The Big Apple / 5SOS AU

1.2

They didn't bother unpacking because they knew they wouldn't be staying in this hotel for too long. None of them liked unpacking anyway. It was easier to just pull random clothes from inside their bags.

"How could you afford this?" Ashton asked growing suspicious of Michael.

"My parents have an unlimited amount of money, as you know. They don't bother checking what I buy, or when I buy. I didn't gamble for the money, Ash." Michael assured.

"Let's sleep. We have to wake up early to go job hunting." Michael informed causing all of them to groan.

Michael, Elsa, and Ashton slept in one double bed. Luke and Calum were in the other. Ashton offered to sleep on the plastic chair in the corner of the room, but Elsa wouldn't let that happen.

Michael wouldn't sleep without Elsa. They were as close as two people could get without being together. Elsa couldn't sleep without Michael either. But she would never let Ashton sleep by himself, especially in the corner of a hotel room, in a new city, on a new coast, in a different time zone.

Michael cuddled up to Elsa. Their legs intertwined, his arm around her waist, her head against his chest, his chin in the crook of her neck. They had become the space of one person, leaving room for Ashton on the other side of the bed.

Ashton was restless. It was hard for him not to be. He never slept well. His thoughts always got the best of him. His mind becomes his enemy at night.

Luke and Calum were sharing their bed with Luke facing the wall and Calum facing the nightstand. Both of them had different thoughts roaming through their minds.

Thinking.

Over-thinking.

The only person who fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow was Michael. He hadn't disappointed himself...yet.

That morning, Michael's alarm went off at around seven. They had gotten three and a half hours of sleep. They were zombies walking around New York City.

They roamed up and down different avenues looking for 'Now Hiring' signs. After three hours, they had picked up around ten applications.

Luke was looking for a cafe with live music. He wanted to pursue his music dream so he needed to start from the bottom: a live gig at a small cafe in New York. Who knows who would walk in and discover the eighteen-year-old's talent.

After walking into multiple cafés, Luke had talked to multiple managers and each one told him to get a small band together and then they would give him a chance. He learned that there were very few cafés that hired solo artists. He was determined to find one.

Michael was able to score a job at a video game store just across from where Elsa got a job at a record store. Ashton found a job as a cashier at the Disney store in Times Square. Calum was accepted to work at the incredibly large Toys R Us in Times Square. Luke was the only one still looking for a job.

They had been in New York City for six days now. None of their family had attempted to contact them. Sure, it was painful to know that they didn't care that they were missing. They had left in the middle of the night so their family couldn't stop them. But it didn't seem to bother Elsa, Michael, Ashton, Luke and Calum that their family wasn't looking for them.

After work, Michael would pick up Elsa. Together, they would pick up Ashton and Calum and wait for Luke at a local cafe called Midnight Café. They had grown close to the people working there after a few days.

The four who had jobs were pooling their money together for food, laundry, and saving up for an apartment since the hotel was still expensive and Elsa didn't want to waste all of Michael's parent's money, not that Michael could give a fuck.

"Can I have a chai tea?" The waitress, Mary Kate, was taking their order.

"I'll take a black coffee."

"Can I have a blueberry scone?"

"I'll have a regular coffee with a bit of cream and sugar. Thanks."

"And I'll have a h-"

"Hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows." Mary Kate finished Luke's order for him and smiled. "Coming up." She left to put the order in and serve other customers.

"So Luke, have you found anything yet?"

"Not really. All of them are telling me I need a band. That would be cool but I don't have a band. It's just my voice, my guitar, and me.

"Excuse me, I hate to interrupt but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Are you looking for a job?" A man in a casual suit asked.

"Yea, I've been searching for the past week and a half." Luke told the man.

"Well, my son owns a small club down the street. Do you think you could play a club? He's been telling me how he desperately needs a live act."

"Wow, sir. That would be amazing. Thank you."

"I'll call my son and tell him he has some great talent coming in to talk to him and you can go down and take a look around. Sound good?" Luke nodded, too shocked to speak. "It's right down the street. It's called The Rooftop Club. You can head over now if you want. I just texted him letting him know you'll be there soon." Luke stood up and thanked the man who was smiling. Luke quickly left to head over to the club.

The man left Elsa, Michael, Calum and Ashton to themselves. Mary Kate came back with their drinks and the blueberry scone.

"Where'd Luke go?" She asked with a frown evident upon her face.

"Someone offered him a job so he left to chase his dreams." Elsa joked but with a genuine smile on her face. She was happy for Luke.

"Will he be back?"

"Probably not today. Maybe tomorrow. You can leave the hot chocolate here though. I'll drink it." Calum informed Mary Kate.

"Okay." She gave them their drinks and placed both the blueberry scone and hot chocolate in front of Calum with a small smile that seemed forced.