, you could never love him the way you love Calum. But Calum was not your fiance, he was just a secret.

You kept the tears at bay as you let them work over your dress, not daring to breathe too loud so you wouldn’t call their attention. They didn’t know that you were dying in the middle of a sea of white fabric and soft silk.

“There,” The young lady exclaimed as she finished the last touch of your veil, placing it carefully on your head “Oh, Your Highness. You look like a dream”

A dream trapped in a nightmare indeed.

You observed your reflection in the nearest window. You didn’t look like a child anymore; no, in front of you was the reflection of a woman, of a bride about to be sent to the slaughter of her liberty. A clockwork tragedy waiting to happen.

The white contrasted with your skin and hair, making you glow with the candlelight. It made you look more mature, more like a royal than you ever felt before. It was a beautiful work, but none of this ever felt right.

“You look just like your mother” The words of the older lady took your breath away. The memory of your mother’s face was already fading in your mind, you remember she was beautiful, but you couldn’t make the color of her eyes or the sound of her voice anymore.

“She would be so proud of you, Your Highness”

Would she? Would she have wanted this for you? If she were here, would she care or would she take your father’s side? Oh, what would you give to listen to one last piece of advice from her. To feel her embrace one more time, for her to tell you that everything would be okay.

You haven’t really felt the absence of your mother hit you as hard as of now because maybe with your mother here you wouldn’t feel so scared.

“Oh, don’t cry, princess” You didn’t even notice the tears running down your face until the lady pointed out “This is a happy occasion! There needn’t be any tears”

Only if she knew…

You accepted the silk handkerchief and dried your tears without saying anything, letting them help you out of your wedding gown as you tried on another one.

This was a black dress with roses embroidered along with the skirt and neckline. It was lighter than the wedding dress but the fabric was more delicate. The somber aspect of the dress, along with its sophistication, made you think of it as a better choice for your wedding day.

“Your father was very kind to host a party to celebrate your engagement, Your Highness. This is a perfect dress for the occasion”

You knew by now that none of your father’s actions could be considered kind. He organized this masquerade ball for his own benefit.

The King of RoseWood invited representatives of all the neighboring kingdoms and alliances that Ashton helped build, to the castle for a magical night of dancing and fun. But you knew he just wanted to parade the match you and Luke made in front of the world.

He wanted to show power, the kind of which someone would look at him and say “This is a man that demands respect” When in reality all he did was abuse his power and intimidate the ones closest to him.

The masquerade served as a punishment rather than a delight. He would put you under the spotlight and expect you to smile while he knows you’re dying on the inside. He will parade you around the room with the story of a good and lovable daughter, the little Princess that’s living the dream of a magical life in the arms of the man you love all thanks to the father whom she loved with all her heart.

He knew that this was all bullshit, and he rejoiced in the fact that you hated every single minute of it.

“The dress is absolutely stunning, Your Highness” Continued the older lady “What a lovely idea you had when deciding to use one of your mother’s old gowns and make it new again”

You gave her a small smile. It was a lovely idea, but not for the reasons they might think. This dress represented much more than just your mother and your wish of having her close in a moment like this. It represented going against your father in ways that only he could understand; it represented your heritage, how you didn’t forget who truly loved you and taught you how to be strong; it represented the image of the rebellion you set upon yourself, a sign that screamed “I will not stop even if you try”

It represented you.

“There is only one detail missing…” The young lady walked over to the dresser only to grab something delicate in her hands before presenting it to you: The mask.

Soft and made out of silk and with golden broderies across the eyes, the mask hid half of your face perfectly. If not for the tiara you must wear on your head, nobody would’ve been able to recognize who you were.

How ironic was it that in the night where you should be the center of attention, you wanted nothing more than to disappear.

The night was clear, all the stars and constellations were visible from where you were standing in front of your window. Your hands were touching the soft stones of the window frame as you tried to count your breaths.

You couldn’t help but look for him in the gardens, hoping you could see him waiting for you under your window, asking you to come to the tree where your meetings were held before everything went wrong. It’s only been a couple of days but you missed him, and with the way, he consumes all your thoughts it was almost impossible not to.

But he was not coming tonight, your father made sure that the help was not invited to the party since it was such an important event to make it “common”, so your meeting will have to wait until tomorrow.

Still, you imagined how it would be like if he were to attend the ball. You dreamt about his smile, how his eyes would shine once he spotted you standing there at the top of the stairs as he waited for you at the end of it. You wondered if he would like the dress and you wished you could show it to him.

You sighed as you imagined his hand taking yours, guiding you to the middle of the ballroom, and starting dancing with you as if nobody were watching. It’s been so long since your last dance with him and you couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of his clumsy feet stepping over yours in an attempt to teach you how to dance for your first ball.

Calum was always like that, caring and selfless until he couldn’t give anymore. That is one of the many things why you loved him, why you would never stop loving him.

But now you were forced to pretend to love someone else in front of strangers and people who didn’t care about you enough to notice how much you were hurting. The glamour of the night might hide it, but you know that there was only one person who you would much rather spend the night with; the only person who would not be there tonight.

“Y/N?” A voice called from outside your room, waking up from your dreams as you heard them knocking softly on the door “Are you ready to go?”

You pushed yourself from the window with a deep sigh, grabbing the mask that was laying on top of the bed before walking towards the door and opening it with an emotionless expression.

There, Ashton was waiting for you, pacing the hall until he heard the wooden door open. His whole body froze as his lips parted for a second when he took your appearance.

“You-” He said, choking up a little bit as he shook his head for a moment, thinking he might’ve seen a ghost “You look just like her…”

You were not expecting that comment. You knew the dress would affect your father, but you didn’t imagine it would have that kind of effect on Ashton.

But now, as he stood in front of you with wide, watering eyes and the faintest hint of a smile, you realized that you might not be the only one who misses your mother.

Ashton knew her longer, he used to spend every single moment with her along with you when you were nothing more than a child. When she died, you didn’t quite grasp the concept of death, but Ashton was the one who took it way harder. But, as a prince, he was not allowed to break down as any other normal kid would do when they lose a parent who was dear to them. No, he had to maintain his image and at the same time took it upon himself to raise you as your mother would.

He was the only loving family you’ve ever known. But he was also the only person who had ever broken your heart.

You looked at him with a sense of pity and understanding.

“I wanted to feel her with me tonight” You told him, these being the first words you exchanged with Ashton in a long time.

You noticed this also affected him. His eyebrows raised slightly and he took one step towards you, still bargaining with your feelings towards him.

Ashton took your hand in his, covering it completely as he softly spoke.

“You are her spitting image, Y/N/N. She has always been with you and lived through you. Everything you do reminds me of her and I promise you she would be proud of the beautiful, brave woman you’ve become”

His words struck you more than they probably should have. Ashton was never the one who spoke freely about your mother, not since you stopped needing him as much. He always kept that part to himself unless you asked.

He thought so highly of your mother and now he was comparing her to you. For some reason, this served as no comfort, but rather it angered you. Not because you didn’t think your mother was a horrible person, but because you thought that maybe if they - your father and Ashton - loved you as much as they loved her, you wouldn’t have to be in this position.

“The only difference is that mother’s family did not sell her for marriage,” You said bitterly, pulling your hand from Ashton’s grip as you saw hurt flash through his eyes.

“Y/N-“

“She loved our father, Ashton” You cried “For some reason she loved him and she married for love. Why can’t you let me do the same? Why can’t you help me and let me be happy? Am I to be trapped forever in a loveless marriage just because of the greed of this kingdom's leaders? I don’t even know what alliances we are keeping! In what world is it fair that I have to sacrifice my spirit just to please your egos?”

“You know it’s not like that-“

“For you, maybe! But you know exactly what father is doing and why he is doing it and you are taking his side! Ashton, you are just as guilty as he is” Your truth was spilling out of your mouth with nothing but desperation.

You wanted your brother to know how you were feeling, how much you were willing to fight for your freedom. For weeks you’ve been holding these words out of pride and pettiness, but you cannot go a day longer without letting him know just how much this is affecting you.

“I can’t trust you, Ash, and I can’t pretend that we are going to be okay after all of this no matter what happens in the end. You broke my heart, and I don’t think you understand to what extent”

Ashton stood in front of you with his head low “You hate me”

“I’m disappointed” You admitted, knowing you will have a hard time trying to hate your brother.

“Y/N, I’m just trying to do what’s best for the kingdom. What’s best for you!” He excused “You will be safe in the Vail, you’ll be a Queen and I know King Luke will treat you right. You have to understand that this is hard for me, too. But I can’t be here to protect you-“

“Protect me?” You interrupted him “Protect me from what?” He stayed quiet “Ashton?”

“Your Highnesses?” A guard called from the end of the hall “The King awaits”

“Announcing Prince Ashton Irwin, Heir to the Throne of RoseWood, and Princess Y/N Irwin, Future Queen of the Vail”

Wilsburg’s voice ran across the ballroom accompanied with two stumps of his scepter, calling everyone’s attention as you and Ashton descended the staircase together, claiming your rightful titles as everyone’s heads turned around to see you.

You kept your head high with every step you gave. All eyes were on you but you were not able to recognize anyone as their faces were covered with masks of every form, color, texture, and shape.

When you reached the end of the staircase, you and Ashton walked together to the center of the room where your father was standing with a winning smile plastered on his face. You were never prone to violence, but the feeling of wanting to punch your father in the face and erase that smile grew every minute.

You stood in front of your father and his court and gave him a courtesy in sign of respect. Your father’s eyes met yours once you stood straight again, and you couldn’t deny the feeling of pride that overwhelmed you when you saw the pure disgust in them as he took a glance at what you were wearing, knowing that this time he couldn’t do anything about it.

“My children,” He said with fake tenderness as he opened his arms in welcome.

It was so easy for him to fool the people who surrounded him, making everyone believe he was a good, caring, and loving father. But you could see clearly through his mask, no matter how much he tried to hide it - this time literally as his masks covered most of his face - he will never look at you with an ounce of love.

“King Luke Hemmings from the Vail and his loyal advisor, Sir Michael Clifford from Chesthire” Wilsburg announced, saving you from your father’s stare as the attention shifted back to the staircase where Luke and Michael were.

They walked next to each other, his movements identical as they elegantly descended into the party. They were both wearing the shades of blue that represented their Kingdom, each of them with matching masks that made them look regal, undoubtedly showcasing their royal status and importance.

Luke spotted your little broken family in the middle of the room, smiling a little bit and nodding towards you as he and Michael approached you with ease while the guests made way for them.

“Your Majesty” Luke bowed to your father, but his attention did not linger on him as much because soon his eyes were on you.

You noticed how blue his eyes looked under the mask, his blond curls falling perfectly to his shoulders and making him look like an actual angel.

“Princess,” He said, bowing just enough to capture your hand in his and bringing it to his lips, softly kissing your knuckles.

“Your Majesty,” You greeted him with courtesy, thankful that at least you’ll have some friendly faces in the crowd. “Sir Clifford. I must say you look very elegant today,”

You caught a glimpse of blush under the young guard’s mask, his green eyes sparkled at the compliment. His outfit was not as elegant as Luke’s, but his hair was pushed back in a short ponytail at the ends of his neck making him look like a prince.

“One can only try, Your Highness” He answered with a dashing smile “But, surely, no beauty compares to you, Princess. People should envy your exterior as well as your kind heart. My King is a lucky man” He said, looking back at Luke who was already smiling at him.

King Richard cleared his throat loudly, making the three of you turn your attention to him. His jaw was tight as he showed a smile to the other monarch.

“Now that the guest of honor has arrived,” Your father said with a loud, authority tone “Let the festivity begin!”

The small orchestra that worked under your father’s orders started to play lovely symphonies the minute those words came out of their King’s mouth. The other guests soon resumed their previous chatter and quickly got lost in the celebratory atmosphere, some grabbing drinks while others started dancing along with the soft melodies.

You stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, fidgeting with your fingers as you watched how your father called Ashton’s attention and took him aside for a talk. Your eyes roamed across the room, feeling out of place as you caught glimpses of people passing by, not knowing anyone as they proceeded to ignore you.

You thought about how this will be your life from now on. How you will end up alone in some party you don’t feel comfortable in just to please the aesthetics of how a royal should be. People will not be interested in you, only your title, and they will judge you, envy you, hate you, and take advantage of you for it. You will not be Y/N anymore, you won’t have the chance to. You will be a Queen and that’s all people will want to know as you will be pushed away into someone’s shadow.

“Not much of a social butterfly, I see” You heard Luke comment next to you, leaning over to your side so he could whisper in your ear.

You gave him a small smile, “I was never really fond of parties,” You admitted quietly “Which is ironic, given that I always wanted to attend these kinds of gathering when I was a child”

Luke laughed softly, “I believe that is because you don’t know how to properly have fun at a party” He chuckled once he saw your confused gaze “Michael, have you seen Lady Thompson today?”

Michael, who was standing in front of you, smiled as his gaze followed Luke’s “I cannot believe she came here after the scandal”

“The scandal?” You asked, trying to see whom they were talking about.

“Oh, yes. Haven’t you heard?” Luke asked casually “Her poodle caught a case of hair eating fleas, and once they left the poor dog bald, they went for the main of hair Lady Thompson used to brag about”

Yours parted your lips in shock, but Michael continued “Not only that, but I heard she’s telling everyone how her hair grew back in just a few hours by putting some kind of magical mud she found near the river end”

Finally, your gaze fell into the person they were discussing and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“That’s not Lady Thompson, her name is Lady Judith from the Mountains of Chaversty” Your eyes fell back on Luke and Michael, who were trying to suppress a laugh “You are mocking me…”

“Not at all, Princess,” Luke said with a chuckle “We are just teaching you how to have fun”

“When we were kids, we used to sneak into the palace’s parties and hide under tables watching people pass and creating narratives about their lives” Michael explained “We started with a simple sentence, and then we created the most outrageous stories from them. The one who could come up with the craziest storyline would win”

“And somehow, I always ended up losing,” Luke smiled as Michael shrugged.

“It’s not my fault that you lack creativity,”

You smiled fondly at their teasing banter. You were amazed at how titles were forgotten when they were just talking to one another, it seemed so simple to them to call each other by their name as if they were normal people. And seeing that, somehow, made you feel less alone.

They taught you how to play in between their anecdotes and inside jokes, but you didn’t feel left out as you remember Luke’s words about Michael and how much he means to him. It was their little thing, their little moment in time that they could share with none other than each other, and still were kind enough to share some of that with you.

You spend a few hours playing the game and laughing along with them as they found you a worthy opponent with how many crazy stories you could pull out of your mind in an instant. One of the rules was that you couldn’t tell real names nor real gossips about those people to keep their integrity and the innocence of the game, so all your thoughts and outraged comments were taken lightly with fun. You even won a couple of times.

From time to time, people came to congratulate you and Luke on your engagement. You were glad to know that they could never notice how uncomfortable you looked thanks to the mask, but you were one hundred percent sure that he and Michael noticed how your posture changed and how you tensed at the mention of the wedding. Luckily, they brushed it off and carried on like it was nothing.

Sometime later, Luke went to grab some drinks for you and him, leaving you alone with Michael who quickly started a conversation with you about sword fighting and training.

You were too immersed in the conversation that you didn’t notice a person standing behind you until they cleared their throat.

“Pardon me, Your Highness,” You heard someone say. The familiarity of that voice sent shivers down your body and made your throat dry the second you heard it.

You turned around in a fast movement that made the skirt of your dress appear like it was floating above the floor. Your breath got caught up in your chest as you were suddenly hyper-aware of every inhale and exhale your body made the moment your eyes met his.

There he was, hiding under a white mask that matched his white and gold suit that once belonged to his father. There he was, standing in front of you and hiding in plain sight as his brown eyes were set on yours, taking you in as he let out a sigh in amazement.

“Calum…” You wanted to call him by his name out loud, to jump into his arms as you let the tears that were gathering in your eyes fall free from the happiness you were feeling at that moment. The kind of happiness only he could bring with such ease; the kind of happiness that you longed to experience all your life as long as he was next to you.

But you couldn't say that, you couldn’t blow his cover like that. If they found out he sneaked into the party, they would surely put him in the dungeon for god knows how long. He took a lot of risks coming here, and one word from you might throw that all away.

Instead, Calum noticed your hesitant shock, so he smiled softly as he said.

“Will you give me the greatest honor and pleasure of sharing one dance with me, Your Highness?”

You wanted to answer immediately, but according to the protocols a woman always needs their partner's permission to dance with a stranger. But Luke was not your real partner and Calum was not a stranger. You could feel your heart wanting to jump out of your chest from how strongly it was beating, but you couldn't identify if it was beating out of excitement or fear.

You looked over to Michael who was already staring at you with a curious gaze. He could easily see the unsaid pleading inside your eyes as you fought with the need to take this stranger’s hands in yours. The green-eyed man looked over between the two of you and was able to connect the dots in an instant.

Then, he simply smiled understandingly as he said “Just another secret between us, Princess” Looking at you like the way he did the morning you eavesdropped on your father’s conversation with Luke.

You let out a breath of relief as you nodded, silently thanking him as you watched him walk away just a little bit to give you and Calum enough privacy.

When you turned back to Calum, he looked as relieved as you felt, kindly offering his hand to you.

“May I take this dance, my rose?”

“You may”

Calum took your hand in his, kissing your knuckles as he softly guided you to the middle of the dance floor where several other couples were waiting for the next piece to start.

He placed a hand to your waist, stocking his fingers slowly over the fabric and bringing you closer to him as he held your hand with his other one. You blushed as you placed your free hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly to encourage him.

You both understood how recklessly dangerous this was; to be dancing in front of everyone as your fiance stood somewhere in the room, probably wondering where you were, and with your father and brother at such a close distance. But neither of you cared when your eyes met again through the masks.

