5sos One-Shots

Photography |Cashton

So the next hour filled with Calum modeling expressions of great despair and bittersweetness and extreme joy and frustration and simple happiness laced with raw sad. It was when a tear rolled down his cheek that Ashton froze.

"Goddamn it, Ashton," Calum whispered, wiping his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," he said. He took his hands off the camera. "I didn't realize that thinking about her would be this hard."

Ashton looked at him with saddened eyes. He hadn't meant to upset Calum. If he knew that doing love would cause this kind of emotional strain, he would have chosen something entirely different.

"Him."

Ashton's eyebrows raised. "I'm sorry?"

Calum laughed at his shock. "Yeah, I like guys," he said.

"Am I- have you told anyone else?" Ashton asked.

He shook his head slowly. "No. It's only you."

"Wow," Ashton was completely surprised. He wasn't even friends with Calum yet he was the first one he told about his sexuality. "I'm really touched that you trust me enough to tell me this, Calum, but why me?"

Calum chuckled and shook his head again. His eyes, red from crying, met Ashton's. "You don't see it."

"I don't?"

"No. You don't see that it's only you," Calum said and wiped his eyes again as more tears fell.

Ashton sat quietly for a moment pondering this. "Do you mean...you like me?"

"No, Ashton," Calum said. "I love you."

Ashton was dumbfounded. Calum loved him. Calum who was cool and popular and good-looking loved Ashton who was... not.

"I love you, Ashton," Calum spoke, his voice clear and strong, "because your smile is brighter than your blinding camera flashes. I love you because you're so nice to people even when they don't deserve it. I love you because you're beautiful and kind and smart and amazing and wonderful and I just love you."

Almost in a daze Ashton stood up, walked over to the bed where Calum sat, and crashed their lips together. Calum encircled his waist and pulled Ashton onto his lap. The kiss was heated and passionate and full of love. The good qualities of love. The ones that should shine bright through the sadness and frustration and anxiety.

They broke apart and leaned their foreheads together.

"Nobody's ever said anything like that to me before," Ashton smiled.

"I think it's something you should hear more often. Every day, even," Calum said, "Because you deserve that."

Ashton blushed and pressed another kiss to his lips.

"Does this mean you love me too?" Calum asked looking worried.

"Yeah, I definitely love you too," Ashton grinned. "Otherwise I wouldn't have kissed you, right?"

Calum shrugged sheepishly. Ashton hopped off of Calum's lap and adjusted his glasses.

"Let's take one more picture, yeah?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Next Monday at fourth period, the two boys stood side by side as their classmates attempted to guess what emotion their collage depicted. So far, no one had guessed correctly. Every time someone got it wrong, Ashton and Calum would share a smile and say "Nope" and the entire class would let out a collective groan.

"Happiness?" one girl, Dana, asked.

"No, it couldn't be," a boy named Roger shook his head. "He's too angry in the top left picture."

Ashton was slightly concerned that they wouldn't get the A. The whole class was at a loss, even Mrs. Mayvel who joined in as the class started arguing. He knew that they would understand once they explained it.

"I don't know," Dana groaned. "A girl on her period? It would make sense with the mood-swinginess of it."

"Nope," Calum and Ashton chorused. The class groaned. They began shouting out more emotions, now randomly guessing, not even based on the picture.

Ashton glanced back at the collage. Nine pictures, in each Calum wore a different expression. Ashton's favorite was the one right in the center, the one he had taken directly after their kiss. In the picture, Calum stared directly into the lens with the biggest smile he had ever seen.

And he realized then that he didn't care what he got on this project. The only thing that mattered was what he got out of it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought of it. I enjoyed writing this one, especially with Dana at the end :) Comment, vote, do whatever your heart desires! Also tell me what ship you want to see next and if you have a specific prompt. I have a bunch more in the process but I'll put them all aside if you request one!