boulder → l.h ⋆ m.c

i know just as much about your empire as i do my own

:june 14, 2019

     luke can't wrap his mind around the fact that ashton was the person they were against the whole time. his best friend.

     luke was terrified, and completely heartbroken.

     "all this time," calum swallows, "this whole time, you were just playing me?"

     ashton shakes his head, "i actually did fall in love with you, it's really unfortunate."

     "if you love him then why are you doing this?" luke replies.

     ashton shrugs. "shit happens. i can't go back on my plans just for one person. i set this shit in motion in 2015, i can't just stop now."

     "and framing michael was part of it?"

     "michael was a liability." ashton states. "he stumbled into something he shouldn't have, and he needed to be taken care of. i didn't expect him to run, though. or bring you with him. that put a little bit of a damper in my plan. so i dealt with it. i sided with calum. it was the easiest way to get what i wanted."

     "and what is it?" luke cocks his head to the side. "what could you possibly want that's worth all this?"

     "power."

     "seriously?" calum scoffs. "you're willing to kill all of us for power?"

     ashton simply nods.

     "i trusted you." calum sniffs. "i gave you everything."

     "i know," ashton laughs. "i know just as much about your empire as i do my own."

     calum opens his mouth to retaliate, but everyone in the room is struck silent at the sound of multiple gunshots.

     "what the fuck was that?" ashton runs around to his desk to check his security cameras. "you have got to be fucking kidding me. i stabbed him."

     "what?" luke gasps. "michael?" he yanks the computer in his direction to see michael making his way towards ashton's office. "no no no, fuck. ashton, don't. please." he rambles nervously as he stares at ashton grabbing a gun from a drawer in his desk.

     "i could've shot him in the hotel," ashton sighs as he loads the gun. "i could've slit his throat. really considered that one. i ended up stabbing him in the shoulder with a piece of glass. guess i didn't want him to die as badly as i thought i did." he starts for the door.

     "please don't do this." calum grabs ashton's arm softly, looking up at the boy, tears streaming down his face as he looks into the dull eyes of the one he loves more than anything. "please, ash."

     ashton forces down the lump in his throat as his eyes burn from the force of the tears threatening to fall. he shrugs calum's hand off and retreats from the room.

     "what the fuck do we do?" calum spins around to luke, who is staring angrily out the door.

     "i'm going to fucking shoot him."

     ashton charges down the hallway, in a blind rage as he thinks of all the ways he wants to hurt michael.

     "don't make me fucking say here's johnny!" ashton calls out, his dark voice bellowing through the halls.

     ashton's voice sends michael to a screeching halt. he can hear his own heart beating as he thinks of a plan.

     he doesn't have one.

     he never did.

     he hasn't had a plan since 2016.