You didn’t care about the risks as long as you were holding each other like this; when you finally felt free inside the cage.

A sweet melody filled the air, but you were too focused on Calum to even listen. You only realized the dance has started when you felt his fingers grace your waist tightly as he spun you around with delicacy, taking the lead as you followed his steps with care.

Memories of your first dance together flooded your mind and you couldn’t help but smile. You were only children back then, now it seems like another life.

“You learned how to dance…” You said fondly in a hushed tone, a blush covering your cheeks as you heard him softly chuckle at your comment.

“I had to. I didn’t want to embarrass myself the next time we’d dance”

“You knew there would’ve been the next time back then?”

“I always hoped I’d get to dance with you again after that night” He admitted, his eyes never leaving yours “You are the only one who I’d like to dance with all my life”

His feet moved carefully around your dress, following the other couples as they spun and changed places with their partners placing their hands together between their two bodies. A classical dance made for lovers, for one must never leave their partner’s eyes as they spin and turn just to fall back into their arms again.

It was slow at first, building its tempo as more instruments were added to the melody, making it enchanting, haunting as they took over the room with an admirable strength that only a feeling of utter power could describe as beautiful. It was supposed to represent passion and how it can dominate you, slowly and then all at once before you even realize it was there.

“You look absolutely beautiful, my rose,” He said once his hand was placed to your lower back, pulling you closer to him as you let your hand wander just inches from the back of his neck. “You always knew how to put flowers to shame, but tonight you look just as radiant as the moon itself”

“Calum…”

“Shh,” He whispered, “Let me tell you my truth while I still can, my love. For if this is one of the last times I shall see you, let me relish on how beautiful you are. Let me tell you all the compliments in the world and see me fall short since no compliment could ever be enough to capture just how enchanting you are”

You tugged on the hand that was holding yours.

“Why do I feel like you’re saying goodbye?”

“I’m not” Calum answered quickly “That’s the last thing I’ll ever do. But seeing you tonight just reminded me that I don’t tell you how much you mean to me. And I promise you that when we get out of this situation, I promise that I’ll tell you every day of my life”

“When,” You thought “Not if, but when. It’s just a matter of time”

To know that Calum hasn’t given up on you, on your love, meant the world to you. Most of the time you felt like you were battling alone as if no one was listening. But he was right there with you, even if you couldn’t see him or be with him all the time. He still hasn’t given up on you.

You felt it right there; the love. He was risking everything for you, to see you and be with you in the night where you’re supposed to celebrate your engagement. He broke every rule for a moment with you, knowing that you would do the same for him.

The music kept going, the crescendo was at its peak. Calum grabbed you with both his hands on your waist and picked you up as he turned around, placing you back on the ground to your initial position of one of your hands intertwined while the other rested on his shoulder and your lower back.

You giggled like children as he put you down, pretending the world didn’t exist as you swayed to the music. Tonight, you were a young couple enjoying their first dance together and loving every minute of it. Nothing else mattered.

You didn’t feel the stares of the guests or Ashton’s careful gaze as he tried to decipher who you were dancing with. You didn’t hear the whispers or notice how Luke hid his smile in his drink as he handed the other to Michael who looked at you in complicity. You didn’t see where your father has run off to, but you didn’t care.

You were in love. You were dancing with the love of your life; letting him guide your steps carefully as the crescendo started to go down and his grip on you tightened, not wanting to let go of this moment.

“I love you” Calum whispered just loud enough for you to hear.

You smiled like the sun “You are risking a lot by saying that here”

He shook his head “And I’ll risk even more if I have to. I cannot go a day without telling you I love you, my rose. Even if they throw me in the dungeon, I’ll find my way to you”

“Don’t say things like that,” You warned him as the melody started to fade “I’ll be damned if I lose you, Calum. This was reckless enough from both of our parts”

“And yet, you’re still dancing with me” He smiled as his movements started to slow down “My love for you is as reckless as it is endless, Y/N, and if I have to risk myself a thousand times; if I have to die a thousand times to love you freely then so be it. All of that will be worth it as long as you say it back”

You stare at him with tears in your eyes as the song reaches its end.

“I love you”

Calum stopped completely, letting go of his grip on your back but still holding your hand on his.

“And just like that, everything is worth it,” He said, placing a kiss on the back of your hand.

You smiled at him, chuckling through the unshed tears as you pondered in disbelief at just how lucky you are to love him and be loved by him.

“I’ll see you soon,” He said with a bow of his head.

“Aren’t you going to stay?” You knew you sounded a little desperate, but he just got here and, even though it was a little selfish on your part, you wanted him here just a little bit longer if possible.

Calum smiled “Only with the promise of another dance, my rose”

You nodded gracefully as Calum bowed once again before you watched him disappear into the crowd.

Your smile was still evident in your face as you gathered yourself and started to back up into the crowd, maybe try to find Luke to keep appearances until Calum asks for another dance.

“What a promising young man. Isn’t he, Y/N?”

The blood in your veins froze when you heard your father’s voice from behind you. You stood still, hoping you misheard him or mistaken him for another person that was passing by.

“Say, do we know him by any chance?” King Richard said with a mocking interest that made you want to run away right in that instant to find Calum and ask him to hide somewhere.

Instead, you turned around, and as calmly as you could, you answered:

“I’m afraid not, father. He didn’t tell me his name before nor after our dance”

“Didn’t I tell you never to talk to strangers, little Princess?”

He stood in front of you with a wicked smirk, not really waiting for an answer as he puffed his chest, showcasing the Kingdom’s shiny emblem on his fancy attire.

Your father lived for the adoration and fear of his subjects; he relished in your fear towards him for many years now, watching with delight as you submit to him out of fear or hope for any kind of attention he could show you. He adored the power he had over you, on how easy it was just to mess with your life as you’d allowed him to. And now, as you looked into his eyes you could see the fun he was having watching you tremble under his gaze, fearing that he might’ve discovered you.

The King looked you up and down and smirked as he announced “I believe it’s time for a father and daughter dance!”

The people who were gathering around the two of you started clapping and cheering as your father looked at you with a pleased gaze. You watched as the couples who were getting ready for the next dance suddenly left and were now standing to the side, anxiously waiting for the Princess and the King to have a sentimental moment.

From the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of Ashton who was making his way to the center of the room, pushing people as he tried to get to you; on the opposite end of the room, Luke drifted his gaze between you and Michael with a hint of worry in his eyes. Calum was nowhere to be found as your eyes searched for him in the crowd and you couldn’t help but feel scared for him.

King Richard ran out of patience. He grabbed your hand in what seemed a delicate touch, but only you could feel how his nails dug in the skin of your hand, forcefully pulling you to the dancefloor.

You felt disgusted as his hand gripped your waist, snapping his fingers to the musicians with his other hand before gripping your wrist and holding it high.

When the music started, he moved you around the dancefloor in stiff circles; there was no delicacy, no softness in his touch as he dragged you at the rhythm of one of the sweetest melodies you’ve heard.

“That dress does not belong to you” Your father whispered in between a smile. A tone of warning lacing his every word.

You felt the buckle of your knees weakened your step, but you didn’t dare move your eyes from his.

Too long you’ve been under his domain, living in fear of his next move whenever you were left alone with him. The bruises healed but the scars remain as your memory recalled the moments where he would get so mad at you just for being there, how he hated you just for looking like her.

All the pain, self-doubt, hatred, and fear he put you through… all the times you let him win because you didn’t think it could ever become worse… it all came crashing down into a feeling of anger and resentment that only served to give you strength for your next words.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, father” You defied him with fake ignorance “This is my dress. My mother left it for me. Don’t you like it?”

King Richard locked his jaw, his eyes spitting fire as you held his stare without moving an inch as you danced through the room.

“I know what you’re doing, Y/N,” He said with a wicked smile “And you won’t win. You can’t”

He laughed maliciously as he saw the shocked look in your eyes.

“Did you really think I wasn’t going to find out what you were doing in the library this past few weeks?”

Your heart stopped at the statement, feeling weak as he got you figured it out. But how? How could he know unless someone told him? Someone who knew what you were looking for…

The color drained from your face as you stuttered “I-I don’t know what-”

“Don’t play stupid, you insolent child” His grip on your wrist tightened, hurting you in front of everyone without raising any suspicion “I have eyes everywhere, ears in every wall of this goddamned castle and you think you can outsmart me by hiding in the library and looking through the books of laws? But you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, correct?” He asked, smiling as he saw how you frowned at the truth “And I’ll make sure you never will. My plans will not be ruined by a weak little girl”

“Plans?” You asked suddenly, realizing that he overshared something he might’ve not supposed to say “What are you-?” You started, before everything became clear, remembering Ashton’s words from a few hours prior “The wedding, the alliance… That’s all just a trick, isn’t it? You need something from them, from Luke…”

You smiled to yourself as you saw your father speechless for the first time.

“You need me,” You stated as a matter of factly “And you know that I won’t ever help you voluntarily, that’s why you are forcing everyone to do this. You know I can stop you, you know there is a way to stop all of this and you’re afraid…”

His fingers dug into your skin with force, leaving red marks that will become bruises, but you didn’t even flinch.

“You don’t want to play games with me, child” King Richard said, all niceties dropped from his face “I am the King!”

“And I’m not scared of you!” You smiled with sufficiency “Look around, father. You want to play? Let's do it. Hurt me in front of all these people, let them see how their monarch loves his daughter. You cannot hurt me here”

A sense of pride came over you as you finally stood up for yourself to your father. You finally saw a flash of fear pass by his eyes as he scanned the room and saw all the eyes on him.

“I will stop you”

But then, the King smiled like the devil.

“I’d like to see you try. Stop the music!” He suddenly yelled, making all the guests flinch at the sound of his voice.

Your movements came to a stop, but the grip he had on your hand just became tighter and tighter, crushing your bones as you tried to get rid of his touch.

“My daughter, Princess Y/N, just had the most wonderful idea!” He announced to the crowd as you looked at him in shock while he smiled “She told me she cannot wait to be married, just like any other lady” He joked, making the guest laugh at you.

Your father cupped your face by the chin, applying pressure on it so you wouldn’t be able to say a word as he exclaimed:

“And who am I to deny anything to my beautiful, beautiful little princess? The wedding ceremony will take place in two days! And you are all more than invited!”

The crowd cheered and clapped as you felt sick to your stomach. Two days?! How are you going to stop everything in only two days?

You released yourself from your father’s grip, tears clouding your eyes as you saw the winning smirk on his face.

“I warned you not to play games, little rose”

You stood in horror as you watched your father disappear into the crowd, accepting congratulations on your behalf and laughing with the other guest at your “eagerness” of getting married already.

“Y/N?” You heard Ashton said and he placed a hand on your shoulder “Are you-?”

You felt your breathing start to pick up, short and fast exhales came with almost no intake of air to your lungs. You were getting dizzy, disoriented as you analyzed the situation.

It was so fast… too fast. It all happened too fast.

“Y/N-” Ashton tried again, but you shook yourself from his touch.

“For fuck’s sake leave me alone!” You half-whispered, half yelled as you picked up your skirt and ran away from the ballroom.

The sound of your heels clicking on the floor was drowned by the sound of your breathless sobbing as you desperately looked for a way out of the castle.

You couldn’t stay here anymore. You needed to find Calum, see if he’s okay, and just leave. But with every step you took your worry grew stronger as thoughts of Calum hurt flashed through your head.

“Rose,” He said. Your father called you rose. He knew. He knew! And you couldn’t find Calum.

“Y/N!” A voice called from behind you, the sound of their heels coming closer as you tried to get away from there “Y/N, wait!”

You were almost at the door leading to the gardens, just a few steps from freedom when you felt a hand grip your arm, making you stop.

Luke stood there in front of you, almost breathless as his eyes filled with worry when he saw your tear-filled eyes and your trembling lip trying its hardest to suppress a cry.

Without thinking it twice, the young King pulled you into a hug. You were shocked at first but eventually, you relaxed in his arms as he let you cry onto his chest, hearing muffled apologies in between sobs.

“It’s okay,” He said softly, looking to his side to find Michael catching up with them at a distance “It’s okay”

“No!” You cried “No, it’s not! Luke I-” You stopped as the words of your father filled your brain “I have eyes everywhere, ears in every wall…”

You grabbed onto Luke’s hand and guided him outside the palace, looking over your shoulder in case someone tried to approach you.

“Tell Michael to stay at the entrance,” You told him.

Luke nodded as he signaled Michael to stay where he was, letting you take him away to the entrance of the woods where you were somewhat hidden from the palace while still being able to see it from where you were standing.

“What is going on?” Luke asked calmly “Why are we hiding? Why did you tell your father you wanted to marry this soon? I-”

“I didn’t do it! You have to believe me in this, Luke. Please” You begged “He is trying to hurt me, to hurt you! I didn’t want any of this to happen, please believe me that I had no idea that would happen”

Luke sighed, placing both his hands on your shoulders to try and calm you down “I believe you”

“You do?”

He nodded with a soft smile.

“Yeah, this is the first time I heard you say my name so I know this is serious,” Luke said “Why is he trying to hurt you?”

You didn’t answer, how could you? You trusted Luke, but did you trust him enough? How in the world would you tell your fiance that you are in love with someone else and that your father wants to punish you for it, that this whole charade of lies was created for dangerous means, and that he might also be in danger?

After a while, Luke asked softly:

“Is it because you love another, don’t you?” You froze, eyes filled with fear as you looked at him “It’s hard to pretend not to love someone when you’re close to them. I could see it while you were dancing with him, because it was him, wasn’t it? The man who owns your heart?”

You lowered your head, eyes filling with tears as you whispered “Luke-”

“It’s okay, love” He reassured, caressing your face and cupping your cheeks so you would look at him “I knew from the start that you belonged to another, and tonight I recognized that look, that complicit smile you only find in those whose life complete yours in a way where you didn’t think it was possible. I have never seen you as happy as you were dancing with him. You truly love him, do you?”

“More than anything” You answered without a doubt.

“And he surely loves you. It was more than obvious from the way he couldn’t stop looking at you throughout the dance. He’s a lucky man, and he knows how to give himself entirely to you. I don’t think I have ever seen a man so in love before”

“You sure know a lot about love, Luke,” You said surprising him “You know just as much as a man who is or has been in love before”

He chuckled lightly “That’s because you’re not the only one with a heart owned by another, Princess”

Luke averted his gaze back to the castle, a nostalgic cloud covering his baby blue eyes.

“Is your love waiting for you at home?” You asked softly, not wanting to intrude.

He chuckled softly before his expression changed from dreamy, to worry, to sad, you pretended you didn’t notice how his eyes became glossy from the tears.

“He’s the only home I’ve ever known…”

Then, you understood. Luke was not looking at the castle; he was looking at the person guarding the entrance, commanded by his King.

Your heart filled with an indescribable joy as you took your hand and placed it on Luke’s cheek, softly wiping a tear that started to roll down.

“I guess we are both stuck in this, huh?” He laughed, looking at you in the way only a strong bond could describe.

“But you don’t have to be,” He said, “Your love, do you know where he is?”

You started to shake your head, but then you remembered something.

“I think I might have an idea”

“Go to him.” Luke encouraged, kissing your knuckles before letting go of your hand “Michael and I will cover this entrance, I’ll tell everyone who asks that we were together talking and walking through the gardens the whole night so no one gets suspicious”

You could almost cry of relief at his words. You jumped into his arms and placed a kiss on his cheek while muttering a small “Thank you” before you started running through the woods, knowing exactly where to go and hoping that he’ll be there.

“Calum!” You sighed with relief, finally feeling like you could breathe when you saw him in front of your tree.

You took your chances coming here, not knowing if he was going to be waiting here or if he was somehow captured by your father's orders.

On your way to your secret place, your heart could not stop racing, the countless tragic possibilities flooded your mind as you ran through the woods, not caring if some parts of your dress got ripped because of your careless moving.

But there he was, sitting in one of the roots that were visible from the surface. He was not wearing his mask as he fiddled with it between his fingers until the moment he saw you.

“Y/N!” He breathed, getting up from his improvised seat and running towards you, involving you in a tight embrace. Only then, wrapped in your arms you understood Luke’s words.

Only there you felt truly at home.

“I thought something happened to you” You cried into his chest as you felt his hand soothe you while caressing your back “My father…”

“I know,” He said, placing a small kiss on the top of your head “When he announced the ceremony I could see a couple of guards coming my way, I had no choice but run”

Your whole body shook in terror when he said that. Now you knew your father was planning on hurting Calum now that he knew who he was. Unless he’d always known…

“Hey, hey, hey,” He said when he felt you cry again “It’s okay, my love. I got away, didn’t I?”

“Now, but you know what he’s capable of doing, Cal. You saw what he did at the party! He moved the wedding closer because he knew we’ve been searching for ways to stop it. He knows who you are and if anything- if anything happens to you, I-”

“Nothing is going to happen to me, okay?” Calum stated, pulling you away from him just enough so he could see your face and cup your cheeks with his hands “I will not let anything happen to me or you, I promise. I will be there for you, Y/N, always”

You nodded but still felt a cloud of darkness surrounding you. You trusted Calum more than anyone, but this might be the first promise that he might not fulfill. Your father is a powerful man that reigned by inflicting fear into his people and respect by his equals basing himself with lies.

If he could turn your world upside down with just a couple of words… what would he do to Calum?

“How did you know I was here?” Calum asked, trying to lighten the mood when he noticed you spacing out in sorrow.

You chuckled, lowering your gaze to the floor “I had a hunch”

“Were you followed?”

“No, Luke and Michael stayed to watch the entrance and the surroundings” Calum looked at you puzzled “We can trust them, it’s okay. Luke doesn’t want to marry me either”

“What a fool-”

“He doesn’t want to marry me because, like me, he is in love with someone else,” You said with a smile that quickly disappeared with your next thought “And now we’ll both be trapped in a marriage where we’ll be forced to be away from the ones we truly love”

“Then don’t marry him,” Calum said in a breath.

