Easier [Ashton Irwin]

24

Is it easier to stay? Is it easier to go? (Yeah)
I don't wanna know, oh (Oh)
But I know that I'm never, ever gonna change

~~~

Ashton's favourite kind of interviews were the ones where he was surrounded by his bandmates. They were his comfort blanket; he felt safe when they shared the spotlight. But right now, he was sat in one of those interviews were they spoke to them individually, and Ashton wasn't awfully fond of those. Sure, he had done Cocktail Chats, but Ashton had been drunk, and it was in the comfort of his own home with Sydney behind the camera.

But the rest of 5 Seconds Of Summer were sat in chairs behind the camera, watching him and talking amongst themselves, and that made Ashton feel more at ease. It was made even better by the fact that Sydney was sat amongst them. She smiled at him as he sat down in the chair in front of the camera, and the boost of confidence it gave Ashton was unbelievable.

As Ashton spoke to the camera and the brunette woman asking him questions he was certain he had been asked before, Sydney watched. She was sat with her legs folded in front of her and her elbow rested on her knee, and her chin rested upon her hand. She didn't participate in the quiet conversation taking place between Calum, Luke and Michael, instead opting to listen to Ashton's words.

The utter admiration Sydney felt for Ashton was unbelievable, and it was something she would never be able to explain. She could see in the way he spoke and moved how passionately he was talking about the band and their music.

    "Who is your biggest inspiration?" The journalist asked, smiling sweetly as she glanced down at the paper that was lying on her lap. 

    "Sydney." Ashton's answer was instantaneous, as was the blush that made Sydney's cheeks feel warm. "Honestly, she's so God damn amazing and she doesn't even realise it."

"Lucky for us," the journalist spoke, sounding rather excited, "Sydney is here in the office with us. Why don't you join us over here, Sydney?"

Sydney paused, hesitating. Luke laughed at her, pushing her forward off her chair. She caught herself, glaring at the six-foot-four giant before walking towards the camera setup.

She sat down on the chair that an assistant had set down beside Ashton's. Ashton grinned at her and Sydney smiled back.

"It's so amazing to have you here with us, Sydney." The interviewer spoke. "I'm Delilah."

Sydney waved shyly. "It's nice to meet you."

"If I'm correct," Delilah spoke, looking down at her notes before realising that she didn't have any on Sydney, "you've never been interviewed before."

Sydney nodded.

"How come?"

Sydney hummed as she thought. "I'm just not very interesting," she laughed.

"That's not true!" Ashton spoke. He turned to Delilah. "Sydney is one of the most interesting people I've ever met. Her lyrics are so meaningful and I wish I could be half as talented and gifted as she is. She's so amazingly intelligent but also has no common sense. I watched her walk into a door yesterday and she apologised to it. She's an idiot but she's so amazing at the same time. She's saved my life - she's talked me down from suicide in my darkest moment. She just won't admit to any of that. In fact, I don't think she even knows it herself."

Delilah looked stunned. Michael, Calum and Luke look proud. Meanwhile, Sydney had sunk low in her chair, her cheeks and the bridge of her nose tinted pink.

"She's talked you down from suicide?" Delilah asked, unsure of what she had just heard.

Ashton nodded, glancing down at Sydney with pride and fondness. "Yeah," he nodded.

Sydney smiled up at him, still slumped in her chair, "stop!"

"This is so amazing, Sydney !" Delilah exclaimed, probably thinking about the publicity this interview was going to gain. "Why have we never heard about this before?"

"It never came up in conversation?" Sydney said, although it sounded more like a question.

Ashton laughed, as did the rest of 5 Seconds Of Summer. "That's not true," he said, "Sydney didn't wanna make a big deal out of it so we never spoke about it."

Sydney could feel the presence of Luke, Calum and Michael stood behind her.

"In all honesty," Luke spoke, "no matter how much we love our fans, the fanbase can be very toxic. Sydney has always been a target and we've always been worried that by saying something like this, she'd only be hurt even more. But, I think it's time that we stop hiding how amazing she is because she doesn't deserve that. She deserves the world and so much more."

Sydney smiled widely, standing up to wrap her arms tightly around Luke. "Thanks, Luke," she whispered. Luke wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"Puppy pile!" Michael yelled, throwing himself on top of Sydney and Luke, wrapping his arms around them. Calum and Ashton laughed (or rather, giggled) before joining in themselves.

And if that was the best thumbnail ever, they didn't know that yet.

~~~

Twitter

@courtneyabbey2: 5SOS's latest interview was so God damn amazing and pure and honest. another reason why I love our boys and Sydney
[2k retweets] [569 comments]

@5secsofeline: ashton and sydney are so brave man. imagine opening up like that in front of an entire fan base
[300 retweets] [452 comments]

@melz_editz: the group hug was absolutely adorable ahhhhh!1!1!1!
[3k retweets] [6k comments]

~~~

As the group walked out of the office building, Sydney hung back, watching as Luke, Calum and Ashton laughed at something Calum had said. Michael walked beside, deciding to keep Sydney company instead.

"You're good for him, you know?" He spoke, snapping Sydney out of her daze.

"What?" Sydney asked, slightly confused.

"Ashton. You're good for Ashton." She still looked confused, so Michael continued. "He's always better when you're around. When you're in the room, his world lights up. Hell, he didn't know how to function in those two days when we first flew out."

"I don't know, Michael," Sydney said. "Any of you guys would've been able to help him."

Michael shook his head. "Sydney, why can't you two see it?"

"You two are absolutely perfect for each other."