5 Seconds of Summer Preferences

Part 2

Calum: "Come on," Michael huffs, pulling Calum along with him as Ashton hails a cab. Michael pushes Calum in and follows behind with Ashton pulling Luke in after them. You trudge in, shutting the door behind you and beginning the painfully long cab ride back to the hotel. Silence fills the air until Michael dares to break it. "So what happened?" Calum is the first to answer, simply saying, "Luke kissed my girlfriend." Ashton's eyes grow wide as he looks to Luke for an explanation. "She kissed me," Luke defends with a shrug. "You kissed back," you snap, not wanting to take all of the blame for both of your mistake. "Stop talking about it," Calum says abruptly. "I'm sorry, Calum," you begin desperately. He shakes his head slightly and you feel tears sting your eyes. "They're drunk, Cal," Ashton reasons, "Maybe we can move past this." Again Calum shakes his head, refusing to look at you. "Why don't we just deal with it in the morning when everyone is sober?" Michael suggests with a sigh. "I don't want to deal with it in the morning!" Calum snaps, "I don't want to see either of you in the morning at all!" You stare dumbfounded at Calum while Luke looks glumly out the window. "I - I need time," Calum mumbles, asking the cab driver to pull over before he staggers out of the cab and takes off into the night.

Luke: "I have to go," you mutter to Michael before taking off after Luke. "Luke!" You cry out as you near him. He doesn't turn around, but you know he heard. You speed up, catching up to him, although you're slightly out of breath. "Luke, listen," you say between heavy breaths. "No," Luke says stiffly as he continues to walk. "Hear me out!" You plead, following him quickly. "What?" He snaps, whirling around to look at you. "It was a mistake," you say simply, your lip trembling as you try not to cry. "No kidding," Luke laughs humorlessly before turning away again. "I love you, Luke!" You call, following him again. "Don't you dare say that to me!" He yells, making you flinch, "If you loved me you wouldn't have kissed my best friend!" "He kissed me," you tell him. "I don't care who started it," Luke says, exasperated, "It doesn't change the fact that you were kissing. And it doesn't change the fact that we're over." He turns away again, and you can feel that this time it's final. "Luke!" You cry out hopelessly. He ignores you and you cry out again, falling to the ground as you begin to sob. "Y/n," you hear a voice say. You look up quickly, disappointed to see that it's Michael. "What?" You ask stiffly, wiping tears from your cheeks with the back of your hand. "Are you alright?" He asks cautiously. "What do you think?" You snap. He opens his mouth to reply, but shuts it again, settling for simply laying a hand on your shoulder. "I have to go," you say quickly, taking off before he can stop you.

Michael: "What was that about?" Ashton asks. confused. You hand him the magazine and he groans, dropping it to the floor. You nod, not knowing what to say. "Should I go after him?" Ashton offers. "No," you say with a shake of your head, "It should probably be me." "He's really angry," Ashton points out, "I'm afraid of what he might do. At least let me come along." You agree and quickly take off in search of Michael. It takes you only minutes to spot him walking down the street. "Michael!" You shout, running after him. "Leave me alone," Michael mutters once you and Ashton catch up. "Please listen, Michael," you beg. "Y/n, I really don't want to see you right now," Michael says calmly. "Just listen!" You press. "I said leave me alone!" Michael shouts, startling you and the innocent pedestrians. He sighs, knowing he lost his temper. "I need to cool off," he says, taking a deep breath. "Are you gonna come back?" You ask fearfully. "I just need time," Michael says, struggling to keep his voice even, "Just give me time." His tear-filled, wild eyes meet your fearful ones and you nod, seeing the pain he must feel. He nods in return, turning away and intentionally bumping Ashton with his shoulder as he takes off again. "It'll be okay," Ashton assures you, "He'll come around." "I really screwed up," you mumble numbly as you watch Michael go farther and farther away.

Ashton: You curse under your breath, quickly grabbing your shirt and pulling it over your head as you take off down the stairs. You see Ashton in the kitchen, steadying himself against the counter as he mumbles something about being an idiot. "Ashton," you sigh, making your way toward him. "Stop," Ashton chokes out, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry," you begin, slowly moving toward him. "No," Ashton mutters, holding his head in his hands, "You're not sorry." "I am," you reiterate, "I love you." "How long?" Ashton asks again, choosing to ignore your confession of love. "Do you really want to know?" You whisper. "How long?" He repeats with desperation. "Three months," you sigh. "Oh," Ashton breathes, swaying slightly on the spot, "I'm such an idiot." "You're not an idiot," you say consolingly, "You're in love. And so am I." "You're in love with Calum," Ashton adds, looking up at you with the puppy dog eyes that had captured your heart so long ago. You hesitate, and that's all Ashton needs. He nods with a short sigh and looks around the kitchen. "I was making dinner," he informs you, "It was for you so - so you can finish it up. Um, bye." He moves toward the door and you watch blankly as he runs into Calum. "Oh," Ashton says, looking at Calum like he's a stranger, "Sorry." "Ashton," Calum sighs, "I -" "I have to go," Ashton interrupts. He unlocks the door and turns around, nodding at you solemnly before leaving