You rolled your eyes “Is not that easy, Calum. You know that-”

“That a King’s promise may never be broken. But what if the King promised something that can’t be possible?”

His tone was questioning, almost as if he wasn’t sure of what he was saying either and he was just thinking at the top of his head.

“Love, what are you-?”

“What if you couldn’t marry the King because you’re already married?” He asked, more certain this time.

You were about to answer him with another question, trying to understand what he was trying to say. But he continued, trying to explain himself better.

“You know the law commands that no one should remarry while still being married to another partner. What if- what if we get married first? That way-”

“That way the King’s promise will be null” You finished for him “Because the bride he promised is a married woman who cannot go over the law… Calum, that’s genius but how-?”

“I thought about it for a while when I came over the statement that ruled that no law should cancel another”

You looked at him confused, but with a smile showing on your face “And you’re telling me this now?”

He looked nervous.

“I-I didn’t want to put that pressure on you. It is a huge risk, not to mention a lot of responsibility as well, and I didn’t want to pressure you into marrying me if you weren’t sure you wanted that. I thought we could find another way out before the ceremony, so I kept it a secret for some time. I admit I was afraid of how you might react”

You answered him with a tearful chuckle as you jumped into his arms and crashed your lips to his as you caught him by surprise.

It was impossible to deny the happiness you felt as he responded to the kiss as eagerly as you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him.

“If you thought for a second that I would ever say no to that, then you might not know who you’re asking for her hand in marriage,” You said, smiling against his lips, chasing them into another kiss as a complete feeling of euphoria came over you.

Calum smiled, wrapping his arms around the back of your thighs and picking you up as he spun you around, laughing along with you as your giggles could be heard from all around the woods, for you just made him the happiest man on earth.

“If we are going to do this,” He said as he put you down “Let me do this properly”

You felt your eyes filled with happy tears as you watched Calum get down on one knee in front of you. Smiling at you with bright brown eyes that shined like the stars from Orion above.

“Y/N,” He started “My love, my rose. God knows this is not the way I planned this; in my dreams we are sailing away to a new land, traveling the world as we share our dreams and make them come true before our eyes. In my dreams I had a ring to give you, a pretty speech prepared, and a thousand lights to illuminate the way you looked, bringing the start to shame.

But I have no ring, and the words that are coming out of my mouth come straight from my heart. But the moon does shine on you, my love and you’ve never looked so beautiful as you do.

I cannot offer much. I’m no royal nor do I own stacks of land that could be ever worthy of you, my love. I cannot offer you a house, I cannot offer you fancy dresses or expensive jewelry, I cannot give you the kind of life royalty deserves. But I can give you all my love as we made the world our home. Because all I need, Y/N, to live a happy life is for you to be by my side if you let me.

I knew I wanted to marry you since the moment I saw you standing in that pile of dirt when we were nothing more than children venturing in a world filled with adult problems. I knew I loved you then, even before I knew what love is. And, if you let me, it would be my honor to love you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, my rose?”

You tearfully nodded, covering your mouth with your hands as you tried to prevent a sob from getting out.

“Yes,” You said softly before repeating it loudly “Yes!”

In an instant, you threw yourself into Calum’s arms, wrapping your arms around his neck as he held you by your waist, helping you straddle his lap, one leg at each side of his hips, as he pushed your skirt to the sides so you’d be closer and more comfortable.

You wasted no time in pressing your lips against his, letting your hands play with his hair as he rocked your bodies together, deepening the kiss as far as you’d let him.

A little moan escaped your mouth when you felt his tongue press against your bottom lip. Calum took this opportunity to capture every sound you made as you granted him more access, parting your lips slightly and letting him explore more of you as you got drunk with his touch.

“Say it again” He begged, his lips now leaving kisses along your jaw as your fingers tangled and tugged on his hair, making him groan against your skin.

“Yes,” You whispered breathlessly.

You felt your skin on fire every time his lips trailed along your jaw and neck, kissing it gently as you melted against him. It wasn’t something new, you’ve kissed like this before and stopped before it turned into something else, but there was something about tonight.

You didn’t know if it was the proposal, the adrenaline, or the simple need of being together now more than ever since your future is still uncertain. But every single kiss, every sound, every move… it just made you crave it even more.

“Calum…” You breathed, tugging his hair to bring him even closer to you.

He muffled a groan into your neck, letting the smell of your perfume intoxicate him as you moved your hips closer to him, “Love, don’t do that” He whispered, almost begging you to stop as he knocked his forehead with yours “You know that if this goes any further, I might not be able to stop”

You’ve been intimate before, only not like this. It wasn’t uncommon for you to lay next to each other, whether it was on our bed or in the clear spot next to the tree. You would explore your bodies with soft touches and lingering kisses that always felt like the start of something but that never lead to anything other than whispered confessions and soft makeout sessions.

The need was always there, you both felt it before, but this time you had no intention of stopping.

“Then don’t,” You said softly, looking into Calum’s eyes as he raised his eyebrows in shock.

“Y/N…”

“Don’t stop, Calum, please” You whined, moving your hips again to gain some kind of friction between the layers of fabric as you felt how his cock hardened in his pants “I want it. I want you”

Calum stopped your movements altogether, holding your hips with one hand as the other one cupped one side of your face, making you look at him when he asked.

“Y/N, are you sure about this?” His breath was heavy, but his eyes were determined as he gazed into yours “We don’t have to do anything if you’re not one hundred percent-”

You placed your fingers on the top of his lips to silence him.

“I was yours since the day we met.” You whispered, a soft smile illuminating your face “I was yours the day I told you I love you. I was yours when we danced tonight and I’ll be yours forever for the rest of my life. Make me your wife, Calum. Be mine and make me yours again”

Something shifted in Calum’s eyes at the sound of your words as lust settled all over them. He wasted no time in pulling you closer to him, capturing your lips in a much more heated kiss.

It was entirely different from whatever you’ve experienced before with him. This kiss was sloppy, a mixture of tongues and teeth as he bit your bottom lip. The sounds that came from both of you died in your throats as you desperately acted upon your desires.

You pulled apart for one minute as you took the top part of your dress, throwing it god knows where as you tried to untie the knots of your corset. Calum took it upon himself to start kissing your neck again, this time with more freedom to roam across your collarbone. “Let me,” He said softly after a while, letting his hands take over yours as they started to undo the knots one by one.

Once you were free, you felt Calum’s hands cup your breasts, massaging them as you moaned softly, still moving your hips with a more steady and fast rhythm against his groin looking for some sort of release.

“Y/N,” Calum moaned, taking his hands off your breast down to your hips, halting your movements once again “Lay down for me, my love” He whispered, kissing your earlobe as you felt goosebumps all over your body.

Calum took off his suit jacket, laying it on the floor so you’d be more comfortable. You sat back on your elbows as you watched him take off his shirt, leaving him with his chest exposed to you.

Your eyes widened at the sight of him shirtless on top of you. You’ve seen him shirtless before, but the context is different now that you can admire his well-defined abs under the moonlight. You couldn’t resist letting your fingers caress his chest with barely-there touches over his muscles and nipples, making him let out a breathy moan as soon as you did.

But before you could go any further, he grabbed you softly by the wrist.

“Not yet, Princess,” He said, lust laced in every word as he let your hand go to start working on getting you out of that skirt and underwear.

He worked quickly, leaving you completely bare in front of him. You felt his eyes on you and your first instinct was to cover yourself even though shame was the last thing in your mind right now. Despite that initial response, you felt safe with him, the safest you felt in years.

Calum smirked playfully, shaking his head as he grabbed both your hands in his and pinning them over your head “Don’t hide from me, my love” He said, lips hovering over yours but never touching them as he started kissing the spot under your ear, leaving you breathless in a second.

You closed your eyes and let yourself drift in pleasure as you felt Calum’s lips trail down to your breasts, kissing each one of them softly around the pebbled nipples, sucking and biting them as you felt your arousal grow with every new sensation.

Once he felt satisfied with the way you were moaning, he started kissing along your chest and down to your stomach, leaving a trail of fiery kisses until he stopped before reaching your core.

Calum let go of your hands which immediately flew to his hair when he started kissing the inside of your thighs, getting closer but not close enough to where you needed him most.

“Calum,” You moaned, feeling his breath over your entrance.

“Say it again,” He asked, kissing your right leg as his hands wandered over to your ass, lifting you up slightly and bringing you closer to him “Say yes, again”

“Yes.” You said in one breath.

“Again” He demanded softly, kissing you over your mound.

“Yes.”

“Again”

“Yes, oh...”

No sounds came out of your mouth as he placed his lips over your clit, kissing it softly at first before starting to lightly suck on it. You then felt him lick a long stripe up your center, making you shiver each time as he always ended up at your clit, gathering your arousal in his tongue and moaning at the taste, sending glorious vibrations up to your core. He smiles when he feels you tug on his hair with every breathy moaned you let out, letting him know that you were enjoying this as much as he was.

Soon, you felt his fingers trace along your folds up and down, stopping at your entrance a couple of times before he pushed the first finger inside, making you both moan at the feeling.

Then, a finger became two as Calum started to move them inside and out of your tight hole at a fast pace while his lips remained attached to your clit, licking and sucking over it until you reached your first climax of the night.

Calum licked you through your orgasm, lapping on your arousal until he heard you whine thanks to the oversensitivity. Then, he pulled himself up, kissing a trail from your stomach to your lips.

You were seeing stars behind your eyelids as you tasted yourself on his tongue, moaning as you felt his hard, clothed cock brush over your sensitive core.

“Calum,” You whimpered as he pulled away from his lips to let his head fall to your side, kissing your neck with zeal.

“Tell me what you want, my love” He whispered in your ear, making your whole body shiver under him as he kissed your cheeks tenderly “Tell me what you want and I’ll give you the world”

“You, only you”

He smiled, prompting himself onto his elbows to kiss your lips again.

“I’m yours”

It took no time for Calum to get rid of his pants and thrust into you, letting you adjust to the new feeling as he kissed the pain away while he started to thrust slowly into you. His hand cupped your face as he kissed you over and over again until you begged him to speed up the pace, letting the sting of pain become one of pleasure every time Calum moved his hips into you, hitting every spot with ease.

You became one big pile of tangled limbs and shared pleasure, moaning and groaning your feelings of ecstasy as you held each other as close as you could. One hand caressing your sides while you alternated between playing with his hair and dragging your fingers down his back, feeling every muscle work as you wrapped your legs around him, letting him deeper and deeper each time.

You got drunk with the sound of each other’s moans as you reached your climax. Calum swears he’s never heard a more beautiful sound than his name falling from your lips in total bliss as you clenched around his cock, making his thrusts slow down as he came with the taste of your name still on his lips.

"I love you," He said with a smile as wide as the sky, pulling you closer against his naked body "God, how I love you, my rose"

You kissed his lips softly, humming an "I love you" in between a content smile before saying:

"Calum?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Thank you for loving me"

You woke up sometime later, still wrapped around his arms as his jacket covered you both from the cold night. You let out a breath of relief as you realized that the moon was still high up in the sky, meaning that you still had a few hours before having to go back to the castle.

Calum slept peacefully next to you, holding you close as he let his chin rest above your head. You kissed his Adam's apple and softly giggled when he pulled you closer to his chest, you knew that you would always be safely wrapped around his arms and there was no other place you’d rather stay than with him.

It was almost incredible to believe that by tomorrow night you’d finally become husband and wife and that this will be your life forevermore.

No more castles, no more parties, no more dangers nor royalty duties. You will be together, finally be free.

Tags: @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @mystic-232 @talksoprettyjjx @theshyspy @hoodhoran @flaneurcth @notinthesameguey @bubblegum18 @irwin-fletcher-ash @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @1980holland @wiiildflowerrr @hoplessromantic727 @fivesecondsofonedirection @another-lonely-heart @aabc5sauce @dudethisiswhyyoudonthavefriends @major5sosstan @myloverboyash @nicebasscalum @calumspupils @secretsicanthideanymore @the-ghost-of-ashley @alltimesos @girlwhosimps @wontlastimokwiththat @yeah-and69 @fckingpernico @multistann @averageantichrist @a-darneddarling @tpwkcth @f-mu @kindahumanbutalsoinsane @lemonswizzle

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 3 years

Text

Blighted

For my precious Sunshine, @5-secondsofcolor's birthday!! Which is technically now, because it is 1 AM on the 20th of May and I am a mad woman. Love you and I hope you have an amazing day, when you see this of course.

Here is your fic, FBI/Behavior Analyst!Calum. Female OC.

Ivy says she's cursed after taking the same career path that took her father's life. Calum's new on the team, a liaison and media specialist, but he's looking to get his toes wet.

AKA your regular old jaded pessimist veteran and bright eyed rookie buddy cop story. Please enjoy!

CW: In depth descriptions of death/crime scenes. Depictions of violence, gore, and blood.

Enjoy my masterlist (on a haitus)

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The whiteboard never leaves. It glows behind her closed eyelids. When staring down at the neck of a bottle, she sees it floating just as the bottom of her drink. She’s cursed. But she knew that the moment she tried out for the academy. The second the thought floated across her mind, she would be doomed just like her father. Ivy tried her best to reroute herself--she got into the arts, was first chair flute in her highschool’s orchestra. She was president of the Homecoming committees her junior and senior year, and worked during the summers at her church's camp.

And yet when she went into school for her degree, she gravitated towards psychology and criminal justice. She saw her mother’s fear. The closer it came to graduation and the more the two of them talked about what she would do after graduating, the more the thought lingered, I want to get into the Bureau like Dad. But she couldn’t utter that. She couldn’t say those words without tears welling up in her mother’s eyes.

Ivy suspected her mother always knew about the desires. Ivy didn’t remember all the nights clearly, but sometimes she’d peek out her bedroom door and see the glow of the light downstairs. Ivy followed it, side stepping the creaky fourth step from the top and from between the banister’s she’d find her dad sitting at the dining room table. The kitchen light glowed from behind him and his tie would barely hang on around his neck.

“Boo,” he’d say quietly, knowing the slight shuffle of Ivy’s feet.

“How’d you know I was there, Daddy?” she’d ask, carrying herself the rest of the way down the stairs and make her way through the living room to climb into his lap.

“I can hear your feet above me,” he’d respond, pointing above them.

And they’d spend an hour, sitting at the dining room table. Ivy asked about her dad’s latest trip. He only ever told her when she was young that they were helping save people, putting bad people away. Ivy wonders if this is where it started. If this was where her father casted the spell, leaving Ivy somehow starry eyed about what it really was he did. Ivy would always look at this job with a little bit of that hope that her younger self had, and she’d always be fucked to never be able to walk away from this line of work.

It would kill her--much like it had killed her dad. But unlike him, she’d see the bullet spiral out of the barrel. Her dad had her and her mother to get back too. It wasn’t a weakness. Ivy admired her father for sticking with his dreams and also making the hard calls to make sure his family knew he cared too. But the need to decide would always be a slight hindrance, would always be the key to living or dying in this line of work.

All that’s left of her father, besides the memories and a few of his old t-shirts that got remade into pillows, is the whiteboard she keeps at her desk. There’s a whiteboard for the entire team to use of course. But this whiteboard is the one that her father used in his office. The one where he made his notes, scribbles. The one she’d write notes to him in the bottom left corner that never disappeared until she wanted to replace the note with something new.

“Thomas, look alive, and enjoy.” The manilla folder hits her desk with a quiet thwack. Ivy blinks from the whiteboard up to her senior officer. Kennedy carries on, dropping folders on every desk and each one of them stands without needing any further prompting.

Kennedy’s been in the field for years. It was all over his face with the deep frown lines. His brow seemed permanently furrowed, as if he questioned every waking second. Ivy liked to tease he worried even about sleep. But no one could sink a decade and a half into this line of work and not come out on the other side with a healthy amount of suspicion.

“And where’s this new guy?” Kennedy asks, glancing over the office.

Ivy looks up from her copy of the file. She heard rumors of someone else coming by the office, assisting them occasionally on cases. But those rumors floated around weeks ago, long enough that she chalked it up to just that--rumors. It doesn’t shock her though. Things start at rumors often, and sometimes they come to fruition and sometimes they don’t. Ivy follows Kennedy’s eyeline and doesn’t spy any new faces.

“Want me to keep an eye out for any lost souls?” Ivy offers, glancing back up to Kennedy.

“Nah, I need your eyes on this one. Head up to the conference room and I’ll be there once he shows up.”

With a nod, Ivy closes the file. She swipes the whiteboard from her desk with a couple markers and heads up to the conference room. The rest of the team sat flipping through their files too, Jenkins sitting right near the front but moved down one seat. They’re not new, having been around for a couple years. But Ivy can tell their type--getting in chummy with the boss, trying too hard. They’re a good addition, but Ivy’s waiting for the day they take a hunch and it doesn’t lead to the results they want. A loss will show their true colors, how well they can handle being wrong sometimes. No one on the team is perfect, they’re all hedging bets. Ivy’s taken her lumps of hunches being made too late, or the wrong bets placed. They’re not often. No one likes them. But they happen.

Diaz, Russell, and Burke and scattered throughout the rest of the table. The three of them have been there longer than Ivy. But they all accepted her with open arms. Diaz and Burke were more muscular. They had the brains to match, but they came up the pipeline from their local PD departments and aren’t afraid to get into a tussle. More often than not, Ivy winds up pulling Burke from fights than she’d care to admit. Diaz’s much too big for Ivy to attempt physically restraining, so she referee’s those fights that he gets into.

Russell’s their man behind the screen. He was good at getting through the internet loops, figuring out how to sort databases for the information they need without so much red tape and delay. He preferred to stay behind the lines, but could handle a tussle. Ivy doesn’t count herself as the brains. But her gut had some sort of true north needle that, more often than not, was right. She could see patterns faster than most, could sniff the air after someone and assess how much she could and wanted to trust. Kennedy consulted her often. Whenever she felt like she had something, he’d hush the crowd for her to formulate the full thought. Kennedy didn’t always agree with her assessment, but had to listen to it. He needed to listen to it.

“Nope,” Russell huffs, shutting the folder. “Fucking hell. Kennedy told me it was rough, but I didn’t--I didn’t think it was this rough.”

Ivy settles in next to him sliding him a marker. She draws roughly a tic-tac-toe board. “It not getting easier for you is a good sign.”

Russell makes his first move, the marker squeaking just a little. Ivy follows up with hers. She knows if she makes it too obvious, too easy, Russell will forfeit the game. So she tries to play along, like she’s vying to win.

Russell places his second X though his hands shake just a hair. “Yeah, but compared to you guys, I feel like if someone took a gnarly enough shit it would make me queasy.”

“A bad enough shit could do that to anyone,” Diaz pipes in, his own folder still open but his forearms pressed down over the photographs. Russell’s been around the block, definitely seem some rough things, but has always had a softer view of the world. Still wants it to be good despite all the bad he’s seen.

Ivy places down her second O, noticing the pretty obvious wide open spot she left Russell but looks up to Diaz. “I think I heard through the grapevine you were on the losing end of one of those shits yesterday,” she teases.

Diaz reclines into his seat, his chest bouncing with his laughter. “All because of your cooking Thomas.”

“My cooking is not that bad,” she defends, the cap of her black marker pointing him out.

Burke snickers too with a shake of her head and opens her mouth to speak but the room fills with the voice of Kennedy. “Aren’t y’all old enough to be left alone not to talk about shit for five minutes?”

“Never too old to talk shit, sir,” Diaz returns, his smile lifting only half his face up. He’s a charmer, whenever they go out to bars out manage to get a moment’s peace not hounded by work, he never seems to be at a lack of folks coming up to him. He’s already got a girl, but with the hair that cascades always neatly placed and the dazzling bright grin, anyone could fall for it.

Kennedy huffs his laughter quickly and then shuffles deeper into the room. “We’ve got a new friend, so let’s play nice.” As Kennedy makes head way, Ivy notices the man behind him. He’s tall. The black dress pants and black dress shirt don’t hide everything beneath them, but Ivy’s not too shocked to see people who work in the field like that with some sort of muscular physique. There’s something about his face though--something about the way his brown eyes dart around the room and his smile never shows any teeth that something familiar tugs at her.

Kennedy goes around the table introducing Ivy first, then going to Russell, coming down to Jenkins, Diaz, and then Burke. Each one of them lifts a hand or nods at their name. “This here is Hood, Calum Hood. Joining us as a new liaison.”

Ivy’s no good with faces sometimes. But names she hardly ever forgets. Hood, she met him once a few years back at a lecture. Not that she did them often, but Kennedy got more face time. But he made sure to spread the love between the team. He asked her to tag along. Calum must’ve been in the crowd, had to be, and had to have asked a question because Kennedy told her to remember that name. And she had.

Kennedy continues on with something. Ivy suspects he’s warning Diaz to keep any hazy tactics to a minimum considering how much of a mess they’re walking into. Ivy nods once more at him, and then faces back to the whiteboard, the tap on her arm prompting her too. I’m a scaredy cat sure, but not dumb, it reads in Russell’s handwriting. She spies his X in the bottom corner, opposite of where he would’ve won.

“Pull up a seat, Hood. We’ll have more time for pleasantries once we’re up in the air. But I want everyone to at least be familiar with this case.”

“Yes, sir.” His voice is smooth, Ivy notes. A soft volume and accented but smoother than she would’ve pegged.

The team breaks down the file, recapping mostly what they’ve already read but Kennedy’s old fashioned this way, needing to make sure people have done their homework. It’s an extra step than completely necessary, but having the quick meetings has always made this team feel more like a second family. There’s always a common goal in mind for them and they’re always reminded of it. No matter what happens out in the field, they all want the same thing.

“We soar in forty-five minutes. So let’s hope wheels can turn in the air. Hood, I need you to keep in mind the local PD’s been taking a lot of heat for the last couple of months. So we don’t want to take too much star power, we’re only here to assist and whatever we can do to put the local’s good grace back onto that PD we need to.”

Not quite what she expected, though with his demeanor and looks, he’s sure to work a crowd or newsroom well. She’s sure he’ll be on the ground with them too.

“Understood,” he replies and with that, all of them push away from the table. “Agent Thomas,” Hood says, reaching out almost as if to touch her elbow but never actually do it. He continues to speak once she looks over to him. “I-I don’t know if you remember. But we met at a lecture a couple years back that you held with Agent Kennedy. And I just wanted to say that I’m excited to be here, working with you all.”

“Thomas, here, does not respond well to flattery. Trust, we’ve all tried,” Diaz laughs, clamping down on Hood’s shoulders.

“I appreciate it,” Ivy responds. “Glad to have a fresh mind on the team.” There’s no smile, at least, not one she’d give Russell, Burke, Diaz, or even Jenkins. But Calum watches her give another curt nod with a quick quirk of her lips, and then leave, stacking her file on top of the whiteboard.

“Don’t sweat it. She’s in work mode,” Diaz assures. “We get off the clock and she’s a hoot. But on the clock, it’s strictly business. I will warn you, Thomas will burn you.”

Calum’s left, watching Diaz, Burke, and Russell leave. Jenkins turned tail the second Kennedy got done. It’s not that he wants to mix business with pleasure. He’s just been studying Thomas, attending as many lectures that she gives as he can. She didn’t always go directly by the book, there was something about her method that used the evidence, used science, but also had some sort of intuition. Thomas just knew things and when attempting to quantify it, she didn’t always have the words for it. Calum just wants to see that in action, understand what it is about knowing that isn’t always present in the facts.

The plane ride is comfortable. Plenty of seats even though they squeak just a little. Calum watches Thomas sit and everyone seems to sit spread out from there, keeping her at some sort of center. “Mobile. They don’t mind the hustle,” Ivy starts.

“Crossing state lines is risky, especially after the escalation,” Burke interjects.

“But wouldn’t that be a reason for it? If all the crimes look different, enough crossing state lines might make the unsub feel confident, like they’re getting away with something.” The entire plane turns to look at him. Calum freezes for a moment. He knows better. He knows so much better than that. Fuck.

“Valid. But we shouldn’t settle. Travel might be part of their job. We’ve got a good cluster to possibly estimate a home base. Get comfortable, perfect the craft here and then spread out. But why come back? Local PD's hadn't quite connected anything, until the return. More families, found exactly the same. Even when they cross state lines, all points wind back to a specific geographical location,” Burke returns.

“Hood, you got the inside of the media. What does it look like?”

Thirty minutes of his forty five was making sure that he could at least nail down this run through. And it’s easy, even with the squeak of Ivy’s dry erase marker, to run down the media reports, what information has been released and what hasn’t been released. He makes note of what the team doesn’t want to get out and what they do want to keep available to the public.

All the while, Calum watches the way Ivy writes over her board, the squeak over and over on specific strokes. He wonders for a moment what she’s writing, what it is that she needs to keep written track of. But he doesn’t get a chance to fully flesh out that thought before he finishes his spill and Diaz cuts in. They’re fast, not quite settling on any one theory. More like compiling the possibilities, not wanting to eliminate things but ranking how plausible they all could be until the pieces click.

The first thing after the flight lands, they head for the precinct. The lead investigator greets them, and there’s no pause. They’re pulled into the frenzy, looking at boards. Calum tries to keep his head in the game, but he is watching Ivy. The way she settles in her chair, her marker always moving. He’s not even sure it’s words anymore, just a constant circular movement. Sure he’s here to help regulate media outlets, and he can do that in his sleep if local PD and media follow his instructions to a T.

But he needs an in, to show he’s more than just the new meat on the chopping block. He’s worth something. “Is the last crime scene still available?” Calum asks.

The room turns to him, well most of the room does. Ivy keeps circling, but she speaks. “The plan’s to go in ten minutes. Whatever’s got you preoccupied, leave it in your go bag.”

Kennedy chuckles, tapping at her foot. “Give the kid a break. He was buried in news coverage the second we got into the door. But Hood, shake the cobwebs. This isn’t your small town’s rodeo anymore. If you need to be caught up, ask. But if you’re going to be in the room, keep those ears open.”

A task easier said than done, but he nods, resting his elbows on his knees. God, they’re going to think I’m an idiot. The room goes back to its normal buzz, but Calum keeps his head buried in his hands.

“Talk to me. What are your theories?”

Calum lifts his head. Ivy’s closer now. He can see the black marks on her hand from where she’s held it up against the swirls and lettering. “Clearly I’m barely treading water here.”

“First day nerves, but you can shake it. You wanted to see the crime scene. Why?”

“Why there? We have indications that the unsub spent a lot of time there, even with the interruptions they've seemed to caused. They're still meticulous. I want to follow their steps. What did they do first? And why? What do they need from a crime scene before it’s done?”

“Good. But what else?”

“What-what do you mean what else?”

She smiles, much different than the first one. It shows her teeth, a bit of a twinkle in her eyes. “What else?”

He goes quiet, reclines back into the seat and closes his eyes for a second. What else? There’s a lot else. “I mean, the next obvious thing is why these victims? But besides that, how comfortable is this person? Do they feel a need to be rushed, fast, get-in-get-out or can they blend in? I have a hunch they can blend in. Maybe people even trust them. They are perfectly ordinary and in essence, they have to be in order for the fantasy to work. Detection means they have to get sloppy. Being sloppy’s not an option, so blending in it is.”

“Bring that to the crime scene.” Something taps his knee and Calum cracks open his eyes to see her, standing. Her whiteboard still gently rests against his knee. She’s not looking at him though. Her gaze is locked onto the board next to him, displaying the crime scene photos.

“What’s your secret?” Calum asks. He’s almost positive she didn’t hear him due to Ivy’s lack of prompt response. But then she turns to him.

“Secret?”

“Thomas, Hood, you comin’ or what?” Kennedy calls. “I can deal without Diaz, but I need you, Thomas.”

“I’ll remember that,” Diaz laughs as they walk through the glass doors of the precinct.

It’s not Calum’s first time at a crime scene. But the second Calum steps through the door a chill runs through him. The carpet and walls are still bloodstained. Everything about it the scene just feels wrong, makes Calum want to immediately step back out of the house.

“You feel that?” Burke asks. She continues on deeper into the house, slipping into her gloves.

“This is when Thomas says she’s too Black for all this and gets the hell out of dodge,” Diaz barks. He squats down to the blood on the carpet. Ivy’s already deep into the house, seemingly guided by a force unwillingly to let her go. She doesn’t respond verbally, just lifts her hand, the middle finger extended out in the general direction of Diaz.

And Calum is standing near the threshold of the door, trying to pinpoint why it feels so cold in a house in Texas in the middle of the summer. His hands feel sticky even inside the latex gloves. His first step is shaky but he stops next to Diaz. “There are drag marks from the blood,” Calum notes. “This isn’t where they were killed, just staged.”

“The unsub staged all the victims here in the living room. We know that. Pictures show the parents at the ends of the sofa, children in the middle, dog on the floor.”

“But there’s blood on the walls. We know the Dad’s 6’1,” Calum returns.

“And we don’t have forced entry. So, whoever is wreaking havoc isn’t threatening enough for someone not to answer the door.”

Calum turns to the sofa where the family was found. “It’s picturesque, poetic even. You’ve got a whole family right here, at your will. They knock on the door. It’s dusk, sun’s just starting to set.”

“They have a ruse that gets them inside. We already know they have to blend in with the community. So what can you use to get into a house? Who gets into a house without a problem?”

Diaz goes into the kitchen where in the case file it mentions when the family was finally discovered food was still out on the table. “The window doesn’t have to last long. But it has to be just right. All three families were either eating dinner, or just done with dinner. So why dinner time?” Diaz turns from the stove to face Calum.

“It’s when everyone is together. They’re not just going after a family, but very specific family dynamics. Which means both parents need to present, two kids seems to be a minimum.”

“What’s the average dinner time you’d say? With this job, I eat whenever I fucking can. But before this, excluding people like us, when is the average person sitting down to eat?”

“6, 6:30 I’d guess. That’s assuming the average person is working a job that calls it at 5PM. A town like this is either on the verge of collapsing or being bought out. So I assume a lot of people are traveling outside to the city for work, so the commute might be even later. But I wouldn’t hazard any guesses that our unsub’s just haphazardly picking houses.”

“No, no, you’re right, Hood,” Diaz states, walking over to the table. “I guess what I’m saying is the timing. No one hears anything. But our unsub’s using a gun. That’s not quiet. And there’s not a lot of city noise this far out. They’re spending hours in the house and somehow getting out undetected. But striking at dinner time, with the setting sun, means this person’s around outside the house. But no one’s noticed anything out of the ordinary.”

“Hunting seasons,” Calum returns. “No one really flinches at the sound of a gun shot because people are hunting year ‘round here.”

“And it seems like humans are on the menu.”

“An appetizing thought.”

******

Ivy’s not sure when the chill finally left over the course of the day but it returns when she walks into the precinct and sees the entire room in a frenzy. Kennedy spies her and it’s just a look. Not much different than his resting face, but somehow she knows with that slight arch in his eyebrow. Another family--while they were proding over photos the killer was already moving on, already in the midst of their attack.

And it shouldn’t shock her. Well, to be more accurate, it doesn’t shock her and maybe that’s the thing that scares her. “I’ve been doing this too damned long,” she mutters to herself. “Hood, you’re with me. Get the address and let’s see what that gut of yours cooks up.”

“How’d--Is Kennedy going to be okay with that? The call just came in a few minutes ago.”

“Get the address and tell me how you like your coffee,” Ivy says. Kennedy’s going to come to the scene anyway, but she doesn’t tell Calum that.

There’s not another word before Calum passes in front of her. “Cream and two sugars,” he answers as he goes.

“So Black, got it.”

Paused at the desk of a detective, he looks over his shoulder. “Cream and two sugars,” he re-emphasizes with a tiny smile and holding up two fingers. Police station coffee’s never the best, but it’s better than nothing. When on a case, time is also imperative and they take what they can. Ivy fixes Calum’s cup first, slipping a lid on and keeping the stirrer through the hole. She pours her cup with no additions.

“Not even creamer? Not one?” Calum questions.

“Takes too much time,” she returns. “Burke, you staying?”

“Yeah, Russell got those files over just before the call came in. Besides that crime scene’s bound to be crowded as all hell and I swear if I walk into another house and catch a chill after seven years of doing this job, I just might quit.”

The two ladies laugh. Ivy recovering first to respond, “I need you to keep me sane even though you’re just as much trouble as Diaz.”

“Which is why I’m going to say here, work with Russell. We’re going to need Hood back before the 5’oclock news. Whatever you find at the scene will help solidify our profile and we need it soon. We need the hands on this clock, because it’s ticking ahead of us.”

Ivy nods. It’s no fun being behind. “Kennedy, we’re moving or we’re dying.”

“I trust you. There’s something off about that last one that I want to walk through again.”

“Let’s rock and roll,” she says to Calum, handing him his cup of coffee. “Mr. Cream-and-Two-Sugars.”

The drive is relatively short, all thanks to Ivy’s lead foot. But they need to get there fast, while things are still fresh.

“Did you always want to do this?” Calum asks in the silence of their drive. The radio doesn’t even play. Ivy knew he had questions. He wore them on his face, brows furrowing anytime he was the slightest bit hesitant about something.

“I don’t think I had a choice.”

“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice? We’ve all got choices.”

“My dad worked with the FBI until it killed him. And I think about how he used to tell me it was his job to help put bad people in jail. And I believed him.”

“The bug bit you before you even had a fighting chance.”

Ivy nods, taking a quick glance to Calum. “But if I had a prettier face, I’d stick with liaison too.”

Calum huffs out his laughter. “I went the journalism route first, sue me. Besides, that’s you admitting you think I have a pretty face.”

“I forget faces—so don’t think too highly of it. And I’m probably old enough to be your mother. You attended some lectures, I remembered your name. How’d you convert?”

It’s silent for a moment and Calum contemplates her statement, old enough to be his mother. “Given that my mother has shared her fountain of youth with my sister and I, you might be shocked to know I’m nearing 30. And I converted because of you and your work under Kennedy and his old superior Rogers.”

“All the greats,” Ivy teases, but she doesn't sound impressed. More like tired, used to it.

“But you’re different.”

“Yeah, because somehow the Bureau hasn’t realized their mistake.”

“Mistake?” Calum asks around his sip of coffee.

“Kennedy’s going to retire soon. He's done 15 with our unit. Another ten prior to that climbing through the ranks. Then they’re going to have to find a replacement.”

“You say that like it won’t be you.”

“Because it won’t.”

“You’ve been with Kennedy for so long. He’s obviously going to recommend you, Ivy.”

“He can recommend but people higher up get the final word.”

The truck stops just in front of the house, and Calum knows the most logical thing to do is just focus on the case, walk the scene. Do his job. But he reaches across the console and wraps his fingers around hers for a second with a squeeze. “You’ll get it. They’d be dumb not to bring you to the head of this team.”

“There’s an altar or a shrine. It’s small.”

Calum pauses with his hand on the door. Ivy continues beside him. “Go to the eldest child’s bedroom. In a corner you’ll see the small shrine. Our unsub left one at the last house. And the house before, I’d bet. And this house too. That’s what Kennedy missed. What other cops missed too. Make sure you get it photographed. Besides, I’ve been doing this job too long and don’t know if I’d even want the added responsibility if they promoted me.”

“How’d we miss that?”

“We didn’t miss shit. We saw it when we needed to see it. We see things when we need them.” It's the way she says it, like she has to believe that makes Calum believe too.

The sight rocks Calum--he knew it wouldn’t be easy. But he didn’t know it’d hit him like this. The room spins, just a little. And his heart racing. Mostly because he can’t stand the thought that this could be someone he knows. These people weren’t anticipating their would be like this. And what does that even mean for him? What does his end look like?

“Hey, whoa. Whoa.” An arm comes around his waist and he follows the lead of whomever’s grabbed him.

“I’m okay,” he breathes out. “I’m okay.”

“Yeah, I’m a fudge brownie. It’s okay to not be alright in there.”

Calum rests against the side of the house and squats down just a little. His elbows hit his knees. His breath is heavy, falls from his open mouth almost like he’s going to vomit. But his stomach’s not churning anymore. Not with the fresh morning air hitting his lungs. “Fuck,” he breathes out again, eyes blurring just a little.

“But you’re okay. Take a breather.” Ivy’s shoes turn up in the dirt. "Get him a water, will ya? Hood, take a minute. It's alright. I'll be inside when you're ready." Calum just watches her go. It takes a moment for him to lift his head. It has to get easier. Or least he hopes it does. It takes him a minute, inhaling deeply before he stands up straight.

The rest of them processing the scene goes by in relative silence. Occasionally, Calum pipes in with an addition to their theory. Ivy hums in agreement. And it’s not until they step out and slip out of their gloves that Ivy says anything. “This is why I drink my coffee black.”

“I’m sorry. I really--I don’t know why this one got me.”

“It’s the kids. Kids are the worst.”

Calum looks up to the sky. There’s a few clouds, but not many. “The photos are bad, but in person is way different.”

Ivy watches Calum, the way it takes him a second to come back to earth it seems. “Don’t ask yourself if it gets easier.” When his gaze lands hers, she can see the furrowed brow again. The question drips off his face. “You’ll only disappoint yourself. And this job’s not for the weak of heart. For the people that can’t take some losses with the wins.”

“You said it yourself. You wanted to put the bad people away.”

“Eight year old me wants to believe it’s as easy as putting the monsters away. Thirty-one year old me knows for a fact what the losses are, who gets caught in the cross-fire. It’s not easy, not in the slightest.”

“Innocent lives do add up.”

“Which is why I try not to do math on the job. They all slip up. They all reach a point where their methods don’t satiate the need. They all make a fatal flaw and counting the unfortunate lives on the way to that will have you walking from the Bureau faster than you can blink.”

“So what makes you stay? If it’s all so fucking bad, what keeps you going?”

Ivy nods to the car, pulling the keys from her pocket. “We need to solidify our profile and you need to run press ASAP. But to answer your question, the thing that keeps me going is that fact that they do get caught eventually.”

******

Eventually seems to come up faster than Calum anticipates. He was sure it would take weeks. After getting back to the precinct more information in Russell’s digging found a connection between all the families, a Venn diagram that overlapped to their X on the map. Another couple of days and it all unravelled. It’s a blur, when he tries to think back to it, on the plane. The only grounding thing is when one of the children, a little girl about 6, pointed out the tattoos on his hands. In all this time, he was sure the tattoos would be a barrier to entry--they’d somehow put him in a place that others would think he was nothing but trouble. But somehow, despite the terror she had done through, that little girl liked his tattoos, found some sort of comfort in them.

When he told her they were for his parents, she smiled at him. She said she wanted one for her parents too and then asked if he had anymore and how old he was when he got them. All of which Calum was more than happy to answer while the medic checked over her. Her older brother came soon after, asking a few questions, but overall he was much quieter than his sister. Understandable for what was endured. In the end, Calum’s just glad he didn’t see them staged on a couch, bleeding out onto the cushions.

There’s a small bit of turbulence and the shakes cause Calum to open his eyes for a moment. Ivy’s seated across from him, whiteboard on her lap, headphones in her ears. A tic-tac-toe grid drawn across it in the middle, but in the corners are some swirls, a crude drawing of the shrine from the case. Calum leans forward and tugs on the board just a little. She lets it go without a fight and hands over the marker.

Calum makes an ‘X’ in the top left. “You said this job doesn’t get easier.” He looks up to see if Ivy can hear him and is relieved when she pops out one her headphones. She raises her brows like she wants him to continue with the thought. And Calum’s not even sure he should. Instead, he hands over the board back to her. If seeing death doesn’t get easier, then maybe it just means he gets better at it. Maybe it means that not being okay with death is a good motivator to keep down this path.

“The job doesn’t get easier. You’re still human. You still want a spouse and a kid. You might want two dogs and a cat. You might want that white picket fence one day. You’ll want to close your eyes and not see death. You’ll want to walk down the street and see humans as humans again. You’ll have nightmares. Don’t hide from it. Nothing’s wrong with you for wanting that. But we’re in a world now where we see the horrors--what’s on the other side of everything you wanted. It’s a liminal space and it’s heavy to wade through.”

“I just want to not freak like I did the other day. It’s not easy. But sometimes I fear that maybe I bit off more than I could chew.”

Their game of tic-tac-toe has been forgotten, placed in the seat next to Ivy as she leans forward in her seat. “You said you were converted because of me. What exactly about me was it?”

“You just know things. When you walk onto a scene, you have an air of knowing. How can you just pick up on it in a snap?”

“Well,” Ivy laughs, “if that’s the only reason you want in, I warn you to get out.”

“I want to help. I want to save people,” Calum adds on. But then it hits him. Maybe this wasn’t the business of saving people as much as it was stopping people. Sure, they prevent future murders, but that didn’t always negate for all the lives lost. But they did save that family today. He saved that little girl that wants tattoos like his. “I want to save people and I want to stop people as well,” he finally adds on.

“There will always be monsters in this world,” Ivy warns.

“And there will always be heroes.”

“Make no mistake, Calum. We don’t have capes. We don’t swoop in all the time at just the right moment. Sometimes we are late. Sometimes we’re reacting more than we are being proactive. Sometimes we fuck up.”

His heart stops for just a moment at the mention of his first name. He’s always Hood, or at least has always been Hood. Just like she’s always Thomas to the team. But she said his first name. Unmistakably so. “Did-did you just use my first name?”

“You used my first name, first.”

When had he done that? He didn’t recall, but he couldn’t combat it either.

“Look,” Ivy continues, “the fact remains. We will fail. We will make the wrong call, or the right call just by the skin of our teeth. We will walk down the wrong direction only to figure out, we know it’s the wrong one. We get it right. A lot more often, we get it right and we minimize the death count. But we’re human--you don’t have to take it on if you don’t want. You don’t have to suffer.”

“If I don’t suffer and win, then that little girl suffers and loses. Then the next person loses. And the next. Their suffering or mine--the choice is clear.”

Ivy studies Calum for a moment. She sees the resolve on his face. Just how much sacrificing himself is a no brainer for him. It was a no brainer for her too. But admittedly, she was cursed. Maybe Calum wasn’t. Maybe she could save him, even if she couldn’t save herself. But she wasn’t in the business of saving people, only stopping them.

“I can’t stop you, can I?” she asks.

“Stop me from what?”

“Stop you from killing yourself with this job.”

“If it’s killing you, then why don’t you leave?” His head cocks to the side, now intrigued by her honesty.

“It’s like you said, I got bit before I could escape. I’m cursed. Are you?”

The little girl flashes through his vision again, and his chest tightens for a second before the relief kicks in. He could chase that feeling, the knowledge that he saved someone, one person. And that he helped put away one more person causing harm. “I am now. Ruined--because even though I can’t save them all. I can save some. I can help keep some people safe. I don’t think there’s a better reward than that.”

With a nod, Ivy looks back to their game on the whiteboard. They would’ve tied, she can see it after where she placed her ‘O’. But she hands it back over to Calum. “Kennedy’s going to shit himself when he realizes he’s got too hard heads on his team.”

“You’ll shit yourself when you realize you’re inheriting the second hard-head on the team after Kennedy leaves.”

Ivy scoffs. Of course, Calum still believes in the shiny idea that hard work yields rewards. “And this is where I can still tell you’re new to this--the dreams are still shiny and ideal.”

“All the work you’ve invested, they’d be--”

Ivy interrupts him. “I know, they’d be dumb not to.”

“Then why do you keep saying it won’t happen?”

“I’d call my pessimism a curse. But at this point, I think it’s a personality trait and the truth.”

“And let me guess, this is why you take your coffee black too.”

Ivy winks at him before her smile takes over her face. “You know it.”

#calum hood #calum hood fanfic #calum hood imagine #calum hood fic #calum hood 5sos #calum 5sos #5sos #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #5sos imaagine #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fanfic #5 seconds of summer fic #fbi!calum #behavior analyst!calum #h writes #calum hood blurb #calum hood x oc

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i-am-a-bad-influence-writes · 3 years

Text

Favorites p2

All credit to all the amazing writers who wrote all this. I linked all their original posts of the stories. This list is not done at all. I will add to it every once in a while and if you leave suggestions in the notes or in my asks.

* = Smut

Updated last on 22-05-2023

Harry Potter

Newt Scamander

*No sex before breakfast by @accio-infinity-stone Summary: You start your day off by counting freckles. Things escalate from there.

*Petite fleur by @iridecsense Summary: Newt becomes infatuated with the singing woman who lives across the street...

Attention by @hippogrxff Summary: Newt can’t stop working, so you make him.

Lovesick niffler by @miss-authorcita Summary: Can a niffler help Newt meet the one?

Protector by @fantasticnewtimagines Summary: You were drawing Frank but tiredness took over.

Remus Lupin

Bad mood by @themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy Summary: Remus is in a bad mood and doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Well, excluding you of course.

*Caught by @mcwerewolfblack Summary: Remus and you almost get caught during one of your nightly affairs.

The point of no return by @iliveiloveiwrite Summary: If I asked you to stay, would you?

Pancakes by @iliveiloveiwrite Summary: “Is... is that my shirt?” Remus questions from the doorway.

Sirius Black

*Studying by @expellimarvelous Summary: Where is your shirt?

Fred Weasley

Happiness, I’m sorry you’ve been on hold by @iliveiloveiwrite Summary: After the war Fred finds that he distances himself from his family and the life he has known. He finds it hard to find his way until a charming neighbor shows him life is still worth living.

House unity by @plant-flwrs Summary: Fred Weasley and you have a bit of a love hate relationship, however, on Fred’s behalf its more love than hate. Dating a Ravenclaw would be a great stride in house unity, wouldn’t it?

*Cat and mouse game by @lumosandnoxwriting Summary: As the title says.

Opposites attract by @fandom-imaginestar Summary: Fred falls for a Ravenclaw girl who prefers reading over his pranks.

Dishes & kisses by @andshedoesitagain Summary: You’re staying at the Weasley’s and Fred has some explaining to do.

Hogwarts Legacy

Multiple people

*Face sitting by @sebastianwallows

Sebastian Sallow

*Hushed whispers by @anto-pops Summary: After working Sebastian into a frenzy before class, he refuses to acquiesce to your half-measures and steals you away to finish what you started.

Ominous Gaunt

Nothing yet

Garreth Weasley

Goodnight kiss by @blueraineshadows Summary: Let the Garreth simping commence - there is a lack of content for this cauldron exploding little goof, so here is some sexy, spicy drabble for Team Weasley

Lost count by @toppersbitch Summary: You comfort Garreth when he’s feeling down.

*Don’t ever leave by @ominisss Summary: It has been one year since you have graduated from Hogwarts. You've returned to Hogsmeade for some shopping, and you run into a familiar face. You spend the afternoon catching up with Garreth Weasley, when a rain storm rolls in preventing you from returning home.

Freckled serotonin by @festivalsofmargot Summary: It’s your one year anniversary and Garreth wants to do something special for you.

5SOS

Ashton Irwin

*Tinder by @haileybeehappy Summary: You meet up with some mystery man from tinder. Things go perfectly right.

*By the pool by @morningfears Summary: Dad’s Best Friend!Ash, older man!Ash (mid-40s) x younger!Reader (21) | “I could just pull your bikini bottoms to the side, no one will notice. But where’s the fun in that?”

*Slow by @snapbackcake

If walls could talk by @bananashemmo Summary: Sharing an intimate relationship with his best friend Y/N isn’t always the easiest to hide when you’re on tour.

Calum Hood

Power outage by @bxcketbarnes Summary: Roommate au

*Anklets and necklaces by @be-ready-when-i-say-go Summary: anklet on his shoulder 🤝 chain in my face

Promises by @absolutewhore101 Summary: "why are you looking at me like that?"

"can't keep my hands off of you" by @heartache-onthebigscreen Summary: simple, calum showing you some cute PDA

The married life by @bxcketbarnes

*Things are good by @grxcisxhy-wp Summary: calum seems to have never liked you, leading him to say some things he doesn't mean. so, he comes to apologize and ends up doing more than just expressing his regrets.

*2011 by @lukesaprince Summary: just a classic quickie before the ‘2011′ cover shoot

Sweet dreams by @be-ready-when-i-say-go Summary: Calum and you have dance around reality for a few months now. But after Calum leaves and returns from a trip, the reality has to be confronted.

*Slutty wedding sex by @cakesunflower

*Ice by @morningfears Summary: Calum doesn’t believe in love but you make him crazier than he ever imagined anyone could.

*Dark blue by @morningfears Summary: Calum and your older brother were best friends. Although the pair of you got off on the wrong foot, you spent the summer together and fell for one another somewhere along the way. However, when your brother moved away for college, Calum disappeared, too. But a long drive serves to close the distance between the pair of you

*Lucky shot in paradise by @cakesunflower Summary: There’s a beautiful new waitress in the diner across from Calum’s bar. Calum can’t wait to get to know her.

Actors

Henry Cavill

L’aurore by @fvckinghenrycavill Summary: a fluffy morning with Henry and his beard that he has to shave.

*Drunk in love by @angrythingstarlight Summary: Drunk Henry comes home wanting a little taste of his favorite snack.

Love bite by @delicate-moon-princess Summary: It was just a little love bite. Who knew Henry could be so dramatic?

*Doctor and Mr. Cavill by @ramp-it-up Summary: Kal’s favorite Veterinarian, nerd activities and Henry.

Chris Evans

*Take it all off by @angrythingstarlight Summary: Chris does not want you wearing another team’s jersey in his house. In fact, he doesn’t want you wearing anything in his house.

*Follow you by @buckyownsmylife Summary: The one where Chris becomes your roommate and finds out he has a domesticity kink... and more.

*My good girl by @agentofbarnes Summary: You were always a good girl.

Set up series by @time-for-a-lullaby Summary: You’re close friends with Lizzie Olsen, she invites you to her birthday party where it’s very clear her and Scott are intending to set you and Chris up.

Tom Hiddleston

*Mr. Hiddleston by @that-writer-who-never-posts Summary: You’ve fallen deeply for your professor. Why do you always choose the ones that you can’t have?

*Slow hands by @just-the-hiddles Summary: Tom and you are old friends. But how you wish it was more. Tom decides to a quiet birthday with you. A birthday wish and a few beers can change your life.

*Winning feels good by @that-writer-who-never-posts Summary: The reader teases Tom right before he needs to go out and thinks he would let her get away with that...

*Lips on you by @babylevines Summary: lazy morning sex during a honeymoon in the south of france

Sebastian Stan

No script by @revengingbarnes Summary: Sebastian practices all his roles with you. This one is a romantic scene, and you don’t know how to conceal your feelings as just acting when they are so much more.

Teddy bear by @captainmarvels Summary: Sebastian is a fuzzy teddy bear

*P*rn actor by @sinner-as-saint Summary: headcannons for prnactor seb.

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eddiesblklvr · 2 years

Text

MY GIRLS. | CALUM HOOD

PAIRING: calum hood x blackwoman!oc

WARNINGS: mentions of pregnancy, fluff, shitty/toxic ex boyfriend, mentions of cheating, profanity

SUMMARY: cleo catches calum talking to her daughter about his feelings for her

WORD COUNT: 2.5k

SKYE’S NAV. | CALUM HOOD M.LIST | REQUESTS

cleo has been calum’s best friend since the beginning of the band’s career. cleo and her family had already lived in london when the band moved there, and it just so happened to be in the same neighborhood. it was very cliche, cleo’s mom made the boys food and dragged cleo along to greet them.

cleo didn’t think she’d become friends with them, she especially didn’t think calum would end up as her best friend.

it was ashton’s idea to invite cleo over to their house one day. they tried their best to make her feel comfortable, noticing that she was kind of tense and apathetic while in their presence.

truthfully, she didn’t want to be bothered by anyone that day, having found out some news that brought her mood so far down, but she tried to push through it in front of them.

after a while calum noticed that she’d disappeared without anyone noticing. he searched the house, not having any luck finding her until he finally found her sitting on the back porch sobbing with her phone up to her ear.

calum didn’t ask any questions as to why she was crying or who she was talking to (he later found out that her dad died and she was listening to a few voice mails that he left her), he just sat down beside her and held her until she was calmed, letting out frequent sniffles against his chest. from that day forward, calum promised her that he’d always be someone that she could talk to about anything. he’d be her comfort person if that’s what she needed.

they stayed in touch with her while on tour, even invited her to a few shows when she had a break from school. they were always so humbled, never letting the rise of fame get to their heads.

cleo loved watching calum do what he loves, from writing the music, singing the songs, make the music, she loved watching him love what he was doing. calum would always call her and let her listen to what they were working on, having that much trust in her that she wouldn’t leak anything (she never did).

calum had always told her that he’d do anything for her, and he stuck by that when at 21, she once again came to him crying because her shitty boyfriend knocked her up and left after giving the illusion that he cared and wanted to be there. calum immediately took her in and let her stay at his shared home with ashton.

cleo had moved out to LA for college when the band did but stayed at her own apartment with a roommate. she ended up meeting her boyfriend in college. he was a nice guy at first; very loving, always gave her compliments, made sure she was safe, but after their third year of college started, he began to show his true colors.

cleo’s boyfriend never liked anyone she was around, since she came out to him about her sexuality in their second year, he slowly became controlling. he would try to force her to stay inside, accuse her of cheating if she hugged, looked, or laughed at another person’s jokes, he even tried to break her friendship with the boys (mostly calum).

he hated seeing her smiling around anyone, but when it came to calum, there was a different kind of angry. he’d try to pick fights with calum, publicly grope cleo in front of calum to make him jealous, even shoved his tongue down her throat in front of calum to make him jealous.

the behavior never stopped and it slowly turned toxic. her being accused of cheating, screaming back and forth in each other’s faces, her threatening to leave, his constant apologies, and the make up sex, it was all so exhausting.

calum hated seeing her so upset, seeing or hearing her cry when she calls or facetimes him, or shows up at his house. it was too often that you’d cry over how terrible you were being treated, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy to just up and leave, especially with how much time and effort she put into trying to make her relationship work.

it was an ongoing cycle between the couple, until one day she realized her period was a little too late. she’s wake up and immediately run to the bathroom where she’s empty out her stomach into the toilet, foods that she could normally tolerate made her nauseous, and she’s craving certain foods that she didn’t like that much.

panicky, she jumped in her car and drove to the nearest walmart, getting four pregnancy tests before paying for them and driving back home.

high strung with tears silently flowing down her face, she sat down on the lid of the toilet waiting for the timer on her phone to go off to let her know when she could flip them over.

it felt like years until the results were ready. she turned the timer off and reached out only to freeze up and break down, the heels of her hands digging into her eyes. once she finally just a bit of her composure, she flips them over one by one, the first saying NOT PREGNANT and the last three having the same results, the small digital screen reading PREGNANT. she let out a loud, heavy huff before calling her boyfriend over to talk.

he doesn’t answer the first call, but when cleo calls a second time he answers a little too harshly, “what? i’m doing something.”

“come over, i need to talk to you.”

he lets out a low grunt, “you can’t say whatever it is on the phone?”

she’s narrowing her eyes and stays quiet as she tries to listen closely to hear what he was doing, not really wanting her suspicions to be right. after a few seconds of silence, she answers, “no,” her tone jarring and final, letting him know that there was no room for negotiating. he sighs, covering up the pleasure with fake annoyance to not give himself away. before he could answer, she cuts him off, “i expect you here in at least 20 minutes.” and with that, she hangs up.

it takes him less time than expected to show up, but 15 minutes later he’s knocking at her door. when she lets him in, he smells of sweat and whatever cologne he sprayed himself without before coming, which doesn’t help at all with the thoughts running through her head.

cleo pushes the door closed, a little harder than he had expected her to, before walking to sit on the couch across from the chair he was sitting in.

“what did you need to talk about?” he asks as he watches her fiddle with the hoodie she was wearing. she doesn’t answer immediately, rubbing her hands over her face frustratedly.

“i’m pregnant.” his face crumbles in distaste, staring at her for a little longer than her liking. “if you want to leave, you can. i’ll do this by myself if i have to.” cleo shrugs a shoulder as her face remains emotionless.

“cleo, are you sure you’re pregnant?” he replies after letting out a sigh. “are you just trying to trap me or what is this?”

“no, i’m not fuckin’ trapping you. i just said that you can leave if you want to!” cleo tells him, letting her frustration get the best of her ass her voice begins to rise.

“are you sure it’s not calum’s? with the way you dick ride him so much, i’d be surprised,” he jokes with a chuckle, although they both knew it definitely was not a joke.

“you know what, you can fuck right off! are you bloody mental? why would you ever say that?”

“it was a joke, calm down.” he’s holding his hands out to signify peace, although that’s something she never gets when she’s with him. “it was just a joke. obviously i’m not leaving, you’re having my baby.”

“okay,” cleo rolls her eyes at him before he was making up some shitty excuse as to why he had to leave.

a week later, she finds out that he was the one cheating and blocks him on everything, knowing he wouldn’t care at all because he hasn’t tried communicating since the day they found out she was pregnant. cleo was with calum when she found out she was getting cheated on. she didn’t cry, she didn’t whine, she didn’t care, she was more worried about the baby the was growing that she was getting ready to go see.

she stayed the rest of her last year of college in her shared apartment with her roommate before she eventually moved in with calum and ashton.

her daughter, neveen, was now 4 years old and absolutely loved calum. cleo would always find her playing or watching tv in the living room as she waited for calum to get home. neveen had always thought of calum as her dad because he was the only father figure she had (besides her uncles, but that’s different).

he’d always do father-like things with her; he was there, holding cleo’s hand when neveen was born, he stayed up late to get her to fall asleep when she decided to be stubborn, he helped with night feeds, he woke up in the middle of the night to change her diaper or feed her or soothe her back to sleep, he was there when she was teething, he helped her learn to roll over, crawl, walk, and talk, he fed her her first bite of baby and solid food, he helped potty train her (they’re still working on that), calum was always there and cleo loved him for that.

she was so thankful for him, he didn’t have to step up and be a dad to someone else’s kid but he’s doing it and he’s loving every second of it. watching him take care of her baby as if she was his own sparked something inside of her. every time he walked into the room, she had butterflies in her stomach and a heat-like sensation run through her body. she was happy around him, he was everything she ever wanted in a partner. he cares about not only her but her child too, he treats not only her right but her child too, he protects not only her but her child too. calum just treats the both of them with the upmost love and respect, it’s hard not to fall for him.

neveen was waiting for him get back home so that they could watch the 10 year anniversary livestream. as always, she was waiting on the couch closest to the door watching Super Why when she heard the door nob jingle. her attention immediately turns to the door as she perks up in her seat. she scrambles off of the couch as quickly as a 4 year old could and runs to the door just as it opens. she remembers not to stand right in front of it, only a few feet away as she jumps with excitement, her beautiful brown curls matching her movements. calum already knows she’s right there, smiling once he catches sight of her.

calum let’s out a dramatic gasp once the door is completely open, opening his arms for the tiny, giggling 4 year old to run into them. neveen wraps her arms around his neck as calum picks her up off of the ground, pressing kisses after kisses onto her cheek. he turns around and notices cleo leaning against the wall with her phone out.

“are you filming this?” calum asks with the same bright grin on his face. “send it to me.”

as they’re watching the livestream, neveen’s very vocal on what she thought of it all. she laughed at the commercials and how funny luke looked with his “fluffy hair” and dress, how silly she thought calum looked in the 5sauce skit. she loved the Roast Interviewer, and the live performances, especially 2011.

at the end of the livestream, cleo picks up the three empty bags of chips and goes into the kitchen to throw them away.

“bubba, why wearing a skirt?” she asks. she was still learning how to form full sentences but they knew what she meant.

“i like wearing skirts. do i look good?” she didn’t mean to, but cleo found herself eavesdropping on their little conversation while making neveen’s lunch.

“mhm. my mommy has skirts.”

“i know, she looks very pretty in them, too.”

“bubba, you kiss mommy too?” neveen asks out of no where, probably remembering something from a few days ago. cleo suddenly stops what she’s doing, this time with the intentions of listening to their conversation.

“no, i don’t kiss mommy. where’d you get that from?”

“on the tv mommies and daddies kiss, but not bubba and mommy,” neveen points out, not really knowing how to get her thought out since she can’t really talk that well yet.

“yeah,” calum pauses, looking down at the little girl that takes up a big piece of his heart, “bubba would like to kiss mommy, but mommy might not like that.” cleo’s heart begins to beat so hard that she can hear it, she’s fighting to keep the grin off of her face.

“why not?”

“because she might not like bubba the way that i like her,” calum tells her, not explaining anymore because he is talking to a 4 year old.

“why not?”

“i don’t know, mama,” calum chuckles at her multiple questions, “i’ll ask her if you can color better than me.”

“okay!” neveen beams, excitement seeping through her at the thought of coloring with calum. she was about to run upstairs just as cleo got done making her lunch and called her into the kitchen to eat. calum walks behind her as she runs into the kitchen, only to be stopped and pushed out by cleo. before he could register what was happening, cleo’s soft, glossy lips were on his. subconsciously, he places his hands on her waist and kisses her back just as eagerly, knowing that she heard the whole conversation.

after a few seconds, the two of them pull back for air, her hands still resting on the his prickly cheeks while his are gripping her waist.

a smile creeps onto their lips as they stand with their forehead’s pressed together. after a long period of silence, cleo asks, “what are you doing tomorrow?”

it takes him a few seconds to get his thoughts together, “um, nothing.”

“good,” she replies as she pulls her head away and drags her hands down his neck and resting them on his chest, “we’re gonna have a little family picnic tomorrow after picking neveen up from school.”

calum chuckles, pulling her closer by her waist, “already planning dates, huh? a family date?”

“of course. have to make sure my daughter fancy’s you,” cleo teases, shrugging her shoulder as calum’s mouth drops.

“i think she likes me just fine!”

“yeah, yeah, whatever,” cleo rolls her eyes as she grabs a hold of calum’s hand and drags him into the kitchen to sit with their little love.

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sarcastically-defensive17 · 4 years

Note

Probably you have some request, but I was wondering if you could write a Calum x Reader based on The Moment I Knew where even the guys send her a happy birthday message but Calum was radio silence (If you're interested in it not ending with angst maybe a second part based in The Last Time haha, lol)

The Moment I Knew - C. Hood

Okay so, I had never heard this song before and now I’ve played it on repeat. Your girl lives to write angst so I may have gone a bit too far but I hope you like it!!

I will have a part two done soon! Send me a message so I can tag you in it, if you like!

Thank you for the request, lovie! 💕

Original story by sarcastically-defensive17

Her 24th birthday should have been a day she spent surrounded by her dear friends and her boyfriend.

Her friends were waiting at Luke and Sierra’s house for their guest it honor who would arrive with Calum.

She should have spent it with a smile stretching her cherry tinted lips, not droplets smearing her perfectly done mascara.

It should have ended in a night of passion, not heartbreak.

It should have been a lot of things, but Calum couldn’t even remember a single day to spend with the woman he claimed to love so much. And Y/N couldn’t sit back and deal with his ignorance and inability to be there for his girl.

You should've been there. Should've burst through the door with that "Baby, I'm right here" smile.

She woke that morning to messages from everybody. Everybody but Calum.

Sierra and Luke has stopped by to wish her a happy birthday, and give her flowers and a dress that Sierra had picked out for the party that night.

Crystal and Michael called to apologize for not stopping by but to wish her a happy birthday and make lunch plans for the following day with promises to see her that night.

Ashton and KayKay took her out for breakfast, something which Calum was meant to attend but she received no reply from him. Her friends tried their hardest to take her mind off of the missing person at their table. They also had promised that Calum would most likely see her later that night.

And it would've felt like a million little shining stars had just aligned. And I would've been so happy.

She didn’t want to pull it, but this was the last straw. In their over year long relationship, he started to slack after their anniversary.

He showed up late for their anniversary dinner, barely replied to her messages, even when he was at home, spent more time out with the guys than paying any mind to Y/N. She thought the last straw was when they had made big plans to spend the day together on Christmas Eve. Her favourite holiday.

Christmas lights glisten, I've got my eye on the door, just waiting for you to walk in.

He didn’t show until late that night. He simply left his present for her sitting under her tree and crawled into bed with her sleeping form.

Still, she pushed aside her feelings of abandonment, for she loved the kiwi man too much.

But this was the most she could take.

The minutes ticked by, and she sat on her lounge, lips stained red, black dress accentuating every part of her body that she felt confident in. Heels slipped onto her feet, that made her walk away more than usual.

She felt like a million bucks when she had gotten ready. Now, she felt like the booby prize.

After all, she must be if Calum couldn’t spare a few hours to attend the party Sierra had planned for her special day.

He was radio silence all day. Not a single message. Not even a quick gif of a cat wearing a party hat like Mali-Koa had sent her, although the elder hood had also sent her a long paragraph about how much she adores her and how happy she makes Calum.

If only Calum made her feel like she made him happy. Or that he even wanted her around.

They were now 45 minutes past the time Calum had promised to be there.

She was fuming.

But the time is ticking. People ask me how I've been, as I comb back through my memory, how you said you'd be here.

She can’t quite determine the amount of times that Calum has stood her up. She understands that his music is important to him, but he tells her she is important to him as well. How?

How can he be so sure that she is important to him, when he has left her sitting alone on her birthday. Her birthday.

You said you'd be here

Enough was enough. She stood up from her lounge, straightening her dress out and checking her makeup in the mirror. If Calum wasn’t going to take her to enjoy her birthday, then she would do it herself.

She typed a quick message to Calum before she threw her phone on the abandoned lounge, snatching her keys from a hook and slamming the door closed behind her.

And it was like slow motion. Standing there in my party dress, in red lipstick, with no one to impress.

“You said you’d be here. Don’t bother showing up tonight. Happy birthday to me, right?”

And they're all laughing as I'm looking around the room. But there was one thing missing, and that was the moment I knew.

She had been at the party for hours, and all she wanted was to go home and drown her sadness in ice cream and flood her pillow with tears. Namely, the pillow that trapped Calum’s scent like a butterfly net.

It was hard to be with her friends, because, even though she was introduced to them as Calum’s friends, each of them became something special to her, and they all grew closer over the time.

Especially Luke and Sierra.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she struggled to settle in the atmosphere without him. For a minute she thought whether he would have come to her if she called him but given the three and a half hours that had passed since her message, she knew he had something better to do.

Or somebody better to be with.

The tears started to fall and her hands started to shake. She had always struggled with abandonment issues, but this experience felt new.

She couldn’t handle it anymore. She couldn’t be with Calum anymore.

And the hours pass by. Now I just wanna be alone but your close friends always seem to know when there's something really wrong.

She trudged down the hall, tears blurring her vision as she forced her way into the bathroom of the house.

Heeled shoes echoed behind her and Sierra’s dark head of hair flooded her gaze as the woman’s arms wrapped around her, letting her sob into her shoulder.

Y/N tries to stop the tears, but the pain is so overwhelming.

Her birthday, the one day in the entire year that she requested her boyfriend to be there for her with no exceptions, he let her down.

Again. Lately, he only let her down.

She couldn’t handle it anymore. She couldn’t handle being second best. No, third best.

Not even that.

So they follow me down the hall, and there in the bathroom, I try not to fall apart and the sinking feeling starts.

She lowers herself to the ground, her legs no longer supporting her. Sierra crouches with her, still holding her friend through her breakdown.

She knew Y/N struggled with abandonment, as she had gotten the closest to the girl, but she never imagined Calum could be the one to make her feel this way.

“It’s okay, breathe babe. Breathe,” Sierra cooed, stroking the woman’s perfectly done hair. She looked stunning, and that made Sierra’s heart ache more. “I’m sorry he did this, I’m so sorry.”

Y/N sniffed, trying to will her tears to stop. Mascara was most likely smudged on her face, and on the shoulder of Sierra’s royal blue blouse, but she couldn’t contain the emotion that had been building all day.

For months even.

For three months, Calum hadn’t been there for her. If not for the random mornings she would wake up with him by her side, or the fleeting messages of open promises, it was as if she was single.

She might as well be.

“He said he would be here,” she sobbed, her voice sounding more broken than anything Sierra had heard before.

“I know, honey, I know.”

As I say hopelessly, "He said he'd be here"

“Do you wanna tell everybody to head home? You and I can veg out and watch some movies, if you like?” Sierra proposed, rubbing the arms of her friend whose tears had halted.

Y/N shook her head with a small smile on her face, “It’s okay Si. Let’s just enjoy ourselves, yeah? No more tears, I promise.”

What do you say, when tears are streaming down your face in front of everyone you know?

Y/N felt embarrassed to have broken down in such a way in front of her friends. She had always tried to be the tough one, even cracking a smile that very morning when Ashton asked about her absent boyfriend.

But she had hit her limit.

And what do you do when the one who means the most to you is the one who didn't show?

The room was full of so many people, every one of her friends, her siblings, even her parents and some family had made the trip to see her for her birthday. Everybody but Calum.

Almost everybody she loved and held fear was there to witness her standing in her party dress and her red lipstick. Her fixed mascara and now clean face. With her best friend holding her hand and a chocolate cake placed in front of her.

The lit number “24” stared back at her as she tried to ignore the missing piece to the puzzle that was the night.

Their voices faded to the background as they all sung to her, watching as she blew out the candles with one thing on her mind.

‘I wish you were here’

And they're all standing around me singing "Happy birthday to you". But there was one thing missing.

Y/N now knew, she couldn’t be with Calum anymore.

And that was the moment I knew.

Calum had this overwhelming feeling that he was forgetting something. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but he knew it was something important.

His fingers plucked the strings of his bass, and his mind ran through the lyrics to a song they were working on for their newest album.

The album has been taking up most of his free thought, for he was determined to get some of the songs just right for when it drops.

His heart dropped when he checked his phone, a message from Y/N that had been sent four hours before.

Guilt boiled in his stomach and he was grabbing his keys, slipping his shoes on and rushing out the door without a second thought.

“You said you’d be here. Don’t bother showing up tonight. Happy birthday to me, right?”

He could feel the malicious intent in the message, and he deserved it. This was the seventh time he had stood her up, and he knew that she had every right to be mad at him.

Even if she told him not to, he was on his way to Luke’s house to apologize to her. He just thanked god that he had already put her present in his car.

He sent a message to his best friend asking if his girl was still there.

Luke replied with a simple and snappy “she left. She doesn’t want to see you.”

He sighed, resting his head against his steering wheel as he dialed the number accompanied by a heart.

Y/N would be alright, he knew it. She would answer the phone, apologize, and tell her he loves her. She would return the sentiment, and all would be well.

Wouldn’t it?

You called me later, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't make it".

Y/N saw the name show up on her phone as the sound of Calum’s voice floods her dark bedroom.

She made true of her promise to go home, drown her feelings in ice cream and soak her pillow with tears. She just wished that her ringtone for Calum wasn’t his angelic voice singing “If you don’t know.”

She hit the answer button and switched it onto loud speaker so she didn’t need to love from her positioned curled up in the middle of her bed.

“Hey baby, sorry I didn’t make it. Lost track of time writing. I love you so much, happy birthday angel,” his voice transferred through the receiver and she couldn’t bring herself to find an answer other than what is on her mind.

And I said, "I'm sorry too".

“I’m sorry too, Calum,” she answered, feeling her words catch in her throat.

“For what, baby?” He chuckled, brushing off the serious tone of her voice.

She steered her nerves, sitting up and the sound of crinkling sheets temporarily flooded Calum’s ears.

She let out a deep breath, letting the tears fall as she spoke. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t always be a second thought, especially when it’s my birthday and I’m sitting at our friends house crying my eyes out because you couldn’t give me enough respect to tell me you won’t be there for me.”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry-“

“So am I, Cal. I can’t be with you anymore. Goodbye.”

And that was the moment I knew.

#calum hood #calum hood x reader #luke hemmings #ashton irwin #5sos #michael clifford #songfic #5 seconds of summer #taylor swift #sierra deaton #crystal leigh #kaykay blaisdell #requested #love this song now wth

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mamaspresley · 4 years

Text

tranquility | ch

a/n: this is... messy. i don’t even know what the whole concept is, i guess calum meeting his girlfriend’s parents at christmas? idk. it’s soft though! so enjoy luvs

word count: 7.0k+ (sheesh)

pairing(s): calum x girlfriend but soon to be fiance!reader

warning(s): pure fluff

“I really don’t understand what you’re so nervous about,” she said, her eyes resting on Calum who sat in the driver’s seat, leaned back comfortably with one hand on the wheel as his opposite arm rested on the window sill. “You’ve met them before.”

“Saying hi over Facetime does not count as meeting them,” the boy claimed, glancing over to Amelia before looking back at the road. His jaw clenched, just enough for Amelia to see the veins working up his neck as he rubbed a hand over his chin. “And that was only your mom—besides the point. I just want to make a good impression.”

“You will.” She looked back out the window, pausing a moment before speaking again. “It’s weird to think we’ve been together for nearly three years and you haven’t met my parents.”

“We just never got the timing right,” Calum answered simply, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as he glanced over at the pretty girl sitting in the passenger seat of his black Mercedes. “Besides, you only met my parents in June.”

“Yeah.” Amelia looked out the window, wringing her hands in her lap before looking back over at Calum. “You know, my mom loves you. From the moment I told her about you.”

“Yeah, and what about your dad?” Calum tilted his head to look at Amelia, eyes knowing. He didn’t miss the way she rolled her lips in a thin line, chewing on the lower one before parting them to let out a sigh.

“He’s hard to please,” she said finally. Calum raised an eyebrow as he looked over and she shrugged. “It’s true. First time he met Jo, he told Ian to break it off because he didn’t like her vibe. Now look at them—married with one kid and a baby on the way. And now my dad loves her. He’s just. . . not good with first impressions.”

“So you’re saying we should just ignore everything he says and do the opposite,” Calum said, playfully raising his dark eyebrows at the girl as he watched her roll her eyes.

“You know what I mean.”

Calum looked back at the dark road, chewing on his lower lip. He did know what she meant—he always did. Calum looked back over at Amelia, his eyes soft on hers. “Do you think he’ll like me? Honestly.”

She nodded. “I know he will.” Amelia spoke with nothing but truth in her voice. If it were anyone else, she’d be hesitant in bringing a boy home to meet her parents. She had boyfriends in high school and brought a few of them home, but none of them ever meant anything to her. Not like Calum did.

Calum had seen pictures of Amelia’s dad. He was intimidating, with his bulky figure, towering at a height of six feet. He’d been in the army in his day and kept in shape since he retired. With the muscles along with the height, Isaac Mannell could easily scare any man—including Calum. Isaac towered over the rest of his family at 6′2″ and it became quite apparent when Calum first saw pictures of the five-person family. Amelia’s brother, Ian, was similar to their dad in the way that he joined the army at a young age and kept up with the training as he aged. Ian was the oldest of the siblings, four years older than Amelia and ten years older than their sister Hanna. Ian had enlisted in the military straight out of high school and came home last year, when Jo, his girlfriend at the time, got pregnant with their first kid. Calum loved Ian—they’d met when he first started seeing Amelia. Ian was a fun guy, free spirited and a bit of a dumbass, but that’s what Calum loved about him. He was also a big fan of rock music, sharing many interests in the same bands as Calum so the two got along well. Amelia was happy when she found out they were fond of each other. It was a weight off her shoulders that she didn’t know she was carrying. Now, she felt that same pressure as they drove to her parents’ house in Jacksonville, Oregon.

“Right or left?” Calum pulled up to a stop sign before glancing over at Amelia.

“Uh, right.” He turned onto the unfamiliar street, waiting for the next directions. Only a few more turns and they were pulling into the driveway of Amelia’s childhood home.

“It’s cute,” Calum said as he put the car in park. The property standing before them was adorable, a simple white house with grey rocks lining the bottom. There was a set of stairs to get up to the deck that wrapped around the exterior of the house, where a few patio chairs were placed along with a small porch swing. Amelia only hummed, smiling as she climbed out of the car and Calum followed suit.

While Amelia reached into the car to grab her purse, Calum took the opportunity to glance around the neighbourhood. This was where she grew up. It was cute, reminding Calum of his hometown back in Sydney. He was pulled from his thoughts when Amelia cleared her throat, looking over at Calum with wide eyes and a genuine smile. The boy, who stood with one arm leaning on the open door and the other on the hood of the car, raised his eyebrows. Amelia laughed adorably, placing both hands on her hips in a teasing manner. “You coming babe, or you wanna stay out here and admire from afar?”

“Sorry, sorry.”

The couple walked up the steps leading to the front porch, Amelia’s hand slipping to fit into Calum’s much larger one as she pulled him towards the front door. He stepped back as Amelia knocked on the door, looking back at her boyfriend with a smile on her face. A smile that made Calum feel at ease already.

The door opened quickly and in its place stood Amelia’s mother. She was a small woman, the same height as Amelia though the large kimono she wore made her seem much shorter. The lady gushed, holding her hands to her heart before pulling her daughter in for a hug. “Oh, Amelia.”

“Hi, Mom.” Amelia pulled away from her mother after a moment, allowing the older woman to glance over her daughter’s shoulders and lay eyes on the handsome young boy standing on her porch, arms folded over his chest as he glanced around the exterior of the house.

“Calum! Oh, it’s so nice to finally meet you.” It was Calum’s turn for a hug from the older lady, and he accepted gratefully while shooting Amelia a look over her shoulder. When the older woman pulled away, both hands moving to rest on Calum’s biceps that were covered by his infamous leather jacket, she smiled at the boy.

“It’s wonderful to meet you in person, Mrs. Mannell,” Calum said with a polite smile, his ring clad fingers clasping together behind his back.

“Oh, please. Call me Marie,” the lady said with a laugh, patting his arm. “How was the drive?”

“Fine,” Amelia answered, stepping inside herself as her mother led Calum into the house. “We split the drive so it wasn’t bad.”

“Oh, that’s good. Do you two want anything to drink? Here, let me take your coats.” Marie was already stripping Calum of his as she offered, and the boy thanked her whilst slipping the article off. When the older woman was busy hanging their jackets in the front closet, Amelia turned to Calum with wide, expecting eyes.

“So?” she whispered. Calum only raised a singular eyebrow, crossing his arms again. “Told you she likes you.”

Before Calum had time to answer, Amelia’s mother approached them again, her hand finding residence on Calum’s arm as she looked at her daughter with a wide smile. “I could use your help in the kitchen, dear, if that’s alright. Calum can meet your father—he’s in the den watching the game.”

Amelia glanced over to Calum, expecting some sort of reaction. He only nodded, giving Marie a smile and then looked at his girlfriend. “Of course. Gives you two some time to catch up. I wanted to talk to him, anyway.��

Amelia’s mother smiled sweetly, squeezing his arm lightly before leading both of them down the hallway. Under her breath, the older woman whispered to her daughter, “He’s cute,” and Amelia said back, “I know.” A smile crept across Calum’s lips as he followed the two ladies into the main portion of the home.

“Is that Amelia or Ian?” A deeper voice, belonging to a male, boomed as they walked into the shared kitchen and living room.

“It’s Amelia, dear.”

Calum looked over to see Amelia’s father getting up from the couch, his eyes settling on his daughter. A smile, one that was shared universally between the family, appeared on Mr. Mannell’s face as he held out his arms warmly. “There’s my girl.”

“Hi, Dad.” The younger girl stepped into his arms, burying her face in his sweater as she smiled. “Mm, I missed you.”

The man pulled away moments later as did Amelia, and his dark eyes landed on the other male in the room. “Calum.” Mr. Mannell nodded towards the younger boy before reaching out to offer a hand.

“Good to finally meet you, sir.” Calum shook his hand with a firm grip, giving a polite smile to the older man.

“You, too. Nice to put a name to a face when it comes to the man my daughter raves on about.” At his words, Calum glanced back at Amelia who blushed, running a hand through her hair shyly. He grinned.

Mrs. Mannell jumped in, placing a hand on Calum’s shoulder as she spoke to her husband. “Amelia is going to help me in the kitchen, since somebody didn’t feel like prepping some of the food like I asked of him earlier today.” The older man only chuckled as the two women escaped into the kitchen, and then both men were taking a seat, Calum sitting on the couch adjacent to Amelia’s father.

“So did you two drive down then?”

“Yes sir,” Calum said with a nod, sitting up straight as he rolled his shoulders back and clasped his fingers together in his lap, elbows on his knees. “About eleven hours.”

“Tell me you didn’t make Amelia drive that long,” the older man said with a pointed look. Calum chuckled, shaking his head.

“No sir. She did insist on splitting the drive, though.” His palms were sweaty as Calum wiped his hands on his jeans, clearing his throat. “But the weather got a little rough near Sacramento so I took the reins from there. I don’t want Lia drivin’ this time a year, anyway.”

“Good man.” Amelia’s father leaned over to grab his beer by the neck of the bottle before tipping it to Calum pointedly. “Amelia can be a bit stubborn so I’m surprised she even let you take over. You want a beer, Calum?”

“Um, sure. Thanks.” The older man got to his feet, walking into the kitchen and Calum took the time to collect himself. It didn’t seem to be going too bad—he was still a little on edge, seeing as this man was beyond intimidating on top of the fact that it was his girlfriend’s father. But they seemed to be getting along so far, and he didn’t say anything wrong yet so that was a plus. Now all he needed to do was find the right time to bring up the topic of conversation that was bubbling in Calum’s stomach since the realization of it had hit him.

“You like Budweiser?” Calum glanced up to see Mr. Mannell holding out a beer for him, and Calum took it, wrapping his ring clad fingers around the neck of the bottle as he smiled graciously, giving the man a nod. As the older man took a seat across from Calum, the younger boy rubbed a hand over his jaw, eyes set on the baseball game playing on the television.

Silence fell over the two men, a little too uncomfortable for Calum’s liking but he preferred this over the awkward small talk they were making before. At least now, Calum couldn’t stumble over his words like an idiot and make a fool out of himself in front of his girlfriend’s father. He took the time to work up the courage to ask Mr. Mannell the question that was burning at his skull. Unfortunately, he had less time than he thought, as Amelia walked into the living room and interrupted his train of thought. Not that he minded. She placed a hand on his shoulder, massaging him slightly as she leaned over the couch, her lips ghosting over his ear. “Help me with the bags?” she whispered, and Calum nodded. He placed a hand over Amelia’s before standing up and excusing himself. He’d have to find Mr. Mannell later.

The two of them exited the house, not bothering with their jackets as they made their way to the car. Once they were out of ear shot, Amelia asked, “How’s it going?”

“Well he hasn’t murdered me yet, so I think it’s going good.” Calum unlocked the doors of the vehicle, shooting Amelia a look over the body of the car. “What about you? How’s helping in the kitchen?”

A snort sounded from the girl as she opened the trunk of the car. “If by helping in the kitchen you mean the conversation that my mom started specifically about our sex life, then yeah. It’s going great.”

Calum froze. “What?”

“She asked if we’ve had sex yet,” she responded, reaching into the trunk and pulling out a suitcase. Letting it fall to the ground, Amelia let out a breath before looking up at Calum with raised eyebrows. “And even worse, she asked if you were any good.”

Mortified, Calum choked on the inhale he took at her words. “She—what?” Amelia nodded as if she was reading his mind, and then ducked down to lean into the trunk again. “Well. . . what did you say?”

“If you’re asking whether or not I told my mom you’re a good fuck, I didn’t.” Amelia grabbed the other suitcase and set it down, reaching up to close the trunk. Once slamming it shut, Amelia looked back at Calum with a small laugh. “I told you—she loves you. And a little too much, in my opinion.”

Calum carried the suitcases inside while Amelia grabbed the door, opening it for the boy. He held back a pointed look to Amelia as her mom came into the room, insisting she show them to their room, a little too friendly as she flirtatiously placed a hand on his shoulder. Amelia sighed, raising a knowing eyebrow at Calum and he chuckled, following Mrs. Mannell down the hall after he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

“This is Amelia’s old bedroom,” the lady said as she pushed open the door to the bedroom they’d be accompanying over the next few days. Calum set the bags down near the bed, standing up straight. The suitcases were a little heavy, straining on his back to Calum took the time to stretch his shoulders a bit, raising an arm behind his head and pulling it back with his free hand.

Amelia’s eyes wandered to Calum’s biceps, which were on full display as he stretched. The fitted red t-shirt he wore did nothing but squeeze his muscular arms in all the right places. Amelia wasn’t complaining though—and neither was Marie. Like mother, like daughter.

“Mom,” Amelia cleared her throat, dragging her eyes to the woman as she scratched the top of her head. “We’re gonna unpack and then we’ll be up in a bit.”

Her daughter’s words pulled Marie’s gaze away as she nodded. “Oh, of course! I should take out the turkey anyway,” the older woman said, patting her daughter’s cheek lightly before giving Calum a warm smile and then exiting the room. Footsteps padded up the stairs as Amelia glanced back to Calum, dead panning.

“What?” he asked, furrowed eyebrows accompanying the slight frown on his lips.

“Now you’re just fucking with me,” Amelia said warily, earning a deep-rooted laugh to emerge from Calum’s lips as he shook his head, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend’s waist.

“I think it’s obvious which one of the Mannell girls I’m here for, love,” the boy said as Amelia rolled her eyes playfully, snaking her own arms around his neck.

“Yeah, and who’s that?”

“Do I gotta say it?” Calum pulled Amelia closer, feeling her fingers card through the curls at the nape of his neck while she studied his expression. He smirked, raising an eyebrow at the girl before sighing, and he added a roll of the eyes for dramatic effect. “It’s obviously Hanna. Where is she, anyway?”

Scoffing, Amelia unraveled herself from Calum and smacked his chest playfully. “Dick head!”

“I’m kidding, doll.” Calum laughed as he tightened his grip on her, and Amelia immediately fell into his hold, her hands coming to fist his t-shirt as she smiled up at him. “It’s you. Always.”

A light blush crept over her cheeks as she tried to hide her smile with an annoyed expression, though it failed miserably as Calum dipped down to press his lips against hers, sparking a warm grin from the girl. “You know I love you, right?” he mumbled. Amelia frowned, pulling away slightly but still keeping her arms around his neck. At her confused expression, Calum continued. “I love you and everything about you. Being here, in the place you grew up, is. . . an eye-opener for me. Just reminds me how lucky I am to have you.”

“Now you’re just being cheesy,” Amelia said with the raise of an eyebrow, keeping her confident facade up in case her truthful, heart warmed one filtered through.

Calum chuckled, reaching a hand up to tuck some hair behind Amelia’s ear. He was always able to see right through her. “Only for you, sweetheart.” He didn’t miss the way her lips spiked up into a smile at the term of endearment, her blue eyes casting over with contentment as she stared at him wonderfully.

“I love you, too, by the way,” she murmured, standing on her toes to press her lips to his. Then, through the kiss, Amelia said, “Even if you may spike some sort of weird. . . sexual tension from my mom.”

“Are you saying I’m making you jealous, Lia?”

“I’m saying I think you make my mother jealous,” Amelia replied as she pulled away once again, releasing her hands to drag them down his shoulders and rest on his chest. Calum let out a low, throaty chuckle as his brown eyes darted between Amelia’s blue irises.

“What, so your father doesn’t put out?”

“Alright,” Amelia took a step back, shaking her head as she grimaced, “we can stop talking about my parents’ sex life now. Seriously. Please.”

Calum laughed again, this time from his heart as he pulled his girl back into his arms.

***

“Marie, would you like to start?”

The older woman nodded, giving a smile as she offered her hands to two of her children, who sat adjacent to her on both sides of the table. Mrs. Mannell closed her eyes, beginning her prayer, just after the rest of them joined hands as well. Calum, who held Amelia’s hand along with her younger sister, Hanna’s, closed his eyes and bowed his head, listening intently to every word Marie was saying. Calum wasn’t really religious himself, believing more in spirituality than a high power such as God, but he respected his girlfriend’s family’s beliefs and therefore joined them in the Grace they spoke before dinner.

“O Come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. . .” As Marie continued with her prayer, Calum felt a squeeze to his right hand as he glanced up, opening his eyes to meet a pair of blue irises that held reassurance and concern in them. Calum smiled at the girl, giving her a nod as he understood what Amelia was asking. She let out a relieved sigh, her lips curving upwards before she hung her head again and listened to her mother’s voice. “Come and behold him, born the King of angels. Amen.”

“Amen.”

They all took turns in saying a prayer, mainly just stating what they were thankful for while addressing God. After Marie spoke, then did Hanna, and after Hanna was Calum. Amelia placed a gentle hand on his arm, leaning in to whisper, “You don’t have to,” but he dismissed her and instead cleared his throat.

“I am beyond thankful for being here, sharing this Christmas with my girlfriend’s wonderful family and for them accepting me into their home,” he started, hand clasped in Amelia’s as she watched him with kind, proud, adoring eyes. “And for Mrs. Mannell, who I know worked tremendously hard to make this dinner. And Mr. Mannell, for. . . getting me that beer earlier.” A few rounds of laughs were shared around the table, including Mr. Mannell himself. “Thank you for allowing me into your life, into your daughter’s life. I am grateful for my family, the path of life I am on and shall discover, and for Lia, the light in my life.”

Many awes were expressed at the last bit as Calum passed it onto the girl sitting beside him, who was a smiling mess as she stared at Calum in adoration. Amelia rolled her lower lip between her teeth, grinning from ear to ear, before looking down to close her eyes, and she cleared her throat before speaking. “Thank you, God, for my family and my friends, thank you for the clothes on my back and the roof over my head. Thank you, God, for the misfortunes that I have learned from and the strength I have gained because of, and thank you, God, for leading me to where I am today, with my family.” She squeezed Calum’s hand as she spoke the last part.

While the rest of the table shared their thoughts and prayers, Amelia sat with her hand clasped in Calum’s, her fingers slotted through his and her eyes studying him intently. He watched and listened as people spoke, humming in agreement to some of the statements that were made by fellow family members before they were finished, and all began to dig in.

As the other six people at the table dove into the delicious food displayed in front of them, Amelia squeezed Calum’s hand lightly, causing the boy to direct his attention to her with a slight curious raise of the eyebrows. She offered him a smile while leaning in to whisper, “Thank you.”

Lowering his eyebrows in confusion, Calum asked, “For what?”

Amelia swallowed before shifting in her seat, bringing her free hand to hold the side of Calum’s chiseled face, her nails scraping over the stubble lining his jaw. “I know you don’t believe in God so it—it means a lot that you prayed with us,” she said, showing her concern in the way her eyes darted between his in search of any uncomfort. It was all honest, his expression. That’s how he always was when it came to Amelia.

Calum, who had a hard time believing that this girl in front of him wasn’t just a figment of his imagination, reached up to grab the hand cupping his face and held it in his. He brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand as he spoke, “You know I’ll do anything for you, angel.” His words were kind and soft, lips still brushing over the skin on her hand as Amelia wore a delightful smile. The boy leaned in to place a kiss to her forehead, and Amelia was sure her cheeks were about to light on fire by the flame ignited deep below her skin. Calum pulled away from her, squeezing her hand. “Now let’s eat this delicious food that your mother spent hours slaving over, yeah?”

Amelia giggled, nodding in agreement as she let Calum dish her plate.

***

“Thank you for dinner once again, Mrs. Mannell,” Calum said as he placed a dirty dish on the counter near the sink. The older woman scoffed, hitting him lightly with the dish towel in her hands.

“Oh, please. ‘Mrs. Mannell’ makes me sound old. I told you to call me Marie.” She clicked her tongue, shaking her head before Calum let out a deep chuckle, apologizing. “Just for that, I’m gonna make you help me with the dishes.”

“It’s only fair.” The boy took the dish towel from Marie’s hands, moving to lean one hip against the counter while reaching into the soapy water that sat in the sink to pull out a clean plate. While the two of them worked together to wash the dishes, Marie rinsing and scrubbing while Calum dried and put away, they made small talk to fill the air before Amelia walked over.

“Makin’ him your slave, Mama?” The girl snaked her arms around Calum’s torso, burying her face in his clothed back and breathing in his woodsy, minty scent. Calum hummed as he smiled, bringing the towel he held to rub off some excess water pooling in the bowl he had in his opposite hand. “Give the boy a break; Cal had a long day driving.”

“Cal and I are actually having a great time,” Marie confided, a smirk playing on her lips while she glanced over at her daughter, who was staring up at her boyfriend. Amelia had her cheek pressed to Calum’s shoulder now, head tilted so her eyes could stare up at him adorably. Her mother stopped washing the plate she currently held, though the action was lost between the two smitten adults as they were too busy admiring one another, Calum’s hands absentmindedly drying the bowl he held while looking down at Amelia, and Amelia lost in the depths of Calum’s brown eyes. Mrs. Mannell couldn’t help but smile at the two love struck kids. “But it seems like you would appreciate it if I let you two be.”

Amelia’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she tore her gaze away from her boyfriend to look at her mother instead. Marie was already turning off the tap, giving her a daughter a wink before she exited the kitchen and left the couple alone. Amelia, who was convinced her face was on fire, looked back at Calum and grinned. “We’re alone now.”

“Good observation, baby,” Calum cooed. The girl giggled, slipping under Calum’s arm to instead wrap herself around him from the front. Calum backed them up so Amelia was pressed against the counter, her chin on his chest while she gazed up at him and his arms slung over her shoulders to keep her close. The boy hummed, swaying them back and forth lightly as he said, “I’m really glad we decided on Christmas here this year.”

“Yeah,” Amelia nodded. “Me too.” She paused, moving her head so her cheek was pressing against Calum’s chest as he held her. Amelia could feel his heart beating, closing her eyes as she tracked the auditory pattern that she found comfort in. Anything Calum, she found comfort in.

“You know,” Calum said, causing Amelia to lift her head to look at him. “My mum told me something, when we went down to Sydney in June.” Amelia hummed in response, urging him to go on. “She said she’s never seen me so happy.” He glanced down, brown eyes meeting blue while he spoke. “Said I’d be a fool not to promise myself that for the rest of my life.”

Smiling small, Amelia hummed. “Yeah?”

Calum paused for a moment while he collected his thoughts. He shuffled his feet before unraveling his arms from Amelia. The unknowing frown etching onto her face had Calum’s stomach in knots, but it wasn’t just her expression that was the cause of his nervousness. His hand moved to slip into the pocket of his black pants, his fingers finding the small ring and clenching it into his fist. Then he looked back up, taking an inhale. “I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, Lia.”

Calum watched the expression change on the girl’s face, when it went from happy to confused, and then to shock as she fully processed the words he spoke.

“Amelia Elizabeth. . .” Calum barely had time to get down on one knee before Amelia saw the ring in his fingers and she lunged herself at the boy, throwing her arms around his neck.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.” The boy laughed as she buried her face in his neck, and he wrapped his own arms around her waist. She sat on his knee, engulfed wholly in him as Calum held her close, breathing in her scent and taking note of the entire moment. One he never wanted to forget.

After a few seconds, Amelia pulled away from him, continuing to sit on his knee but letting herself glance down. Calum took her left hand, holding it out as he slipped the gorgeous diamond ring on her finger. Amelia admired it for a moment, through teary eyes, before she looked back at Calum and cupped his face in both of her hands, pushing her lips against his. It wasn’t until Amelia’s brother came to grab a drink from the kitchen that they unraveled from each other, lips kissed and breaths short as they held each other.

Ian, who was refilling his glass of water, asked, “Why the fuck are you two so happy?”

“We’re getting married,” Amelia blurted as a wild smile fell across her face, and Ian nearly dropped his glass to the floor as he gaped at the newly-engaged couple. Amelia lifted her hand, showing off the beautiful ring.

“What—no fuckin’ way! Congrats!” He threw his arms around his sister, who fell into his embrace just out of Calum’s, and they shared a moment before Ian pulled away to give his sister’s new fiancé a hug as well. “Just now?”

He nodded. “Just now.”

“Well fuck,” Ian muttered as he stared at the two in disbelief, a wide smile across his face that his sister mirrored exactly. He reached down to hold Amelia’s hand, inspecting the ring before nodding in approval. “Sheesh. Nice goin’, Cal.”

The boy laughed as he draped an arm around his fiancee’s shoulders, only for the girl to turn and wrap her arms around his neck so she could drag him down to her level and kiss him again. They dispersed much quicker this time, considering Ian was there, and kept it PG as they joined the rest of the group in the living room to share the news.

***

It was around one in the morning when Calum and Amelia finally headed to bed. Mr. and Mrs. Mannell retired early along with Ian’s son, but the rest of them stayed up a while, sharing conversation. It wasn’t until Jo announced she should probably check on the baby that Ian realized he should be getting to bed, as did the rest of them.

“See you in the morning.” Amelia gave her younger sister a hug before the seventeen year old departed up the stairs, following behind Ian and Jo. Calum and Amelia disappeared downstairs after shutting off all the lights, and then the young couple, recently engaged, were left to their own devices.

“So,” Amelia mused as she shut the door behind her. Calum glanced over from where he was lifting his shirt off, and Amelia walked over to wrap her arms around his torso, feeling his skin warm under he touch as she smiled up at him. “How’d you like today?”

“Nothing short of perfect,” Calum said before he leaned down to press a sweet kiss to Amelia’s lips. The girl hummed, smiling as she fell into his touch, Calum’s hands moving to rest on the place where her neck met her shoulder on both sides.

“You know. . .” Amelia mumbled as she pulled back, her lips lingering on Calum’s while she fluttered open her eyes. Her hands moved around to press against his chest, nails tracing the patterns inked across his tan skin. Amelia’s eyes dropped to her hands, seeing the way the ring on her finger glimmered in the light of her bedroom. Then she looked back up at Calum, grinning wickedly. “I heard it’s unlucky not to have sex after you get engaged.” Laughing, Calum’s face broke out into an adorable smile, one that showed off his perfect teeth and pushed his cheeks up so high that his eyes crinkled at the sides. Amelia smiled too, the action contagious, before she wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

“Can I be honest with you?” Calum said between laughs, just as Amelia stepped away to unzip her suitcase. “I’m a little hesitant to make love to my girl when her parents are in the room above.”

Lifting her eyes to meet Calum’s, Amelia took in his words. After a brief moment, she nodded, a grimace etched on her face. “Yeah, actually. I. . . really do not want to have that talk in the morning.”

“But,” Calum said, a mischievous grin creeping across his lips as he walked over, pressing his hands to both of her cheeks and squishing her face as she giggled, “I think that just means you’ll have to be quiet.”

Peeling his hands away from her face, Amelia raised her eyebrows at him as she got to her feet. “What do you mean, me?”

“Well you’re gonna be the one screaming my name,” Calum mumbled, his voice husky as he reached down to lift the girl up by the back of her thighs. Amelia giggled, wrapping her legs around his torso and her arms around his neck. Calum set her down on her back on the bed, crawling over her as Amelia leaned her head back, feeling him bury his face in her neck.

“Is that a promise?”

***

Since Calum and Amelia arrived on the 23rd, they spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day at the Mannell residence. Christmas Eve was spent at the house, watching cheesy Hallmark movies and stuffing their faces full of sugar cookies, while Christmas day the group decided on going out later in the day. Ice skating, to be more specific.

“I’m gonna need someone to hold my hand,” said Ian as the twenty-seven year old man stood outside the rink, arms crossed. His wife and son were already skating about, along with Hanna, Amelia and Calum. The eldest sibling wasn’t too keen on skating, though—apparently he’d never learned how.

“You’re such a baby,” Hanna said as she stopped in front of the boards, reaching a hand out to her older brother. The man looked down at her gloved hand before sighing and placing his on top. Soon enough the entire family was on the ice, save for Mr. and Mrs. Mannell who opted to stay home this time.

“Didn’t know you were so good on the ice,” Calum observed as he trailed along with Amelia, who skated backwards on the ice so she could keep her eyes on her boyfriend. A small smile crept across the girl’s lips as she glanced down at the white skates expertly tied around her feet and ankles.

“I used to figure skate in high school,” she explained, looking back up at Calum. Then she placed her hand in his, her grey wool mitten covering his exposed fingers, and smiled sweetly. “You know, I was a bit hesitant coming to visit my family, but this time I’m really glad we’re spending Christmas with them.”

Calum chuckled at that, pulling his new fiancée closer to his chest. Amelia placed her mitted-hands on his chest, grabbing ahold of the lapels on the jacket he wore, and stared up at him admiringly as he said, “Me too, baby.” The boy dipped down, ducking his head to slant his lips over Amelia’s before there was a shriek let out and both of them pulled away, glancing over to see Ian on the ground, Hanna standing near as she held her stomach, doubling over in laughter.

“Oh God,” Amelia said with a snort, covering her mouth as she watched her brother roll around on the ice like a fish out of water. Hanna tried to help him up but ended up toppling over herself, laughing as she fell on top of Ian.

“Should we help them?” Calum asked while stifling back his own laughter, watching from the sidelines as Hanna and Ian attempted to get up, with help from the boards.

“They’re fine,” Amelia said, waving it off. Just as she turned back to face Calum, her foot caught into Calum’s skate as she tripped, falling into the boy as he wrapped a protective arm around her to catch the girl before she fell. The two began laughing, so hard that it hurt their stomachs as Calum let the girl down gently, watching as she dropped to the ice, holding her stomach while she cackled.

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Calum said through laughter before Amelia reached up to grab his hand and pulled him down with her.

After everyone agreed that they were done skating, the group went to get some frozen yogurt at a shop nearby. They pulled two tables close so they could sit together, Jo, Ian and their boy on one side while Calum, Amelia and Hanna sat on the other. Calum had his arm draped over the back of Amelia’s chair as he poked at his ice cream, and Amelia sat with her right leg crossed over her left and her bowl of ice cream held in her hands as she lifted the spoon to her lips. Calum couldn’t help but let his eyes wander down to her hand, where the beautiful diamond ring sat on her finger, glimmering in the sunlight that shone through the glass windows around them. The boy smiled, his tongue darting out to lick his lips as his eyes trailed back up to Amelia, who laughed at something her brother’s wife said before giving a response of her own. God, he was so in love with her.

“Gonna catch some flies, Cal,” Ian interrupted as he pulled the Maori boy from his thoughts, making him look over. No one else had heard, the words only made for Calum as his fiancée’s older brother smirked at him. Calum rolled his eyes, lifting his foot to kick the man in the shin lightly under the table. “If you were any other guy, I’d be beating your face in for looking at my sister like that.”

“We’re engaged, dumbass,” Calum drawled as he brought a spoonful of frozen yogurt to his lips, smiling small at the word. Engaged.

“That’s why I said, if you were any other guy.” Ian raised his eyebrows as he licked at his own ice cream cone. Calum chuckled, shaking his head small and lifting a hand to lay on Amelia’s back. His fingers danced across the leather jacket she wore—it was Calum’s but he insisted she wear it in case she got cold, but mainly because he knew how much she loved wearing his clothes, and how much he loved her wearing his clothes. Ian hummed, leaning across the table as he pointed a finger at the boy. “Break her heart and I’ll break your face, got it?”

“Brother bear comin’ out to play,” Calum said with a smirk, raising a singular eyebrow at the boy. Ian chuckled, and the unspoken agreement lingered in the air between the two boys. Calum and Ian were good friends and got along well since the first time they met, but Calum knew Ian would pick his sister over him in a heartbeat. He’d made it known that Amelia was the most important thing from the beginning, and Calum only seconded that.

“You guys wanna head back now?” Amelia asked, leaning back in her chair after finishing her cup of ice cream. She glanced back at Calum, who offered a sweet smile while rubbing his hand over her back, and then looked around the table as the rest of them nodded.

Calum watched as Amelia stood up along with the rest of them. He absentmindedly threw out his cup, eyes never leaving the girl when she did the same, or when she said something to Ian, or when she wrapped an arm around her younger sister as they all exited the store. Calum stared at Amelia, save for when he was driving since they’d taken his car considering the amount of seats, in awe of everything about her. His eyes kept flickering down to her hand, which looked so complete with the diamond ring on her finger that had cost Calum a fortune, but he didn’t care. It was worth it. That ring looked beautiful on her finger, and he hoped he’d never get to see it without.

“What’s up?” Amelia asked once they got home, all of them sitting around the living room as another Christmas movie played on the television. Calum only raised his eyebrows, playing dumb as he cocked his head to the side. “You were staring at me.”

“Oh.” Calum smiled, shaking his head. “Nothing.” His arm was draped around her shoulders as they sat together on the small love seat in the living room, her head previously on his shoulder before she realized his eyes burning holes into her.

“Kinda seems like something,” the girl pressed, her eyes daring as they challenged Calum’s. He chuckled, squeezing her shoulders tight before leaning down to press a kiss to her head.

Amelia smiled. Her head tilted up to look at Calum again, noting the way his eyes crinkled at the corners as he looked down at her happily. He moved a hand down to tuck some hair behind her ear, leaving his fingers to hold her chin up to look at him and Amelia felt her eyes fall shut before Calum pressed his lips to hers softly.

“D’you wanna know something?” he whispered, pulling away slightly but leaving his lips lingering against hers. Amelia blushed, fluttering her eyes open to meet Calum’s warm brown irises before nodding. “My mum was right when she said you make me the happiest I’ve been.”

Amelia felt her skin flush with heat at the weight of his words. “Me too,” she whispered, lifting a hand to cup his cheek, gently rubbing her thumb over the stubble on his jaw before smiling. “You make me the happiest I’ve been.”

Calum smiled, leaning down to close the gap between them once again.

The contentfulness that Calum had been searching for all his life, the tranquility he always felt he needed, for his own satisfaction—he’d finally found it. And it was sitting right in front of him this entire time.

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